The Journeyman Chronicles

[chesterfan2]

Saturday March 11th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Ashton Gate

Bristol City(11th) vs. Fulham(2nd)

This, I thought, would be a good place to start winning again, two consecutive draws had not, as it happened, caused the wheels to come off the promotion drive just yet, but losing any more points at this stage of the season just might.

We started this game slowly, but then so did Bristol City. Slowly, slowly we took the upper hand, culminating in an incisive passing move, on 21 minutes, that saw Kacaniklic set up Chramosta only seven yards out, and our top scorer had no problem converting from the narrow angle offered.

On 35 minutes a Kacaniklic free kick from just inside the opponent’s half was controlled and volleyed on the turn by Chramosta from a full 20 yards out, and it flew in for number two.

City got one back on 39, some sloppy marking again at fault, but we re-established the two goal cushion inly three minutes later as Kacaniklic managed to get himself on the score sheet with a crisp shot from the edge of the box.

3-1 up at half time, and nothing but praise from me. They had deserved it, it had been a very satisfactory first half. The second started in much the same way as Chramosta rounded the keeper on 49 minutes to complete his hatrick.

On 68 Hangeland missed a simple interception that would have stopped Bristol getting an undeserved second. Yet on 82, a poor clearance by the Bristol City goalkeeper, straight to Ibe allowed him to put Chramosta in on goal again, he went round the keeper again and he got his fourth and our fifth as a result of it.

Bristol City got a third on 87, another defensive lapse. But they didn’t get any nearer than that and we ran out more comfortable winners that the 5-3 scoreline might suggest. In the division’s other big game of the day Wolves came from behind to beat third placed West Ham, 3-2. They stay top, two points ahead of us, but West Ham are now six points behind us in third.

Final Score: Bristol City 3-5 Fulham

League Position: 2nd

Scorers : Chramosta 4, Kacaniklic

Man Of The Match: Jan Chramosta

Team: Bruns, Cummings, Wiggins, Huth, Hangeland, Di Marzio , Ndongala, Kasami, Ibe, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

[chesterfan2]

Saturday March 25th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (2nd) vs. Middlesbrough (22nd)

After an international weekend off it was back to the grindstone of the league, with a home game against struggling Middlesbrough. Normally a game I’d feel very confident about but our form and our defending in particular recently has not been of the best quality and our visitors are beginning to run out of games if they want to make up the gap that’s forming between 21st spot and the relegation places. They’ll be up for this one, the question was would we ?

Spearing was still suspended and Cummings was still out after the last match with a strained calf muscle. Ndongala continues in the middle, and Odoi comes in for a rare start at right back.

Middlesbrough came and set out in an attacking 4-2-4 formation, well, you couldn’t fault them for effort ! We played our 4-2-3-1 formation, and controlled the early exchanges. We got on the scoresheet with only 5 minutes on the clock, a half cleared corner was worked back into the box where Chramosta set up Ibe to fire home from a tight angle. On 14 minutes our corners caused panic once more, the ball dropped and Chramosta was bundled off the ball via a barge in the back. The ref pointed to the spot, Chramosta got up, dusted himself down and fired the penalty into the bottom right hand corner, keeper, no chance.

Middlesbrough were straight back on the front foot and grabbed a goal back on 16 minutes, a rasping drive from the edge of the box, beating Bruns from distance, maybe some shot stopping training is called for here ?

How Middlesbrough didn’t equalise late on in the half I will never know, as one lad hit a rebound off one post straight onto the other post, our defenders at sixes and sevens. How did we get that one away ?

Not surprisingly my half time team talk was the ‘good, but you can do better’ speech. I also asked them to go back out and try and get in the opposition’s faces.

Into the second half, Chramosta was denied by a top drawer save on 51, and Middlesbrough should have done better than shooting wide when one-on-one with Bruns on 56. End-to-end stuff, but we managed to get the upper hand on 63 as Ibe was played in down the right side of the box by Odoi and the on-loan Liverpool winger once again smacked home a thunderbolt from a narrow angle beating the keeper at his near post once more.

Three-one up, but not for long. Only two minutes later we broke up a Middlesbrough thrust and broke down the right. Ibe left his full back for dead, got to the byline, pulled the ball across the face where Chramosta was on hand to belt it into the net, 4-1.

Chramosta was crocked on 71 by a young lad I used to have on-loan at Northampton, Ben Gibson. Whilst it was nice to see Ben had made it to the ’Brough first team, I wasn’t too happy to see him go in that hard on my premier striker. I just hoped it wasn’t too bad, but I wasn’t holding out much hope of that. I was expecting the worst.

Sansone came on in Jan’s place, twenty minutes to show me what he could do. He didn’t actually see that much of the ball in the last twenty, as Middlesbrough huffed and puffed, but didn’t get close to getting even a single goal back.

Final Score: Fulham 4-1 Middlesbrough

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Ibe 2, Chramosta 2

Man Of The Match: Jordan Ibe

Team: Bruns, Odoi, Wiggins, Huth, Hangeland, Williams , Ndongala, Ibe, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Chramosta (Sansone 71)

Wolves could only draw 0-0 at ten-man Crystal Palace, whilst West Ham kept ground in third with a one-nil win at home to Cardiff. We are now level with Wolves on 77 points, but we are in first thanks to our goal difference, which is eight better than Wolves. Below them in third is West Ham on 71, followed by Derby on 69, Huddersfield on 64 and the playoff spots are rounded out by Ipswich on 61. Swansea and Burnley follow in seventh and eighth, both on 58, and Cardiff are in ninth, two points behind them. And as it happened Chramosta’s injury wasn’t serious, he was back in training, along with the rest of the lads on Monday morning. That was as good a piece of news to me as our place in the table.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday April 1st 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Prenton Park

Tranmere Rovers(11th) vs. Fulham(1st)

We scored early on, on 7, from a corner. The prime reason for this was Tranmere leaving Chramosta unmarked, and he had time to bring the ball down, turn on it and shoot. 1-0 up.

The game was a lot more even after that and Bruns did well on a number of occasions to keep them out, we wasted a couple of good openings. I told them to guard against complacency in the half time team talk.

Into the second half and just past the hour a defensive blunder let Kasami advance on goal, commit the keeper and put away his 10th league goal of the season. We then cantered to an easy two goal win, with no further problems at the back. Am I right in saying that was Bruns’ first clean sheet for us ? I think it might have been.

We won, Wolves drew at home with 19th place Bournemouth, so that puts us two points and ten goals clear of second place.

Final Score: Tranmere 0-2 Fulham

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Chramosta, Kasami

Man Of The Match: Pajtim Kasami

Team: Bruns, Odoi, Wiggins, Huth, Hangeland, Williams , Ndongala, Ibe, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

This set of games had two outcomes for the promotion/relegation issues for the division. Chesterfield with only 25 points from their 40 matches so far, are confirmed as relegated, whilst we, on top with 80, are now guaranteed at least a playoff spot. Which is nice.

[chesterfan2]

Friday April 7th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Pride Park

Derby County(3rd) vs. Fulham(1st)

This was the live TV game for the week, and no real surprise that it was. Third placed Derby at home to the league leaders, i.e. us. Hangeland had reported earlier in the week with a thigh strain and will be out for a month. Di Marzio comes in for Brede. Spearing returns as we go with the 4-1-2-2-1 formation for this tough encounter.

This game may well mean a lot to both teams but as a TV spectacle the first half at least was dire. Football played at 100 miles an hour, no notable chances for either side, and complete lack of interest fest.

The second half was no better, except for one moment of brilliance. The Derby midfielder Coutts hit one from 35 yards on 65 minutes and it flew in, I don’t care if it was against us it was a fabulous goal. We tried to come back, but it all amounted to very little against a well organised Derby team with their tails up. It pains me to say it, but we were beaten by the better side on the day.

Final Score: Derby 1-0 Fulham

League Position: 1st

Scorers :

Man Of The Match: Robert Huth

Team: Bruns, Odoi, Wiggins, Huth, Di Marzio, Spearing , Williams, Kasami, Ibe, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

Of course now Wolves knew a win in their game on the following day, would put them back top. Yet it didn’t happen. Wolves lost on the Saturday at home to already relegated Chesterfield, West Ham trounced Crystal Palace and moved to within a point of Wolves and three of ourselves. Bradford lost and were confirmed as being relegated from the division.

We had a midweek game on the Wednesday, whilst all of our main rivals were going to play their midweek game ahead of us on the Tuesday. In those games, Derby won, West Ham drew and Wolves lost, 4-1 at Nottingham Forest, now they are all on 78 points, West Ham in second, Derby third and Wolves fourth on goal difference. All three are now guaranteed at least a playoff spot.

[CamillePunk]

Looks like you've got the inside track. Chramosta is positively beasting.

[chesterfan2]

Thanks CP, It is absolutely true that I lucked out at Fulham by having Chramosta in the squad when I became boss. The one true secret of the Championship does seem to be to have the best striker, and that's exactly what I have here !

Wednesday April 12th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (1st) vs. Notts County (21st)

Notts County need 4 points from the last five games to ensure safety, but in reality their goal difference is so superior to that of Middlesbrough, a place below them in 22nd, that one win would be good enough. We’d need to be at least a little careful that we didn’t take this game for granted.

The first half wasn’t quite as bad as the goalless scoreline at the end of it might suggest, we were wasteful in front of goal but we controlled the game and looked the more likely to score.

I told the lads to keep at it and we would win. I could tell they didn’t believe me and Notts County came out for the second half having quite definitely been told to park the bus and go for the point. They lacked any form of ambition and got men behind the ball and we found it very difficult to get anything going at all.

But credit to my lads, they kept going and on 83 minutes they were finally rewarded. As scrappy a goal as we have scored all season, Kacaniklic the last one to get a touch on the way into the net, the ball having come to him via a couple of deflections.

The wall having been broken once, they lost heart a bit after that and it was no surprise when we added a second, once again through Kacaniklic on 85, only two minutes later. The game safe, we sat back and saw the game out. Right at the end Odoi had to come off, allowing me to give Alex Bedford his full debut for the club. The win was secured and we were now 5 points clear, with 4 games left.

Final Score: Fulham 2-0 Notts County

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Kacaniklic 2

Man Of The Match: Alex Kacaniklic

Team: Bruns, Odoi (Bedford 91), Wiggins, Huth, Di Marzio, Williams , Ndongala, Ibe, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

[chesterfan2]

Saturday April 15th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (1st) vs. Blackburn Rovers(15th)

It turned out Odoi had torn a hamstring and was out long term, fortunately Shaun Cummings was ready to return and he slotted right back in, we are otherwise unchanged.

Blackburn are safe in 15th and have nothing to play for. This much was obvious as we poured forward. We had hit post and bar three times before Chramosta opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a rasping low drive. The only surprise after that in the first period was that we didn’t add to that before half time.

Half time. ‘You are doing well, but you can do better’. Obviously.

The players kind of ignored what I said and waited for Blackburn to come at us, to provide something. They didn’t and so the game faded away into an insignificant 1-0 win, that was by no means a crowd pleaser.

Final Score: Fulham 1-0 Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Chramosta

Man Of The Match: Alex Di Marzio

Team: Bruns, Cummings, Wiggins, Huth (Bedford 90), Di Marzio, Williams, Ndongala, Ibe, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

[chesterfan2]

Wednesday April 19th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Elland Road

Leeds United(18th ) vs. Fulham(1st)

There seem to be few of our players beginning to feel the pressure, as the first half here was as timid as I have seen from us since when I joined. Leeds didn’t offer much either, until right at the end of the half when they were awarded a penalty. 1-0 to them , half time.

A verbal rocket later and they were back out, better but not yet convincingly so. In fact it took us until the 81st minute to get an equaliser, Kasami with the finish. As we went into injury time we pushed forward once more, and Chramosta smacked the ball against the post, was first onto the rebound from where he rolled the ball into a now empty net, for a late, late, winner, of a game we didn’t really deserve to win. Ibe got his second yellow at the death for a cynical tug on the Leeds man looking to get an equaliser of his own. But we held on and the three points were ours !

Final Score: Leeds United 1-2 Fulham

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Kasami, Chramosta

Man Of The Match: Shaun Cummings

Team: Bruns, Cummings, Wiggins, Huth, Di Marzio, Williams, Ndongala, Ibe, Kasami, Kacaniklic, Chramosta

A lucky win perhaps, but that win confirms our promotion to the Premier League. We still need two points from our final two games to be confirmed as Champions, but Promotion is what I promised the board, and promotion is what I have delivered.

[Spav]

Great job, cf2. You've handled the pressure very well and got the reward for Fulham. A fine read, my man.

[chesterfan2]

Thank You Spav, kind words, much appreciated

In the end the drama went out of the title race, our second to last game was selected by the BBC for a teatime live football match and so all the other matches in the round were played before we got onto the park. West Ham could only draw 0-0 at already relegated Chesterfield. This left them four points behind, and only 1 game left. So we won the Championship title.

Saturday April 22nd 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (1st) vs. Leicester City (9th)

A couple of changes for this essentially dead rubber of a match. We go with 5-3-2 with Bedford getting his first start in the first team, and with Kerim Frei playing instead of Kasami, who needed a rest.

On 15 we opened the scoring Chramosta drawing the defender wide, then flicking the ball inside, into the patch of Frei, he advanced on the keeper and tucked it round him just as the netminder came out . That was the highlight of another quiet first half.

The second was much the same, another Frei goal, and not much else to report really. A 2-0 win, very much at a canter.

Final Score: Fulham 2-0 Leicester City

League Position: 1st

Scorers : Frei

Man Of The Match: Kerim Frei

Team: Bruns, Cummings, Wiggins, Huth, Bedford, Davies, Di Marzio, Spearing, Frei, Chant, Chramosta

So with one game of the season remaining the table looked like this:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | [b]Fulham[/b]         |       | 45    | 27    | 11    | 7     | 85    | 45    | +40   | 92    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Pl    | West Ham       |       | 45    | 25    | 10    | 10    | 77    | 40    | +37   | 85    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Pl    | Derby          |       | 45    | 23    | 13    | 9     | 75    | 47    | +28   | 82    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | Pl    | Wolves         |       | 45    | 24    | 10    | 11    | 75    | 52    | +23   | 82    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Swansea        |       | 45    | 18    | 18    | 9     | 65    | 49    | +16   | 72    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Ipswich        |       | 45    | 19    | 15    | 11    | 70    | 59    | +11   | 72    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Huddersfield   |       | 45    | 19    | 15    | 11    | 66    | 55    | +11   | 72    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Burnley        |       | 45    | 19    | 12    | 14    | 66    | 61    | +5    | 69    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Leicester      |       | 45    | 19    | 11    | 15    | 73    | 63    | +10   | 68    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Cardiff        |       | 45    | 17    | 13    | 15    | 69    | 60    | +9    | 64    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Tranmere       |       | 45    | 17    | 11    | 17    | 63    | 66    | -3    | 62    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Sunderland     |       | 45    | 14    | 19    | 12    | 63    | 57    | +6    | 61    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Sheff Utd      |       | 45    | 18    | 6     | 21    | 61    | 68    | -7    | 60    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Bristol City   |       | 45    | 16    | 11    | 18    | 53    | 56    | -3    | 59    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 45    | 14    | 15    | 16    | 72    | 68    | +4    | 57    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Bournemouth    |       | 45    | 16    | 9     | 20    | 53    | 68    | -15   | 57    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 45    | 14    | 13    | 18    | 63    | 73    | -10   | 55    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Leeds          |       | 45    | 13    | 15    | 17    | 65    | 66    | -1    | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 45    | 14    | 12    | 19    | 59    | 67    | -8    | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Blackpool      |       | 45    | 14    | 6     | 25    | 56    | 83    | -27   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21st  |       | Notts Co       |       | 45    | 10    | 14    | 21    | 46    | 72    | -26   | 44    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22nd  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 45    | 11    | 9     | 25    | 57    | 77    | -20   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23rd  | R     | Chesterfield   |       | 45    | 7     | 12    | 26    | 33    | 69    | -36   | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24th  | R     | Bradford       |       | 45    | 6     | 12    | 27    | 44    | 88    | -44   | 30    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

West Ham look assured of second spot, and the automatic promotion that goes with it, but even to the last game there are things to be decided on the last day of the season.

[CamillePunk]

Excellent work with Fullham mate, you certainly changed the trajectory of the club's future.

Now to see what kind of challenge you can mount in the premier league, and whether you can resist a move to a bigger club during the annual early season manager culling.

[Gary_Parker]

Great promotion mate. Good luck in the EPL.

[chesterfan2]

Thank you guys, for your kind words. I'll refrain from commenting on the future though, if you don't mind !

Saturday April 28th 2017

nPower Championship

Venue: Bloomfield Road

Blackpool(20th ) vs. Fulham(1st)

A meaningless match, really, Blackpool will finish 20th, win, lose or draw. So it should have been a bit of a saunter. Di Marzio didn’t find it like that as he limped off after only 5 minutes, Ndongala coming on for him. But the game did go to type after that, as the injury was the main highlight of the first half.

Half time came and went, still goalless. I told them they could win the game, if they wanted to. Actually it turned out they didn’t want to win the game. Ndongala got himself two yellow cards and then a red one, and was off on 57, and after that any hope of a goal went out of the window. A right royal disappointment, at least our fans had a nice day at the seaside.

Final Score: Blackpool 0-0 Fulham

League Position: 1st

Scorers :

Man Of The Match: Robert Huth

Team: Bruns, Cummings, Wiggins, Huth, Bedford, Davies (Marconi 58), Di Marzio (Ndongala 6, off 58), Spearing (Williams 58), Frei, Chant, Chramosta

In the other games Middlesbrough escape on the last day, winning at Blackburn whilst Notts County lost at home to Sunderland and they take the last relegation spot. At the top West Ham finish second and are promoted. Swansea and Huddersfield join Wolves and Derby in the playoffs. Ipswich miss out, losing 1-0 at Cardiff.

The news of Di Marzio’s injury was not good. He had torn a calf muscle in the match and would be out for 3 to 4 months. This meant he’d quite probably miss the start of next season, and whilst I thought we’d need to upgrade in a number of positions, he was one of the ones that still featured in my nascent plans for the next season.

The lads all went off on holiday, but I began planning for next season. In order to fend off interest from Wigan I offered Pajtim Kasami a new contract. I was pleased when he signed the 4 year deal offered.

Wolves won the last promotion place through beating Huddersfield on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the playoff final.

[chesterfan2]

End of Season Review

At the end of season 5 of my career, I had attained 6 trophies,

Trophies Won:

Belgian Third Division Champions Season 2012/3 – Deinze

English FA Trophy Season 2013/4 – Northampton Town

English FA Trophy Season 2014/5 – Northampton Town

Blues Square Premier League Champions 2014/15 – Northampton Town

nPower League Two Champions 2015/16 – Northampton Town

nPower Championship Champions 2016/17 - Fulham

[mark wilson27]

Thats not a bad collection for so early in your career. Maybe in a couple of years a Champions League Trophy

[chesterfan2]

Thank you Mark, Greg Nixon is certainly ambitious, so who knows where this is going to lead ! (I do, obviously!)

I then got right into planning for the next season with one key signing. We agreed a deal with Birmingham keeper, Jack Butland, 24, that he’d join us at the end of his contract. No outlay of transfer funds but we had to fend off a lot of interest from other Premier League clubs and so he’ll cost a pretty penny in wages. Worth every penny I say, he’ll join of July 1st.

On June 25th the Premiership fixture list was published, we start away at Tottenham and finish with an away game at Arsenal. The board offer me a budget of £9 million for transfers and £700k per week for wages to bravely fight relegation, or £11million and £750k p/w for mid-table mediocrity, or £12mill and the same wage bucket, to win the thing. I go for mid-table mediocrity, Well, you have to have ambition, don’t you.

At the end of the month Bryan Ruiz’s contract finally ran out and he left the club, ‘By mutual consent’ as we say in the trade for someone you couldn’t afford to get off the books whilst they were still under contract.

Into July and we moved Michal Rabusic on to Reading for £2.8million, Lassad Nouioui to Pisa for £800,000 and Andy Carroll on loan to Rangers, and they can buy him at any point for £275,000. Money in for lads I didn't want !, fabulous stuff, eh ?

And we brought in our first big name signing. Theo Walcott, 28, was signed from Liverpool for £9.5 million, £5.5m of it spread over three years. He can play up front, but I can also use him as a right winger. Apparently shirts with his name on are going like hot cakes.

We then signed Robert Snodgrass, 29, for £100,000 from Cardiff, he’ll be a good backup player and will see playing time due to injuries. We also signed Rasmus Lindgren, 23 a midfielder from Standard in Belgium, we are sorely lacking in any sort of first team depth and this lad will provide us with some of that, as well as being able to challenge for a first team spot.

[chesterfan2]

A friendly followed, bit part players mostly, and we lost, 1-0 at AZ of Holland. A good run out, nothing more. We followed that up with the purchase of another defender, David Omar Rodriguez Barrera, better known as Deivid, signed for a fee that will eventually be £3.7million from Levante.

Another friendly, a 4-2 win at AC Vannes in France followed, Theo Walcott was awesome in the match, looks like we have a good’un there.

After the match we made a couple more signings, the money’s beginning to run out, and these might be the last ones, though I might be able to squeeze another defender out of the piggy bank. Anyway, the first was a 27 year old Brazilian defensive midfielder by the name of Airton, bought for a headline fee of £5.75million, most of that spread over three years. And we also got a 26 year old forward, freed by Man City at the end of his last contract. Should help the shirt sales a bit this one, Mario Balotelli is on board.

[chesterfan2]

A game against Stevenage followed, Balotelli played on the right, and scored the only goal of the game, a screamer, he also got booked, and I took him off before he got himself sent off. Rhoys Wiggins was injured in the match and will be out for 3 months, which is a shocker.

In a game against Luton Ellis Chant reminded me that he’s becoming an even more exciting young player than he was last season by getting both goals in a 2-1 win. We then secured a couple more players on loan. The first of them is 20 year old French left back Simon Perez, on loan from AS Monaco, he’s in as cover for the injured Wiggins and the second is 23 year old central midfielder Ole Kristian Selnaes, a Norwegian, but co-owned by Parma and Roma.

Shortly we completed our squad for the start of the season by signing another DM on a free transfer, he is 23 year old Guinean Momar Bangoura most recently of Olympic Marseille. He played in our final pre-season warm up game, one for the fans, a game against Bayern Munich at home. We won the game 1-0, Walcott getting the goal. He did pick up a knock though and will miss 3 weeks. Whilst we waited for the Premier League season to start the lads in the Championship and below got underway, they also played the first round of the Carling Cup, and the second round was drawn. That saw us come out of the hat against London opposition in the form of Charlton Athletic of League One, and we’d face them at their place.

[chesterfan2]

Sunday August 20th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Perryman Park

Tottenham Hotspur (N/A ) vs. Fulham(N/A)

We open the season with a London derby, away to one of the big guns, Spurs at their one season old stadium, Perryman Park. It’s all very plush, even if the name is a little bit sad.

After a cagey opening, by both sides, Spurs began to get the upper hand, but they were unable to trouble Butland greatly. On 33 we broke down the field, and Chramosta fired home from just inside the box, to get our Premier League account underway. A good goal, very coolly taken too. We held onto the lead, and walked off to the resounding boos of the Tottenham fans, quite clearly aimed at their own team.

Into the second half and Spurs had quite clearly been given a talking to by their boss. They managed to craft an equaliser on the hour mark, a half cleared corner, swung back in and the defender, still up, was able to head it home. We steadied and looked well able to hold out for the draw, but it wasn’t to be, they smuggled in an second goal at the death and it was pretty obvious right then, we were going to find this league tough.

Final Score: Tottenham 2-1 Fulham

League Position: 15th

Scorers : Chramosta

Man Of The Match: Deivid

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Williams,Kasami , Kacaniklic, Balotelli, Chramosta

[neilhoskins77]

I've read this thread from the start over the last few days. It's becoming an epic story cf2, brilliant stuff, and congratulations. I think you've definitely made your management moves at the right times. You should consider contacting the Guinness Book of Records though. Surely, there can't be another manager who has lost on penalties twice, to the same team, in the same competition, in the same season?!

[chesterfan2]

Thanks Neil, but you know what I hadn't even noticed that that was the case ! For those who aren't sure what Neil's noticed here it's that in 2016 Northampton lost on Penalties to Bristol City in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup, I then change jobs to the Fulham post, and we then lost in the 4th round of the Carling Cup to, you guessed it, Bristol City, again on penalties. I guess I must have been concentrating on the pen pictures that come with a new job to notice the significance of that cup defeat.

Sunday August 27th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (15th ) vs. Liverpool (9th)

Our home opener, against one of the mid-range sides, Liverpool. Home games are the ones that we will have to get something from if we are to survive in this division, and now would be a good place to start.

We were lucky on 13 minutes to survive a Liverpool corner with our goal intact, Odoi smuggling it away under considerable pressure. On 33 we opened the scoring ourselves with a flowing move, that saw Williams get beyond Balotelli in the false nine spot, take a pass from Kasami and steer it beyond the Liverpool keeper.

Liverpool had the ball in the net on 36, but it was correctly disallowed as their forward was a country mile offside. We took full advantage as on 40 minutes we extended our lead, Kasami coming in off the right wing to fire the ball home, after good work by Baloteli.

Half time and two goals up, good, I tell them, but you can do better. 55 minutes, Liverpool get a goal back, a failure to bring Luis Suarez down in a heap, pretty much. They equalised on 68, Butland at fault for that one, and things looked a little bleak there for a minute. But we soon rallied. We threw the kitchen sink at them and on 88 we grabbed a winner, a half cleared corner turned in by Liverpool old boy Jay Spearing.

Final Score: Fulham 3-2 Liverpool

League Position: 8th

Scorers : Williams, Kasami, Spearing

Man Of The Match: Rhys Williams

Team: Butland, Odoi, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Williams, Spearing ,Kacaniklic, Kasami, Balotelli

[Spav]

Good to see some points on the board, cf2. A couple of astute signings there too.

[chesterfan2]

Thanks Spav, nice to have you along

Tuesday August 29th 2017

Capital One Cup Second Round

Venue: The Valley

Charlton (L1 18th ) vs. Fulham (PRM 8th)

Wholesale changes for this one, but this game really shouldn’t be that much of a problem.

93 seconds in, and we are a goal up, Kacaniklic at the far post turning the ball in. That was, very much, the highlight of the first half, and we went in a goal to the good.

In the second period Charlton gave it a real go, hitting the bar midway through the half. However they didn’t score, it was Kacaniklic with his second goal in a scintillating performance that topped off the win for us in the 89th minute.

Final Score: Charlton 0-2 Fulham

Scorers : Kacaniklic 2

Man Of The Match: Alex Kacaniklic

Team: Butland, Cummings, Cichero, Bedford, Deivid, Airton, Lindgren, Selnaes ,Kacaniklic, Kasami, Chramosta (Marie 71)

Does two games count as a roll? Suddenly spirits were up, and we were looking forward to the next match.

[chesterfan2]

Sunday September 3rd 2017

Premier League

Venue: Goodison Park

Everton (16th ) vs. Fulham(10th)

And the next match was at Everton and for the third week running on a Sunday, under the TV lights. Kacaniklic picked up a strain in training earlier in the week and would miss three weeks, lacking another out-and-out left winger I tried Balotelli on the left, with Chramosta in the withdrawn forward role up top.

Boy, we look good going forward. It took us only 5 minutes of play to open the scoring, Kasami and Balotelli combining with Chramosta, the Czech lad then evading a couple of challenges to get his shot in, from just inside the box, to just inside the left hand post. On 8 it was two, and this one whilst a little more direct, was an even better finish from Chramosta. It was Spearing with the lofted pass that set Chramosta running at the Everton defence with the ball, at 25 yards out the defence backed off to protect the edge of the box, and Chramosta took the opportunity to shoot. It caught the Everton keeper by surprise, but even if he had been ready I don’t think he would have been able to stop that thunderbolt.

Within a minute Everton were back to 2-1, our failure, once again, to clear our lines in a kind of ‘anywhere will do’ fashion costing us there. Suddenly, nine minutes in, and we were in a match.

On 25, Chramosta was given another opportunity to run at the Everton defence, set free by an incisive Williams pass, he streaked clear, but just as he was about to shoot the Everton defender, in Chramosta’s wake for the last 30 yards, caught up, slid in and sent Chramosta flying. A clear penalty, Chramosta stepped up, and completed his hatrick emphatically.

We were well on top by now, and attacking at will. Chances to extend our lead came and went, profligacy and good keeping to blame for that. Finally at the end of a pulsating half, we pressed forward once more, a Kasami cross from the right caused mayhem in the Everton box, and though Deivid was in there battling it came off an Everton man last for an own goal.

4-1 up at half time. Not much you can say at that point other than ‘well done, keep it up’. So that’s what I did.

Everton, quite predictably came out like scalded cats, and had a goal disallowed on 56, a push on Huth the problem there and another disallowed on 72 for offside, On 84 they did get one back, an incisive move with a good shot at the end of it that beat Butland all ends up. But it was too little to late and it was as good as it got for the Toffeemen, and we ran out comfortable winners, on the back of that scintillating first half.

Final Score: Everton 2-4 Fulham

League Position: 6th

Scorers : Chramosta 3, own goal

Man Of The Match: Jan Chramosta

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Williams, Spearing ,Balotelli, Kasami, Chramosta

[chesterfan2]

Saturday September 16th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (6th ) vs. Aston Villa (7th)

Ooh, this is novel, a Saturday afternoon, 3pm kick off, our first one of the season, if I’m not very much mistaken. The visitors today, Aston Villa have made a good start to the season, much the same as ourselves, and whilst they will provide us with a stiff test today, I’d like to think we’ll do the same for them.

So even though we are at home I think this lot will offer us some challenge today, to that end we adopt a slightly more defensive outlook and put Balotelli up top, who’s sheer unpredicatableness (is that even a word, my spell checker doesn’t think so !) will be an asset in these circumstances.

The game starts off fairly even though it’s Villa who show first and so nearly score on 18 when a deep free kick is headed against the bar by their centre forward. We managed to hack that one away. Instead it was us who opened the scoring on 35 as Selnaes, in on the left wing today, curled a free kick on the edge of the box round the end of the wall and into the top left corner of the net.

Half time, and a goal up. I tell them they can do better. I’m not sure they believed me. They damn well should have as Villa were level within two minutes of the restart. They were given time to cross and time on the far post to shoot the ball home, atrocious defending.

That was as good as it got in the second period and we passed up an opportunity to go third in the table, even if it was going to be just until the Sunday games took place.

Final Score: Fulham 1-1 Aston Villa

League Position: 5th

Scorers : Selnaes

Man Of The Match: Ole Kristian Selnaes

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Williams, Spearing ,Selnaes, Kasami, Balotelli

[chesterfan2]

Saturday September 23rd 2017

Premier League

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (9th ) vs. Chelsea (6th)

5:30pm kick off for the TV cameras, this is one of our real challenges, not only are they our proper ‘local derby’ team, they have very much been our bogey side, we have 1 draw and 7 defeats in our last 8 games against them. The TV cameras are obviously here in the hope of another hammering.

To counter this I’m going with what I consider to be my most potent front four. Kasami as the Advanced Playmaker, Balotelli on the left, Walcott on the right and Chramosta as the deep lying forward. As long as we can get the ball forward we should do ok.

On 9 minutes, Chelsea got a free kick on the edge of the box, the wall blocked it but the taker was the first to react and powered the ball home, giving Butland no chance. We were up against it now.

On 25 minutes it got a tad easier as their second forward was given a second yellow card by the somewhat card-happy ref and had to walk. We didn’t really improve though and at half time I had a right go at them.

Some of them didn’t seem to like what I had to say but I tell you what they played better after half time and with a little more composure in front of goal they could have been level within a couple of minutes.

Rocked a little, Chelsea regrouped and we faded a little, but we got another boost on 67 as the middle man in their back three picked up a second yellow far a hack on Chramosta, might have been a straight red if he hadn’t already been booked, the lad could have had no complaints.

But they put their remaining nine players behind the ball and made it very difficult for us to create anything and the game fizzled out, completely in their control. A massive disappointment, but this just shows how far we have to go.

Final Score: Fulham 0-1 Chelsea

League Position: 9th

Scorers :

Man Of The Match: Pajtim Kasami

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Kasami, Spearing , Balotelli, Walcott, Chramosta

[CamillePunk]

No shame losing to Chelsea your first season back in the premier.

[chesterfan2]

Yeah, I kind of see your point, but against nine men ???????

Wednesday September 27th 2017

Capital One Cup Third Round

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (PRM 10th ) vs. Sheffield Wednesday (CH 2nd)

In normal circumstances I might have changed a few players around for this one, but here I didn’t want a dip in form to turn into a slide in form, or even worse a slump. So we kept practically the same 11 on the pitch as capitulated against Chelsea, not that this looked like that easy a game, as Sheff Wednesday have had a good start to the season and look a good bet for promotion straight back into the league they dropped out of to make way for us. The one change we did make was to put Walcott in for his first game, up front. Chramosta is a yellow away from a suspension in this competition and there’s no sense in playing him in those circumstances where we quite clearly have good options elsewhere.

The first have started brightly, Walcott shooting narrowly wide with only 2 minutes gone, but the football faded as a spectacle after that and the half degenerated into a combative fest filled with mistakes. Half time, and goalless, I told them, rather than shouted at them, just how disappointed I was, some of them at least seemed to take that on board.

The second half was, if anything, worse than the first, no highlights of any kind, absolutely nothing. So at the end of normal time I did shout at them. Took Williams and Spearing off, replaced them with Chramosta and Lindgren, moving Kasami back into midfield, Walcott on the right and Chramosta up front.

In the 100th minute, Huth picked up a second yellow, and took an early bath. I couldn’t complain about either card really. I had to sacrifice Walcott in order to bring on Selnaes who has defensive midfield as one of his many talents. In the second period of extra time Sheff Weds spurned a gilt-edged chance to win the tie and this one went to penalties.

The lottery of penalties. They scored both their first two and so did we (Chramosta and Balotelli). They then hit their third penalty straight at Butland. He saved it. Lindgren scored ours. Butland then guessed the right way on their fourth and pulled off a fabulous save. Airton then had the chance to win the match but his fourth penalty was weak and easily turned away. The Wednesday lad then had his team’s fifth kick to keep the shootout alive but his blasted penalty cannoned back off the right hand post and we were through to Round Four.

Final Score: Fulham 0-0 aet Sheffield Wednesday (Fulham win 3-2 on penalties)

Scorers :

Man Of The Match: Simon Perez

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth (off 100), Deivid, Airton, Williams (Chramosta 90), Spearing (Lindgren 90) , Balotelli, Kasami, Walcott (Selnaes 100)

[chesterfan2]

Saturday September 30th 2017

Premier League

Venue: The Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion (16th ) vs. Fulham(10th)

Kasami needed a rest and Huth was suspended after his red card in the last match. Walcott plays on the right wing and young Alex Di Marzio comes in for his first start of the season. Hopefully we’ll be able to play with the freedom we did at Everton at the start of the month.

We were a goal down from a free kick we didn’t mark very well at with just 68 seconds on the clock. The guy was given time to control the ball and pick his spot from around the penalty spot, and he’s not going to miss from there. WBA had their tails up after that and it proved difficult for our guys to impose themselves. But we saw off the burst of energy after the goal and slowly began to exert some pressure. We got an equaliser on 27 minutes, Spearing with the last touch in a goal mouth scramble following a Balotelli corner.

The rest of the half played out with us pressing and WBA defending without us ever looking like scoring again. The situation was reversed at the start of the second half as West Brom attacked, and we defended. They looked like scoring but didn’t. How one particular goalmouth scramble didn’t go in, I’m not sure I’ll ever know. On 69 Walcott played a through ball for Chramosta to chase, our first real break of the half. The Czech got to the edge of the box, but the keeper came out well and was able to parry his shot, but it fell into the path of Rhys Williams and he steered the ball home, into the empty net, from 20 yards out.

West Brom pushed up immediately looking for the equaliser and on 72, Walcott and Balotelli sprung Chramosta clear and this time he made no mistake, 3-1. They tried to get back into the game, but our defence was too canny for them, and we ended up convincing winners. We rise to sixth on the back of this, a position that won’t last as a number of the teams just below us play tomorrow and Monday.

Final Score: West Brom 1-3 Fulham

League Position: 6th

Scorers : Spearing, Williams, Chramosta

Man Of The Match: Jan Chramosta

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Di Marzio, Deivid, Airton, Williams, Spearing , Balotelli, Walcott, Chramosta

One of two sour notes was that Chramosta had picked up another yellow and was now suspended for the next match.

The other was that right back Shaun Cummings pulled his hamstring in the next training session and would be out for three weeks. Our choices at right back would be an out of position Robert Huth, a want away Denis Odoi, who has said he’ll be leaving at the end of his contract or 20 year old Makhetha Mosakeng, a young French right back, one of a number of lads we picked up over the summer who were all out of contracts and deemed to have good futures by our scouts. Makhetha is the first one to knock on the door of the first team, and I’m kind of tempted to give him a go.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday October 7th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Loftus Road

Queen’s Park Rangers (18th ) vs. Fulham(8th)

Local derby or not, this is a good chance to build some momentum. With Chramosta out, suspended, I put Walcott up front, and bring Kasami back in central midfield.

We started nervously and it was no surprise when QPR took the lead, an unchallenged header at a corner, beating Butland with ease. To be truthful we were poor throughout the half and we lucky not to be further than just the one goal behind at the break.

Needless to say I asked them to play better in the second half, in a not so polite way. We managed to create a couple of attacks but QPR were still pushing up for a second. On 72, though we managed to get a freekick about 30 yards out. Spearing lofted it in, the ball pinged about, and Walcott got on the end of it for his first league goal for the club. We shut up shop after that and held on for the draw. Less than I wanted, but I think perhaps more than we deserved.

Final Score: Queen’s Park Rangers 1-1 Fulham

League Position: 7th

Scorers : Walcott

Man Of The Match: Rhys Williams

Team: Butland, Huth, Perez, Di Marzio, Deivid, Spearing, Williams, Kasami ,Kacaniklic, Balotelli, Walcott

[chesterfan2]

Sunday October 22nd 2017

Premier League

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (9th ) vs. Bolton Wanderers (16th)

A week off for internationals, and an extra day on top of that to allow the Sky TV cameras into Craven Cottage. Chramosta is back, Walcott back to the bench. Want away Odoi is given a chance to put himself in the shop window at right wingback. Wiggins returns after a three month layoff due to injury. An attack minded 5-3-2 the selection to take the game to Bolton who’s current form is woeful.

We appear to be in the mood for this one. Five minutes in and a swift passing move left Bolton chasing shadows, the ball ending up with Balotelli who passed the ball into the net from the edge of the box and thus opened his account for the club.

We went off the boil a bit after that, and it became a bit more of a battle. No more opportunities in the half for us, but none for Bolton either.

I told them they could do better in the second half but it didn’t have much of an effect. As it was they were holding Bolton at bay with ease and slowly, slowly they managed to get in a couple of chances of their own. In reality the game was well won by the time we added a second in the 89th minute as Di Marzio headed home a Kasami corner, and 2-0 gave the final scoreline a kind of comfortable look that we did actually kind of have.

Final Score: Fulham 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 7th

Scorers : Balotelli, Di Marzio

Man Of The Match: Rhys Williams

Team: Butland, Odoi, Wiggins, Huth, Di Marzio, Deivid, Spearing, Williams, Kasami , Balotelli, Chramosta

[chesterfan2]

Saturday October 28th 2017

Premier League

Venue: DW Stadium

Wigan (19th ) vs. Fulham(8th)

Save for the return of Cummings to the bench after his injury we were unchanged for this one. Wigan started brightly but we held them at bay with ease, we were soon pushing forward and took the lead on 7 minutes, Odoi the scorer, the chance falling to him when Balotelli got to the byline and pulled the ball back to him. Instead of crossing. Odoi tried a shot, it flicked a defender and looped over the keeper’s save. We had a number more chances in the first period but found a Wigan keeper in fine form. Near the end of the half Wigan threatened on a couple of occasions but nothing came of those incidents.

Second half and it was all Wigan as they tried to get an equaliser, but as they pushed up they left gaps at the back and if anyone looked like scoring it was us. On 91 Chramosta popped up on the left, went through two challenges and then fed the ball to Kasami in the box, who steered it home for 2-0. There was no time to come back for Wigan and we ran out two goal winners.

Final Score: Wigan 0-2 Fulham

League Position: 5th

Scorers : Odoi, Kasami

Man Of The Match: Patjim Kasami

Team: Butland, Odoi, Wiggins, Huth, Di Marzio, Deivid, Spearing, Williams, Kasami , Balotelli, Chramosta

Not that 5th will last long, the three teams below us can all overtake us if they win their game or in the cases of Arsenal and Man City their games, in hand.

[chesterfan2]

Wednesday November 1st 2017

Capital One Cup Fourth Round

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (PRM 7th ) vs. Manchester City (PRM 6th)

The first of two games in a week against City, the next one in the league, of course. I have to admit I see this trophy as being our most likely route to success this year so there’s no question of a weakened team. Airton comes in for the suspended Spearing for this one and Balotelli starts up front, against his old club.

Butland and the rest of the defence kept us in this one in the first half with outstanding displays of goalkeeping and defending in general. We had very few chances, City had many but by the end of the half we had reduced them to shooting from 35 yards, so we must have been doing something right.

I told them to go out there and get the goal that would win it for us. Perhaps the wrong sentiment as I could see a couple of the front players just didn’t believe we could do it.

But we started the second half much better and Kacaniklic should perhaps have done better when passed the ball only eight yards out. By far our best opportunity thus far and though under a lot of pressure he could well have done better than to shoot straight at their keeper. On 56 we lost Williams to injury, I brought on Lindgren to replace him, we also swapped Kacaniklic out and Chramosta in, pushing him up front and Balotelli out to the left.

Within a minute of our change City had thundered one against our bar, and they were in control once more, we’d attack, it would break down and they’d then pounce up the field and either force Butland, having a fine match, into another save or, just as often, blazing wide. We had a couple of half chances that came to nothing but it was us rather than them pleased to hear the whistle for 90 minutes.

I told them the same now as I did at half time, one goal and you’ll win this. This time I think they believed me a little bit more.

And just five minutes into the first period of extra time, we got that goal. Lindgren and Chramosta featuring heavily in the build up and Walcott being the one to steer it past the City goalie and into the back of the net. City hit the bar again in the second period of Extra time, but we hung on, never really looked like giving that lead up, and we were through to round five !

Final Score: Fulham 1 aet 0 Man City

Scorers : Walcott

Man Of The Match: Simon Perez

Team: Butland, Cummings, Perez, Huth, Deivid, Airton, Williams (Lindgren 56), Kasami , Kacaniklic (Chramosta 56), Walcott, Balotelli

One step closer to the Capital One Cup. But it looked like we were going to have to do that the hard way, our Quarter final tie, was away at Arsenal.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday November 4th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Craven Cottage

Fulham (7th ) vs. Manchester City (6th)

As is often the way our next game was against the lot we had just played in the cup midweek. City would have a good idea of how we played, so I changed it about just a little, we also had some tired players, Kasami principle amongst them who would sit out the game on the bench and one, Airton who was suspended through five yellows, who wouldn’t. Spearing would sit in front of the defence and Selnaes would come in for Kasami. The rest of the forward line would play tired.

We gave it a good go, but we were never a match for City’s movement. After 25 minutes of wastefulness I wondered if this was going to be the same story again but no such luck, they turned in a ball fired into the box on 25, and we just had to hope the floodgates hadn’t just been opened.

On the half hour Walcott made a forward’s challenge in his own box and City put away the penalty in an emphatic manner. They added a third just into injury time at the end of the first half, those flood gates, well and truly open.

I told them at half time I expected them to do a lot better in the second half, more in hope than expectation. But come out in the second half and play they did. Though City still showed the greater threat on the break, we pushed forward and on 62 minutes we got our reward as Selnaes finished off a flowing move in which Chramosta was instrumental. But though we went close again before the end it finished a 3-1 defeat. In truth it could have been alot worse.

Final Score: Fulham 1-3 Manchester City

League Position: 7th

Scorers : Selnaes

Man Of The Match: Jay Spearing

Team: Butland, Odoi, Wiggins, Bedford, Di Marzio, Spearing, Williams, Selnaes, Balotelli, Walcott, Chramosta

In the week after the game Liverpool, struggling so far this season, and down in 13th spot, sacked their manager. I, of course, applied. According to the press I had a good chance of getting it too.

One bit of bad news followed as Airton pulled a hamstring in training, and will be out for 3 months. That was a blow.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday November 11th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Old Trafford

Manchester United (1st ) vs. Fulham (8th)

United are already occupying their natural habitat at the top of the table, and we were making no mistake, this was going to be a tough one. Kasami was not fit to return for this one, a strain in training would keep him out for this, and possibly the next, game. Deivid was ok to return so he was in for the youngster Bedford and Cummings was back at right back. After the first half last week I would have liked to change more, but we didn’t have the squad depth to do it.

Well, that start was unexpected. 46 seconds into the game and we scored. No, you are right, unbelievable stuff, I had to turn to my Assistant and ask ‘Did that really just happen ?’ and it turns out it did. Walcott got down to the byline on the right, pulled the ball back and Chramosta was there, fighting off the attentions of the United centre-back, to turn it in at the near post. Delirium followed.

Trouble was, it just made United angry, and it only took another 58 seconds for them to register an equaliser, an attack in which they had time and space, where we didn’t even get close to the ball. Worrying.

There were a full 7 minutes on the clock before United took the lead. The lad looked a yard offside when he got the ball, but no flag came, and he slotted the ball under Butland with ease. On 23 a Cummings foul, saw us concede again, this time from the penalty spot.

We got to half time three-one down, and by then I would have been quite happy if we could have got out of the second half without any more damage. Our goal difference wasn’t that great and it could do without being decimated here. I told them to go out and play, as no-one expected them to do anything, and that seemed to cheer them. I was frightened that it wasn’t going to be enough.

It did get worse. On 54 minutes a poor Butland clearance was returned directly into the net. But after that embarrassment it didn’t descend into a blood bath and we held them to inaccurate shooting from long range for the rest of the game, so a bad defeat, but not completely disastrous.

Final Score: Manchester United 4-1 Fulham

League Position: 8th

Scorers : Chramosta

Man Of The Match: Rhys Williams

Team: Butland, Cummings (Huth 76), Wiggins, Deivid, Di Marzio, Spearing, Williams, Selnaes, Balotelli, Walcott, Chramosta

No game for the next 14 days due to an international week. And on the 7th of those days Liverpool offered me a four year contract on £55k per week, with a £20.5million transfer budget and £1.7m per week wage budget of which they were currently spending £1.34m per week.

I said yes.

[chesterfan2]

Chapter Four – Restoring Former Glories - Liverpool.

Liverpool were 15th and had struggled thus far that season. I set about setting up tactics, filling out coaching spots and requesting another money spinning feeder club. I also got the full report on the playing squad, and that looked like this:

Goalkeepers

25. Jose Manuel ‘Pepe’ Reina. Now 35, but Reina is still head and shoulders amongst most other goalkeepers in this division. I’ll need to think about starting to replace him soon, but for this season, he’s the man.

1.Carl Higgins. Carl is 20 and a product of the youth system, which, to be honest, has not been at its best when nurturing keepers. There are any number of poor keepers in the U18s at the minute, and this lad represents the best they could manage in recent years. He’s not going to amount to much and is Pepe’s understudy merely by default. A goalkeeper on loan in the January window, now that’s a priority.

Defenders

2. Ivan Piris, 28, is a versatile player who plays best as a right back. He’s a Paraguayan international, with 61 caps to his name. He relies on positioning and anticipation as his major weapons, and is a good but not inspiring first choice right back for this club.

18. Glen Johnson. Glen is 33 and declining slowly as a footballer, he still makes an able backup, but generally speaking right back is an area I’d like to strengthen.

3. Yuto Nagamoto. Yuto, 31, has 41 Japanese caps to his name and is our first choice left back. He’s a versatile lad, but left back is his favoured spot.

49. Jack Robinson, 24, a product of the youth system here at Liverpool he hasn’t quite lived up to his early promise. That said he makes for an excellent understudy.

5. Danny Wilson, 24, can also play left back but is better as a centre-back. He is really a very good young player, who could be in the first team for years to come.

4. Simon Kjaer, 28, is Danny’s usual central defensive partner. A Dane with 90 caps to his name he has bags of experience, as well as not bad pace.

37. Martin Skertel, 33. Martin has already decided to leave on a free at the end of his contract in the summer, as a result will only play in the direst of emergencies.

17. Thomas Heurteaux, 29, is a Frenchman who has struggled to adapt to the English game since his move from French football last season. He has the talent, I’m sure, but does he have the application ?

Midfielders

9. Andriy Yarmolenko is 28, from Ukraine, for who he has 84 caps, and is a left winger and current club captain. He’s been at the club since the 2013-14 season and is undoubtedly the star player here. A quick, tricky winger with pace and bags of agility, he’s brave and he works hard. There’s nothing not to like here.

8. Thomas Drage, 25, Norwegian international (14 caps). He’s a versatile player who’s best position is in the hole behind the attackers, bought from Bolton at the end of last season he’s yet to really show what he can do, but I have high hopes for the lad.

6. Jorge Enriquez is a 26 year old Mexican Defensive Midfielder. 49 caps to his name, he’s at his very best when playing the Anchor role just in front of the back four.

21. Lucas Leiva, 30, is a fine servant to this club and still one of its very best players. 92, yes 92, caps for Brazil by this stage of his career, he’s another extremely high quality defensive midfielder.

13. Douglas Costa, 27, though declared for the Brazilian National side (he’s also eligible for Portugal) he hasn’t picked up any caps yet. He’s a quick, flashy, right winger, that will be a considerable asset to this side.

10. Erick Torres, 24, an attacking midfielder who can also play just as well in a full striker’s role. Another Mexican, he has 45 caps to his name and 22 goals for his country, he’s not yet managed to reach those kind of levels for his club. He’s had three seasons here to fit in, I’m thinking that maybe he won’t. A candidate for sale if we need funds.

12. Jon Williams, 24, central midfield. After flourishing in the Championship for Crystal Palace he went for big money to Norwich. A great first season in the Premiership was followed by a mediocre one yet my predecessor still managed to splurge £11.5million to bring him here at the start of this season. He’s not doing any better this season than he did last. A curious purchase in my view.

44. Ivan Persic, 28, is a Croatian Attacking Midfielder. 48 international appearances, bought for big money four years ago he’s never really brought the noise here. He has all the talent, but as yet he hasn’t bothered applying it. He’s on the transfer list and may well move on in January. Until then he’s a backup, nothing more than that.

15. Sean Murray, an Irishman, 25, bought in the middle of last season from Watford. Nominally a right midfielder who, like most of the players here, is versatile enough to play pretty much anywhere in front of the defence, he’s found it hard to get games here, and is pretty unhappy. I have better players than him, I might let him go.

16. Jonjo Shelvey, 25. Eight seasons at Liverpool and still not a first team regular. I’m not sure there’s a lot more to come from Jonjo. Nominally a central midfielder. He has 10 England caps to his name, not quite sure how he managed that.

31. Raheem Sterling, 22. A promising right winger he wants to go out on loan to get some games. I like that attitude as over the seven seasons since he made his debut for the club he has only 50 appearances. He has the talent, I think he needs to work on it a bit before he’s ready for a run in the first team.

Strikers

7. Luis Suarez, 30. Luis has been at Liverpool for 8 seasons now and his loyalty to the club has been exemplary. He is our number one forward, a player of great skill, a blend of guile and determination, my only criticism of him would be for all that he doesn’t score enough goals !, he’s got more than 10 but less than 20 in each of the seven full seasons he’s been here, something we’ll have to work on tactically.

14. Wilfrid Zaha, 25, 1 England Cap. Scored only twice in 22 Liverpool appearances since his £7.25m capture from Norwich last season. Hasn’t fitted in, has already requested a transfer which the last guy accepted. Wigan and Reading are both interested, he’ll go in January.

52. Nicklas Bendtner, 29. Is a striker who doesn’t score goals. In four seasons here he has less than 20 goals in total. Transfer listed, hopefully he'll go in January too.

In the reserves we have a few young talents who are gaining experience on loan. Jordan Ibe, 21, a winger I know well and is on loan at Reading this season, Samed Yesil, 23, is a forward on loan at Derby, Stephen Jones, 18 a product of the youth system is on loan at Hearts and John Cox,20, and a defensive midfielder is also on loan at Derby. Suso, 24, an attacking midfielder is between loans but isn’t far from being sold as he isn’t making the grade.

OK so why are we struggling ? The obvious answer is that we are not scoring enough goals. The board told me when I signed up that they wanted to see attacking football , and there’s a certain amount I think I can do tactically to improve the number of goals we score, but a proven goalscorer would appear to be a need. The lack of a credible understudy to Pepe Reina worries me, as does the fact that Luis Suarez is the only forward not on his way out of the club. The defence isn’t good enough, and needs work, though perhaps not as urgently as we need quality in central midfield. Our attacking options in midfield look good, and we have two excellent defensive midfielders, but in central midfield we are weak, and I reckon I need to do something about that more than anything else.

As a result I sent out my scouts to start preparing reports on goalkeepers I could get on loan, and to start preparing the ground for a couple of bids for central midfielders in January.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday November 25th 2017

Premier League

Venue: The Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion (10th ) vs. Liverpool (15th)

My first game, and a tester. If we are to get anywhere in this league these are exactly the sort of games we need to be winning, and winning comfortably. I chose a 4-2-3-1 formation, picked Glen Johnson at right back and thought long and hard about the central midfield paring. Lucas and Williams the final choice. The formation itself will need fine tuning, but this is the basis of how I want us to play.

The match started off fairly evenly, with both sides having openings that they squandered in the first ten minutes. Slowly though we managed to get the game under control somewhat and it became mainly a procession of red towards the West Brom goal. On 25 Suarez brought a superb full length save out of the West Brom goalie. On 38 we took the lead, a strong run by Drage to the edge of the box split the defence, then a reverse pass set Suarez up with a shooting chance inside the box, 15 yards out. His shot, just inside the right hand post beat the keeper all ends up. We were in the lead !

On 44 minutes however West Brom equalised, a missed interception by Wilson the cause of that one. Half time then arrived, 1-1 when I thought we should have been leading.

I told them they were unlucky in the first half, and they went out in the second quite positively. But whilst chances came and went it was Reina who was the harder worked of the two keepers and the game fizzled out to a draw.

Final Score: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool

League Position: 15th

Scorers : Suarez

Man Of The Match: Danny Wilson

Team: Reina, Johnson (Robinson 55), Nagamoto, Wilson, Kjaer, Lucas, Williams, Yarmolenko, Drage, Douglas Costa, Suarez

[chesterfan2]

Tuesday November 28th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (15th ) vs. Everton (17th )

It’s not been a good start to the season in Merseyside as a whole and, as it stands, Everton are one of the few teams below us in the table. It’s always been a big thing here as to who finishes higher in the table, and a win here would go a long way towards putting us on the right side of that argument.

Just a couple of changes I thought, Enriquez in for Lucas, who was tired, and Sterling in for Douglas Costa as that lad will shoot from anywhere and I’m not sure we want him to do that. On the whole the lads had done ok in the last game, but it was the first game with a new formation, so let’s see how they settle in to it in this atmosphere…..

In the first half we played the better football but, once again, Reina was the busier of the two goalkeepers, making a couple of top drawer saves in the half. We did get the ball in the net on 25 minutes but Suarez was adjudged to have pushed the Everton keeper in the build up. Our shooting was once again too early and wayward. I tell them to work the ball into the box, but they don’t seem to be able to do it.

Suarez had a glorious chance to open the scoring on 49, but was unable to beat the keeper in a one-on-one situation. We had nearly constant pressure by this stage and shots were flashed wide, easily saved and sent into Row Z in the first ten minutes of the second half. On 57 Sterling came off his wing powered into the centre, drove to the edge of the ‘D’ and fed the ball to his right where Suarez was on hand to blast the ball home.

Everton upped the tempo and tried to get back into the match, but the defence held firm. On 66 Nagatomo limped off, Robinson his direct replacement. On 68 Williams lost the ball in his own half, again, the third time that half, but this time Everton managed to grab an equaliser. I replaced Williams with Shelvey as surely he can’t do any worse.

On 71 Sterling broke clear but saw his shot tipped over by the Everton keeper. From the resultant corner the ball dropped in the box and Danny Wilson, up from the back, turned the ball home. On 84 Suarez added another, following good work again from Sterling and we were cruising.

Everton got a second late on, but we weren’t going to be denied and we saw the game out 3-2 winners.

Final Score: Liverpool 3-2 Everton

League Position: 13th

Scorers : Suarez 2, Wilson

Man Of The Match: Luis Suarez

Team: Reina, Johnson, Nagamoto (Robinson 66), Wilson, Kjaer, Enriquez, Williams (Shelvey 68), Yarmolenko, Drage, Sterling, Suarez

Though we had win in the derby and the fans were delirious it wasn’t all good news. Yuto Nagatomo had broken his arm in the match and would be absent for 6 to 7 weeks.

In the days that followed Nicklas Bendtner came and asked to be taken off the transfer list. I refused. I don’t want him. Despite my reaction there both Shelvey and Zaha were in the following day also asking to stay. I must have been in a better mood as I said yes to both of them, or maybe I can see how they could contribute to the club, unlike Bendtner. Piris wants to stay too, I think he still has something to offer the side.

[mark wilson27]

Good luck with the scousers mate, sorry haven't commented for a while but I have been following

[chesterfan2]

Thanks Mark, obviously I went a bit 'with the heart' when the job became available, but wouldn't we all do that ?

Saturday December 2nd 2017

Premier League

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (13th ) vs. Queen’s Park Rangers (14th )

Another home game, and a chance to build a little bit of momentum. Changes at full-back, Robinson in for the injured Nagatomo and Piris in for Johnson, who’s been a little suspect in the couple of games I’ve been in charge. Drage is exhausted so Erick Torres gets another chance to impress.

Only two minutes in and Wilson headed an effort at a corner that flicked the top of the bar. Then, on 17, Torres ghosted past a couple of defenders and slid his shot under the diving goalkeeper’s body, 1-0. The rest of the half was pretty dire to be honest, no chances to either side worthy of the name. Wayward passing and shooting by both sides to blame.

I told them they could still get better in the second period at the half time team talk. Would it be enough, as we knew QPR would likely come out like scolded cats. They did, and on 54 got an equaliser, a blistering drive on target for once.

We, to our credit, came roaring back into the game, and played like a team that wanted to win this match. On 68 an innocuous ball over, Torres in a heap on the floor, a penalty awarded. Well, it was in front of The Kop. Torres stepped up, and dispatched the penalty with power. 2-1.

But just as we looked like we would see out this match QPR mounted one last desperate raid, throwing the kitchen sink at us. The ball came back off the bar, and was tucked away. 2-2. Only one problem I had with it was, it was scored in the sixth minute of three minutes of injury time. There was literally no time for us to come back and the game, somehow, had finished a draw.

Final Score: Liverpool 2-2 QPR

League Position: 13th

Scorers : Torres 2 (1 pen)

Man Of The Match: Erick Torres

Team: Reina, Piris, Robinson, Wilson, Heurteaux, Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Torres, Sterling, Suarez

[chesterfan2]

Thursday December 7th 2017

Euro Cup Group F

Venue: Stade Chaban-Delmas

Girondins Bordeaux (2nd ) vs. Liverpool (1st )

My first European night ! This is the fifth game in the group stages and pits us in first, against Bordeaux in second. We have nine points from our four games so far, Bordeaux have seven, the other teams in the group are Dinamo Moscow with four points and IF Brondby with three. So a point from our next two games will secure us a place in the knockout rounds.

I go with a 4-1-2-2-1 formation, Kjaer and Drage returning to the starting line-up. Right from the start it was noticeable how good Bordeaux were at keeping possession, we could only nick it on occasions and spring forward on the counter. Strangely though, this meant we had the better chances. On 6 Sterling shot narrowly wide when well placed, but the disappointment wasn’t to last as he then chipped the ball over the back line for Suarez to run onto and beat the keeper at his near post. 8 minutes gone.

On 11Bordeaux were nearly back in it as a thirty yard shot flew inches wide. But things were to get worse for the hosts as on 17 Wilson headed a corner onto the post, Sterling was the first to react and popped the rebound home, 2-0.

The rest of the first half was Bordeaux possession in the main, half chances to us, not quite so good chances to them, 2-0 at half time then, and I couldn’t help myself but to tell them that I thought they were doing really well !

On the hour Bordeaux got one back. They had applied a bit of pressure with a string of corners, we didn’t clear this one either and it was fired through a crowd, Reina no chance. On 69 it was 2-2, a long shot, the lad should have been closed down, Reina should have done better.

On 74 Suarez was injured, replaced with Zaha. Douglas Costa came on for Sterling who had picked up a knock. On 79 Douglas Costa was tripped as he surged into the box, I thought it was a penalty, as did the ref, but I could tell my counterpart in the other dugout was incensed. Drage stepped up and put the pen into the bottom left hand corner, keeper went the right way but couldn’t get there.

We saw out the match from that point. In the other game in the group IF Brondby defeated Dinamo Moscow. We were now five points clear of Bordeaux in second with one game left, we had secured qualification in first place from the group.

Final Score: Bordeaux 2-3 Liverpool

Group Position: 1st

Scorers : Suarez, Sterling, Drage(pen)

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Piris, Robinson, Wilson, Kjaer, Enriquez, Lucas, Drage, Yarmolenko, Sterling (Douglas Costa 74), Suarez (Zaha 74)

The bad news was, of course, the injuries. Sterling would be out for 3-4 weeks, but Suarez had done a hamstring and would be out for three months.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday December 9th 2017

Premier League

Venue: The DW Stadium

Wigan Athletic (20th ) vs. Liverpool (15th )

Erick Torres is the one I’ve selected to fill in for Suarez during his absence, at least until the transfer window opens. Douglas Costa takes the spot vacated by Sterling.

It was snowing lightly as the game kicked off, and within a minute we had drama as Yarmolenko was felled in the box. 24 seconds gone, and a penalty awarded. Drage stepped up and dispatched it, still less than a minute on the clock. On 16 minutes it was two as Torres’s shot was blocked, Drage followed it up to turn it home.

Wigan pulled one back on 27 minutes, sloppy defending once more the culprit. On 44 they were awarded a penalty and it was 2-2 at half time. Strangely enough I told them that the first half display wasn’t good enough. Kjaer, having a poor match as it was, decided he didn’t need to listen and looked visibly disinterested. I took him off and replaced him with Heurteaux.

The second half was, quite frankly, appalling. We went through the motions, never looked like scoring. Drage went off injured on 87, but we could have played on for a hundred days and we still wouldn’t have got a winner. One things pretty clear, I’m going to need more than £20 million to fix this team.

Final Score: Wigan 2-2 Liverpool

League Position: 14th

Scorers : Drage 2 (1 pen)

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Piris, Robinson, Wilson, Kjaer (Heurteaux 45), Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Drage (Shelvey 87), Douglas Costa , Torres

In the week that followed the game I made the first moves in moving out some dead wood so that we may rebuild the side. A number of players , Zaha, Murray, Douglas Costa were put on the transfer list. By the end of the week a deal to send Douglas Costa to Olympic Lyonnais for £9.75 million was signed. He’ll go on Jan 1st, perhaps they can get him to stop shooting from all angles, he wastes so much ball that lad.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday December 17th 2017

Premier League

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (14th ) vs. Manchester United (1st )

Almost as much as games against Everton the fans look forward to this game, such history, so much to live up to. Perhaps a new formation isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had but I go with one here, a 4-2-2-1-1 with two guys sitting in front of the defence and two wide midfielders, the thought being to use Lucas and Enriquez to stifle Man Utd’s attacking prowess.

The first half was a tight, competitive affair. We largely held our own, Reina making a couple of good saves when we didn’t. Torres was working his socks off up front, sometimes on his own, sometimes with Drage for company, in fact it was Drage who came closest to scoring for us, shooting straight at the keeper when under severe pressure from the defender.

Nil-nil at half time, and I had to be pleased about that. I sent them back out, and hoped for the best.

The second half started off, if anything, an even tighter contest than the first, every challenge fought for by both sides like lions, the crowd baying for blood. Yellow cards were liberally sprinkled throughout the game, but there were a glut here. On 74 minutes Man Utd found a way to change the game, a break down the right, the lad cut in an unleashed an unstoppable drive that flew in. I have to say it was a magnificent goal.

But what really impressed me was the reaction of my players and on 80 minutes we were level, Torres latched onto a poor backpass, took the ball into the box and slotted the ball past the stranded keeper. The fans went wild.

There was only one team in it now, on 86 I thought we’d got a penalty but the referee placed the ball an inch outside the box. Wilson headed the resultant free kick narrowly over. On 88 Man U’s Brazilian superstar Neymar got himself sent off for a second yellow, how we laughed. The game finished a draw, but given our respective league positions, I think the lads can be proud of that.

Final Score: Liverpool 1-1 Man Utd

League Position: 14th

Scorers : Torres

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Piris, Robinson, Wilson, Kjaer , Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Douglas Costa , Drage, Torres

Shortly after the game we received a bid from Paris SG for our veteran defender Martin Skrtel, he’s 33 now,leaving at the end of the season and is, quite frankly, a bit of a problem, claiming home sickness (he’s only been here for 12 seasons !), so I took it as a good thing that we could move on his £70k per week wage packet now and get £850k for our trouble. I said yes. It means we’ll need defensive cover in January, but so be it.

[chesterfan2]

Thursday December 21st 2017

Euro Cup Group F

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (1st ) vs. Brondby IF (3rd )

We’re already through in this competition, the draw for the first two knockout rounds follows this game, but Brondby can still qualify if they win and Bordeaux lose today. So we need to watch them.

The first half was goalless, mainly characterised by Douglas Costa blazing away from all angles. Brondby came closest with one of their two chances which cannoned back off the left hand post.

I told them to do better in the second half. I took off Douglas Costa, who’s wayward excesses have prevented us from leading in this match, and Drage who I don’t want injuring. On came Williams who’s been whinging about first team football, let’s see what you can do here, lad, and young Jeff Hutchinson one of the more promising players in the U18s squad. He’s a left winger, so I move Yarmolenko over to the right. Let’s see how they both do in the second half.

We did play better in the second half, though we had to withstand some early pressure from Brondby. We gradually began to exert some control and on 68 minutes we scored. Robinson, overlapping, got down to the byline, his cross was headed away to the edge of the box where Jorge Enriquez was waiting to crash the ball home. The ball fair rocketed in.

On 87 Torres sealed the win with a well taken goal. We ran out deserved winners here. Meanwhile Locomotive Moscow beat Bordeaux and it’s the Russians and not the French who finish in second spot in the group.

Final Score: Liverpool 2-0 Brondby IF

Group Position: 1st

Scorers : Enriquez, Torres

Man Of The Match: Jorge Enriquez

Team: Reina, Piris (Johnson 27), Robinson, Wilson, Kjaer , Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Douglas Costa (Hutchinson 45) , Drage (Williams 45), Torres

Piris damaged his elbow in the match, not that bad though, he should only be out for a maximum of 2 weeks.

In the draw for the first knockout round of the Euro Cup we drew Spartak Moscow, with the away leg first. The winners of that tie will face the winners of the Celtic vs Dynamo Kyiv once again with the away leg first. Difficult, but, let’s face it, it could have been worse.

[chesterfan2]

Tuesday December 26th 2017

Premier League

Venue: The Madejski Stadium

Reading (17th ) vs. Liverpool (15th )

Our traditional Boxing Day fixture this year is away at Reading, I thought they used to do more ‘local’ matches on Boxing Day so fans didn’t have to travel, not in this case ?

We’re down to the bare bones in terms of defenders with Piris out injured, Johnson comes in for him and we’re back to the U18s for Michael Vaughan an 18 year old central defender for the spot on the bench that Johnson has now vacated.

Still, we have around about 11 fit first team players as the mo, and that’s enough to put a team out. One that took the lead on 12 minutes as Torres headed home a Yarmolenko lift to the back post. However Reading were level soon after, with our veteran keeper looking at fault. Reina came for a cross, stopped and was caught in no man’s land as the Reading player headed home.

The game was end-to-end throughout the half, but chances tended to be squandered. One of the main culprits as ever was Douglas Costa, blasting away from all angles. Then, on 37, he got one on target. It flew in. Law of averages would have probably told me that it was statistically likely that he’d eventually get one on target, I just wasn’t sure I’d see it in my lifetime, but I did, 2-1.

Once again, yet again, we failed to hold onto a lead. Within three minutes Reading were level, a penalty this time, Wilson’s reckless challenge to blame this time. Half time, level, with a shot count of 10 for us, and 2 for them. You can’t blame me for shouting, these are all games we should be walking. I accused them of having more mince pies than was reasonably good for them, they left looking, at least, fired up.

On 53 a miracle occurred, Douglas Costa broke down the right, cut in, but this time, and here’s the miracle, he played it across the face of the box. Torres was tackled, but the ball came back to Douglas Costa and he passed it, yes, passed it, into the net, for his second of the game.

We must be improving, I told myself, as this time it took Reading as much as five minutes to find an equaliser, the defence, once again abdicating their tackling duties and allowing Reading to waltz straight through.

On 67 we took the lead for the fourth time in the game, Torres combining with Yarmolenko, with the Ukrainian finishing the move off from 10 yards out. Reading very nearly came back again, but shot narrowly over when it looked easier to score. We saw the game out, adding a bit more insurance with Kjaer’s injury time goal, knocking home Drage’s freekick.

Final Score: Reading 3-5 Liverpool

League Position: 13th

Scorers : Torres, Douglas Costa 2, Yarmolenko, Kjaer

Man Of The Match: Douglas Costa

Team: Reina, Johnson, Robinson, Wilson, Kjaer , Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Douglas Costa , Drage, Torres

[chesterfan2]

Saturday December 30th 2017

Premier League

Venue: The Britannia Stadium

Stoke City (16th ) vs. Liverpool (14th )

I decided to keep the lineup the same for this game, but switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation. After all, we’d had nobody return from injury, though by now Sterling was pretty close to a return, so we were just as short as before.

I’m not entirely sure how to write this one up. The referee did his level best to kill the game by sending one lad from each side off in the first twenty minutes for pretty innocuous stuff. I mean, he sent Robinson off on 3 minutes, it wasn’t a good challenge, but a straight red that early in the game ? The one for the Stoke lad was no better.

Stoke took the lead early in the second half, another bit of shabby marking gave the lad time and space to control and shoot, but Torres equalised on 74 with a header from a Drage cross. Both sides seemed to take it that a draw was a fair result in the circumstances and we move in to the New Year’s Day game.

Final Score: Stoke City 1-1 Liverpool

League Position: 15th

Scorers : Torres

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Johnson, Robinson (Off 3), Wilson, Kjaer , Enriquez, Lucas, Yarmolenko, Douglas Costa , Drage, Torres

[chesterfan2]

New Year’s Day dawned and with it the opening of the transfer window. I had a few irons in the fire, but no imminent deals, and we had Martin Skrtel off to PSG and Douglas Costa off to Olympic Lyonnais. I’d be glad to see the back of the winger’s shooting from all angles and Skrtel’s whinging. We had Sterling back in training, but he wouldn’t be ready in time for today’s game.

Monday January 1st 2018

Premier League

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (15th ) vs. Fulham (12th )

I put Zaha on the right to replace Douglas Costa and Wilson moves to left back for the suspended Robinson, Heurteaux stepping in in the centre of defence. Shelvey and Williams get run outs in the midfield.

We were up after three minutes, Drage heading home a Zaha cross that had been half cleared. On 12 it was two as Zaha came off his wing, tore through the Fulham defence and left Jack Butland sitting on his ars* as he tucked the ball past him, a special goal.

On 34 Fulham got on the scoresheet with a typical Chramosta thunderbolt, and we were back in a game. But on the verge of half time Zaha was fouled out on the right wing, level with the six yard box. Drage chipped the ball in, it pinged around and Heurteaux was on hand to stab the ball home for his first ever goal for Liverpool.

I told them they were playing well and to keep it up. Bad mistake. By 75 minutes we were 4-3 behind as they scored three unanswered goals in a devastating 20 minute spell. I mean I give up, what do I have to do to get them to defend a lead ? a two goal lead ?

However all was not lost as the ball broke for Zaha in the box in the first minute of injury time d he forced it home. We escaped with a draw, in a game we should have walked. So much work to do with this team. So much work.

Final Score: Liverpool 4-4 Fulham

League Position: 15th

Scorers : Drage, Zaha 2, Heurteaux

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Johnson, Wilson, Kjaer , Heurteaux, Williams, Shelvey, Yarmolenko, Drage, Zaha, Torres

We had nine days until the next match and so took the opportunity to be active in the transfer market. The first in was the highly experienced German international, Bastian Schweinsteiger, unwanted by his long time employers Bayern, now 33 and his skills waning a little, he can still add depth and competition to the midfield area. We got a couple more midfielders to join us when their Inter contracts expire in the summer, Coutinho and Lorenzo Crisetig, the players involved there.

Meanwhile Zaha went to West Ham for £5.5 million. Ivan Perisic went to AC Milan for the same amount. I started looking for defenders, midfielders and forwards, but I hoped I had found myself a goalie.

[chesterfan2]

Wednesday January 10th 2018

Premier League

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (15th ) vs. Newcastle (14th )

Schweinsteiger was straight into the starting line-up, and Nagatomo returned from injury at left back. Piris returned at right back, Sterling on the wing.

So, how did this game go? 18 minutes of dross, then a penalty decision in our favour. If it counts for anything I’m right behind the ref on this one, Yarmolenko was tripped. Anyway, Drage stepped up and did the usual, 1-0. Within five minutes it was 2-0, Torres shooting home from a narrow angle. Keeper at fault for that one.

On the half hour mark we made it three with a goal of the season contender, Yarmolenko playing the ball crossfield to Sterling who hit the cross in first time, for Drage to volley it home for his second of the game. Drage completed his hatrick on 38 minutes, Yarmolenko doing the hard work and providing the pinpoint cross, Drage another crisp volley.

Four goals up at half time. I told them how happy I was. Well, I was, that was the best 45 minutes of football I’ve seen us play yet.

Drage set up Sterling for the fifth goal on 55 minutes as it happened. Drage split the defence with his pass, and Sterling fired home from just outside the box.

No more goals came but once again we reduced Newcastle to mere spectators, and ran out very easy winners.

Final Score: Liverpool 5-0 Newcastle

League Position: 11th

Scorers : Drage 3, Torres, Sterling

Man Of The Match: Thomas Drage

Team: Reina, Piris, Nagatomo, Wilson, Kjaer , Lucas, Schweinsteiger, Drage, Yarmolenko, Sterling, Torres

We signed a young Argentinian goalkeeper in the days after the win against Newcastle. Daniel Lezcano, 19, was signed from Boca Juniors for £5.75 million. He is one, perhaps for the future, but he has huge amounts of potential. He’ll start as an understudy to Pepe Reina though.

[chesterfan2]

Saturday January 13th 2018

FA Cup Third Round

Venue: Anfield

Liverpool (PRM 11th ) vs. Aston Villa (PRM 14th )

Villa struck first here, their big centre forward powering his way through some flimsy challenges before hitting the ball beyond Reina’s dive. 12 minutes on the clock. On 25 we equalised, Sterling shooting home from a tight angle after a deep cross had eluded the Villa defence.

That’s how it stayed until half time and then all the way through normal time in the second half. Then, just as Villa were preparing to congratulate themselves on a job well done, we scored. A Piris cross and Yarmolenko on the far post to head the ball home, second minute of three minutes of injury time. No time for Villa to come back and we were through to the fourth round.

Final Score: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa

Scorers : Sterling, Yarmolenko

Man Of The Match: Ivan Piris

Team: Reina, Piris, Nagatomo, Wilson, Kjaer , Lucas, Schweinsteiger, Drage, Yarmolenko, Sterling, Torres

The fourth round draw brought us another home tie against Premier League opposition, this time in the form of West Ham who are currently riding about fifth in the table.

We also signed another player. 32 year old Gary Cahill, unwanted by Chelsea cost us £450,000 for a short term deal which will give us more depth in the back line.

[chesterfan2]

Tuesday January 16th 2018

Premier League

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Arsenal (5th ) vs. Liverpool (11th )

A difficult away game and despite some tiredness in the ranks I wasn’t going to make any changes.

The first half was pretty much all Arsenal, but despite relentless pressure we didn’t buckle and held the attackers at bay. We managed a single off target shot in the entire half, but as a slightly positive note Reina only had to make one save.

At half time I told them to keep it up, play for the fans. We started the second half brightly but couldn’t get anywhere. On 52 the referee helped Arsenal immensely by awarding them a very soft penalty. Never, not ever, a foul. They scored, of course, and we had a mountain to climb.

We tried to push forward a little more, but it proved our undoing as Arsenal scored again on 82. Wasn’t ever going to be easy here, but I had expected a little more.

Final Score: Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool

League Position: 13th

Scorers :

Man Of The Match: Lucas Leiva

Team: Reina, Piris, Nagatomo, Wilson, Kjaer , Lucas, Schweinsteiger, Drage, Yarmolenko, Sterling (Enriquez 78), Torres

Sterling picked up another injury and will miss 5 to 6 weeks. But in slightly better news we signed another player. Alfredo Lopez is a 19 year old Mexican forward who can also operate on the right, he cost us £20.5miliion from Chivas He has pace, composure and a high level of technical ability. He’s one for the future and a really good capture. The bank isn’t now empty, but it’s taken a big chunk from available funds.