FM: P'boro Utd. - Year 8 ('11-'12) - Hunter turns Hunted

[Butter]

Kargbo is picked to the Team of the Week.

Since both Inter and AC Milan are due to play at the San Siro in the Second Leg of their Champions League bouts, Inter play their game a day early.

Champions League First Knockout Round, Second Leg
Inter 4:1 Grazer AK (Inter adv. 4-1 on agg.)

March 7, Champions League First Knockout Round, Second Leg - Televised
v. FC Porto (Posh lead 2-0 after first leg)
Fav: Posh, 6:4

All we need to advance today is to not lose by a score of 3-1 or worse.

Injured: Kargbo, Sarr, Kranjcar, Mokoena
Ineligible: Stenman, Karsnak, Svensson
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Heitinga, Alex, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Gerard
S: Wallner, Cole

7'- Heitinga clears a corner kick well downfield... Mngomeni latches onto it and keys a counter attack... Cole gets a pass, and beats his man... he shoots from 10 yards, it's deflected wide... the attempted clearance strikes Gerard, who tries a 15 yard volley into an open side of net, but he hits it into the side netting instead.

16'- Mngomeni passes into the middle for Cole... he cuts right, then plays a ball ahead... great ball onto the run of Wallner! Wallner beats the keeper to the pass, then puts it under his legs and into the back of the net! 1-0, Posh! Terrific combo play by Cole and Wallner.

18'- Mere moments later, Heitinga again clears it away to Cole this time... Cole with a long ball into space, and Wallner has his man beaten! Wallner cuts around the keeper, and slots it home with his left foot! 2-0, Posh! Our counter attack is eating the pushed up Porto defense for lunch.

23'- Kenny Lunt in for a slightly injured Gerard.

Porto fall back a bit, trying to not get totally embarrassed now.

45'- Sneijder lofts a pass into the arc, where Wallner has time and space again... Wallner swivels, jinks the keeper, and slots it home again! Wallner with a first half hat-trick!

Wallner leaves at halftime with a slight injury in favor of Vagner.

53'- Fabio Rochemback picks up a yellow for dissent.

54'- Cole out, Marcos in, as we've now burned through all 3 subs... we switch to a 5-4-1.

We are content to knock the ball around for the remainder, and we take the 3-0 second leg win, giving us a huge 5-0 aggregate win. Roman Wallner is the only player in the entire match to rate above a 7, earning a 10 and MoM honors for his superb effort.

Win, 3-0, Peterborough United advance 5-0 on aggregate
Shots/on target: Posh 22/12, Porto 4/0
Poss: 51-49, Posh
A: 16,236

Champions League First Knockout Round, Second Leg results
Chelsea (5) 3:0 (2) Ajax
Lyon (3) 2:0 (3) Werder Bremen (Lyon adv. on away goals)
AC Milan (3) 2:1 (1) Man U
Olympiakos (4) 3:0 (1) Bayern Munich
Sporting L. (1) 1:1 (3) Roma
Valencia (3) 3:1 (4) Basel

A stunning win for Swiss club Basel, as they advance to the Champions League Quarterfinals for the first time in club history.

[Butter]

Arsenal appoint Mexican coach Javier Aguirre as their new head man. Aguirre had been with Spanish side Osasuna for the last several years, and was just sacked as head coach of the Mexican national team this past July, after Mexico were eliminated in the Copa America Quarterfinals.

The draw for the Champions League Quarterfinals are made, and we get a nice draw... We'll face Roma, the same team we defeated in this year's European Super Cup, in the Quarters, beginning at London Road on April 4th. The other matchups are Basel v. Chelsea, Milan v. Olympiakos, and Lyon v. Inter.

March 10, FA Cup Quarterfinals
@ Bristol City (17th in Championship)
Series: Bristol lead 3-0-1
Fav: Posh, 1:2

We have a week off after this one, so we play as many regulars as we can... I don't want to give Bristol City a chance here.
Injured: Mokoena
Unfit: Kranjcar, Sarr, Kargbo
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Jensen, Marcos, Alex, Heitinga
M: Mascherano, Mngomeni, Bellomo, Karsnak
S: Balaban, Wallner

A very scrappy first half, as Bristol do a good job of just throwing the ball forward and hoping for good things... luckily, Arenas stays alert, and deflects away at least 2 dangerous balls inside the six. On the offensive side, we look thoroughly inept, as Balaban and Wallner are unable to penetrate the BC back line. In fact, we are outshot in the first 45 minutes, 5 to 4.

Gavilan enters for a dinged up Mngomeni at halftime, and Gerard comes on for Karsnak, who is laboring.

49'- If you're a David against a Goliath, you just want to throw the ball forward and hope you can create chances with back line mistakes... fortunately for Bristol, striker Steve Brooker picks a great spot to make a run, and he gets in 5 yards behind our back 4 after a great long ball... fortunately for us, Arenas is a one-on-one master, and makes a kick save... Alex is there to clear the rebound.

73'- Cole enters for Wallner, who has picked up a minor injury. We try a tricky gambit to try and avoid a replay... switching to the offside trap and pushing forward in attack more vigorously.

84'- Gavilan, playing on his unnatural side -- the left -- has to turn and swing in a cross using his right foot from the left... Cole meets it at 8 yards, but puts it over.

88'- Bristol nearly pop a man free, but he is fractionally offside.

90'- Alex with a great sliding tackle, as our pushed up defense is caught out in a 3 against 4... but again, Alex pokes the ball away at the top of the area.

90+'- With mere seconds to go of the 4 added minutes, Alex's long pass deflects to Mascherano... he moves forward, and passes short to Gavilan in the center of the pitch... Diego Gavilan bends a shot from just outside the arc... and it bends past the keeper's outstretched gloves and in!!! Gavilan saves us from a replay and potential embarrassment, and gets us the winning goal!

Diego Gavilan gets MoM for his game-winner, earning an 8 in just one half of play. Arenas, Alex, Marcos, Heitinga, Wallner, and Mascherano also nab 8's for a decent performance, gutting out a tough win against a determined Bristol City side.

Win, 0-1, advance to FA Cup Semifinals
Shots/on target: Bristol 8/5, Posh 14/5
Poss: 53-47, Posh
A: 19,278

FA Cup Sixth Round results
Liverpool 3:1 Preston North End (Ch.)
Middlesbrough 2:0 Bolton (Ch.)
Southampton 1:0 Portsmouth

We pick up $700k for our win over Bristol City... giving us over $1 million in prize money from the FA Cup alone.

[Butter]

Benito Floro is sacked as manager of Liverpool, despite their FA Cup triumph.

The FA Cup Semifinal draw is held, and we get another good draw, as we'll host Middlesbrough on April 18th.

EPL mid-week fixture
West Ham 0:0 Man U

Emil Jensen and Bocanegra both pick up injuries during the same training session... they will both be out around 2 weeks.

March 17, Match 29
19-6-3, 1st pl., 63 pts.
v. Southampton (11-11-5, 7th pl., 44 pts. - Leading scorer: Dexter Blackstock, 12)
Series: Posh lead 4-3-0
Fav: Posh, Evens

Injured: Bocanegra, Mokoena, Jensen
Unfit: Heitinga, Alex
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Stenman, Marcos, Sarr, Zaccardo
M: Mascherano, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Gerard
S: Vagner, Cole

1'- Carlton Cole picks up a yellow card for fouling and injuring a Southampton player after 7 seconds. The Saint defender has to leave the game.

We dominate play early on, but are unable to get any dangerous shots in.

22'- Sneijder's corner kick comes down to Vagner... he's pushed over by Danny Higginbotham, and the referee points to the spot! Gerard to take it... he nails it into the top right corner! 1-0, Posh.

40'- Sarr heads a pass away to Cole... Cole holds the ball, then passes long... Mngomeni is away! Thando attacks the keeper... and powers it home inside the right post! 2-0, Posh.

Southampton cannot get any balls through.

79'- Marcos with a nice long ball to Vagner... Vagner gets near the end line, and cuts it back for Mngomeni, cutting diagonally into the box... Mngomeni waits for the keeper to commit, and beats him near post! 3-0, Posh. Mngomeni has just been outstanding of late.

An easy win at home, as we extend our unbeaten string over Southampton to 8 games. Thando Mngomeni is a natural choice for man of the match, earning a 9 and a brace. Arenas, Cole, and Sneijder pick up 8's.

Win, 3-0, lead remains 4 pts.
Shots/on target: Posh 15/9, Saints 3/2
Poss: 55-45, Posh
A: 19,434

EPL Round 29 results
WBA 0:2 Man U
Villa 0:2 Newcastle
Blackburn 4:1 Birmingham
Man C 1:0 Liverpool
Norwich 2:0 Boro
Sheff Wed 1:1 Chelsea
West Ham 1:0 Cardiff
Arsenal 0:0 Spurs
Portsmouth 1:2 Palace

[Butter]

Balaban twists an ankle in training, and the late-season injuries are starting to mount... he'll miss a couple of weeks.

Thando Mngomeni is named to the Team of the Week. He now has 9 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this year.

EPL mid-week fixture
Arsenal 1:1 So'ton

A name from the past has caught fire for our reserve team. 25 year old striker Jim Johansen, who saw his meteoric rise begin in 2006, has scored 14 goals in 18 starts for the reserve team this season, including 4 goals in their last 2 matches. He may just get a call-up.

John Heitinga suffers a badly twisted ankle, and he'll be out for 4 weeks.

Whispers have been going around the training ground that Lebohang Mokoena is trying desperately to get back in shape... The physios tell me he'll be out 2 more months... about the period of time between now, and the Champions League final. Hmmm.

March 24, Match 30
20-6-3, 1st pl., 66 pts.
@ Crystal Palace (14-4-10, 7th pl., 46 pts. - Leading scorer: Kevin Nolan, 9)
Series: Posh lead 4-4-1
Fav: Posh, Evens

Injuries: Balaban, Heitinga, Bocanegra, Jensen, Fernandes, Mokoena
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Stenman, Marcos, Kargbo, Sarr
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Kranjcar
S: Wallner, Cole

2'- Crystal Palace score, as midfielder Kevin Nolan hits a volley from the top of the box that strikes Thando Mngomeni and slips in past a helpless Arenas. 1-0, Eagles.

4'- Sarr with a long ball to Cole who is onside.... but his shot is stopped. 30 seconds later, he gets the ball again, and takes matters into his own hands, going on a 60 yard run with the ball at his feet around a couple of Palace defenders... but he gets stoned again.

Palace are dominating us in the first half.

22'- A cross comes into the back post... headed on by Fitz Hall, but he blazes it just wide.

33'- Another good cross falls to Sandor Torghelle, but Arenas is able to lay a finger on the 10 yard volley and tip it aside.

Kargbo and Sneijder have minor injuries at halftime, and Arenas has already had a trainer visit him on the field for some ailment.

47'- Cole, Kranjcar, and Wallner form a triangle, and play the ball between them about 70 yards up the field... finally, a pass pops out of there, and Thando Mngomeni is wide open... he charges the near post... and slots it home! Mngomeni's 10th of the year, and we're level at 1!

Stenman and Kranjcar also now have minor injuries.

66'- Sarr with a great long ball to Mngomeni... Thando gets into the box, and cuts it in the middle for Cole, who is wide open from 10 yards... but he mishits it right at the keeper.

71'- Sneijder with a great pass down the center for Carlton Cole... but again, he misses a one-v-one opportunity, putting this one just wide.

74'- And we pay for it, as Stenman loses his man on the back post as the ball is crossed down, and James Dayton is left with a simple 6 yard finish. 2-1, Palace.

Karsnak, Vagner, and Gavilan enter for the injured Kranjcar, Kargbo, and Sneijder... we switch to an aggressive 3-4-3.

81'- Crystal Palace with a corner kick... it comes in to the right side of the six yard box... Karsnak totally hauls down Fitz Hall there, and the penalty is given. Hall takes it himself and puts the game on ice -- 3-1, Palace.

88'- Arenas with a nice long ball left to Mngomeni... he knocks it ahead onto Karsnak's run... Karsnak just blows past the back line... he gets near the keeper, and the keeper brings him down! It's a penalty. Mngomeni gets to take the spot kick, and he converts. 3-2 now with precious little time remaining.

There are several nervous moments, but a couple of errant passes kill our momentum in the 4 stoppage minutes, and we can't find the equalizer. Wayne Routledge wins MoM for Palace, while Mngomeni and Wallner pick up our only ratings of 8 for the match.

Loss, 3-2, lead down to 3 pts.
Shots/on target: Eagles 17/9, Posh 11/8
Poss: 52-48, Eagles
A: 23,840

Kargbo is the only player of concern after the injury filled match, but he should be alright for next week with rest.

EPL Round 30 results
Boro 2:1 Sheff Wed
Cardiff 1:1 So'ton
Chelsea 2:0 Blackburn
Newcastle 4:2 Portsmouth
Spurs 3:0 Man C
West Ham 1:1 Norwich
Liverpool 3:3 Villa
Man U 0:0 Arsenal
Birmingham 0:2 WBA

We continue to hold a 3 point advantage over 2nd (ManU) and 3rd (Spurs) place... Arsenal and Chelsea are 4th and 5th, and are just 4 and 5 points back respectively, so either could make a charge.... but it looks like we're in command of our destiny once again, with just 8 games to play. We still have Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea on the road, plus the task of hosting Tottenham, along with continuing play in Europe and the FA Cup... so it will be interesting to see if we can pull off the triple. With the way the injuries are mounting, I doubt it.

[Butter]

Gerard will miss 2 weeks of action with a calf strain... our injury list is frightening, considering our big matchup with Roma looms.

Wallner is selected to the Team of the Week.

Hugo Viana goes out with a broken leg for 6 months for Liverpool... he has only started 10 games for them this season, and his average rating is sub-7.

Now we get a big injury notice, as star striker Carlton Cole goes down with a twisted ankle... he'll miss 2 weeks of action, which could mean missing our first leg against Roma.

EPL Round 31 results - Saturday
So'ton 3:0 Palace
Arsenal 0:0 Birmingham
Villa 1:1 Spurs
Blackburn 0:1 Boro
Portsmouth 0:1 Liverpool
Sheff Wed 2:0 West Ham
WBA 1:1 Chelsea

In case you're wondering, the battle against relegation has Sheffield Wednesday clear of the drop on 21 points... then Norwich (17), Cardiff (16), and West Bromwich Albion (14) are all firmly entrenched on the bad side of the drop line. These 4 teams are the only ones involved, as 16th place Portsmouth have 33 points.

Left back Fredrik Stenman has been sent to the reserve squad... he has struggled mightily ever since joining the club, and I can't waste playing time on him now.

April 1, Match 31 - Televised
20-6-4, 1st pl., 66 pts.
v. Newcastle United (13-8-9, 9th pl., 47 pts. - Leading scorer: Robert Vittek, 9)
Series: Posh lead 4-0-3
Fav: Posh, 6:4

With the injuries to Cole and Balaban, Jim Johansen gets a call up and will start today at striker.
Injured: Gerard, Heitinga, Cole, Mokoena
Unfit: Jensen, Balaban
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Kargbo, Sarr, Svensson, Gavilan
M: Jesus, Lunt, Bellomo, Karsnak
S: Johansen, Vagner

This game is either going to be horrifically awful with this lineup, or we're going to blow them out.

2'- Vagner with the ball in midfield... he passes to Bellomo... Bellomo tries to slide the ball through to Johansen, and the ball deflects, but still gets to Jim... he turns, and chips the keeper from 20 yards... it's in!!! Jim Johansen wastes no time getting back on the senior club scoresheet! 1-0, Posh!

4'- Edu blazes a 20 yarder just high and wide of the target.

22'- After the ball pinballs in the box for a bit, Karsnak ends up with a hard shot from 12 yards, but it just misses.

Both teams get some play in the box for the remainder of the half, but nothing dangerous.

55'- Karsnak again alone in the box, but he can't find the target.... his finishing skill will come, but he has missed a lot of chances this year.

63'- Martin Rongen gets played into the box... he draws Arenas, then lays it off for Craig Bellamy... but Bellamy mishits it, and Arenas makes the save.

71'- Mngomeni in for a tiring Lunt, Marcos on for Gavilan, who has a caution.

74'- Karsnak plays Johansen onside... Jim gets into the box, but can't beat the keeper with his hard, low shot.

80'- Edu crosses into the box... Shola Ameobi with a free header from 10 yards, but he can't keep it down!

83'- Karsnak with a nice pass into space for Johansen... Johansen skillfully moves around a defender, and gets into the box... he pulls the shot to the far post with his left foot... it hits the post! And goes in!!! 2-0, Posh, as Johansen scores a brace on his return to the Posh lineup!

90+'- Johansen nearly scores a hat-trick at the death, narrowly blazing a 15 yard shot past the far post.

The final whistle goes, and we take the points! Jan Karsnak with his finest game as a Poshman, earning a 9 rating and MoM honors. Arenas also picks up a 9. Sarr, Bellomo, and Jim Johansen pick up 8's. Johansen appearing in his first senior game since May, 2011... and his first meaningful senior squad game since the end of the 2008/09 season.

Win, 2-0, lead remains 3 pts.
Shots/on target: Posh 15/6, Magpies 12/6
Poss: 52-48, Posh
A: 19,436

EPL Round 31 results - Sunday/Monday
Man C 0:2 Man U
Norwich 1:0 Cardiff

Norwich pull to within a point of Sheffield Wednesday to avoid relegation, winning their crucial 6-pointer.

Arenas, Sarr, and Karsnak are picked to the Team of the Week.

And as April 4, and our Champions League Quarterfinal looms, I note that several players are absent from the squad for international friendlies..... trouble ahead?

[Butter]

We are totally screwed for this game personnel wise.... we'll see if we can keep up with Roma. Several of our stars are injured, and still more are away playing in international friendlies... apparently, I failed to notify them to withdraw from their squad for this day. A scoreless draw would not be a bad result.

April 4, Champions League Quarterfinal - First Leg (Televised)
v. AS Roma (beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 on agg. in Round of 16)
Last meeting: Posh 2:0 Giallorossi (European Super Cup, 8/26/11)
Fav: Posh, 6:4

The key to this game will be Lee Grant... if he can stand up to the Roma pressure, we have a solid chance.

Injured: Gerard, Heitinga, Cole, Mokoena, Vagner
Ineligible: Svensson, Johansen, Karsnak
Int'l duty: Alex, Mascherano, Arenas, Gavilan
Lineup:
GK: Grant
D: Bocanegra, Sarr, Marcos, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Kranjcar
S: Balaban, Wallner

11'- First shot of the game is a hopeful 35 yarder by Balaban that keeper Ivan Pelizzoli has no trouble grabbing.

Only one other highlight is shown for the first half, and that was a cross by Jesus that was headed clear. Roma with 0 shots at halftime, while we had only 3.

The second half also zips by rather uneventfully....

81'- Mngomeni moves to forward... Fernandes enters for a tired Balaban... Bellomo in for a slightly injured Roman Wallner.

We manage one highlight for the second half, that is a 25 yard Bellomo shot in the 90th minute that is about 5 yards wide of the target.

We get what we want... a scoreless draw. So, if our counter attack can break through in Rome, we'll be in very good shape to advance. Mngomeni picks up our only 8, as Ivan Pelizzoli is named Man of the Match.

Draw, 0-0, return leg in 7 days
Shots/on target: Posh 7/3, Giallorossi 0/0
Poss: 53-47, Posh
A: 17,554

Champions League Quarterfinals - First Leg results
Basel 0:0 Chelsea
Lyon 0:0 Inter
Milan 1:0 Olympiakos

A boring day all around, as Nicolas Anelka scores the only goal of the day in the entire tournament.

[Butter]

Diego Gavilan strains ligaments in his knee during training, and is due to miss about a month of action... or nearly the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, Lebohang Mokoena has resumed "light" training... but his return is still about 2 months off, say the physios.

April 7, Match 32
21-6-4, 1st pl., 69 pts.
@ Liverpool (14-9-7, 6th pl., 51 pts.)
Series: Even, 3-1-3
Fav: Reds, 5:4

Injured: Heitinga, Cole, Gavilan, Vagner, Mokoena
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Jensen, Svensson, Alex, Kargbo
M: Mascherano, Fernandes, Lunt, Karsnak
S: Johansen, Wallner

Liverpool dominate the midfield early on... and we are unable to get any offense generated.

26'- Gerrard with a great long ball to Alan Smith... Smith gets behind Jensen, then he chips Arenas from 20 yards... and it slips inside the right post. 1-0, Scousers.

29'- Lunt with a great pass into the center... Johansen is free around the penalty spot, and takes a quick shot... off the upright! And cleared by Liverpool.

43'- Karsnak with a couple of nifty moves to break through the last line of defense... but he waits too long to shoot and the keeper gets back in position and makes the save.

Liverpool with some quality possession around the box early in the 2nd half, but we keep their chances to a minimum.

66'- Fernandes nods down for Wallner, but his 20 yard volley is off the mark.

72'- Mngomeni in for Johansen... Bellomo in for Wallner... Kranjcar on for Lunt. Karsnak moves to striker, and Bellomo will play the right wing. We switch to attacking tactics out of the 4-4-2.

77'- Karsnak passes right for Bellomo... but his shot is wide of the far post.

87'- Fernandes uncorks a 20 yarder that Chris Kirkland does well to save.

90+'- In the final of 4 added minutes, a Rafael van der Vaart free kick from 50 yards is stolen... Mascherano passes wide to Bellomo... Bellomo with a long ball to Mngomeni, who has beaten the Liverpool defense! Mngomeni wheels around Kirkland... and slots it home!!! Mngomeni in the waning moments has scored the equalizer! 1-1!

The final whistle goes and we take a big road point. Ibrahim Kargbo is named MoM with an 8... he won 15/17 headers and made 10 pass interceptions... both remarkable statistics. Arenas, Alex, Bellomo, and Mngomeni pick up 8's as well in the crucial road draw.

Draw, 1-1, remain 3 pts. ahead of Man U
Shots/on target: Reds 8/2, Posh 12/5
Poss: 51-49, Reds
A: 53,006

EPL Round 32 results
Birmingham 0:1 Man C
Man U 1:1 Villa
Boro 1:0 WBA
Newcastle 0:1 So'ton
Norwich 6:1 Sheff Wed
West Ham 3:0 Blackburn
Spurs 3:0 Portsmouth

Spurs and Man U are both now level on 67 points, just 3 behind us. Spurs lead by +1 on goal difference... but we're 6 in goal difference ahead of them both, giving us the crucial tiebreaker.

Norwich absolutely hammer Sheffield Wednesday in another key relegation matchup, which pulls Norwich to safety by 2 points over the Owls.

[Butter]

Kargbo is named to the Team of the Week.

Here comes the biggest game we've yet played with me at the helm.

April 11, Champions League Quarterfinal - Second Leg (Televised)
@ AS Roma (First leg score: 0-0)
Fav: Giallorossi, 6:4

Carlton Cole is back to 86% strength for this match... he will be on the bench to come on as a sub if necessary. If we can manage a non-scoreless draw, or a win, we will move on. Any loss will see us out of the competition.

Injured: Heitinga, Fernandes, Gavilan, Vagner, Mokoena
Ineligible: Svensson, Johansen, Karsnak
Unfit: Gerard
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Marcos, Alex, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Kranjcar
S: Balaban, Wallner

The crowd at Stadio Olimpico is very intimidating as we step onto the pitch... the flares are going, as are the drums and the music.... what an atmosphere.

Again, the game is very tight early.

11'- Roma with a nice play, getting space down the right... a cross is swung dangerously into the six, but Alex heads it long. Balaban recovers, and plays in the center to Wallner. The Posh advance... Sneijder ends up with it, and shoots from 30 yards, but Pelizzoli with a routine save.

19'- Mngomeni passes in the middle to Balaban... he leaves it for Kranjcar, who passes left again onto Mngomeni's run into the box... Thando opts to take it on the volley, but Pelizzoli watches it skitter wide. Pelizzoli's ensuing goal kick is stolen... Kranjcar with the ball near midfield... he draws 2 defenders, and passes to Wallner in space... Wallner with a man draped on him shoots from 12 yards, but Pelizzoli deflects it... Balaban gets the rebound and tries to stuff it in past 2 defenders, but Roma does well to keep it out, and clear the danger.

22'- Left winger Mario Alberto Santana with a cross in for forward Italo Mattioli... Bocanegra gets there first, but his header is mis-directed... and it goes past Arenas into the net. An own goal by Bocanegra puts Roma on the board, 1-0.

Roma dominate the ball for the remainder of the half, and take the 1-0 lead into the locker room. Roma had nearly 60% of the ball in the first half. Unacceptable.

Carlton Cole enters for Balaban at halftime.

Roma continue to dominate the ball in the early stages of the second half... we are unable to string any passes together before giving the ball away.

62'- Lunt enters for Zaccardo... he will play the left wing, and Mngomeni moves to striker as we must push forward into a 3-4-3 to try and get the equalizer.

69'- Finally, an opening, as Bocanegra gets the ball long to Roman Wallner... Wallner beats his man, and gets into the box... his 12 yard shot is turned aside by Pelizzoli.

80'- Mngomeni finds a crack, and shoots from 25 yards, but Pelizzoli hugs the post and shepherds the ball out for a goal kick.

82'- Bellomo on for Bocanegra... we go with a 2 man backline, and push everyone else deep into Roma territory.

Roma are very determined, and just do not let anything through. We push Marcos and Alex up late, and it just allows Roma to waste time by knocking the ball deep into our half. We have no answer... and finish with a disappointing loss. No one rates above a 7 for us. Arenas and Wallner get 6's.

Loss, 1-0, out of Champions League
Shots/on target: Roma 13/4, Posh 11/8
Poss: 61-39, Roma
A: 64,943

Carlos Bocanegra will long be remembered as scoring the single goal in this 2-legged matchup.... but scoring it the wrong way. Looks like the treble will have to wait. Unfortunately, I felt at the time, and still do, that the injury to Carlton Cole doomed us from the start... not to mention our inability to score a goal in the first leg. If Cole plays the full 90 in both legs, I think he gets at least 1 goal past the Roma back line.

Champions League Quarterfinals, Second Leg results
Chelsea 3:0 Basel
Inter 4:2 Lyon
Olympiakos 4:1 Milan

Chelsea, Inter, Roma, and Olympiakos move into the semifinals.

We pick up prize money of $3.2 million for our advancement into the quarterfinals.

[Butter]

Following the defeat, Liverpool offer me their head job... they tell me they would give me $22 million in way of a transfer budget, and are happy with their wage bill of $102 million (!). I politely decline the offer.

After the disappointment of our loss at Rome, we come home and face the prospect of beating Tottenham to remain in control of the Premiership.... just 4 days after the ultimate disappointment.

April 14, Match 33
21-7-4, 1st pl., 70 pts.
v. Tottenham Hotspur (20-7-5, 2nd pl., 67 pts. - Leading scorer: Sanli Tuncay, 14)
Series: Even, 3-3-3
Fav: Posh, 5:4
Milestones: Jim Johansen makes his 100th league appearance for the Posh.

I notice that Arenas, Kranjcar, and Wallner's morale went right into the toilet (read: very poor) immediately following the loss to Rome. Arenas is taking it particularly hard... there was little he could've done to stop the goal scored by Bocanegra. I will start him, and hope he can shake it off.

Injured: Fernandes, Gavilan, Jensen, Mokoena, Heitinga
Unfit: Vagner
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Kargbo, Svensson, Sarr
M: Mascherano, Sneijder, Bellomo, Karsnak
S: Johansen, Wallner

5'- Sneijder's 30 yard curler is tipped over by Tim Howard.

14'- Johansen with a great long ball to Wallner... he runs it down in the arc, then shoots... Howard deflects it away... Johansen charges and hits the rebound... Howard dives to his left and makes another nice save.

33'- Sneijder with another long distance effort, but Howard's there again.

41'- Johansen has the ball tackled away in the area... Sneijder collects the rebound and has an opening against the out of position Howard, but hits it into the side netting.

52'- Wallner sets up Mascherano for a 20 yarder off a throw in... but his shot is just wide.

58'- Sneijder again with a long distance shot... and Howard again is up to the task, tipping it away for a corner.

69'- Zaccardo in for a slightly injured Kargbo... Sarr moves to center back. Mngomeni in for an ineffective Karsnak, and Cole replaces a tiring Wallner.

70'- Bellomo with a great cross to Sneijder, who is unmarked in the area... his 15 yarder is just barely tipped away by Howard. Sneijder's corner kick comes to Svensson at the spot... he heads it into traffic, and it's hacked away. Zaccardo comes up with it near midfield... he passes left to Bocanegra, who sends a good ball down the left to Sneijder... Wesley beats his man, and gets into the box... his shot is stopped by Howard, but the rebound rolls to Cole, who shoots... Howard with another dazzling save!

78'- Sneijder with a free kick just inside the arc... he gets it over the wall, and past Howard... into the net! 1-0, Posh! Great free kick by Sneijder as he scores his 5th goal of the year to put us on top!

88'- Salomon Kalou with an early cross in... young striker Daniel Holmes is able to gather the ball under pressure from both Zaccardo and Svensson... he turns, shoots, and scores inside the left post. Nothing Arenas could do about that one, that was just a great individual play by Holmes. 1-1.

The game ends in a draw... really, about the best we could hope for considering morale coming in. And we have the FA Cup Semifinal in 4 days. Tim Howard is the well-deserved MoM. Sneijder and Arenas pick up 8's for us.

Draw, 1-1, lead remains 3 pts.
Shots/on target: Posh 17/12, Spurs 10/6
Poss: 51-49, Spurs
A: 19,439

EPL Round 33 results
WBA 2:1 West Ham
Man C 1:1 Chelsea
Portsmouth 1:1 Man U
Sheff Wed 1:0 Cardiff
Blackburn 0:0 Norwich
Palace 1:2 Newcastle
Arsenal 2:0 Boro
Villa 2:1 Birmingham

Portsmouth do us a huge favor by keeping Manchester United to a draw, and we maintain our 3 point lead with 5 games to play. Man U must be getting desperate. We'll see how desperate in a couple of weeks.

FA Cup Semifinal
Liverpool 0:2 Southampton

[Butter]

John Heitinga once again returns to full training. The physios tell me the guy is just prone to injury, but doesn't have any surgical needs that would help him avoid future problems.

April 18, FA Cup Semifinal - from Wembley (neutral site, Televised)
v. Middlesbrough (13th in Premiership)
Series: Boro lead 4-2-3
Fav: Posh, 5:4

We make our 2nd appearance of the year in Wembley Stadium, this time trying to earn a spot in the FA Cup Final for the first time ever.

Injured: Gavilan, Jensen, Mokoena, Fernandes, Heitinga
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Kargbo, Alex, Marcos, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Lunt, Kranjcar
S: Wallner, Cole

Each team with some minor chances early, but the defenses stand up well to the pressure.

18'- Zaccardo intercepts a corner and sends an outlet pass into space... Cole comes back to the ball in the circle... he wheels on his man and leaves him in the dust... Cole has broken free... he attacks the keeper, then chips him... and scores! Cole with his first goal since January 28th, and we take a 1-0 lead!

We take command of the match following the Cole goal... Cole and Wallner each with breakaway chances in the final 5 minutes of the half, but neither can beat the keeper.

46'- Zaccardo with a long ball to Cole... he's in behind the defense again, but his shot is once again turned aside.

50'- Defender Chris Riggott picks up his 2nd yellow card of the match, both for holding back Cole. We will operate a man up for the final 40 minutes.

Middlesbrough up the attack in the final 20 minutes.

77'- Bocanegra in for Cole, as we switch to a 5-4-1... Sneijder on for a tiring Lunt, and Karsnak enters for Wallner, as we try and inject some speed into the counter attack.

81'- A long ball to midfielder Benedict Vilakazi... Vilakazi gathers and shoots from 20 yards... Bocanegra sticks his leg in front of the shot, but the ball deflects off the leg, wrongfooting Arenas and going into the back of the net. Bocanegra again with a huge mistake!!! Now the 5-4-1 looks like a horrific idea, as we look headed for extra time.

For the extra time, we move Mngomeni to striker, Zaccardo up to the right wing, switching Sneijder to the left... and switch back to the 4-4-2.

Very little action in the extr half-hour, as neither team wants to make the big mistake to cut themselves out of the final.

The match goes to penalty kicks.

Our lineup for the PK's is: Alex, Sneijder, Mngomeni, Kranjcar, and Kargbo for the first 5.

Round 1:
Posh: Save - Alex goes for power, but it's right at keeper Lee Boyle.
Boro: Score - Midfielder Zvonimir Vukic scores inside the right post.

Round 2:
Posh: Save - Sneijder's PK is much like Alex's... no deception involved.
Boro: Save - Arenas guesses right on Vilakazi's shot to the right side.

Round 3:
Posh: Score - Mngomeni gets it past Boyle into the left corner.
Boro: Score - Matteo Brighi into the upper right corner.

Round 4:
Posh: Score - Kranjcar buries it into the top left corner.
Boro: Save! - Defender Christophe Berra hits it right down the middle, and Arenas with a kick save moving to his right!

Now, it's essentially sudden death.

Round 5:
Posh: Ibrahim Kargbo to take it... he sets it up confidently... and powers it inside the left post! Score!
Can Arenas shake off the own goal at Olimpico and today's fluke and lift us to victory?
Boro: Defender Joe Carter to take it.... he fires high and down the middle... off the crossbar!!!!!

The Posh are into the FA Cup Final!

Draw, 1-1, Peterborough United advance, 3-2 on PK's
Shots/on target: Posh 19/8, Boro 4/1
Poss: 53-47, Posh
A: 25,616

EPL Round 34 results
Birmingham 0:0 Portsmouth
Cardiff 0:2 Newcastle
Chelsea 4:2 Villa
Liverpool 1:2 Palace
Norwich 0:1 WBA
Sheff Wed 3:0 Blackburn
Spurs 0:0 So'ton
West Ham 0:1 Arsenal

Norwich are collapsing down the stretch after getting 2 big wins... they slip back into the drop zone, as the Owls now sit at 27 points, Norwich with 24, and WBA with 20.

The Saints do us a favor, holding Spurs to a draw... and we'll get a chance to extend our unbeaten streak over Southampton to 9 games, as we will face Southampton in the FA Cup Final on May 26.

[Butter]

We bring striker Michal Jablonski up to the big club, and send Jim Johansen back down. Johansen had one remarkable game, but has shown himself to be a step behind at this level.... especially in the Liverpool game.

April 21, Match 34 - Televised
21-8-4, 1st pl., 71 pts.
v. Birmingham City (10-11-13, 11th pl., 41 pts. - Leading scorer: Oribe Peralta, 9)
Series: Posh lead 4-1-2
Fav: Posh, Evens

Injured: Gavilan, Mokoena, Jensen
Unfit: Heitinga
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Svensson, Sarr, Kargbo
M: Mascherano, Sneijder, Bellomo, Karsnak
S: Balaban, Vagner

We get the better of chances during the first part of the game...

21'- Vagner lines up a free kick from just outside the arc... he bends it over the wall, but a nice save by the keeper to dive over and tip it away.

Not a whole lot of action in this one... a snoozer.

68'- Cole and Mngomeni enter for Balaban and Vagner.

73'- Karsnak's 20 yard shot is just parried away at the last moment.

78'- Sarr with a 45 yard free kick... he lofts it in the general vicinity of Cole... the keeper comes out to try and get to the ball, but Cole nods it past him, and it rolls slowly into the back of the net!

Birmingham try to push forward, but just end up giving us a boatload of late chances... we don't convert any, but we do hold on to our 1-0 win. Sarr, Bocanegra, Mascherano, and Bellomo pick up 8's for us, as the Birmingham keeper is named man of the match.

Win, 1-0, lead increases to 5 pts.
Shots/on target: Posh 20/15, Blues 3/0
Poss: 56-44, Posh
A: 19,450

We continue to keep the pressure on the teams behind us... and it seems to be working. We're in prime position to take home the title for the second straight year after the weekend's results see us holding a 5 point lead over Spurs with 4 games to play.

EPL Round 35 results
Arsenal 3:0 Norwich
Blackburn 4:2 Cardiff
Man C 1:2 West Ham
Portsmouth 1:1 Chelsea
So'ton 1:0 Man U
WBA 0:2 Sheff Wed
Villa 1:0 Boro
Newcastle 0:1 Liverpool
Palace 3:0 Spurs

Arsenal are making a charge, as they've moved into 2nd place on 69 points, 5 points behind us... and they have a game in hand. This may get interesting yet.

Cardiff are officially relegated following this round of play.

[Butter]

Sarr and Bocanegra are picked to the Team of the Week.

Man U's manager Vincenzo Pincolini, who doesn't particularly like me, tells the media that he looks forward to putting a hole in our title hopes, and doubts that we can survive a loss at Old Trafford. I tell the media that we WILL win the title.

Gerard complains to the press that he wants to be a first team regular... which is odd, considering that he is.

April 25, Match 35
22-8-4, 1st pl., 74 pts.
@ Manchester United (20-8-6, 4th pl., 68 pts. - Leading scorer: Valeri Bojinov, 12)
Series: Red Devils lead 5-2-3
Fav: Red Devils, 5:4

Maybe our biggest visit to the Theatre of Dreams yet.

Injured: Gavilan, Jensen, Mokoena
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Heitinga, Alex, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Gerard
S: Wallner, Cole

Both teams waste early chances... Valeri Bojinov for Man U, and Sneijder for us putting close shots off target.

20'- Cristiano Ronaldo's corner kick zips to the back post... Ivica Olic with a volley that deflects off Heitinga, and falls perfectly for Stewart Downing, who scores. 1-0, Man U.

26'- Ivica Olic with a great cross to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is unmarked from 10 yards, but Arenas with a good save to deflect the shot out of danger. Jesus ends up with it out in front of the box... he moves forward, then spots the run of Sneijder... Sneijder gets behind the defense... Wesley Sneijder takes on Maarten Stekelenburg, and slides the ball right past him and into the net! 1-1!

Zaccardo takes a slight knock into the locker room... we'll take a draw here. Arsenal still have tough road games at Liverpool and Chelsea to come, so we should still be in good shape if we fail to take all 3 points here. But at least 1 would be nice.

50'- Substitute Fabrizio Miccoli pops free in the box, but Arenas gets down to save the 10 yard shot.

53'- Bocanegra plays Wallner onside, but his tough angle shot is tipped out by Stekelenburg.

58'- Miccoli again pops free, and has an even closer shot, but Arenas is up to the task again. The ensuing corner is taken short... Miccoli crosses to the six for Bastian Schweinsteiger... who half-volleys it home from there. Nice set play by Man U, and they lead 2-1.

60'- Bojinov pops free in the area, and nearly makes it 3-1, but Arenas saves our hide again with a fine save.

66'- Cole is played free down the right... he gets to the end line and brings it into the box... he crosses to the back post, where Wallner is unmarked and touches it into the back of the net! 2-2! Wallner's 15th goal of the season.

73'- Kranjcar in for a tiring Gerard.... Kargbo enters for a dinged up Zaccardo.

87'- Michal Jablonski enters as we try to get some speed in the back line... Cole has a seat.

89'- Jablonski gets a bit of space in the box, but his attempted cut back pass to Wallner is picked off.

And that takes care of it. We get a road draw here. Arenas picks up a 9 and MoM. Mngomeni, Jesus, and Wallner nab 8's. Not a bad result at all.

Draw, 2-2, lead increases to 6 pts.
Shots/on target: Red Devils 16/9, Posh 14/6
Poss: 54-46, Man U
A: 65,604

Unfortunately, for us, Arsenal now have 2 games in hand on us, are 6 points behind us, and have a +8 advantage in goal difference. If they win the rest of their games, and we win the rest of ours, they're champs. We must press even harder in our efforts in the last 3 matches of the season, and force Arsenal to win every single game.

Champions League Semifinals, First Leg
Inter 0:2 Chelsea
Olympiakos 0:1 Roma

EPL mid-week results
Boro 2:0 Man C
So'ton 1:1 Liverpool

We successfully get reserve D/DM Cesar Arzo sold to Mallorca, despite the fact that his contract is up in July. Mallorca give us $550k for Arzo's rights.

UEFA Cup Semifinals, First Leg
Atletico Madrid 2:0 Sochaux
CSKA Moscow 1:1 Arsenal

[Butter]

Big road game for us at Chelsea before we finish with 2 softer games... we need to win here to keep the pressure up on Arsenal.

April 28, Match 36
22-9-4, 1st pl., 75 pts.
@ Chelsea (18-10-6, 5th pl., 64 pts. - Leading scorer: Landon Donovan, 10)
Series: Even, 4-1-4
Fav: Blues, 5:4
Milestones: Chelsea are on an 11 game unbeaten streak.

We start the youngsters up front today, and have Wallner and Balaban ready in case this is a bad idea. Hoping that fresh legs will help us in the attack.
Injured: Sarr, Cole, Gavilan, Mokoena
Unfit: Gerard, Zaccardo
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Alex, Marcos, Kargbo
M: Mascherano, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Kranjcar
S: Jablonski, Vagner

5'- Bocanegra's long throw in to Vagner is headed away... Mngomeni collects the loose ball and fires a 25 yard volley that is parried away by Petr Cech.

9'- Sneijder with a great ball through the middle for Mngomeni... he finds a bit of space and fires far post from the penalty spot, but Cech has it covered again.

10'- Tiago with a shot from the top of the box, blocked by Bocanegra... it rolls to the edge of the area, where Mascherano appears to have position on Aliaksandr Hleb... the whistle goes, and the referee points at the spot! Mascherano is adjudged to have slid in on Hleb from behind! WTF? Mascherano clearly had position, and looked himself to be dragged down by Hleb. Anyway, Fernando Torres takes the PK... and converts.

12'- Off the kickoff, Niko Kranjcar tries a hard curling 35 yarder, but it's too high.

14'- Sneijder with a steal, he passes forward to Vagner... Vagner with a good long ball down the center to Jablonski... he holds off John Terry and shoots far post... Cech deflects it. Sneijder gets the rebound at the end line, and chips over the keeper to the back post where Mngomeni is... but Hleb is there to head it away for a corner. Mngomeni's corner is played to Jablonski at the edge of the six... he sends it back to Mngomeni, who enters the edge of the box unmarked... he crosses to the middle for Vagner, but Paolo Ferreira is there to head it... off the crossbar! Cech flails at the ball trying to punch it away, but it falls to his right... Jablonski reaches out and pokes it... into the back of the net! What a series! Jablonski evens the game at 1-1!

22'- Jablonski gets the ball near midfield... he holds it up, then passes long to Sneijder... Sneijder with a first touch header to Kranjcar, who is onside! Kranjcar... shoots but it's saved by Cech... Vagner collects the rebound and scores... but he's offside!

The rest of the half is considerably calmer, but we get a couple of more long shots in on Cech, but Petr appears to be on top of his game today.... I know in the past he's had a tendency to let in a long shot or two, so we just have to keep firing away.

Mascherano is rating just a 6 and has a card at halftime, so he leaves for Heitinga... Kargbo moves up to the DMC spot.

46'- Kranjcar down the middle with space... he tries to pass left for Jablonski, but Paolo Ferreira pokes it away... right to Mngomeni, who then returns the ball back to Jablonski behind the defense... Jablonski faces down Cech, and puts it away inside the near post! Jablonski's 2nd of the game, and it's 2-1, Posh!

49'- Wayne Bridge centers for Fernando Torres, but his volley is just wide of the far post.

67'- Karsnak enters for an ineffective Kranjcar.

70'- Corner kick for Chelsea comes to the back post... Landon Donovan is unmarked, but his shot hits the post square, and bounces right to Heitinga, who clears.

73'- Karsnak blows past John Terry and gets to Cech, but his low shot is tipped aside. Mngomeni's follow up from a tough angle is skied.

82'- Balaban is on for Vagner.

85'- An errant cross falls to Wayne Bridge at the edge of the six, but his shot is very poor... barely with enough power to roll all the way to Arenas.

90+'- In the first of 4 additional minutes, Hleb and Bridge play back and forth down the field... ending with Hleb lofting a ball over the back line, right to Bridge, who beats Marcos... Arenas is just 2 yards away, well off his line, but does extremely well in forcing Bridge to take a quick shot that Arenas pushes away with ease. Rosicky's corner kick falls to the spot... and another penalty has been given!!! Unbelievable! Donovan was judged to have been pushed over by Kargbo, and Chelsea with yet another free chance at goal! Fernando Torres again... and again he converts! Ridiculous call!

Some serious Stamford Bridge cooking gives Chelsea a gift draw on a day when their offense was completely inept. Petr Cech wins MoM, but by all rights this should have been a 2-0 win with Jablonski the celebrated rising star of our offense. He, Marcos, Bocanegra, and Heitinga pick up 8's for us. But his 2 goal effort is outshined by the horrible penalty calls that rob us of 2 points.

Draw, 2-2, lead increases to 7 pts.
Shots/on target: Blues 15/8, Posh 25/13
Poss: 51-49, Blues
A: 38,001

EPL Round 36 results - Saturday
Man U 2:3 Palace
Birmingham 2:0 So'ton
Cardiff 0:1 Liverpool
Norwich 3:2 Man C
Spurs 0:3 Newcastle
West Ham 3:1 Villa

Manchester United and Spurs are now officially out of the title running, as they both sit 7 points back with 2 to play. But Arsenal now have 3 games in hand on us.... quite a large and odd number, and they're also 7 points back. So, we've at least clinched 2nd place, which is quite an accomplishment in and of itself.

Fulham have won the Championship and automatic promotion to the Premiership. Blackpool have earned relegation from the Championship.

EPL results - Sunday/Monday
Blackburn 2:0 WBA
Sheff Wed 0:2 Arsenal
Boro 1:1 Portsmouth

West Brom earn relegation with their road loss at Blackburn, while Barnsley win promotion to the Premiership thanks to earning 2nd place in the Championship.

[Butter]

Thando Mngomeni complains publicly about wanting a new contract... he is currently making $1.8 million per season, and wants a bump to $3.6 million. I'll probably keep him where he's at at least until next season.

Champions League Semifinals - Second Leg results
Chelsea (4) 2:2 (2) Inter
Roma (3) 2:0 (0) Olympiakos
-Chelsea and Roma earn their way to the Champions League final.

EPL mid-week result
Cardiff 0:2 Palace

UEFA Cup Semifinals - Second Leg results
Arsenal (3) 2:0 (1) CSKA Moscow
Sochaux (2) 2:1 (3) Atletico Madrid
-Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup final.

May 5, Match 37
22-10-4, 1st pl., 76 pts.
v. Middlesbrough (12-7-17, 14th pl., 43 pts.)
Series: Boro lead 4-3-3
Fav: Posh, Evens

Injured: Sarr, Cole, Gavilan, Mokoena
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Heitinga, Alex, Marcos, Zaccardo
M: Jesus, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Gerard
S: Jablonski, Wallner

A tight game early on... each team with one minor chance in the first half hour, but nothing close to goal.

31'- Sneijder's corner comes down to Jablonski... Michal heads it into the back of the net... but is called for obstructing the keeper. Our bad officiating luck comes up again.

Good news at halftime, as Arsenal trail at Liverpool 1-0 at the interval. If we can come out and score and hold on, we could nearly clinch the title today.

49'- Mngomeni plays the ball into space on the left side... Jablonski chases down the pass, then crosses to the middle... Wallner with a header, but it's parried away.

57'- Sneijder's corner is punched away by the Boro keeper... right to Alex, who fires a 20 yard volley into traffic... too high and out for a goal kick.

71'- Karsnak in for Gerard... Balaban on for Jablonski, as we get some fresh legs into the attack.

The next 20 minutes are rather uneventful...

90+'- Wallner is played down the right by Alex... he crosses back post to Mngomeni, who is unmarked from 8 yards! He shoots... it screams inches wide of the far post! So close to the game winner!

Another draw! We cannot string together any wins here at the end of the season... Arsenal do lose 2-0, but they still have 3 games to play, whereas we have only one. If they win all 3, there's not much we can do at this point. Luckily for us, all 3 of their remaining games will be played in the next 7 days. Mngomeni picks up our only above average rating, getting a 7.

Draw, 0-0, lead remains 5 pts.
Shots/on target: Posh 14/6, Boro 0/0
Poss: 58-42, Posh
A: 19,450

EPL Round 37 results
So'ton 1:3 Chelsea
Palace 1:1 Birmingham
Liverpool 2:0 Arsenal
Man C 2:1 Sheff Wed
Portsmouth 3:2 West Ham
WBA 3:0 Cardiff
Villa 3:1 Norwich
Newcastle 2:2 Man U

[Butter]

EPL mid-week result - Tuesday
Arsenal 1:3 Blackburn

Great news here! We now control our own destiny, and a win would give us the title on Sunday.

EPL mid-week result - Wednesday
Liverpool 0:0 Spurs

EPL mid-week result - Thursday
Chelsea 1:1 Arsenal
WBA 3:2 Palace

And that's the big one! We clinch our 2nd straight league title with Arsenal's draw at Stamford Bridge!

BUTTER PRAISED BY PETERBOROUGH SUPPORTERS

Fans of Peterborough United were justly proud after the team returned home with the English Premier League title.

Fans and pundits alike were unanimous that the person responsible for the team's success was Butter.

The Peterborough board have also revealed to the gathering journalists that they are happy with winning the competition.

We won the league with 78 points last year, and try to surpass that total with a road win over lower table West Ham today.

May 12, Match 38
22-11-4, Champions, 77 pts.
@ West Ham United (12-9-16, 13th pl., 45 pts. - Leading scorer: Jonathan Stead, 10)
Series: Posh lead 7-5-1
Fav: Posh, Evens

We start a backup lineup, as we attempt to save everyone we can for the FA Cup Final in 2 weeks.

Lineup:
GK: Grant
D: Jensen, Marcos, Svensson, Sarr
M: Mascherano, Lunt, Bellomo, Karsnak
S: Jablonski, Vagner

A boring opening quarter of an hour.

16'- A long ball by the keeper is headed back by Marcos... past Karsnak, but onto the run of Jablonski, who has split the last 2 Hammer defenders! Jablonski has the ball tipped by the keeper... but he keeps his balance, and finishes into the open net! 1-0, Posh, on Jablonski's 4th of the season in just 6 appearances.

23'- Gerald Asamoah with a pass into the center for 20 year old striker David Watts... Watts passes left for striker Kristoffer Haestad... Haestad gets a pick from an offensive player, then curls it around Grant just inside the far post. No keeper in the world is stopping that shot. 1-1.

29'- Karl Svensson strikes a free kick from precisely on the center of the pitch... and isn't too far off from challenging the keeper.

32'- Asamoah crosses to Watts... Watts' header is tipped over by Grant.

West Ham dominate the next half hour or so, but we remain level.

67'- Mngomeni enters for Jablonski... this is Thando's 200th league appearance for the Posh. Sneijder in for Lunt.

71'- Haestad with a high, loping cross into the middle for Bobby Zamora, and he directs the header well, past the outstretched Grant and into the net. 2-1, Hammers, on Zamora's 100th career league tally.

West Ham control the rest of the game, and win the finale 2-1. Lucky for us we didn't need wins in our last few games, because we sure played like crap. Sarr gets MoM with an 8 in defense, winning 11/15 headers. Marcos and Svensson also pick up 8's.

Loss, 2-1, finish 1st
Shots/on target: Hammers 15/6, Posh 7/4
Poss: 58-42, Hammers
A: 31,679

Chelsea could move up from 5th with a win and a Man U loss/draw, and a win/draw and a Spurs loss. Norwich could move out of the drop zone and send Sheffield Wednesday down with a win over Portsmouth at home and an Owls loss to Aston Villa at home. Crystal Palace have clinched 7th place, so no upward movement into UEFA Cup places is possible now.

EPL Round 38 results
Birmingham 1:3 Newcastle
Blackburn 1:0 Man C
Chelsea 3:2 Palace
Man U 0:0 Liverpool
Boro 0:0 So'ton
Norwich 0:3 Portsmouth
Sheff Wed 1:3 Villa
Spurs 2:1 Cardiff
WBA 0:1 Arsenal

So, Chelsea do indeed move up to 4th place, and Manchester United finish a humiliating 5th. Norwich lose, and suffer relegation. We do not win any of our last 4, but are able to hold on and win the Premiership for the 2nd consecutive year.

We win $21 million in prize money for our triumph.

[Butter]

End-of-season awards

English Players' Player of the Year (and English Footballer of the Year):
1. Jose Antonio Reyes (Arsenal)
2. Fernando Cavenaghi (Arsenal)
3. Aliaksandr Hleb (Chelsea)

-Reyes picks up the award for averaging over an 8 and scoring 9 goals and nabbing 21 assists in a marvelous season for the midfielder.

Players' Young Player of the Year:
1. Kevin Collins (Manchester City)
2. Barry Clarke (Cardiff)

-Kevin Collins is a 21 central defender who averaged a 7.1 at center back for the Citizens this season, starting in 31 league contests.

Players' Select Team of the Year:
GK: Libis Andres Arenas (Peterborough Utd.)
Def: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Vincent Kompany (Arsenal), Ledley King (Spurs), Mbulelo Mabizela (Spurs)
Mid: Arjen Robben (Chelsea), Aliaksandr Hleb (Chelsea), Hatem Ben Arfa (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Man U)
Str: Jose Antonio Reyes (Arsenal), Fernando Cavenaghi (Arsenal)

-Reyes typically starts at left wing, but is picked to the team as a striker, shutting Carlton Cole out of the awards for the first time in 3 years. We chased after Hatem Ben Arfa briefly during the offseason, but thought his price was a bit too high. We were wrong.

Manager of the Year:
1. Butter (Peterborough Utd.)
2. Vincenzo Pincolini (Manchester Utd.)
3. Alan Irvine (Crystal Palace)

Goals of the Season:
1. Wesley Sneijder (Peterborough Utd.) - Oct. 5, v. Cardiff - Sneijder scored from the left edge of the area, placing it beautifully around the Cardiff keeper in our 3-0 win.
2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd.) - Sept. 24, v. Norwich
3. Wesley Sneijder (Peterborough Utd.) - Feb. 4, v. Aston Villa - Sneijder scored the only goal of the game, from 35 yards to the left of the box... a remarkable curving shot that the keeper just flailed at as it went inside the post.

Michal Jablonski publicly apologizes to me for complaining about his playing time... this after he gets 3 starts in a row and plays very well, picking up 3 goals in the 3 league starts.

[Butter]

UEFA Cup Final - From Old Trafford, Manchester
Atletico Madrid 0:3 Arsenal
- 29 year old Brazilian Dagoberto scored twice in the opening half hour, then Fernando Cavenaghi finished it off in the 63rd with a tap in to embarrass the Spaniards in the heart of English football.

Champions League Final - From Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Chelsea 0:0 Roma
- Chelsea thoroughly dominated this game, holding the ball for 60% of possession, and outshooting the Italians 18-3 with Roma forcing Petr Cech to make no saves... until we hit the penalty shootout. Roma was forced into a shell early, as Mario Alberto Santana picked up a yellow for diving in the 4th minute, then his second yellow less than a minute later protesting someone else's foul on Fernando Torres just outside of the area. The shootout ended deadlocked at 2, then at 3 after 6 kicks... the final kicker was Chelsea's Aliaksandr Hleb, who banked it in off the crossbar, and won the penalty shootout and the European Championship for Chelsea. This is Chelsea's 2nd European title in 6 years. Chelsea also barely ends Roma's attempt at a threepeat.

After the game, we receive $24 million from Champions League TV revenue. That puts our cash on hand at over $110 million. That's right, the 9 figures.

Champions League Awards
Best player:
1. Naldo (Inter)
2. Thando Mngomeni (Peterborough Utd.)
3. Edgar Barreto (Inter)

Golden Boot:
1. Mido (Roma) - 7 goals
2. Freddy Adu (Inter) - 7 goals
3. Tomas Rosicky (Chelsea) - 6 goals

-Carlton Cole finished the competition with 5 goals.

Dream Team:
GK: Florent Chaigneau (Lyon)
D: Wayne Bridge & Glen Johnson (Chelsea), Paolo Hernan Della Fiore & Naldo (Inter)
M: Edgar Barreto (Inter), Abdoulaye N'Diaye (Sporting Lisbon), Tomas Rosicky (Chelsea), Thando Mngomeni (Peterborough Utd.)
S: Fernando Torres & Landon Donovan (Chelsea)

Lebohang Mokoena has returned to full training, just 2 days prior to the FA Cup Final.

May 26, FA Cup Final (Televised)
v. Southampton @ Wembley Stadium
Series: Posh lead 5-3-0
Fav: Posh, Evens

We attempt the double with very nearly a full and healthy squad.
Injured: Gerard
Int'l duty: Jesus, Karsnak
Lineup:
GK: Arenas
D: Bocanegra, Alex, Heitinga, Zaccardo
M: Kargbo, Mngomeni, Sneijder, Kranjcar
S: Wallner, Cole

Alert, alert! Rob Styles is the match referee. How is he still working?

2'- Sneijder and Mngomeni put long range shots into the stands.

15'- Southampton already with 2 yellow cards.

21'- Saint defender Michael Dawson nearly scores off a 30 yard free kick, but Arenas covers the post and watches it sail a foot wide.

25'- Attacker Alexei Eremenko nearly scores after Alex and Heitinga miscommunicate on a clearance, but his 12 yard volley is sent into orbit.

34'- Sneijder's free kick comes to about 8 yards... keeper Andrew Green fists it away from Roman Wallner, but Mngomeni with a quick header back toward goal... no one is in position to stop it, and it goes in! 1-0, Posh!

42'- Bocanegra's throw in finds Sneijder... he crosses into the box... Green deflects the attempted flick on of Cole, but right to Niko Kranjcar who has an easy tap in! 2-0, Posh! Green with 2 misplays that have given us 2 goals!

50'- Crouch nods down to Eremenko off a set piece, but Eremenko's 15 yard volley is over the bar.

58'- Zaccardo and Sneijder get cards within 2 minutes of each other.

66'- Tim Sparv crosses to the near post for Dexter Blackstock, but he can't keep his header down.

70'- Lebohang Mokoena enters the game... replacing Carlton Cole. Gavilan on for a dinged up Zaccardo.

80'- Roman Wallner with 2 wide open shots inside 20 yards, but he can't get either on target.

The final seconds tick away, and we have won the FA Cup! Wesley Sneijder earns a 9 and MoM honors. Alex, Bocanegra, Mngomeni, Kargbo, and Kranjcar pick up 8's. Mokoena was a non-factor, but it was nice to see him out there again, even if he did look a bit lost at times. A landmark day for Peterborough football, as the Posh win the FA Cup for the first time ever!

Win, 2-0, P'boro win FA Cup
Shots/on target: Saints 8/1, Posh 15/8
Poss: 53-47, Saints
A: 89,985

We win $3.6 million more in prize money for our FA Cup victory.

PETERBOROUGH FANS GRATEFUL FOR BUTTER

Fans of Peterborough United sang Butter's name as the Peterborough boss experienced the sweet taste of success by lifting the FA Cup.

One fan spoke for everyone when he said that this achievement was symbolic of the great work Butter had done with the team.

The Peterborough board have also revealed to the gathering journalists that they are happy with winning the competition.

PETERBOROUGH DO THE DOUBLE!

CONFIDENT PERFORMANCE FROM THE POSH

An efficient performance by Peterborough United's players saw them confidently overcome a lackluster Southampton 2-0 at Wembley.

A leading Southampton pundit conceded that The Posh had been the better side and fully deserved their win.

2012/13 European qualifiers decided:
Champions League: Peterborough United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea
UEFA Cup: Manchester United, Liverpool, Southampton
Euro Vase: Newcastle, Crystal Palace

We end the most successful and profitable season in Peterborough history having won our second straight Premiership title, and our first ever FA Cup... and also finishing in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, with designs on advancing further there next season.

We also finish having made $144 million compared to outlays of $64 million... equaling a profit of nearly $80 million, boosting our cash on hand to over $118 million. And here I was worried, after losing $10 million last year, that we would be in financial trouble by as early as next season. Not at all the case. Time to spend some dough.

[Butter]

Final League Table


Final Statistics
These stats include all competitions. They do NOT, however, include the following:
Str. Jim Johansen, who scored 2 goals this year.
GK Lee Grant, who had an average rating of 7 in 11 starts, allowing 8 goals and keeping 6 clean sheets.
AM-RLC Kenny Lunt, who averaged a 7 in 25 appearances (12 starts), scoring twice and assisting on 6 goals.
AM-RL Fabrice Fernandes, who averaged a 6.94 in 18 appearances (15 starts), including 1 goal, 5 assists, and 1 MoM award.


Departing Players
F-RC Bosko Balaban
AM-C Gerard
GK Lee Grant
AM-RLC Kenny Lunt
D-RL Emil Jensen

Reserves:
D/DM-RC Mads Reginiussen
D/DM-C Cesar Arzo
AM-C Daniil Ratnikov
AM-C Yannis Salibur

3 of the 5 departing senior squad players are aging rapidly... and the other 2 are being replaced by better, cheaper parts in the offseason.

We ended last year with a wage bill of over $43 million. This year we finish around the same... $17 million under our allowable wage budget of $60 million. We'll start next year around the same... if we don't add any more wages. We'll be losing about $5 million in wages with the above players, but we are also signing 2 players, one for quite a large salary, and one backup for less than $400k per year.

I'll be the most sad about losing Kenny Lunt, as he was a foundation player for us on our rise from the Championship to the Premiership.... seeing considerable playing time throughout all 5 of his Posh seasons. But he's just sucking up playing time from younger players at this point.... as is Fabrice Fernandes, but he's still got one more contract year to go.

[Butter]

Our reserve squad finishes 2nd, just 2 points behind Birmingham in their group of 14. Our U-18 squad also finishes 2nd in their group, just 2 points behind champion Norwich, in a group of 13 young sides.

Posh players in top-25 of league stats
Average rating:
1. Jose Antonio Reyes (ARS) - 8.09
5t. Carlton Cole - 7.75
5t. Libis Andres Arenas - 7.75
9. Alex - 7.70
14. Thando Mngomeni - 7.60
19. Jesus - 7.58

Goals:
1. Fernando Cavenaghi (ARS) - 23
2. Carlton Cole - 22
16t. Roman Wallner - 10

Assists:
1. Jose Antonio Reyes - 21
7t. Thando Mngomeni - 10

Man of Match awards:
1. Robert Green (MNC) - 8
6t. Carlton Cole - 6
15t. Mngomeni, Arenas - 4

Average attendance: 19,317 (20th/20)
Goals For: 71 (3rd)
Goals Against: 31 (3rd)

[Butter]

Season recap

Coming into the season, I was most worried about the loss of Hugo Viana, our injury prone attacking midfielder. It turned out that he had a very brief season for Liverpool, appearing in about 1/4 of the Reds' games while suffering through various injuries. Viana was mostly a non-factor for them. And along our front, newcomer Niko Kranjcar actually had a slightly better season than regular starter Gerard. Jan Karsnak also flashed some brilliance at times from the AMC spot, especially in a substitute role, as the 19 year old ran by the back lines of our opponents quite often... only to fail to finish several open chances. The finishing will come with time.

Michal Jablonski broke through late in the season, helping to fill in for the absent Lebohang Mokoena. Mokoena, who was a revelation early in the season scoring 5 goals, including a hat-trick in European play, broke his leg early in the season, and was out all year until a substitute appearance in the last game of the English season, the FA Cup Final. Jablonski scored 3 goals while starting the final 3 games of the season. He should help ease the loss of talented forward Bosko Balaban.

Thando Mngomeni had a career season, nearly winning player of the year in the Champions League. Carlton Cole would have won top scorer in the Premiership if he had not missed nearly the entire final month of the season with various injuries. Roman Wallner started slow, but came on well to become a consistent contributor up front. While Jesus had a marvelous rookie season at defensive midfield, rendering Mascherano surplus to requirements. Our back 4 was generally good, but the back-ups to the starters were shaky at times, especially on the 2 wings.

We started out the season absolutely on fire, only losing one match in all competitions between early August and mid-November, including 9 straight shutout wins at one point. We levelled off a bit, but lost only 4 games in the league all season, and only 8 games in all competitions (2 in Champions League, 1 in the League Cup, and the Community Shield) out of 60 played in 4 different competitions, and a couple of exhibition matches. Sadly, our offense went into the tank with the loss of Carlton Cole late in the season, but we were able to win the league while struggling home with just 8 points in our final 7 league games.

Overall, this was an extremely successful season, but there is room for improvement. And with the influx of prize money and cash, we should be in a great position to capitalize and possibly become European champions next year.

Could we pull the Quadruple (winning the league, FA Cup, League Cup, and Europe)? It would take depth beyond what we currently have, and an effort of Herculean proportions. But if I'm not going to spend to try and do it now, when will I?

[Butter]

Move on to Year 9 and beyond.