lukegraham1991

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 40 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS NORWICH CITY We took the win comfortably here, however, it came at a cost, with Angelo picking up a really early injury, and now being ruled out for 3 weeks with a pulled calf. That's two of our three starting front 3 out now in what will be a telling time of the season. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Pedro Neto: 8.4.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 39 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS MANCHESTER CITY We took on Man City at the Etihad next. Through Pedro Neto we managed to take an early lead on the 9th minute. Things were looking likely to go our way with two goals being chalked off for offside but late on, Dembele managed to sneak by our back line and slot an equaliser home. We pushed for a winner late on with Man City doing the same but neither team could take all 3 points. Notable poor performances: Anel Ahmedhodzic: 6.3, Vitaliy Mykolenko: 6.4, Ryan Gravenberch: 6.4 & Rafael Santos Borre: 6.4. Standout performances: Nathan Patterson: 7.3.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 38 - FA CUP - AWAY VS BRENTFORD Fourth round FA Cup tie against Brentford and we took the game to them in the first half, 2-0 up and cruising. Only to let Toney in behind the back four to give us a scare - he then went on to get an equaliser only for it to be chalked off for offside. Into then next!! Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Angelo: 8.6.

2025/26 SEASON - JANUARY RESULTS & LEAGUE TABLE SO FAR... After 6 games in January, we won 2, drew 2 and lost 2. Not what we would have wanted but considering we've had 14 games in 2 months in January and December - 7 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses isn't too bad considering the amount of game time we've had to work around. We have a less congested fixture list in February now but we do however, take on Brentford who we just beat in their own back yard - so they will be looking to perform a lot better in this one. We then take on Man City away from home who have already beaten us this season - they are currently 4th in the league so need to make up some ground in the title race - and they have the squad to do it. We then welcome Norwich to our place - who we drew to in our first Premier League game of the season, so I would want to see a better performance there, especially at home. We then take on Manchester United at home as well to finish up the month, last time we played them it was a 4-1 dominating victory for us so again, another team who will probably want a bit of revenge against the Toffees. It's up to me to plan around these tests & hopefully come through this month with 4 positive results hopefully.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 37 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS BRENTFORD A nice victory with Ward-Prowse & Neto stepping up to score the much needed goals. A clean sheet after 7 games in the Premier League without one. We take on Brentford again next week in the FA Cup to start off the month of February. Notable poor performances: Romeo Lavia: 6.4 & Angelo: 6.5. Standout performances: James Ward-Prowse: 8.4.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 36 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS LEEDS UNITED Another tough game for us and one where we can't find the back of the net. To be fair to Santos Borre & Vitor Roque - they haven't played anywhere near enough for me to think they can just slot in and start scoring similar to the likes of Calvert-Lewin - but I've got to admit, that injury to DCL is very frustrating! Notable poor performances: Vitaliy Mykolenko: 6.4, Angelo: 6.4, Jordan Pickford: 6.5, Romeo Lavia: 6.5, Rafael Santos Borre: 6.5 & Dwight McNeil: 6.5. Standout performances: Ryan Gravenberch: 7.3 & Nathan Patterson: 7.0.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 35 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS WEST HAM UNITED A draw here - giving away a silly penalty with Lavia wiping out a West Ham player to gift them an equaliser from the spot. We're really struggling with our centre forward position and Vitor Roque doesn't look like the man right now - maybe he needs a move away next season to get the game time to improve? I will be starting Rafael Santos Borre in our next game to get someone who is at least going to work their socks off for the team & give us a bit of grit up top. Notable poor performances: Vitor Roque: 6.4, Amadou Onana: 6.5 & Angelo: 6.5. Standout performances: Pedro Neto: 7.3 & Vitaliy Mykolenko: 7.3.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 34 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS MANCHESTER CITY With being one nil down I pushed us to go all out attacking to try and salvage something from the game. By doing that, you run the risk of exposing yourself at the back and that's exactly what happened when Ferguson made it 2-0. We managed to get a consolation goal but it was too little too late. Notable poor performances: Pedro Neto: 6.2, Josip Sutalo: 6.3 & Jarrad Branthwaite: 6.3. Standout performances: Dwight McNeil: 7.9 & Rafael Santos Borre: 7.2.

INJURY NEWS - DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN An absolute hammer blow to our top scorer since we've been at the club. 3 months out - possibly more with getting back to full fitness but with 23 goals in 23(1) appearances so far, 1 assist & a 7.60 average rating, this is a tough one to take. We do have some backup which could potentially step up and begin improving due to being young themselves but to do that in such a short space of time might be too much to ask.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 33 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR An early goal against us here and I thought we would be in for a bad day at the office, but a quick fire double in the 21st and 25th minute gave us the lead and we kept hold of that going into half time. Unfortunately, to keep a grip onto that narrow lead for the last 45 minutes was too much to ask with Son burying a free-kick from the edge of the area on the 91st minute winner to mean that we shared the spoils on this occasion. Big test up next in the form of Man City as we finally play our game in hand before our FA Cup tie next Saturday. Notable poor performances: Matias Zaracho: 6.5. Standout performances: Angelo: 7.5, James Ward-Prowse: 7.4 & Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 7.4.

A little frustrating really when you look at where I could have been if I'd have won it but ah well!

2025/26 SEASON - DECEMBER RESULTS & LEAGUE TABLE SO FAR... We had a successful end to the year, all things considered, as I said previously, while it's nice to keep a run of positive results going, they WILL eventually end. We did however immediately respond with a nice victory over Chelsea & now we must move on and continue to build upon that against our next two difficult tests. Currently in 6th with a game in hand, if we can get 3 points from said game in hand we could move right up into 4th place which could be huge - especially seeing as I'm sure our game in hand is against Man City! We have the transfer window opening for next time we sign on to play as well so I will be keeping an eye on some bargains or potential difference makers we might be able to bring into the squad & hope to kick on for another european place come the end of the season!

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 32 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS CHELSEA We looked to bounce back from our loss against Brentford in our last game, but a game against Chelsea wouldn't be easy. Dominic Calvert-Lewin put us in front after 9 minutes with his 20th goal of the season. DCL went on to double our lead on the 11th minute shortly after with his 21st of the campaign! As if by magic, on the 43rd minute, DCL netted his hat-trick, what a response to last weeks disappointing result! After the break we kept things tight, until a poor defensive effort watched the ball drop to Raspadori to tuck home from inside the 6 yard box. We learnt from that though and made sure it was the last mistake we made in the game, to keep hold of the 3-1 score line and take home the vital 3 points to close out 2025. Notable poor performances: Abakar Sylla: 6.4. Standout performances: Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 9.6.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 31 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS BRENTFORD Going from hammering Manchester United one game away from home to losing 1-0 to Brentford the next away from home is a tough one to take. However, I could see this coming, all good runs of form will end at some point, but it is disappointing for this to come at a time when we have three very challenging games up next with Chelsea (H), Tottenham (A) & then Man City (H). Notable poor performances: Romeo Lavia: 6.4, Abakar Sylla: 6.5 & Amadou Onana: 6.5. Standout performances: Jordan Pickford: 7.2.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 30 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS MANCHESTER UNITED So chuffed to get a 4-1 win at Old Trafford but I was that pleased with our performance that I got a bit annoyed that we allowed them to score a late consolation goal haha! Pedro Neto absolutely bossing this one as we now extent our lead to 12 games unbeaten in all competitions. 2 games left now in December before the January transfer window opens and we have yet another hectic fixture schedule with some difficult tests in the first month of 2026. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Pedro Neto: 9.3 & Romeo Lavia: 9.1.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 29 - EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE - AWAY VS FC UTRECHT 11 games unbeaten, vital minutes for some of the players that haven't been seeing as much in the Premier League at the moment. Unfortunately, the likes of Godfrey & Santos Borre aren't able to be registered in this competition at the moment but I may need to think about adjusting things slightly when we move into the latter stages. Another clean sheet for us here which keeps Butland with impressive stats over the course of the season and his appearances so far. Disappointed not to get the win but not the end of the world given we have already reached the goal of qualifying for the next round. Notable poor performances: Abakar Sylla: 6.4. Standout performances: Fred: 7.5, Josip Sutalo: 7.4 & Ryan Gravenberch: 7.3.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 28 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS BRIGHTON This win means we are now unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions. 8 wins and just the two draws in that period so far, great form to lead us into some tougher upcoming games during the month vs Manchester United & Chelsea. Another clean sheet tallies Pickford to 10 clean sheets in 20 games and Butland also has 6 clean sheets in 8 games. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 8.5, Nathan Patterson: 8.3 & Romeo Lavia: 8.0.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 27 - EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE - HOME VS ODD I rang in the changes after the last disappointing results and being in an already strong position in the Europe Conference League. We managed to get a 5th win from 5 games in this competition, securing another clean sheet - meaning we've now played 5, scored 14 and conceded 0 so far in the competition, moving 2 points clear at the top of the tree so far for the competition. Notable poor performances: Kaio Jorge: 6.4 & Lucien Agoume: 6.5. Standout performances: Vitor Roque: 8.0.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 26 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS Disappointing result, some tired legs as anticipated and we defended poorly in this one. Could have been worse but we end up coming away with a point away from home! Next up, I will be ringing in the changes as we take on Odd in the Europa Conference League. Notable poor performances: Abakar Sylla: 6.3, Josip Sutalo: 6.4, Vitalie Becker: 6.4 & James Ward-Prowse: 6.4. Standout performances: Pedro Neto: 7.5 & Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 7.4.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 25 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS LEICESTER CITY Our first game in December came against mid table Leicester City & boy did we turn up in this one. Winning every first and second ball, dominating possession & finishing our chances! 6-0, with 4 different goalscorers, and another clean sheet! This puts us up into 7th place, still with a game in hand and if we can manage a win with that, we COULD go up to 4th as things stand, huge improvements recently with our form. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Pedro Neto: 9.2 & Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 8.9.

2025/26 SEASON - NOVEMBER RESULTS & LEAGUE TABLE SO FAR... WHAT A MONTH! 5 wins and 1 draw out of 6 games in all competitions, with our last 5 games unbeaten! We managed to smash out 14 goals in 6 games, only conceding 3! This return to form has moved us back into european contention via league finish and if we get something from our game in hand then we move comfortably into the european places. However, 8 games in a hectic December fixture schedule is not to be taken lightly, as I've said before, I have the luxury to rest some lads in europe so I can give the likes of Butland/Sylla/Fred/Zaracho/Gray/Agoume more game time in those two fixtures but for the majority of the month I will need to be very tactical in how I rotate the team.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 24 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS ARSENAL Home vs Arsenal, and what a performance! No real stand out individuals but a great collective team performance! We went 2-0 up on the 69th minute and I thought it was done and dusted but it wouldn't be FM without scaring you a little, so Arsenal were gifted a penalty not long after our second goal for Jorginho to slot home & then we started to waste time and go more defensive, introducing fresh legs late on to liven the team up and cling onto all 3 points! This win now means that we've won 5 on the bounce & haven't lost in 6 games! Notable poor performances: Jarrad Branthwaite: 6.4. Standout performances: Angelo: 7.5 & Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 7.5.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 23 - EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE - AWAY VS JAGIELLONIA Next up we were back in europe to take on Polish side Jagiellonia away from home. We rang in the changes as I felt like some players could do with getting extra minutes under belts and others could benefit from a rest with Arsenal up next in the Premier League. Another solid performance all around and another win & clean sheet wrapped into one. We now take top spot in the Europa Conference League Table & secure our place in the playoffs for when the time comes. We do have 2 games left but I will opt to give some players game time in this competition over those who play a lot in the Premier League and hopefully keep the whole squad fit and firing. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Amadou Onana: 7.7, Ryan Gravenberch: 7.7 & Nathan Patterson: 7.6.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 22 - PREMIER LEAGUE - AWAY VS BURNLEY This win makes it 3 on the bounce in all competitions now and unbeaten in 4. Nice team performance in this one, they didn't test us too much and to win with a clean sheet is always something we aim for. Notable poor performances: N/A Standout performances: Jarrad Branthwaite: 8.4.

2025/26 SEASON - GAME DAY 21 - PREMIER LEAGUE - HOME VS CRYSTAL PALACE We left this one late but a wins a win and this is a step in the right direction for us at the moment. We've been struggling so to get a sub coming in to win us the game late on is always positive and to be honest, if people can't do the business then some positions will be up for grabs! Notable poor performances: Ryan Gravenberch: 6.5. Standout performances: Vitor Roque: 7.7 & Matias Zaracho: 7.8.