FM2011 - Interactive Dynasty

[law90026]

2019/2020 Start of Season (player cards at start of next season)

Dean Hoo is going to want to do better this year for Arsenal. It's been a quiet off season for the Gunners. The big move is the 3.9 million signing of mecurial striker Mario Balotelli from rivals Man Utd. This may see Ronaldo switch back to playing on the wing instead of playing up front.

Marc Vaughan appears to have a starting spot in the Man City midfield this year and will hope to hold on to it. He loves playing with Aaron Ramsey in the middle of the park. Their huge signing was Khouma Babacar, a 26 year old Senegal international (71 goals in 75 games!) from Catania for 39.5 million pounds! This is a player who has scored 110 goals in 180 league games in his career and Man City will hope he pushes them to trophies.

Rob Nielsen will have to put behind another disappointing Gold Cup campaign and focus on the Spanish league with Valencia, where he is deemed indispensable. Nothing really exciting on the transfer front for Valencia this year.

Daniel Ertmann has started the season in explosive fashion again (4 goals in 3 games) and again looks poised to have a huge year. Their biggest signing was Spanish centreback Marc Muniesa for 7.25 million.

Jace Hunter is still at Livorno but he still wants to leave. He is still the first choice keeper for now as there is no interest from other clubs for his services.

Julio O'Donnell continues to be the man at Leverkusen and they have surrounded him with defensive talent this year in the form of Maurice Dowling (9.5 million pound fullback), Anderson (9 million pound fullback) and Jay Callahan (8 million pound defensive midfielder). Looks like Leverkusen want to set the record for fewest goals conceded.

Bernard Blaze is now considered an important first team player and he will hope that translates to more playing time. Still not capped for England and that has to be frustrating for this talented winger.

Frank Justice has a new midfield partner in the form of 30 year old Italian international Albin Ekdal. He will hope that the partnership works so that Man Utd can defend their league title this year. The big signing for Man Utd was 22 year old French striker Vincent Andrieux for 12 million pounds and this was why Man Utd let Balotelli go.

Path Twelve is at Auxerre and rearing to do better this year. Auxerre have made a few minor signings due to the lack of a budget but they will be hoping that veteran Swiss midfielder, Reto Ziegler (100 caps, 12 goals), will inspire the team to a better league position.

Ubaldo Geronimo's meandering career takes another twist as he is transferred to Burnley (Championship) for 1.8 million. Will he finally settle down? Or is it going to be another temporary pitstop for the striker?

Will Brown is another player who has started the year brightly (2 goals in 2 games). Will this be the year that Villa break into the top 6? They will need Will's goals to do so as well as a good performance from their big signing, 30 year old Italian international midfielder Matias Schelotto.

[illinifan999]

I score goals. It's what I do.

[RPI-Fan]

law (or anyone): Is there a place on the player card where you can see his "game log" or similar? I seem to see this being there in the past, but cannot find it now. Maybe I'm misremembering.

[law90026]

There is a game log in the players screen. Go to history and there should be a sub-tab for career and you can get seasonal stats there. Not sure you can get a detailed game by game log though.

Sorry for the delays in updating, busy at work.

[law90026]

2019/20 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Arsenal
2nd place: Man Utd
3rd place: Liverpool (2x in a row)
FA Cup: Tottenham beats Man Utd 1-0 (Tottenham makes up for losing last year's final) (Frank Justice not in squad because of injury)
League Cup: Liverpool beats Burnley 4-0 (Ubaldo Geronimo 5.7 rating)
Footballer of the Year: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (1st), Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (2nd), Jes Kristensen - Liverpool (3rd) (Rooney's 5th win in 6 years!)
Manager of the Year: Ricardo Carvalho (Sunderland)
Player's Player of the Year: Cicinho - Liverpool (1st), Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (2nd), Aaron Ramsey - Man City (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Jack Cooper - Everton (1st), Mensur Hila - Arsenal (2nd), Joe Basford - Everton (3rd)
Top Scorer: Emmanuel Riviere - Wigan (29 goals), Gino Carlini - Sunderland (24 goals), Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (23 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Lazio
2nd place: Genoa
3rd place: Inter
Italian Cup: Inter beats Catania 3-2 (Catania losing finalist 2 years in a row)

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Barcelona
2nd place: Real Madrid
3rd place: Sevilla
Spanish Cup: Valencia beats Deportivo 2-0 (Rob Nielsen not in the team because of suspension)
Player of the Year: Toni Kroos - Real Madrid (1st), Sergio Aguero - Atletico Madrid (2nd), Juan Manuel Mata - Valencia (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Lacina Traore - Sevilla (27 goals), Anthony Derouard - Osasuna (24 goals), Kevin Friesenbichier - Osasuna (20 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (8x in a row)
2nd place: PSG (5x in a row)
3rd place: Marseille
French Cup: Evian TG FC beats Marseille 1-0
Coupe de la Ligue: St Etienne beats Monaco 2-1

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern (2x in a row)
2nd place: Leverkusen (2x in a row)
3rd place: Hoffenheim
German Cup: Leverkusen beats Bayern 1-0 (Julio O'Donnell not in team because of suspension)

Champions League
Bayern beats Sevilla 1-0 (Bayern makes up for losing last year's final)

Euro Cup
Arsenal beats Palermo 2-0 (Dean Hoo not in squad because of injury)

Summary:
Arsenal are back at the top in England as they pip Man Utd by 1 point. It was a double for the Gunners as they also win the Euro Cup. Man Utd had a season to forget as they came in 2nd and also lost in the FA Cup finals. Liverpool came in 3rd but crushed the Burnley's dreams of a Carling Cup win by destroying them 4-0 in the finals. Sunderland were a surprising 4th and Man City and Chelsea camed in 5th and 6th. Villa were 8th.

In Italy, Lazio came out of nowhere to win Serie A. They signed a whole host of veteran players, like 34 year old Abou Diaby and Emerson and 32 year old Samie Nasri and Darron Gibson, to achieve this, which suggests it might be hard for them to keep this up next year. Inter beat Catania in the Italian Cup finals, the 2nd year in a row that Catania has lost to a Milan club.

In Spain, it was Barcelona winning the league after 4 years, an eternity by their standards. Real were 2nd again and Sevilla continue to be part of the new top 3. Valencia won the Spanish Cup.

Over in France, no surprises as Lyon again win the league with PSG a distant 2nd. The only question is which team comes in 3rd and it was Marseille's turn. Marseille had a disastrous French Cup finals when they lost to Evian (their 1st major trophy ever) while St Etienne won the League Cup. Auxerre ended the season in 13th place.

In Germany, it was another year where the title was decided on goal difference and Bayern just edged out Leverkusen again. Leverkusen got revenge in the German Cup finals though, beating Bayern 1-0. Bayern won the Champions League though so that makes it a very good season for them.

[law90026]

2019/20 End of Season Summary

Dean Hoo was spectacular this season as the Gunners vice-captain helped the club to a league title (50 games, 25 goals, 4 assists, 3 MOMs, 2 yellows, 7.21 rating). He will be disappointed that he missed the Euro Cup final with a thigh strain but he was exhausted by the end of the season.

Marc Vaughan had a disappointing year for Man City (21 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 7.20 rating). His relatively few appearances was partly attributable to a broken ankle that kept him out for a long period. He is currently considering a contract offer from Man City as his present contract expired end June 2020.

Rob Nielsen had a good season with Valencia (23 games, 13 goals, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 7.03 rating) but will be very disappointed he missed the Spanish Cup final with his suspension. It was another injury-plagued season for the American as he suffered a damaged chilles tendon and a broken collarbone, which collectively kept him out for large parts of the season from October till the end of the season.

Daniel Ertmann had another satisfactory personal season with Chelsea (43 games, 25 goals, 4 assists, 2 MOMs, 4 yellows, 7.17 rating) but will be disappointed that the only trophy the Blues picked up was the European Super Cup.

Jace Hunter had another lost season as he was in a contractual dispute with Livorno (3 games, 3 conceded, 1 clean sheet, 6.77 rating). He is now considering a new offer from Livorno but Frankfurt (6th in German First Division) and Ascoli (Serie B) are considering making him an offer as well.

Julio O'Donnell is now considered the best player in the German League as he wins the German Player of the Year award (43 games, 1 goal, 8 assists, 7 MOM, 14 yellow cards). However, his poor disciplinary record meant that he missed the German Cup final.

Bernard Blaze could be on his way out of Man City (16 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6.99 rating), a move that is probably long overdue. Another season where he spent a lot of time on the bench helped him decide to look for greener pastures because the 27 year old doesn't want to waste the peak of his career.

Frank Justice had a good year with Man Utd (41 games, 12 goals, 5 assists, 2 MOMs, 1 yelow, 7.56 rating) but will wonder whether he could have made a difference in the FA Cup finals, which he missed because of a fractured arm.

Path Twelve fractured his skull in November 2019 and that really disrupted his season (17 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 1 yellow, 6.51 rating). Happily, he's back with the team and he's very pleased at Auxerre's league position this year.

Ubaldo Geronimo may finally be settling down as he had his best season to date with Burnley (42 games, 17 goals, 3 assists, 7 yellows, 3 reds, 6.79 rating). His manager would love for him to be less hot-headed on the pitch though. Burnley had a dream year as they reached the Carling Cup finals and got promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs. Ubaldo is considered an indispensable part of the club.

Will Brown loves Villa and had a reasonably good year (25 games, 13 goals, 4 assists, 4 yellows, 6.97 rating) but his season was derailed from February 2020 onwards when he suffered a torn groin muscle and then strained his knee ligaments soon after he came back from the original injury. Maybe he could have helped Villa to a better position and European football?

[DeToxRox]

Burnley gets it.

More assists then I'd like to see though.

[law90026]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Burnley gets it.

More assists then I'd like to see though.

Apparently Ubaldo isn't the one-club kinda guy because he moves again...

[law90026]

2020 Euro Championships

The Group stages saw Italy, Serbia, Isreal, Wales, Croatia, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Holland, Scotland, Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Belgium, England and the Czech Republic qualify for the knockout rounds. Notable upsets were France and Portugal being knocked out during the group stages.

In the 2nd round, Italy beat Croatia 4-0, Turkey beat the Czech Republic 2-1 after extra time, Wales beat Isreal 2-1, England beat Denmark 4-1 (Dean Hoo and Daniel Ertmann 1 goal each), Serbia beat Hungary 2-1, Germany beat Russia 2-1, Holland beat Belgium 2-1 and Scotland upset Spain 1-0.

The quarter finals saw Turkey beat Italy on penalties after the game ended 1-1, England beat Wales 3-0 (Daniel Ertmann 1 goal), Germany beat Serbia 3-0 and Scotland continued their giant-killing run with a 3-1 win over Holland.

In the semi-finals, Turkey beat Scotland 3-1 and Germany beat England 1-0 after extra time.

Turkey completed their dream tournament with a 1-0 win over Germany in the finals.

England's Campaign:
2-1 win over Czech Republic (Dean Hoo, Daniel Ertmann)
2-0 win over Sweden (Daniel Ertmann 2)
2-0 win over Portugal
4-1 win over Denmark (Dean Hoo, Daniel Ertmann)
3-0 win over Wales (Daniel Ertmann)
1-0 loss to Germany

Daniel Ertmann was named as a sub to the Team of the Tournament and was the 2nd place top scorer with 5 goals, further bolstering his credentials.

[law90026]

Dean Hoo, Striker
Club: Arsenal (Premier League)
International: England (40 caps, 31 goals)
Value: 30,000,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 2           Aggression 5         Acceleration 18
Crossing 4          Anticipation 14      Agility 18
Dribbling 15        Bravery 8            Balance 8
Finishing 17        Composure 17         Jumping 16
First Touch 14      Concentration 3      Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 4          Creativity 10         Pace 18
Heading 13          Decisions 11         Stamina 10
Long Shots 7        Determination 11     Strength 19
Long Throws 2       Flair 5 
Marking 2           Influence 16
Passing 10          Off the Ball 16
Penalties 3         Positioning 8 
Tackling 2          Teamwork 9
Technique 12        Work Rate 8

History:
2010-11: Leeds United 30 appearances (5 as sub), 7 goals, 4 yellow cards, 6.50 rating
2011-12: Blackburn Rovers 15 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 6.49 rating
2012-13: Blackburn Rovers 23 appearances (5 as sub), 6 goals, 4 assists, 1 yellow card, 6.78 rating
2013-14: Blackburn Rovers 30 games (1 as sub), 10 goals, 7 yellows, 1 red, 6.74 rating
2014-15: Blackburn Rovers 33 games, 12 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 6.80 rating
2015-16: Rangers 29 games, 14 goals, 4 yellows, 7.07 rating
2016-17: Arsenal 46 games, 21 goals, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 6.97 rating
2017-18: Arsenal 52 games, 21 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 8 yellows, 7.01 rating
2018-19: Arsenal 49 games, 18 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 11 yellows, 6.98 rating
2019-20: Arsenal 50 games, 25 goals, 4 assists, 3 MOM2, 2 yellows, 7.21 rating
Career Totals: 357 games (11 as sub), 136 goals, 18 assists

Achievements:
2013: European U-21 Champions
2016: Community Shield winner (Arsenal)
2017: Champions League winner, European Super Cup winner, Club World Championship 3rd place
2018: League Cup winner, Champions League winner, World Cup winner, European Super Cup winner, Club World Championship winner
2019: League Cup winner
2020: Premier League winner, Community Shield winner, European Super cup runners-up
3x nominee for World Golden Ball (2017-2019)
2018 World Cup Best Player Runner-up
1x World Cup Dream Team
1x Champions League Dream Team
1x Premier League Young Player of the Month
3x Premier League team of the week

Summary:
Dean is the vice-captain of Arsenal and is one of the best players in the world. He has proven himself to be a tremendous goal-scorer, both for country and club and has won pretty much everything possible for a player (save the FA Cup and Euro Championships).

[law90026]

Marc Vaughan, Defensive Midfielder / Midfielder (C)
Club: Juventus (Serie A)
International: England (14 caps, 1 goal)
Value: 8,250,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 8          Acceleration 14
Crossing 7          Anticipation 20       Agility 9
Dribbling 7         Bravery 7             Balance 9
Finishing 10         Composure 11           Jumping 16
First Touch 13      Concentration 11       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 9          Creativity 19         Pace 13
Heading 9           Decisions 16          Stamina 19
Long Shots 14       Determination 10      Strength 18
Long Throws 5       Flair 8 
Marking 12           Influence 13
Passing 17          Off the Ball 11
Penalties 8         Positioning 17
Tackling 14         Teamwork 9
Technique 17        Work Rate 16

History:
2010-11: Norwich 43 appearances, 1 goal, 5 assists, 5 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.20 rating
2011-12: Norwich 5 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 7.54 rating
Man City 3 appearances (2 as sub), 6.70 rating
2012-13: Fulham (loan) 29 appearances (4 as sub), 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellow cards, 6.96 rating
2013-14: Man City: 2 games (2 as sub), 6.55 rating
2014-15: Man City 1 game (1 as sub), 6.50 rating
2015-16: Nottingham Forest (loan) 36 games, 1 goal, 14 assists, 5 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.26 rating
2016-17: Man City 32 games (3 as sub), 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.30 rating
2017-18: Man City 37 games (17 as sub), 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 7.15 rating
2018-19: Man City 17 games (8 as sub), 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 yellow, 7.14 rating
2019-20: Man City 21 games (6 as sub), 2 goals, 1 assist, 7.20 rating
Career Total: 183 games (43 as sub), 14 goals, 24 assists

Achievements:
2013: European U-21 Championship winner, U-20 World Cup 3rd place
2015: League Cup winner (Man City)
2016: English Young Player of the Year Runner-Up
2018: FA Cup winner, World Cup winner
3x Premier League Team of the Week

Summary:
Marc eventually rejected Man City's contract offer and decided to sign with Juventus. The past 2 years have been tough for the talented defensive midfielder as he hasn't gotten the playing time he believes he deserves. It's hard to fault his viewpoint because he has been outstanding for Man City whenever he's been on the pitch. Maybe he can win a league title with Juventus, something that's missing from his trophy cabinet.

[law90026]

Rob Nielsen, Striker
Club: Valencia (Spanish Liga BBVA)
International: USA (58 caps, 30 goals)
Value: 6,750,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 15         Acceleration 16
Crossing 9          Anticipation 14       Agility 17
Dribbling 12        Bravery 5             Balance 10
Finishing 19        Composure 16          Jumping 15
First Touch 16      Concentration 5       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 5          Creativity 8          Pace 17
Heading 13          Decisions 8           Stamina 11
Long Shots 13       Determination 10      Strength 16
Long Throws 3       Flair 18 
Marking 1           Influence 5
Passing 9           Off the Ball 14
Penalties 7         Positioning 8 
Tackling 4          Teamwork 6
Technique 17        Work Rate 10

History:
2010-11: Bournemouth 10 appearances, 2 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellow cards, 6.45 rating
2011-12: Bolton 6 appearances, 1 goal, 6.53 rating
2012-13: Bolton 5 appearances, 3 goals, 1 yellow, 7.04 rating
2013-14: Bolton 19 games (1 as sub), 4 goals, 1 MOM, 6.44 rating
2014-15: Bolton 16 games, 2 goals, 2 yellows, 6.45 rating
2015-16: Valencia 37 games (8 as sub), 11 goals, 1 assist, 5 yellows, 6.76 rating
2016-17: Valencia 32 games (3 as sub), 12 goals, 8 yellows, 6.83 rating
2017-18: Valencia 32 games (1 as sub), 14 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 5 yellows, 6.89 rating
2018-19: Valencia 17 games (2 as sub), 10 goals, 1 assist, 2 MOMs, 4 yellows, 7.03 rating
2019-20: Valencia 23 games, 13 goals, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 7.03 rating
Career Totals: 197 games (15 as sub), 72 goals, 5 assists

Achievements:
2013: North American Gold Cup runners-up
2016: Spanish Cup winner (Valencia)
2017: North American Gold Cup 3rd place
2019: North American Gold Cup 3rd place
2020: Spanish Super Cup winner
1x Liga BBVA Team of the Week

Summary:
Rob is a long-standing member of the Valencia first team and is very well-regarded within the club. He will probably never be amongst the best strikers in the world but he is recognised as a good one. He is also one of the first names on the team sheet for the US national team though it is unlikely he will ever break any records for the US (most capped - 192, Landon Donovan; most goals - 91, Jozy Altidore). There is some concern that Rob's injury problems the past 2 seasons have begun the deterioration of his ability and it has been remarked that is starting to slow down just a tad.

[law90026]

Daniel Ertmann, Striker
Club: Chelsea
International: England (32 caps, 25 goals)
Value: 19,750,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 12         Acceleration 17
Crossing 8          Anticipation 15       Agility 17
Dribbling 15        Bravery 10             Balance 10
Finishing 19        Composure 20          Jumping 12
First Touch 15      Concentration 8       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 4          Creativity 14         Pace 19
Heading 13          Decisions 12          Stamina 13
Long Shots 9        Determination 12      Strength 16
Long Throws 4       Flair 18 
Marking 2           Influence 9
Passing 11          Off the Ball 16
Penalties 7         Positioning 12 
Tackling 6          Teamwork 14
Technique 12        Work Rate 13

History:
2010-11: Liverpool 3 appearances (2 as sub), 1 goal, 6.60 rating
2011-12: Liverpool 1 appearance (6.40 rating)
Coventry (loan) 16 appearances, 7 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 1 yellow card, 7.03 rating
2012-13: West Ham (loan) 4 appearances (1 as sub), 6.17 rating
2013-14: Sporting 15 games (2 as sub), 3 goals, 1 yellow, 6.67 rating
2014-15: Sporting 29 games, 21 goals, 4 assist, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.20 rating
2015-16: Sporting 18 games, 15 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.36 rating
Chelsea 17 games (1 as sub), 10 goals, 1 MOM, 7.22 rating
2016-17: Chelsea 31 games (2 as sub), 15 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 1 red, 7.05 rating
2017-18: Chelsea 45 games (2 as sub), 33 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 5 yellows, 7.38 rating
2018-19: Chelsea 46 games, 27 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 8 yellows, 1 red, 7.16 rating
2019-20: Chelsea 43 games, 25 goals, 4 assists, 2 MOMs, 4 yellows, 7.17 rating
Career Totals: 268 games (10 as sub), 157 goals, 25 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship runner-up
2013: European U-21 Championship winner, U-20 World Cup 3rd place
2016: League Cup winner (Chelsea)
2018: Euro Cup winner, World Cup winner, European Super Cup runner up
2x World Golden Ball nominee (2018-19)
1x European Striker of the Year runner-up (2018)
1x World Team of the Year (2019)
1x Champions League Dream Team (2019)
1x Premier League Team of the Year (2017/18 season)
1x Premier League Top Goalscorer 2nd place (2017/18 season)
1x European Championship Golden Boot 2nd place (2020)
8x Premier League Team of the Week

Summary:
Daniel is one of the best strikers in the world and he is absolutely lethal when given a goal scoring chance. His record speaks for itself as he averages 1.7 games. He has continued to work hard on his game as he continues to develop in small ways. His biggest disappointment is probably the fact that he hasn't won many major trophies with Chelsea so far.

[law90026]

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper
Club: No Club
International: Canada (74 caps)
Value: 0

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Aerial Ability 12   Aggression 14         Acceleration 5
Command of Area 16  Anticipation 16       Agility 9
Communication 11    Bravery 14            Balance 6
Eccentricity 6      Composure 13          Jumping 13
First Touch 2       Concentration 12      Natural Fitness 18
Freekicks 10        Creativity 1          Pace 3
Handling 11         Decisions 12          Stamina 1
Kicking 11          Determination 13      Strength 8
One on Ones 15      Flair 1 
Penalties 1         Influence 10
Reflexes 18         Off the Ball 2
Rushing Out 14      Positioning 16 
Tendency to Punch 13Teamwork 1
Throwing 8          Work Rate 8

History:
2010-11: Barcelona B 7 appearances, 14 conceded, 1 clean sheet, 6.33 rating
2011-12: Barcelona 0 appearances
2012-13: CS Sedan Ardennes (Ligue 2 side, loan) 19 games (1 as a sub), 12 conceded, 11 clean sheets, 7.22 rating
2013-14: Sampdoria 1 game, 3 conceded, 5.20 rating
2014-15: Sampdoria 2 games, 3 conceded, 6.60 rating
2015-16: Sampdoria 0 games
2016-17: Sampdoria 0 games
2017-18: Sampdoria 0 games
2018-19: Livorno 20 games, 32 conceded, 4 clean sheets, 6.38 rating
2019-20: Livorno 3 games, 3 conceded, 1 clean sheet, 6.77 rating
Career Totals: 52 games (1 as sub), 65 conceded

Achievements:
2012: Spanish U-19 Group 2 winner
2013: Helped CS Sedan Ardennes to get promotion to Ligue 1
2015: North American Gold Cup 2nd place
2x Ligue 2 Team of the Week

Summary:
Looks like Jace just isn't cut out for club level football because he hasn't been able to hold on to a starting spot. He's currently unemployed again and was not able to impress at French Ligue 1 side Evian when given a trial. Not entirely sure how things will work out for Jace going forward.

[law90026]

Julio O'Donnell, Defender (C)
Club: Leverkusen
International: England (16 caps)
Value: 8,250,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 15          Aggression 8        Acceleration 15
Crossing 9          Anticipation 19     Agility 10
Dribbling 10        Bravery 13          Balance 10
Finishing 4         Composure 13        Jumping 15
First Touch 16      Concentration 16    Natural Fitness 9
Freekick 17         Creativity 16       Pace 13
Heading 14          Decisions 14        Stamina 14
Long Shots 3        Determination 12    Strength 18
Long Throws 4       Flair 3
Marking 16          Influence 9
Passing 15          Off the Ball 7
Penalties 3         Positioning 18
Tackling 16         Teamwork 13
Technique 16        Work Rate 12

History:
2010-11: Birmingham 3 appearances (2 as sub), 7.15 rating
Watford (loan) 13 appearances, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 7.32 rating
2011-12: Birmingham 13 appearances (2 as sub), 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 6.92 rating
Doncaster (loan) 22 appearances, 2 assists, 5 MOMs, 6 yellows, 1 red, 7.59 rating
2012-13: Birmingham 30 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 11 yellows, 1 red, 7.25 rating
2013-14: Birmingham 26 games, 3 assists, 4 MOMs, 7 yellows, 1 red, 6.90 rating
2014-15: Birmingham 20 games (2 as sub), 7 yellows, 2 reds, 6.90 rating
2015-16: Birmingham 35 games, 2 assists, 2 MOMs, 10 yellows, 7.15 rating
2016-17: Birmingham 29 games, 6 MOMs, 7 yellows, 7.45 rating
2017-18: Leverkusen 42 games, 4 assists, 8 MOMs, 16 yellows, 1 red, 7.51 rating
2018-19: Leverkusen 39 games, 4 assists, 9 MOMs, 14 yellows, 1 red, 7.61 rating
2019-20: Leverkusen 43 games, 1 goal, 8 assists, 7 MOMs, 14 yellows, 7.60 rating
Career Totals: 315 games (6 as sub), 3 goals, 28 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship 2nd place
2013: European U-21 Championship winner, U-20 World Cup 3rd place
2018: German First Division winner, World Cup winner
1x German Footballer of the Year (2020)
2x German Defender of the Year (2018-2019)
3x German First Division Team of the Year (2018-20)
31x German First Division Team of the Week awards
1x Birmingham Supporters Player of the Year
4x Premier League Young Player of the Month
10x Premier League Team of the Week
1x League 1 Young Player of the Month award
4x League 1 Team of the Week

Summary:
Julio is regarded as one of the best defenders in Germany and possibly around the world. He has been fantastic for Leverkusen as he is both strong defensively and also a creative force. The one major issue he has is that he picks up way too many bookings and sending-offs and that makes him potentially unreliable because he will miss games as a result, such as last season's German Cup final.

[law90026]

Bernard Blaze, Midfielder (R) / Attacking Midfielder (R)
Club: Juventus
International: England (24 U-21 caps, 5 goals)
Value: 3,000,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 14          Aggression 13         Acceleration 17
Crossing 17         Anticipation 12       Agility 15
Dribbling 14        Bravery 9             Balance 12
Finishing 12        Composure 10           Jumping 13
First Touch 14      Concentration 8       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 9          Creativity 19         Pace 14
Heading 7           Decisions 12          Stamina 17
Long Shots 9        Determination 15      Strength 13
Long Throws 6       Flair 5 
Marking 9           Influence 12
Passing 15          Off the Ball 14
Penalties 8         Positioning 7 
Tackling 6          Teamwork 13
Technique 10         Work Rate 14

History:
2010-11: Watford 45 games, 2 goals, 16 assists, 2 MOMs, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.10 rating
2011-12: Man City 1 game, 1 goal, 1 MOM, 8.40 rating
Coventry (loan) 30 games, 7 goals, 9 assists, 9 MOMs, 7.56 rating
2012-13: Man City 1 game, 1 assist, 8.20 rating
2013-14: Man City, 1 game, 6.60 rating
2014-15: Man City, 3 games, 1 goal, 6.60 rating
2015-16: Man City, 9 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 6.76 rating
2016-17: Man City 22 games, 5 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 6.95 rating
2017-18: Man City 23 games, 5 goals, 7 assists, 1 MOM, 7.06 rating
2018-19: Man City 17 games, 5 goals, 5 assists, 2 MOMs, 7.30 rating
2019-20: Man City 16 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6.99 rating
Career Totals: 168 games, 29 goals, 50 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship runners-up
2013: European U-21 Championship winner, U-20 World Cup 3rd place

4x Premier League Team of the Week
1x Championship Young Player of the Month
2x Championship Team of the Week
2x League 1 Young Player of the Month
2x League 1 Team of the Week

Summary:
Bernard finally had enough and put in a transfer request and Man City agreed to let him go. It's been a disappointing spell at Man City, especially since Bernard was always able to perform when called upon to do so. Juventus gleefully snapped him up for 3 million and Bernard finds himself with Marc Vaughan in the same club once more. Hopefully Bernard's career picks up now.

[law90026]

Frank Justice, Attacking Midfielder (C) / Midfielder (C)
Club: Man Utd
International: England (5 caps, 1 goal)
Value: 11,250,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 4          Acceleration 13
Crossing 8          Anticipation 18       Agility 16
Dribbling 18        Bravery 7             Balance 12
Finishing 10         Composure 14           Jumping 2
First Touch 17      Concentration 14      Natural Fitness 9 
Freekick 7          Creativity 20         Pace 15
Heading 10           Decisions 20          Stamina 18
Long Shots 14       Determination 13      Strength 17
Long Throws 3       Flair 6 
Marking 8           Influence 14
Passing 16          Off the Ball 14
Penalties 9         Positioning 14 
Tackling 8          Teamwork 13
Technique 19        Work Rate 15

History:
2010-11: Norwich 16 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.89 rating
2011-12: Norwich 37 appearances, 5 goals, 6 assists, 2 yellow cards, 6.99 rating
2012-13: Norwich 24 appearances, 7 goals, 9 assists, 1 yellow card, 7.29 rating
2013-14: Man Utd 18 games, 5 goals, 2 assists, 1 yellow, 7.24 rating
2014-15: Man Utd, 20 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 7.13 rating
2015-16: Man Utd, 19 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.18 rating
2016-17: Man Utd 34 games, 5 goals, 8 assists, 4 yellows, 7.33 rating
2017-18: Man Utd 34 games, 9 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 7.26 rating
2018-19: Man Utd 42 games, 8 goals, 7 assists, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.41 rating
2019-20: Man Utd 41 games, 12 goals, 5 assists, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.56 rating
Career Totals: 285 games, 59 goals, 47 assists

Achievements:
2013: English Community Shield winner
2017: FA Cup winner, Community Shield winner
2018: League Cup runner-up, Premier League winner, World Cup winner, Community Shield winner
2019: Premier League winner
1x Premier League Young Player of the Year runner-up
1x Premier League Young Player of the Month
15x Premier League Team of the Week
1x Championship Young Player of the Month
1x Championship Team of the Week

Summary:
Frank is an amazing attacking midfielder for Man Utd and he is consistently great on the pitch. It's a real surprise he hasn't been capped more often for England but that's England's loss. Frank has won nearly every domestic trophy, save for the League Cup but he would clearly love more European success.

[law90026]

Path Twelve, Defensive Midfielder / Midfielder (C)
Club: AJ Auxerre (French Ligue 1)
International: France (5 U-21 caps)
Value: 2,000,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 14         Acceleration 13
Crossing 5          Anticipation 13       Agility 10
Dribbling 11        Bravery 7             Balance 6
Finishing 6         Composure 11           Jumping 12
First Touch 13      Concentration 12      Natural Fitness 12
Freekick 9          Creativity 11          Pace 9
Heading 8           Decisions 9           Stamina 19
Long Shots 12       Determination 11      Strength 18
Long Throws 1       Flair 17 
Marking 11          Influence 6
Passing 13          Off the Ball 10
Penalties 7         Positioning 17 
Tackling 16         Teamwork 15
Technique 18        Work Rate 18

History:
2010-11: FC Mulhouse 41 appearances (2 as sub), 3 goals, 8 assists, 4 MOMs, 13 yellows, 2 reds, 6.98 rating
2011-12: Sunderland 1 appearance (1 as sub), 6.40 rating
Norwich (loan) 15 appearances (3 as sub), 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.84 rating
2012-13: Norwich (loan) 17 appearances (7 as sub), 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.53 rating
2013-14: Norwich (loan) 19 games (3 as sub), 2 yellows, 6.47 rating
2014-15: Norwich (loan) 19 games (2 as sub), 1 assist, 4 yellows, 6.70 rating
2015-16: Sunderland 1 game (1 as sub), 1 goal, 7.60 rating
2016-17: Auxerre 16 games (2 as sub), 2 assists, 6 yellows, 6.34 rating
2017-18: Auxerre 28 games (1 as sub), 2 goals, 3 assists, 6 yellows, 1 red, 6.40 rating
2018-19: Auxerre 26 games (3 as sub), 5 assists, 8 yellows, 1 red, 6.43 rating
2019-20: Auxerre 17 games (2 as sub), 1 goal, 3 assists, 1 yellow, 6.51 rating
Career Totals: 200 games (25 as sub), 8 goals, 24 assists

Achievements:
None

Summary:
Path Twelve has had a decent career so far. He hasn't been exceptional but he has been steady the past 4 years for Auxerre. He will be hoping that last year's 13th placed finish in Ligue 1 is a sign of better things to come for the club. Probably the one issue which Path faces is his real lack of pace and that can make it hard for him to carry out his role as a defensive midfielder effectively, though his good positioning ability helps mask that to some extent.

[law90026]

Ubaldo Geronimo, Striker
Club: Sevilla
International: Mexico (2 caps, 2 goals)
Value: 6,000,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 8           Aggression 10         Acceleration 16
Crossing 9          Anticipation 9        Agility 13
Dribbling 13        Bravery 9             Balance 13
Finishing 19        Composure 14          Jumping 8
First Touch 12      Concentration 4       Natural Fitness 10 
Freekick 5          Creativity 17         Pace 15
Heading 12          Decisions 9           Stamina 10
Long Shots 9        Determination 14      Strength 12
Long Throws 2       Flair 20 
Marking 1           Influence 3
Passing 12          Off the Ball 13
Penalties 7         Positioning 4 
Tackling 4          Teamwork 14
Technique 16        Work Rate 12

History:
2010-11: Luton 20 appearances, 6 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 3 yellow cards, 6.82 rating
2011-12: Luton 3 appearances, 3 goals, 1 MOM, 1 yellow, 7.30 rating
Napoli 1 appearance (1 as sub), 5.90 rating
2012-13: Napoli 0 appearances
2013-14: Napoli 1 game (1 as sub), 1 assist, 7.10 rating
Kaiserslautern (loan) 3 games, 3 goals, 1 MOM, 7.30 rating
2014-15: SC Wiener Neustadt (loan) 24 games, 13 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 7.37 rating
2015-16: Napoli 4 games (1 as sub), 1 yellow, 6.47 rating
2016-17: Napoli 3 games (1 as sub), 2 goals, 2 yellows, 7.13 rating
2017-18: West Brom 16 games (1 as sub), 2 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 2 reds, 6.70 rating
2018-19: West Brom 13 games (2 as sub), 2 goals, 1 MOM, 6.38 rating
2019-20: Burnley 42 games, 17 goals, 3 assists, 7 yellows, 3 reds 6.79 rating
Career Totals: 130 games (7 as sub), 48 goals, 15 assists

Achievements:
2012: Blue Square Premier champion, FA Trophy champion
2017: North American Gold Cup winner
2018: World Cup 3rd place
2019: Copa America runner-up
2020: English League Cup runner up
1x German First Division Team of the Week

Summary:
Ubaldo makes yet another move in his nomadic career, this time to Spanish big-3 side Sevilla for 6 million pounds. Will he ever settle down? Will he be able to get a regular starting place in a big club, something he has not achieved before in the past? The Mexican has had a lot more success with Mexico compared to his clubs but he is always only in the squad and never actually a regular for Mexico, as evidenced by his 2 caps.

[law90026]

Will Brown, Striker
Club: Aston Villa
International: USA (38 caps, 12 goals)
Value: 6,000,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 3         Acceleration 16
Crossing 7          Anticipation 9       Agility 13
Dribbling 14        Bravery 10            Balance 11
Finishing 19        Composure 13         Jumping 16
First Touch 13      Concentration 4      Natural Fitness 12
Freekick 9          Creativity 8         Pace 16
Heading 12          Decisions 12         Stamina 8
Long Shots 7        Determination 11     Strength 16
Long Throws 2       Flair 5 
Marking 5           Influence 13
Passing 10          Off the Ball 15
Penalties 8         Positioning 10 
Tackling 3          Teamwork 5
Technique 15        Work Rate 9

History:
2010-11: Stevenage 14 appearances, 5 goals, 1 MOM, 2 yellow cards, 6.84 rating
2011-12: Wolves 8 appearances (3 as sub), 2 goals, 6.70 rating
2012-13: Wolves 8 appearances (2 as sub), 2 goals, 6.47 rating
Southampton (loan, League 1) 10 appearances, 8 goals, 3 assists, 2 MOMs, 3 yellow cards, 7.40 rating
2013-14: Aston Villa, 20 games (5 as sub), 8 goals, 2 yellows, 1 red, 6.81 rating
2014-15: Aston Villa, 12 games (1 as sub), 3 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 6.72 rating
2015-16: Aston Villa, 2 games (1 as sub), 2 goals, 7.50 rating
2016-17: Aston Villa 20 games (7 as sub), 6 goals, 1 assist, 3 yellows, 6.61 rating
2017-18: Aston Villa 25 games (5 as sub), 10 goals, 2 assists, 2 MOMs, 4 yellows, 6.88 rating
2018-19: Aston Villa 27 games (7 as sub), 12 goals, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 6.86 rating
2019-20: Aston Villa 25 games (3 as sub), 13 goals, 4 assists, 4 yellows, 6.97 rating
Career Totals: 171 games (34 as sub), 71 goals, 13 assists

Achievements:
2013: North American Gold Cup 2nd place
2017: North American Gold Cup 3rd place
2019: North American Gold Cup 3rd place
1x League 1 Team of the Week
1x League 2 Team of the Week

Summary:
Will's career so far is probably best described as steady but unspectacular, kind of like his club Aston Villa. He actually has a pretty good goal/game ratio but he often finds himself sidelined during a season for some reason, hence why he hasn't played as many games as he might have liked. Still, he's enjoying his time with Villa and he may have given up on a move to a bigger club.

[law90026]

2020/21 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Arsenal (2x in a row)
2nd place: Man Utd (2x in a row)
3rd place: Liverpool (3x in a row)
FA Cup: Man Utd beats Sunderland 4-3 (Man Utd makes up for losing last year's final) (Frank Justice not in squad because of injury)
League Cup: Man Utd beats Man City 3-0 (Frank Justice 6.3 rating)
Footballer of the Year: Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (1st), Giuliano - Man City(2nd), Cicinho - Liverpool (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Quique Flores (Arsenal)
Player's Player of the Year: Moussa Sissoko - Chelsea (1st), Mensure Hila - Arsenal (2nd), Georginio Wijnaldum - Tottenham (3rd)
Top Scorer: Daniel Ertmann - Chelsea (26 goals), Khouma Babacar - Man City (23 goals), Steven Fletcher - Wolves (19 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Inter
2nd place: Palermo
3rd place: Roma
Italian Cup: Roma beats Livorno 3-0

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Barcelona (2x in a row)
2nd place: Real Madrid (2x in a row)
3rd place: Villareal
Spanish Cup: Barcelona beats Real Madrid 1-0
Player of the Year: Toni Kroos - Real Madrid (1st), Sergio Aguero - Atletico Madrid (2nd), Alexis Sanchez - Barcelona (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Frederico Macheda - Sevilla (32 goals), Karim Benzema - Real Madrid (20 goals), Alexander Burns - Villareal (20 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (9x in a row)
2nd place: Monaco
3rd place: PSG
French Cup: Lyon beats St Etienne 3-1
Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille beats Montpellier 1-0

German Bundesliga
Winner: Leverkusen
2nd place: Bayern
3rd place: Dortmund
German Cup: Bielefield beats Leverkusen 2-1 (Julio O'Donnell 7.4)

Champions League
Leverkusen beats Liverpool 1-0 after extra time (Leverkusen's first ever Champions league win) (Julio O'Donnell 8.3 rating)

Euro Cup
Almeria beats Palermo 4-2 on penalties after the full time score is 0-0 (Almeria's first ever European trophu, Palermo losing finalist 2 years in a row)

Summary:
Arsenal had a quiet season by their standards, winning the English Premier League by 4 points over Man Utd. Man Utd did a domestic cup double by beating Man City and Sunderland in both cup finals. Liverpool continued its recent trend of being in 3rd place but nearly won the Champions League, falling just short in the finals. Tottenham, Man City and Sunderland were 4th, 5th and 6th. Villa again just missed out on Europe with their 8th place finish while Chelsea were shockingly bad this year, finishing in 9th place.

In Italy, Inter regained their trophy after a 3 year absence. Palermo and Roma filled out the top 3 spots while last year's winner, Lazio, came in 4th. Juventus finished in 5th. Roma managed to win the Italian Cup, beating Serie B side Livorno (Jace Hunter's old club) easily.

In Spain, Barcelona defend their title over Real Madrid while Villareal makes an appearance in the top 3. Sevilla drop to 4th while Valencia finish 5th. Barcelona emphasized their dominance this year by beating arch-rivals Real Madrid 1-0 in the Spanish Cup finals to do the double.

Lyon win their 9th title in a row in France, Monaco break PSG's stranglehold on 2nd and PSG slip 1 place to 3rd. Auxerre got relegated this year, finishing 18th. Lyon did a domestic double by winning the French Cup while Marseille won the League Cup.

In Germany, Leverkusen are back at the top, not just in Germany but also in Europe as they win their first ever Champions League title! The one sore spot is the surprising loss to Bielefield in the German Cup finals, preventing them from doing an unprecedented treble.

[law90026]

2020/21 End of Season Summary:

Dean Hoo has another good year with the Gunners (41 games, 23 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 7.20 rating) as they defend their Premier League title comfortably. He also managed to get 3rd place in the European Striker of the Year award.

Marc Vaughan had a good debut season with Juventus (37 games, 4 goals, 10 assists, 2 MOMs, 8 yellows, 7.45 rating) but he will be a tad disappointed the club didn't win anything this year.

Rob Nielsen won a minor trophy with Valencia this year (the Spanish Supercup) and was a good performer for the club as always (39 games, 21 goals, 2 assists, 3 MOMs, 4 yellows, 6.99 rating). He is now one of the favoured personnel of the club.

Jace Hunter was unemployed for the entire season. He is hopeful some of the reported interest from a bevy of minor clubs will give him an opportunity to find some work.

Julio O'Donnell had another standout year for Leverkusen (39 games, 7 assists, 4 MOMs, 17 yellows, 3 reds, 7.51 rating), winning 2 major trophies and nearly doing the treble. He was also named to the World Team of the Year, was the European Defender of the Year runner-up, was the German Defender of the Year runner-up and was named to the German First Division and Champions League Team of the Year. Maybe he would have won some of the personal accolades if he didn't have the most appalling disciplinary record ever.

It's amazing what a change of scenery can do for a player as Bernard Blaze just relished the opportunity Juventus gave to him (34 games, 9 goals, 12 assists, 5 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.16 rating) and was named to the Serie A Team of the Year. Now to convince the England manager to give him his first cap.

Frank Justice had another great year for Man Utd (38 games, 8 goals, 11 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.50 rating) and won the League Cup. He missed the FA Cup final because he sprained his ankle near the tailend of the season and just couldn't get fit in time.

Path Twelve will be disappointed that Auxerre got relegated and might wish he could have done more (28 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 yellows, 6.51 rating). He showed his dedication to the club though by signing a new 4 year contract and has indicated he wants to help the club get promoted back to Ligue 1.

Ubaldo Geronimo is rarely used by Sevilla this past season (8 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.99 rating) and he looks to have made yet another bad decision in his career. His old club Burnley avoided relegated on the last day of the season in the Premier League.

Will Brown had his best season ever for Villa (28 games, 16 goals, 1 MOM, 6 yellows, 2 reds, 6.95 rating) but that wasn't enough to push Villa to a place in Europe. He has been a real stalwart for Aston Villa the past years though and his loyalty is very much appreciated.

[law90026]

2021 Gold Cup

In the group stages, Mexico, Honduras, Panama, US, Canada, Haiti, Costa Rica and Guatemala made it through.

In the quarter finals, Mexico beat Haiti 3-0, Costa Rica beat Panama 2-0, USA beat Guatemala 3-0 and Canada beat Honduras 2-0.

In the semis, USA beat Canada 2-1 and Mexico beat Costa Rica 5-0, to set up a clash between the favourites.

Canada won 3rd spot with a 3-2 win over Costa Rica.

The finals was a close-fought affair but a 23rd minute strike by Rob Nielsen proved to be enough as the USA finally won the Gold Cup.

The US Campaign:
2-0 win over Canada (Rob Nielsen 6.8, Will Brown 7.0)
2-0 win over the Bahamas (Rob Nielsen 7.6 and 1 goal)
4-1 win over Haiti (Rob Nielsen 7.2, Will Brown 9.5 and 2 goals)
3-0 win over Guatemala (Rob Nielsen 8.8 and 2 goals, Will Brown 6.9)
2-1 win over Canada (Rob Nielsen 7.3 and 1 goal, Will Brown 6.5)
1-0 win over Mexico (Rob Nielsen 7.8 and 1 goal, Will Brown 6.6)

Ubaldo Geronimo did not feature in any of the Mexico games though he was in the squad.

The Canadian Campaign:
2-0 loss to USA (Jace Hunter 7.3)
2-0 win over Haiti (Jace Hunter 7.9)
3-2 win over the Bahamas (Jace Hunter 7.5)
2-0 win over Honduras (Jace Hunter 7.0)
2-1 loss to USA (Jace Hunter 7.0)
3-2 win over Costa Rica (Jace Hunter 7.6)

[law90026]

Start of Season 2021/22

Dean Hoo is still the vice-captain of Arsenal and there are some questions whether the club will be able to continue to win. The squad is getting old, with 10 out of the 19 first team members being 30 and over. No real transfers in this year either and Cristiano Ronaldo left on a free transfer to join Everton.

Marc Vaughan is looking forward to another season with Juventus and is hoping for a trophy this time around. The club's major signings were 31 year old French defender Mamadou Sakho, 25 year old Brazilian rightback Moura and 23 year old Spanish leftback Rafael Ramirez.

Rob Nielsen may have been the hero for the USA but he's going to miss the start of the season because he strained his knee ligaments in the finals of the Gold Cup. No big transfer news for Valencia this year either.

Daniel Ertmann will look to defend his goalscoring record this season and push Chelsea to a better performance. The club retooled subsatntially,s pending 41 million on transfers, including the 13.5 million pound signing of Swiss striker Nassim Ben Khalifa and the 10 million pound signing of Portugese centreback Fernando Martins.

Jace Hunter signed with Serie A side Reggina and then promptly suffered a hip injury that is threatening to keep him out for an extended period. Looks to be another tough year for the Canadian keeper, who was absolutely outstanding in the Gold Cup.

Will Leverkusen's star defender Julio O'Donnell learn to keep his temper in check? The star defender is looking to another successful season with his club and their campaign will be bolstered by the 12.75 million pound signing of Japanese centreback Ippei Yamamoto and 7.25 million pound German leftwinger Nils Maier.

Bernard Blaze was recognised as the best right-winger in Italy last year and he will hope to recapture similar form this year. Early indications are that he will succeed at that as he has already scored 1 goal and created 4 more in the first 4 games of the season.

Frank Justice will have the weight of driving Man Utd to a title challenge this year, especially since the club only made one notable signing, the free transfer of 31 year old Brazilian defender Breno. It might still be enough since Arsenal didn't re-load either.

Path Twelve made a surprising big move to French powerhouses PSG as they try to break Lyon's stranglehold on the league title. The 5 million pound signing took people by surprise and it will be interesting to see how Path does this year on the big stage. The other big signing was 25 year old Spanish defender Jose Antonio.

Ubaldo Geronimo is in his 2nd season with Sevilla and will be looking for more playing time though he is still relatively content right now. He may find it hard though as Mexican compatriot Agustin Mezza signed for Sevilla for 5.75 million and he is also a striker. The other big signing was the 7.5 million pound acquisition of 20 year old Italian left back Luciano Lorenzi as Sevilla aim to regain their top 3 position.

Another year with Villa for Will Brown, who was a solid contributor for the US team that won the Gold Cup. The club didn't do that much in the market though and may find it hard to improve this year especially since they have lost 2 key defenders in the offseason.

[Coffee Warlord]

Suck it, Mexico.

[larrymcg421]

Yay, this is getting alot better.

[Fluzao]

Wow, the move to Leverkusen really paid off!

[law90026]

2021/22 winners

English Premier League
Winner: Liverpool
2nd place: Chelsea
3rd place: Man Utd
FA Cup: Chelsea beats Fulham 3-2 after extra time (Daniel Ertmann 8.0, 1 goal)
League Cup: Man Utd beats Huddersfield 3-2 (Frank Justice did not play, was recovering from a pulled hamstring)
Footballer of the Year: Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (1st), Moussa Sissoko - Chelsea (2nd), Cicinho - Liverpool (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Stuart Pearce (Liverpool)
Player's Player of the Year: Federico Maggi - Man Utd (1st), Aaron Ramsey - Man City (2nd), Jack Cooper - Everton (3rd)
Top Scorer: Daniel Ertmann - Chelsea (28 goals), Paul Christopher - Wolves (24 goals), Khouma Babacar - Man City (22 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Palermo
2nd place: Juventus
3rd place: Roma (2x in a row)
Italian Cup: Palermo beats Inter 5-4 on penalties (full time score 2-2)
Foreign Player of the Year: Neymar - Inter (1st), Uli Koch - Inter (2nd), Bernard Blaze - Juventus (3rd)
Player of the Year: Neymar - Inter (1st), Uli Koch - Inter (2nd), Bernard Blaze - Juventus (3rd)

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Real Madrid
2nd place: Sevilla
3rd place: Atletico Madrid
Spanish Cup: Barcelona beats Valladolid 2-0
Player of the Year: Alexis Sanchez - Barcelona (1st), Sergio Canales - Real Madrid (2nd), Raphael Holzhauser - Barcelona (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Ahmed Khalil - Real Madrid (32 goals), Frederico Macheda - Sevilla (27 goals), Alberto Bueno - Espanyol (20 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (10x in a row)
2nd place: Monaco (2x in a row)
3rd place: PSG (2x in a row)
French Cup: Nantes beats PSG 1-0 (Path Twelve unused sub)
Coupe de la Ligue: Monaco beats PSG 2-1 (Path Twelve unused sub)

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern
2nd place: Leverkusen
3rd place: Hoffenheim
German Cup: Karlsruhe beats Leverkusen 2-0 (Julio O'Donnell unused sub)
Champions League
Barcelona beats Arsenal 1-0 (Dean Hoo 6.3 rating)

Euro Cup
Man City beats Monaco 2-0

Summary:
Liverpool breaks the Arsenal/Man Utd stranglehold at the top of the Premier League by winning the title. Chelsea came in 2nd but won the FA Cup, driven by Daniel Ertmann's goals, while Man Utd ended in 3rd but won the League Cup. Arsenal were a disappointing 4th and were also the losing finalists in the Champions League. Man City ended the season in 7th place but did manage to win the Euro Cup to salvage some pride. Villa were in 9th as they drop a little further away from European qualification.

In Italy, Palermo win the Serie A title comfortably by 8 points over Juventus. Roma came in 3rd. Palermo also did the double by beating 4th place Inter in the Italian Cup finals.

Over in Spain, a big shock as Barcelona drop out of the top 3 for the first time in 19 years! Real Madrid win the title on goal difference over Sevilla and Atletico Madrid come in 3rd. Barcelona did manage a cup double however as they won the Spanish Cup and the Champions League. Valencia were a very disappointing 10th in the league.

France saw Lyon win its 10th title in a row and, for a 2nd year, Monaco and PSG came in 2nd and 3rd. Monaco was the winner of the League Cup but lost the Euro Cup finals while PSG will be very disappointed they lost in the finals of both the French Cup and the League Cup.

In Germany, Bayern beat Leverkusen for the title and Leverkusen also managed to lose in the German Cup finals to unfancied Karlsruhe. Disappointing season for Leverkusen by their standards.

[law90026]

End of Season 2021/22

Dean Hoo had a better than average season for the Gunners (48 games, 19 goals, 2 assists, 7 yellows, 7.05 rating) but this will count as a disappointment for the club as they fail to win any trophies, including a close loss to Barcelona in the Champions League finals.

Marc Vaughan was having a brilliant season (28 games, 2 goals, 10 assists, 4 MOM, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.42 rating) until he broke his foot in end-October and was out for 4 months thereafter. He returned for the tail end of the season but he may have made a difference in the title race.

Rob Nielsen had a poor season by his standards for Valencia (27 games, 8 goals, 1 yellow, 6.88 rating) and that showed in Valencia's eventual league standing. It didn't help that Rob's season was constantly truncated by injuries (6 weeks for strained knee ligaments, 4 weeks for a sprained ankle, 5 days for bruised ribs), all happening in the first half of the season and he just couldn't get it going in the 2nd half.

Daniel Ertmann was spectacular again for Chelsea (41 games, 32 goals, 3 assists, 3 MOMs, 3 yellows, 1 red, 7.49 rating) and he was rewarded with a FA Cup medal as well as being named to the Premier League team of the year and the Premier League top scorer. Amazing goal scoring record to date in league games throughout his career, 166 goals in 266 games.

Jace Hunter signed on with Reggina in Serie A (12th place) and had an ok year (19 games, 29 conceded, 3 clean sheets, 2 MOMs, 6.55 rating). He will hope for more playing time next year with his club. He is also on course for 100 caps with Canada (92 to date).

Julio O'Donnell was another player who had a disappointing year by his high standards (38 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 2 MOMs, 10 yellows, 7.43 rating). He didn't win any trophies with Leverkusen this year and also failed to win any of the individual trophies in Germany.

Bernard Blaze again shows just how he is when given the chance (41 games, 7 goals, 22 assists, 8 MOMs, 3 yellows, 7.57 rating) and is acknowledged as the best winger in Italy. His performances finally earned him his first cap for England.

Frank Justice had a fantastic year for Man Utd (41 games, 8 goals, 18 assists, 6 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.63 rating) although he missed out on the League Cup win as he was out with a pulled hamstring. Named to the Premier League team of the year as well as shortlisted for the World Golden Ball, along with Daniel Ertmann and Dean Hoo.

Path Twelve didn't play very much for PSG this year (8 games, 1 goal, 1 yellow, 6.63 rating) but he finally managed to get a couple of runners-up medals. Time is probably running out for the 29 year old to make a real impact and this could be his best season from an "achievement" perspective.

Ubaldo Geronimo was a back-up player for Sevilla (16 games, 9 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 1 yellow, 7.13 rating) but he seems happy enough to be in Spain for now. He showed his usual flashes of brilliance and nearly won the Spanish league with Sevilla.

Will Brown had his best season with Villa so far (34 games, 22 goals, 3 assists, 4 MOMs, 6 yellows, 7.08 rating). He didn't win any trophies but he is used to that by now and he is happy to stay with the club that gave him a chance so many years ago.

[vex]

RIP?

[law90026]

Busy at work, haven't had a chance to sim the seasons, sorry!

[law90026]

World Cup 2022

The 2022 World Cup was hosted in Mexico. The teams that qualified out of the Group stages were Portugal, England, Spain, Chile, Ghana, Czech Republic, USA, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Ukraine, Argentina, Holland, Germany, France and Algeria. No major disappointments at this stage.

The second round saw Portugal crush Chile 6-0, Spain beat England 1-1 (3-1 on penalties .. England hit just 1 out of 4), Ghana upset Italy 1-0, the Czech Republic beat USA 2-2 (5-3 on penalties), Brazil beat Argentina 2-0, Mexico beat Ukraine 1-0, Holland beat Algeria 3-1 and Germany beat France 1-0.

In the quarter finals, Portugal beat the Czech Republic 1-0, Spain beat Ghana 2-0, Germany beat Brazil 2-0 and Holland beat Mexico 2-2 (9-8 on penalties).

Holland beat Portugal 2-1 and Germany beat Spain 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Spain came in third by beating Portugal 1-0.

Germany beat Holland convincingly in the finals, 3-0 was the final score.

The England campaign:
1-0 loss to Portugal
4-0 win over New Zealand (Dean Hoo hattrick)
3-0 win over Australia (Dean Hoo 1 goal)
1-1 draw with Spain, out on penalties

The US campaign:
2-1 win over Sweden (Rob Nielsen 1 goal)
1-1 draw with Cameroon
1-0 win over Italy
2-2 draw with Czech Republic, out on penalties

Ubaldo Geronimo was in the Mexican team but did not feature in any games.

[law90026]

Start of Season 2022/23

The players are all 29 this year and pretty much at their peak.

Dean Hoo remains at Arsenal and is again their main man upfront. The Gunenrs spent heavily to reinforce the side after last season's disappointment, including 6 million on a 23 year old French defender and 17.25 million on a 22-year old Ivory Coast central midfielder. One more big move as well which will be touched on in a bit.

Marc Vaughan will be running the midfield at Juventus for another season and looks to have recovered well from his injury. The main signing for Juventus this year was a 21 year old French defender for 16.25 million.

Rob Nielsen will be expected to shoulder the burden of leading Valencia's attack and he is hoping for a better year. Not much help for him though as the club only spent a total of 2 million on transfers.

Daniel Ertmann is going to miss the start of the season after he broke his leg during the World Cup. That is going to suck for him and Chelsea, who are very dependent on his goals. They spent a lot this offseason, including the acquisition of a 27 year old Albanian defender (7.5 million), a 23 year old English defender (9.25 million) and a 26 year old Albanian winger/striker (15.25 million).

Jace Hunter was transferred to Ligue BBVA side Hercules for 1.2 million, who were 16th in the league last year and just avoided relegation. Hopefully he can play well and keep them up this year.

Julio O'Donnell continues to be the man at Leverkusen and he has a new leftback in a 27 year old Spanish international (10 million). He will want to regain his Footballer of the Year award this season.

Bernard Blaze continues to be the best right winger in Italy but his season preparations were curtailed when he fractured his ribs in a pre-season friendly. He will want to recover quickly from the injury.

Frank Justice will need to do a lot of heavy lifting if he is going to lead his club to a trophy, especially since they only spent 8 million on transfers on a few squad players and both Arsenal and Chelsea splurged this past off-season.

Somehow, Path Twelve has become a regular starter at PSG at this lateish stage of his career. Goes to show its never too late, especially if you keep working at it.

Ubaldo Geronimo is at Sevilla still and is happy to stay on even though he isn't likely to be used often for the campaign.

Just as you think that Will Brown was destined to a career with Aston Villa, things change quickly. Arsenal paid 19.75 million for his transfer and hope that his partnership up front with Dean Hoo will bring trophies for the next few years.

[law90026]

2021/22 winners

English Premier League
Winner: Liverpool (2x in a row)
2nd place: Arsenal
3rd place: Man City
FA Cup: Stoke beats West Brom 3-0 in an all Championship final!
League Cup: Liverpool beats Wolves 3-0
Footballer of the Year: Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (1st), Georginio Wijnaldum - Tottenham (2nd), Aaron Ramsey - Man City (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Stuart Pearce (Liverpool) (3x in a row)
Player's Player of the Year: Cicinho - Liverpool (1st), Daniel Rodriguez Garcia - Man City (2nd), Jack Cooper - Everton (3rd)
Top Scorer: Khouma Babacar - Man City (28 goals), Paul Christopher - Wolves (22 goals), Connor Wickham - Man City (22 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Palermo (2x in a row)
2nd place: Inter
3rd place: Juventus
Italian Cup: Catania beats Roma 2-0

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Barcelona
2nd place: Real Madrid
3rd place: Almeria
Spanish Cup: Sevilla beats Valencia 2-1 (Rob Nielsen 7.1 rating for Valencia; Ubaldo Geronimo was not in the Sevilla team)
Player of the Year: Manoel - Real Madrid (1st), Juan Luis Alvarez - Atletico Madrid (2nd), Konstantin Feokistov - Real Madrid (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Ahmed Khalil - Real Madrid (29 goals), Bruno - Almeria (22 goals), Rob Nielsen - Valencia (22 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (11x in a row)
2nd place: Marseille
3rd place: Evian TG FC
French Cup: Bordeux beats Lens 2-1
Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille beats PSG 4-2 on penalties (1-1 after extra time) (Path Twelve unused sub)

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern (2x in a row)
2nd place: Leverkusen (2x in a row)
3rd place: Hoffenheim (2x in a row)
German Cup: Bayern beats Wolfsburg 4-0

Champions League
Barcelona beats Man Utd 2-1 (Frank Justice 8.1 rating, 1 assist) (Barcelona 2x in a row)

Euro Cup
Inter beats Man City on penalties (0-0 after extra time)

Summary:
Liverpool defend their title in England, winning it by points over Arsenal, and also added the League Cup to their cabinet. Man City came in 3rd, with Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham coming in 4th, 5th and 6th. The pre-season concerns about Man Utd came true as they finished a lacklustre 8th. It was a surprising FA Cup final as 2 Championship sides made it and Stoke won it to celebrate their re-promotion back to the Premier League as Championship winners (106 points!).

In Italy, Palermo defended their title over Inter by 2 points. Juventus were a distant 3rd, 9 points behind Palermo. Catania won the Italian Cup but finished in 6th overall. Inter did manage to win the Euro Cup by beating Man City but that's a lesser trophy by their standards.

In Spain, Barcelona came back strongly this season to win the title by 2 points over Real Madrid. Barcelona also defended their Champions League title by beating Man Utd in the finals. Sevilla were 4th while Valencia were 5th and the 2 clubs played in the Spanish Cup finals where Sevilla edged Valencia 2-1. Hercules made a marked improvement this year, finishing 7th in the league and qualifying for the Euro Cup next season.

In France, no surprises as Lyon win their 11th consecutive title. What was surprising was the 2nd and 3rd place finish by Marseille and Evian, with Monaco dropping to 5th and PSG to 7th. PSG also lost in the League Cup finals to Marseille while Bordeux won the French Cup.

In Germany, Bayern won the double comfortably, winning the league with a 7 point margin over Leverkusen and crushing Wolfsburg in the German Cup final.