Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - FM – From Semi-Pro Minnows to Champions League Glory: Dover Athletic FC

NoSkillz · 01-05-2014, 08:40 PM

Sat. February 13, 2021

Barclays Premier League
Manchester United (21-1-5, 64 points, 2nd) vs. Dover (17-4-6, 55 points, 3rd)
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK

Betting Odds: Manchester United: 1-2 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 9-2
Past Meetings: 0W 0D 6L

Despite being on a ten game unbeaten streak in all competitions, we are pretty heavy underdogs against a Manchester United club that we've never gotten a positive result against.

United have fallen six points back of City in their attempt to win the Premier League. They have the most explosive scorer in English football, with 28 year old French striker Yaya Sanogo sitting with 29 goals already this year across all competitions and 25 Premier League goals in 26 games. He is unquestionably their most dangerous player - Javier Hernandez has 10 goals but he's injured for this contest, leaving reserve striker Tom Bull as their next leading scorer…with only FIVE GOALS. Simply put - stop Sanogo and we have a chance. The other big news is that we will be facing Cristian Rodriguez for the first time since United stole him from us last month.

United are coming off a shock 3-1 away loss to Reading, who used a flat 4-4-2 so I'll do the same and utilize a counter attacking tactic. There is only one change from last week's Liverpool draw and that will be to insert former United prospect Gerardo Escobar in at striker in place of Zoltan Bardi, who will be on the bench for this contest.

Dover: 4-4-2 Counter
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, C. Contreras, P. Tjiuoro, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, A. Rocca, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - G. Gesios, G. Escobar
Bench - L. Koscielny, J. Kuciak, D. Pratley, Mancini, C. Murray, P. Kostal, Z. Bardi

United start in a flat 4-4-2 as well and they usually use a counter attacking tactic so we are essentially matching them. Sanogo is up front with Tom Bull and Rodriguez is starting at centre half, as expected. I tell the team that they can win today.

7' - Gesios is hurt after a tackle from DC Kostas Manolas but he looks like he will shake it off and stay in the game.

12' - Omar Hernandez exchanges passes with midfielder Anderson then sends a lovely pass into Tom Bull in our area. Wilke makes a spectacular diving save to keep the game scoreless.

15' - Andrea Rocca brings the ball through midfield and sends it forward to Escobar, who runs into the area and sends a hard shot toward goal that United keeper Emiliano Viviano deflects away.

16' - The dangerous Yaya Sanogo dribbles down the middle and sends a rocket off the cross bar.

19' - United continue to dominate. They win a corner and Bull's cross is met by the head of Felipe Mattioni but once again, it's off the woodwork and we barely clear just in time.

25' - United continue to key on Gesios and it's Manolas again challenging him and bringing him down. Gesios leaves the pitch for the second time today but just needs brief treatment. A couple minutes later, upon Gesios' return, Manolas brings him down again and gets yellow carded. Hopefully that gets him off his back.

30' - United win a free kick and Jonny Evans plays the ball into the box. Tjiuoro is right on top of Sanogo as the ball goes over their heads into the box but Sanogo beats both him and Wilke to the ball and easily deposits into the net, a typical Sanogo clinical finish and we're down. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1

34' - Sanogo gets another great chance moments later after dribbling by Claudio Contreras, his rocket just goes over the bar. Contreras can't handle Sanogo's pace - this is where a guy like Cristian Rodriguez would come in handy, as he had uncommon speed for a centre half back.

37' - Sanogo is unstoppable, as Eden Hazard makes an excellent pass upfield and Wilke is again forced to make a stellar save.

HALFTIME - Not a pretty half, as we're generating nothing and holding on for dear life. United hold a 54% to 46% possession advantage and a 13-4 (4-1 on target) shot advantage. I tell the team that the pressure is off and they have nothing to lose.

47' - United control from the opening kick and win a corner. It's Bull again taking it and Anderson's header is blocked but it's Sanogo again picking up the loose change and knocking it into the net through a crowd. His second of the game and we're in big trouble. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-2

52' - Gesios heads the ball over to Neil Cairney and he moves it up to Arsene Bamba. He cuts toward the middle and reverses the play over to Gianluca Bolis. Bolis cuts in but is forced to use his left foot after gaining half a step and Viviano makes the easy save.

61' - Nothing happening. I take out Escobar and bring in Zoltan Bardi. I also move to a control philosophy in hopes of pushing the play a bit. We need a goal.

65' - A bit of momentum for us as Cairney feeds the ball wide left to Bamba, who is unmarked cutting toward the corner of the area. He takes a shot to the far side and Vivivano does well to make the save.

69' - Cristian Rodriguez gets hurt for them and is substituted out. I feel no remorse

77' - We have no answer for Sanogo, as he walks in all alone after taking a through ball and Wilke makes a brilliant stop. Hernandez is there to follow up and he misses a sitter, firing it over. Lucky.

83' - Jonny Evans is hurt and needs to come off. United had used up their three substitutions and are down to ten men.

90' - We have an extended period of possession and it's Salim Loucif down the right flank trying to get into the play. He finds Rocca near the middle and he sends a hard cross into the area toward Bamba but his header is weak and easily saved by Viviano.

90'+3 - With time winding down, Sanogo heads the ball upfield and Tom Bull is behind our defence. He walks in all alone and fires it into the lower portion of the goal for the final, unneeded dagger. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-3

We're just not ready for them, I guess.

Manchester United 3 - 0 Dover
Goals - None
Assists - None
Man of the Match - Yaya Sanogo (Manchester United ST - 9.3)
Other Dover Notables - Paulus Tjiuoro (5.4), Claudio Contreras (5.7)
Attendance - 72,971

A pretty poor game where we generated very little. United were simply too strong - they held 54% of the possession overall and throttled us in shots 25-9 (10-3 on target). The middle of our defence, such a strong point this year, really let us down but what can you really say? Sanogo is world-class and he showed why in today's contest.

-- Everyone else around us wins, including City, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal so we find ourselves falling a spot into fourth place, two points back of Chelsea and now only 7 points up on Arsenal. We just have to win as much as possible - it's a tough league.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE 10 GAMES REMAINING)

1. Man City - 73 points
2. Man United - 67 points
3. Chelsea - 57 points
4. Dover - 55 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Arsenal - 48 points
6. Everton - 45 points
7. Liverpool - 44 points
----------------------------------------------------
8. Reading - 42 points
9. Huddersfield - 37 points
10. Newcastle - 37 points

-- Liverpool defeat Sunderland 1-0 in extra time in an FA Cup replay so we will welcome them to Crabble in our fifth round match in three more days. Tough turnaround time for Liverpool but I'm sure they'll be ready. We played them just a week and a half ago and will hope to improve on our 1-1 draw.

Next Up

-- Once again, we face Liverpool in a home match at Crabble Athletic Ground, this time in FA Cup competition

01-05-2014, 08:40 PM	#121
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. February 13, 2021 Barclays Premier League Manchester United (21-1-5, 64 points, 2nd) vs. Dover (17-4-6, 55 points, 3rd) Old Trafford, Manchester, UK Betting Odds: Manchester United: 1-2 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 9-2 Past Meetings: 0W 0D 6L Despite being on a ten game unbeaten streak in all competitions, we are pretty heavy underdogs against a Manchester United club that we've never gotten a positive result against. United have fallen six points back of City in their attempt to win the Premier League. They have the most explosive scorer in English football, with 28 year old French striker Yaya Sanogo sitting with 29 goals already this year across all competitions and 25 Premier League goals in 26 games. He is unquestionably their most dangerous player - Javier Hernandez has 10 goals but he's injured for this contest, leaving reserve striker Tom Bull as their next leading scorer…with only FIVE GOALS. Simply put - stop Sanogo and we have a chance. The other big news is that we will be facing Cristian Rodriguez for the first time since United stole him from us last month. United are coming off a shock 3-1 away loss to Reading, who used a flat 4-4-2 so I'll do the same and utilize a counter attacking tactic. There is only one change from last week's Liverpool draw and that will be to insert former United prospect Gerardo Escobar in at striker in place of Zoltan Bardi, who will be on the bench for this contest. Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - I. Wilke D - R. Gaucho, C. Contreras, P. Tjiuoro, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, A. Rocca, N. Cairney, G. Bolis S - G. Gesios, G. Escobar Bench - L. Koscielny, J. Kuciak, D. Pratley, Mancini, C. Murray, P. Kostal, Z. Bardi United start in a flat 4-4-2 as well and they usually use a counter attacking tactic so we are essentially matching them. Sanogo is up front with Tom Bull and Rodriguez is starting at centre half, as expected. I tell the team that they can win today. 7' - Gesios is hurt after a tackle from DC Kostas Manolas but he looks like he will shake it off and stay in the game. 12' - Omar Hernandez exchanges passes with midfielder Anderson then sends a lovely pass into Tom Bull in our area. Wilke makes a spectacular diving save to keep the game scoreless. 15' - Andrea Rocca brings the ball through midfield and sends it forward to Escobar, who runs into the area and sends a hard shot toward goal that United keeper Emiliano Viviano deflects away. 16' - The dangerous Yaya Sanogo dribbles down the middle and sends a rocket off the cross bar. 19' - United continue to dominate. They win a corner and Bull's cross is met by the head of Felipe Mattioni but once again, it's off the woodwork and we barely clear just in time. 25' - United continue to key on Gesios and it's Manolas again challenging him and bringing him down. Gesios leaves the pitch for the second time today but just needs brief treatment. A couple minutes later, upon Gesios' return, Manolas brings him down again and gets yellow carded. Hopefully that gets him off his back. 30' - United win a free kick and Jonny Evans plays the ball into the box. Tjiuoro is right on top of Sanogo as the ball goes over their heads into the box but Sanogo beats both him and Wilke to the ball and easily deposits into the net, a typical Sanogo clinical finish and we're down. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1 34' - Sanogo gets another great chance moments later after dribbling by Claudio Contreras, his rocket just goes over the bar. Contreras can't handle Sanogo's pace - this is where a guy like Cristian Rodriguez would come in handy, as he had uncommon speed for a centre half back. 37' - Sanogo is unstoppable, as Eden Hazard makes an excellent pass upfield and Wilke is again forced to make a stellar save. HALFTIME - Not a pretty half, as we're generating nothing and holding on for dear life. United hold a 54% to 46% possession advantage and a 13-4 (4-1 on target) shot advantage. I tell the team that the pressure is off and they have nothing to lose. 47' - United control from the opening kick and win a corner. It's Bull again taking it and Anderson's header is blocked but it's Sanogo again picking up the loose change and knocking it into the net through a crowd. His second of the game and we're in big trouble. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-2 52' - Gesios heads the ball over to Neil Cairney and he moves it up to Arsene Bamba. He cuts toward the middle and reverses the play over to Gianluca Bolis. Bolis cuts in but is forced to use his left foot after gaining half a step and Viviano makes the easy save. 61' - Nothing happening. I take out Escobar and bring in Zoltan Bardi. I also move to a control philosophy in hopes of pushing the play a bit. We need a goal. 65' - A bit of momentum for us as Cairney feeds the ball wide left to Bamba, who is unmarked cutting toward the corner of the area. He takes a shot to the far side and Vivivano does well to make the save. 69' - Cristian Rodriguez gets hurt for them and is substituted out. I feel no remorse 77' - We have no answer for Sanogo, as he walks in all alone after taking a through ball and Wilke makes a brilliant stop. Hernandez is there to follow up and he misses a sitter, firing it over. Lucky. 83' - Jonny Evans is hurt and needs to come off. United had used up their three substitutions and are down to ten men. 90' - We have an extended period of possession and it's Salim Loucif down the right flank trying to get into the play. He finds Rocca near the middle and he sends a hard cross into the area toward Bamba but his header is weak and easily saved by Viviano. 90'+3 - With time winding down, Sanogo heads the ball upfield and Tom Bull is behind our defence. He walks in all alone and fires it into the lower portion of the goal for the final, unneeded dagger. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-3 We're just not ready for them, I guess. Manchester United 3 - 0 Dover Goals - None Assists - None Man of the Match - Yaya Sanogo (Manchester United ST - 9.3) Other Dover Notables - Paulus Tjiuoro (5.4), Claudio Contreras (5.7) Attendance - 72,971 A pretty poor game where we generated very little. United were simply too strong - they held 54% of the possession overall and throttled us in shots 25-9 (10-3 on target). The middle of our defence, such a strong point this year, really let us down but what can you really say? Sanogo is world-class and he showed why in today's contest. -- Everyone else around us wins, including City, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal so we find ourselves falling a spot into fourth place, two points back of Chelsea and now only 7 points up on Arsenal. We just have to win as much as possible - it's a tough league. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE 10 GAMES REMAINING) 1. Man City - 73 points 2. Man United - 67 points 3. Chelsea - 57 points 4. Dover - 55 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Arsenal - 48 points 6. Everton - 45 points 7. Liverpool - 44 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Reading - 42 points 9. Huddersfield - 37 points 10. Newcastle - 37 points -- Liverpool defeat Sunderland 1-0 in extra time in an FA Cup replay so we will welcome them to Crabble in our fifth round match in three more days. Tough turnaround time for Liverpool but I'm sure they'll be ready. We played them just a week and a half ago and will hope to improve on our 1-1 draw. Next Up -- Once again, we face Liverpool in a home match at Crabble Athletic Ground, this time in FA Cup competition __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 01-05-2014 at 08:42 PM.