Northernpilgrim Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 Looking good so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 11 hours ago, Northernpilgrim said: Looking good so far Thanks mate, but so far January is proving to be a tough month... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 After 3 defeats in a row at the end of December, we really needed to get back on track. I felt that the squad was pretty decent, but needed an added bit of pizazz either up front or on the wings. So, having reset our Board minimum expectations to "Finish mid-table", we were given an extra £3 million to spend in the January transfer window. Enter, Joel Campbell from Arsenal... But as Mr Newton would remind us, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction... Some more bottom of the table clubs get fed up with their managers, and Southgate and Koeman get the chop I decline an interview offer from Southampton, and by the end of the month the jobs are filled with new suckers... The Board won't increase my training facilities, but they will up the Youth level and recruitment funding, which will help us in future years And after a tricky start to January, we finally get it right on the pitch... Losing to Tottenham was tough, as we led the game for an hour and then gave away 2 goals in the last 15 minutes (my fault for being too slow to react to Spurs tactical changes). However, a good win in the FA Cup always boosts morale, and the win against Newcastle certainly did that. Another frustrating result against Everton took us to 5 League defeats in a row, and so we entered the second game against Newcastle in two weeks with one goal: DO NOT LOSE! And we didn't! That seemed to catalyse the team and we then went on to hammer Fulham in the League and batter Mansfield in the next round of the FA Cup Those 4 points at the end of January keep us in the mid-table hunt, and we remain 10 points clear of the drop zone. I really can't see any of the bottom 3 getting more than 36 points from here on in (at the most, I'd be surprised if they reach 32), and there's a big gap developing between 14th and 15th place, so another couple of wins and we'll be able to relax a bit! (EDIT: I just checked the full EPL table and we are only 15th in goals scored with 26, but have a really stingy defence, conceding a mere 25, putting us 6th in goals against... definitely we need to think about our attacking options!) Finally, a quick roundup of the transfer news.... Next time we have some tricky League games against Bournemouth, Norwich, Leicester and Swansea, as well as facing Spurs in the 5th Round of the FA Cup Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Looks like you're slowly sliding down the table, but still have a very large buffer from the dropzone, which is all you need from this season really. I'd still be happy with that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 2 hours ago, noikeee said: Looks like you're slowly sliding down the table, but still have a very large buffer from the dropzone, which is all you need from this season really. I'd still be happy with that. I'm very happy with my position. Even though I've accepted an increased Board requirement to finish mid-table (in order to get the funds to but Campbell in the transfer window) I'm fairly sure they wouldn't sack me even if I finished 17th! Not that I think I'm going to finish 17th And here's why I think we'll be safe! Three League wins out of four in February, including an absolute drubbing of Norwich 6-0 (they had a player sent off 4 minutes into the match!), a come-from-behind win against Swansea, and a magical win in the FA Cup against Spurs! And we are up into 10th, 14 points clear of the relegation zone. Although it is mathematically possible to be relegated from here, I would bet my house on staying up! Charlie Taylor puts the Swansea victory squarely on my shoulders, which is nice... I think that I shouted at them a lot... The Norwich win saw us get 7 players into the Premiership Team of the Week! And we finally won an award! Well done Lewis Cook! However, our Cup run came to an end in March, in dramatic, albeit annoying, style. We were 2-1 up at half time against Leicester, and went mad and gave away three goals shortly after half time. I don't know what Allardyce told his players at the break, but it clearly worked! Fulham's slide back down to the Championship continues, and the inevitable happens... March was a tough month, with three really tough League matches. Although it looks like a bad month, in reality getting a point each against Man City and Arsenal is excellent in my opinion 13 points clear of relegation with only 8 matches to play, the question now is how high can we finish? We have a tough run in, so I'm hoping for around 12th place. The title looks like two horse race between Man U and Chelsea, with Spurs dropping a little further off the pace. Liverpool and Arsenal are battling for the 4th CL spot, and with Everton's recent form being poor, they'll be battling it out with Leicester and Man City for 6th. Man City won the Capital One Cup, and so have already qualified for the Europa League next season. It is also worth recalling that Man City had a total of 12 points after 13 games and were in 17th place when Guardiola got sacked. They have gained 33 points from the last 17 games, have won silverware, and are pushing for a top 5 finish... all down to Jurgen Klopp! I leave you with some words of wisdom from my favourite former professional cyclist... I suppose there is a chance we may be attacked by a bear, which might lead to us being relegated... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 So here we are in April 2017, and a few more points will make relegation a mathematical impossibility. First though, Fulham have a new manager - his job will be to get them back up from the Championship, as I can't see any way they will stay up! Meanwhile, it would appear that I'm not even allowed to scout a Chelsea player... I've given up posting injury reports (there area so many of them), but this one was a biggy... not in terms of Botaka being a star player or anything, but in terms of its seriousness... near the end of the month Stuart Dallas is named Northern Irish Player of the Year, and dedicates the award to me... that's nice We had a rocky start to the month, our dodgy form from last month carrying over, but we managed to grind out two wins at the end of the month. The Hull victory secured us enough points to make it impossible to finish lower than 14th, which is fantastic for our first season in the Premiership. Chelsea and Man U are still going toe to toe for the title, and Spurs can't be caught in 3rd place. Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester are in the hunt for 4th place. Everton are fading quickly after a terrible run of form. At the other end of the table, Fulham are going down (although its not yet a mathematical certainty), with two out of Sunderland, Southampton and Bournemouth the most likely to join them. Newcastle and Stoke aren't completely safe, however. West Ham, meanwhile, have performed a veritable miracle; bottom of the league after 23 games with only 18 points, they are now in 14th place, having taken home 20 points from their last 12 matches. Well done Alex Neil! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Looks like you're about to finish up an excellent season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Great season especially with all the injuries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagain Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 At Bournemouth we like to sing "we all hate Leeds" - there's some history there - but I'll forgive you the 5-1 thumping as this is just a game. I'm a bit late to the party, but congrats on the dominant first season and you did equally well to stay in the Premiership...comfortably. Unbelievably I've only ever managed once in the Premier league in 16 years of FM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 6 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Looks like you're about to finish up an excellent season. Thanks mate 4 hours ago, Keano16 said: Great season especially with all the injuries. Cheers. Yeah we've had quite a few. The biggest loss was Alex Mowatt who has missed nearly 25% of the season! 3 hours ago, anagain said: At Bournemouth we like to sing "we all hate Leeds" - there's some history there - but I'll forgive you the 5-1 thumping as this is just a game. I'm a bit late to the party, but congrats on the dominant first season and you did equally well to stay in the Premiership...comfortably. Unbelievably I've only ever managed once in the Premier league in 16 years of FM. I think everyone hates Leeds, don't they? I know that Elland Road is the only ground I've been to where I seriously wondered if I was going to get out alive amazingly, last season was the first time in 16 years of playing that I managed outside the Premiership... Must try a journeyman save one of these days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Prior to the season's start, we were tipped for relegation. There were a couple of times when I thought we were really struggling, especially during our 5 match losing streak in January. However, we enter May 2017 knowing that we can't be relegated, and moreover, the likelihood is that we will achieve a mid-table position. And here is the squad that did it: And what a way to finish the season - our last match is a derby against Man U, who need to win in order to have a chance of the EPL title We are undefeated ion our final three games, although I'm not quite sure how the game against Man U ended 0-0! Chelsea lift the title for the 2nd time in 3 years And here is the league table after the final matches, with Leeds finishing a creditable 9th. Don't forget that the FA Cup hasn't been decided yet. Bournemouth are relegated, and frankly I am a little shocked. They were 10 points clear of the drop zone at the end of January, but have picked up only 9 points in the final 15 games. And, as you might expect, the sackings begin... Next time, we'll round up the FA Cup, European trophies and awards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Right, on with the final part of the season (warning - big update!)... First the Europa League, in which Newcastle reached the Quarter Final, even though they were relegation candidates for a large part of the domestic season. Lazio faced off against Chelsea in the Final I attended the match, and it was a corker! Lazio had most of the attacking play, but Chelsea had some decent counterattacks through the game, and took the lead after 72 minutes. The sending off of Azpilicueta with just 11 minutes remaining made it tough for the Blues to hold on, and Lazio hit the crossbar in the final 5 minutes. But hold on they did, for an English victory! Next came the FA Cup, and Leicester, who had defeated us in the 6th Round, made it all the way to Wembley to face Arsenal. Arsenal's manager, Rafa Benitez, was in a bit of a pickle at this stage, with his team missing out on the Champions League placings. Victory in the FA Cup might save his job... And win they did. Arsenal dominated throughout, and Leicester didn't come close to scoring, with most of their chances long range efforts With the FA Cup in the bag, Arsenal had a second final a week later, facing off against Juve for the Champions League But it wasn't to be for Arsenal. Juventus weere clearly the better team on the night, and Volland's late goal for the Gunners was merely a consolation. The following day, Benitez was clearing his desk! Next we'll go through the player awards. Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal and Eden Hazard get the top awards, with Arsenal's full back Bellerin winning the Young Player trophy Chelsea's striker Gameiro was the top premiership goalscorer Reviewing our season is a pleasant affair. Average home gate of 33,000 fans is pretty good, and my position with the club is very secure. Charlie Taylor wins the Player of the Season award and Young Player award for the second year running! Zach Clough was out top scorer, but Campbell was catching him up by the end of the season, despite only signing in January, and there was no place for Kranevitter in the Team of the season. I'll be honest, Kranevitter's ratings only started to get respectable later on in the year when I stopped playing him as an Anchorman and changed his role to DM(S), which allowed him to contribute more going forward. I anticipate he'll be having a much better overall year in the coming season On the signings front for the past year, Josh Brenet and Joel Campbell are the ones everyone raves about, with Clough and Wimmer close behind. Overall, our new signings had a massive impact on the team, so I'm pretty happy about that. We're in the money!! So much so that the board are looking to by Elland Road in the coming year... we better not get relegated then! Our Youth category gets top billing, which will help us in years to come Woah there horsey! Remember what got Leeds into all that trouble a few years back? Yep, that's right, spending way above their means! A 60% increase in the wage budget and £50M in the war chest is all well and good, but I have no intention of spending it all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 9th in your first season back in the top flight is excellent, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 3 minutes ago, noikeee said: 9th in your first season back in the top flight is excellent, well done. Thanks The second season may well be harder though, as other teams will be less attacking against me, and therefore harder to catch on the break! Also, a little bit of breaking news..... Diego Simeone, manager of Spanish League Champions Atletico de Madrid, has expressed an interest in buying my leading central defender, Kevin Wimmer. Kevin approached me to say that he would like to leave if Atletico make a bid for him... I'm currently scouting potential replacements for him should such a bid materialise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 It's now the off season, June 2017, and our first order of business is contractual. We activate Lewis Cook's additional optional contract year, keeping him under contract until 2020, which stops Barcelona from sniffing round him, and also tie our keeper down for a few more years. On paper he isn't the greatest keeper, but his reflexes 17 stat has kept out more than a few goals over the past couple of seasons, and I see no reason to splash out on a new keeper when my old one isn't broken With Wimmer being targeted by Atletico, my first transaction is to bring in someone who can play anywhere through the centre of the pitch, so we get wonderkid Riechedly Bazoer for a steal at £12M up front. Bazoer can play in defence, defensive midfield or central midfield with equal aplomb. Ultimately, I would eventually like to bring back the Brazilian Box formation that I abandoned part-way through last season, and having Cook, Mowatt, Kranevitter and Bazoer operating in midfield sounds amazing on paper! Maybe if I can become a proper top-10 Premiership team I will bring back the Box A few youngsters arrive in early June. All three were dropped by their clubs, but I think they may have a future in the game with some judicious loaning out Doukara played pretty well for us in the Championship, but couldn't cut it in the Premiership. I'm very happy to have picked up nearly £750k for him Our next big signing after Bazoer is to activate Callum Wilson's relegation release clause (sorry Bournemouth!). As a complete forward, he will complement Zach Clough up front nicely, enabling Joel Campbell to focus on playing as a wide midfielder. I nearly bought Christian Benteke from Bayern for the same price as Wilson, but ultimately I waited too long and Benteke became uninterested in joining us. John Stones finally leaves the Toffees for Chelsea, and for a mere £25M And finally, we pick up a youngster from Brighton who could be a decent prospect. The transfer fee is a little misleading, as £250k of it is payable on his first international appearance. To be honest, if he becomes an international player it'll have been the bargain signing of the century! Quick straw poll: Adam Lallana is available for £4M. He is quite happy to join us, and my best scout reckons he'll want around £55k per week. I don't need him, per se, but he would be an improvement over my current crop of wide midfielders (Joel Campbell, Stuart Dallas, Bryan Oviedo, Jordan Botaka). I don't play a central attacking midfielder, so he would be operating as a Wide Playmaker or Inside Forward. I'm tempted as this coming season should see some of the lower rated clubs operating more defensively towards us, giving me more options for playing with a slower, more creative playmaker in an AM(R/L) position, rather than M(R/L) players bursting forward on the counter. Should I get him or not? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 43 minutes ago, facman said: It's now the off season, June 2017, and our first order of business is contractual. We activate Lewis Cook's additional optional contract year, keeping him under contract until 2020, which stops Barcelona from sniffing round him, and also tie our keeper down for a few more years. On paper he isn't the greatest keeper, but his reflexes 17 stat has kept out more than a few goals over the past couple of seasons, and I see no reason to splash out on a new keeper when my old one isn't broken With Wimmer being targeted by Atletico, my first transaction is to bring in someone who can play anywhere through the centre of the pitch, so we get wonderkid Riechedly Bazoer for a steal at £12M up front. Bazoer can play in defence, defensive midfield or central midfield with equal aplomb. Ultimately, I would eventually like to bring back the Brazilian Box formation that I abandoned part-way through last season, and having Cook, Mowatt, Kranevitter and Bazoer operating in midfield sounds amazing on paper! Maybe if I can become a proper top-10 Premiership team I will bring back the Box A few youngsters arrive in early June. All three were dropped by their clubs, but I think they may have a future in the game with some judicious loaning out Doukara played pretty well for us in the Championship, but couldn't cut it in the Premiership. I'm very happy to have picked up nearly £750k for him Our next big signing after Bazoer is to activate Callum Wilson's relegation release clause (sorry Bournemouth!). As a complete forward, he will complement Zach Clough up front nicely, enabling Joel Campbell to focus on playing as a wide midfielder. I nearly bought Christian Benteke from Bayern for the same price as Wilson, but ultimately I waited too long and Benteke became uninterested in joining us. John Stones finally leaves the Toffees for Chelsea, and for a mere £25M And finally, we pick up a youngster from Brighton who could be a decent prospect. The transfer fee is a little misleading, as £250k of it is payable on his first international appearance. To be honest, if he becomes an international player it'll have been the bargain signing of the century! Quick straw poll: Adam Lallana is available for £4M. He is quite happy to join us, and my best scout reckons he'll want around £55k per week. I don't need him, per se, but he would be an improvement over my current crop of wide midfielders (Joel Campbell, Stuart Dallas, Bryan Oviedo, Jordan Botaka). I don't play a central attacking midfielder, so he would be operating as a Wide Playmaker or Inside Forward. I'm tempted as this coming season should see some of the lower rated clubs operating more defensively towards us, giving me more options for playing with a slower, more creative playmaker in an AM(R/L) position, rather than M(R/L) players bursting forward on the counter. Should I get him or not? Quite a bargain at £4m. I would as long as you aren't already stacked in the midfield. That would just lead to more players moaning about first team football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 I'd probably go for Lallana, that's quite the deal, and between the long English season, and injuries you should find time for everyone. He can pitch in at CM too, if needed, can't he? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 Thanks for the advice. Bid placed for Lallana at £4M and we have agreed terms at £48k per week plus incentives. However, we are rapidly approaching the end of June and the silly season is about to begin. Arsenal have put in a bid for Kranevitter and I am unsure how to play it: reject the bid and he'll get upset about not being allowed to leave to play European football, negotiate and potentially lose one of my star players for about £15M. I was planning on making him my vice-Captain this coming season too... Any advice? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Slightly naughty, but I'd negotiate, at an extortionate amount, not the suggest terms button, but negotiate deal one that has them come back the next day. The next day they'll withdraw their bid and the player will stay calm. The only worry would be if he has a buyout clause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 1 hour ago, BoxToBox said: Slightly naughty, but I'd negotiate, at an extortionate amount, not the suggest terms button, but negotiate deal one that has them come back the next day. The next day they'll withdraw their bid and the player will stay calm. The only worry would be if he has a buyout clause. That's quite a nice FM life hack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 3 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Slightly naughty, but I'd negotiate, at an extortionate amount, not the suggest terms button, but negotiate deal one that has them come back the next day. The next day they'll withdraw their bid and the player will stay calm. The only worry would be if he has a buyout clause. It worked! i also made him vice-Captain (which he has given positive feedback about) and praised his conduct (he's "pleased that the previous chat went well "). He is "flattered about the interest shown in him" but still had good morale and hasn't asked to leave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 My similar FM life hack is to set ridiculously high asking prices for players. The bids never come in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 The big news of the day is the retirement of Sam Allardyce from his position at Leicester. Arsenal and Leicester are now looking for managers I was offered an interview at Leicester but turned them down Sensible move... Confirmation that Lallana is happy to join us. £4M transfer, £48k per week - pretty good deal! And our two old boys retire. They didn't contribute much to last season in the Premiership, but the year before they really were instrumental in our promotion run The fixture lists are announced, and we start at home against Watford... Casper Sloth is a decent enough player, and probably would have featured if we'd still been in the Championship, but he spent all of last season on loan and with our midfield talent there was no sense in keeping him around However, bad news always comes in threes (or so they say)... First Bryan Oviedo has lost his work permit from Summer 2018 (which is frankly ridiculous, he is a premiership standard player!), then Junior breaks his leg in training, and finally Flavio Ferreira damages his Achilles and is out for 5 months... However, all is not doom and gloom, as we win the Friendly Cup... we scored 5 goals in the tournament, and new signings Callum Wilson and Riechedly Bazoer got 4 of them! Onwards and upwards through the rest of the preseason... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Gees, 3 of them, what a nightmare! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 20 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Gees, 3 of them, what a nightmare! Read on, it gets worse! So, having learned that Bryan Oviedo won't have his work permit renewed after summer 2018, we decide to cash in while we still can. Villareal take him for £3M, which is a pretty good price when you consider we got him 2 seasons ago for £725k. We are sad to see him go, but have a replacement lined up Luke Garbutt, former Leeds player, returns to the fold for £1.9M, along with a young centre-half who had been released by Chelsea Somewhat bizarrely, we essentially got a discount of £250k from the Garbutt transfer, due to a previous clause when we sold him to Everton! Our backup goalie was released at the end of last season, after deciding he needed to move on to get some playing time, and we pick up another Chelsea reject on a free. We are having a bit of a clear-out of players who aren't going to cut it in the Premiership. We held on to some last year in case of relegation, but with out 9th place finish and stronger squad this year I think we can make a bit of money out of them And then, barely a day after we sell Wood, our 4th choice striker, Bendtner, our 3rd choice striker, gets hit with the curse of the pre-season, and is out for pretty much the rest of the year... So, currently we have the following players out until 2018 - Junior, Bendtner and Ferreira; Botaka is also out, although he should be back by November... :sigh: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 Last update of the preseason: Romao was on almost £14k per week, and was fading fast. Cluj come to the rescue! Meanwhile, Stoke have a change of ownership, and it is everyone's favourite investor Randy Lerner who takes the reigns After Brendan Rodgers took the job at Leicester, Swansea had a vacancy Our Board expects! and either the Board have it spectacularly wrong, or 138.com knows nothing about football... 1000-1!! We finished 9th last season! Chelsea win the Community Shield to kick off the new season And we finish off our pre-season in style, battering Coventry, our new League 1 feeder club. The only blip was the defeat against Koln. They scored in the 3rd minute after a defensive error from Bellusci, and we should have equalised as we had more of the play for the rest of the game, so I'm not too worried. In other news, Stoke and Spurs are sniffing around Kevin Wimmer and Charlie Taylor, and I'm fighting hard to keep both of them... Taylor is the most important to me though, and if I have to sell Wimmer back to Spurs then I will (for a profit!). I have Mammana, Johnny Evans and Balanta lined up as potential replacements... Finally, updates may be slower over the next week and a half, as the kids are on half term next week and we will be away! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Here we are in August, with the season getting underway... During August I achieved 100 games in my management career Those who have followed from the start know I like to change things up tactically, and this month was no exception Spurs and Arsenal were sniffing round Kevin Wimmer this month, and though I held them off for as long as I could, Spurs eventually triggered his £20M Release Clause for Champions League teams. So, essentially, I bought Wimmer 12 months ago for £8.75M from Spurs, showed them how good a player he really was for a year, then sold him back to them for more than twice the price... Using the money 'liberated' by selling my best defender, I took the plunge and bought three young players who have been on my radar for some time. I'm not sure who River Plate have playing for them at centre-half at the moment, because I've just bought their two starters! Johannes Eggestein initially wasn't interested in a move, then RBL unsettled him and I jumped in with an eleventh hour bid and stole him from under their noses In other transfer deadline news, Real Madrid sell Carlos Vela and buy Stephan El Shaarawy and Niklas Sule, Gelson Martins moves to Chelsea, and Marcus Rashford switches from Man U to Arsenal When I was looking at my upcoming schedule, August seemed like a month where I could pick up a couple of wins, with home games against promotees Watford and Derby, but I never imagined I would beat Chelsea at the Bridge! In fact, four wins out of four put us top of the league as the only team with a perfect record. In addition, we haven't conceded a goal yet! Somewhat unsurprisingly, I'm very happy to receive my first Premiership Manager of the Month award September, on the other hand may well be a different story, as we face Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool on the bounce! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Excellent stuff, what a start to a season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 August was amazing... September would prove a little harder! My tinkering went awry against Man City, as we were outplayed for large portions of the game And to add insult to, err, injury, my new signing Balanta is the latest one to add to the injury list. Oh and Jordan Botaka came back from his 6 months out, only to injure himself for a further 2 months in his first appearance for the U21s Defeats against Man City and Arsenal were always likely, but the manner of them was frustrating. Arsenal absolutely battered us, and it was only by some great goalkeeping that they didn't score a hatful. We got back to winning ways in the Cup, and then performed a defensive masterclass against Liverpool and came away worthy winners. The match against the Hammers was a bit of a washout; we could have won it near the end but a draw was the right result So, overall, we added 4 points to our tally in September, and progressed to the next round of the Cup, so I'm pleased. The table still makes pleasant viewing! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Horrible luck with injuries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 2 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Horrible luck with injuries. I know, it's getting silly now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 On to October, and we have a bizarre new U21 Assistant Manager.... Zlatan Ibrahimovic! Southampton are stuck to the bottom of the table, and finally take the plunge... Shortly followed by Everton sacking Alan Pardew. This is an odd one, as Everton were flying for most of last season under Pardew, tailing off in the final quarter of the season, but this year they've been awful and are in 18th place. Our Capital One Cup run carries on after a magnificent win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. We threw caution to the wind and played an attacking 4-3-3, with a winger, Inside forward and Poacher up front, and a flat 3 in midfield, and it worked! Callum Wilson was played in via two lovely through balls from midfield for two of the goals, and although Man U had more shots than we did (and Silvestri did play very well for us between the sticks), we were good value for the win. Elsewhere, Hull beat Arsenal, and now the only real giant left in the competition is Chelsea. We have a real shout at this competition now! The other results in October were pretty good. A lucky win against Hull after a somewhat unlikely goal from Bellusci in the 87th minute, a 3-1 battering of Leicester at Elland Road, and an unlucky defeat against Stoke (we had enough chances to draw or even win the game, and had a goal disallowed, but Stoke just took their chances better on the day). And the October table looks marvellous, thank you very much! We are more than halfway to the magic 40 points already, and finishing in the top half, or even nicking a Europa League place is a possibility! 4 more games to come in November, after the usual International break... Let's see how we do in the next instalment! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Cracking progress! Especially taking out Man Utd on their turf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Maybe some silverware this year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Truly sensational season so far! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 23 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Cracking progress! Especially taking out Man Utd on their turf. Yeah, that was one of those moments when I just thought "to hell with it, let's play 433 and try to take the game to them", and for once it actually worked! 21 hours ago, Keano16 said: Maybe some silverware this year! We've drawn Millwall away in the quarter final, so you've got to fancy us to make it to the semis! 6 hours ago, noikeee said: Truly sensational season so far! Thanks, mate, although I'm bracing myself for the inevitable slump! Christmas is usually really busy for fixtures, and my lack of squad depth in defence may make itself felt at that point. Still, I can't complain so far! Also, Everton have offered me an interview, following the sacking of Alan Pardew! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Quick update on managerial stuff: I declined the offer of an interview (this save is about Leeds, after all!), and Everton steal Steve Clarke from Watford Watford employ Koeman... And Southampton employ Kenny Jackett on mission impossible... I've finished November, so will upload photos later on tonight Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 On the 1st of December 2017, the board decides to increase our transfer budget significantly! And offer me a new contract, which I accept Not really surprising, given that November is another really good month. The Millwall game was tight, though. Tighter than it should have been. We only secured the victory in the last minute of extra time! The table is once again our friend And we get the easier of the two semi finals for the Capital One Cup... Can we make the final? 2nd in the Manager of the Month standings... pretty good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Hell of a month! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 I see Champions League football in the near future... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 26, 2016 Author Share Posted October 26, 2016 Champions League is a nice thought, but I think Europa league is a little more realistic for the time being! I generally dislike December and January in the Premiership due to the fixture congestion, and this season is proving no different so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 27, 2016 Author Share Posted October 27, 2016 So, here we are in December, and the first thing that happens is another turn of the Premiership job merry-go-round. West Ham sack last season's saviour... Wolves hire the guy sacked from the Southampton job and Leicester get rid of Brendan Rodgers Meanwhile, it wouldn't be a new month without more injuries. This time, its Adam Lallana who is the star player to be lost for a couple of months... and we lose our number 4 striker a few days later 3rd round of the FA Cup is drawn. That's OK, we'll get some League 1 or 2 team right? Wrong! Arsenal, at the Emirates!! Thank you, game! Did I mention how I hate December? 4 defeats sandwiching 2 wins. Man U thrashed us, to be frank. The Spurs game was one of those where we were the better team but couldn't convert our chances, whilst the Wolves game was one of those that had the Wolves manager submitting a bug report about how they managed to miss so many CCC And then came Everton, and for 18 glorious minutes in the first half, we played like Brazil in the 1970 world cup! After that it was back down to earth with two stupid defeats away from home. Our defence was hopeless, with every single goal conceded coming from a mistake, and our attack anaemic, with even our wonder striker, Callum Wilson, seemingly unable to hit the side of a bus from 2 yards. So, we've hit a bad run of form finally. Oh, well, its not like there's an important Cup game coming up. Down into 6th place by the end of the month, and with 8 matches in January, we are going to have our work cut out juggling the squad... At the start of January, the board an I agree a 3 year contract extension and we sign 4 young players for about a million quid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Harsh month, but still in the mix. I hate winter in England too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 January is a fairly pants month in England... 8 games packed into this month! In the worst weather... Winter break anyone? Apologies for the screenshots not embedding... there seemed to be an error with the browser window, so I had to go old skool with url code First up, we sell Liam Cooper. He's never going to get a game for Leeds with our new defenders bedding in, so we cash in while we can... My only target for this window was Sven Bender, and we got him for the laughable price of £2.6M. Lots of teams are sniffing round Kranevitter, and I need Bender as insurance if I have to sell Meanwhile, Leicester and West Ham sort out their new managers January was an odd one for results, but the Arsenal game was the most frustrating. We had the whole match under control, were limiting Arsenal to plinky plonky football (I'm copywriting the phrase) around the box, and then this.... no way was it a penalty! However, the best news was that we reached the Final of the Capital One Cup. After hammering Hull 3-0 at home, the 2nd leg was supposed to be a tight defensive affair (at least that's what I wanted). Instead, I appeared to have no control over what was happening on the pitch, and so I shut my eyes, set the highlights mode onto Key, and went and made myself a drink. Fortunately, Lewis Cook was on good form in front of goal, and we held the 2nd leg to a 2-3 defeat, putting us through 5-3 on aggregate Overall, the results were just about OK. 6 points out of 15 in the league is just about acceptable. 1 point per game will get us past last year's points total, and exceed the board's expectations, but I am hoping that this recent form is a blip. The FA Cup game against Arsenal was always going to be tough as well - just one of those unlucky draws... The table is still OK. Man U are in the middle of a real slump at the moment. At one point they were well clear of the pack, but have only gained 16 points in their last 11 games! At the bottom there's a big relegation scrap developing between seven teams Quick summary of the main transfer dealings on deadline day And after much back and forth with offers and counteroffers being placed and withdrawn (Man City and Arsenal were both bidding heavily), Kranevitter eventually decided that he was unhappy because he wanted a new deal. I happily offered him a new one... old deal £41k p/w plus £13k app fee; new deal £49k p/w plus £8k app fee... net rise of around £3k per week during the season... (no-one ever said football players were good with sums!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Cracking deal for Bender. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHFM Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 You are performing brilliantly in the league-- so close to a European place! Also getting Bender for 2.6M is a steal! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 Thanks chaps, always nice to read positive comments I'd spotted that Sven Bender had been transfer listed from one of my scout reports, and I was weighing up the options in early January. Then I think Dortmund made a bid for him and I knew that I had to act without any more procrastination! Fortunately, he saw Leeds as a better option, and signed relatively quickly. Goodness knows why Wolfsburg wanted to sell him. Looking through their transfer dealings they've bought a couple of good attacking midfielders in the January window, but no-one as a direct replacement. On to February, and we have one league match, then a break (whilst everyone else plays in the FA Cup) and on to the Capital One Cup Final. So I'll cover that in more detail, as its our first chance at glory! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Capital One Cup Final, 2018 Since we were promoted, we have faced Newcastle 4 times (3 times in the league, and once in the FA Cup last year). We have won at home twice, and drawn away twice. Despite not having lost to Newcastle, we are in a bit of dodgy form at the moment, and Newcastle are made favourites for the final Both teams are lining up in a 4-4-2. Ours is fairly conservative, Defensive/Fluid, with Cook and Kranevitter sitting deep and protecting the back four as a CM(D) and BWM(D) respectively. In previous matches, Newcastle have kept their midfield partnership deep too, and if that proves the case in the final then Kranevitter will sit in the MCL slot as a BWM(D) whilst Cook will push on as a BBM in the MCR slot, providing support to Dallas on the wing and linking up with Campbell as he drops back in an F9 role. Lallana, meanwhile, as a WM(S) has the PI "Cut Inside With Ball", so tends to move in front of the MCL position allowing Taylor to bomb down the wing on the outside. So, although we are playing a defensive tactical setup, the additional creative freedom allowed by the Fluid shape gives our players the license to get forward in numbers if they decide the situation warrants it. Kranevitter is great at holding in the middle of the field. His PPMs coupled with high Vision, Composure and Decisions stats ensure he stays deep in central locations, recycling the ball to the more creative players around him. He regularly has 80% passing accuracy and the most tackles per game of any of my players. Cook, meanwhile, loves to pick up the ball and charge forward, laying it off while he continues his run, or trying a through ball to a player in a more dangerous position. If Cook and Kranevitter can boss the midfield, I'm confident about creating chances Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Just in case anyone fancies using my defensive 4-4-2... In terms of PIs and specific player changes: If Dallas or Botaka play at MR, they are set up to play as W(A) Wilson is set to play as a CF(A) not AF(A) Both strikers have Close down much more and Tackle Harder The AF(A) has Roam from position and the F9 has More direct passes The WM(S) has Cuts inside with ball, Tackle Harder and More Direct Passes The WP(A) has More direct Passes The whole defensive line have Pass it shorter The GK has Dist to Full backs and roll it out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Capital One Cup Final, Part 2 The first 20 minutes were cagey, and it was clear that the Newcastle central midfield was rooted to the spot in front of the back 4, so we changed Cook over to BBM and allowed him to start venturing into the attack. the result was that we gradually took control of the possession, and took the lead in the 37th minute, after a cross from Lallana had gone straight across the box (Wilson and Tierney had collided in the middle!) to an unmarked Dallas. Our second came in the 50th minute, and highlights the best of how our tactic is supposed to work. Campbell, dropping back as he is supposed to do, gets the ball from midfield, lays the ball to his right to Callum Wilson, who immediately spots Lallana cutting inside from the left and making a run into the box. Lallana slots the ball home deftly. Note how Taylor is bombing up the left wing, Cook and Dallas are also making runs into the box (red arrows), and Kranevitter (blue circle) is holding deep in case the ball needs recycling. And this is a Defensive mentality! Our third again demonstrates our tactic, as Cook receives the ball from Campbell, spots Dallas and Wilson making runs into the box, picks out Dallas with a lovely weighted pass, who hammers it home Our fourth and final goal was a simple tap in from a corner, and doesn't warrant much fanfare... And a glorious win for the Yorkshire Real Madrid! and with that, we qualify for Europe next year! Yippee! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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