[FM23] Another Island Life - Green Lion Pride - A Guernsey FC Youth Story

Punch · September 15

OCT 2045 - Europa League Group Stage - 3rd Match - At S.S. Lazio (Italy)

A stunning result as we blast Lazio off their own park.

In what was expected to be a tight match, our attacking unit ran riot, and even the defence got in on the act with a brace for Gudmundsson.

It was a quality performance up and down the park as our defensive unit shut down the hosts attack as well.

Another good win keeping the money rolling in.

Another bag of goals sends us back to the top of the tree.

A short turn around and a tough return to League action as we travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.

Punch · September 15

OCT 2045 - Match Day 9 - At Liverpool

A really disappointing day at the office as struggled to get anything going, and were probably lucky to only go down by one.

The Reds were all over us right out of the blocks, and we found ourselves two down by the break.

We were never able to recover, although we did manage to stem the tide, even pulling a goal back late.

It was not enough though, as the hosts cruised to victory, handing us our first loss of the season.

Southampton were also beaten, leaving no undefeated teams, while Spurs jumped us both to hit the top of the table.

League Cup action comes to the Green Lions Den as we host Newcastle in the 4th Round.

Punch · September 15

OCT 2045 - League Cup 4th Round - Vs Newcastle United

A heavily rotated squad was sent out against the Magpies, and they put in a thumping result as our Title defence marches on.

We created all the running, but only had a slight lead at the break, needing to keep up the pressure, and not get caught out.

I need not have worried though, as the boys continued the same way in the second half, running away with a score line that probably flattered us a little.

A good day as we march on to the Quarter Final.

A tough draw as we get West Ham in the Quarter Final, who we have a long, and poor history against, although we did thrash them in the Final last season.

Back to League action as we host Leicester at the Green Lions Den.

Punch · September 16

OCT 2045 - Match Day 10 - Vs Leicester City

A stunning attacking performance, and a rock solid defensive performance, bookended a thumping win over the Foxes.

An early goal for Chambers, and the first of Marshall's hat-trick set us on our way, but we would not find the net again for some time.

We continued to dominate proceedings, without reward, however, the boys stuck at it, and a late blast blew out the score line, including Marshall completing his hat-trick.

A solid defensive effort, shut down the visitors attack, limiting them to just four shots, none of which were on target.

The score line could have been much worse for Leicester, as we rattled the bar a few times as well.

We went top only for 24 hours though, as Spurs win sent them back to the top.

Southampton had a draw, leaving us in outright second place.

We return to Europa League action, as we travel to Switzerland to take on the struggling St Gallen.

Punch · September 16

OCT 2045

A solid month as we win two or four League games, along with a draw, and our first loss.

We also added wins in the Europa League, and advanced in the League Cup.

Marshall played in two League games, scoring a hat-trick in both, winning his third straight Young Player of the Month Award, while we took out all three places.

A massive achievement as Marshall is named the Kopa Trophy winner, voted on by a panel of former Ballon d'Or winners.

The award is presented to the best Under 21 player in the world.

A massive recognition of the achievements of both the player, and our club, as we also had the 3rd place player.

Internationals

We had nearly 40 players called up for International duty this month, and I got to go and see 8 players called up for the England squad.

We now have 10 players from our Academy in the England set up, including 8 current, and 2 former players who are now at other clubs.

Not bad for our little island club.

The never ending story...

This saga has been dragging on for years.

It's on again, off again, on the rocks, who knows if this will ever happen.

A solid loss this month, although we collect another add-on.

Another busy month coming up, with some tough League games, and two more Europa League matches.

Punch · September 17

NOV 2045 - Europa League Group Stage - 4th Match - At FC St. Gallen 1879 (Switzerland)

We started heavy favourites, but no one seen this result coming.

Jayson Buss and Alan Kennedy both scored four goals each, with three others getting on the board as well.

Our defence shut down the hosts, not allowing them the register a shot on target.

A brilliant result.

Winning keeps the money coming in.

We stay top of the table with a massive boost to our goal difference.

We return to League action with a tough road trip to Chelsea.

Edited September 19 by Punch

Stuniverse · September 18

How often have Guernsey drawn West Ham in the Cup, @Punch?

As Guernsey is an island, surrounded by the seas, can I get away with saying OCEAN's ELEVEN?

Good luck with the takeover.

erik45 · September 18

20 hours ago, Punch said:

NOV 2045 - Europa League Group Stage - 4th Match - At FC St. Gallen 1879

We started heavy favourites, but no one seen this result coming.

Jayson Buss and Alan Kennedy both scored four goals each, with three others getting on the board as well.

Our defence shut down the hosts, not allowing them the register a shot on target.

A brilliant result.

Winning keeps the money coming in.

We stay top of the table with a massive boost to our goal difference.

We return to League action with a tough road trip to Chelsea.

Real Sociedad are really playing the numbers game: four wins with four goals scored!

Punch · September 18

3 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

How often have Guernsey drawn West Ham in the Cup, @Punch?

As Guernsey is an island, surrounded by the seas, can I get away with saying OCEAN's ELEVEN?

Good luck with the takeover.

We do seem to end up together quite a lot, pretty sure it is the longest head to head page that I have to screen shot.

Haha I like the Ocean's Eleven reference.

Edited September 18 by Punch

Punch · September 18

3 hours ago, erik45 said:

Real Sociedad are really playing the numbers game: four wins with four goals scored!

I guess if you win by 1 goal like them, or 11 like us, you still only get three points :lol:

Punch · September 19

NOV 2045 - Match Day 11 - At Chelsea

Our normal free flowing attack struggled to find it's way today, some tired players from the mid-week Swiss trip, and a whistle happy ref that prevented anyone gaining momentum.

Young McDaid created our best chance of the match, only to see his stinging drive tipped against the post.

Some tired defending handed the hosts the chance to win the match at the death, but Redmond came up huge to save the shot, and secure us an away point.

The point keeps us in 2nd place, and everyone at the top had a draw, so it all stays the same.

We have 40 players on Senior and Youth International duty, before we return to the island to host Everton.

Stuniverse · September 19

1 hour ago, Punch said:

The point keeps us in 2nd place, and everyone at the top had a draw, so it all stays the same.

Starting to play the big boys now… and Guernsey still flying high :applause:

Punch · September 19

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Starting to play the big boys now… and Guernsey still flying high

We are holding our own...although to be fair, we got away with one at Chelsea, as they should have won it at the death.

Punch · September 19

NOV 2045 - Match Day 12 - Vs Everton

A shocker here, as we were well and truly punished for being extremely wasteful with our chances.

We created so many chances to score, but lost our scoring boots, only managing to put one shot on target.

We spent most of the second half chasing the game, but our wasteful day continued, as we didn't trouble the keeper at all in the final 45 minutes.

A painful loss became even more painful as we lose one of our first choice strikers for a month.

The loss and Southampton win, so we fall to 3rd place.

At the other end, Derby have put together 5 straight draws to climb off the bottom of the table.

A tougher match in the Europa League as we host PSV, who we did meet at the same stage last year, coming away with a thumping win.

Punch · September 19

NOV 2045 - Europa League Group Stage - 5th Match - Vs PSV Eindhoven

We found our scoring boots again, as we put up an impressive performance all over the park to give the Boeren another hammering.

After dominating the first half, we only had a one goal lead to show for our efforts.

We kept at it in the second half though, and were rewarded with another three goals, to end up blowing the score out.

It could have been a lot more. as we whacked the wood work a few times as well.

More winning, more money.

Another boost to the goal difference keeps us at the top of the tree.

@erik45, Real Sociedad have finally broken away, and had a 3-1 win :lol:

We return to League action with a trip to 19th place Derby.

While this should be a simple equation, going up against the winless Rams, they are now on a run of five draws on the bounce, and in that run, they have held West Ham, Manchester City, and Arsenal, so we still have to make sure we don't take them lightly.

Blarney · September 19

Absolutely tearing it up right now.

Punch · September 20

2 hours ago, Blarney said:

Absolutely tearing it up right now.

We made a cracking start, but we seem to have lost our goal scoring boots in the League.

Punch · September 20

NOV 2045 - Match Day 13 - At Derby County

Despite their lowly position on the table, the Rams have been playing pretty well lately.

They stayed true to recent form, giving us a decent run for our money, keeping us scoreless for the first hour.

O'Connor finally broke the dead lock, but the hosts held their own, not letting us get away, and it was left to debutante Smith to secure the three points, with a late goal off the bench.

Keeper Mario also made his League debut, as we rested plenty of players after mid-week European match.

Wins all around at the top as we stay 3rd, although Liverpool got hammered by Spurs.

We stay on the island, hosting 11th place Wolves.

Punch · September 20

NOV 2045 - Match Day 14 - Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

The Green Lions Den turned into a graveyard for Wolves, as our attacking unit got back to their best, putting on an absolute clinic in front of another full house.

Our job was made easier when the visitors had a player sent off early for a shocker of a tackle.

Sam Marshall continues to go from strength to strength, he'd racked up a hat-trick by half time, and would go on to net twice more before the dust had settled.

Three others got on the score sheet, as we racked up nine goals.

After a few League games where we struggled to get close to hitting the target, when we get hot, we get white hot.

Marshall now holds the record alone.

A draw for Southampton sends us back to 2nd place, while we also make up ground on Spurs, who suffered a shock loss to Bournemouth.

We travel to Elland Road to take on the 11th place Leeds.

Edited September 20 by Punch

Punch · September 21

NOV 2045

A mixed bag in the League, but we book end the month with massive wins in Europa, and the League.

Marshall wins another Young Player of the Month Award, while Wynne takes out 3rd place.

Stats

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

The take over saga is finally complete

After years of on again off again, it all happened pretty quickly in the end, as we now have a new owner.

Luckily I get to keep my job, as they have not decided to appoint their own Manager.

Considering we have not signed a player in my 23 years, other than returning two of our own to the club, it might be pretty difficult to meet this goal.

They also want to win the Premier League by 2050, so that gives us 4-5 years to reach that goal.

Internationals

We had 40 players called up for Senior and Youth International duty this month.

I have trimmed this list down to just current players, so we currently have 22 Senior Internationals.

Sam Marshall, who has been in blistering club form, made his debut for England, becoming our 46th International, and also scored on debut.

We are now the leading producer of players in the Premier League, and by some distance over our rivals.

We also produce the most players across Europe, contributing nearly 100 players.

FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

We kick off our FA Cup campaign with a trip to Swansea, who we do have a good record against.

We make another slight loss this month.

A monster month ahead as we face 9 matches.

Punch · September 22

DEC 2045 - Match Day 15 - At Leeds United

A crazy game in which we took the early lead, but by half time, we had given up three goals.

We completely lost our attacking way in the second half, not being able to create any genuine chances, as we seemed to panic and rush our efforts.

While we had to rotate the squad, this was a massive contrast to the team that scored nine last time out.

Another youngster makes their debut, as we continue to need to rotate the squad.

Spurs lose back to back matches, lessening the blow of our own loss, while Southampton were held to a draw, so it stays pretty close.

We travel to Greece to face the last place Olympiacos in our 6th Europa League Group Stage match.

Punch · September 22

DEC 2045 - Europa League Group Stage - 6th Match - At Olympiacos SF Piraeus (Greece)

Complete domination as we shut the Thrylos out of the match.

Two goal in each half, including a brace for debutante Hassan, along with a clean sheet, not allowing the hosts to take any shots, let alone on target.

A great performance all around, as we collect another three points.

Two goals on debut for Hassan, and Goddard also got his first taste of the first team.

We keep the winning money rolling in.

We stay top of the table thanks to our good goal difference.

A tough return to League action as we host Manchester City.

Edited September 22 by Punch

Stuniverse · September 22

4 hours ago, Punch said:

A crazy game in which we took the early lead, but by half time, we had given up three goals.

We completely lost our attacking way in the second half, not being able to create any genuine chances, as we seemed to panic and rush our efforts.

While we had to rotate the squad, this was a massive contrast to the team that scored nine last time out.

Ouch!

1 hour ago, Punch said:

Complete domination as we shut the Thrylos out of the match.

Two goal in each half, including a brace for debutante Hassan, along with a clean sheet, not allowing the hosts to take any shots, let alone on target.

A great performance all around, as we collect another three points.

Nice recovery, @Punch

Punch · September 22

3 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Ouch!

Nice recovery, @Punch

We have become a bit Jekyll and Hyde in the last few weeks. We switch from a team that scores 9 or 11 goals in a match, or looking like a team that will, to then looking like a team that are more dangerous to a bloke in the second tier eating a pie, than we are to the back of the net. :lol:

Just struggling to find that consistency at the moment, although the constant need to change the team to manage fatigue is probably not helping.

Punch · September 22

DEC 2045 - Match Day 16 - Vs Manchester City

The score line I hate the most, and this one won't send anyone home with fond memories.

Nothing exciting from either team as the match bogged down in the midfield for the majority of the match.

Marshall nearly stole the points with a shot against the bar, but in the end, the match ambled to an unsatisfying end.

While it might seem good to take a point off one of the big clubs, this still feels like a missed chance.

We stay 3rd, but Southampton have jumped Spurs to be a surprise leader as we approach the mid point of the season.

We switch back to League Cup mode as we travel to West Ham for the Quarter Final.

Punch · September 23

DEC 2045 - League Cup Quarter Final - At West Ham United

Thrown together with West Ham again, and we have had some pretty epic battles over the recent years, but we couldn't get home in this one.

We have won the last four League Cups between us, so to face off so early in the competition was a bit of bad luck.

We had to play a fairly young team to rest players for the fixtures to come, and we went down in a close one.

Both teams had their chances, but it was a midfield slogfest, with just one goal deciding the fixture in favour of the hosts.

Our title defence comes to an end, and while disappointed, I am also slightly relieved to not have to fit a two legged semi final into our schedule again.

We return our focus to League action as we travel to 16th place Fulham.

Punch · September 23

DEC 2045 - Match Day 17 - At Fulham

We went to Craven Cottage full of hope, with nearly our strongest team, ready to turn around our League scoring slump, but it didn't turn out that way.

Despite dominating the match, we found ourselves behind at the break, and to be honest, we were probably lucky not to be further behind.

We stuck at it, and were finally rewarded with a late goal to level the scores, but could not find a winner.

A really disappointing result against a team that we really should be beating.

The schedule is starting to throw up some funny things, so there are teams with match numbers all over the place now.

We have fallen to 5th place, although Liverpool player an extra mid week game, so we have a game in hand over them.

We return to the island, facing a tougher match up against 8th place Brentford.

Stuniverse · September 23

All I can say, @Punch, is: D'oh!

Spoiler Alert:

Spoiler

I wanted you to pop those bubbles the West Ham supporters were blowing.

And two draws either side of that cup-tie. A good one against Manchester City and less so against Fulham.

42 minutes ago, Punch said:

We return to the island, facing a tougher match up against 8th place Brentford.

Here's hoping for a win against Brentford.

Punch · September 24

21 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

I wanted you to pop those bubbles the West Ham supporters were blowing.

And two draws either side of that cup-tie. A good one against Manchester City and less so against Fulham

Another chapter in the growing list of epic battles we have been having with the Hammers.

Possibly both games we should have won though.

21 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Here's hoping for a win against Brentford.

They have been playing well, so it won't be a walk over.

Punch · September 24

DEC 2045 - Schedule Update

West Ham's win over us in the League Cup, has resulted in a schedule change at the beginning of January, meaning our League meeting has been moved forward to the end of December.

This means we will now face 10 games in December, including 3 games in 5 days to end the year.

Given our rusty start to the month, this could make or break our season, very early on.

Punch · September 24

DEC 2045 - 1,300 Games in charge

Our upcoming match against Brentford will see me notch up 1,300 games in charge of the Green Lions.

Hopefully this is not a bad sign, as we have a terrible record in my milestone matches, as from memory, we have only ever won one of them...and that was the last one at 1,200 matches.

Here's hoping that broke the curse :lol:

Punch · September 24

DEC 2045 - Match Day 18 - Vs Brentford

The score line looks like a comfortable win, but we were made to work hard for it.

Chambers early goal was cancelled out quickly, as we end up going to the break level, after a very tight first half.

Marshall put us back in the lead early in the second half, but we still didn't have it all our own way as the Bee's kept us honest.

It wasn't until fresh legs came off the bench, and O'Connor scored twice in the final 10 to make the score line a bit flattering.

A great win, in a milestone match, making it two wins in a row in milestone matches, after not having won any of them previously.

The boys certainly made an impression on the opposition, and the Referee, as he was very trigger happy handing out the cards.

Just a few teams in action but with Liverpool beaten, we jump them into 4th place.

A very tight table though with just one win separating 1st from 6th.

Another match we should be looking for maximum points as we face 14th place Aston Villa.

Stuniverse · September 24

32 minutes ago, Punch said:

Our upcoming match against Brentford will see me notch up 1,300 games in charge of the Green Lions.

:applause: Congratulations @Punch. What an incredible achievement.

Hope your 1,300th game goes well.

Stuniverse · September 24

4 minutes ago, Punch said:

The boys certainly made an impression on the opposition, and the Referee, as he was very trigger happy handing out the cards.

:herman: :lol:

Punch · September 24

48 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Congratulations @Punch. What an incredible achievement.

Hope your 1,300th game goes well.

Thanks @Stuniverse, we achieved a win in my milestone match for only the second time :lol:

47 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

We made an impression :lol:

Punch · September 24

DEC 2045 - Match Day 19 - Vs Aston Villa

A rotated squad given our short turn around, but a dominant performance as we run riot over Villa.

An early goal from O'Connor settled any nerves and allowed us to control the game.

Youngster Wynne doubled our lead before the break, and it was all one way traffic in the second half.

We finished with four, it could have been six as we put two against the bar, but a big win, and a clean sheet, make for a good day out.

We all leap frog Southampton who were held to a draw, but they still have a game in hand.

Still a crazy close table, although the top 7 have now put a gap to the rest of the field.

We stay at home and host the high flying Southampton in a massive match.

Punch · September 25

DEC 2045 - Match Day 20 - Vs Southampton

An epic battle at the Green Lions Den, and while we didn't get the points, we really pushed the high flying Saints all the way.

After a tight first half, the visitors hit the lead first, just before the break, but we caught them napping, Sam Marshall smashed home his 20th League goal, to send us in all square.

The Saints score the winner just after the hour, and to be honest, they hit the timber twice, so probably could have been further ahead.

While it goes down as a loss, it was a great game, and we pushed a top team all the way.

We drop to 5th place, but the table is still incredibly packed, as Chelsea are the next in line, jumping to the top of the tree.

Just one days rest and we head to Bournemouth to take on the 13th place Cherries.

Punch · September 25

DEC 2045 - Match Day 21 - At AFC Bournemouth

Fatigue is becoming a real issue now, as I had to rotate basically the entire squad that went down to Southampton, as they just couldn't back up after one days rest.

Even still, we gave a very flat and tired performance, that will have inspired very little in the way of highlights.

A goal for the hosts in the first half, was cancelled out by Kennedy's stinging drive in the second half.

They came close to stealing all the points at the end, but with our keeper beaten, the shot crashed into the post.

We lose another place to 6th, and now find ourselves 7 points from the top, the furthest we have been all season.

The job doesn't get any easier as we have only 2 days before we face our old nemesis, West Ham, in what will be our 10th match of the month, our third in 5 days.

Stuniverse · September 25

2 hours ago, Punch said:

Fatigue is becoming a real issue now, as I had to rotate basically the entire squad that went down to Southampton, as they just couldn't back up after one days rest.

2 hours ago, Punch said:

The job doesn't get any easier as we have only 2 days before we face our old nemesis, West Ham, in what will be our 10th match of the month, our third in 5 days.

Who schedules these games @Punch? The Premier League or the FA? I think you should complain at the next meeting all clubs can attend...

Stuniverse · September 25

Posted on the wrong thread - deleted text. Sorry.

Edited September 25 by Stuniverse

Stuniverse · September 25

Posted on the wrong thread - deleted text. Sorry.

Edited September 25 by Stuniverse

Number seven · September 25

1 hour ago, Stuniverse said:

Monday 7th June 2036

Two Viking Players Sign New Contracts

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Wrong thread?

Stuniverse · September 25

Posted on the wrong thread - deleted text. Sorry.

Edited September 25 by Stuniverse

Stuniverse · September 25

3 minutes ago, Number seven said:

Wrong thread?

D'oh! Sorry. Fixing it now.

:seagull:

Punch · September 26

17 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

D'oh! Sorry. Fixing it now.

Hahahaha that's funny...all good

Punch · September 26

19 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

Who schedules these games @Punch? The Premier League or the FA? I think you should complain at the next meeting all clubs can attend...

I would say the Premier League is responsible for that change, due to the FA dates for the League Cup.

We were supposed to meet West Ham in the League in early January, but when they knocked us out of the League Cup, one of their Semi Final legs was scheduled on the same day as our League meeting, so the League meeting was brought forward to the end of December, which just made our schedule even more jam packed.

Even in my previous save with Isle of Man, December and January always seem to be jam packed schedules.

Punch · September 26

DEC 2045 - Match Day 22 - Vs West Ham United

Another Green Lions - Hammers epic battle, and we couldn't be separated in the end.

It was all the visitors in the first half, and while we had managed to hold them out, two quick goals before the break, left us with it all to do in the second half.

After a half time rocket, the boys came out firing in the second half, and we mounted a massive come back, completed late in the piece.

The points are shared as we continue the recent rivalry between these two clubs.

We stay in 6th, but we now find ourselves 9 points behind leaders Chelsea.

Our FA Cup campaign kicks off as we head to Swansea for the 3rd Round.

Punch · Thursday at 23:09

DEC 2045

A crazy month where we faced 10 matches, 8 in the League for two wins, four draws, and two losses, while we exited the League Cup, and kept our perfect record in Europa.

Stats

Goalkeepers

We are taking a risk now with only one senior keeper at the club.

Mario was complaining about lack of playing time, and he simply isn't as good as Redmond, so I sent him out on loan.

Defenders

Plenty of rotation among the defensive unit, but there are some pretty solid numbers being put up.

Midfielders

A lot to like about our midfield numbers as well, Frankie Nix is just bossing around.

Forwards

We certainly aren't missing the contributions of Finnegan, as Marshall just continues to go from strength to strength up front, already with 20 League goals this season.

Plenty of support sharing the load as well, which is pleasing to see.

End of Year awards