WWSM2008: Long live The Hatters and their FrogManager!
sigh...
Yeah, I said I would probably not do it, but here I am again. Many signs point to me "having" to start a new dynasty. The current lack of FM/WWSM dynasties is one. The fact that I know some of my good FOFC friends will come and read me is another. Bah, who am I kidding, it'll be the same four or five but still, it's better than trying to tell my stories to my wife who, to be brutally honest, couldn't care less about those "little billiard balls moving around to the sound of fake crowd noises"... ;) And finally seeing how sad their real life is going (see this post of mine in the 2007-08 soccer thread) and how well my 2008-09 season is going with them, I have decided to start reporting about the team again. I will start with my usual disclaimer. I don't know how often I'll update this thing, or how much in depth I'll go, but hopefully it'll be enough to make it worth reading... That's about it for a teaser for now, back later with a bit more general information about the club, like a general recap of the 2007-08 season, the offseason signings, how the 08-09 season is going and such... Stay tuned! FM |
Let me be the first to say:
Hip Hip Hooray! |
Awesome! I'll be following along. :)
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Yes! :)
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thanks guys! :) woohoo, three readers already :)
Here's a start for you... 2007-08 recap Our 2007-08 season was an up and down kind of season. We would win one game 3-0, then lose one 0-4, that sort of things. At one point, we were sitting in 18th place or so, only 4 points out of the drop zone. It got scary, even a few players started stating they thought we were underachieving. I hate those statements... We pulled together toward to end and were able to finish about midtable, in 12th place or so. Seeing how the team had just relegated from the Championship, I was a bit disappointed with that result to be honest, and so was the team board, who wanted us to achieve a respectable position in the standings. No real clue why we faltered so much other than maybe I tried too many players in too many different places trying to learn about my players. Sure I did some transfers but not as many as I used to, especially because I didn't want to suffer a big hit in cohesion... The board's long term expectations are again to achieve a respectable league position after two years and they made sure to let it known that I should focus on getting that done this year. We hooked up with Arsenal as our parent club early in the season, but I never really was able to benefit from the affiliation. All the players I saw whom I thought could help us as loanees rejected us even though Arsenal had agreed to send them to us. We did sign ST/AM R Jay Simpson on a season long loan but I was so unimpressed with his skill set early on (other than his awesome pace) that I put him on my reserve squad and forgot about him until I found the team in 17th place or so and decided to shake things up by bringing him up. In his 7 appearances he ended up scoring 6 times and impressed me so much I decided to offer Arsenal $900k for his rights and even decided to offer him a $10k/week contract. He is now a Hatter but all of a sudden is not as hot. More on that later... I did bring one other Gunner on loan, a keeper whose name escapes me but he never even saw the field for us. We started the season with 22 yo Dean Brill as our slated started in goal and that spot was pointed to me by my assistant as being our weakest spot, despite a club with great depth and good skills for a League One club. Seeing that, I was able to secure a transfer in for Crystal Palace's backup keeper Julian Speroni. That turned out to be a good move as he is still our keeper and he gave us some good games despite a bit of a slump last year. One other move I did early on was to bring in oldie centreback José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan on a trial first, then signing him to a contract. we were hurting at the middle of our defense and Pierre-Fanfan really helped us, despite getting up there in age. We made it to the 3rd round in the FA Cup while the expectations were for 2nd round, so good there, but we only made it to the quarter final of the South in the Johnstone, one round before the expected quarter final overall. As for the Carling Cup, we made to the expected 2nd round but no later Financially, we did much, much better than the real life Hatter, maintaining at least $6M in the bank balance at all time, which made the board extremely happy. The wage budget on the other hand was a bit of my downfall, as it always is. I ran a club total wage at about $8 to 10k over the budget and that was pointed out to me. Pffft I said... :) That's mostly from memory as I type this during my break. I'll post more about 2008-09 later on, tonight or tomorrow, after I'll be able to access my files... FM |
outstanding.
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I'll be reading!
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niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
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Glad to see the FrogMan back at it
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I'll be following as well.
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I'll be following, for sure.
Tell |
welcome aboard guys! :)
FM |
2008-09 so far...
I'll start by presenting our usual formation. Yeah, those of you who've read my dynasties of the past know I have a fond attraction to the 4-1-2-1-2 and yeah, I am still running that kind of formation now :) And now on to players... Keepers As I said before, our main keeper is the 29yo Argentinian Julian Speroni whom I brought in on a $240k transfer from Crystal Palace in July 2007. He stepped right in and has not let me down. Sure had some slumps but the whole team's morale dropped last season so I'm sure he wasn't the only one to blame. Behind him is the untested 28yo Finn Mikko Vilmunen. I say untested because he was just brought in this season after I'd let go of young Dean Brill and needed a backup. He's yet to take part in a competitive match this season although he's averaging 7.29 in form in the reserves matches he's played. There's not much behind these two, one player/coach and another youngster. Next up, defenders... FM |
Just so's ya know.
Notts County vs Luton: 3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, 7 for, 4 against. :D |
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that's cause I'm not the manager in YOUR universe :p FM |
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Excuses excuses. |
Centrebacks
Even with the arrival of José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan last season, I always felt we were kind of weak in the middle of our defense. The next two, skipper Chris Coyne and oldie Chris Perry always seemed like they were one mistake away of costing our team a goal (in Coyne's case) or could be outrun at any time (in Perry's case) so I decided to go after a center defender early on in the offseason. I'm usually a cheapskate when it comes to transfer but I decided to pay the $675k request to bring in Willie Kinniburgh from Scunthorpe and he's been a real fixture in the middle of our defense, after a few weeks of adaptation. I especially liked his defensive skills, combined with his pace. Another transfer, Ibrahim Tall, can also play in the middle, as well as usual defensive midfielder Daniel Fox and Arsenal loanee Håvard Nordtveit. Fullbacks Our fullback position has undergone quite a bit of change in the last offseason. I started receiving offers for two borderline starters, Keith Keane and Alan Goodall, offers that I felt were too good to pass up on, so I let them go while retaining previous do-it-all fullback Richard Jackson. Jackson can play just as well on the left or the right side, although is a natural right sider. Letting go of these two was made possible in a way by the signing of Ibrahim Tall from Hearts. That signing came on as a free signing but with a move happening only in July. Still, that has been one of my best steal so far, as Tall has been very, very well on the right side, and he can play about as well in the middle, although I've been content to let Kinniburgh and Pierre-Fanfan play there for now. Just to have some cover, I ended up signing two more left fullbacks as free transfers in Carl Dickinson from Transmere and Danny Granville from Colchester. I especially like Dickinson and have given him some playing time and he's done well when asked to play. Granville is getting antsy at the lack of playing time. He may be only passing through... So from last season to now, we have two returning starters and two newcomers. They have blended very well together though... Kinniburgh might have had the most problems of the two to get used to play at Kenilworth road, but it only lasted the time of the friendlies... Next up, midfielders, but maybe not tonight... FM |
w00t when FM sent me this link, I had hoped it would be another dynasty. Glad to see I wasn't disappointed. :)
/tk |
Nice, I'll be reading too. :)
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welcome aboard tk and MalcPow :)
FM |
Defensive Midfielders
Russell Duncan was brought in in August of 2007 to act as our main DM dude and I'd say he had a very decent season for us last year. He tore a calf muscle very early on this season and we've had to make due without him for quite a while now. Daniel Fox was brought in as a surprise part exchange when Walsall showed interest in our young keeper Dean Brill. I had no scouting on him and didn't even know all of his skills, yet, what I saw, I liked. I agreed to the deal and he's been getting spot duty as a DM with Duncan's injury. Havard Nordtveit is on a season long loan with us from parent club Arsenal and so far, even though the fans don't seem to think so, he's been pretty helpful as a defensive midfielder. He has a bit of a tendency to go hard on tackles, or being undisciplined, but he's usually solid in there... I've also gone with a third centreback with an up arrow as a replacement for the defensive midfielder in case of sever terpkristinitis... ;) Attacking Midfielders Matthew Spring is a pure MC guy, but he could play both DM or AMC with a bit more aptitude for the offensive side so that's where I use him more. There have been a few games where I have played him back a bit, in the MC hole with an up arrow, or sometimes at the end of games when I want to save a lead, I might pull him back and play him as a second DM. Matthew is one of the rare original Hatter still left on the squad... Eric Skora was brought in as a very cheap project from Kilmarnock of the Scottish Premier League. I only had to pay $28k for him last January 1st. I saw the guy as someone who could fill in in case of injury and he didn't do too good in spot duty last season. Again used in spot duty this year, he is doing much better. David Fernandez was also brought in from Kilmarnock last august, this time for a much bigger fee of $250k. He did awesomely for us at first as a striker and/or attacking midfielder winning the hearts of the fans with some great goals, but he then slumped. Slumped so much, the fan went from thinking he was an absolutely exquisite signing to saying they thought I should rethink his position in the first team squad. Just like Duncan, he suffered a big injury (even if only described as a sprained ankle but he's been out for over a month now) and we've made due without him. Don't know if the 32 year old will ever find a regular spot in the starting rotation... Used mostly as backup in that spot, Stephen O'Leary can also play the AMC role. He's more of a winger in mentality, but lack the stamina to play the position. More on that in a moment. Finally, youngster David Edwards is currently on a season long loan at Cambridge United but could be recalled if we'd ever need cover for the AMC position. Wingers Winger is quite probably the position that has undergone the most change from last season to now. Gone are the two previous starters, for two different reasons. David Bell started attracting attention of higher clubs in the January transfer window and had turned down many offers until Burnley came with an initial bid of $1.1M that they accepted to bonify with a $400k over 24 months and some sell on percentage clause (iirc, going from memory here). He had started hinting that he wanted to move on and was showing signs of unhappiness so when the offer got that good, and he said he wanted to have the chance to talk with Burnley on a contract, I couldn't pass up on it. That did create a hole in the squad though because Bell played as much on the right (his natural side) as on the left side last year, maybe even a bit more on the left than the right actually. His departure did upset a few players and the fans and I had to make some promise to then captain Chris Coyne that I had plans to bring in new players to replace him. Within just a few days, a player one of my scouts had found earlier in a trip to Scotland turned up as returning to his parent club of FBK Kaunas after a season loan at Hearts. Even better, his contract was expiring and I was able to bring 24yo Saulius Mikoliunas. I liked his skill set as a winger, especially the good combination of pace/stamina/acceleration. He's been pure gold for us from the get go. Even with his arrival, we were left without a really good left winger. When David Bell wasn't starting there last year, we'd used either Darren Currie, or Paul Underwood but, I mean, come on, neither are getting any younger and even I would probably have better pace than them. I had to bring in someone. Dutchman smurf (I mean, 5'7" and 149lbs, come on :)) Etienne Esajas, then at Sheffield Wednesday, stood out among the players already scouted and recommend by my scouts. I really liked his skill set, but darn it they wouldn't let him go. I ended up paying my biggest fee yet, at $1.4M, but he turned out to be a great acquisition for us. He is a real playmaker and many times I've seen him create goal by running to the byline before unleashing a pinpoint cross into the box. Surprisingly enough, with two new starters, one would have expected some loss of cohesion, but these guys have blended in quite well, even complementing and interacting very well with their respective fullbacks. Behind them we find the usual suspects and some more. Stephen O'Leary is one of the few original Hatter. Poor kid is average in about everything and really good at nothing. He lacks the pace to be a real threat on the outside but is very reliable coming off the bench. Jonathan Hayes is the current backup of choice on the left side. On a season long loan from Leicester, the 21yo has done very well when called upon, even getting a few starts in relief of Esajas. As a plus, he can play on either side of the field. I might look into making him a Hatter for good once his loan is over. Jay Simpson plays much better as a striker, lacking the stamina to be effective as a winger, but he's been all right coming off the bench as a right winger. Vincent van den Berg is another season long loanee from parent club Arsenal who's been somewhat helpful in providing coverage on the wing. He also can play as a striker and I often like going into a game with both him and Simpson on the bench, giving me some options if I need more attack up front or on the right side. After that, Daniel Fox and Carl Dickinson are just ahead of Darren Currie and Paul underwood on the left winger depth chart. Next up a bit later, the strikers... FM |
Good to see you back with another story!
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Ditto. Hopefully this can help spark me into getting a new career started at some point. I'm somewhat waiting for the next (more than likely) final patch though as the confidence thing has scared me off for now. |
Reading along... I also use that same formation with both midfielders with arrows out and the lb and rb with arrows up as a starting base formation.
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Reading along... I also use that same formation with both midfielders with arrows out and the lb and rb with arrows up as a starting base formation.
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Strikers
I want to let it be known that Dean Morgan is a frigging goal scoring machine. The guy scored 20 goals in 44 league appearances for us last season and has already scored 15 in only 19 league appearances this season. Add to that 6 Man of the Match selections so far this season and he is on pace for a career year. His contract was due to be up in June 2009 and I had been trying to sign him to an extention but just didn't want to commit until a couple weeks ago. Hi weekly wages went from $3300 a week to $16500 a week but I felt it was well worth it. The guy is a poacher. Some games he will look like he's having a bad game, then boom, scores two in three minutes by simply being at the right place at the right time, turning the game around. Our other striker was on his way to being an afterthought last year but has resurfaced in a pretty big way. Sam Parkin is less than impressive on paper, but he's been playing like a champ this season, sometimes feeding Morgan, but sometimes simply going on some great forward runs that he seems to create out of nowhere on nice through passes from guys in the back. So far so good, but I might be looking to replace him next season. ASs I said before, David Fernandez was a very solid for us as a striker/AMC last season, but he slumped down the stretch and I fear his most recent injury will have taken some of his skills down too much for him to realy be a factor. Jay Simpson was pure gold for us as a loanee last season, scoring 6 goals in 7 appearance toward the end of the season. His start of the season, after becoming a Hatter for good, has been much more laborious this year. While the guy doesn't show great finishing skills, his acceleration and pace make him a potent threat to tear away from any defender and find himself in a one-on-one situation. He was finding the back of the net on all those one-on-ones last year and just couldn't when we started the season this year although he's scored a few lately that give me hope of him finding back his scoring touch... I've used Vincent van den Berg as a backup striker off the bench a lot this season. He has not proved to be a game changer, but has not made too many mistake either. Drew Talbot is a kid I like very much. An amazingly hard worker, he does seem to be a bit prone to injury. He figures to be the next best bet to play up front. Talbot is another of the few original Hatters, just like Calvin Andrew who comes right behind him on the depth chart. Andrew is a bit of everything without much pace or acceleration. Tall and a good jumper, he could probably be used to head it in. 18yo Billy McKay was brought in from Leicester as a free transfer in the offseason. A young project type striker with good basic skills who might never be more than a backup, he's currently on a season long loan at Cambridge United. That about covers the available squad. Here's complete listing of our players on either the senior or the reserve squad:
We have nobody worth mentionning on our U18 squad. Seriously, it's kinda sad. Maybe someday, one can hope... Here's a listing of the players who have been sent packing since the start of the season:
The first five were all youngsters going nowhere. Langley was injured for something like 9 months when I took over and never played for me. Keane and Goodall have been mentionned in the roundups. Brkovic, Hutchison and Peschisolido were all old dudes with little future with us, although Brkovic did see some significant playing time as a right winger last season. You can see four going out to Cambridge on loan and that brings me to our newest link. Earlier this season, I asked my board to find us a feeder club and when they came back with cambridge United, I just knew I had to pick them, just cause you know, Marc Vaughan plays with them. :) They are struggling badly, currently in 22nd in the Blue Squard Premier. All four of my kids have seen some regular playing time but they are all sort of struggling. Here's a list of the players I've brought in this season:
Of these, I think only Pedro and Gilles Sunu have not yet been mentionned and for a good reason, they both came on for three months loans and have since gone back to Arsenal. Sunu never saw the field in a competitive game for us although Pedro played some as a left winger and did well. Well enough that I tried to renew his loan. Arsenal had agreed to it, Pedro had agreed to it, but he was denied his work permit. I found it odd and appealed the decision but they still denied it. Of all these signings, the fans are the happiest with Tall, Kinniburgh, Mikoliunas and Esajas, basically the four who are regular starters. They are mildly happy with the loan signing of Jonathan Hayes. They are disappointed with the signings of Simpson, Dickinson, Nordtveit, and van den Berg and I sort of disagree with them on three of the four. Yeah, Simpson has not played as well as did when he was a loanee, I give them that, but of the other three, two are loanees playing okay in spot duty and the other, Dickinson, has played well enough in the games I've asked him to play. Maybe they thought the 21yo would have played a bigger role that the one I had in mind for him... FM |
welcome aboard to the three new readers btw :)
FM |
On to 2008-2009...
The expectations for this season are the same as they were last season, namely: - respectable league position within the League One - 3rd round of the FA Cup - 2nd round of the Carling Cup - Quarter Final of the Jonhstone's Paint Trophy The season started very, very rough in the friendlies. We started with a 0-10 loss against Deportivo, a team we had held to a 1-1 draw in a friendly only a season ago. Yeah, you read right, 0-10. :eek: That game was ridiculous. I think they took something like 47 shots, hitting the target some 20 times or more. That was crazy. For some time, the fans were upset about the loss, but it didn't remain, thankfully. We then went to lose three more before finally winning two of the last three. That didn't look too good for the regular season and had me worried. We started kind of slow but have picked up speed since then and we currently hold an amazing 2nd place after 19 matches. Here's the league table as it stands on November 8, 2008:
As you can see, Q.P.R. were relegated from the Championship after the 2007-08 season. We played them to a 0-0 draw in our only game against them this season. We had some rough draws in the Carling Cup, but we did manage to do pretty well, surpassing our board's expectations: Round 1: win on penalties against Crystal Palace at home Round 2: 1-0 win against Preston North End on their pitch Round 3: 1-2 loss in extra time against Tottenham at home That loss was a crazy game. As I reported in the big WWSM/FM impressions thread... We start the game and dang, we are hanging in there. We even get a penaly in the 9th minute that we piss away by kicking it to the keeper. We take a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute on an amazing cross to the 6 yard box headed straight in by my new winger just signed in the offseason. They are pressuring us like crazy but we hang in there for the whole game. We even go down a man when that same winger gets injured and has to be taken off after I'd done all my three subs. In the 84th minute the pressure is too much and my keeper makes a rare mistake coming out of his goal. 1-1 after 90. It's the League Cup so it's extra time, 10 players and all, they end up scoring at the start of the second period of extra time. We lose it 1-2. Now about my fans, are they happy, despite the loss? Nope, they are VERY disappointed, the kind of disappointed I've never seen before. There's not even a tiny bit of yellow showing on their appreciation bar, NOTHING, ungrateful bastards. Sure, they outshot us something like 27-4 but damnit, we were leading, and gave up the two goals when playing with only 10 men, against a freaking premiership club, what else should we be doing to make you happy? They are still not over that loss, a month and a half later. Oh well... We are still alive in the Jonhstone's Paint Trophy after dominating our first two game: South round 1: 3-0 away win over Exeter South round 2: 4-0 away win over MK Dons. MK Dons are one of our natural rivals and that big win made the board and fans feel pretty good. :) Our last game was our first round FA Cup tie in which we played Blue Square Premier side Bognor Regis. The game was televised and we dominated them to a 3-0 win. This is where we stand right now. Phew, all done catching up. :) FM |
BTW, Marc plays with Cambridge CITY ;) (Although to make it up, I can tell you Cambridge United is MY favorite English team :)
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Dang, I knew I was mixing the two and I knew somebody else around here played with the other one. Oh well, there you go, let's say I picked them for you, but if they get relegated, I'm finding another one... :p FM |
you know, frogman.. one thing this reminds me of is
I hate Marc Vaughan!!!!! just kidding.. and i've been sucked back into my career game in fm2k5 since i found my disk. |
November 10, 2008
When I was telling that our U18 squad is not very good, I was not kidding. They just got destroyed 0-7 by the U18 squad of Scunthorpe. Even worse, apparently the keeper is the player that got the game ball for the team in that game. In a see of 2's and 3's for form ratings, he rated at 6 and I quote from my assistant's match report: "The Luton Under 18's goalkeeper looked assured in goal even though he had to pick the ball out of his own net on seven occasions." Good for you kid, sexy is back he said and his mommy said nobody should deny him the right to dream... :D The draw for the 2nd round of FA Cup happens. We will play League 2 Dag & Red at Kenilworth Road on November 29. David Fernandez is back in training following his injury. November 11, 2008 Game: Johnstone Paint's Trophy, South Quarter Final at Shrewsbury (L2) Starting 11: Parkin . Morgan
Spring Esajas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikoliunas Fox Dickinson . Kinniburgh . Nordtveit . Tall Vilmunen As you can see, I decided to sit two important parts of my starting 11 in that one, starting Havard Nordtveit in defense and Mikko Vilmunen in goal. This'll be Vilmunen's first appearance in a competitive match for us and he's lacking match fitness. As soo as the game starts, I smell a bad day coming. They are holding the ball way too much for my liking, around 60% in the first half and we can't seem to make anything happen. 0-0 at the half with 12(2) shots for us against 8(3) for them (note: my usual way of listing shots is total shots first then on target inside the paranthesis). We are simply taking too many shots from all angle without putting them on target. The second half is a bit better but they take a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute on a scorcher from a distance. Vilmunen had no way of stopping that one and has done quite well so far. I try to get more pressure but are not playing well as a team today... Final Score: Luton Town 0 - Shrewsbury 1 shots: 20(3) - 17(7) We ended the game on an overall 50-50 split in possession but the guys really didn't take that game seriously, with the result we have now. For a second consecutive season, we fall one round short of the board's expectation of a Quarter Final. South Quarter Final is like the eighth of final... One rare bad game for Tall with a rating of 6. As expected, the fans are disappointed with that result, but not that much. November 12, 2008 Paul Underwood is granted is request to be transfer listed. I won't always list all their wins but Cambridge United won 3-0 and David Edwards and Billy McKay each had a score in the win. Well done kids! FM |
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I'm sure the lady will start hating Mr Vaughan very soon too... ;) And, you really need to upgrade, especially from 2005 to 2008. Tons of little things that make the game that much more immersive, as if that was possible... FM |
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I've thought about upgrading from 2005 to 2008 except I can't afford to get sucked in that much due to my return to college this year. And the lady doesn't mind that much since i'm careful to not play tooo much.. :) |
dola,
is 0-4-1-2-1-2 the preferred formation now? That's what i've almost always run in my club matches with some 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 throw in... for my national team i run a 1-2-2-3-0-2 and it seems to work okay... got beat 1-0 by USA in the NA Gold cup Final but we were struggling with injuries and two suspensions. |
November 19, 2008
League Match: vs Southend (3rd) at Kenilworth Road (Luton 6-4 favorites) Starting 11 Parkin . Morgan
Skora Esajas . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikoliunas Fox Jackson . Kinniburgh . Pierre-Fanfan . Tall Speroni I was less than impressed by Matthew Spring's performance in our last match so Eric Skora gets the start, as well as our usual backs and keeper. A very important game for us, playing the team right below us and it looks like my "you can win" pregame speech worked wonder as we come out like lions. They can hardly get the ball out of their zone and we control the flow of the game early on. Skora proves is worth in the 33rd minute when he starts an attack with a great low pass to Sam Parkin who quickly relays it to Dean Morgan. Morgan's shot is only blocked by the keeper and Parkin is there to pick up the rebound in front of an empty net. 1-0! We double our lead ten minute later on a sweet move originating from the left wing. Esajas finds Mikoliunas near the 6 yard box and he easily buried the half volley behind the keeper. 2-0 after 43! Final Score: Luton Town 2 - Southend 0 Great game overall with Mikoliunas getting the MoM. He, as well as Parkin, Morgan, Esajas, Kinniburgh and Speroni all rated at 8 in form while the rest of the team rated at a reasonable 7. I end up telling the team I thought this win was sensational in my post-game speech. The fans are pleased with the win. Any other reaction would have been hard to explain... The win gives us a clear three point lead over Southend in 2nd place. FM |
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no clue if it's the general preferred formation but it's always been my preferred formation. I'm quite logical and rational and I find that it covers about all of the field and even while I have the team's instructions set to move the ball through the flanks, I've often seen my AMC and DMC exchange balls back and forth before moving it to one side or putting in a through ball for one of the strikers to get a clean look to the keeper... FM |
November 22, 2008
League match #21: away at Oldham (Luton 5-4 favorites)
Oldham have been disappointing this season, presently in 19th place. After playing them twice in the FA Cup last year, plus twice in league play, they are the only team we've played four times already. We've won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1 of those. Lineup is pretty standard, no shakeup there. I tell the players I think they can win this game. They take a 0-1 lead in the 26th minute on a goal that the players thought was offside but I see on the replay that it wasn't. We simply left too many uncovered in or around the 6 yard box. Bad news strikes in the 37th minute when Pierre-Fanfan has to leave the field injured. I bring in Daniel Fox to play the left back position, moving Richard Jackson to the right and Ibrahim Tall to centreback. Tall also gets the captain armband. It's 0-1 at the half and while we're not playing real bad, I still tell the fellas that I want to see more. Ibrahim Tall is a bit too generous in the 66th minute, deflecting a ball behind his own keeper for an own goal. Down 0-2. We take one back ten minutes later when Saulius Mikoliunas drifts in a corner to the penalty spot that Etienne Esajas is able to kick through the crowd to the back of the net. Sadly, that will be our last goal. Final Score: Luton 1, Oldham 2 Shots: 11(4) - 9(3) Possession: 53 - 47 All in all, not really a bad game. Sure, we let one go, but it was on the road and it's not like we got outclassed. Game ball goes to Etienne Esajas who scored our only goal and was the only Hatter to rate at 8 in form. The loss combines with a Southend win means we've lost the three points we'd gained on them last week and Sheff Wed now have a full 5 points on us with a game in hand.
The good news is that José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan only suffered a gashed arm and will only miss between 4 days and a week. November 24, 2008 Our left side is well represented in the League One team of the week as both Richard Jackson and Etienne Esajas got selected. FM |
November 29, 2008
FA Cup round 2: vs Dag & Red at Kenilworth Road (Luton 1-3 favorites)
We are heavy favorites and the fans anticipate an easy win. I don't like that... I tell the paper that I think they will pose just as much of a threat as any other team and my players seem to buy that. I like Nordtveit at DMC but his very low stamina sometimes means he has to be subbed out late in the game so Fox gets the start there. I also give the start to Jay Simpson up front. José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan is still a bit iffy so I give him the day off and play Ibrahim Tall in his place and Carl Dickinson on the left back spot. I also ask Eric SKora to support the attack a bit more, giving him an up arrow in between the two strikers in tactics. I tell the guys I not only think they can win, but that I expect them to... It's a good start to the game for us and we take the lead in the 8th minute when Etienne Esajas centers a Carl Dickinson throw in to Jay Simpson who uses his acceleration to lose his man and scores the 1-0 goal! That's the kind of move that Simpson used to pull toward the end of the season last year. We let up a bit and they tie it in the 20th minute. We are controlling the game at that point, but we are still acting a bit loose. 1.5 minute into an announce 1 minute of extra time to the first half, Jay Simpson finds himself the beneficiary of a weird play from a D&R defender. Carl Dickinson had centered a long ball that ended up making it to the keeper. One of their defender got to the short rebound before the keeper but knocked it to Simpson's feet who put in low with a low shot. 2-1 at the half. I like the 2-1 lead at the half, and the 11(3) to 2(1) shots is nice too, but as I said, I felt we were loose a bit so I tell the guys not to get careless. They seem to respond well to that although we escape with a scare in the 70th minute when an apparent D&R goal is turned down because of an offside. We hold them off and even add to our lead in the injury time when a free kick from the corner by Havard Nordtveit is headed in by Ibrahim Tall for the 3-1 goal. Final Score: Luton 3, Dag & Red 1 Shots: 14(4) - 8(2) Possession: 50 - 50 A satisfying win and an especially good performance by Jay Simpson to whom I give the game ball. His two goals earned him a form rating of 8 and a MoM selection as he was a constant threat, put 3 of 6 shots on target. Jackson, Tall and Kinniburgh also rated at 8. The fans are pleased with the win, especialy with how much more dangerous we apparently looked in the final third of the pitch. :cool: My assistant informed me that both Ibrahim Tall and Willied Kinniburgh gained focus from my haltime speech while it motivated Jay Simpson. I felt like the guys played a tighter game in the second half. Good to see my speech had something to do with it... FM |
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This type of stuff just makes me smile and proves why FM/WWSM is such an incredible game. The media aspect of the series draws you completely into the 'fictional' universe and makes it feel so much more than just a game. Your actions mean so much more and you can actually see the effects of your decisions, whether they are on the pitch or in the newspapers. What a great game! Continued good luck with Luton, Frogman. I love your writing style! |
November 30, 2008
hrm, interesting. Birmingham are apparently shopping Mehdi Nafti, a defensive midfielder, around. At first his name seems familiar and then it its me. I had signed him in FM2007 but was never overly satisfied with his performances... He's valued at 675k, they have him listed for 275k but are offering him on a free transfer. I ask my scout to give me a quick rundown of him and he comes back with a "definite purchase" tag. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to offer him any kind of contract, as we're already running close to $10k per week over the wage budget, but I still offer to take him off their hands. I will post his profile a bit later on tonight (I don't have access to photobucket during the day) but he is described as a tireless midfielder who's fairly determined. He's rated pretty high in teamwork and work rate (16 & 17) and is also pretty good at marking (16). One thing he lacks for a defensive midfielder is the heading skill (only at 8) but he could be a good addition to the club as I seem to be rotating through defensive midfielders without really finding a good one... December 1st, 2008 The draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup happens. We will play one of two League Two teams, either MK Dons or Morecambe. The board are satisfied with my management of the club. The signing of Saulius Mikoliunas is seen as an extremely good signing while they see the signing of Vincent van den Berg, on loan no less, as something that needs explaining. Feh... At least they have stopped worrying about the stupid 1-2 loss to Tottenham in the Carling Cup. Sam Parkin is selected as the League One Player of the Month. For a guy whom I didn't see in my first team's plans, he's sure redeemed himself. Paul Underwood has decided that he wants to stay at the club and he's begging to be taken off the transfer list. I unlist the drama queen... FM |
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Absolutely agree. I really like asking my assistant for his help regarding the team talks. I change his recommended talk maybe half of the time, but it still gives me and idea of where to go with the talk. Despite my bickering about unrealistic stuff with it, I gotta say that I really like the whole confidence things. That's one thing that's really making the fans and the board come alive and really help the immersion factor... Quote:
Thanks a lot, really, really appreciate it. So you know, your initial comment in the FM/WWSM thread had a lot to do with me starting this dynasty again. :) FM |
Yeah, you're going to end up making me buy '08 if you continue this dynasty much longer. Nice work:)
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:cool: Peer pressure! :D |
Christmas came late for me this year!
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+1 and my schoolwork can't afford it. |
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it's all part of the master plan ;) FM |
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:D FM |
December 2, 2008
League Match #22: vs Port Vale at Kenilworth Road (Lutons evens favorite)
This is odd. While Port Vale seem to be a low team, currently in 21st place on the league table, they are on an eight match unbeaten run in league play. Beware... I tell the media that I think we can beat them if we play our best. Unchanged lineup for this game as I give another game of rest to José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan. Etienne Esajas strikes lucky in the 8th minute when his free kick from 30 yards out takes a deflection going through the wall. The keeper can't adjust to the new path of the ball and is beaten to his left. 1-0! We are getting pressure from there until the end of the half though and Julian Speroni has to bail us out more than once but he can't do it all by himself and they tie it 1-1 in the 42st minute. It's 1-1 at the half and they are outscoring us 10(7) to 6(0). Yep, we have a goal but no shots on target, thanks to that deflection by their wall. I let the guys moderately have it at the half and tell them I'm disappointed in their play. I do take the time to tell Esajas that I think he can make a difference here. We do put more pressure on them when we come out for the second half and it sort of pays off. With three players hovering in their penalty box, Sam Parkin is moving with the ball when he gets tripped. The ref points to the spot, PENALTY!!! Parkin lines up for the kick and buries it for his 10th goal of the season. 2-1 after 57! We are piling on the pressure and after 67 minutes, shots are now 11(3) for us and 14(8) for them. Final Score: Luton 2, Port Vale 1 Shots: 13(4) - 18(8) Possession: 49 - 51 Etienne Esajas earns himself a game ball and another MoM selection with a goal and a form rating of 8. Sam Parkin is our only other player rating at 8 while Dean Morgan had a disappointing 6. The penalty that gave us the lead is called "controversial" by former Hatter Lewis Emmanuel who says the decision was harsh. The media ask me what I thought about the decision and I say I thought the referee was spot on. :) Here's the league table following our win...
December 3, 2008 Russell Duncan resumes full trainin following his torn calf muscle. He has missed four months. I send him to the reserves until he's match fit. Our bid for Mehdi Nafti is rejected. I had left the requirement for an answer by tomorrow and they say they will not be pressured into a decision with many other teams interested in their player. With Duncan coming back, I don't see the reason to go after another DM that I will probably not be able to sign to a contract. I let it go... FM |
December 5, 2008
League Match #23: at Carlisle (Luton evens favorites)
It's fan day at Carlisle today, no clue if that's gonna intimidate the fellas or not though. Carlisle is currenlty sitting in 19th place in the league. I especially like how they call us "high-flying Luton" in the pregame talks... :cool: José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan is back in the lineup for this one. I also decide to start youngster Jay Simpson instead of Dean Morgan up front. I didn't like the sloppy game that Morgan played against Port Vale. Interesting tidbit, Eric Skora is listed as the key man for us in this game. It's the first time I see his name in that piece of commentary. Usual suspects include Ibrahim Tall, Julian Speroni, Saulius Mikoliunas and Etienne Esajas, but it's the first time Skora is listed in there. I tell the guys they can win this one, in fact toning it down from my assistant's "I expect a win" recommendation... The decision to start Simpson pays off in the 25th minute when he gets on a tear, showing off his great pace and acceleration to beat a defender and uncleat the keeper to lodge the ball in an empty net for the 1-0 goal. What a goal, there's pandemonium in the stands as the fans chant Simpson's name!!! That score holds at he halftime break with us outshooting them 10(7) to 7(3). We looked a bit overwhelmed toward the end of the half and my assistant is even saying I should tell the guys I'm disappointed in them. But dang, we're still ahead, how can I say I'm really disappointed when ahead on the road? I give them encouragement and while we don't add to our lead, we play much better in the second half, controlling the game from the start of the half... I've thought of a way to save the game and player stats, so here goes... Match Stats:
Luton player stats:
I can now see why Eric Skora could have been seen as a key player. I mean, 38 of 45 passes is kind of pivotal in the middle of our offensive midfield. Julian Speroni gets the MoM selection in that game with a form rating of 8. Special mentions go to Ibrahim Tall who also got a rating of 8 and especially to Jay Simpson who looked like the good kid he was last season. His pace is simply amazing sometimes and he can cause real havoc in the middle of the opposing defense, outrunning about anybody near him. The fans are pleased with the win. Leage table after the game:
My assistant tells me that my halftime encouragements seemed to really have an effect. Speroni, Tall, Dickinson and Parkin all looked delighted while it gave a morale boost to Daniel Fox. |
December 8, 2008
Ibrahim Tall was selected in the League One Team of the Week. Mehdi Nafti ended up agreeing with League One Bradford. The move will happen when the transfer window reopens on January 1st. December 10, 2008 Morecambe won their FA Cup replay 2-0 over MK Dons and we will face them on their pitch on January 3 for the 3rd round of the FA Cup. I'm kinda disappointed as I wanted for us to beat on rivals MK Dons, but Morecambe might be an easier team to face. They are currently in 7th place of League Two while MK Dons lead the league. December 11, 2008 35yo Chris Perry announces that he will retire at the end of the current season. He cites the difficulties breaking into the first team as the main reason for his decision. December 12, 2008 Darren Currie is frustrated at not being part of the first team squad. Due, you are 34 and slow as a turtle. Not good for a winger you know... I stay with the diplomatic answer and comment to the media that he is a backup and will have to wait for a chance... He issues a public apology the very next day. :) FM |
December 13, 2008
League Match #24: at Notts Co (Luton 5-4 favorites)
Notts Co are sitting in 12th place at the moment. This is the third meeting between the two teams. We've won the first two with a 5-0 combined score. I don't know how I can leave a guy with 15 league goals on the bench, but that's what I do again today as Jay Simpson again starts for Dean Morgan. The rest of the starting 11 stays pretty much unchanged. I tell the guys I think they can win this one. It's 0-0 at the half and we're not playing really well. They are outshooting us 9(2) to 4(1) and we can't seem to put a foot inside their half of the field. I remind the guys that they can win this today and we're off for the second half. It remains 0-0 for pretty much the whole half, until the 90th minute when, amidst a see of legs, a corner kick is pushed behind Julian Speroni by Willie Kinniburgh for the 0-1 goal. Apparently Eric Skora's loosy ball control pushed the ball onto Kinniburgh who simply couldn't avoid it and it rebounded unfortunately. Three minutes of injury time is too little for us to try to tie it and we drop this game... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
I give the game ball to Daniel Fox who, even in the loss, had 14 interceptions and was in the middle of many passes. I know they mentionned Skora's mistake at the base of Kinniburgh's own goal, but I didn't know it was that big. Big enough for Skora to rate at 4 in form. ugh... I tell the guys I sympathise with them. I mean, on the road and we didn't really get outclassed, but i'm certainly not really pleased with the outcome. The fans are disappointed with the team's inability to convert chances into goals. I sort of agree with that. Jonathan Hayes didn't finish the game as he had to be subbed out with an injury in the 77th minute. I see after the game that he suffered a bruised head and will miss 5 days to a week. More importantly, my head physio tells me he has a potential head injury. I hope he's only talking about the bruise and nothing more serious. I give a formal warning for poor performance to Eric Skora. I rarely to that, but a 4 form rating deserves it. He not only accepts his warning but also apologises for his previous performance in the match. He added that he will try to to motivate himself more for the future matches. Might be time to give start to old timer David Fernandez. He was match fit for this game but there was no way I was going to sit Skora with how well he'd been playing recently. Next game is only in 12 days and will be against the team that used our recent loss to pass us in 2nd place. Here's the table as it stands now:
FM |
Tee hee.
Go Notts County! |
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:p They still have not technically scored a goal on us though :D FM |
You're doing a great job writing these and keeping it very entertaining. Keep it up! We're reading!
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December 20, 2008
Matthew Spring bruised his head in training. Should miss 5 days to a week. Our next game is in 6 days. December 25, 2008 So much for a Christmas break. QPR manager Paul Sturrock declares in the media that he's looking forward to a victory against us. They are currently one spot ahead of us on the table, in 2nd place. His comment causes some overconfidence in Dean Morgan and Etienne Esajas who now think the team can cope with big occasions without much effort... I answer, that *I* think we should be able to beat QPR... :p Sure enough, the paper puts it in big letter as they title it: "My team are superior!" says Gougeon... Niiiiice. :D That causes Julian Speroni and Willie Kinniburgh to declare that they are ready to go strength to strength, whatever that means. Meanwhile, Danny Granville has requested to be transfer listed. The 33yo left fullack came to Kenilworth Road last offseason but has yet to feature in the senior squad. I grant him his request. December 26, 2008 League Match #25: vs QPR at Kenilworth Road (QPR 5-4 favorites) Following Eric Skora's bad game last time, I decide to give the start to David Fernandez in the AMC spot. Other than the return of Dean Morgan to the starting lineup, the rest is pretty much unchanged. I tell the fellas I think they can win today and right before the match, I tell Daniel Fox to man mark their top scorer, striker Dexter Blackstock. He's scored 13 goals this season. The first half goes scoreless but is an entertaining affair. We just can't seem to put a ball on target though and that's annoying as all heck. Dean Morgan is especially awful in that category. Shots at the half are 10(1) for us, 8(5) for them. In the hope of creating something, I sub in Jay Simpson for David Fernandez but ask him to play as a third striker. We do buzz around their net but are unable to break behind their keeper and it remains 0-0... There was an apparent call that should have been a penalty, according to Jay Simpson, in the 90th minute, but the call never came. Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Saulius Mikoliunas gets the game ball and the MoM selection. Dean Morgan is in a real slump, as if he read in here that I said he was a goal scoring machine. Dang, 8 shots, only 3 on target and no goals. And of those 8, they were not all long range tries, many were from up close, but way wide... The fans are disappointed with the draw and to be honest, I am a bit too, although I tell the guys I sympathise with them... Also, according to the fans' spokeperson, the fans also think that despite the affection they have for Dean Morgan, they are concerned with his recent form... FM |
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thanks a lot for the nice words. Really appreciate it. :) FM |
December 27, 2008
In the "say what?" department, my assistant delivers me a "Skora warning". As in a lack of first-team football could cause Eric Skora to be desillusioned with life at Kenilworth Road. Huh?!? Dude, you started 6 games in a row, screwed up royally in the last of the six which earned you a warning and a game off, don't go crying to momma like that... sigh... Anyway, that was only my assistant letting me know, no big panic in the media... yet. Anyway, David Fernandez really showed his age in the last game so Skora will mostly go back in the starting lineup real soon. December 29, 2008 With the January 1st date coming soon, I take a look at some of the players with contracts. Sam Parkin and Matthew Spring are the only two now on the senior squad whom I have to worry about. Spring isn't a top priority but Parkin could be, with the way he is playing this season. The sad thing is that he's not ready to talk until he's evaluated all of his options. On the reserves squad, Calvin Andrew is ready to add a year to his contract without any increase so I offer him that. I'm also seeing some offers for backup right winger Stephen O'leary all of a sudden. He is valued at $70k and Carlisle and Walsall both offer $102k and 114k respectively. Thing is, O'leary has yet to complain about being a backup, something that makes him worth his place in the squad. Plus, he probably could fill in for Mikoliunas if I needed him to, so I reject both offers... December 30, 2008 Well, that didn't take long. Calvin Andrew has agreed to our offer and signs a one year extention to his current contract. FM |
January 1st, 2009
A new year has come and with it, the craziness of one month of transfers... I don't see us adding much to our squad though. Maybe a defensive midfielder, as I think it's the position that's underperformed the most, or maybe a solid long term central defender, but that's gonna be tough with some $59k left in transfer budget and alreayd $5k over the weekly wage budget... Sol Davis signs with Barnet. An original Hatter, the left fullback had not played for us in a long and I didn't see any use for him when I agreed to the $70k transfer almost two months ago. That move dropped some $4k in weekly wages... The board are satisfied with my management of the team. Again the signing of Saulius Mikoliunas is seen as an extremely good signing. The one thing the fans are concerned about at this time is the poor performances of Dean Morgan. I am too to be honest... January 3, 2009 FA Cup round 3: at Morecambe (Luton 4-6 favorites)
Morecambe are currently having a good season in League Two, sitting in 5th place. The fans are confident we can easily win this one. Again, this makes me nervous... I again give the start to Jay Simpson who's played really well in cup since the start of the season. That's the only change, as I play it safe, even against a League Two side... I tell the guys they can win this one, downplaying the aggressive team talk recommended by my assistant. He's thinking I should tell them that I expect a win. We come out down in possession and let them have a couple of scoring chances early one, but we are the first to score, in the 20th minute. Our lefties Richard Jackson and Etienne Esajas move the ball up to Sam Parkin who takes a hard shot that the keeper can't control. Jay Simpson was simply at the right place at the right time, sinking the 1-0 goal. Sam Parkin add a second goal to our lead in injury time of the first half and it's 2-0 at the half. I simpyl tell the guys I'm pleased with their work. We've regain the control of possession and are looking good... Jay Simpson will add a second goal in the 52nd minute, a goal all made by the splendid work of Saulius Mikoliunas on the right side, and Willie Kinniburgh will close it off by heading a Havard Nordtveit corner kick in right off the post in the 70th minute. A solid display of good football! Game stats:
Luton player stats:
Jay Simpson played a marvelous game and he gets the game ball and the MoM selection for us. That's the kind of play I got used to from this kid last season. The fans were pleased about how many times the team managed to test the opposing keeper. January 4, 2009 Hrm, I notice a UNH tag aside Mikko Vilmunen and suddenly get a report that he's been missing from training. Seems he's unhappy at not playing first-team football. Still, missing training is unacceptable and I give him a warning. He accepts it and indicates a willingness to improve his behaviour in the future. The FA Cup 4th round draw happens today. The Hatters will be playing Newcastle at Kenilworth Road on january 24. Newcastle is currently in 15th place of the Premiership. FM |
January 7, 2009
League Match #26: vs Hartlepool at Kenilworth Road (Luton evens favorites)
It's a boring first half in a game where I expect a bit better from my guys against a 14th place team. I told them I thought they could win to start the game but I have to let them have it and say I'm fairly disappointed after a scoreless first half. Even worse, they are whipping us around, dominating possession with 57% and outshooting us 10(6) to 3(0). That was really a ugly first half. The guys come out fighting for the second half and we take a 1-0 lead only 3 minutes into the half. Sam Parkin is the beneficiary of a nice pass from Etienne Esajas on a nice flowing move that went full circle from Russell Duncan to Saulius Mikoliunas before ending to his feet. We keep piling on some pressure and allowing them only shots from the periphery and a Dean Morgan shot is blocked then pushed behind their keeper by one of their own defender for an own goal in the 88th minute and the final score is 2-0. Game stats:
Luton player stats:
We got lucky in that one, making the best of our limited chances while controlling the damage done by theirs. Julian Speroni gets a well deserved Man of the Match selection for his 10 saves. Many Pools fans call the final score "an injustice"... Our fans are pleased with the win. Saulius Mikoliunas has reached the 5 yellow cards limit and will be suspended for one match starting on January 14 meaning he will be available for our next match but not the one after that. FM |
I forgot, here's the league table following that game:
FM |
January 10, 2009
League Match #27: away at Swindon (Luton 5-4 favorites)
I was fairly surprised to see us as favorites on this kind of away game. Swindon are currently in 9th place while we're in 3rd, ten points ahead of them. Our last game against Hartlepool seems to have taken a toll on some players and I do some changes to our starting eleven. In are Matthew Spring, Carl Dickinson, Jonathan Hayes, and Jay Simpson, out are Eric Skora (please don't cry), Richard Jackson, Etienne Esajas, and Sam Parkin. I simply wish the guys luck as I don't want to be telling them that I always think they can win, cause well I'm a nervous guy and I honestly don't think we can win 'em all. Take the lucky win over Hartlepool for the most recent example of why I think that way... It's a wet day and play is uneven through most of the first half, but it's uneven on both sides of the pitch. Jay Simpson is really starting to win back the hearts of the fans and anybody would with the exciting goal he scores, almost 2 minutes into injury time of the first half. Jonathan Hayes fed him a nice ball but Simpson had to beat a couple defender before finally finding himself one on one with the keeper. He buried the ball to make it 1-0 at the half. Nothing special happened in the second half and Simpson's goal turns out to be the game winner... Game stats:
Luton player stats:
A great win on the road but I take some time to warn the player against complacency in our next match, as we will take on 21st Rotherham next. Jay Simpson turned in a Man of the Match performance. He has some ability to make stuff happen that is not really revealed in his skill ratings. The fans are really warming up to him and now think that he has put in some decent performances for us since signing up with us in the offseason. FM |
January 14, 2009
I had already planned on giving Mikko Vilmunen the start between the posts for our game against Rotherham, but his Man of the Match performance with our reserve squad certainly reinforced the decision. He made 10 saves on his way to a clean sheet and a 1-0 win by the Luton Reserves. Some games are played in the league and here's the table now that QPR has the same number of games played as we do:
I like that we are hanging in there with them, with 6 points on Southend. FM |
January 17, 2009
League Match #28: away at Rotherham (Rotherham 6-4 favorites)
Here's one game I would have expected to have a shot at being favorites. I mean, Rotherham are at the bottom of the table... The morning of the match in which I'd decided to give him the start, Mikko Vilmunen has had enough and goes to the media. He talks of his frustration at not featuring in the first team games as much as he'd like. I want to tell him that he will be getting some first team play soon, for us, but it comes out like I'll be looking for a short term move for him (read: I picked the wrong radio button and I hope I didn't screw up bad enough ;)). He's satisfied with that answer though. Meanwhile, I learned that our FA Cup tie against Newcastle on January 25 at Kenilworth Road has been picked up for live TV coverage. :cool: Going into the game, I tell the guys they can win it. We play a solid first half in which we are controlling the ball well and it pays off halfway through it when Dean Morgan plays a nice leading ball to Sam Parkin who buries it for the 100th league goal of his career! 1-0 is the halftime score. At that point we're winning possession decisively with 57% and shots are about equal. We keep on spending some time in their half of the field but they break away in the 66th minute and score a flukeish goal on a long counter attack. We do not relent and keep on attacking and finally regain the lead in the 76th minute when Dean Morgan finally ends his goal drought. He had been going without a goal for the last 11 hours of competitive football... Mikko Vilmunen is solid for the rest of the game and we hang in there with them... Game stats:
Luton player stats:
I tell the guys I thought they were sensational. Dean Morgan earns himself the Man of the Match selection with that goal. He was a constant threats to the other team's keeper. The fans are pretty pleased with the win, as they should be. Sheffield Wednesday dropped their game at Oldham and we gain three points on them. Now only three points from first place...
FM |
January 19, 2009
Richard Jackson earns a spot on the League One Team of the Week. That was kind of unexpected. I guess he is one of the good left full backs in the league. January 20, 2009 Another original Hatter announces his retirement for the end of the current season. This time it's Paul Underwood who cites his struggles at making it into the first team for his decision. January 23, 2009 Darren Currie complains again about the lack of first team playing time. I'm more direct this time and simply tell him that *I* pick the team and he will have to be patient. Papers title it nicely too: "Gougeon: I'm the boss". :cool: January 24, 2009 Grrr, my assistant informs me that Mikko Vilmunen has missed another training session. A second infraction means being docked a week of pay my friend. Vilmunen accepts his fine without comment. He still states that he is happy to remain at the club. Odd gentleman that keeper, but aren't they all? Currie issues a public apology for his comment the day before. Good boy... FM |
January 25, 2009
FA Cup round 4: vs Newcastle at Kenilworth Road (Newcastle 1-2 favorites)
As the pregame reports start flowing in, amidst the concerns of the fans being pessimistic for the game (well duh, but thanks for the support everyone) I see another blurb: the referee for the match will be... dom, dom, dom... ROB STYLES!!!!!! AAAAARRRRGGGGGG!!!!!! Playing in League One, we've only had him once as our referee, last year, in a league game against Gillingham. As you'd expect, he gave a red card in that game, sending off Sol Davis, our left full back at the time. To Styles' defense, Davis has been known in the past to be diving into tackles and that was not his first straight red. Other than that red, I don't remember that match being that rough. We'll see... Taking a look at that Newcastle's roster, I see many discontents and a very poor morale overall, thanks to back to back 0-3 losses suffered to Arsenal and Manchester United. Maybe that might help us. I decide to go into the game with a more defensive setup with 2 defensive midfielders and hoping for one long ball sent to the forwards and a lucky goal. Yeah, and praying too. :) I tell the guys that the pressure is off and that they have nothing to lose. The game starts rough and my plan of sitting back is shattered after only 6 minutes when a ball is centered from their left wing to the AMC sitting on the penalty spot. He easily buries it for the 0-1 goal. Still, we are hanging in there. Not really putting any pressure on them, but we don't let aything come close to being dangerous and 0-1 is the halftime score. They are still outshooting us outrageously by then, 10(5) to 1(0). We start the second half without much tactical changes but by the 55th minute, it's clear we need to give ourselves more options in the final third. I brin in Jay Simpson in an AMC position with an up arrow toward in between the two strikers. It sort of works and we come oh so close to pulling level in the 68th. If not for Shay Given's magic tricks in front of the net, Jay Simpson had the 1-1 goal, but nope, still 0-1... That was our best chance and we didn't convert it... Game stats:
Luton player stats:
Julian Speroni is the Man of the Match and for good cause. If not for him, this game could have ended in a complete rout. I tell the guys it was a good effort and I honestly think it was. We're still a League One, maybe borderline Championship calibre side and Newcastle is still a Premiership side. The fans are disappointed with the loss, especially the team's inability to convert chances into goals. Feh... José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan has collected 5 yellow cards and will be banned for one match starting on February 1st. FM |
January 27, 2009
With the transfer window closing down, the silly enquiries will start. Blackburn is interested in knowing how much I'd want for goalkeeper Julian Speroni. Huh, thanks but no thanks. I tell them I don't even want to hear about it as he's indispensable to the club. January 28, 2009 League Match #29: away at Crewe Alexandra (Crewe 6-4 favorites)
Wow, I see we've never lost against Crewe in three previous meetings are are 7-1 in aggregated goals. Let's hope it continues. I give Jay Simpson the start in Sam Parkin's place. My assistant is saying I should I tell the guys I think they can win this one. Hrm, we're underdog on the road, I simply wish them luck. The first half goes scoreless and while we're losing the shots battle (4(3) for us, 8(3) for them), we are very much in this game and I tell the fellas that I feel they can win it now. It seems to have some effect and in the 65th minute, Dean Morgan scores his 20th competitive goal of the season, giving us a 1-0 lead. Jay Simpson's pace in getting to the byline on the left side of the goal, before centering the ball to Morgan all made that goal possible. It's a fight to keep our lead for the rest of the game. My guys are making all kinds of mistakes and I want to personally grab a couple of them by the throat, especially Willie Kinniburgh who gave the ball away on the edge of our penalty area around the 75th minute. The shot went over that time, but they don't miss their chance at the 90 minute mark and they score to tie it 1-1. Gah, heartbreaking tieing goal to rob us of two precious points! Even worse is all the suspicion of offside on that goal. Three of my players go straight to the assistant referee and plead their case, he's hearing none of it and Willie Kinniburgh ends up with a yellow card. Game stats:
Luton player stats:
So frustrating to drop a win on a sucky call like that. Hard to say if he was offside or not although he looked in line with the last defender (second to last if you count the keeper). I tell the guys I sympathise with them, what else can I say? Dean Morgan was selected Man of the Match in the losing cause. Ibrahim Tall has collected 5 yellow cards and will be banned for one match starting on February 4. Both Sheff Wed and QPR have won their games so we lose two points on both of them.
FM |
January 31, 2009
Some interesting tidbit has come up on the newswire about how Wigan's Henri Camara is a transfer target of mine but that I "might" be looking for him to to take a pay cut from his current wage. His current wage? A nice weekly $47,500... :eek: I took a look at the profile of the 31yo striker and yeah, he could be of use to us. They are asking $85k for the striker valued at $240k. We have $59k left in the budget and I offer them something with some money up front and some money over 24 months. Costs nothing to try, right? Ever before I head out to the stadium for our game against Doncaster, the answer is there, they have agreed. Hrm, okay, and how much does Mr Camara want for his services? He is saying $33k per week at first, and then that he does not believe Luton have the resources to meet his demands. The board allows me to offer him up to $16.5k per week as a key member of the squad but I'm not even ready to go more than $11k for him. Take it or leave it. He's quick in saying he will leave it. oh well... :) League Match #30: vs Doncaster at Kenilworth Road (Luton 1-2 favorites) Forgot to save the starting lineup, so here goes: Parkin . Simpson
======Skora Esajas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikoliunas Fox Dickinson . Kinniburgh . Pierre-Fanfan . Tall Vilmunen Speroni Nordtveit O'Leary Hayes Morgan It's a very, very even first half between the two sides and it takes a very nice pass from Etienne Esajas to Sam Parkin for us to take a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute. Shots at 7(3) for us, 7(4) for them at the half and we're losing possession slightly. I gave simple encouragement to the guys at the half and it looks like they needed a bit more of a push. We fall so flat on the last 45 minutes, it's not even pretty. When they finally tie the game at 1-1, it felt like we'd spent the first 13 minute of the half inside our own penalty area... We do hang on for the draw, which is sort of a letdown although we did put some pressure towards the end of the game... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Etienne Esajas got the Man of the Match selection. Poor Mikko Vilmunen got sprayed by shots at one point and I'm not too sure he can be blamed for the equalizing goal, although he did rate at 6 in that game. Both QPR and Sheff Wed won their game with identical 3-0 scores so we lose a bit of ground on them.
Following the game, Danny Granville tells me he wants to stay and he's asking to be taken off the transfer list. I grant him his request and even move him up to the senior squad. I might start him at some point. FM |
February 1st, 2009
The transfer list has closed without us doing the slightest move. Sam Parkin has been selected as the League One Player of the Month. Good show Sam! It's his second selection of the sort this season, after getting that honor in November. Paul Sturrock of QPR gets the Manager of the month award and I come in third place, not bad. I'm now described as a "talented manager" in my profile. :cool: The board are satisfied with my management of the team. They say the capture of Saulius Mikoliunas is still the highlight of my recent work while the decision to sign Mikko Vilmunen will require justification. Hrm, he is a backup keeper, what did you expect? FM |
February 4, 2009
League Match #31: vs Bradford at Kenilworth Road (Luton 5-4 favorites)
It's Bradford's first season up from League Two and their are doing qutie well, currently in 10th place. They beat us 0-2 earlier this season. Two big blows on our defensive four as both José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan and Ibrahim Tall are suspended for the game. Havar Nordtveit is set to get a rare test in the centerback spot. It's his natural position, but I'm always nervous putting kids in that very important spot. I tell the guys I think they can win it tonight. Oh crap, Eric Skora is forced off the field in the 14th minute. I put in Dean Morgan in the AMC spot with a up arrow to the striker position. His presence disturbs the Bradford defence and within 3 minutes, a free kick from Etienne Esajas is wildly deflected by the defensive wall only to fall to Jay Simpson's feet. He wastes no time and pounces on the return to make it 1-0. That's his 10th competitive goal of the season but strangely enough, only his third league goal. 1-0 is the halftime goal but it's been a very even game so far and I tell the fellas not to get careless. The guys take it to heart and start applying some more pressure. Etienne Esajas is at the start of our second goal, this time Sam Parkin's 15th competitive goal of the season. 2-0 after 54 minutes. Jay Simpson will score his second of the game to make it 3-0 in the 84th minute. Dean Morgan's perfect pass made that goal possible. Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Jay Simpson gets a well deserved Man of the Match selection with two goals and 4 of 5 shots on target. That kid can do some wonderful things sometimes. I tell the guys I thought their performance was sensational, and I truly mean it. They played a solid second half. The fans were especially pleased with the amount of times the team managed to test the opposition goalkeeper. The dad news hit at my return to the clubhouse. Eric Skora will miss from 2 weeks to a month with calf strain. I will probably give David Fernandez some playing time during Skora's absence. Sweet, QPR lost 0-1 while Sheff Wed drew 1-1. We gained ground today!
FM |
January 5, 2009
Seeing how the kid has been playing fairly well recently, I decide to praise Jay Simpson in the media. Remember how the fans were unsure of his signing at first? Well, the last few games and his spurts in goal scoring have both made a current favorite of the fans. Hi recent performances even has them saying they feel they have a real gem of a player at the club. My assistant now believes he has the potential to be as good as our current best striker, Sam Parkin. I tell the papers that I'm pleased with hir recent form. His reply is that he is also quite pleased with his recent display and that he's really enjoying his football at the moment. He even added that he hopes to play even better football in the near future. January 7, 2009 League Match #32: away at Peterborough (Luton 4-7 favorites) I again forgot to save the starting lineup, so here goes: Parkin . Simpson
========Fernandez Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . Mikoliunas Duncan Jackson . Kinniburgh . Pierre-Fanfan . Tall Speroni Vilmunen Fox O'Leary Dickinson Morgan Etienne Esajas got nicked at the end of our last game and his condition was at 84 or so for the start of this game so I keep him off completely. Peterborough, like Bradford, are in their first season up from League Two but they are not doing as well, teethering on the brink of the drop zone, in 19th place. José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan celebrated for only a brief moment in the 13th moment. His header goal from a corner kick is disallowed. He apparently pushed the defender. A lot of pressure is applied on our back five from the 20th to the 30th minute and they finally let one through. Down 0-1 after 30. The guys seem to feel the pressure and three times before then end of the half, they whined to the referee asking for either a penalty, or the reversal of the first goal for an apparent offside (which wasn't the case)... 0-1 is the halftime score and they are outshooting us 6(6) to 4(2). I tell the guys I expect to see more of them. We should be dominating this game, on the road or not. And we do, starting with the second half, but sadly we can't seem to put balls on target. It takes us until the 84th minute to finally make it a tie game, when Sam Parkin buries a ball from 25 yards out. A fabulous strike coming from a very nice counter attack! Speroni to Dickinson on the left wing (in for Hayes) to Parkin who took a chance and aimed for the top corner. And oh sweet, taking a quick look at the other scores around reveals that both QPR and Sheff Wed are losing their matches. We look to at least gain a little... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Sam Parkin receives the Man of the Match selection for his winning goal. Pretty odd, but following my praise of his performances, Jay Simpson comes and pulls a sucker. No clue what deserved a 5 today... Sadly, the fans are disappointed that we only achieved a draw. Better that than losing it... QPR and Sheff Wed indeed both lost their games and we move one point closer to both of them. Following the game, the media approach me about a that disallowed goal. Pierre-Fanfan is saying he felt the decision was harsh, a claim supported by team-mate David Fernandez. I go to the journalist and I tell him that I just hope they realise that the decision cost us. Well, I'll be damn. :mad: I got handed a warning by the FA for the comment. The Luton board are unhappy that I have drawn attention to the club from the FA and they also warn me to be careful about what I say in the media in the future. Well shit. I take a look at the guy I leaned on to do the comment, captain José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan and he's now saying he feels his manager has stirred up unnecessary controversy. Well, F*CK YOU MORON! :mad: :mad: :mad: I will not stick up for you in the future. (note: that's one place where I think the game could be improved. there is absolutely no reason to complain about an event as you never get anything changed, even a case where my captain is saying he thought it was harsh.) February 9, 2009 Same whining captain José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan earned a spot on the League One Team of the Week, as well as Etienne Esajas. Seeing his latest MoM selection I decide to try to offer Sam Parkin a contract extention. His current contract runs out in June and he's saying he's not interested at renewing it right now. He indeed rejects the $16.5k per week base salary. I'm thinking I could probably find another striker either as good as him, or better in the offseason. FM |
Complaining when you have a case is good, complaining when the ref got the call right(by the games standards) is bad. Feel free to complain to high heaven if you got a real solid beef with the ref. I've done it and the FA are strangely silent on the matter. Hehe.
Goos stuff, FM! Tell |
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a case like mine is when I get real annoyed. I mean, my only way of knowing if the foul was real or not was by how much my guys pleaded their cases. I mean, it's a fould between two little billiard balls, how am I supposed to know if one pushed the other or not? I can judge if a player is offside or not, but in this one, Pierre-Fanfan says it was a bad call, and Fernandez says he too agrees, so I whine and get called out by the FA. As I said, what made it worse is the moron who started it who turns on me, idiot. One way of making it easier would be to have say, so press box observer that could comment back to you after the game saying he thought the call was bad or not... FM |
I agree, I get a few that are apparent, but some that look totally out of line get me in trouble because they are not....allegedly.
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Yeah, I can understand that. I usually only complained when the commentary made it clear to me that the call was missed.
Is too bad you can't fine that captain of yours for being an idiot, especially when he comes back and claims your stirring things up too much. Tell |
February 10, 2009
League Match #33: vs Leyton Orient at Kenilworth Road (Luton evens favorites)
Guys are getting tired, and we have another match in only four days. I take off the up arrow on both wingers in the hope that this will keep them a bit fresher for the end of the game. I don't really want to give a game off to any of my regulars though as Leyton Orient are in 5th place and a team we really need to beat if we want to protect our playoff spot. I'd almost forgotten about loanee Vincent van den Berg, whom I'd sent down to the reserves for a few matches. I bring him up to the bench for this game. I put Russell Duncan on man coverage on their top scorer, forward Colin Nish but damnit, he still gets away in the 25th minute and make it 0-1. Guys are again crying about an apparent offside but the replay is showing me Nish a good yard or so onside. Guys, please concentrate on playing, not whining, and we might win games... 0-1 is the halftime score and I tell the guys I want to see more from them. They are outshooting us 8(3) to 4(2), on our pitch for crying out loud! The speech does pay some dividen and we pulle even in the 73rd minute when Sam Parkin scores. It's an up and down finish to the game with both teams getting scoring chances. We're 1:30 into injury time when Vincent van den Berg makes hsi presence felt. He used his nice pace to run under a loooooooong through pass from Russell Duncan, way over the defenders' heads. The ball was passed so long that the keeper got to it first but Vincent's presence must have freaked him a bit because he only scrambles it a few yards away and van den Berg gets to it and scores in an empty net from 35 yards out. Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Julian Speroni gets the MoM, making the key saves when needed. José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan pulls himself out of the doghouse by stating to the media that it's my halftime speech that made them rally and win this one. And don't look now, but that win gave us a run of nine unbeaten games! :cool: We have passed QPR in 2nd place with this win! February, 2009 Sheff Wed draw 1-1 with Swindon so we gained 2 points overall with our win, sweet! Here's the table with 13 games left in the regular season:
FM |
February 14, 2009
League Match #34: vs Gillingham at Kenilworth Road (Luton 4-7 favorites)
Gillingham are currently at the very bottom of the league table. I still tell the media I think we can beat them, but only if the guys play their best. I go into the game telling the fellas I expect a win. Looks like they don't like being to be reminded in the paper that they should win a game, or even that I expect them to win because we come out quite flat for the first half. It's 0-0 after 45 and we're losing the possession battle 46-54. I let the guys have it and tell them I'm disappointed in their performance. We come out much better for the second half and if not for a few miraculous saves from their keeper, it could have easily been 2-0 for us by the 60th minute, but no, the 0-0 scoreline held on until the end and we drop 2 easy points at home... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
I end up telling Richard Jackson, the Man of the Match, that I'm pleased but everyone else gets the "you were just not good enough" talk. Those were some easy points damnit! Weird thing is, the fans are please with the draw. huh? Oh well... There was another controversial call concerning a penalty we should have been give today. Sigh, I grudgingly admit that the decision may have been correct. How the heck do I know anyway??? Neither QPR nor Sheff Wed played today so we stay in 2nd place...
FM |
February 16, 2009
Richard Jackson's Man of the Match performance in our last match must have been a very good one because it earned him a spot on the League One Team of the Week. February 21, 2009 League Match #35: away at Huddersfield (Huddersfield 5-4 favorites)
The local paper is making a big thing out of this game being my 100th game as manager of the Hatters. I say cool, but we gotta win first, celebrate second. We are on a 10 match unbeaten streak going into this one. Etienne Esajas is suspended for this game and Jonathan Hayes is severly lacking in match fitness. Dang. I guess it's safe to start Carl Dickinson in place of Esajas. I told the guys I thought they could win this win and they respond admirably at first, with Sam Parkin scoring the opening goal, but it got ugly after that. They pulled even in the 13th minute, and even went one up on us in the 37th minute when we left them to do whatever they wanted in our defensive zone. Still, we got that one back with a Dean Morgan goal only a couple minutes later, but it was a lucky one. We definitely were not playing well. And dang, they score again before the end of the half. Down 2-3 at the half, I tell everyone but Dean Morgan that I expect more of them. At one point in that first half, we had less than 40% possession, absolutely unacceptable. It doesn't get much better in the second half and we even let a fourth goal in... Match stats:
Luton Player stats:
It took all of my self-control not to rip at the guys and tell them I'm angry with with their performance, but it was a road game and after 10 games without a loss, well, maybe we were due to lose one so I go easy and simply tell them I'm disappointed with the loss. The good news is that both Sheff Wed and QPR lost their games so nothing changes in the league table. We're still sitting in 2nd place althought this would have been a perfect situation for us to gain some ground on both these clubs.
FM |
February 22, 2009
While trying to assess how happy the board is with the team's performance, I can't help but notice that the board is saying they are willing to listen to any request I may have. Hrm, better training facilities? Heck, why not. We have some $5M in the bank and our facilities are only average (just like our youth facilities btw) so I go ahead and request an improvement of our training facilities. The board tell me they believe the club's training facilities at Kenilworth Road to be among the best in the division but they still agree with my assertion that they could be improved still further. Money will be invested over the next few months and they'll inform me on completion of the project. Sweet! February 24, 2009 Odd tidbit of news from Cambridge United, our feeder club. While looking through the profile of my four players on loan over there, I see that 19yo Billy Mckay wants to leave the club. I don't remember ever seeing that for a player on loan. Saddest is he is the one having the most success in the games he's played in so far, but he's also the one who's played the least, only 10 appearances, 6 of them as a starter. I guess they don't have as much need at the striker position, Billy's primary position. I'll leave him over there, at least whatever playing time he's getting is in a competitive role. February 25, 2009 Eric Skora resumes training following his shin injury. He's missed 3 weeks. FM |
February 28, 2009
League Match #36: vs Hull at Kenilworth Road (Luton 4-6 favorites)
Unhappy with David Fernandez's performance in replacement of Eric Skora, and because Skora isn't full ready to take is spot in the lineup back following his injury, I decide to try something and we will start this game with three strikers in an innovative 4-1-2-3 formation. We just can't get it to work at first. We sorely miss that one midfielder at the AMC spot I guess and at the 10 minute mark, we're losing the possession battle 33-67 with them controlling the ball 41% of the whole field in midfield. I put a down arrow on Jay Simpson, and ask the guys to play a bit of shorter passes and it helpd a bit. It's not helping my nerves that Jay Simpson keeps on putting everywhere but on target in that first half. It a scoreless first half and I think there's still hope, as the guys had definitely started controlling the ball more toward the end. We still losing the shots battle 5(1) to 8(4) and also losing possession 42-58. I tell the fellas I think we can win this. We escape a scare in the 51st minute but from then on, it's all Luton as we start mounting great flowing attacks from about everywhere. The pressure finally forces one of the fullbacks to make a stupid mistake in trying to cross a pass back from one back wing to the other. The pass lacks vigor and Sam Parkin is all over it. Alone with the keeper, he doesn't miss his chance and places the ball softly behind the keeper for the 1-0 goal. At that point, 19 minutes into the second half, we were in control of the game so much, it was scary. From our 42% possession we had in the first half, we've improved to a nice 59% IN OUR FAVOR! That domination proves not to be a fluke when we double our lead only 8 minutes later when Sam Parkin scores his second of the game! It's also his 20th competitive goal of the season. Jay Simpson's superb pass forward helped spring him behind the opposition defense. The defense holds on for the clean sheet. Match Stats:
Luton player stats:
Wow, what a rallying win that was. I tell ya, halfway through the first half, I was sure we'd let one fluke goal in and then we'd crumble but no, we held on quite well. Sam Parkin got a well deserved Man of the Match mention. I take a look at the scores of the other game currently being played and the news are good. Both Sheff Wed and QPR had drawn their games, which can only mean one thing: we're sitting atop the league table!!!
Yeah, sure, they both have a game in hand on us, but I quickly see that it's against one another, so they can't both win it. :) That game is set to be played on March 4, a night where only those two teams will be playing. FM |
March 1st, 2009
The board are satisfied with my management of the club. They say it's in no small part down to my control of the club's bank balance. They do add that the they do have long-term ambitions and that I'll be expected toreouble my efforts to meet these targets. I can only assume that they are talking about the expectation to finish in a respectable position in the League One by the end of the two year plan. I'd say we should be able to do that... :) March 4, 2009 The QPR vs Sheff Wed game is tonight. Anything that happens tonight will be good, since they can't both win. :) Sheff Wed comes out with a 1-0 away win at Loftus Road so we relinquish the 1st place spot, but it secures our 2nd place spot, giving us a full four points lead over QPR in that most coveted auto promotion spot with ten games to go.
Looking over my reserves squad, I see that 22yo striker Calvin Andrew seems to be having a very good streak of games. Forms of 8-8-9-8-8 in the last five is pretty impressive. Looking at the coach reports on him, my assistant is telling me he now sees him as the 3rd best striker on the squad, ahead of Dean Morgan. I move him up to the senior squad and will probably give him some playing time in the coming weeks. (I'll post his profile tonight when I get home). FM |
How is attendance at Kenilworth Road and where do you stand in your league in that respect?
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As promised here is Calvin Andrew's profile, notice all those nice green up arrows, the kid has had quite a growth spurt in his abilities lately...
I've always had a soft spot for Calvin if only because his last name is Andrew, just like my oldest son's first name. Andrew is the soccer player in the house and I get a real kick out of reading something like "an amazing goal by Andrew" or "Andrew runs past the defender..." on the match report... :cool: FM |
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The team record page shows an average attendance of 9376 this year, way up from last year's abysmal average of 6704. I gotta say we teethered on the brink of relegation for a while last year while this year we are closer than ever to a promotion... Our average in league play through the League One stats is at 9511 and is 9th overall in the league. Our last few games have been pretty good attendance wise: 10281 vs Hull 9635 vs Gillingham 10293 vs Leyton Orient (season high) 9963 vs Bradford 10071 vs Doncaster I decided to request an improvement to our training facility because I know that space is pretty limited around Kenilworth Road and I had less of a chance to be granted that request than the training facility one. A stadium improvement might be in order if we get to the championship and start doing well there... FM |
An outstanding dynasty you've got here, FM! I've read through it all over the past couple of hours and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
FM08 is such a great game that I even have a good bit of fun reading about OTHER people playing it. :) |
glad to see this :) hopefully someone will save them in real life :(
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I am enjoying reading this dynasty too. I check here regularly to get a fix of these dynasties.
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March 7, 2009
My assistant informs me that backup keeper Mikko Vilmunen didn't turn up for traing, yet again, today. It's not his first offense of the type and I fine him one week of wage. He accepts his fine, even indicating a willingness to improve his behaviour in the future. League Match #37: aways at Walsall (Walsall evens favourites)
Walsall are currently 18th in the league and their keeper is former Luton youth prospect Dean Brill. One of their striker, John Cunliffe, has scored 25 league goals for them. I assign Russell Duncan to him on man coverage. Calvin Andrew is getting the start at striker for us. We're putting some good pressure on their backline early on, but we're not finishing our shots properly, until the 32nd minute when I see the sentence I'd been waiting for: "Andrew puts it away!!!" :cool: Up 1-0! That's the halftime score and while we've had some quality scoring chances, we're being dominated in the possession game, 45-55, so I tell the guys not to get careless... Don't know how it got lost in translation here, but we come out and let them score as the clock marks an even 47:00. bleh. Julian Speroni couldn't do a thing after the shot got deflected by Russell Duncan. We keep on trying for the rest of the half until well into injury time, when it looks like we're set for a draw. 4:03 into an an announced 3 minutes of injury time, Jay Simpson uses his pace and dribbling skills to leave a defender behind and find himself alone with the keeper whom he beats with a hard low shot. 2-1!!! Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Sam Parkin got the MoM selection with the assist on each of our goals. It was Parkin's fourth MoM selection of the year in league play. That's a huge win for us, as Sheff Wed drew 2-2 with Crewe. We're pulling back even with them atop the league table.
March 9, 2009 Ibrahim Tall and Sam Parkin have been selected to the League One Team of the Week. FM |
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thanks for the kind words guys, very much appreciated :) Regarding the real life Hatters, yeah hopefully they'll be saved with the sale bid that was agreed to last week. They still need to keep themselves above the relegation line, but at least for now, the clearance sale of their players might slow down a little... FM |
March 10, 2009
League Match #38: vs Millwall at Kenilworth Road (Millwall 6-4 favourites)
The arrival of Calvin Andrew among my senior squad striker group means I can keep some fresher guys in and some others out and today is Jay Simpson's turn to start. Well, not much to say about that one, other than it turned out to be a borefest of a draw in which I consider ourselves to be lucky to even escape with one point. Sad, sad, sad, especially at home... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
Ibrahim Tall got the Man of the Match selection which draws some good words about him. Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock admitted he was in awe with his ability while French Ligue 2 Guigamp boss Victor Zvunka could be seen in attendance for the match. It's been rumoured that Zvunka might have some interest in our top defender. They'll have to pay through the nose to get him I tell you that... Very oddly, the 27yo defender is only valued at $150k. I'd put his value for our team at upward of the million dollar... Disappointing draw, yet a point remains a point and since Sheff Wed didn't have a game tonight, we've moved back in first place...
March 11, 2009 Sheff Wed played their game in hand on us and luckily for us, they only got a draw out of it so we're back even.
FM |
March 14, 2009
League Match #39: away at Brighton and Hove Albion (Brighton evens favourites)
They have a suspended defender and two injured central midfielders going into this game. I tell the guys I think they can win this one. We escape an early scare when an apparent Brighton goal is disallowed for an offside. It's 0-0 at the half and while both teams have had the same number of scoring chances, we are losing possession 43-57. They are controlling the ball over all of the pitch which is not good... I did some adjustment in tactics and reminded the guys that I still thought they could win it and 11 minutes into the second half, we're bak in control with 55% possession in the second half. Catastrophe strikes in the 81st minute when Jay Simpson is injured and can't walk it off. We've used all of our three subs (Simpson being the third one in fact) and we're forced to finish the game with 10 men. The guys play with a lot or heart from there on out and in the 88th minute, a beautiful cross from Saulius Mikoliunas ends up at Jonathan Hayes' feet (in for Etienne Esajas) coming straight through the whole penalty area. He has a great angle and easily scores his first ever goal for the Hatters. Up 1-0!!! Match stats:
Luton player stats:
What a great second half display by the whole team, as you can see with the possession numbers overall on the game. Jonathan Hayes got the Man of the Match selection with that winning goal. Seeing how our next game is against Sheefield Wednesday, I warn the guys against complacency. Speaking of Sheff Wed, they beat on Peterborough 3-0 so we're still even atop the league table. Both teams have a 5 points lead over both QPR and Southend.
That injury to Jay Simpson will prove to be a big one. He suffered a broken toe after a late tackle and will be out for around two months, effectively ending his season. Damn! :( A journalist approaches me following that bad new. Accoring to him, Jay Simpson is a key player for us and with the injury he picked up today, he's asking if Calvin Andrew will be given the opportunity to hold down a first-team place. I tell them that while Jay's an important part of this team, I feel Calvin will provide adequate cover. Following that comment, Calvin is concerned that this will put too much pressure on him to slot straight into the team. Step up kid, there's your chance! FM |
March 16, 2009
I learn that Saulius Mikoliunas has been called up for an international match wiht Lithuania on March 21st. Crap, that's the day we play Sheffield Wednesday... Ibrahim Tall and Willie Kinniburgh have been selected on the League One Team of the Week. March 17, 2009 Phew, our match against Sheff Wed has been moved to the 25th due to international callups. We'd have also missed Vincent van den Berg and Havard Nordtveit. Maybe they made a difference although they are only backups for us... March 25, 2009 League Match #40: vs Sheffield Wednesday at Kenilworth (Sheff Wed 6-4 favourites)
A journalist asks me how I thing we'll be coping with high flying Sheff Wed today. Looking at the tough odds we're facing, I tell him that I'm mostly looking for a good performance from the boys, downplaying the chance of us beating Sheff Wed. This fires up Julian Speroni and Willie Kinnibrugh. I'm trying something for this one. I'll be using Calvin Andrew as a target man while asking the guys to feed him with balls to his head. Maybe he can take advantage of his jumping and heading skills... Hrm, odd. My assistant is recommending me to tell the guys I think they can win. Seeing the odds, I decide to change that to asking the boys to play it for the fans. And this moves pays off early on. Int eh 7th minute, a Skora-Andrew-Morgan combination results in Dean Morgan being all alone with the keeper. He makes it 1-0 after going around the keeper. It's a crazy first half after that, with both teams going shoulder to shoulder and exchanging shot after shot. We're ahead by one at the half and shots are 12(6) for us, 13(7) for them. Nerve racking I tell you... The second is more of the same kind of exciting play and that target man thing pays off in the 67th minute when Russell Duncan's high ball to Calvin Andrew is nodded on to Dean Morgan who scores his second goal of the game, his 50th competitive goal for Luton. 2-0! Dean Morgan will will complete his hat-trick in injury time, it's the Dean Morgan show!!! Match stats:
Luton player stats:
What a fantastic win! I tell the guys I thought they were simply sensational, and I really mean it. Dean Morgan's performance deserved him the Man of the Match selection as well as general praise in the media. That win gives us a solid three point lead over Sheff Wed atop the league table, and even more important since QPR also won, it keeps us 5 points clear into the autopromotion zone.
FM |
March 28, 2009
League Match #41: away at Southend (Southend 4-5 favourites)
Dang, that's another very important match right there. Southend are currently sitting in 4th place, only 5 points away from us. Underdog and away from home, I tell the guys that pressure is off. I want a good performance and the result will take care of itself... We get a free kick right on the edge of their penalty area in the 13th minute. Dean Morgan takes it a kicks it hard enough through the wall that it takes a odd deflection, odd enough that the keeper can't cover it and we're up 1-0! That's the halftime score and while we're ahead by one, we're behind in shots, 2(1) to 7(2), and in possession, 45-55. I still tell the guys I'm pleased with how they're playing so far. Southend start mounting the pressure around the 75th mintue and for a while there, Julian Speroni has to multiply the miracle saves to keep us in the game. We do hang on until the final whistle for a fantastic 1-0 win! We certainly showed we're no pushovers in that one!!! Match stats:
Luton player stats:
We did get more involved in their half of the pitch in the second half, as you can see with the final tally in shots and in possession. Dean Morgan collected his second MoM in two games and was a force up front. Good thing we won, as Sheff Wed also won. QPR didn't play today. And as you can see, we have now clinched at least a participation to the playoff. Niiiice! :cool:
FM |
Congratulations on clinching the playoff berth. Now go out and win the league! :)
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March 29, 2009
There's a good reason QPR didn't play yesterday, and it's because they are playing in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final today against League Two side Bury. QPR win it 2-0. March 31, 2009 Julian Speroni and Dean Morgan have been selected in the League One Team of the Week. Speroni is one of the main reason why we're leading the league with the least conceded goals. Sam Parkin resumes full training following his neck injury. He's missed two weeks with the injury. His contract ends at the end of this season but he's still not interested in renewing it and I'm not interested in breaking the bank to try to convince him. Chris Coyne is the only one of our veteran whom I could have some interest in resigning, but he too is not interested in renewing his contract at the moment... April 1st, 2009 Woot! I have been selected as the League One Manager of the Month!!! Had not realized it, but we won four out of five in the month of March, but even better, we only allowed one goal. We have a current streak of over six hours without allowing a goal, that's four games in a row. :eek: The board are satisfied with my management of the team. The team's fantastic overall performance in the League One has been a particular highlight. They still rant about the long term goals. Dudes, if we go good this season, we'll fill the dang long term goal as the term ends this season... sheesh. Looking at the schedule, I see that of our last five games, we have three at home (Yeovil, Oldham, Carlisle) and two away (Leeds, Port Vale). In the "odd trivia" category, looking at our transfer history for the season, I'm reminded that our star left winger Etienne Esajas was transfered in for a nice fee of $1.4M from... Sheffield Wednesday. :) QPR play the game they had in hand over everyone and lose it 1-0 against Swindon. Here's the league table with everyone at 41 games played:
Now, with 5 games to play (15 points available for the taking) we're 8 points safe into the autopromotion zone. Seven points is now the magic number... :eek: FM |
Quote:
baby steps my friend, baby steps ;) FM |
April 4, 2009
League Match #42: away at Leeds (Leeds 5-4 favourites)
Seeing how we're going on the road, again I tell the guys that the pressure is off. I do tell Julian Speroni and Dean Morgan that I expect them to pick off where they left off. The target man strategy with Calvin Andrew again pays off in this game. In the 36th minute, after a play coming from the left side, Dean Morgan puts a ball Andrew's head in the six yard box and the tall striker has no problem heading it past the keeper for the 1-0 goal. That the halftime score and we're staying pace for pace with them so far. Both sides are exchaning attacks most of the second half until the 89th minute when they play a tight ball through our defenders leaving a striker alone with Speroni. Esajas whines about offside but the replay is clear, he was definitely onside. Heartbreaking equalizer... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
I still tell the guys it was a good results. We came awfully close to coming out of this game with all the points on their pitch no less. They did put much more pressure on our back line toward the end and it paid off for them. Calvin Andrew ends up with the Man of the Match selection aftr playing a very solid game. Wow, QPR lost 0-1 and Southend drew their match. We now have 8 points on third place Southend with 4 games (12 points) to play.
FM |
April 5, 2009
Hrm, interesting... Carlisle have sacked their manager Kevin Blackwell (who actually resigned then was sacked by the real life Hatters only a week ago) and are contemplating replacements. I'm not listed in the possible replacements but my assistant Sam Ellis is... April 6, 2009 Richard Jackson has been selected to the League One Team of the Week. April 11, 2009 League Match #43: vs Yeovil at Kenilworth Road (Luton 1-2 favourites)
This might prove to be a tough one as Yeovil has every reason to fight. They are currently just outside of the playoff line, in 7th place. I tell the guys I think they can win this one. We let them score in the first half and come to the locker room down 0-1. They are totally dominating us, it's not even pretty. I try to shake up the lads and question their passion to win this one... We can't shake it off and that goes in the book as a very ugly showing for a team sitting in second place... Match stats:
Luton player stats:
What an ugly loss. I tell the guys they simply were not good enough and I single out Calvin Andrew, telling him his play was an embarrassment. Sheff Wed won and with the win are now tied with us in 1st place. QPR won while Southend drew their game meaning QPR have moved ahead of Southend.
We're now sitting 6 points ahead of 3rd place QPR with only 9 points still in play... April 12, 2009 One other original Hatter I might want to keep around for depth is Matthew Spring. While he's not really the kind of player I'd wanna build my squad around, he's been dependable in spot duty in the past and I see he'd be ready to take a paycut to stick around. He'S currently making $6750 a week but is only asking for $4700 a week on a rotation kind of role. I offer him that. Sam Parkin is still not interested in renewing his contract. FM |
Good stuff so far.
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