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06-25-2014, 09:36 PM
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#451 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sun. February 11, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (19-5-1, 62 points, 1st) vs. Wolves (4-10-12, 22 points, 16th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 1-4 (Favourites) Draw: 4-1 Wolves: 9-1 Past Meetings: 10W 3D 1L We just beat these guys 7-1 last week with our “B” lineup in an FA Cup match. We’ve had nothing but success against these guys from day one and our 10 wins against them is the most we have against any club in the game. The one positive is that they are coming off their most inspired performance of the year in a 5-4 thriller of a win against Middlesbrough, a very good club. We’ll make some changes today. Zoltan Bardi is in at striker and Chiquinho won’t dress. Gian Marco Fanfoni and Andrea Rocca will take over in the middle of the park, relegating Neil Cairney to the bench and Jose won’t dress. I’m also scratching Claudio Contreras and captain Salim Loucif. Saber Nasri and Rafinha will play today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, S. Nasri, R. Hamon, Rafinha M - A. Bamba, G. Fanfoni, A. Rocca, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Z. Bardi Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, N. Cairney, E. Harvey, G. Allan, L. Kunchev, S. Andrea Wolves start Guy Luckett and Stefano Zeno up front in their flat 4-4-2. Wayne Hennessey is in goal and Evgeny Maltsev is in the midfield. We’re suffering from overconfidence and I tell the team I expect a win today. 4’ - Rafinha with a yellow card. 12’ - Andrea Rocca with a piledriver from the edge of the area and Hennessey pushes it to safety. 16’ - Paul Moses wins a ball down the right and dribbles into the area before laying a pass off to Rocca and his shot again is saved by the Wolves keeper. We earn a corner out of it and Rocca’s cross is headed by Rayane Hamon and it’s IN! Ok, better start guys! DOVER GOAL 1-0 26’ - We start a counter attack off a failed Wolves corner and it’s Bamba sending a long ball up the left to Moses. It’s a two on one and he feeds Zoltan Bardi and just when it looks like he’ll shoot, Bardi passes back to Moses and he has a yawning net and makes no mistake! GORGEOUS vision and passing there by both and a great Moses goal! DOVER GOAL 2-0 28’ - Bardi with a very ill-advised back pass to Nasri but Stefano Zeno intercepts and runs in on goal. Wilke runs out to challenge and JUST gets enough of the ball to send it wide! 35’ - We win another corner and Rocca’s cross is to the far post and Saber Nasri. He sends a forceful header toward goal and Paul Moses redirects it past Hennessey and IN! That’s two for Moses and we’re starting to roll again! DOVER GOAL 3-0 41’ - Wolves with some nice passing and it results in Luckett getting a good shot on goal and Wilke dives to make the stop! 45’ - Fanfoni with a great through ball to Arsene Bamba and he’s in his wheelhouse cutting in from the left but his hard shot is swallowed up by Hennessey. Nice save there. HALFTIME - That’s better. Still, we only are splitting possession and our shot advantage is slight at 10-7 (8-2 on target). Still, I’m pleased. 46’ - Right off the opening kick off, Moses is sent down field by Bamba but his left footed shot is saved by a well-positioned Hennessey. 49’ - Now it’s Bardi with a delightful ball to Moses and he’s sure to score…but Hennessey makes a stellar stop! WOW. 59’ - A new highlight starts with Moses having the ball at midfield and weaving through the defence. A Wolves tackler whiffs and Moses runs in on goal. Just as he’s about to shoot, it looks like he’s fouled but there is no call. The ball is loose for a split second and Moses recovers and immediately shoots past a prone Hennessey and it’s IN! Yet ANOTHER HAT TRICK for Paul Moses! DOVER GOAL 4-0 With the game well in hand, we take out Moses and the excellent Andrea Rocca and bring in Shanon Andrea and Emmerson Harvey. 63’ - Fanfoni to Bamba and his shot from the outer edge of the area is off the crossbar! 68’ - We are putting pressure on the Wolves defence and they send a back pass to Hennessey, who completely panics and slides after the ball to send it away. The only problem is that he puts it right on the foot of Shanon Andrea and he has an open net to shoot at and in it goes! My god, what a horrible play by Hennessey. DOVER GOAL 5-0 We make our last substitution, bringing in Graham Allan to play for Arsene Bamba. 79’ - We have a bit of a breakdown and Wolves substitute striker Scott Henderson is all alone in front of Wilke but his rocket blast is right at our keeper and saved. That’s Henderson’s second great chance, with his first one sent wide about ten minutes ago. 90’+1 - Bolis is sent through but his low shot is saved well by Hennessey. That’s much better. Dover 5 - 0 Wolves Goals - Paul Moses 3 (9.6), Rayane Hamon (8.8), Shanon Andrea (7.3) Assists - Andrea Rocca 2 (9.0), Arsene Bamba (8.3), Zoltan Bardi (7.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.7), Rafinha (7.8), Saber Nasri (8.3), Renato Gaucho (8.0), Gianluca Bolis (7.6), Gian Marco Fanfoni (7.9) Attendance - 20,233 We hold 53% of possession and a solid 23-11 (13-3 on target) shot advantage. All eleven of our starters get ratings over 7.6! A very solid performance. -- There is one other game and in a bit of a shocker, it’s Tottenham beating Manchester United 4-2 to move ahead of them into second place! Man City, on the other hand, win 3-0 over Blackpool and move into 4th. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 27 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 65 points (after 26 games) 2. Tottenham - 55 points 3. Manchester United - 54 points (after 26 games) 4. Manchester City - 54 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 53 points (after 26 games) 6. Liverpool - 52 points 7. Middlesbrough - 48 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- Our U18s win 4-0 over Barnet, with Norberto Vazquez bagging a brace and we get singles from Ben Patterson and Pete Smith. Premier League Team of the Week -- Five of our players get named to the team of the week, with Rafinha, Saber Nasri, Rayane Hamon, Andrea Rocca and Paul Moses getting honoured. Next Up -- We’re back on the road, facing underachieving Sheffield Wednesday in Premier League action.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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06-25-2014, 10:49 PM
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#452 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Wed. February 14, 2024
Barclays Premier League Sheffield Wednesday (7-5-14, 26 points, 15th) vs. Dover (20-5-1, 65 points, 1st) Hillsborough, Sheffield, UK Betting Odds: Sheffield Wednesday: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 8W 3D 4L Here’s a game I won’t be taking for granted, as we finally play Sheffield Wednesday for the first time all year in a long-delayed fixture. Sheffield are coming off their finest league season in decades, finishing in 6th and earning Europa League qualification. They’ve done very well in Europe and have made it through the group stage and into the Knockout Rounds, where they are scheduled to face Schalke. Those efforts in Europe have adversely affected their domestic results and they are only 8 points from the relegation zone. Their leading scorer is striker Darijo Jukic with 12 goals from 36 matches but their most dangerous player is fellow striker Steve Pates. Pates has battled injury this year but is back healthy and has 11 goals in 21 matches. These guys are dangerous and I won’t take them lightly. They just added defensive midfielder Mark Lawrence in a £4.9 million deal with Blackburn. Sheffield Wednesday’s manager was smart enough to call out Paul Moses in the press as our biggest threat and as a result, I’m going to give him the night off! That tactic always seems to ensure that our player falls flat under the spotlight so I’ll be giving starts to Shanon Andrea and Chiquinho tonight. Neil Cairney is back in and Andrea Rocca gets a second consecutive start after a great performance against Wolves. Graham Allan is in at right midfield, Rafinha starts for Renato Gaucho at left fullback and Saber Nasri will suit up against his former club, taking the place of Rayane Hamon, as we continue to rotate our squad this week. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, S. Nasri, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Allan S - S. Andrea, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, Jose, G. Fanfoni, L. Kunchev, Z. Bardi, A. Broomes Sheffield start Pates and Jukic up front in their flat 4-4-2, as expected. Newcomer Mark Lawrence starts at midfield and Fernando Cardoso is in goal. I tell the team they can win this game and pull aside Wilke to tell him to pick up where he left off last game. 1’ - We have the opening kick and move up the pitch. Arsene Bamba feeds Chiquinho inside the area and he wins a battle with a Sheffield defender before feeding Graham Allan right beside him. Allan immediately shoots and it’s in the far corner, past Cardoso and IN! We score 23 seconds into the game!!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 14’ - We’re looking very tidy so far and controlling a lot of possession, as Shanon Andrea gets off a rocket from just outside the area but it’s stopped by Cardoso. 15’ - Sheffield hit us on the counter and feed it up to a streaking Pates. His rocket is bumped over the net by Ingo Wilke. 18’ - Andrea has the ball down the left and feeds Arsene Bamba inside the area but he’s fouled by Sheffield defender Martyn Bristow. It looked like a dive but the ref points to the spot! PENALTY! Up steps Neil Cairney and he goes low and right and Cardoso doesn’t even move! It’s IN! DOVER GOAL 2-0 23’ - We keep pushing, as Andrea feeds a ball up to Chiquinho but his shot is weak and right at Cardoso. 30’ - Sheffield with a nice move to spring left midfielder Said Adan but Wilke is in great position to make the stop. We move quickly back up field and Cairney gets another rocket off and Cardoso does well to make the stop. Great end to end action! 38’ - After a pretty extensive period of dominance by Sheffield over the last ten minutes, we strike on a long ball up field to Chiquinho. He gets into the area and flops and the referee rightfully gives him the yellow for the dive. Chiquinho does that way too often for my liking. HALFTIME - The last fifteen minutes were essentially all Sheffield, as they try to fight their way back into the game. They end up holding 52% of possession but we outshoot them slightly 12-11 (5-5 on target). We’ll need to be careful here and I may need to move to a counter attacking mentality at some point. For now, we’ll stick with the control mentality. 53’ - Neil Cairney gets fed just outside the area and delivers a ROCKET that almost tears the goalposts down! It bounces out and Cairney attempts to head it but he’s knocked over by former Dover loanee Simon Woodman. That’s ANOTHER PENALTY! Cairney brushes himself off and takes the kick and it’s IN! Two penalties for Cairney and we now lead comfortably!!! DOVER GOAL 3-0 57’ - Chiquinho continues his struggles, getting off another weak shot after a nice sequence of passes and Cardoso easily saves. 64’ - Chiquinho is out and Andy Broomes is in. 67’ - On an innocent looking rush, Shanon Andrea gets into the area but is on his weaker left side and he’s absolutely throttled by Bristow! Andrea goes down in a heap and the referee points to the spot AGAIN! That’s a third PENALTY! Bristow doesn’t get a card and up steps Cairney, looking to convert a third penalty today and he goes left this time and it’s IN!!! A SUPERB HAT TRICK FOR NEIL CAIRNEY…and all penalties! WOW! DOVER GOAL 4-0 There’s no reason to keep Cairney in and I substitute him off for Gian Marco Fanfoni. 75’ - We make our last substitution, bringing in Carlos Guzman to play for Rafinha. 82’ - Sheffield attack and it’s Adan getting in past Loucif and Wilke makes a brilliant save to maintain his shutout bid! 90’+1 - Pates with a great cross into Adan and Wilke again with a spectacular save! The ref blows the whistle right afterwards. Great result! Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 4 Dover Goals - Neil Cairney 3 (9.5), Graham Allan (8.1) Assists - Arsene Bamba (8.0), Chiquinho (7.1), Shanon Andrea (7.9) Man of the Match - Neil Cairney Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.6), Salim Loucif (7.4), Saber Nasri (7.5), Claudio Contreras (8.0), Rafinha (7.4), Andrea Rocca (7.6) Attendance - 24,066 We only held 47% of possession but outshoot them 18-17 (9-7 on target). I definitely haven’t had a game with three successful penalties before but we’ll take it! Again, all of our starters come through with ratings over 7.0. -- This was our makeup game and in the other fixture, it’s Chelsea knocking off suddenly slumping Manchester United and it’s the Blues moving all the way up into second place! We now have a commanding 12 point lead with 11 games to go! -- The Graham Allan goal 23 seconds into the game is the third fastest goal in team history, behind only Chiquinho's goal 13 seconds in last year and a Kofi Poyser goal 20 seconds into a game back in my first year of management (2010/11). BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 27 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 68 points 2. Chelsea - 56 points 3. Tottenham - 55 points 4. Manchester United - 54 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Manchester City - 54 points 6. Liverpool - 52 points 7. Middlesbrough - 48 points ---------------------------------------------------- Next Up -- We continue to play some of the league’s lesser lights, as we face relegation candidates Birmingham City on the road.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 06-25-2014 at 10:53 PM. |
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06-26-2014, 01:04 AM
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#453 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. February 17, 2024
Barclays Premier League Birmingham (4-7-16, 19 points, 17th) vs. Dover (21-5-1, 68 points, 1st) St. Andrews, Birmingham, UK Betting Odds: Birmingham: 7-1 Draw: 3-1 Dover: 1-3 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 5W 0D 1L Birmingham surprisingly avoided the drop after getting promoted to the Premier League last year, finishing in 17th and they are in the same perilous position this year, only one point from the relegation zone. They are winless in eight and will need to fight hard to stay afloat but their chances are grim, to say the least, against our in-form club. Birmingham have trouble scoring, with striker Adam Sinnott leading the club with only 6. Midfielder/striker Joe Mason is second with only 3 goals. They brought in three players in January to help keep them up in deals totalling just over £1.5 million: Michal Lipinski from Swindon, Henryk Baranowski from Lech and Paul Brennan from Raith. With three games in seven days, we continue to rotate the squad. Paul Moses is back in today and will be alongside Chiquinho. Rafinha is back in for his third consecutive start, only this time he’ll play at left midfield as we rest Arsene Bamba, who was called out by the Birmingham manager and therefore will get a rest! Jose is starting for the first time in three games and the rest of our starters are all back in today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - Rafinha, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, L. Kunchev, S. Andrea Birmingham are also in a flat 4-4-2 and have Sam Vokes up front with Sinnott. Edwin Leferink is in goal and former Dover midfielder Arron Williams is also starting. We’re showing some overconfidence in the warmups and I tell the team I expect a win today. 8’ - Gianluca Bolis with our first great chance, as he cuts in from the right side but his shot is harmless and right at Leferink. 10’ - We’re all over them and now it’s Cairney getting off a piledriver from just outside the area off a cleared corner and Leferink makes a great stop. 12’ - Adam Sinnott gets the ball and is being marked by Rayane Hamon. Hamon attempts the tackle and misses and Sinnott walks in all alone. Wilke comes out to challenge and Sinnott abruptly stops, waits for Wilke to go down then simply lifts the ball over his body and it’s IN! Umm, that’s a shocker! BIRMINGHAM GOAL 0-1 26’ - Bolis dribbles down the right and crosses into the box. It gets deflected right onto the foot of Paul Moses and his quick shot is saved brilliantly by Leferink! Wow! HALFTIME - Wow. Not what we expected! We hold 54% of possession and a 13-5 (9-2 on target) shot advantage. We’re controlling play and getting shots but too many are from distance. I contemplate reading the riot act but go with a slightly less imposing “I expect more from you” team talk. We’ll contemplate a mentality change if things don’t improve quickly. 50’ - Chiquinho gets a chance with a hard blast but the excellent Leferink makes the stop and his defence clear the rebound. 53’ - We have possession at midfield and Jose gets it up to Chiquinho. Two men are marking Paul Moses and that allows Chiquinho to take a couple steps in and drill a curling blast that is past the outstretched arms of Leferink and goes IN! Great strike from Chiquinho, his 20th of the season and we finally break through! DOVER GOAL 1-1 59’ - Another great Jose pass sees Chiquinho through and he’s in on goal. His shot beats Leferink but rattles hard off the goal post! Ohhh…so close! 70’ - We take out Rafinha and bring in Graham Allan. We also move to an overload mentality. 75’ - Allan runs down the left and attempts a cross but it hits defender Alex Harris, deflects over Leferink and goes into the far corner of the net! An own goal and we take the lead! DOVER GOAL 2-1 We immediately move back to a control mentality. 77’ - We have a free kick and Jose’s cross is booted hard by Rayane Hamon but Leferink makes another enormous save! 80’ - I take out an ineffective and tired Paul Moses and bring in Shanon Andrea. 86’ - Cairney with another trademark blast off the crossbar! Boy, he does that so much… 90’ - Cairney with a pass to Andrea and his shot is weak and right at the Birmingham keeper. A little too close for comfort but we pull it out against a very game Birmingham side. Birmingham 1 - 2 Dover Goals - Chiquinho (7.7), Alex Harris OG Assists - Jose 2 (7.6) Man of the Match - Chiquinho Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.0) Attendance - 14,041 We end up with 56% of possession and a 26-7 (13-2 on target) shot advantage. Jose continues to be a playmaker extraordinaire and we pull out a really tough win. -- Our friends over at Sheffield Wednesday hold Chelsea to a draw, allowing us to expand our lead by another two points! Spurs draw against Newcastle, Liverpool beat Middlesbrough and United finally grab a win, beating Blackpool 3-1. Manchester City are also STUNNED by Sunderland 1-0. This whole season is like a DREAM for us! BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 28 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 71 points 2. Manchester United - 57 points 3. Chelsea - 57 points 4. Tottenham - 56 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Liverpool - 55 points 6. Manchester City - 54 points 7. Middlesbrough - 48 points ---------------------------------------------------- Premier League Team of the Week -- Neil Cairney and Shanon Andrea are both named to the Barclays Premier League team of the week. Champions League Update -- Knockout stage play begins with Barcelona winning 2-1 over Arsenal, OM beating Palermo 2-0, Chelsea edging Ajax 2-1 and Real Madrid getting past Bursaspor 3-2. Dover Injury Update -- Rafinha gets hurt during training, suffering a damaged foot and he’ll miss about two weeks of action. Poor timing. Dover Reserves Team Update -- We play our first reserves game in almost a month and destroy Derby 6-0 behind a superb Andy Broomes hat trick. Also scoring are Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz, Gian Marco Fanfoni and Zoltan Bardi. Steve Reed and Lyubomir Kunchev had two assists each. Next Up -- We head home and host Sunderland in a fifth round FA Cup match.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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06-26-2014, 02:21 AM
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#454 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. February 24, 2024
FA Cup - 5th Round Dover (1st in Premier League) vs. Sunderland (11th in Premier League) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Sunderland: 11-5 Past Meetings: 5W 2D 4L The oddsmakers must think our attention will be focused on our upcoming Champions League match against AZ next week, as we’re only slight favourites at home against mid-table Sunderland in FA Cup play. Looking at it now, I can see why - they are on a scintillating run of form, with an 11 game unbeaten streak. Wow! They have wins against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool during that streak! Holy smokes. Striker Craig Flett continues to be their danger man, sitting with 12 goals on the season to lead the club. They have a number of great players, including Lucas Alba, George MacKenzie (a former Dover loanee) and midfielder Matt Barber, who I seemingly look at each year as a transfer target but shy away from Sunderland’s asking price. Connor Wickham also gives us fits. We’ve had a week off and we’re pretty fit - our Champions League game is in three nights so I’ll be mindful of that today and possibly take some guys out to ensure they are ready for that game if this one is put away early. We’ll go with a pretty full strength side, with Andrea Rocca and Graham Allan getting starts along with Manuel Perez, who is trying to regain match fitness after missing a few weeks due to injury. Control mentality at home today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Bolis, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea Sunderland come out in a flat 4-4-2 with Flett and Alba up front, Barber and MacKenzie in midfield and Sam Cowler in goal. I tell the players to perform for the home supporters today. 13’ - Chiquinho storms up the right side and feeds a through ball to Graham Allan. His hard shot is turned aside by Cowler. 26’ - Pretty tense game with lots of back and forth action but few shots on target. Alba races down the right and crosses into our area and there is Flett with a great header but Perez is well-positioned and makes the stop! 27’ - We have the ball in their end and Andrea Rocca makes a wonderful pass through to Chiquinho and he scores! But wait…OFFSIDES! The replay confirms it quite clearly - NO GOAL! 29’ - Flett gets through off a give and go and Perez makes a nice stop! 36’ - Sunderland take advantage of a Renato Gaucho giveaway and it’s George MacKenzie wiring a shot off the crossbar. Sunderland have taken the play to us in the last ten minutes. 40’ - Sunderland have a corner and Nico Santos crosses to the middle and there is Matt Barber, heading it past Perez and into the far corner of the net. Ugh. SUNDERLAND GOAL 0-1 HALFTIME - Another halftime deficit. We’re generally playing ok, with 58% of possession and a 9-5 (1-3 on target) shot advantage but we’re simply not getting shots on target. Paul Moses is nowhere to be found so far. I question the team’s passion and hope that riles them up. No mentality change for now… 46’ - Our guys look motivated after the team talk but Sunderland march right down field after the opening kick and it’s Alba driving one off the crossbar! Come on men! 51’ - Oh man. Neil Cairney with a ridiculous and reckless challenge and he’s given the straight RED CARD. We’re down to ten men. DOVER RED CARD - NEIL CAIRNEY 60’ - We make a double substitution, bringing in Gianluca Bolis for Graham Allan and also bringing in Emmerson Harvey for Renato Gaucho. We move to a 3-4-2, with three DC’s. 73’ - We are generating absolutely nothing with ten men. Claudio Contreras with a yellow card now. 76’ - We move to an overload mentality and now have 2 DC’s, 2 WBs, 3 MC’s and 2 strikers. They move to a 5-3-2 and hold us off. VERY poor and Neil Cairney’s ridiculous red card killed us here. Dover 0 - 1 Sunderland Goals - Assists - Man of the Match - Matt Barber (Sunderland MC - 8.0) Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.0), Rayane Hamon (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.0), Chiquinho (7.3) Attendance - 17,430 Despite being at ten men for most of the second half, we still held 52% of overall possession and outshot them 16-12 (1-3 on target). One measly shot on goal though. Paul Moses is in a mini-slump and only got a 6.1 rating today. -- Neil Cairney gets an automatic one game suspension for his vicious foul and I fine him two weeks wages, which he accepts without incident. I expect him to get at least one more game after the FA review it. The play was UGLY! -- Our club record unbeaten streak ends at 26 games. Bah. Dover U18 Update -- Jim Ryan scores twice and we get goals from Steven Miller, Matthew Neil and a Portsmouth own goal in a 5-2 win. Next Up -- We head 179 miles from home as we begin Champions League knockout stage play against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-01-2014, 10:22 PM
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#455 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Tue. February 27, 2024
Champions League - First Knockout Round First Leg AZ (1st in Holland Eredivisie) vs. Dover (1st in English Premier League) DSB Stadion, Alkmaar, Holland Betting Odds: AZ: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8 Past Meetings: 0W 0D 0L AZ Alkmaar are leading the Holland Eredivisie but they unquestionably are a beatable club. This was likely the best draw we could have hoped for in this round, as they are one of the few clubs, if not the only club still remaining in the competition that is smaller than ours. That said, they are two-time defending Eredivisie champions and have won it six times in the last eight years. They certainly have some dangerous players, with strikers Fabian Berg (24 goals in 33 games) and Patrick Boyomo (16 goals in 24 games) topping their charts. Marcel Schmidt is a backup striker and has 12 goals as well. They have a wide midfielder in Mario Gonzalez who has a value of £12 million after being signed for that amount in the offseason but he is injured with a broken collarbone and will miss both legs against us. We are coming off our first loss in ages and hopefully will be sharper today. No surprises - we field our normal starting lineup, with Jose, Gianluca Bolis and Ingo Wilke both back in the starting eleven. Despite being the slightest of underdogs and being on the road, I’ll go with our normal control mentality today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, A. Rocca, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea AZ also play a flat 4-4-2 and have Boyomo and Berg up front today. Adama N’Diaye is their keeper. I tell the team that they can win tonight and pull aside Chiquinho, Loucif and Cairney for personal pep talks. 1’ - AZ gets the opening kick and move quickly into our side of half. A pass deflects off Claudio Contreras and bounces back to an AZ midfielder and it’s immediately sent up to their leading scorer Fabian Berg. He turns on Rayane Hamon and sprints into the area, quickly shooting and Wilke gets a piece of it but not enough. Oh boy, what a horrific start and AZ is on the board only 22 seconds into the match! AZ GOAL 0-1 4’ - Some good defensive work by Chiquinho sees him steal the ball in our side of half and dribble up the pitch. He passes up to Moses and receives the ball back on a give and go. Chiquinho has a step on the defence and shoots but N’Diaye is there for the stop! But there is a rebound and it’s Moses pouncing on it and sending the ball quickly into the empty net! Instant reply!! DOVER GOAL 1-1 7’ - We have a corner and Jose’s cross is to the far post and Contreras and his header is deflected on it’s way to goal but N’Diaye makes the stop. 14’ - Some nice dribbling by Patrick Boyomo sees him gaining space and getting off a shot from just inside our area and Wilke dives to make the stop. 17’ - AZ with a throw in deep down the right flank and the ball eventually is passed into the middle to midfielder Fernando Basualdo. He’s just at the outer edge of the area and rips a vicious shot into the top corner of the goal past the outstretched Wilke. We are playing terrible football all of a sudden! AZ GOAL 1-2 25’ - Jose with a GORGEOUS pass up the field to Moses and he’s in on a breakaway! He’s in on goal and N’Diaye makes an enormous stop! 35’ - Gianluca Bolis grabs the ball on our end and in a breathtaking display, dribbles through about five defenders and in on goal. He RIFLES a shot and the AZ keeper makes a great stop. What a play by Bolis - he did everything but score there. HALFTIME - Ooh boy. We’re slumping here and have some really struggling players, especially our back four. AZ held a 52% possession advantage but we outshoot them 12-6 (5-4 on target). My assistant feels I should sympathize with the team but screw that - I tell them I expect more in the second half and just to change things up, bringing in Saber Nasri for Claudio Contreras. AZ has two very speedy strikers, with Boyomo especially taking advantage of Contreras and Renato Gaucho. Nasri will help us in that respect. 50’ - Jose up to Moses again and he’s dribbling in on goal. His shot is right at N’Diaye and he makes the save. Moses gets it back and passes to Arsene Bamba, who is joining the rush late and his quick shot is just wide! 56’ - Renato Gaucho with a yellow. He’s having a terrible game. 58’ - Now it’s Chiquinho with a yellow. 59’ - My goodness. AZ with a shot from distance and Wilke makes the reflex save. There is a big rebound and it pops right to the foot of Griguol but Wilke again turns it aside! Come on guys! 67’ - Neil Cairney is hurt and needs to come off. Wonderful. I bring in Andrea Rocca and we move to an Attacking mentality. DOVER INJURY: NEIL CAIRNEY 73’ - Bolis has the ball down the right sideline and outworks a defender to gain a bit of space. He attempts the miracle cross and the prayer is answered, as Arsene Bamba is there and boots it past N’Diaye on the volley and we pull level!!! DOVER GOAL 2-2 We pull back to a control mentality and AZ move into a defensive 4-5-1 with a DMC. 82’ - Rocca with a ROCKET from distance off a free kick and N’Diaye makes a great reflex stop! 83’ - We take out Chiquinho and bring in Shanon Andrea, as we look for fresh legs in search of a third goal. 86’ - We have a free kick in the middle of the field and Rocca sends a ball into the area. Somehow, our leading scorer gets some space and takes the ball and shoots after one step and it’s past N’Diaye and IN! Moses has two on the game, FORTY on the year and we are AHEAD! DOVER GOAL 3-2 AZ move back to a flat 4-4-2. 89’ - AZ with a dangerous looking rush and they get a weak shot off and Wilke is there to make the stop. We hold them off for the three minutes of added time! Big win! AZ 2 - 3 Dover Goals - Paul Moses 2 (8.8), Arsene Bamba (8.0) Assists - Gianluca Bolis (7.0), Chiquinho (6.8), Andrea Rocca (6.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Jose (7.2) Attendance - 20,503 AZ held 51% of possession but we outshot them 28-12 (10-8 on target) for the match. Fine second half performance for our club and we have three away goals, which is key. -- Neil Cairney suffered a bruised rib in the game but will only miss 4-5 days. Whew! That said, he’ll likely miss our League Cup final match against Manchester United. -- There is one other match in Champions League play on this night and Juventus throttles Galatasaray 4-0. The next day, Atletico Madrid squeaks by Celtic 1-0 and Man United beats up on Olympique Lyonnais 3-1. Dover Reserves Team Update -- Gian Marco Fanfoni scores and we benefit from a very late Lubos Polacek own goal to take a 2-1 win over Fulham’s reserves. International Update -- We get a note that says that 26 (!) of our players are called up for international duty. That’s an incredible number! The most interesting for me is seeing Emmerson Harvey getting the call from England for their senior club - if he plays, it will be his first ever senior cap. Manchester City Sack Dunga -- Man City have certainly been a disappointment this year and I guess it’s no surprise to see that they sack manager Dunga, who failed miserably in following in the hallowed footsteps of Carlo Ancelotti, who retired in July. It certainly didn’t help when they decided to sell the best player in the world in Enrique but these guys should be much better than they are. Of course, I’m named as the club’s top choice but I’m not going anywhere! I decide to issue a statement to the press denying interest and that delights my board. March Update -- It’s a relatively light month for us in league play, with only four Premier League matches in March: Chelsea (away), Liverpool (home), Arsenal (home) and Manchester City (away) are the opposition. That’s a TOUGH month of matches! We also have the League Cup final coming up this weekend and the second leg of our Champions League first round knockout versus AZ. So only six matches this month. -- Another good month of training for our lads, as Gian Marco Fanfoni, Claudio Contreras, Emmerson Harvey, Ben Patterson, Warren Wind and Felix Hernandez all get positive notices. Only a couple of our middling U18 prospects get negative reports and I’ll be chatting with Anthony Gardiner and Eddie Robinson, the two culprits. Premier League Monthly Awards -- Man United striker Yaya Sanogo wins the Player of the Month award after scoring four goals in as many matches. -- United midfielder Rogerio wins Young Player of the Month and Paul Moses comes in second. -- Liverpool’s Thomas Schaaf wins Manager of the Month honours and I finish in second. March Board Confidence Update -- The board are absolutely delighted with the way I’m leading the team. Our big League Cup semi-final win over Southampton continues to be the highlight while our FA Cup performance, or lack thereof, is the only slight disappointment. -- We lost £716,000 last month. Premier League Update -- As we prepare for the League Cup final against United, league action continues, with Chelsea knocking off Middlesbrough and Tottenham beating up on Norwich. Cairney Gets Further Suspension -- Neil Cairney was red carded in our last league game and the FA give him a further two game ban for his actions against Sunderland. So he’ll miss three games, one of which will be our League Cup final but he’s injured right now and would have missed it anyway. So no harm done there but he’ll miss a couple of key league match ups in the next week or so. Dover U18 Update -- The U18 squad wins 5-2 over AFC Wimbledon, with Steven Miller bagging a brace. We also get singles from Matthew Neil, Eddie Robinson and Felix Hernandez. Next Up -- Wembley Stadium will likely be packed for the League Cup finals between our club and rival Manchester United, as we prepare to defend our 2023 title win!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-01-2014 at 10:30 PM. |
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07-01-2014, 11:59 PM
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#456 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sun. March 3, 2024
League Cup - Final Manchester United vs. Dover Wembley, London, UK Betting Odds: Manchester United: 7-4 Draw: N/A Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 4W 3D 9L Showing the respect we’re gaining in the footballing world, we’re slight favourites today against Manchester United, who have dropped to fourth in the league and are 14 points behind us! We’ve got a win and a draw against them already this year in league play and hope to finish them off today for our second consecutive League Cup win. They are pretty much completely healthy for today’s matchup and Yaya Sanogo continues to be their danger man, sitting with 27 goals on the season already. Neil Cairney will miss the next three games due to suspension so Andrea Rocca starts in his place alongside Jose. Otherwise, we have our normal starting eleven in there today. Control mentality as usual. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, Jose, A. Rocca, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea Jurgen Klinsmann’s United club is in a flat 4-4-2 today with Sanogo and Oscar Briceno up front. Former Dover players Said Henni and Cristian Rodriguez are in the lineup at ML and DC respectively. Liviu Dragomir is in goal. It looks like a capacity crowd today at Wembley so I tell the players to win this for their supporters! 1’ - We get the opening kick and Chiquinho gets a shot on goal only 18 seconds in but Dragomir is there for the easy stop. 3’ - Paul Moses and Chiquinho play give-and-go and Chiquinho is away. His shot is weak and again, right at Dragomir for the easy stop. 4’ - We are starting off well and now it’s Chiquinho with a delicious feed into Moses but his hard blast is turned behind the goal by Dragomir! Nothing comes from the corner. 15’ - Again, it’s Chiquinho to Moses and he sends a low blast toward goal but Dragomir is up to the task! 16’ - United have possession and it’s Sanogo avoiding a tackle from Claudio Contreras and he’s breaking in toward the area. He unleashes a low blast and it’s perfectly placed in the far corner, past Wilke and it’s IN! “No keeper in the world would have stopped that one!” bellows the announcer, as United score on their first real chance of the match. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1 20’ - Chiquinho with a long ball up to Moses and he’s in on goal for a third time and again, Dragomir makes a great save. Boy, we’re getting chances but can’t get it past this guy yet! 26’ - We battle for possession in the United end and Arsene Bamba wins the ball. He sends a little touch pass into the area and there is Chiquinho, latching onto it and immediately putting it past Dragomir and in! Four United players run to the sideline official to plead their case against offsides but to no avail. We pull level! DOVER GOAL 1-1 35’ - Sanogo gets loose in the area again and his shot from in tight is stopped by Wilke! 43’ - Moses is given the ball around midfield and uses his speed to get past Rodriguez. He’s in on goal and Dragomir stops him AGAIN but the rebound is out to Chiquinho and he rifles is low past the sprawling United keeper and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 2-1 HALFTIME - United are doing a good job holding onto the ball, with 55% of possession but we have a big 11-9 (9-2 on target) shot advantage. Their keeper has kept them in this! I tell the team I’m pleased. 68’ - Moses runs with the ball and delivers a pass to Chiquinho in the area. He’s got two United defenders on him and Cristian Rodriguez attempts a clear but the ball deflects right onto the foot of Moses, who calmly left foots the ball into the corner of the net past a stunned Dragomir! DOVER GOAL 3-1 71’ - Rayane Hamon with a yellow card. On the ensuing free kick, Sanogo heads the ball on goal and Wilke makes the great save! 73’ - Gianluca Bolis is out and Graham Allan is in. We switch to a counter attacking mentality. 77’ - United substitute Ishak Belfodil gets off a shot from in close and Wilke is in great position for the stop. 79’ - Saber Nasri comes on for Rayane Hamon. 82’ - Chiquinho is having a monster game today and he eludes a defender down the left flank, cuts in and WIRES a shot off the crossbar! So close! 83’ - We work a rapid fire counter and it’s Moses running down the left, hitting the byline and cutting back to the right before feeding an oncoming Jose but his shot is off the goal post!!! Wow! 84’ - The pace is ridiculous here and now it’s Sanogo absolutely making Contreras look like a punk and he is in all alone. Wilke makes a brilliant save to keep our two goal cushion. Seconds later, Contreras brings down Sanogo, thankfully outside the area, and gets a yellow card. 86’ - In comes Gian Marco Fanfoni and we take out Andrea Rocca. 90’+1 - We win a ball at midfield and start a quick counter and it’s Fanfoni, just on the field for mere minutes, feeding Moses and sending him on his millionth breakaway of the game. He’s in on goal and sends a SCORCHER past Dragomir and it’s IN! That trophy is OURS!!! DOVER GOAL 4-1 WOOO! We win our second consecutive League Cup!!! Manchester United 1 - 4 Dover Goals - Chiquinho 2 (9.2), Paul Moses 2 (9.4) Assists - Arsene Bamba (7.6), Paul Moses, Gian Marco Fanfoni (6.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.0), Salim Loucif (7.2), Rayane Hamon (7.0), Claudio Contreras (7.4), Renato Gaucho (7.3), Jose (7.7) Attendance - 90,000 Sensational! United held 52% of possession but we outshoot them 18-16 (11-5 on target). Just a wonderful accomplishment to defend that title! -- We pocket £103,000 for the victory. -- We earn automatic Europa League qualification with the League Cup win but obviously, we’re destined for bigger and better things. Coach Poaching -- An Italian club comes calling for one of my goalkeeping coaches but I offer a new deal with better terms and we are able to keep him. Premier League Update -- Manager-less Manchester City continue their immense struggles, dropping a 3-1 decision to Reading while Arsenal get past Sheffield Wednesday 1-0. Injury Update -- Young wonderkid Rafinha resumes full training after missing a couple of weeks with a damaged foot. We’re now completely healthy. -- Bah! One day later, Zoltan Bardi suffers a bruised shin during an international match against Ireland and he’ll miss about a week. International Update -- Lots of caps going around for Dover players! On the U21 side of things, we see caps awarded to Andy Broomes (England U21 - two goals), Jim Ryan (Australia U20 - one goal) and Marcel Quade (Austria U21). -- As for players taking part in senior team action, caps went to Lyubomir Kunchev (Bulgaria - one goal), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Shanon Andrea (Holland - one goal), Rayane Hamon (France), Saber Nasri (Tunisia), Chiquinho (Belgium - one goal), Paul Moses (England - one goal), Zoltan Bardi (Hungary - RED CARD), Graham Allan and Neil Cairney (Scotland) and Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda). So eleven senior caps and 3 Youth caps. Dover U18 Update -- Our U18’s beat Chelsea 2-1 behind goals from Eddie Robinson and a Liam Pearce own goal to win the U18 Cup! This is the third time we’ve won the U18 Cup, having done the deed back in 2019 and in 2022. Premier League Update -- Manchester City hire Jose Mourinho for their open managerial spot, as he leaves Real Madrid to take this position. Damn…they’ll be much tougher to beat later this month. Next Up -- We head on the road to face second place Chelsea in a huge Premier League matchup.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-02-2014, 12:59 PM
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#457 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Rennes, France
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Grats on the Cup win !
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07-02-2014, 08:19 PM
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#458 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
Thanks Alf! It's obviously not a focus for us but when you get far in the competition, you want to finish the thing off!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-02-2014, 08:20 PM
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#459 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. March 9, 2024
Barclays Premier League Chelsea (18-6-5, 60 points, 2nd) vs. Dover (22-5-1, 71 points, 1st) Zola Stadium, London, UK Betting Odds: Chelsea: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8 Past Meetings: 3W 3D 7L This is an incredibly pivotal match for us - we have a commanding 11 point lead right now (and a game in hand) on Chelsea who are in second place. A win will see us move 14 points clear of them and they’ll only have 8 more matches and 24 total points available, putting us in a great spot. However, a loss will see our margin trimmed to 8 points - still a good lead but it will definitely be a race to the finish from there, especially in light of our tough March schedule. Chelsea were world-beaters in December and January and made up tons of ground in the Premier League but they are on a poor run of form lately, having won only three of their last seven matches (3-2-2 in that stretch). This is a dangerous team with plenty of firepower - striker Romelu Lukaku leads the team with 19 goals but wide midfielder Miguel Sousa has 13 and AMC Luis Carballo has 12. Substitute extraordinaire Nassim Ben Khalifa has 11 off the bench, having only started six of his 36 appearances. Former Dover fullback Kostas Zagos has struggled with his new team and only has 15 appearances thus far. Neil Cairney continues to serve his suspension and will miss today’s game plus our next game as well. Andrea Rocca will start in his place. Otherwise, it’s our main starters going again today. Rafinha will be on the bench today as he returns from injury. We have some tired players coming back from international duty but they should be ready to go. Control mentality despite being slight underdogs on the road. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, Jose, A. Rocca, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, A. Broomes, S. Andrea Chelsea play a 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) with Lukaku alone up front. Sousa and Carballo will be key players in the midfield and Rafael Romo, always on his game against us, is in goal. Kostas Zagos isn’t even on the bench. Wow - they spent £21 million to take him from us and he can’t even crack their bench? Lets do it for the travelling supporters today! 12’ - Off a Chelsea corner, Lukaku gets the ball and feeds an oncoming Miguel Sousa but his shot is weak and right at Wilke. 17’ - We have some great passing going on in midfield and it’s Jose eventually working the ball up to Paul Moses. He turns on the jets and shoots and there is Romo out to challenge and he makes the stop. 40’ - Rocca with a corner and his cross is to the near post and Chiquinho, who heads it toward goal but Romo makes the save just before it crosses the goal line! Close! 42’ - Aziz El Arabi, a Chelsea midfielder, with a curling shot from distance and Wilke dives full out to fist it away! 45’ - There is a scramble in our area and Chelsea nail a shot off the crossbar. HALFTIME - Both teams had five corners but nothing really came of any of them. Chelsea held 53% of possession but we outshoot them 12-10 (2-2 on target) in a game with few great chances. Chelsea looked a bit sharper than us but it’s just a good defensive battle right now. I tell the players I’m pleased with their efforts so far but hopefully we can get a few more shots on goal in the second half. 53’ - Chelsea commit a couple of fouls that don’t get called and midfielder Tony Nijhuis gets the ball. Rayane Hamon comes up to challenge him around the midfield stripe but Nijhuis steams past him and has a full breakaway. He gets in on goal and shoots past Wilke and it’s IN. Fantastic effort from Nijhuis but I’m PISSED that a foul wasn’t called on a blatant push that saw Chiquinho knocked down. CHELSEA GOAL 0-1 56’ - We’re coming completely undone after the goal and Chelsea are just taking it to us. It’s Nijhuis again getting past Salim Loucif and he’s in all alone and Wilke makes a tremendous stop to keep us in the game! 64’ - Chiquinho gets a minor chance off a Bolis pass but his shot is weak and right at Romo. Where in the hell is Moses today? 76’ - Nothing happening. I take out Chiquinho and Gianluca Bolis and bring in Shanon Andrea and Graham Allan. 82’ - We take out Andrea Rocca and bring in Gian Marco Fanfoni. We switch to an overload mentality. We need a goal! 90’+2 - We have three minutes of extra time and with the clock winding down, Carballo fouls Allan and gets a yellow. We have a free kick from distance and Jose lays the ball off to his left to young Gian Marco Fanfoni. He lets a shot go from 30 yards and the piledriver sails past an outstretched Romo and into the far corner of the goal! Holy CRAP! What a strike from Fanfoni and we pull level with almost no time left!! DOVER GOAL 1-1 We immediately move back to a control mentality. The ref blows the whistle right off the ensuing kick off! Whew! Chelsea 1 - 1 Dover Goals - Gian Marco Fanfoni (7.4) Assists - Jose (7.5) Man of the Match - Tony Nijhuis (Chelsea AML - 8.3) Other Dover Notables - Attendance - 53,979 Chelsea deserved that win but young Fanfoni has had a flair for the dramatic in the two years he’s been here on loan and he comes through again to give us a much needed point! Chelsea held 55% of possession and outshot us 20-18 (5-5 on target). Lots of dud performances today: Rayane Hamon (6.3), Arsene Bamba (6.2) and Chiquinho (6.1) all disappointed. -- New Man City manager Jose Mourinho was in attendance at our game and evidently is interested in Chiquinho. Stay away! -- On Saturday, we see Arsenal draw against Middlesbrough, Aston Villa shock Liverpool 3-1 and Manchester United ease past Norwich 4-0. On Sunday, Mourinho’s debut as Man City manager goes well in a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. And on Monday night, Spurs beat Huddersfield 1-0 to move past Chelsea into second place. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 30 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 72 points (after 29 games) 2. Tottenham - 62 points 3. Chelsea - 61 points 4. Manchester United - 60 points (after 29 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Manchester City - 57 points 6. Liverpool - 55 points (after 29 games) 7. Arsenal - 51 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Middlesbrough - 49 points 9. Reading - 48 points 10. Aston Villa - 46 points 11. Sunderland - 42 points 12. Everton - 35 points 13. Newcastle - 33 points (after 29 games) 14. Huddersfield - 28 points 15. Sheffield Wednesday - 27 points 16. Wolves - 26 points 17. Birmingham - 20 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Fulham - 19 points 19. Norwich - 18 points 20. Blackpool - 16 points Champions League Update -- Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1 and win 4-2 on aggregate to move on. Palermo upset OM 2-1 in France but lose 3-2 on aggregate. Next Up -- We attempt to avenge our only league loss of the year, as we host Liverpool at Crabble Athletic Ground.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-02-2014, 10:29 PM
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#460 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Wed. March 13, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (22-6-1, 72 points, 1st) vs. Liverpool (17-4-8, 55 points, 6th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Liverpool: 11-5 Past Meetings: 5W 3D 9L We have only one loss through 29 league games and it was against Liverpool in a 5-3 dismantling back in November. Young striker Cheikh Bocande leads the team with 15 goals and wide midfielder David Maclennan has 7. Dover killer Jonjo Shelvey is injured and will miss tonight’s game. These guys play pretty close to the vest and I expect them to keep the scoreline down but I will push hard to gain some revenge for our only loss of the season. Besides starting goalkeeper Manuel Perez, we make no other changes to our lineup. I was contemplating benching guys like Rayane Hamon and Renato Gaucho but both have reacted positively to both personal chats after their poor Chelsea performance AND to my pre-game press conference. So they’ll stay in. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, Jose, A. Rocca, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, A. Broomes, S. Andrea They are playing a 4-4-2DM (4-2-3-1) just like Chelsea, a formation we traditionally struggle with. That said, we’re at home so I’m not intimidated. Bocande is alone up front and Adam Hill and Bi Quattara will be dangerous in midfield. Chris Dunn is in goal. I consider demanding a win for retribution but decide to tell the team to go out there and perform for the fans. 8’ - Loucif takes a pass up the right sidelines and feeds a ball into Gianluca Bolis, who is completely unmarked. He cuts in and wires a rocket but Dunn is in good position and makes the save. 26’ - Not much happening but we win a free kick from way out (35 yards). Andrea Rocca takes it and he fires his trademark left-footed curling ROCKET that bends around the wall and past a diving Chris Dunn and IN! Wicked strike from Rocca, his first of the year and we’re ahead! DOVER GOAL 1-0 39’ - Rocca is having a great half and sends in Moses on a partial break. His shot is turned aside by Dunn. HALFTIME - Liverpool are playing tight defence, like I thought they would and the game can still go either way. We edge them in possession with 51% of the ball and outshoot them 11-9 (5-0 on target). I encourage the team to keep pressing in the second half - lets get that insurance marker! 51’ - Yellow card for Chiquinho. 63’ - This is two consecutive duds for Chiquinho so he’s out and Shanon Andrea is in. Liverpool are ALL OVER us right now. No real strong shots on target but they are simply dominating right now. 71’ - Another dud game from Arsene Bamba, his second in a row as well. Rafinha comes in for him, as some of our main starters must be getting a bit tired from all of the big games we’ve had lately. 88’ - We have been better the last ten minutes and see some much needed “Moses Magic”, as our superlative young striker takes the ball at midfield from Rocca, dances through three Liverpool defenders and cuts in on goal before shooting hard and low past Dunn and it’s IN! They won’t catch us now! Superb individual effort from our leading scorer! DOVER GOAL 2-0 That’s all she wrote. Dover 2 - 0 Liverpool Goals - Andrea Rocca (8.9), Paul Moses (8.3) Assists - Andrea Rocca Man of the Match - Andrea Rocca Other Dover Notables - Manuel Perez (7.2), Salim Loucif (7.3), Rayane Hamon (7.2), Claudio Contreras (7.2), Renato Gaucho (7.3) Attendance - 22,278 We end up with 52% of overall possession and a 16-14 (6-1 on target) shot advantage. A solid game but a bit nervy there in the first twenty minutes of the second half as Liverpool came in waves. Our defence played well and this was Andrea Rocca’s best game of the year by far. -- There is only one other match today and it’s Manchester United getting past Newcastle 2-1 to move into second place in the league. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 30 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 75 points 2. Manchester United - 63 points 3. Tottenham - 62 points 4. Chelsea - 61 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Manchester City - 57 points 6. Liverpool - 55 points 7. Arsenal - 51 points ---------------------------------------------------- Champions League Update -- Ajax whip Chelsea 3-1 and win 4-3 on aggregate to move on. Real Madrid ease past Bursaspor 4-1 and 7-3 on aggregate and they are also through to the quarterfinals. More Records for Moses -- Our 20 year old wonderkid continues to re-write the Dover record books, as his goal against Liverpool was his 26th in league play so far this year, beating Chiquinho’s 25 goals scored last year. I think Moses has a few more left in him this year! Next Up -- We host Holland’s AZ in the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round and hold a comfortable 3-2 lead thus far after a big road win a couple weeks back.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-03-2014, 12:18 AM
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#461 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Tue. March 19, 2024
UEFA Champions League - First Knockout Round Second Leg Dover (3) vs. (2) AZ Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Liverpool: 11-5 Past Meetings: 1W 0D 0L AZ have lost major threat Patrick Boyomo, whose speed gave us fits in our last game, due to injury and he’s out for 8 weeks with damaged knee ligaments. Fabian Berg is their leading scorer and I imagine Marcel Schmidt will start up front in place of Boyomo. We’re rolling the dice a bit today, with three away goals to our credit and a one goal lead. Two of our main players, Neil Cairney and Renato Gaucho will be suspended for a game due to yellow card accumulation if they get one more so Cairney will be on the bench today and Renato Gaucho won’t even dress. I want them to be ready for game one in the next round if we move on, as expected. We’re also going with a one striker formation today (4-2-3-1), with Paul Moses up front and Zoltan Bardi in behind. Graham Allan, Emmerson Harvey, Andrea Rocca, Rafinha and Saber Nasri are all getting starts today. We’ll be ready to move to a flat 4-4-2 if things get scary at halftime. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, S. Nasri, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - E. Harvey, A. Rocca AM - A. Bamba, Z. Bardi, G. Allan S - P. Moses Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, N. Cairney, G. Fanfoni, L. Kunchev, F. Hernandez, Chiquinho As expected, AZ come out in a flat 4-4-2 with Berg and Schmidt up front. Adama N’Diaye is in goal once again. We encourage the players in the dressing room before the match. 4’ - We’re all over them early and a Zoltan Bardi pass is up the left side to Arsene Bamba. He reaches the byline and crosses in and there is Graham Allan to tap it into the empty net! Great start! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (4-2 AGGREGATE) 6’ - We’re playing with FIRE to start and Rayane Hamon tackles the ball away from their leading scorer Fabian Berg and sends it up the right side to Allan. He SPEEDS down the right flank and crosses into the box and there is Paul Moses, tapping this one home and we have two goals in two minutes! Whoa! DOVER GOAL 2-0 (5-2 AGGREGATE) 13’ - Moses delivers a touch pass to Bamba, who is just outside the area and he immediately sends a high cross into Allan, who heads it toward goal but it’s right at N’Diaye! Allan has his head in his hands as that looked like a sure goal! 21’ - A rare yellow card for Andrea Rocca. 36’ - Bardi with a touch pass into Moses and his low blast is just turned by the post by N’Diaye! Great save! We get a corner out of it and eventually the ball is sent back to Rocca. He crosses back in and the ball deflects off the back of Rayane Hamon and into the net! DOVER GOAL 3-0 (6-2 AGGREGATE) 42’ - Moses is sent up field by Allan and his shot is once again stopped by N’Diaye! 45’+1 - Rocca shows some rare moves, deking past an AZ defender and getting into the area. He’s almost surprised the move worked and his shot is weak and it’s an easy stop by the keeper. HALFTIME - Sheer domination! This game is essentially locked up and I can start thinking ahead. We’ll definitely get young Felix Hernandez in early in the second half for his first ever senior team game and I’ll soon take out Paul Moses as well. No reason for anyone important to get hurt. We hold a 56% possession edge and a healthy 11-4 (7-2 on target) shot advantage. I tell the lads I’m pleased. 54’ - Paul Moses comes off and Gian Marco Fanfoni comes in. Zoltan Bardi moves up to striker for now. 56’ - AZ have a throw in down the left and the ball eventually is passed into the middle to midfielder Nicolas Simon and he sends a low blast through traffic and it beats Wilke and is in. AZ GOAL 3-1 (6-3 AGGREGATE) 63’ - It’s a risk but with a three goal advantage, we use our last substitutions, bringing in Felix Hernandez for his first ever game and also bringing in Lyubomir Kunchev. Andrea Rocca and Arsene Bamba come off. Graham Allan moves to striker, Bardi is back to AMC, Kunchev is at AMR and Hernandez is at AML. 68’ - Fanfoni sends a great ball through to Allan but his shot is stopped by N’Diaye. 72’ - We work a counter attack and the ball is delivered to Emmerson Harvey up the middle. He touches it to the left to Hernandez and the 18 year old crosses into the middle and there is Allan again, sliding at the ball and putting it past N’Diaye for his second of the game! DOVER GOAL 4-1 (7-3 AGGREGATE) 75’ - Hernandez is showing speed and skill as he bursts down the left flank again and crosses. It’s headed out but Harvey sends a pass right back into Allan, who turns and fires but N’Diaye is there to stop Allan’s hat trick bid! 79’ - We steal possession again and Harvey feeds Fanfoni. The young Italian feeds the ball up to Allan and he sends a weak lofted effort that is PERFECTLY placed into the top right corner of the net for his HAT TRICK! What a game from Graham Allan! Holy smokes! DOVER GOAL 5-1 (8-3 AGGREGATE) 87’ - Allan has a chance for his fourth goal but N’Diaye makes a good reflex save. Superb performance and we move on to the Champions League quarterfinals! Dover 5 (8) - (3) 1 AZ Goals - Graham Allan 3 (9.7), Paul Moses (7.6), Rayane Hamon (8.4) Assists - Graham Allan, Arsene Bamba (7.0), Gian Marco Fanfoni (6.9), Felix Hernandez (6.9) Man of the Match - Graham Allan Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.2), Salim Loucif (7.4), Saber Nasri (7.4), Rafinha (7.5), Emmerson Harvey (7.3), Zoltan Bardi (7.1) Attendance - 22,133 We end up with 52% of possession and a 27-7 (14-3 on target) shot advantage. Allan with a superlative game and everyone in our starting lineup but Andrea Rocca (6.9) gets a rating over 7.0. -- Ah…money! We are given £2,609,000 for playing in the first knockout round! -- Also moving on to the next round are Juventus, who wallop Galatasaray 2-0 and 6-0 on aggregate. Atletico Madrid ease past Celtic 5-2 on aggregate and Manchester United also move on, throttling Olympique Lyonnais 6-2 on aggregate. Dover Reserve Team Update -- Shanon Andrea nets a hat trick as we win 6-2 over Chelsea’s reserves. Norberto Vazquez, Steve Reed and Felix Hernandez notch singles in the win. Lyubomir Kunchev and Gian Marco Fanfoni both nab two assists each. Champions League - Quarter Final Draw -- There are eight teams left in the competition: Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, OM, Real Madrid and ourselves. I’d prefer either Ajax or Juventus and what do you know? We get AJAX in the quarterfinals, another Dutch club! In fact, Ajax is in second place in the Eredivisie behind the team we just knocked off - AZ! A GREAT matchup and one that gives us a real fighting chance to move onto the semis for the first time ever! Next Up -- We host 7th place Arsenal in Premier League action.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-03-2014 at 12:19 AM. |
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07-03-2014, 01:41 AM
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#462 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. March 23, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (23-6-1, 75 points, 1st) vs. Arsenal (14-9-7, 51 points, 7th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Arsenal: 7-4 Past Meetings: 5W 2D 9L Arsenal just got knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona and are on a poor run of form, with only one win in their last six matches. Striker Boakye leads the club with 17 goals in 35 matches and defender/striker Nchimunya Munyao has 14. The normal Arsenal tactic is to start with Munyao at defence then move him up to striker if they need a goal later in the game. Arsenal usually play with only one man up front. Fine Canadian defender Lorenzo Tomaselli is hurt and will miss today’s contest. We’re fully healthy now but I’m going to continue to do a bit of squad rotation today just to give some players a needed break. Sitting today will be captain Salim Loucif, Rayane Hamon and goalkeeper Ingo Wilke. Neil Cairney is back in the lineup after missing the last four games due to injury and suspension. We’re only slight favourites today. Control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, S. Nasri, Rafinha M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, A. Rocca, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea Interesting…Munyao is playing striker today in their 4-2-3-1 formation and Arsenal’s leading scorer Boakye isn’t even on the bench. Carl Cousins, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are all dangerous midfielders and Sergio Asenjo is in goal. Lets do this for the fans today! 9’ - Jose to Neil Cairney in the middle and his rocket launcher is saved by a diving Asenjo! Great stop! 19’ - Chiquinho receives a Jose pass but shoots from a poor angle and Asenjo bumps it over the net. 23’ - Jose with a wonderful pass off a give and go with Paul Moses and our leading scorer is in all alone. He looks like he has the right angle but Asenjo makes a brilliant stop! Wow! 25’ - Jose with a bullet of a free kick from distance and Asenjo JUST keeps it out of the net. He’s on FIRE so far! 30’ - We have a goal kick and Perez sends it up field. Chiquinho wins the ball and sends a pass out wide to Gianluca Bolis. He’s running down the right and crosses in and there is Paul Moses, slotting the ball past Asenjo and we take the lead! DOVER GOAL 1-0 32’ - Arsenal march right down the field on the ensuing kick off and a cross comes in to Alexander Kacaniklic but his header is saved well by Manuel Perez. 42’ - We have a corner and Arsene Bamba crosses to the near post. Saber Nasri heads the ball and it goes off Paul Moses and IN! Moses scores them in so many ways and he’s got two! DOVER GOAL 2-0 45’ - Only seconds after Arsenal midfielder Carl Cousins misses the net on a glorious chance, we move quickly ahead and it’s Bolis again as the architect, as he sends in Jose on a through ball and our Brazilian midfielder strikes a low ball with FURY and it’s past Asenjo and in! That’s Jose’s second of the year and we’re now comfortably ahead! DOVER GOAL 3-0 HALFTIME - Wow! What a half of football. We get edged in possession, holding 49% but we outshoot them 12-6 (8-2 on target). Fantastic! I’m pleased boys! 58’ - Munyao, quiet up until now, gets a header that rattles off the crossbar but Perez is able to grab and hold onto the ball when it finally comes down. 67’ - We have another corner and Bamba’s cross is to the far post. Claudio Contreras heads it forcefully past Asenjo and IN! We’re dominating! DOVER GOAL 4-0 We take out the excellent Jose and bring in Gian Marco Fanfoni. 73’ - In comes Graham Allan for Arsene Bamba. 85’ - Last sub sees Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz come in for Claudio Contreras. SOLID. Dover 4 - 0 Arsenal Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.0), Jose (8.1), Claudio Contreras (8.4) Assists - Gianluca Bolis 2 (8.5), Saber Nasri (8.0), Arsene Bamba (7.7) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Rafinha (7.8), Renato Gaucho (7.5), Neil Cairney (7.3), Chiquinho (7.2) Attendance - 23,000 We show our class to a sellout crowd at Crabble, defeating a traditional powerhouse in all phases of the game. 53% of possession and a 22-11 (10-5 on target) shot advantage. Brilliant! -- Look out for Manchester City, as they wallop Middlesbrough 5-1 on the road. Jose Mourinho is whipping them into shape quick. Aston Villa continue to do us favours, drawing against Chelsea. Manchester United and Spurs both win to keep up with us while Liverpool can only manage a draw against Everton. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 31 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 78 points 2. Manchester United - 66 points 3. Tottenham - 65 points 4. Chelsea - 62 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Manchester City - 60 points 6. Liverpool - 56 points 7. Arsenal - 51 points ---------------------------------------------------- -- With a 12 point lead and only seven games left, the best any opponent can do at this point would be to get to 87 points and that would be Man United…but only if they win all seven of their remaining games. That means we only need nine more points to tie that mark and with a goal differential that is currently +25 ahead of United, essentially three wins from our remaining 7 matches SHOULD win us the Premier League! Holy crap! I think this is the year guys!!! Dover U18 Update -- Norberto Vazquez scores our only goal in a 1-1 draw against Crawley. Premier League Team of the Week -- Paul Moses, Rafinha and Claudio Contreras all make the Premier League team of the week. Dover Injury Report -- We are completely healthy right now. We’ve been really fortunate all year…knock on wood! Next Up -- In yet another pivotal Premier League match, we head to Manchester to face City and their new manager Jose Mourinho, who is quickly turning around the fortunes of the highly decorated club.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-03-2014, 02:16 AM
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#463 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Come on! Close this out!
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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07-03-2014, 10:14 AM
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#464 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Not too far away
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This is the year.
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07-03-2014, 03:40 PM
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#465 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Now is the moment.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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07-03-2014, 03:55 PM
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#466 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: The scorched Desert
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Grab the brass ring
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07-03-2014, 10:12 PM
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#467 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Thanks everyone! I really appreciate everyone who reads through all of this! 13 years worth (in-game) of building a roster brick by brick.
The Premier League title *looks* to be ours but we still have to get those nine points. Now, if we could somehow get that Champions League title too...
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-04-2014, 12:49 AM
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#468 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Alexandria, VA
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Feels like there is some pressure on this year's team, as some wealthy clubs might knock away some of your depth this offseason; this may be your best shot at the CL. Thinking specifically of Chiquinho, but there may be some others with the success you've had.
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07-04-2014, 04:26 PM
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#469 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
I agree fully. At this point, my major concern is going to be young Paul Moses. This guy is destined to be a legend in the game and he's only 20 years old. So far, the only guy who is lurking is Jurgen Klinsmann and Man United...but they are the team that sold him to me! So I doubt he'll go back to United. There are no other teams sniffing around Moses...at least not yet! I do worry about a big European club coming in eventually with a 30+ million pound offer and having my chairman accept it. That could be grounds for me leaving the club! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. At this point, only Chiquinho has a minimum release clause (Moses doesn't so only a board intervention will result in his sale) and Chiquinho's release clause is for about 31 million. He's 27 years old and if someone offers that next year, I may just take the money and run. Chiquinho is awesome but he's starting to get to that age where strikers start to slow down a bit. Still, he plays a vital "target man" role to perfection and compliments Moses very well. I think he's a guy that will still perform into his early 30s so I want to keep him around. Neil Cairney would be the only other guy I'd worry about.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-12-2014, 03:39 PM
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#470 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. March 30, 2024
Barclays Premier League Manchester City (18-6-7, 60 points, 5th) vs. Dover (24-6-1, 78 points, 1st) Man City Stadium, Manchester, UK Betting Odds: Manchester City: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4 Past Meetings: 3W 2D 7L This is the toughest game left on our Premier League schedule, as we near the home stretch with only 7 league games remaining. City have won three straight since the hiring of legendary manager Jose Mourinho. City are out of the Europa League but have reached the FA Cup semi finals after a convincing 3-1 win over rival United. City haven’t been the same team since the sale last year of striker Enrique to Barcelona but young Frenchman Ryan Bonin has been on fire lately and is up to 27 goals on the year. The most talented striker is Jelle Hoegee but he’s battled serious injury all year and only has played 11 games, scoring 8 times. He’s healthy today but lacking match fitness so it will be interesting to see what Mourinho does, as City usually only play one man up front. Mario Brito, a HUGE signing last year (£73 million from Inter), is injured and won’t play today. We’re going with our full strength side today. Despite being underdogs and on the road versus a great team, I’m sticking with our control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, A. Rocca, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea Alright, indeed it’s the fine young striker Jelle Hoegee getting the start despite not being match fit. I don’t recognize any of their attacking midfielders in their 4-2-3-1 formation, a true sign that City are finally starting to turn over their roster. Antonio is in goal. We beat City in their stadium in our last go-around and I once again tell the team this is a winnable game. Lets do it! 2’ - We have possession in their end and it’s cleared out to Hoegee at midfield. He dribbles into our end and makes it to the byline before crossing over to the right. A City midfielder is there and he sends a quick volley back into the middle to Giorgos Spanoudakis. His shot is at Wilke and deflects off him and it’s IN. For some reason, it’s credited as an own goal but whatever - City is up EARLY. MANCHESTER CITY GOAL 0-1 11’ - It’s all City early and midfielder Miralem Pjanic gets off a hard shot and Wilke makes the stop. City get the ball back and literally pass the ball around a triangle for a full 60 seconds, playing keep-away. Finally, fullback Mercado gets a step on the right sideline and feeds in a cross and there is Jelle Hoegee, sliding at the ball and sending it past Wilke for the brilliant goal. We’re getting SMOKED! MANCHESTER CITY GOAL 0-2 31’ - Salim Loucif takes down a man just outside our area and gets a lecture but no card. City take the free kick and it’s a cross into a COMPLETELY UNMARKED Capitao and he heads it past a startled Wilke and it’s in. Unbelievable - what a MESS this is! MANCHESTER CITY GOAL 0-3 33’ - We have a great chance off the kick off, with Bolis feeding a great cross into Paul Moses but he can’t put his left-footed shot past Antonio. What a weak effort from Moses with no defenders in sight. Sigh. 39’ - We have a throw in down the right side and Bolis sends it into Chiquinho. He passes back to Loucif and he sends in a cross and it’s Renato Gaucho, up from his left fullback position, heading it past Antonio and in. We’re on the board! DOVER GOAL 1-3 HALFTIME - City edge us in possession and outshoot us 9-7 (3-2 on target). We’re simply being outplayed but that late half goal at least has given us some life. We have a LOT of guys with ratings in the fives after 45 minutes and I tell the team I want to see much more from them in the second half. 48’ - Jose with a yellow card. 50’ - Gianluca Bolis with a horrendous giveaway that leads to a City attacker hitting the goal post. Ugh. 62’ - Bolis is out and in comes Graham Allan. 83’ - No chances for either team, as City have pulled back into a 4-5-1 formation. We take out Jose and bring in Andrea Rocca. We also switch to an overload mentality. Lets see if we can get another goal here and make things interesting. 85’ - Chiquinho with a yellow card. They hold us off the rest of the way. Very disappointing loss but only our second in the league all year. Manchester City 3 - 1 Dover Goals - Renato Gaucho (7.3) Assists - Salim Loucif (6.8) Man of the Match - Gustavo Mercado (Manchester City DR - 7.8) Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (5.6), Chiquinho (5.5), Paul Moses (5.8) Attendance - 62,534 City simply were better today. They held 53% of possession and shots were 15-15 (3-2 on target) for City. No shots on target for either team in the second half as they were content to lock us down. Very poor games from our strike duo of Moses and Chiquinho. -- Tottenham smoke Birmingham 5-0, Liverpool win 3-0 over Fulham, United win 2-0 over Wolves and Chelsea can only manage a draw against Everton. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 32 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 78 points 2. Manchester United - 69 points 3. Tottenham - 68 points 4. Manchester City - 63 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 62 points 6. Liverpool - 59 points 7. Reading - 54 points ---------------------------------------------------- April Update -- We have four Premier League games coming up this month: Reading (away), Sunderland (home), Sheffield Wednesday (home) and Middlesbrough (away). We also have our two leg Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Ajax and if we prevail, we could have one more Champions League match near the end of the month. So six games for sure and perhaps seven if we play well. -- The training report is light for March, with only youth player Anthony Gardiner getting a positive notice. Premier League Monthly Awards -- Former Dover loanee Martin Prochazka wins the Premier League player of the month award after scoring four goals in as many games for Reading. Wow. -- Newcastle’s Mads Pedersen wins Young Player of the Month while our very own Paul Moses and Claudio Contreras finish second and third respectively. -- A Paul Moses goal against Liverpool on March 13th wins third place in the goal of the month award voting. -- Manchester United won all four games last month and Jurgen Klinsmann wins Manager of the Month for his efforts. April Board Confidence Update -- The board are absolutely delighted with the way I’m leading the team. The main positive is our second consecutive League Cup win while the slight disappointment is our FA Cup performance. -- We made £3,170,000 last month. Injury Report -- We are completely healthy right now. Knock on wood! Next Up -- We host Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-12-2014, 04:47 PM
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#471 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Tue. April 2, 2024
UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final First Leg Dover (1st in English Premier League) vs. Ajax (2nd in Dutch Eredivisie) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Ajax: 11-5 Past Meetings: 0W 1D 0L We face our second consecutive Dutch opponent, as we now face second placed Ajax after knocking off Holland league leaders AZ in the round of 16. Ajax is only a point out of first now and they are a team that thrives on balanced scoring. Team leader Nicolas Lodeiro has 18 in 43 games and is an attacking midfielder. Wide midfielder Carlos and striker Kingsley Lawal have 13 each and striker Jorge de la Torre has 10 goals. This club is a similar size as us and their top valued player is Carlao, a central midfielder who was bought in July for £12 million from Internacional. We’re going to make some changes from the lineup that produced a lacklustre effort against Man City. Out today will be Ingo Wilke, Chiquinho, Neil Cairney and Gianluca Bolis. Coming in are Manuel Perez, Zoltan Bardi, Andrea Rocca and Graham Allan. I want a much better performance at home today! We’ll stick with the control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, Jose, A. Rocca, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Z. Bardi Bench - C. Guzman, S. Nasri, N. Cairney, G. Fanfoni, G. Bolis, Rafinha, Chiquinho Ajax come out in a flat 4-4-2 just like us and de la Torre is up front with Kingsley Lawal. Their keeper is Stephen Brown, a Scottish international. Lets put in a better performance in front of our supporters today! 4’ - After some nice passing, Andrea Rocca gets a reasonable chance in the area but his weak shot is right at Brown. Easy stop. 5’ - We send a long ball up field and the chase is on. Brown comes out to try to snag it but Zoltan Bardi beats him to it. Brown is down and way out of the net so Bardi sends a quick pass to an oncoming Rocca and he shoots into the open net for the early stunner! Beauty! DOVER GOAL 1-0 11’ - Graham Allan just speeds by an Ajax defender and is running up the right sideline. He crosses into the box and Arsene Bamba hits it on the volley but Brown makes a SPECTACULAR save! WOW. 12’ - We are absolutely FLYING right now to the ball and there is a mad sequence that sees Allan steal the ball away half way in Ajax’s end and run toward the area. He’s tackled down just as he’s about to enter and our players are incensed that the ref allows play to continue but Paul Moses smartly keeps running, picks up the loose ball and deposits it past a stunned Brown and we are off to the races now! DOVER GOAL 2-0 21’ - Claudio Contreras with a yellow card. Off the ensuing free kick, a ball is sent up to Lawal and he makes a move around Rayane Hamon and shoots hard and low past Perez and it’s in. Ugh. Not good. AJAX GOAL 2-1 44’ - Graham Allan has been everywhere today and he has the ball again half way into Ajax territory. It’s tackled away by the left fullback but right to Zoltan Bardi, who turns on his defender, dribbles into the area and delivers a low, precise shot into the far corner past Brown and in! Sensational! DOVER GOAL 3-1 HALFTIME - Ajax have the slight possession edge (51%) but we outshoot them 12-5 (5-2 on target). The guys we brought into the lineup today are leading the charge: Rocca, Bardi and Allan have all been tremendous through the first 45 minutes. Great stuff. I wish we hadn’t given up that key away goal but overall, I’m pleased! 52’ - A yellow card for Renato Gaucho and a key one at that, as he’ll now be suspended for the second leg due to yellow card accumulation. 66’ - Bamba jets past a defender down the left and crosses into the area. Bardi fights with Ajax defender Acosta and the ball pops right to Moses, who hits it with venom on the half volley and it streaks past Brown into the net! That’s two for Moses and we’re up three! DOVER GOAL 4-1 70’ - Ajax give the ball away at midfield and we storm up on the counter. Rocca with a breathtaking pass through the defence to Bamba and his shot is saved by a diving Brown. There is a rebound and it’s Moses but he shoots WIDE! Hat Trick chance missed! 72’ - I take no chances with the yellow carded Contreras and pull him out in favour of Saber Nasri. 75’ - There’s Moses again, streaking down the middle and letting off a rocket that hits the crossbar and bounces out! Wow. 81’ - Rafinha comes on for Arsene Bamba. 85’ - Right away, the youngster gets a chance, as Bardi sends in Rafinha but his shot is JUST turned beside the goalpost by Brown! We get a corner and it’s headed out but for some reason, an Ajax defender takes down Bardi and it’s a PENALTY! Up steps Paul Moses, looking for his hat trick, and he goes low to the left post and IN! SPECTACULAR game from Moses! DOVER GOAL 5-1 Awesome. Dover 5 - 1 Ajax Goals - Paul Moses 3 (9.6), Andrea Rocca (8.2), Zoltan Bardi (9.2) Assists - Zoltan Bardi 2, Arsene Bamba (7.8) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.7), Rayane Hamon (7.7), Claudio Contreras (7.0), Renato Gaucho (7.2), Graham Allan (7.4), Jose (7.2) Attendance - 23,000 We held 51% of possession and a 24-8 (11-2 on target) shot advantage in a dominating performance! Great to see our backups come in and play so well! They’ll all get more chances and Allan especially may continue to get reps in place of Bolis - it’s ridiculous that he doesn’t get credit for at least one assist here. By the way, their keeper, Stephen Brown, got a 3.6 rating, easily the lowest I’ve EVER seen in this dynasty! That’s crazy! He was blamed for the first two goals and looked flustered all game. -- We set a team record for gate receipts in this one, bringing in £725,000 to break our old record by £25k. -- In the other Champions League matches, Real Madrid knocks off Atletico Madrid 3-0, Barcelona and Juventus battle to a 0-0 draw and United eke past OM 3-2. Random Rumour -- Our midfielder Jose is being tipped as a possible contender for the coveted English Footballer of the Year award. Wow…cool. Next Up -- We head on the road to face red-hot Reading in Premier League play.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-12-2014, 06:34 PM
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#472 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. April 6, 2024
Barclays Premier League Reading (17-3-12, 54 points, 7th) vs. Dover (24-6-2, 78 points, 1st) The Madejski Stadium, Reading, UK Betting Odds: Reading: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4 Past Meetings: 8W 2D 3L We’ve had good success historically versus Reading but they traditionally play us tough. They are also on a great run of form, with only two losses in their last 16 games in all competitions. They are also still alive in the FA Cup, with an upcoming semi-final match against Man City. Their best player in recent years has been striker/attacking mid James Hunter but he’s hurt right now and Hani Megahed has taken the mantle as most dangerous player. He has a whopping 25 goals in only 32 matches so we’ll need to be mindful of the speedster today. Former Dover loanee Martin Prochazka is having a fine year as is fellow attacking mid Cees Duarte. We’re going to fall back today and play a counter attacking style at Reading’s deep pitch. Getting second consecutive starts are keeper Manuel Perez, midfielder Andrea Rocca and winger Graham Allan. Chiquinho is back in up front and Neil Cairney starts in midfield. Jose gets the night off. Saber Nasri is also in for Claudio Contreras, as we look to employ a speedy back line today to counter the effect of Megahed. Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, S. Nasri, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, M. Yilmaz, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, G. Bolis, S. Andrea, Z. Bardi Reading are in a 4-2-3-1 (4-4-2 DM) with Megahed up front, Duarte and Prochazka at attacking midfield slots and Chris Davies in goal. Central defender Mark O’Brien is starting and he usually struggles against our speed. Lets play well for our travelling supporters today. 8’ - Off a throw in, Paul Moses gets the ball and passes in to Andrea Rocca, who is completely unmarked in front of the net but his shot is saved well by Davies. 12’ - We have a corner and it’s cleared out to Neil Cairney. He passes back over to the left to Arsene Bamba, who dribbles past his man and into the area before unleashing a ROCKET that is past Davies and IN! Spectacular shot by Bamba, his 50th career goal for our club! DOVER GOAL 1-0 33’ - Megahed gets a chance but his shot is saved well by Manuel Perez. 36’ - Bamba with a lofted right foot shot that hits off the crossbar! 39’ - Moses with a clear cut breakaway and he shoots WIDE! Don’t see that from him very often. 43’ - Cees Duarte darts into our area and after being engaged by Saber Nasri, goes down like a ton of bricks. The referee points to the spot - PENALTY! Our players are furious and even the announcer says it was a dive but Hani Megahed steps up and drills a high hard one into the far corner for the equalizing goal. READING GOAL 1-1 HALFTIME - That is an awful turn of events, as we’re dominating this game. We held 58% of possession and shots are 10-10 (3-2 on target) for us as well. I tell the team I’m pleased but pull aside struggling Nasri and Chiquinho to say I have faith in them. This would be a great time for a Chiquinho goal - he’s been invisible lately. 46’ - We get the kick off and it’s the PAUL MOSES SHOW, as he takes the ball and simply runs straight past Mark O’Brien and in on goal. Davies makes the save but Moses gets the rebound and puts it into the net! Simply ridiculous! That’s Moses’ 50th league goal for us already as well! DOVER GOAL 2-1 53’ - Reading with a nice move to free up Prochazka but Perez is there in good position to make the stop. 57’ - Saber Nasri is having a horrible game, as he coughs up the ball to the dangerous Megahed and the Reading goal scorer is in on Perez. Our keeper makes the first save but Megahed gets the rebound and Nasri misses that one too. Megahed shoots again and there is Perez, diving to make the second save as well! WOW! 58’ - We work a quick counter after clearing Reading’s corner from the last play and it’s Chiquinho in on a partial break. His shot gets past Davies but hits the goal post! He can’t buy a goal right now. 63’ - Bamba has the ball and gets a pass into Moses at the outer edge of the area. He abuses O’Brien once again and shoots but Davies makes the stop. O’Brien just stands there as Moses goes for the rebound and he sends a BLAST into the top corner of the goal past a diving Davies. UNBELIEVABLE goal and boy, does that Mark O’Brien ever struggle against Moses and his speed! DOVER GOAL 3-1 66’ - Andrea Rocca with a free kick and he sends a curling blast off the crossbar! 77’ - Jan Moravek with a curling blast from distance and Perez dives to make the stop! 78’ - Andrea Rocca and Arsene Bamba are out and in come Gian Marco Fanfoni and Rafinha. 80’ - We work a counter and Chiquinho sends the ball out wide to Rafinha. He’s streaking down the left wing and sends a cross into Moses, looking for another hat trick. His wicked volley is on goal but stopped in sensational fashion by a diving Davies! What a great save that was! 85’ - Oh my! Perez ROBS Megahed TWICE in rapid succession from in tight. 90’+2 - We move the ball around beautifully and Cairney sends in Chiquinho. He’s on his weak side and his shot is saved easily by Davies. Great win! Reading 1 - 3 Dover Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.6), Arsene Bamba (7.6) Assists - Neil Cairney (7.7) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Manuel Perez (8.5), Renato Gaucho (7.0), Chiquinho (7.3) Attendance - 20,968 We held 53% of possession for the game but were outshot 22-21 (9-9 on target). Manuel Perez was simply sensational today and he’s starting to gain a bit of an edge on Ingo Wilke lately - Perez doesn’t speak English yet but I assume he’ll grasp the language shortly. And what can you say about Moses? He’s now over 50 goals for the season! Unreal. -- With the win, we’ve locked up a Champions League spot for next season. -- In other action, Everton hold Man City to a 1-1 draw, Man United and Liverpool battled to a 2-2 draw while Spurs win a thriller over Chelsea at Zola Stadium 4-3 to move past United and into second place. We now have a ten point lead on second place with five games remaining. We’ll need five more points to win the league. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 33 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 81 points 2. Tottenham - 71 points 3. Manchester United - 70 points 4. Manchester City - 64 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 63 points 6. Liverpool - 60 points 7. Arsenal - 55 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- The kids win 4-1 over Eastleigh, with goals coming from James Campbell, Norberto Vazquez, Jim Ryan and Pete Smith. Champions League Update -- Barcelona and Manchester United advance to the semi-finals, with both clubs winning on the road 1-0; Barcelona advances 1-0 on aggregate over Juventus while United advances 4-2 on aggregate over OM. Next Up -- We’re off to Holland to face Ajax in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals and we have a huge four goal lead going in.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-12-2014, 07:43 PM
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#473 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Wed. April 10, 2024
UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final Second Leg Ajax (1) vs. (5) Dover Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Holland Betting Odds: Ajax: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8 Past Meetings: 1W 1D 0L I was very impressed with striker Kingsley Lawal in the last game and we’ll need to watch him closely. Ajax played a flat 4-4-2 last game but they may go to a one striker formation, as they just played a 4-2-3-1 in league play. That said, down four goals right now, they’ll likely need two strikers. With a huge lead, we’re using the opportunity to rest some key players. Shanon Andrea and Zoltan Bardi start up front and Paul Moses gets the night off. In midfield, 18 year old Felix Hernandez, part of our youth setup, gets his first ever senior team start today at left midfield, as we rest Arsene Bamba. Emmerson Harvey is in at MC alongside Jose and Gianluca Bolis is back in at right midfield after a two game absence. Rafinha starts at left fullback for the suspended Renato Gaucho and Saber Nasri is in for Rayane Hamon today. Ingo Wilke is back in goal. We’ll counter attack today. Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, S. Nasri, S. Loucif M - F. Hernandez, E. Harvey, Jose, G. Bolis S - S. Andrea, Z. Bardi Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, N. Cairney, G. Fanfoni, G. Allan, Chiquinho, A. Broomes Ajax come out with the same group of players and same formation as last game. de la Torre is up front with Lawal and Stephen Brown is back in goal after a horrendous game against us last week. *** In a stupid move, I get the “button yips” and press right through the team talk. Uh oh…hopefully they don’t freak out that I didn’t go into the room *** 2’ - Bardi gets a shot off from the outer edge of the area and it’s saved by Brown. He’s already doing better than last game…the poor guy. 5’ - We’re definitely a bit disjointed to start and de la Torre gets through our defence but Wilke barely pushes the ball aside. 10’ - Ajax with a corner and de la Torre heads it toward the far corner but Wilke makes the diving save. 21’ - On an innocent looking play, Wilke botches a cross into the area and Lawal has an open net to shoot at but it goes right across the goal line and wide. So lucky! 26’ - I feel we’re just holding on right now and Salim Loucif botches a tackle and Ajax are off to the races. The ball comes into the middle and Wilke again is forced to make a great save. 31’ - de la Torre has a partial break after a Wilke goal kick gets headed back our way but our keeper is on fire tonight and makes the point blank stop. 34’ - Young Felix Hernandez, who has been noticeable in a good way so far, with a great cross into the area to Bolis, who heads it toward goal but Brown bumps it over the crossbar. HALFTIME - Well, a boring half but that’s okay. We are holding 55% of possession but Ajax are the more dangerous team, with an 11-6 (5-2 on target) shot edge. Wilke has been sensational so far. I do go in the dressing room this time and tell the lads I’m content due to the large aggregate lead. I want to see something from Shanon Andrea in the next 15 minutes or he’s coming off. 48’ - Wilke again with a key stop, this time on substitute Nicolas Lodeiro’s tight shot. 53’ - We have a corner headed away and Ajax are on the counter. It’s a two on two and Lawal beats Loucif to the middle and Rafinha comes over to help, leaving de la Torre wide open. Lawal finds him and it’s an easy shot for de la Torre and we’re behind. AJAX GOAL 0-1 (5-2 AGGREGATE) 61’ - I’m angry that I have to bring in the cavalry right now, taking out Shanon Andrea and Emmerson Harvey and bringing in Chiquinho and Neil Cairney. I also switch to a control mentality. 63’ - Bolis with a quick cross and there is young Hernandez climbing up to send a hard header toward goal but Brown makes a great save to deflect if off the crossbar and out! 67’ - We have a free kick from outside the area and Jose sends in a ROCKET that curls around the wall and Brown fists the ball out. It’s right on the foot of FELIX HERNANDEZ and the 18 year old volleys the ball off a defender and past Brown for his first ever senior team goal!!! DOVER GOAL 1-1 (6-2 AGGREGATE) 74’ - He’s only been on for 13 minutes but I take out Neil Cairney and bring in Gian Marco Fanfoni. Why, you ask? Cairney is one yellow card away from suspension so I don’t want him getting one now and missing our semi-final opener. 81’ - We send Chiquinho away on a partial breakaway and he’s taken down hard from behind by Acosta. That’s a straight RED CARD! Ajax are down to ten men. AJAX RED CARD 84’ - Ajax haven’t changed their formation after the Acosta red card and they have only three defenders. That’s important as Jose steals the ball near midfield and sends a pass up to Zoltan Bardi, who is completely unmarked. He strolls in on goal and shoots past Brown and IN! DOVER GOAL 2-1 (7-2 AGGREGATE) 90’+1 - Ajax get a free kick after a Rafinha foul and the cross is to de la Torre. He heads it past Wilke and ties the game up. His second of the match but too little, too late for Ajax. AJAX GOAL 2-2 (7-3 AGGREGATE) We move on to the semi-finals for the first time!!! Ajax 2 (3) - (7) 2 Dover Goals - Felix Hernandez (7.6), Zoltan Bardi (7.3) Assists - Jose 2 (9.0) Man of the Match - Jorge de la Torre (AJAX STRIKER - 9.1) Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.6), Claudio Contreras (5.7) Attendance - 49,732 We held 56% of overall possession but were outshot by a wide margin, 22-15 (9-7 on target). Wilke was excellent, as was Jose. We move onto the semis!!! -- We earn £2.87 million for playing in the quarterfinals. Now I can’t wait to see the windfall for the semis! -- In other Champions League action, it’s Real Madrid drawing with Atletico Madrid 1-1 but winning 4-1 on aggregate to join us, Manchester United and Barcelona in the semis. Champions League Semi-Final Draw -- We’ve made it to the final four and we get MANCHESTER UNITED in the semi-finals! This might be the best draw for us again…we host the first leg in two weeks time. International Update -- Young on-loan defender Mwemere Mutesa scores in a 3-0 win for Rwanda over Zambia. Next Up -- We back home and hosting mid-table Sunderland in Premier League action.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-12-2014, 09:24 PM
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#474 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. April 13, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (25-6-2, 81 points, 1st) vs. Sunderland (12-10-11, 46 points, 11th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Sunderland: 11-5 Past Meetings: 5W 2D 5L Sunderland have a win against us this year at Crabble, shocking us 1-0 in a FA Cup 5th round match. We’re looking for revenge today! Striker Craig Flett is their danger man with 17 goals in 30 matches but top midfielder Matt Barber is hurt and will miss today’s game. They are a solid club on a GREAT run of form, with only one loss in their last 18 matches!! Yikes! My scouts say they struggle against the one striker formation so we’ll gamble and go with that today. Sunderland’s manager also called out struggling striker Chiquinho today so I’ll not even dress him today. Paul Moses is alone up front and the red hot Zoltan Bardi will sit behind him at AMC. We have some tired players due to fixture congestion so Gian Marco Fanfoni and Rafinha get starts today, as does Manuel Perez. Back to a control mentality for today’s game. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, S. Nasri, R. Hamon, Rafinha M - N. Cairney, G. Fanfoni AM - A. Bamba, Z. Bardi, G. Allan S - P. Moses Bench - C. Guzman, S. Reed, M. Yilmaz, A. Rocca, E. Harvey, G. Bolis, A. Broomes Sunderland are in a flat 4-4-2 with Flett and Lucas Alba up front. George MacKenzie is in midfield and Sam Cowler is in goal. Do it for the fans today! 2’ - Possession is exchanged a couple of times near midfield on head balls and it’s Neil Cairney finally heading up to Zoltan Bardi. Our in-form striker takes the ball, runs to about five yards outside the area, crosses with Paul Moses and delivers a rocket launcher that violently curls from right to left and goes just inside the far post! WHAT A SHOT from Bardi!!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 18’ - On a failed corner kick, Saber Nasri gets the ball and delivers a pass to Moses and he scores but the flag is up. Offsides! The replays confirm it - NO GOAL. 19’ - We immediately get the ball back and Allan gets away from a Sunderland defender. He’s fouled but the ref keeps play going and Allan is able to stay on his feet. He crosses into the box and Paul Moses is there to slot it home! DOVER GOAL 2-0 27’ - Arsene Bamba is sprung down the left and he’s got a step on his defender. He crosses into the area and a Sunderland defender JUST misses it but Paul Moses doesn’t, as he easily taps the ball home and he’s got another two goal game. Moses is SO GOOD! DOVER GOAL 3-0 38’ - Perez is called upon to make his first big save, stopping Alba on a hard blast from the outer edge of the area. 40’ - We’re playing a bit too offensively and suffer a breakdown, as Nuno Santos gets behind our defence and there again is Perez making a stunning save! HALFTIME - Sunderland came on in the last 15 minutes and ended up with 54% of possession. Still, we outshot them 11-7 (5-2 on target) and of course, have a 3-0 lead. Keep ‘er going! 54’ - Moses is sent in on goal but Cowler makes a great stop on him to keep him from his hat trick…for now! 65’ - The excellent Zoltan Bardi is exhausted and I bring in Andrea Rocca for him. 68’ - Rayane Hamon with a yellow card. 69’ - On the ensuing free kick, Sunderland botch things up royally and we tackle the ball up field and we have an unprecedented TWO MAN BREAKAWAY! It’s Arsene Bamba and Andrea Rocca leading the charge. Bamba has it but a Sunderland defender catches up to him just as he reaches the area and tackles the ball away. However, it’s right to Rocca and he uses his weaker right foot to send the ball off the goal post and IN! Rocca scores right away and we’re up four! DOVER GOAL 4-0 74’ - Sunderland are down to ten men due to injury. 75’ - Paul Moses with an ugly challenge and it’s a yellow card. We bring in Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz and take out Rayane Hamon. 77’ - We have possession and Neil Cairney delivers a glorious ball up to Arsene Bamba, who snuck in behind the defence. He cuts in from the left and shoots hard and low past Cowler and it’s IN! What a shot…what a pass…what a game! DOVER GOAL 5-0 87’ - Bamba with a yellow card. 89’ - Sunderland with a throw in deep down the left side and Connor Wickham owns a long, flat throw. He throws it into the area and it’s headed immediately by Jamie Holt and it’s past Perez and in. SUNDERLAND GOAL 5-1 We edge closer to our first ever Premier League title… Dover 5 - 1 Sunderland Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.0), Zoltan Bardi (8.3), Andrea Rocca (7.3), Arsene Bamba (8.2) Assists - Neil Cairney 2 (8.8), Graham Allan (8.3), Arsene Bamba Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Rafinha (7.1), Rayane Hamon (7.8), Saber Nasri (7.6), Renato Gaucho (7.7), Gian Marco Fanfoni (7.3) Attendance - 21,221 Sunderland edged us in possession 51-49% but we end up outshooting them 18-10 (8-3 on target). A resounding victory to make up for our FA Cup loss to them earlier this year. -- Man City win 1-0 over Aston Villa and Arsenal win by the same scoreline over Everton. Fulham battles Chelsea to a 2-2 draw and second placed Spurs manage only a scoreless draw against Liverpool, which allows Man United to pass them when they destroy relegation candidates Birmingham 5-0. We need only a draw (one point) to clinch the Premier League title! BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 34 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 84 points 2. Manchester United - 73 points 3. Tottenham - 72 points 4. Manchester City - 67 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 64 points 6. Liverpool - 61 points 7. Arsenal - 58 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- WOW. Norberto Vazquez went NUTS against Brighton, scoring FIVE GOALS in our 5-1 win in U18 play!!! He is quietly up to 28 goals in 26 matches thus far for the youth squad. Felix Hernandez, fresh off scoring his first ever senior team goal in Champions League play, notched three assists. Team of the Week -- Graham Allan and Neil Cairney make the Premier League team of the week. Premier League Update -- There are four mid-week games and among the top teams, Man City and Spurs both win, with City knocking off Fulham and Tottenham beating Arsenal. Next Up -- We welcome surprise relegation candidates Sheffield Wednesday into Crabble Athletic Ground, needing a single point to lock up our first ever Premier League championship!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-12-2014 at 09:25 PM. |
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07-12-2014, 10:46 PM
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#475 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. April 20, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (26-6-2, 84 points, 1st) vs. Sheffield Wednesday (8-7-19, 31 points, 16th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 1-2 (Favourites) Draw: 13-5 Sheffield Wednesday: 9-2 Past Meetings: 9W 3D 4L Sheffield Wednesday finished inside the top seven last year and qualified for the Europa League this year. They made it to the quarter finals, just getting knocked out by FC Bayern 5-2 on aggregate but that energy spent on continental play has proved disastrous in the league, as they sit perilously close to the drop zone. They should be safe but what a poor season they are having. We are comfortable favourites but they still have a great strike force in Steve Pates (19 goals) and Darijo Jukic (16 goals). Wide midfielder Eugenio Balestra is also excellent. Well, this is it - one point from our first ever Premier League championship. All of our main starters will be in today - they deserve it! Plus, I’m sure to have all of our main backups/veterans dressed on the bench so they can enjoy a hopeful championship celebration on the pitch after the game. Still, we can’t be complacent - this is a dangerous squad despite their poor standing. Back to a two striker formation and a control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, A. Rocca, E. Harvey, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, S. Andrea Sheffield are also in a flat 4-4-2 with Pates and Jukic up front, as expected. Balestra is at right midfield and Fernando Cardoso is in goal. LETS TAKE THEM DOWN and WIN THE LEAGUE FOR THE FANS!!! 4’ - Aaannd. We come out flat to start, as Sheffield have four straight minutes of possession that culminates in Pates getting free but Wilke makes the great stop with his fingertips. 23’ - We’re doing NOTHING right now and Sheffield almost score off a corner but Salim Loucif is protecting the post on a header by Pates and we safely clear. 28’ - We have a free kick deep in their end and our cross is cleared all the way back up field. We’re not defending at all and Pates gets behind the defence and is in on a break, shooting low past Wilke and IN! This is unfathomable right now. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY GOAL 0-1 39’ - Rayane Hamon with a yellow card as smoke starts coming out of my ears. They get a free kick and it’s Pates taking it from just outside the area - his curling blast looks destined for the far corner but WILKE with a monster save. COME ON GUYS!!! 45’+1 - Now Paul Moses with a yellow. HALFTIME - This is an absolute embarrassment. Sheffield have 54% of possession and a 10-5 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. How can we not show up on a day we can clinch the title??? I question their passion to win and storm out of the room…lets see what happens… 50’ - We finally get a shot on target but it’s a weak Moses effort and Cardoso easily saves and holds on. 54’ - We work a nice passing play and it’s Chiquinho turning on a defender, bolting in and shooting one but Cardoso makes a great stop on the low blast. Chiquinho is slumping in the WORST way right now. 62’ - Sheffield Wednesday with a corner and Wilke is forced to make a great save on a header. 69’ - Moses with a nice through ball to Chiquinho but his shot is weak and right at Cardoso. 73’ - We continue to push and it’s Moses weaving through the defence and shooting but Cardoso makes the save. Chiquinho is there for the rebound but he pushes a man down and gets called for the foul. 74’ - NOOO! Moses with ANOTHER great through ball to Chiquinho and Cardoso ROBS HIM again! Holy crap! 75’ - Time to make changes. Jose and Gianluca Bolis are coming off and Andrea Rocca and Graham Allan come in. We move to an OVERLOAD mentality. 83’ - With one of their men being tended to on the sidelines, we have a throw in and Salim Loucif gets the ball back. He delivers a hard pass into the middle to Moses and through traffic, he sends a low shot that Cardoso should have but it’s underneath his body and INTO THE NET! We draw LEVEL! DOVER GOAL 1-1 We immediately move back to a control mentality. 88’ - Graham Allan wins a tackle, injuring one of their players but he keeps going, getting off a low shot that Cardoso just turns behind the goal. 90’+2 - Four minutes of extra time and it’s Balestra getting loose down the right but Wilke is well positioned to make the save on his low shot. 90’+4 - Contreras with the yellow card. That’s it! Dover 1 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday Goals - Paul Moses (7.4) Assists - Salim Loucif (7.4) Man of the Match - Ingo Wilke (8.1) Other Dover Notables - Attendance - 20,144 We just poured on the pressure in the second half and we finally break through in the last ten minutes. Overall possession ended in our favour with 52% of the ball and we outshot them 18-14 (6-6 on target) so a much better second half. Ingo Wilke deservedly gets man of match honours. But the most important news is this… DOVER HAS WON THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! Media Fun -- Lots of fun press afterwards, as fans celebrate our double (League Cup and Premier League title) and the media predict “the fans of Dover will be nursing hangovers tomorrow after the team brought home the Premier League trophy”. Also, our secretary states that my “skill and success as a manager would put many of my contemporaries to shame.” Fun. The board is obviously delighted by this “surprising win” and Salim Loucif “lived the dream of many a supporter as he lifted the Premier League trophy!” BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 35 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 85 points 2. Tottenham - 75 points 3. Manchester United - 74 points 4. Manchester City - 70 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 65 points 6. Liverpool - 61 points 7. Arsenal - 58 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Middlesbrough - 57 points 9. Reading - 54 points 10. Aston Villa - 51 points 11. Sunderland - 46 points 12. Newcastle - 45 points 13. Everton - 41 points 14. Wolves - 33 points 15. Huddersfield - 32 points 16. Sheffield Wednesday - 32 points 17. Blackpool - 25 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Birmingham - 24 points 19. Fulham - 20 points 20. Norwich - 19 points Next Up -- Now we move our FULL attention to the Champions League, as we host Manchester United in the first leg of the semi finals.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-12-2014 at 10:49 PM. |
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07-13-2014, 05:18 AM
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#476 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Rennes, France
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Champion, Champion, Champion !!!
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07-13-2014, 08:16 AM
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#477 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Whitman, MA
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Nice work, indeed!
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FOOL - Ann Arbor Winged Lingerines FOOLX - Portland Axemen Hattrick - Fizzle United (222968) |
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07-13-2014, 08:49 PM
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#478 | ||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
Thanks guys!!!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-13-2014, 08:49 PM
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#479 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Tue. April 23, 2024
UEFA Champions League - Semi Final First Leg Dover (1st in English Premier League) vs. Manchester United (3rd in English Premier League) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 11-5 Draw: 11-5 Manchester United: Evens (Favourites) Past Meetings: 5W 3D 9L We’re installed as underdogs at home against United, which hopefully is enough to motivate our club. They are on a good run of form and haven’t lost in eight games, with their last defeat to crosstown rivals City in the 6th round of the FA Cup. Yaya Sanogo continues to be the man who fuels their offence and he sits with 37 goals from 47 matches. Oscar Briceno is another striker having a fine season, with 19 goals in 26 matches. Old friend Said Henni is injured and won’t play today but we’ll definitely see Cristian Rodriguez in the back four. My advance scout feels United struggle against one striker attacks so we’re going to start with our 4-2-3-1 formation today and that means that our struggling striker Chiquinho is on the bench today. His morale and attitude are at all time lows right now due to his slump so I hope to either bring him on as a substitute, if needed, or get him in a reserves game coming up tomorrow to try to get his confidence back. Graham Allan will also start today at right midfield for Gianluca Bolis - Allan has been great in continental play this year and deserves the chance in a big game. Control mentality - we’ve shown we can beat these guys and it would be great to get a few goals here at home today to put the pressure on them in the second leg. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - N. Cairney, Jose AM - A. Bamba, Z. Bardi, G. Allan S - P. Moses Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, A. Rocca, E. Harvey, G. Bolis, Chiquinho, S. Andrea Alright - United are in a flat 4-4-2 with Sanogo and Tom Bull up front. Liviu Dragomir is in goal. Lets put on a good performance today for the home supporters! 12’ - It’s essentially been 12 minutes of United highlights to start. Not good. Wilke has to be sharp on a Ehsan Zamani shot but no real chances yet. Yaya Sanogo is banged up after a tackle from Rayane Hamon so I instruct our players to go after him with hard tackling. Hopefully we can knock him off his game. 13’ - Now Tom Bull just dribbles past a stone footed Claudio Contreras and rifles a shot but Wilke makes a spectacular stop. 18’ - We finally get a break on a counter attack and it’s Paul Moses weaving around the defence and shooting from in close and Dragomir does well to make the save. 35’ - NOO! We send a long ball up over the defence and it’s Moses again in on goal and he shoots just WIDE! UGH!!! HALFTIME - We outplayed them the last 20 minutes of the half but it’s another uninspiring home performance at a time we need it most. Possession is dead even and we hold a 6-5 (1-5 on target) shot advantage. All five of their shots are on goal! We need to move to a two striker formation - screw the advance scouts! We need a goal at home! So we move to a flat 4-4-2. 47’ - Wilke with another fine stop, this time on a shot from distance from Marinescu. They get a corner and it’s Marinescu AGAIN with a hard blast destined for the far corner but Wilke dives, saves and holds on! 48’ - We work the ball up the left side and Neil Cairney sends it wide to Arsene Bamba. He sends a 50/50 ball into the box and Paul Moses beats our old friend Cristan Rodriguez to it then quickly slots a left footed shot into the short side past Dragomir and IN! WOOO! DOVER GOAL 1-0 50’ - Geez, Wilke has been AWESOME lately! Now he’s called upon again on a Zamani shot from in close after he beats Renato Gaucho inside. 55’ - I can’t even keep track of all the great chances United are getting! They get a free kick and the cross is into Bull, who heads it WIDE past the open net! What a chance missed there… 61’ - Rayane Hamon is hurt and needs to come out. In comes Saber Nasri. DOVER INJURY: Rayane Hamon (OUT) 63’ - A fine move sees Moses and Jose play a give and go, resulting in Moses cutting in on goal but Dragomir is well positioned for the stop! United are in a 5-2-1-2 formation. Weird. It’s like they are protecting a one goal deficit. 68’ - Jose with a yellow card. 74’ - We pull Jose and bring in Andrea Rocca. 85’ - We have a free kick from about ten yards outside the area and Rocca steps up. He delivers his PATENTED curling shot that bends around the wall and goes into the left corner of the net past a diving Dragomir. SPECTACULAR SHOT by Rocca, the super sub! DOVER GOAL 2-0 Wow. United now are in a 4-2-4! 90’ - We take out Neil Cairney and bring in Emmerson Harvey. We also move to a counter attack formation. Three minutes of added time by the way. That’s what I’m talking about!! Dover 2 - 0 Manchester United Goals - Paul Moses (7.7), Andrea Rocca (7.4) Assists - Arsene Bamba (7.7) Man of the Match - Ingo Wilke (7.9) Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.2), Rayane Hamon (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.5), Renato Gaucho (7.3), Jose (7.0) Attendance - 23,000 What a second half! We end up with 51% of possession and an 18-17 (7-11 on target) shot advantage. 11 saves for Wilke!! He gets his second consecutive Man of the Match honour. We take a two goal lead into Old Trafford for the second leg!!! -- The news isn’t good on Rayane Hamon - he pulled a hamstring and will miss the next 2-3 weeks, thereby missing our return matchup against United. Saber Nasri will fill in. Dover Reserves Team Update -- We suffer a rare loss, falling 2-0 to Arsenal’s reserves. We put a pretty damned good team on the field too, including the struggling Chiquinho and Shanon Andrea, along with Rafinha and Gian Marco Fanfoni, among others. Chiquinho and Andrea were brutal again. I have no idea what’s going on with Chiquinho but this slump is BRUTAL right now. Champions League Update -- In the other semi-final, it’s Barcelona taking control after a 2-0 road victory over Real Madrid. Who else but Enrique was the main man, scoring both goals for Barca. He has 33 goals on the season, which pales in comparison to our very own Paul Moses but Enrique is at his best in the Champions League, with 18 goals in only 10 games! I’m guessing he plays a lot of midfield during league play and only suits up at striker in continental matches. International Update -- Young on-loan defender Mwemere Mutesa once again represents Rwanda in the African U20 Championship qualifiers and plays well. At 20 years old, he already has 23 senior team caps and he’s playing well for AS Saint-Etienne this year. He may crack our roster next season but we’ll see… Next Up -- We have our final road match of the Premier League season, heading to 8th place Middlesbrough in a game that means nothing to us with the title already wrapped up.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-13-2014, 10:58 PM
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#480 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. April 27, 2024
Barclays Premier League Middlesbrough (16-9-10, 57 points, 8th) vs. Dover (26-7-2, 85 points, 1st) The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, UK Betting Odds: Middlesbrough: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8 Past Meetings: 7W 2D 4L Well, with nothing left to play for, we are slight underdogs against Middlesbrough, who are fighting for a potential continental qualifying position, only one point back of Arsenal. Roland Hoxha is their leading scorer, with 21 goals in only 24 matches. He’s healthy today and I expect him to start. Tomas Pavlik is also dangerous up front, with 13 goals in 29 games. Taksiarxis Fountas, a midfielder, also gives me fits, both on the pitch and trying to spell his name!  We are definitely in “squad rotation” mode, as I will look to get EVERYONE on our team at least one start in our last three league games, especially important with a Champions League game again in four days. Today, we start Manuel Perez, Saber Nasri, a completely different four man midfield (Rafinha, Emmerson Harvey, Andrea Rocca, Gianluca Bolis and a new strike force in Andy Broomes, getting a very rare start alongside the out-of-form and ICE COLD Chiquinho. Key players like Bamba, Wilke, Jose, Cairney and Moses are not even dressing today, as I keep them healthy for Manchester United on Wednesday. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Perez D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, S. Nasri, S. Loucif AM - Rafinha, E. Harvey, A. Rocca, G. Bolis S - A. Broomes, Chiquinho Bench - C. Guzman, M. Yilmaz, S. Reed, G. Fanfoni, L. Kunchev, G. Allan, Z. Bardi Middlesbrough are in their tight 4-2-3-1 with 3 central attacking mids. Hoxha is alone up front and Sinan Bolat is in goal. We always have trouble with this formation so hopefully we can manage. I tell the team they can win this and pull aside Chiquinho, Rafinha and Bolis for personal pep talks. 4’ - Perez had to be sharp on a first minute shot from distance but we get the first real chance on a counter, as Andy Broomes uses his speed to burst in but his shot is right at the Middlesbrough keeper. 5’ - This Middlesbrough formation continues to give us fits, as the four man attacking unit, so tight together, seems to cause our defenders to move out of position. That allows Hoxha a clear run at goal and Perez again makes a great stop. 12’ - We have the ball at midfield and move it up to Chiquinho. He turns and moves past his marker and in on goal, shooting just as he reaches the top of the area. Sinan Bolat makes the save but the rebound pops right back out to our struggling striker and he boots the ball again, this time PAST Sinan Bolat and IN! Chiquinho FINALLY scores!!! His first goal since March 3rd! DOVER GOAL 1-0 16’ - Rafinha with his second terrible pass in a row in highlights and Andy Broomes is forced to take a man down, drawing a yellow card. 23’ - Salim Loucif steals the ball deep in our end and sends a long ball over the defence. Broomes wins it and has a partial break and his shot beats the ‘Borough keeper but hits the post and bounces out! 32’ - Rocca with a perfect free kick and Bolis has a wide open net but heads it WIDE. Bolis has been a colossal disappointment this year. 45’+2 - Rocca with a yellow card. HALFTIME - Not a bad half. We hold 52% of the ball and an 11-9 (3-3 on target) shot advantage. I tell the team I’m pleased thus far. 47’ - Loucif tackles the ball away from Thorgan Hazard but it ends right on Hoxha’s foot and his quick shot is saved by a diving Perez! 60’ - Just as I talk trash about Bolis, he makes a great move to avoid a tackle at midfield and he’s off to the races down the sideline. He cuts in and passes to Broomes and he’s SURE TO SCORE but delays before booting it and it hits a Middlesbrough defender and Sinan Bolat is able to scoop it up. Broomes is having a very poor game. 61’ - Emmerson Harvey is banged up and comes off for Gian Marco Fanfoni. 65’ - Broomes is out and I bring in Graham Allan to play striker. He’s usually a right winger but he’s always done well up front when called upon. 68’ - Rafinha with a yellow card. Middlesbrough are now in a conventional flat 4-4-2. 80’ - Middlesbrough are coming on and Hoxha has missed a couple of sitters but this time, it’s substitute striker Jack Kelly getting through with a howitzer right at Perez and he turns it aside. They continue to press but get no real great chances the rest of the way. Good win. Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Dover Goals - Chiquinho (7.2) Assists - Man of the Match - Manuel Perez (8.7) Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.4), Saber Nasri (7.0), Claudio Contreras (7.7), Renato Gaucho (7.1), Andrea Rocca (7.1), Andy Broomes (5.9) Attendance - 25,082 Middlesbrough took it to us in the second half but we didn’t break, mostly due to a masterful performance in goal from Manuel Perez. They hold 51% of possession and end up outshooting us as well 20-18 (6-3 on target). Still, a good result with a much weaker lineup than usual. And of course, Chiquinho finally broke through with a goal, his first in over eight hours of competitive football. -- In other Premier League action, Arsenal upset Man United 3-1, as United must be prepping for our big return matchup in a few days - that said, I check out their lineup and they went with a pretty full strength squad - hopefully they are tired for our match on Wednesday! Chelsea lose at home to Newcastle of all teams 2-1, Man City get past Spurs 3-1 and Liverpool knock off Norwich. Norwich are officially relegated back to the Championship for next season. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 36 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 88 points 2. Tottenham - 75 points 3. Manchester United - 74 points 4. Manchester City - 73 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 65 points 6. Liverpool - 64 points 7. Arsenal - 61 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Team Update -- Our U18s SPANK Southampton 6-0 behind a brace from Jim Ryan and singles from Norberto Vazquez, Adam Betts, Felix Hernandez and Josh Gimpel. The U18s have lost only one game all year but their league race will come right down to the last game, a matchup against mid-table Wycombe, as Reading’s U18s are only two points back. Premier League Team of the Week -- Manuel Perez and Salim Loucif get named to the Premier League team of the week. Injury Update -- Rayane Hamon is our only player injured right now and he’s about two weeks away from returning from his pulled hamstring. Champions League Update -- One finalist is set, as Barcelona once again upend Real Madrid 2-0 to win 4-0 on aggregate. Barca are four-time Champions League winners, with their last title coming in 2012 and this is their first appearance in the final since their 2013 loss to OM. Dover Reserves Team Update -- We start a whole bunch of U18 players but defeat Wolves Reserves 3-2. Young striker Norberto Vazquez scores twice and we get a single from Lyubomir Kunchev. Felix Hernandez notched all three helpers in the contest. May Update -- The season winds down and we have two Premier League matches left, with both at home, as we host Blackpool and Aston Villa. We take on Manchester United in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals later tonight and if we are able to hold onto our lead, the final will be taking place on May 25th. So four possible games left. -- We get positive training notices for Claudio Contreras, Arsene Bamba, reserve GK Mathis Imbert and U18 player Steven Potter. Negative reports come in for Zoltan Bardi and U18 player Adam Hyde. I’ll talk to both of those fellas. Premier League Monthly Awards -- Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere wins the player of the month award for April. -- Birmingham striker Adam Sinnott wins Young Player of the Month while Paul Moses finishes in second. -- I’m rewarded for our Premier League title by being named Manager of the Month for April, with us winning three of four games, tying one. Board Confidence Update -- The board continue to be absolutely delighted with the way I’m leading the team. Our fantastic overall performance in the Premier League is the highlight while our disappointing run in the FA Cup is the negative. -- We made £2,370,000 in April. Next Up -- We head to Old Trafford with a two goal advantage in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Manchester United, perhaps the biggest road game of my career thus far. If we hold on, we move onto the finals to face Barcelona.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-17-2014, 10:01 PM
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#481 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Australia
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Congratulations on the Premier League win!
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Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak'd, I cried to dream again. |
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07-19-2014, 08:47 PM
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#482 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
Thanks Rawhide!!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-19-2014, 08:47 PM
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#483 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Wed. May 1, 2024
UEFA Champions League - Semi Final Second Leg Manchester United (0) vs. (2) Dover Old Trafford, Manchester, UK Betting Odds: Manchester United: 4-5 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 3-1 Past Meetings: 6W 3D 9L Okay here we go! We have a two goal lead heading into Old Trafford for the second leg. United are expending energy to stay in the top three of the Premier League in a very tight three way race with Spurs and City. United currently are one point back of second placed Tottenham but only a point up on fourth placed City. Yaya Sanogo is pretty tired but I’m guessing he’ll still start today. They are still missing key players in Said Henni and Omar Hernandez. Chiquinho will start up front with Paul Moses today and Saber Nasri is in for the injured Rayane Hamon. Graham Allan also starts for an ineffective Gianluca Bolis. We will start in a counter attacking mentality today. I hope to score an away goal today but I’ll be equally pleased with a scoreless draw! Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, S. Nasri, S. Loucif AM - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - M. Perez, Rafinha, M. Yilmaz, G. Fanfoni, A. Rocca, G. Bolis, Z. Bardi WOW! Yaya Sanogo is NOT starting today!!! WOW. They’ll go with Sandro and Ishak Belfodil up front in their flat 4-4-2. What a development! Liviu Dragomir is in goal once again. My assistant feels I should go with the “Pressure is Off” team talk but screw that - that is for poor teams going up against powerhouses - I decide to encourage the team. 2’ - Chiquinho with an early yellow card. 20’ - Not much happening in the way of good chances so far but we get a good one on a counter, as Paul Moses is running down field with Cristian Rodriguez chasing. Dragomir comes out to challenge and Moses attempts the lob and it is over the United keeper but hits the post! 21’ - United come right back down field and it’s Sandro weaving into our area. He gets to the byline and passes inside to Belfodil and he sends a rocket past Wilke into the top corner. Porous defending. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 0-1 (2-1 AGGREGATE) 25’ - We come back and win a corner but United defend well and clear. We retain possession with Cairney and he fees the ball up to Moses, who has his back to goal from at least ten yards outside the area. He simply turns and sends a curling shot to the far post that is past a diving Dragomir, deflects off the goal post and is IN! HOLY CRAP! What a SHOT! DOVER GOAL 1-1 (3-1 AGGREGATE) 26’ - Moses is everywhere all of a sudden and after taking a pass from Chiquinho, he cuts in toward goal, beating Dragomir but it’s off the post AGAIN and out this time! Three posts for Moses already with one positive deflection and two poor ones! 32’ - United with a corner and it’s into the middle of the area when Saber Nasri is called for a foul?! The ref points to the spot and awards a PENALTY! Our team surrounds the ref on the brutal call, as the ball was no where near the guy and Graham Allan picks up a yellow card during the argument. Bogdan Marinescu takes the kick and puts it into the top corner. This is going to be a long game. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 1-2 (3-2 AGGREGATE) 45’+1 - United continue to put incredible pressure on and we are generally playing like we have two left feet, with lots of giveaways. We get to injury time and send a ball up to Moses. He’s got a 1 on 2 but uses his speed to somehow get past the United defenders and he’s in on goal. He rounds Dragomir and shoots low and the ball is IN THE NET! OH MY GOODNESS!!! Moses you ANIMAL! DOVER GOAL 2-2 (4-2 AGGREGATE) HALFTIME - United are pushing forward and leaving themselves wide open for counter attacks. They held 58% of possession as we sat back and a 12-11 (3-4 on target) shot advantage. With us already scoring two away goals here, United will need to win by THREE today to advance! So just play defence guys! I pull back even more with my tactics. Saber Nasri with a putrid 4.9 first half rating after committing the foul in the penalty area. United have already gone into panic mode! 4-2-4 to start the second half and Yaya Sanogo is on the pitch. 64’ - We are doing a PHENOMENAL job maintaining possession with United playing four strikers! No big chances until Sanogo sends a little touch pass into Belfodil but Wilke makes the big save! 67’ - I contemplate moving to five defenders but we’re doing well so no tactics changes yet. But I start making some moves with our players, taking out Graham Allan and bringing in Gianluca Bolis. 75’ - Absolutely NOTHING GOING ON and I LOVE IT!!! Zoltan Bardi now is brought on for Chiquinho. 77’ - Arsene Bamba with great work to feed the ball up to Moses and he’s got a full breakaway. He’s in the area and shoots and again, it’s OFF THE POST! Ohhhhhhh!!! 85’ - Incredible. Moses hits his FIFTH goal post of the game and again it bounces away from harm. 90’ - Sanogo with a rocket off the crossbar! OH MY! DOVER HAVE ADVANCED TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL!!! Manchester United 2 (2) - (4) 2 Dover Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.1) Assists - Salim Loucif (7.3), Neil Cairney (7.2) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Jose (7.1), Saber Nasri (5.6), Claudio Contreras (5.9) Attendance - 73,468 With United playing four strikers the entire second half, we started to dominate the possession and ended up with 49% of the ball throughout the game. United outshot us 19-18 (4-4 on target). Simply put, a MONUMENTAL effort by our club to hold off this powerhouse and we advance to our FIRST EVER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE final against Barcelona!!! Tough ratings for our two central defenders today. -- We earn £3,652,000 for participating in the Champions League semis! -- Devastating news for Chiquinho, as he reaches the yellow card limit and will miss the Champions League finals versus Barcelona. He’s not playing well these days so we should be able to get by without him. -- The Champions League final will take place on Saturday May 25th at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France. Dover Reserves Team Update -- Arsenal’s reserves lose to Chelsea and that allows us to mathematically lock up a fifth consecutive Reserve League championship. Everyone parties like it’s the Champions League crown! Another Dover Record for Moses -- Paul Moses now has 16 Man of the Match performances this year, eclipsing the former record of 15 set in 2010-11, my first year of management, by stalwart DC Olly Schulz. Next Up -- We host relegation candidates Blackpool at Crabble Athletic Ground in our second-last Premier League game of the season.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-19-2014, 10:55 PM
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#484 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. May 4, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (27-7-2, 88 points, 1st) vs. Blackpool (6-7-23, 25 points, 17th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 4-7 (Favourites) Draw: 5-2 Blackpool: 4-1 Past Meetings: 3W 0D 0L Blackpool are one point above the relegation zone with only two games left and may be catching a break today, as we’ll be fielding a very young and inexperienced team as we rotate our squad heavily. Their last game of the year will likely be pivotal, as they face the team immediately behind them in Birmingham, who incidentally play Wolves today. Blackpool’s leading scorer is Lazaros Sentementes with 10 in 28 games and another striker, 23 year old Vangelis Angos, has 7 in 12 games after coming over on loan from Genoa in Italy in the January window. We are starting a very young team today. Getting their first ever Dover starts are U18 players Norberto Vazquez and Adam Betts. Vazquez has 31 goals in 28 non-competitive games this year at striker while central defender Betts has a solid 7.44 average rating in his 28 non-competitive appearances. Other starters include Shanon Andrea, Felix Hernandez, Emmerson Harvey, Gian Marco Fanfoni, Lyubomir Kunchev, Rafinha, Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz, Steve Reed and Mathis Imbert in goal. We also have U18 players Gary Archer and Takfarinas Madani on the bench for the first time on our senior team. Control mentality at home despite us fielding a team more suited for a reserves match. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - M. Imbert D - Rafinha, A. Betts, M. Yilmaz, S. Reed M - F. Hernandez, E. Harvey, G. Fanfoni, L. Kunchev S - N. Vazquez, S. Andrea Bench - C. Guzman, T. Madani, G. Archer, A. Rocca, G. Allan, Z. Bardi, A. Broomes Blackpool are coming out defending, with a very conservative 4-2-1-2-1 formation with 2 DMCs and Sentementes up front all alone. Nathan Potter is their keeper. I tell our young team this is very winnable. 4’ - Rafinha with an early yellow card. 35’ - Just nothing going on. Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz with a yellow now. 38’ - We win a corner and it’s Shanon Andrea taking it. It’s to the far post and Lyubomir Kunchev and he boots one right to Yilmaz, who hits it hard on the volley and it’s IN! Great little play by Kunchev to find Yilmaz and we lead! DOVER GOAL 1-0 HALFTIME - Drab match to say the least but we lead with a bunch of kids. 57% of possession is in our favour along with a 5-2 (1-0 on target) shot advantage. I encourage the team in the room at half. 49’ - A Shanon Andrea corner is to the far post and young Adam Betts but his fine header is stopped by Potter. 61’ - We take out Norberto Vazquez and bring in Zoltan Bardi, as we look for a second goal. 63’ - Bardi almost makes an immediate impact, feeding Kunchev down the right sideline then taking his cross right on top of the Blackpool keeper but Bardi’s shot is off the woodwork. Ugh. 68’ - Blackpool with a nice little long ball and Imbert has to make his first nice stop of the game. 73’ - Rafinha comes off and in comes Carlos Guzman. 87’ - Blackpool keeper Nathan Potter sends a ball up field and Emmerson Harvey heads it back over the defence. Fresh legged Zoltan Bardi gets there first, dribbles in and shoots low past Potter and it’s off the post and IN! Finally some breathing room! DOVER GOAL 2-0 We take out Shanon Andrea and bring in Andy Broomes. 90’+2 - We send a ball out wide to Felix Hernandez and he beats his man down the sidelines to open up a bit of room. He crosses into the area and there is Bardi again, simply volleying it past Potter and IN! That’s Bardi’s 10th goal of the year. DOVER GOAL 3-0 Nice win with a bunch of kids! Dover 3 - 0 Blackpool Goals - Zoltan Bardi 2 (8.6), Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz (8.5) Assists - Lyubomir Kunchev (7.9), Emmerson Harvey (7.7), Felix Hernandez (7.4) Man of the Match - Zoltan Bardi Other Dover Notables - Steve Reed (7.4), Adam Betts (7.5), Rafinha (7.0) Attendance - 22,191 We held 56% of possession and a solid 16-7 (5-1 on target) shot advantage. Our fine depth get a great opportunity and take advantage of it against a weak opponent. Adam Betts played well at DC - not bad for a completely unheralded prospect. -- It was a key loss for Blackpool as their main rival for survival, Birmingham, scored a 3-2 upset win on the road over Wolves to jump into 17th place and temporary safety while Blackpool fall into the drop zone. City defeat United in the Manchester derby, Liverpool beat Huddersfield 2-0, Arsenal edge Newcastle 1-0 and Chelsea wallop Norwich 5-0. Spurs also win again to keep their firm hold on second place. All of the Continental spots for next year are locked in, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal getting in the Europa League in 2024-25. Fulham is relegated once again. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 37 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 91 points 2. Tottenham - 78 points 3. Manchester City - 76 points 4. Manchester United - 74 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Chelsea - 68 points 6. Liverpool - 67 points 7. Arsenal - 64 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Middlesbrough - 58 points 9. Reading - 56 points 10. Aston Villa - 53 points 11. Sunderland - 49 points 12. Newcastle - 48 points 13. Everton - 42 points 14. Wolves - 36 points 15. Sheffield Wednesday - 36 points 16. Huddersfield - 35 points 17. Birmingham - 27 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Blackpool - 25 points 19. Fulham - 21 points 20. Norwich - 19 points Barclays Premier League Team of the Week -- Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz makes the team of the week after scoring against Blackpool from his central defence position. Dover Reserves Team Update -- Shanon Andrea breaks a season-long goal scoring slump but unfortunately it’s in a reserves game, as he scores all three goals in our 3-1 win over Reading. International Update -- Three of our youngsters are called up by their respective U19 clubs: Felix Hernandez (France U19), Steven Potter & Anthony Gardiner (England U19) get the call. Dover U18 Update -- Norberto Vazquez bags a brace and we get singles from James Campbell and Jay Doyle in a 4-0 win over Wycombe. That locks up yet another U18 championship for our club! Injury Update -- Rayane Hamon returns to full fitness, just in time for our Champions League final preparations! Next Up -- Our final game of the Premier League season is at home versus mid table Aston Villa. With nothing to play for, we’ll hope to keep everyone healthy for our Champions League final matchup in a couple weeks.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-19-2014 at 10:57 PM. |
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07-20-2014, 12:01 AM
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#485 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sun. May 12, 2024
Barclays Premier League Dover (28-7-2, 91 points, 1st) vs. Aston Villa (15-8-14, 53 points, 10th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 4-7 (Favourites) Draw: 5-2 Aston Villa: 4-1 Past Meetings: 5W 2D 6L Villa are one of the very few “top” clubs that we have a losing record against lifetime. We hope to even that record today! Villa are nothing if not incredibly consistent. Their last five years see the following finishes: 11th, 10th, 14th, 10th and 10th. Crazy. Striker Antonio is their leading scorer with 15 goals from 30 games, as he’s taken over from Mohamed Messaoudi, who is essentially their main man off the bench this year. With a 13 day break between today’s game and our Champions League final, I want to make sure the main guys don’t lose match fitness so we’re starting a pretty strong lineup today at home. Paul Moses and Zoltan Bardi are up front and we have a full strength midfield. Carlos Guzman starts at left fullback and Rayane Hamon will play about 50 minutes or so at DC as he returns from injury. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - C. Guzman, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Z. Bardi Bench - Rafinha, M. Yilmaz, G. Archer, A. Rocca, L. Kunchev, Chiquinho, A. Broomes Villa are in the tight 4-2-3-1 with 3 attacking central mids that gives us fits. Antonio is alone up front and tough keeper Antonio Kraljevic is manning the nets today. Lets do well for the home supporters! 11’ - We have possession off a throw in and work it to Paul Moses. Two defenders come his way and he feeds a wide open Arsene Bamba. Bamba cuts in from the left and he’s extremely dangerous in this position and shows why, hitting a low hard shot to the far corner that’s just inside the post! A trademark strike from the molten hot Bamba and we’re ahead early! DOVER GOAL 1-0 13’ - A Bamba corner is headed off the crossbar by Zoltan Bardi and the rebound is then saved by Kraljevic. 14’ - We’re ALL OVER THEM early and Kraljevic makes successive saves on Bamba and Bardi to keep us from scoring again in a mad scene in front of the net. 32’ - We continue to pour on pressure with a long distance Neil Cairney shot that curls toward the far post but is turned aside by a diving Kraljevic. 38’ - We get the ball back at midfield and a give and go between Bamba and Moses results in our young striker being sent in alone. Kraljevic is no match for our superstar, who shoots low and hard and it’s in! Another special goal from Moses! DOVER GOAL 2-0 HALFTIME - The scoreline is incredibly flattering to Villa, as we hold 55% of possession and a LUDICROUS 22-0 (8-0 on target) shot advantage. It’s a true massacre on the stat sheet! I tell the team I’m pleased! I take out a tired Rayane Hamon and bring in Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz. 52’ - Villa get their first shot on target and it’s just a weak header. Villa are in a more conventional 4-3-1-2 look now. 53’ - Ugh. Right away, Yilmaz makes a mistake that sees a cross deflect off him unknowingly and right onto the foot of Antonio, who rips a shot off the volley and it’s past Wilke and IN! ASTON VILLA GOAL 1-2 57’ - With the Champions League final coming up, I’m taking absolutely no chances with my best player, taking out Paul Moses and bringing in Chiquinho, who is suspended for that particular match. 83’ - Jose is out and in comes Andrea Rocca. 89’ - Graham Allan scores off a deflected Chiquinho pass and it’s called back because of offsides. A truly dreadful call that the referee botched and the replay confirms that it should have stood. Damn. 90’ - Chiquinho says “Fuck that” and just takes the ball again on the ensuing Villa free kick. storms down the left and crosses into a wide open Bardi, who volleys it home. Easy tap in there! DOVER GOAL 3-1 Nice way to end the league season! Dover 3 - 1 Aston Villa Goals - Arsene Bamba (8.8), Paul Moses (8.0), Zoltan Bardi (7.9) Assists - Arsene Bamba, Paul Moses, Chiquinho (7.0) Man of the Match - Arsene Bamba Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.0), Claudio Contreras (7.7), Carlos Guzman (7.0), Neil Cairney (5.8) Attendance - 23,000 We hold 54% of the ball and a 30-7 (10-3 on target) shot advantage. Domination! Neil Cairney was pretty bad and missed a ton of shots today. -- The only drama was to see what would happen at the bottom of the table and in a bit of a shocker, it was Blackpool beating Birmingham in their stadium 1-0 to hop ahead of them into 17th place and hold onto a Premier League spot. Birmingham drop back to the Championship after two years in the Premier League. Norwich was already relegated but they go back down with positive thoughts after humiliating Arsenal 2-0 at Emirates! Chelsea, Liverpool, City and United all won while Spurs lose to Reading to fall back into third place. -- We earn a cool £16,000,000 for our championship season and pay out £4.2 million to the players to share as a squad bonus.  Next Up -- Stats, recaps, awards, etc. Plus a Champions League FINAL against Barcelona, to be played in France.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-20-2014, 12:40 AM
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#486 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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2023-24 Barclays Premier League - Team Stats
-- Once again, we were by FAR the top scoring team in the Premier League and our 107 goals sets a brand new Premier League record! Zoltan Bardi’s late goal against Villa put us one goal ahead of Manchester City’s 106 goals in the 2018/19 season. After a couple years of finishing fifth in goals against, we improve to 2nd in the league with only 32 conceded, three more than Manchester City’s 29. We improve upon our record of 40 goals against by a whopping 8 goals. Our +75 goal differential is pretty ridiculous but isn’t a record - City had a +76 mark in 2019/20 and 2020/21. -- Our average attendance vaulted up to 21,399, way up from last year’s average of 18,231. We had numerous sellouts (seven in our 19 league home games) and my main focus in the offseason will be to talk to the board about a NEW STADIUM, as our current stadium looks to be at max capacity. We also moved way up in Average Attendance by Capacity, moving up to 9th from 14th last year with a 93% total (last year it was 78%). -- Other key team stats: we were T-2nd in penalty goals with 6 (down from a division leading 10 last year), 1st in goals from corners with 27 (WAY up from 9 last year when we finished 7th in the category), T-2nd in goals from IFK's with 9 (up from 7 last year when we finished 6th) and we were T2nd in goals from DFKs with 2 (same total as last year which placed us T4th). We were among the most gentlemanly clubs in the league, finishing T-18th with only 42 yellow cards (down from last year’s total of 55 which was 8th) while our red card tally was ZERO, which tied us with Man City as the only two teams without a red card in the league. Simply put, we KICKED ASS in the league in all categories this year! 2023-24 Barclays Premier League - Player Stats -- 19 players participated in all 38 games across the league but none of them were from our club, as we rotated our squad more than we ever have due to cup ties and continental play. In past years, we usually had guys play in 37 of our games, as Salim Loucif did last year. This year? Our “iron-man” was Paul Moses with appearances in 32 of our 38 league games. WOW - that’s a lot of rotating that I did!!! GOALS 1. Paul Moses, Dover, 34 2. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 26 3. Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea, 25 4. Roland Hoxha, Middlesbrough, 23 5. Hani Megahed, Reading, 22 T9. Chiquinho, Dover, 16 T34. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 8 T37. Neil Cairney, Dover, 7 T47. Zoltan Bardi, Dover, 6 ASSISTS 1. Miguel Sousa, Chelsea, 22 2. Jack Wilshere, Arsenal, 20 3. Jose, Dover, 17 4. Omar Hernandez, Manchester United, 15 TWO PLAYERS TIED WITH 14 T7. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 13 T13. Neil Cairney, Dover, 10 T13. Paul Moses, Dover, 10 T21. Chiquinho, Dover, 9 T25. Andrea Rocca, Dover, 8 T43. Graham Allan, Dover, 6 MAN OF MATCH AWARDS 1. Paul Moses, Dover, 9 2. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 8 3. Nchimunya Munyao, Arsenal, 7 4. Cheikh Bocande, Liverpool, 6 THREE PLAYERS TIED WITH 5 T21. Saber Nasri, Dover, 3 T21. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 3 T49. Zoltan Bardi, Dover, 2 T49. Ingo Wilke, Dover, 2 T49. Neil Cairney, Dover, 2 T49. Chiquinho, Dover, 2 T49. Jose, Dover, 2 T49. Claudio Contreras, 2 AVERAGE RATING 1. Paul Moses, Dover, 7.89 2. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 7.52 3. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 7.47 T4. Miguel Sousa, Cheslea, 7.43 T4. Jack Wilshere, Arsenal, 7.43 T8. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 7.38 T11. Neil Cairney, Dover, 7.35 16. Chiquinho, Dover, 7.30 21. Rayane Hamon, Dover, 7.27 T22. Jose, Dover, 7.26 T34. Renato Gaucho, Dover, 7.19 T43. Andrea Rocca, Dover, 7.17 T43. Gianluca Bolis, Dover, 7.17
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-20-2014, 10:32 AM
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#487 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Not too far away
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Moses is pretty amazing. Congrats on your victory but my eye has always been on the Champions League as it's long seemed like you have the Premier League down cold this season.
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07-20-2014, 02:16 PM
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#488 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
Moses is incredible, no question about it! We're lucky to have him and I'm expecting some big clubs to come sniffing soon... To be honest, my goal was only to get to the Champions League semis this year and I'm a bit shocked we've gotten this far already. Barcelona will be very tough - they have Enrique, always the top player in this football world but he's aging a bit and I'm of the belief that Moses is just as good a player right now...and only 20 years old!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-20-2014, 06:16 PM
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#489 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Barclays Premier League Awards
-- In perhaps the greatest honour ever bestowed on a Dover player, we are delighted that Paul Moses is named as the English Footballer of the Year!!! Miguel Sousa from Chelsea comes in second and our very own Arsene Bamba comes in third! Phenomenal. -- Manchester United’s Omar Hernandez wins the English Player’s Player of the Year award. Jack Wilshere from Arsenal comes second and Yaya Sanogo from Manchester United comes in third. -- It seems a bit odd but our star midfielder Neil Cairney wins the Players' Young Player of the Year award for the first time at age 24. Cheikh Bocande, the big striker with Liverpool, comes in second and Tottenham’s Lamine Faye comes in third. -- Another Dover award, as I’m named English Premier League Manager of the Year!!! Middlesbrough’s Tony Mowbray finishes runner up and Tottenham’s Robert Kelly finishes third. -- Barclays Premier League Players' Team of the Year GK - Rafael Romo, Chelsea DL - Capitao, Manchester City DC - Brian Reekers, Liverpool DC - Nchimunya Munyao, Arsenal DR - Gustavo Mercado, Manchester City ML - Arsene Bamba, Dover MC - Jack Wilshere, Arsenal MC - Omar Hernandez, Manchester United MR - Miguel Sousa, Chelsea ST - Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United ST - Paul Moses, Dover Well done to Moses and Bamba!!! Also getting nods on the substitutes list are Jose and Chiquinho. FA Cup Final -- Manchester City win 2-1 over Tottenham to win the FA Cup for the ninth time, with their most recent win coming in 2020, four years ago. Loan Update -- We get an update from France, as Dover loanee Orlando Scolari, a striker playing for Girondins Bordeaux, finishes second in goals in Ligue 1 with 20. Hmm - might have to give the 22 year old a look next season… Next Up -- We are on our way to France, where a sell-out crowd of 67,000 is expected at Stade Velodrome for the Champions League final between slightly favoured Barcelona and little Dover Athletic from England!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-20-2014 at 06:16 PM. |
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07-20-2014, 06:21 PM
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#490 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: May 2006
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Not-so-little Dover Athletic.
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07-20-2014, 07:44 PM
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#491 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Quote:
Haha
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-20-2014, 07:44 PM
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#492 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Sat. May 25, 2024
UEFA Champions League - Final Barcelona (2nd in Spanish Liga BBVA) vs. Dover (1st in English Premier League) Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France Betting Odds: Barcelona: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: N/A Dover: 7-4 Past Meetings: 1W 3D 0L These guys ARE BEATABLE and we’re undefeated in four games against them previously. They also lost TEN GAMES in their league this year and incredibly finished in a three way tie at the top of the table with 78 points with Real Madrid and Sevilla. Madrid wins the league based on goal differential and Barca finishes second. Of course, the main man will be the sensational Enrique and he has scored 35 goals in 52 matches this year, with 19 of them coming in Champions League play. He’s lost a bit of his trademark speed at 29 years young but he’s still a game breaker. Their midfield is loaded with sick talent in Juan Ramon Vazquez (19 goals), ST/MC Pascal Reinhardt (19 goals), Tim Stark (8 goals) and Enzo Zidane (10 goals). Lots of incredible talent… Not much to say here - I hem and haw about my keeper but I’ll go with English speaking Ingo Wilke today - Perez is on the bench and will likely start getting more starts next year but both have been tremendous this season. I also contemplate starting the speedy Saber Nasri but can’t pull the trigger on benching either Claudio Contreras or Rayane Hamon. Chiquinho is suspended due to yellow card accumulation and in-form Zoltan Bardi will start in his place. We will go with a positive game plan to start and use our control mentality. We are the slightest of favourites and I’d like to get ahead if possible. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Allan S - P. Moses, Z. Bardi Bench - M. Perez, Rafinha, S. Nasri, E. Harvey, A. Rocca, G. Bolis, S. Andrea Enrique is alone up front in their 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1). All of their key talent are playing. Their keeper is Mariano Borrelli, who I don’t remember from our previous encounters. Boys: lets bring home a title for our fans!!! 1’ - Fierce action right away, as Barca move swiftly up field and Pascal Reinhardt, playing central midfield today instead of striker, unleashes a blast from distance that’s stopped by Wilke. 7’ - We’ll need Paul Moses today and he shows his trademark speed early, bursting past a defender and in but Borrelli turns the ball behind the net. 9’ - We’re doing well and it’s Graham Allan, another guy I contemplated benching in favour of Gianluca Bolis, darting past the left fullback and streaking down the right flank. He crosses in and it’s a 50/50 ball won by ZOLTAN BARDI, who immediately boots a low ball past Borrelli and IN THE NET! What a start!!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 11’ - Cairney with a pass to Moses and again, Barca can’t match his speed and he’s got a half step before firing but Borrelli again makes the nice diving stop. 17’ - Salim Loucif with a yellow card. 18’ - We take control and move quickly up field with Moses. He passes back to Renato Gaucho and he crosses to the far post and there is Graham Allan…he’s got room and fires but hits the goal post!!! OOOOOH! 23’ - Reinhardt again pinching from his midfield position and shooting but WIlke blocks it away. 37’ - Another incredible passing play, as Bamba lays it back to Renato Gaucho, who then crosses into the area and there is Moses, all alone. He shoots but Borrelli makes the great save from in close! What a chance that was. Moses is kicking himself… 42’ - Barcelona have a corner and we head it back to the left side and the corner taker Bruno. He immediately crosses back in and Reinhardt is ALL ALONE on the far post but his header is stopped by Wilke! The ball is loose and Enrique and Renato Gaucho fight for it but our defender accidentally knocks the ball into our net. Disaster. BARCELONA GOAL 1-1 HALFTIME - The score is even as is pretty much everything else. Barcelona edge us in possession with 51% but we outshoot them 13-6 (5-4 on target) and were the more dangerous team in my opinion. I continue to motivate them by saying to bring the trophy home for the fans. 52’ - Business picks up as Enrique, VERY quiet to this point, evades a tackle from Contreras and is in all alone. With Rayane Hamon on his heels, Enrique rips a shot and WILKE makes the big save! 62’ - Juan Ramon Vazquez has a clear cut breakaway and shoots OVER THE NET. Barca have us on our heels, BIG TIME right now. 76’ - We make our first change, bringing in Andrea Rocca for Jose, who is simply tired. 83’ - On a slightly broken play, Bardi sends Rocca out wide and Rocca feeds back into the box to a sliding Bardi but Borrelli is in good position and makes the stop! 85’ - Boy - Barcelona take OUT Enrique! Big move… 90’ - We have a goal kick and it’s Wilke firing a long ball up field. Bardi wins the header in the direction of Barcelona’s goal and for some reason, Barca’s DC backs off a bit, allowing Paul Moses to get to the ball in front of him. THE BALL BOUNCES AND MOSES HITS IT ON THE VOLLEY FROM THE EDGE OF THE AREA AND IT’S PAST BORRELLI AND INTO THE FUCKING NET!!!! The most GLORIOUS GOAL I THINK I’VE EVER SEEN and there is pandemonium in the stands!!!! OH MY GOD!!! DOVER GOAL 2-1 90’+1 - Three minutes of extra time. Graham Allan comes off and Gianluca Bolis comes in. We back off to a counter attacking mentality and drop all of our sliders into defensive positions, as Barca are in a 4-2-4. 90+4’ - We milk time and bring in Saber Nasri, taking out Rayane Hamon. BLOW THAT WHISTLE!!! WE DID IT! Barcelona 1 - 2 Dover Goals - Zoltan Bardi (8.1), Paul Moses (7.7) Assists - Graham Allan (7.2), Zoltan Bardi Man of the Match - Zoltan Bardi Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (7.0), Claudio Contreras (7.0), Attendance - 67,000 We only held 45% of the ball, as Barcelona really dominated the first twenty minutes of the second half and they ended up outshooting us slightly as well, 19-18 (6-7 on target). The only stats that count though are the 2 goals for and 1 goal against and of course that means: DOVER HAVE WON THE 2024 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE -- We earn £7,826,000 for winning the Champions League title, another £21,739,000 (!!!) in television revenue then pay out £6.25 million to the players in the form of a performance bonus. Worth every penny! We now have over £32 million in the bank and have finally broken into the black on the year, with slightly less than a million pounds profit at this point. That may drop before the end of the month with wages, etc. -- DOVER WIN THE TREBLE IN 2024! - we first win the League Cup, then put the finishing touches on a dominating domestic season, winning our first Premier League title by a whopping 15 points then finally, we win the greatest prize in European football, the Champions League, by knocking off powerhouse Barcelona. Simply put, I don’t know if things can ever get better. Champions League Wrap Up -- Barcelona’s Enrique wins the Champions League Best Player Award and the Golden Boot as top goalscorer in the competition with 19 goals. Paul Moses finishes in second in both categories - Moses scored 16 times in 12 Champions League appearances! -- Paul Moses is also honoured with the Champions League Best Goal award for his stunner against Manchester United on May 1st! Yearly Training Summary -- We still have a very young team so it’s no real surprise to see a bunch of players get positive notices and NO ONE gets a negative training notice. Getting singled out are Lyubomir Kunchev, Paul Moses, Claudio Contreras and Andy Broomes along with U18 players Anthony Gardiner, Steven Potter and Shane Holmes. Vacation -- And with that, the team depart on summer holiday to enjoy our ridiculously successful season and celebrate our treble! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 08-11-2014 at 12:50 PM. |
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07-20-2014, 08:07 PM
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#493 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Whitman, MA
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Nice work, NoSkillz!
I want to see what happens in this offseason. Please don't quit yet! Tell
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FOOL - Ann Arbor Winged Lingerines FOOLX - Portland Axemen Hattrick - Fizzle United (222968) |
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07-20-2014, 11:42 PM
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#494 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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  The stats shown above take into account all competitions with our senior team and include everyone who played at least one game for the big club this past season. GK -- Our goalkeeper transition continues, as Manuel Perez started about a third of our games last year after getting into about a quarter of our games the year before. He’s still struggling to learn the English language but his play on the pitch has been superlative. Perez is notably our first player with a “Worldwide” reputation. Ingo Wilke continues to perform well beyond his "skill level" and was sensational again in 2023-24. Our all-time leader in games played will start seeing less playing time next year as we will work to split the playing time at the very least between our two top keepers. Mathis Imbert got into a couple of games this year but is unquestionably transfer fodder, as we’re in good hands with Wilke and Perez. D -- Our main starters all returned for a third consecutive year and that familiarity is a big reason why we played so tightly at the back this season. On the outside, Salim Loucif doesn’t wow you with the offence but his leadership was superb in his first year as our captain and he’s a tireless defender. On the other side, Renato Gaucho continues to improve both his offence and defence and he even pitched in with a couple of goals this year. Rafinha is a 20 year old Wonderkid who will continue to see ample playing time at both fullback positions and even some at left midfield. He’s a very versatile player and I imagine he’ll be a transfer target for many big clubs. Youngsters Carlos Guzman and Steve Reed are average depth players but both played well when called upon. -- Our central defence didn’t miss a beat this year and despite a couple of injury concerns, Rayane Hamon had his finest season yet for our club, scoring six times and playing great defence. It’s amazing that Claudio Contreras is only 21 years old, as it seems he’s been here forever but he continues to improve at a great clip and scored 7 times himself in addition to providing a towering presence on the backend. His speed is now above average for the position and at 6’ 6” tall, he’s quite the imposing presence. We added the very impressive Saber Nasri in the July transfer window and he lived up to his advance billing, with five goals and four assists in 29 starts (38 total games) - he’s got fantastic speed and fits beautifully with Hamon and Contreras to give us three very high quality central defenders. Young Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz, is being carefully nurtured and his production was absolutely phenomenal this year, albeit against weaker opposition. Still, five goals in only 13 appearances at DC is truly incredible and he will get more opportunities next year. Adam Betts is an unheralded U18 prospect who played well for the youth team and got a senior team start at the end of the season when we had already clinched the Premier League title. I will consider offering him a contract extension but he is a luxury, at best. M -- After a down year in 2022-23, Arsene Bamba exploded this season, scoring 14 times and adding 19 assists from his left midfield position. He’s a beast cutting in from the left side and he was unquestionably our most influential midfielder all year. On the other side, we got another disappointing season from supposed starter Gianluca Bolis, as he only scored 4 times all year, adding 9 assists. His playing time was scaled way back due to solid and productive play from Graham Allan. Allan wasn’t quite as productive as the year before but still outproduced his counterpart with six goals and nine assists. Our board stepped in and sold backup left midfielder Helder Cruz in January and young Felix Hernandez was given playing time in a few senior team games and was very impressive. We’ll keep an eye out on him! Lyubomir Kunchev continues to play well when called upon. -- Neil Cairney was never going to live up to the ridiculous numbers he put up in 2022-23 but he was still excellent for us this year and was awarded as the Players’ Young Player of the Year in the Premier League, a nice honour. One of our big offseason signings was Brazilian midfielder Jose and he took the starting midfielder role opposite Cairney and was a playmaker extraordinaire, racking up 26 assists and a couple of goals as well. I’m guessing he’ll be a target this offseason by some of the bigger clubs. What can I say about Andrea Rocca? The veteran has been with us for a long time and even after giving up a starting role in midfield, he played very well all year and actually got stronger as the year went on, ending up with 28 starts, four goals and 13 helpers - simply superb production! He’s always outperformed his ratings and he’ll continue to play an important role for us next year. We once again took Inter midfielder Gian Marco Fanfoni on loan for the season but after breaking his leg late in 2022/23, he took a long time to regain his form this year. He was outplayed by our own Emmerson Harvey and saw a big decline in production. Fanfoni is back in Italy and I didn’t exercise his buy-out clause, although I will give strong consideration to bringing him back again on loan next year. Harvey continues to develop nicely for us and scored a couple of big goals this year as well - he’ll get more opportunities to shine next season. Rafael Ramirez was a spare part and a Reserve team constant until we loaned him out in January to Dynamo Kiev, where he played quite well. S -- We broke the bank in July, finally buying Paul Moses from Manchester United for £19 million after having him here two seasons in a row on loan. We saw great flashes from Moses in those two years with our club but no one could have expected him to produce quite like he did upon becoming a full-time starter. 47 starts (50 total games), 59 goals and 13 assists. 16 Man of Match awards. Multiple records broken - Moses was the most electrifying player in the world of football in 2023-24, was given English Footballer of the Year and will likely be a main contender for World honours at the end of 2024. He’s been able to stay healthy so far and if that continues, I am guessing he will become a legend of the game and perhaps one of the greatest English born players of all time. There is nothing he doesn’t do well and HE’S ONLY 20 YEARS OLD! He’s unquestionably our superstar player and we’ll do everything we can to hold onto him for as long as possible. Chiquinho hit a horrendous slump in the last two months of the season and despite that, he still produced decent numbers close to last year. 23 goals and 12 assists and his average rating was within a decimal point of last year’s total. When he struggled, we got great performances from Zoltan Bardi, perhaps our most unheralded player. Bardi got hot at the end of the year, right when we needed it and he ended with a very respectable 12 goals and 7 assists in only 16 starts. Shanon Andrea has unquestionably lost a step or two and was a non-factor after January, having trouble even scoring for the reserves. We got one spectacular Champions League game from Andy Broomes, where he scored a hat trick in 30 minutes but only contributed one other goal all year. He didn’t get a lot of opportunities but the 21 year old owns blazing speed and is well suited to being a fine backup player. Norberto Vazquez has some potential but it will likely be realized with another team, as he’ll face long odds to ever break onto our roster. RESERVE TEAM PLAYERS -- With squad rotation a constant this year due to fixture congestion, all of our reserve team players at least got into a game for our senior team, hence they are mentioned above. LOAN PLAYERS -- We had seven players out on loan for the season. DR Hans Briers was sent to Coventry in the Championship, where they finished dead last. Briers was terrible in his 19 starts and won’t amount to anything here. Someone who may pan out here is Rwanda international Mwemere Mutesa, who spent a fine year with AS Saint-Etienne in France, where he started 33 league games (1 goal) and 8 Champions League games (1 goal and 1 assist). He was one of their best performers and will be given a long look with us next year. AMR Marcel Quade spent the year with Savona in Italian Serie B, a mid table club there. He was okay (2 goals in 15 starts) but won’t amount to anything with our club. Shaun Spall got into a spat with me about playing time and I loaned him out to Norwich for the year. They were obviously relegated from the Premier League and Spall was a constant in their lineup, scoring four goals and adding 5 assists. He was good for them but won’t play another game for our club - Norwich have the ability to buy him out and I hope they follow through with that. We already mentioned Rafael Ramirez, who spent half the season on loan with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine. He was quite good for them, scoring twice and adding four assists in 11 starts. He’s got some intriguing potential. Striker Giorgos Gesios has been loaned out two years in a row and still has a year left on his contract with us. He played with Hoffenheim in Germany this year, helping them finish in third place. He’s constantly injured and only started 12 games, scoring six times. I’ll be trying to sell him again in July. Finally, there is striker Orlando Scolari, who spent the year with Girondins Bordeaux in France, leading the club with 22 goals in 35 starts. Scolari is only 22 years old and has intriguing size and speed - I may give him a look next year but we’ll see. U18 PLAYERS -- Norberto Vazquez played only one senior game but was our leading scorer for the U18s, notching 33 goals in 24 non-competitive starts. He’s currently a 1.0/3.0 prospect. Felix Hernandez got three senior team games, notching an impressive three points and he was simply superb for the U18s as well, with 10 goals and 25 assists in 34 non-competitive starts. Hernandez is a 1.0/3.5 prospect. We have a few other okay prospects but nothing really worth noting.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 07-20-2014 at 11:58 PM. |
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07-20-2014, 11:50 PM
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#495 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Thanks! Yeah, I think you can sense that the end is nearing - "the chase" is pretty much complete and I would tend to think that this dynasty will start getting a bit boring now that we've won everything important, with only the FA Cup being elusive at this point. I'm not going to make a decision just yet - I'm definitely going to keep managing the team for at least another year, no matter what. It looks like I'm getting serious resistance to building a new stadium and that is upsetting to me - it would have been cool to get us into a building that is comparable to our peers in the league and in the world but it's looking bleak.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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07-21-2014, 10:44 AM
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#496 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Not too far away
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Congrats. Considering your long journey this does feel like you've reached the mountain top. This was an absolutely fantastic season, and indeed a fantastic job of bringing them up from the lower levels.
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07-22-2014, 03:58 AM
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#497 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Rennes, France
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You did it !
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07-22-2014, 05:20 PM
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#498 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Alexandria, VA
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I certainly hope this isn't over, but if it is (and a CL title is a natural stopping point if you're loosing oomph) this has been a fantastic dynasty, one of my favorites. Thanks!
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07-28-2014, 10:45 PM
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#499 | |||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Thanks guys! What a journey it's been! I plan to keep going for a little while but I will definitely change the structure of the dynasty going forward, just to ensure things don't get too boring/redundant for all of you out there reading this. Perhaps just seasonal summaries or maybe monthly summaries will suffice until I decide to retire. But I want to keep pushing forward for a little while longer...
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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08-11-2014, 01:39 PM
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#500 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St. Catharines, Canada
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Dover Contracts Set to Expire
-- We don’t have any senior team players with expiring contracts and only a few U18 players, none of whom will likely see extension offers. I have a ton of coaches and scouts with expiring contracts and I’ll offer all of them extensions. June Update -- The Premier League transfer window opens on June 9th but I don’t have much money from last year’s transfer kitty left so I’ll have to wait until my new budget is announced. That said, with no expiring contracts, I don’t expect an awful lot of fireworks with respect to new additions but we’ll see if any of our players are poached by larger clubs before making any grand assumptions. Premier League Monthly Awards — Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku scored six goals in only two May appearances to win Player of the Month accolades. — In a nice honour, young backup central defender Mohamed Lamine Yilmaz wins Young Player of the Month honours. Another Dover backup, fullback Carlos Guzman comes in second. — That devil Jose Mourinho wins manager of the month for May and I finish in third spot. June Board Confidence Update -- The board are absolutely delighted with the way I’m leading the team. Our Champions League win is the main highlight and the only slight disappointment continues to be our FA Cup run. -- We made a profit of £36.64 million last month. Lovely! International Update -- Qualifying has begun in Africa for the next World Cup and Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda), Salim Loucif (Algeria) and Saber Nasri (Tunisia) all play well for their country.  -- Turnover shoots up over 21 million pounds over last year but we spend close to 25 million more on player transfers so we end up losing just shy of £5 million overall. Not bad in a Champions League/Premier League winning season in my opinion. Our bank balance is healthy and our average attendance shoots up by over 3,000 per game. Stadium Improvements -- I mentioned it as an aside in one of my comments above but my board flat out rejects my request to either expand our current stadium or build a new one. Bascially, they say the demand isn’t high enough, which is ludicrous in my opinion. We sold out a bunch of games last year and we’re defending Premier League AND Champions League titleholders. The board does give in when I push about other improvements and they are in the midst of planning for Training Facility and Youth Facility improvements. Still, this is a VERY disappointing development, as I really would have liked to lead the team into a new stadium. Shareholders Dividend -- Our board announce that dividends totalling £2.7 million will be divided up and paid to shareholders. This is quite a bit less than last year. New Kit Sponsorship Deal! -- We’ve historically had the weakest sponsorship agreements in the past and winning the Premier League and Champions League look to have helped our stature, as the board announce a brand new kit sponsor that will pay us approximately £1.3 million per year in a five year deal. Our previous sponsor only shelled out £248k so that’s a sizeable increase. European Super Cup -- One of the perks of winning the Champions League is a high-profile match between us and the winners of the Europa League in a battle for the European Super Cup. Borussia Dortmund won the 2024 Europa League and we will match up against them on August 30th at Stade Louis II. International Update -- A number of our players take part in international fixtures: Emmerson Harvey, Paul Moses and Andy Broomes all suit up for England’s U21 club. Takfarinas Madani (Algeria U20) and Felix Hernandez (France U21) also suit up for youth squads. On the senior team side, Lyubomir Kunchev (Bulgaria), Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast), Saber Nasri (Tunisia), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Jose (Brazil), Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda), Rayane Hamon (France), Gianluca Bolis and Manuel Perez (Mexico) all played for their home countries.
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MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo |
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