FM18 - The Rise of Sepsi: Romania Strong - FINISHED!!!

[Abe Sargent]

During training, Lowe injured his back and is out for two months.


EPL Game #4 – Away vs Liverpool. I ease to standard, and we’ll be keeping Mounie at ST for now. I don’t think we’ll be causing any upsets, but who knows? We start off playing better than, I think, Liverpool expected. We have 59% possession in their house, more shots than they do by the 30th minute, and I think Liverpool was expecting us to play defensive ball and we aren’t. But we don’t manage to score. In the 32nd minute they injure Tootle and I pull him, and then the character of the game changes. Liverpool have us, we weren’t able to score I the first third of the game, and in the 44th, they score and it’s 0-01 them at the half. You can still win this! I send in Berghuis in the 58th. He feeds Mounie for goal in the 65th and we equalize. They hit right back two minutes later to go back up and that is the final score of the match. We lose 1-2. Just wasn’t our night, we played that game quite well.


Tootle is out for three weeks with a dislocated jaw

Romania has risen to 15th.


EPL Game #5 – Away vs Arsenal. Feh. I don’t want to talk about our 4-1 loss. D’Amico with our lone score.

[Abe Sargent]

We finish the first five games with 6 points. And that would have been exactly what you would have expected had we planned out the season in advance, with wins against West Ham and Midd but loses away to Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal


3rd Round Carabao Cup – Away vs Brighton. I start Viveros for Loftus-Cheek at MC. The early part is a bit boring as neither of us move out there much. They hit us in the 24th minute for goal and that stands. We injure one of their players in extra time of the first half and he heads out. 0-1 at the half. I send in Burghus for an underperforming Lupu. In the 66th, Mounie finds Burghus for the tying goal! I send in Osario. Then Loftus-Cheek. In the 88th, D’Amico feeds Burghius for goal on a CK, and we win 2-1, MOM is Berghuis. Good job, man who’s last name I clearly can’t spell!



EPL Game #6 – Home vs QPR – I give Osario a start today and bench Lupu for Berghuis. We get a fast score in the 3rd to start things off as D’Amico finds Junior on an attack run. Then things settle down with a lot of back and forth. In the 34th, Mounie is hit by Junior for goal. My DC that I am starting for Tootle gives away the ball poorly in the 43rd and QPR takes advantage. Half. Don’t get complacent out there, and I pull the DC for another backup – Tosin Adarabiayo. They hit goal in the 56th. Then in the 62nd they again score and now they are up 3-2. I send in Jorgensen for an underperforming 6.2 rated Berghuis. In the 65th minute, they get a red card in the box and Junior sinks a PK and we tied it up. I send in Viveros for a banged up Mooy. In the 81st, Junior again finds goal for his hat trick on the day. We hold and win 4-3, and MOM is Junior.

Now I want to win every game, and that was epic. But that’s too many close games for me! I am about to get a heart attack over here!

[Abe Sargent]

October


Oct 1 – Away at Everton

Oct 6 – ROMANIA vs IRAN – Friendly
Oct 9 – ROMANIA VS Macedonia, WC Quals
Oct 12 – ROMANIA vs South Africa - Friendly

It was hard to find teams for the October friendlies, all of the bigger names weren’t available. Iran is #28 in the world right now and South Africa #36.

Oct 16 – Home vs Chelsea
Oct 23 – Away vs Newcastle
Oct 27 – Home vs Newcastle, League Cup Round 4
Oct 30 – Home vs Hull

Good training by Lupu, Viveros and Wilkins.

Junior won Young Player of the Month and I congratulate him.


EPL Game 7 – Away vs Everton – I move Lupu back to the starting role and Osario hits the bench I star Tosin. Everton is currently 7th in the EPL, and I begin standard against them. Its driving rain today. Lupu gets open and feeds Mounie for goal in the 5th. Then things start to calm down until the 25th, when we get a shot on our goal by Everton sink, but then get called offsides. A few minutes later, things go from bad to worse for Everton as they gift us an OG. Then Insua injures one of their players and they head off. We are ahead 2-0 at the half. Don’t get complacent out there! In the 52nd, Junior scores after getting an assist by Mooy who cracked the ball past multiple defenders nicely. I send in Jorgensen and Osario. In the 76th, they score and crawl one back but that’s their last play. I send in Berghuis. We win 3-1. MOM is Junior.

That was a good win. Remember that Champs is 1-4 and then EURO until 7 (based on Cup results). Right now, we are 6th!

In case you care:



It’s early days, but we are looking good right now.

[Abe Sargent]

Tootle is back from injury, and he was called up to the England national squad!



One of my recent acquisitions for you.




While on that subject…


ROMANIA vs IRAN – I make no major changes, seeing this as a useful run out for Macedonia. We start out wasting a lot of shots, and Iran hits us on a counter in the 23rd . No worries. I am starting Petre. And he Is up for the challenge. An assist by And one to Petre for goal in the 40th . And that…..s it. We tie 1-1. MOM is Petre.

[Abe Sargent]

ROMANIA VS MACEDONIA, WC QUALS – No major subs to my club save for Lupu out for his card. I moved Ivan to AMC and Raul Cobrazon at ST. In the 23rd, Hagi feeds And one for goal. Then Dragus to Raul for goal in the 32nd. Macedonia is mad and got two cards fast by the 35th. We have unsettled them. Half. Another card for Macedonia. They hit us on a beautiful counter in the 59th. I can’t fault it, it was nice. In the 64th, Hagi to Raul again for a score. I send in Man. In heads Dima. Then Marin. We win 3-1, MOM is Raúl C.



ROMANIA vs SOUTH AFRICA – I start Raul, Man and Petre, Dima at DMC, and bring Lupu back. They score in the 2nd minute but that will be the only shot on target for Bafana Bafana for the game. Lupu and Ivan get in scores by the half. And then we sit back, and I sub in some folks, and we win 2-1.


Romania drops to 16th

[Abe Sargent]

EPL #8 – Home vs Chelsea – Tootle is back from injury and I am starting my top XI with Mounie at ST still and Jorgensen on the bench. This is Mounie’s 125th game for us. We have loads if great shots, but Courtois snuffs them all out. By the 30th minute, we have been outplaying Chelsea all game long we have 56% possession, 11 shots, 7 on target and 4 fouls to their 6 shots, 2 on target and 11 fouls. We just need to turn this onto goals. And only Courtois is stopping it. And there it is! Lupu slips the ball to Junior on a tight corner but close, and Junior slides the ball past Courtois:



Good jorb! Half. Don’t get complacent! Chelsea are clearly a changed team in the next half. Here comes and Darlow barely turns an attack aside. I send in Osario at FB after Insua gets a yellow. In the 67th, Hazard scores an equalizer. No surprise there. I send in Berghuis and Jorgensen for 6.30 Mounie. but nothing. We tie 1-1, and Mom was Hazard. Nice tie, and I’ll take it! Frankly, that was a win for Courtois, with 11 saves on the day.

Lowe returns from his back injury.

[Abe Sargent]

EPL #9 – Away vs Newcastle – Our foes are 18th and in the midst of a spiral. They have lost to Middlesbrough, West Brom, Man City, and Derby. That’s good news for us, if we can catch them on an off day. I am beginning controlling. Newcastle have multiple Romanians starting for them – Hagi in the MC and Screciu. In the 12th, the ball is shot a few times, and then Mounie sinks the fourth shot as they cannot keep it in. Goal. The injure Mounie in the 31st, and I send in Jorgensen. They score back and we are knotted at the half. In the 58th, they score again, from a great Hagi attack run. I guess I cannot get too upset there. We then push through. I make some subs and send in DC Tosin. In the 81st, Tosin feeds a deep ball to Junior for goal. And we tie 2-2, MOM is D’Amico.

Mounie pulled his groin and is out for a week.

The starting GK for Romania broke his hand and is out for a few months.

Another of my youth went down for 8 months with an ACL injury


4th Round LEAGUE CARABAO CUP vs NEWCASTLE – Can we beat them today? I start Jorgensen at ST. Early in the 11th, Loftus-Cheek feeds Lupu on an attack run for goal. Newcastle gets a yellow., then another. Half. I am tried of Jorgensen wasting shots and not doing well with scoring. Even when he’s in a support role he’s doing horribly. I put in Lezcano for him. He is not a striker, at least not a ST in a one man role. I send in Berghuis and Tosin. They score in the 86th and we are heading to extra time. Insua with a card. Mooy is done tired, and I send in Viveros for him. In the 101st minute, Junior to Berghuis for goal. Half. Newcastle are pushing hard. They foul Viveros hard and are sent off in the 112th minute. They are easing back a little and waiting for us and playing counter. At the 120:07 mark, Lezcano scores but it’s called offsides. We win 2-1 and advance to the Quarter Finals of the League Cup.


Nice!

We draw a home match vs Man City for the QFs. That was a nice campaign!

Viveros is injured for two weeks during training

[Abe Sargent]

November

Nov 1 – Home vs Hull
Nov 5 – Away vs Watford

Nov 12 – ROMANIA vs KOSOVO, WC QUALS
Nov 15 – ROMANIA VS DENMARK, WC QUALS


Nov 20 – Home vs Man Utd
Nov 27 – Away vs Brighton

Good training – Lupu, Senol, Junior

Junior named young player of month.

EPL #10 vs Hull – We have Mounie back at ST. Insua is tired and needs to rest and I start Lowe at DL today. Hull is the lone 4-4-2 squad in the EPL, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens today, tactically. They are playing us rough, and tackling heavily, in order to mess up our rhythm. They injure one of their players tackling and injuring D’Amico and both leave – I send in Berghuis. It’s 0-0 at the half. They have 2 shots, none on target to our 7 and 3. We have 63% possession and such, but they have four cards. We open things up. Mounie funds goal in the 57th off a stolen backpass that he sinks. More cards and fouls follow. They gift us an own goal in the 71st. Then Junior gets a goal in the 90th. We win 3-0, and MOM is Junior

D’Amico has a concussion and will be out for 2-3 weeks, and Berghuis will start for him.




Ten games in, and we are at 7th. Had we defeated Newcastle we’d be tied with Leicester for points.

[Abe Sargent]

I call up my Romanian squad and my starting GK is going to miss the November games.


EPL GAME #11 – Away vs Watford – This is our last chance to get points against lesser teams for a while. Soon I have Man Utd and such waiting. Berghuis fires a nice assist to Lupu for goal in the 19th to get things started, and then Lupu, on fire, feeds Junior for goal. And then….nothing more for the half. Watford get their sea legs and break our rhythm. Don’t get complacent! One of their players scores on a Corner in the 63rd. I send in Osario, Jorgensen, and Tosin. We hold and win 2-1, and MOM is Lupu.

[Abe Sargent]

ROMANIA VS KOSOVO – I am starting Silviu Lung at GK today. I have no other changes to my XI, and from Andone to Lupu to Dragus to Hasi to Petre to Balasa, they are all here. Hagi finds Ivan for goal in the 10th after we stop a Kosovo attack and then take the ball. They score on a CK a few minutes later and equalize. We have multiple attacks turned aside, and for about 15 minutes we are attacking to nothing. Then in the 41st, Lupu feeds Dragus for goal. 2-1 at the half. Don’t get complacent. I pull And one for Gimenez. In the 59th, Gimenez feeds Dragus for goal. Petre throw in to Gimenez with a lethal assist across to Dragus. I send in DC Tiru. At DMC Ionut follows. They score in the 83rd. They then score again in the 87th and tie. MOM is Dragus. Our GK, Lung, had three shots on target, and allowed all three in. That’s not going to cut it. This was on him.

Denmark beat N. Ireland, so we are ahead by one point heading into the final match after beating them earlier.


ROMANIA VS DENMARK – I start Dima and GK Ionut Radu. Radu is a younger, 21 year old backup GK for Inter that they are developing. Can Radu give us our magic? I start Dima for Balasa today. Radu is more of a shot stopper than a ball distributer, and he’s younger, but I need something more than Lung gave us last game. Away at Denmark is the toughest game in the group. I need a positive result to win. They get two cards in the first 6 minutes. Radu stops three shots in the first ten minutes. Nedlecu with a card in the 15th. They score in the 25th (Jorgensen scores against us). They injure Petre in the 38th, and I send in Man. Then a few minutes later they get another yellow for someone already carded and they go down a man. I move everything up. Half. I send in Balasa for the carded Nedlecu. Hagi assists And one with a nice goal in the 61st. That ties us. They get more cards, and Ivan a card as well. I send him off for Raul. They score in the 77th, off a corner kick set piece. A few minutes later, Raul scores. We tie 2-2.

That’s enough to get us through. I don’t like that we backed our way out with two ties at the end, but we won, so it’s fine by me.

[Abe Sargent]

Petre is out for a few months with shin splints.



I have another Brit on my team now!


Romania drops to 17th in rankings

D’Amico approaches us about doing a new deal and I agree. I make him an offer. I like him, Lupu, and Junior together. All three are great up and coming players, young, and getting better and playing well. He is the one player on the squad that I inherited that I can know I can be proud of moving forward now that we have some games under us.


EPL Match #12 – Home vs Man Utd – D’Amico is back from injury and I start all of my top XI. I was called away, here’s the screen of the first half.





As you can see, both Mounie and Pogba have scored, and we are tied 1:1, and they have outplayed us and I would expect us to lose in the next half. They have a strong opening to the 2nd half but we push them back. I pull Loftus_Cheek for Jorgensen and swap him with Lupu . In the 63rd:



We score off a FK from D’Amico to Mooy for goal. We push aside another big attack right after and the two corners that follow. Lukaku hits us in the 75th. Osario heads in. Then Berghuis.



You can’t fail to be impressed at a late goal here at home vs ManUtd, right? We hold and win 3-2, MOM is D’Amico. That was noice. They managed to shut down Junior hard and marked him the entire game with their best defenders, but they couldn’t keep D’Amico down as well and he finished with two assists and a goal.

[Abe Sargent]

I think I might have a suspicion as to why we are playing well against the Manchesters. Let me do a little digging to see if I am correct. Nope, it’s not true. Back when Huddersfield Town was in the top league for decades, due to the close proximity of their cities, the two Manchester sides and Town were strong rivals. But in the 50 years from 1972 to 2022, they have lost those, as each team now has different rivalries. I thought we might still have them as our rival but they wouldn’t which would account for us playing well against them if they were a half-rivalry.

Probably just luck then.


Lupu is jaded and needs some rest. I’ll start Kachunga for him at AMC for a game or two. I want to give him some games as he is a rotation guy we inherited but then I went and loaded up with great AMs and want to give him some games.

Thought you might want a snapshot of Romania right now!



Ivan is still leading with goals, MOMs, and ratings, and then they have Hydman with 7 assists, leaving, and they have 45 points and 13 on the next team and are running away with the Basano currently

[Abe Sargent]

This is my first re-upping of a current player for us. I also negotiated away the previous 65 mill min release fee.

After getting an injury in training, Mooy is out for a few weeks and I pull Viveros in.


EPL Match #13 – Away at Brighton – Brighton is currently 18th in the EPL. We are FOURTH right now. We might win this game! I sub in Lowe. Brighton start strong and push us around and 25 minutes in, they have been winning the game, from possession to shots. Then in the 27th, on a corner kick, D’Amico finds Tootle for goal, and we are up 1-0 despite being outplayed. Lowe collects a card in the 31st. Brighton push, but we answer with a few counters that fail to score but push them back and they ease back. In the 45th, Mounie scores after getting an assist by Junior. Half. Don’t get complacent. We haven’t been winning anywhere but goal. They have more shots (12 to 7), more on target (6 to 3), possession, 56%, and such. D’Amico gets a card. I send in Berghuis and Osario for the carded ones, and then Tobin subs in for DC. They score in the 81st off their own set piece. We win 2-1, MOM is D’Amico.

I have a thought. I make an offer for GK Ionut Radu, and Inter is willing to deal. 2.1 mill. I agree. I make him a 5 year deal offer.

[Abe Sargent]

December

Dec 5 – Home vs Bournemouth
Dec 12 – Away vs Tottenham
Dec 15 – Home vs Man City, League Cup QF
Dec 18 – Away vs Stoke
Dec 22 – Away vs West Ham
Dec 26 – Away vs Derby
Dec 29 – Away vs Leicester


Jan 1 – Home vs Man City

Dec 3 – World Cup Group Draw

Good training – Lupu, D’Amico, Osario

Tootle came in 2nd for young player of the month, Lupu 3rd

I win Manager of the Month

Before I hit December too much, let’s look at players with deals coming up soon that I might want to resign.

First team players with deals coming due on June 2022 – Backup GK Lossl, Jorgensen, Lowe, and Mooy.

I make an offer to extend Mooy. The others are fine for now. I already sold many players with 6/22 finish dates.

I have seen nothing to suggest I should extend Jorgensen. He’s a 31 year old attacker who’s not bringing it. I am happy to let him head off. I have a logjam of talent at the AMs after bringing in Lupu and Junior, and he’s my 5th rotational guy right now.

I inherited a team that was supposed to be good at defense and weak on attack statistically and it’s been the opposite. We’ve scored all over but done nothing anywhere else.

Is there someone I’d want to bring in at the mid-break? A position of need for me? Perhaps

Schindler, my captain. Keep in mind, this is from a person who is playing on a team ranked 5th in the league, so they are all playing well:



A 6.72 rating just isn’t going to cut it.



He’s my captain. He’s liked. He seems to have some solid intangibles, but he’s just not playing well. He can play fullback, but with his low cross or dribble I wouldn’t recommend it. He can play DMC but he doesn’t have the stats for it. He’s not playing out of position.



I’m not the only one to see it. I drop Schindler to first team from key player.

Is there a DC I could bring in to push my team? In January? Because of my sales, I currently have 13 mill in transfer cash. That’s more than enough for a good EPL Quality DC. Tootle was a great pickup.

[Abe Sargent]

The board approach me about increasing the transfer budget. Okay. It’s been increased to 33 mill. Holy money.

Now that allows me to change up my targets. I was trying to find budget friendly DC options. But now? Let’s see what we got. While I am out scouting, how about a new top shelf GK?

There are many GKs out there that are quality and better than Darlow by bunches and would be willing to come and play for us, many of which want first team ball:

Here are a few quick screenies to show you:






I like both of those a lot.

Darlow, for comparison:



Darlow’s just not where I want to be long term. I’m scouting around 12 GKS. Right now we just have a +6 GD and that’s because our defense is a sieve. I have to clamp this thing off.

I also am looking at a better fullback as well. I am going to give Osario more starts moving forward as he’s better on paper and a wonderkid so I want to give him some games. But I want to find someone at the other side permanently. With 33 mill? I might do GK, DC, and DL all at once! Although DC and Gk are deemed my key additions.


Scouting time.




Radu joins me. He is closer to starting quality than Senol. I may look to start him at Romania, because he’s already a shot stopper, now I just need to develop his ball distribution. I don’t see him as my new guy, just a guy.

[Abe Sargent]

World Cup Group Draw:


Group A

Australia
Chile
Mexico
Romania


Group B

Croatia
Iran
Nigeria
Spain


Group C

Denmark
Mali
Portugal
South Korea


Group D

Belgium
Colombia
Jamaica
New Zealand


Group E

Argentina
Austria
Saudi Arabia
Senegal


Group F

France
Poland
USA
Uruguay


Group G

Germany
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan


Group H

Brazil
Egypt
England
Holland




Groups H and G are interesting. I certainly think our group is manageable. Australia, Mexico, and Chile are beatable. But if we saw Mexico and Australia leave the group, no one would be overly surprised. Australia is the host though, so this is not going to be an easy draw,





Current rankings of Group A teams in case you care,

I have arranged friendlies with USA, Jamaica, Colombia, and New Zealand. The best is Colombia at 15, the worst New Zealand at 134, but who else is similar enough to Australia?



Looks good!

I think the USA likes us because they have Poland in their group, and then the other three are al in the same Group, so I suspect they may see how they each manage to play against the same team us as a way to gauge each other. So if we win those friendlies, we can win Group D! ��

[Abe Sargent]

EPL Game #14 – Home vs Bournemoth. Lupu is back from jaded rests, Osario is starting, I have Viveros for Mooy’s injury still in center. Insua is back at DL for Lowe after some rests. Ready?


We start overpowering them, but they hold. Again. Again. In the 31st they injure Mounie and I send in Jorgensen. That’s not good. Half. We are ahead in every statistic. I’m not pleased. I send in Berghuis. In the 71st, Jorgensen remembers that he’s supposed to score the ball and he scores from a Loftus-Cheek assist! I sub in a backup DC.




Then another score follows! Assist by…..Jorgensen? Yeah! Crazy, I know! We win 2-0, MOM is D’Amico.

Mounie is out for 3-4 weeks with an injured ankle.

[Abe Sargent]

Enjoy!

Jorgensen is injured in training for 2-3 weeks.


Mooy has returned from his injury

My starting GK on my Romanian squad is retiring at the end of the season.

My first scouting meeting post-scout bananas is beginning. Ready?





We are about to kick things off!


Quality signing for Grabara.

My Wilson-Mooy linkup worked well

EPL Game #15 – Away at Tottenham – We have Lezcano starting at ST, and Mooy back. Can I steal another win, or tie, today? Not if the rest of the game goes like the first 25 minutes, where we allow two scores! In the 31st, D’Amico finds Lupu for goal and we climb on back and a few minutes later, a Liverpool player leaves the pitch. Half. We are behind by every statistic, including goals scored. We are dominated in possession by 63%. I decide to slide to countering. Around the 60 minute mark, I move off my possession keys to emphasize a counter attack. I send in Ristovski at FB after Osario picks up a card. I send in Berghuis for Lezcano and swap Junior to ST. In the 78th minute, off a corner kick,




Nice looking! Can we hold and steal a tie we didn’t earn? I send in Lowe for Insua.

THERE IT IS BABY!!



Goal in the 90th minute for us on a counter! Forget a tie. We could steal a win we didn’t earn! We hold and win 3-2 after going down 0-2 in the first 25 minutes! That was a great game for us! They had more shots, (23), more on target(10), possession (61%), etc to our 14, 6, respectively. MOM is Junior.

I don’t even know how we are doing this good!

[Abe Sargent]

We just got 4.6 mill from an old transfer deal for someone who finished their 50th game with their team




We are the top goal scorers in the EPL right now!

Lupu has now learned English


I hand out some rests:


LEAGUE CUP QUARTER FINALS, HOME VS MAN CITY – I doubt we are winning this, but hey, let’s see! I have Ristovski back at DR for me. D’Amico to Lupu for goal in the 21st, gets us started nicely. Then Man City answers in three minutes. In the 29th, Lupu feeds Junior for goal. NASTY! In the 35th, Lezcano pounces on, and steals a backpass to the GK right in front of the GK and scores on an open net. That was a filthy goal that Lezcano just stole from them. Lezcano is best as a Treq, so whenever I send him in at ST, I move that role to one that best suits him, and right now, at least today, he’s been fine. We had multiple good shots get turned away to keep the score from becoming a mockery. Half, 3-1 us. Now to be fair, Man City is fine, but their 8 shots include just 1 on goal. We have 12 and 7. I suspect a halftime adjustment that will get them out and pushing to dominance. Don’t. Get. Complacent. They hit us on a counter in the 49th minute. They have shut out D’Amico so I send in Berghuis for him. They score in the 70th. After a dumb and poor clearance by Junior, they score again in the 72nd. Viveros heads in. 5-3 now. Tosin at DC for Schindler. We lose 5-3.


We have to get this defense shored up.

I am sad that we lost in that manner.

[Abe Sargent]

What do I want to do with my GK?

Two options:

1. Bring in a veteran now who outclasses Darlow, sell Darlow, then develop Senol or Radu as a future option. Much like what I did when I upgraded Rimniceanu to Colombi at Sepsi.
2. Bring in a wonderkid who is already developed and at, or past, the level of Darlow, and make that my target.

Most of the #2s aren’t really working for me. They are extremely expensive to bring in a Maio who already was developed enough to start.

But I did find one in Portugal playing for Braga, that we were able to negotiate just a 7.5 mill deal for. But he’s got a great future but he’s not the best at shot stopping yet as he’s just 18. Radu is better at shot stopping already…

Should I just move to Radu?

No, I shouldn’t. Darlow is better than Radu right now. Which is sad because I am going to have to start Radu in the World Cup as we’ll have my best GK retiring before then.

Nah, let’s make the play.

I sign Nahaly Gomes, a guy I and my scouts think is a high caliber prospect, 18, and can start immediately. We’ll bring in Gomes as a rotational contract. (Gomes is Portuguese, and pronounced like it looks, not as Go-mez).



EPL – Game #16 – Away vs Stoke – My two main STs are still out on injury, so Lezcano is continuing to start. He’s been fine I think. They injure Lezcano in the 25th and I send in Kachunga. It’s a lot of missed kicks and such by the half. 0-0. You can win this! I send in Berghuis for a tired Lupu and then Viveros for a tired and carded Loftus-Cheek. In the 74th they score off a counter. But then a few minutes later, Junior feeds Kachunga for goal.

WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Watch this!




A cross was kicked into the box by Kachunga, and was headed miles out by the Defender, and then, Osorio, on one bounce, kicks the ball from looooooooong range but when the GK is not on the track. It’s dead on target, and that’s an amazing goal by him. That might be the best goal we’ve scored this season so far. We win 2-1 MOM was Osario!

An extra time win like that? Sure!!!

Lezcano has his jaw dislocated and will be out for a month. I’ll just start Kachunga because clearly we’re fine at attacking spots!



Yes I am!

[Abe Sargent]

Here’s my new GK when he arrives. Again, shot stopping isn’t top, but everything else is good and he’s already better than my current GK Darlow and has much room to grow.


What I am thinking I might want to do is give Gomes the easier games and Darlow the harder ones not to jade him too early.

What about my DC targets?

I haven’t found a top one yet.

DL? I make an offer to the Jhon Osorio of Paraguay, an 18 year old DL with 4 starts already for their senior squad. We made a 1.5 mill offer for a Hot Prospect deal, and I’m surprised he wasn’t on other Euro squads’ radars.





This is Ronaldo Villalba. He looks good. We’ll see the full stats on arrival, but he should be a strong addition to our squad. I signed him for just 1.5 mill and to a hot prospect deal, so if he isn’t as developed and great as my scouts tell me, then we can still develop him as he’s young at 18.

[Abe Sargent]

Jorgensen is back from injury but I want to wait to put him in at ST for a game.


EPL Game #17 – Away vs West Ham. Today I start Berghuis and Viveros. This is Schindler’s 200th game for us. We have a boring, fast half. 5 shots between us, none on target, 50% possession. We are dominating the early 2nd half. I send in Kachunga for a tired Junior. Then Lowe heads in at FB. In the 71st, Mooy finds Lupu for goal. Then West Ham moves forward and we have a wave but turn them into strong counters. In the 89th, one of those counters sinks, as Lupu feeds Kachunga. We win 2-0. MOM is Lupu.

Nicely done.

Osario and Viveros have both learned new skills.


EPG Game #18 – Away vs Derby – I move Jorgensen to ST. Derby start our backup GK that I sold to them earlier this year. I know what this guy’s weaknesses were as a GK and am looking to exploit it. We open up with an early card to Lupu. In the 21st, they get a red card. I make muh changes. We don’t advantages of it well, with 20 minutes of no shots. Half, tied, 0-0. I am not pleased! In the 52nd, Insua sees and finds Jorgensen for goal. I send in Burghuis and Tootle. Then in the 85th, they equalize with a counter. Annoying! In the 91st,



We hold and win, MOM is Insua

[Abe Sargent]

I like a young DC that Man City had come through their youth system. Name of Kieran James. Strong, quality signing, etc. I agree to 19.5 mill for him.




Here is James. Man City have him as just a “youngster” contract with them, not even hot prospect, and he’s on loan at NYCFC right now. We agree to a deal and offer him a rotation deal. He agrees.

Tosin comes to be wanting first team play or to leave. Mooy talks him down.


EPL Game #19 – Home vs Leicester – Mounie is back! I have him on the bench I want to work him back slowly, especially because Jorgensen was actually a striker last game and maybe he remembered how to play that position. I am starting Loftus-Cheek in the middle again instead of Viveros. They collect two yellows in the first 15 minutes. We are dominating possession and even have shots, but none are on target. Another card for them. Half. We have 7 shots, one on target to their 4 and 1. The next half begins. I send in Mounie. Then Kachunga and Chabolah. D’Amico scores a solo strike in the 78th. We hold on to win. MOM is D’Amico. I tell the lads we got away with that. Cause we did. We finished with just two shots on target.



I have no idea what is happening here but it feels too easy, like the game is cheating in my favor somehow.

[Abe Sargent]

It’s nice to be working at a place that doesn’t say no to my requests!





And to have enough cash for solid studs!


The 29th is here and I spend some time scouring contracts coming free in 6 months. There’s nothing that excites me.

Let’s finish the year!

Ivan wins Romanian Player of the Year.

[Abe Sargent]

January, 2022


Jan 1 – Home vs Man City
Jan 4 – Away vs Middlesboro
Jan 8 – Home vs Wolves, FA CUP
Jan 11 – Home vs West Brom
Jan 15 – Home vs Liverpool
Jan 18 – Home vs Arsenal
Jan 22 – Away vs QPR


Good training – Viveros, Lupu, Osario

Lupu won Young Player of the Month and I congratulate him

I won Manager of the Month

I request a new meeting with the board.

Our new additions are here – Gomes, Radu, James and Villalba!



The next Tony Adams!

Tony Adams - Wikipedia




Europe you really screwed letting this guy come to us cheaply. It’s not like a young national on the squad wouldn’t be seen by scouts!

The media is using “wonderkid” language for Gomes.

Next year, imagine my starting XI is:

A Gomes who has been playing and is better, Villalba, Osario at DR/L, Tootle and James at DC, Viveros at MC, Mooy at MC, AM D’Amico, Junior, and Lupu, and then a ST that I will likely grab new, unless I decide that Mounie is good for another year. That’s a starting squad of 9 growing wonderkids that I can lock in long term, all of which are strong and powerful and growing.

Can you say “nasty” boys and girls?

EPT Game #20 – Home vs Man City – Quick of it – we lost 2-0. Unlike how we played the first game in their place or our Cup match here, this game never saw us dominating long sections of the game. This is our first loss in months. I made a mistake. I subbed in DC James first, around the 58 mark, when we were behind by one, and forgot this was his old club. They must have rattled him, and he gave away a PK in the 70th, to get them another goal.

[Abe Sargent]

I loan DC Tosin. I get some pushback from Berghuis for not getting him connected with starts, and my captain is not turning them down. I agree to get him some starts over the next few games.

EPL Game #21 – Away vs Middlesbrough – I start Gomes at GK and Osario and Viveros as well as Berghuis, and Mounie. D’Amico to Lupu for goal in the 5th. We win 2-1 over Middlesbrough to get back to our winning ways. We score 2-1, MOM is Lupu. Another goal by D’Amico in the 44th, and they scored in the 47th, and then it was knotted in 2-1 at the half and held. Our lone card was by Schindler

I get an offer from Sevilla to loan Villalba as a key player to them, but I want to develop him here.



Awesome!

FA CUP vs Wolves – Today I keep in Osario, Gomes, Viveros, Berghuis, and then give Villalba his first start. Lezcano is back from his injury and I move him to my sub set. We win 2-0 MOM is D’Amico with two goals, cards like Villalba, Berghuis and Viveros. Mounie has been having some bad games, so I send in Lezcano for the next game. He was playing well pre-injury, let’s see if he has kept his form.

D'Amico now counts as homegrown in England now that’s been here long enough!

[Abe Sargent]

EPL Game #22 – Home vs West Ham – I send in DC James for Schindler today and leave in my many subs. We score in the 4th as Berghuis get us off scoring! In the 13th, Viveros has a nasty tackle that results in a red card. And then that’s it. A game later we lost 2-1. Other cards to Osario, Villalba.


That’s two losses in three games in the EPL, so are we returning to form? I guess we’ll find out in a few days against a bigger name club.


EPL Game #23 – Home vs Liverpool - As my next match is today against Liverpool, I am putting back Darlow at GK, both of my normal DR/L, Schindler at DC, Junior at AM, and Loftus-Cheek at MC. I leave in Lezcano at ST. Alright let’s get this game underway!!! Silva snakes the ball to Ronaldo for goal early, but then we push aside the other attacks. We have a few turned aside as well, and in the 42nd,they injure Lupu, so I send in Jorgensen for him at the AMC spot. Half. Show me something else! In the 51st, Lezcano feeds Junior on a delicious assist for goal. We injured Salah and he heads off. I send in Berghuis for an underperforming Mooy, and then swap him and D’Amico on the pitch. L-C with a card. Villalba for Insua. In extra time, Liverpool score off a questionably offsides goal, but it stands. We lose 2-1.


Lupu is out for 3-4 weeks. I’ll start Berghius, Junior, and D’Amico there at those spots.

[Abe Sargent]

I am going to be working on some take-home stuff and give you these results quickly:

EPL Game #24 – Home vs Arsenal – We crush them 3-1, with goals by Junior and two by Lezcano. He was MOM. Nicely done!


EPL Game #25 – Away vs QPR – We win 2-0, MOM was Mooy with a goal and an assist to Junior.


I find this hot young prospect at MC from Argentina that just turned 18, and I have bought him in for 7.5 mill.



Here he is. And this is the last of my cash. He’s a little rawer than some others, but if he grows as I expect he will, then I would expect him to me my long-term replacement for Mooy. He’s strong in decisions, work rate, passing, technique, 1st touch, etc. I found out about Biasoli when I got news that West Ham had made him an offer for 7.5 mill and it had been accepted, so I went out, saw how awesome he was, doubled the offer, and beat West Ham for Biasoli. I had never even heard of him until a week before!

I think I have injected that 20 mill we got in January well with Biasoli, Gomes, James, and Villalba coming to Huddersfield.

[Abe Sargent]

As an FYI.

D’Amico is now capable of lobbing GKs.

FA Cup 4th Round – Away vs Hull – This was added to our scheduled when we defeated folks earlier. I am starting Gomes today, James, Villalba, Viveros, and Lezcano remains at ST. He’s been playing well for a bit, although he was poor last game, I wasn’t to give him another chance today. They score in the 5th off a counter, and then we just start dominating. In the 26th, James is concussed out of the game and Schindler heads back in. They pickup two cards. D’Amico feeds Junior for goal in the 34th, and it’s tied at the half. Show me something else! In the 66th, we injure one of their players, and I send in Jorgensen for an underperforming Lezcano. Villalba with a card and I send in Osario. In the 72nd, they have a second yellow and their player is sent off. In the 88th, Jorgensen finds goal and we win 2-1. MOM is D’Amico. We knock out Hull and move on the 5th round.

James is out 2-3 weeks and I’ll start Schindler. I loan out Chabolah at DC to the Wolves for key player until the end of the season. We draw Southampton for the next round of the FA Cup.

[Abe Sargent]

February

Feb 4 – Away vs Everton
Feb 13 – Away vs Chelsea
Feb 19 – Away vs Southhampton, FA CUP
Feb 26 – Home vs Newcastle

Good training – Junior, Viveros, D’Amico

Junior won Young Player of the League for January and I congratulate him!


EPL Game #26 – Away vs Everton, currently 18th in the league. I move in Mounie at ST to give him some reps and such. Lezcano has sort of run the course. I send in my youth. In the first twenty minutes, Schindler and Berghuis score, and then Osario gets a card. It’s quiet at the half. Keep it up, don’t get complacent! I send in Kachunga. In the 66th Osario gets another card and is sent off. I make some changes. They score in the 88th, but that’s it, and we hold and win 2-1. Good job keeping the lead with a send-off.

Lezcano is injured for two weeks with a pulled muscle in training

EPL Game #27 – Away vs Chelsea – This s a big game, and I start GK Darlow, Lupu is back from injury, Ristovksi at FB. Only Villalba and Viveros remain of my youth subs. I have eased Insua to rotation from first team. I don’t want to talk about this too much. We lost 5-2. Goals by Lupu and Lupu.

[Abe Sargent]

FA CUP, 5th Round at Southampton – I move off GK Darlow and start some others. I start Lowe at DL. We crush them 4-2 with goals by Mounie, Junior, D’Amico, and in the 88th, Jorgensen subbed in late. We are through to the 6th round!!!


EPL Game #28 – Home vs Newcastle who is currently 17th. I have Viveros and Biasoli joining us in the middle today. We win 1-0, MOM is Junior with our lone goal. After subbing in Berghuis, his bonus is sent for enough EPL games to the team we bought him for 500k.

Man Utd defeated Arsenal to win the League Carabao Cup. Arsenal have sacked Mangini.

[Abe Sargent]

March

March 5 – Away at Hull
March 12 – Home vs Watford
March 16 – Away at Man Utd
March 19 – 6th Round, FA CUP – Home vs Liverpool

March 26 – Romania vs Colombia, Friendly
March 29 – Romania vs New Zealand, Friendly



Good training by Lupu, Tootle, and Osario.


Lupu won Young Player of the Month and I congratulate him!

I have had spats with the Manager of Hull because he is constantly going after me in the media, and I won’t sink to his level and give the folks room to breathe against me…

Until now.




EPL Game #29 – Away vs Hull – We win 3-2, with goals by D’Amico, and two by Mounie. D’Amico is MOM.


We get our youth intake. Anyone I want to consider?


Nah, Huddersfield Town aren’t known for having been a major youth destination. It’s a smaller city, and too near Manchester and Leeds. Great youth from the area are more likely to head to United or City or over to Leeds. Leeds is 35 minutes away and Manchester is 45. So why would you go to Huddersfield Town if you were a top English prospect from the area? I hope to change that reputation soon, but that has not happened yet!


I just sign one hot prospect deal

[Abe Sargent]

EPL Game #30 – Home vs Watford – I make no changes to muh starting XI save that I send in Mooy. Watford come in hot and strong and they push us back. They score in the 16th, and then I have a card to Mooy. In the 19th, they are challenging my possession tactic, and I have to pull out, move to direct and such. Once I have reconfigured my folks enough to gain momentum, I open back up to controlling. Half. We are behind 0-1. Show me something else! In the 59th, D’Amico scores, and I send in Berghuis a moment later. Then Ristovski at FB heads in. In the 78th, Junior scores and we win 2-1. MOM is D’Amico.

I call up a new backup DC for my World Cup squad with DC Alin Tosca as my 5th option.



Tosca!



EPL Game #31 – Away vs Man Utd. I send in my experienced squad like Loftus-Cheek, GK Darlow, etc. Before today’s game, Man Utd’s manager talked a ton of trash about us. I didn’t comment, but I know that my lads are going to try and make him choke those words down on defeat. So far this season, we haven’t won against Man City, and we haven’t lost against Man Utd. Ah well. That wasn’t to be. We lose 0-2.

[Abe Sargent]

FA Cup 6th Round – Home vs Liverpool – I keep my starters, save I send in Viveros and Villalba. Ronaldo is injured and will miss today’s match. I was hoping for this awesome winning nail-biting performance, but I’ll take the dominant 4-1 win instead. MOM was Lupu with two goals, goals by Ristovski and Mounie as well.


We dropped Liverpool and make it to the Quarter Finals. Liverpool beat Man City, so that big isn’t here anymore.

The other teams to win are Brighton, Everton and Chelsea. Chelsea just took out Man Utd, Everton Tottenham and Brighton defeated a lower level club. We draw Brighton.

[Abe Sargent]

ROMANIA VS Colombia! I say hello to Viveros and Osario on the other side of the table. I make no major changes to my squad. I am giving Radu a friendly start at GK to get him some experience there. We have a slow start but just before the half, Dragus feeds Ivan for a nasty ball and we would be up 1-0 at the break if they didn’t; score nasty long shot into goal. Show me something else. We were outplayed in the 1st half. I send in Dima, Man, and Marin for people with 45 minutes only direction. We push and have a few opportunities in the early 2nd half. I send in Gimenez, Tosca to give him some time with the new team, and Matan. We had pressure, but no goal. We tie 1-1 MOM is Ivan

Sener Sezol was capped for Turkey.

Tom Tootle was capped for England – he also scored in his debut

Nhabaly Gomes was capped for Portugal

Insua is injured during training for 6-8 weeks with damaged knee ligaments.

ROMANIA - Friendly vs New Zealand - I am giving Hagi my a Roaming Playmaker role after he’s gotten to the point where he can play the MC position well. At the 4:29 mark, Dragus finds Lupu for goal. Andone to Ivan for goal a few minutes later. Lupu to And one, goal, 15th minute. We foul a player in the box and give up a PK in the 31st. Petre to Andone in the 37th. Half. Keep it up! I send in Dima and Cobarzon. Then Matan and Tosca. Matan to Lupu, goal, 69th. Marin and Tiru head in. Lupu to Marin, goal 87th. We win 6-1, Mom is LUPU with two assists and two goal.

[Abe Sargent]

April


Apr 2 – Home vs Brighton,
Apr 9 – Away vs Bournemouth
Apr 17 – Home vs Tottenham
Apr 20 – Away vs West Brom
Apr 23 – FA CUP, Semi Finals – Brighton
Apr 24 – FA CUP, Semis – Chelsea vs Everton

Good training? Viveros, Lupu, Radu


My current Lupu eval.



EPL Game #32 – Home vs Brighton, I am keeping Gomes at GK for the month of April. I have James at DC and Viveros, my two youth at FB and such. Ready? They fire off a nice counter in the 4th, but then we push and get two goals by Mounie in the next ten minutes and by the 20th minute, we are ahead 2-1 and in control. They grab some cards, and Osario comes down with one in the 37th. At the 42 mark, they score a nice corner kick and tie. Then in extra time they score again and it’s 3-2 them at the half. Show me something else! In the 51st, one of their cards becomes a red. I send off my yellow Osario for Lowe. We push, and Júnior grabs goals in the 59 and 65 mark. I send in Berghuis and Kachunga. We hold and win 4-3, MOM is D’Amico.

My AssMan Khubutia now speaks great English.

I make a new deal offer to Viveros that properly rewards his form and growth.

EPL Game #33 – Away vs #11 Bournemouth – I send out Mooy and in Schindler. We dominate the game, Mounie with a hattrick, Junior with a goal, and MOM is Mounie.

Five games remain and we have qualified for the EURO

[Abe Sargent]

Viveros signs his new deal for 5 years and 18 mill. It increased his Min Release Fee to 175 mill.

Osorio and Viveros have learned English. Romania drops to 19th.

Kachunga comes to me and talks as he feels he has accomplished everything he can at the club and wants a new challenge. I agree to move him on and transfer list him.

Osario has finished learning how to get forward when possible. Next is to stop trying through balls.

Tootle asks me to negotiate a new deal, and I agree, and will do so in a moment after the Tottenham game.


EPL Game #34 – Home vs Tottenham – Speaking of which…. It’s a great day for football. The crowd is cheering and the opponents are ready to take out. They score in the 11th with a deep cross from midfield into goal randomly. We are fine, and neither team is doing much for the next few minutes. Half. Show some desire out there! I send in Jorgensen for Mounie. Mooy and Ristovski head in as well. Junior with a late card. My men often have some late magic. This time? YES!!!




In the 90th minute, there’s the tying goal. We hold and tie them 1-1. MOM is D’Amico. We had plenty of chances to win this one, including many shots we missed or were weakly on target.

I make an offer to Tootle

[Abe Sargent]

I drop Loftus-Cheek to rotations squad status.


EPL Game #35 – Away vs West Brom – I move Mooy back into the starting role. I pull Schindler. WHOA! THAT was a game. Here! I can’t even describe this game. Words elude me. Here, let me tell them how amazing that was, finish and I’ll show you the game recap.



Enjoy the awesome victory!

Lupu comes to me, and I Agree. I offer him a new deal as well.

Tootle’s new deal is 5 years, 18 mill, and 175 min release.

[Abe Sargent]

FA CUP SEMI FINAL


#3 Huddersfield Town

Vs

#19 Brighton




I make no major changes to my squad. Note Etebo there who was once one of my players at Sepsi! Ready? Let’s get it on!



Our first goal of the day is a fast one. Good jorb Viveros!




Another score a few minutes later. We have a couple of nice attacks pushed aside and Gomes stops a nasty shot they have on target and ends a Brighton attack. Brighton settle down and figure out our rhythm and are now disrupting us and causing us to break up attacks late and force us into bad or long shots. One of those long shots sinks:


Great jorb Mooy. Then we get another shot to sink a few minutes later with movement in the box. I’ll keep from giving you a ton of pics, you get the idea! Half. 4-0 us. We have twice as many goals as our foe has shots. 5-0 us. I send in Ristovski. Then Jorgensen. Then Biasoli. James with a late yellow for persistent fouling. We win 5-0, MOM is Junior! We make it to the finals.


Who are we playing in the Finals? Chelsea or Everton? I’d prefer Chelsea, and make it a real match. We have a signature 4-1 win against Liverpool, and I’d prefer another win over a big name club. I can only play who we draw, but Brighton, Wolves, Hull and Southampton aren’t exactly world beaters.

Unfortunately for history, Chelsea lost in ET 1-0.


Fortunately for our chances of winning the Cup, Chelsea lost in ET 1-0.



We qualify for the Champions Cup after some folks lost after we played our Semi-Final.

Lupu’s new deal:, 5 years, 18 mill, 175 min release.

[Abe Sargent]

May

May 1 – Home vs Stoke
May 7 - Away vs Leicester
May 15 – Home vs Derby

May 21 – Everton in FA CUP Final

May 11 – Confirm World Cup Squad for Romania

Good training – James, Osario, Lupu

This is fun!
 



Our hookup of GK Senol was great and he gained a lot.

EPL GAME #36 – Home vs Stoke. We crush them 4-0. MOM was Junior with two assists and a goal. 2 Goals by Mounie and another by Lupu.

Osario approaches for a new deal. I agree. Only fair, right?





First time that many Players of the Week from Huddersfield have happened this year.

[Abe Sargent]

Osario’s new deal: 5 years, 11.250 mill, no min release fee.




EPL Game #37 – Away at Leicester. We lose 4-2. Goals by Junior and Viveros.


Want to see my best player? Where he is today?



Here he is! He is so nasty good. Romania Proud. He’s getting closer and closer to the “Romania Messi” I jokingly called him a long time ago.


I confirm the Squad, and I have no injury issues, so we should be fine. I call up GK Ionut Rus, uncapped, 22, as my 3rd GK.

Junior has learned to knock ball past his opponents.

[Abe Sargent]

By the way my goal is to finish the EPL tonight and then do the World Cup with Romania tomorrow after work and then likely call it.

[thehitcat]

I'll be sad to see this end. Romania is on the cusp and you have Huddersfield punching up for Champions League spots. Totally understand wanting to walk away to do/try something else before it becomes a drag but if you're still even a little unsure consider this a vote to continue No matter what it's been a magical ride.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

I'll be sad to see this end. Romania is on the cusp and you have Huddersfield punching up for Champions League spots. Totally understand wanting to walk away to do/try something else before it becomes a drag but if you're still even a little unsure consider this a vote to continue No matter what it's been a magical ride.

I appreciate it, thanks!

[Abe Sargent]

EPL Game #38 – Home vs #16 Derby – Our final EPL game of the season is here. We are locked into the 3 spot no matter what happens. They have something to play for with potential relegation here, whereas we don’t. So we need to be professional and win today. We do. MOM is Lupu with a hat trick and D’Amico with another goal as we win 4-0.


We get more than 40 mill for our 3rd place finish.



Final league total and some of us on the list as well for your consideration

[Abe Sargent]

FA CUP FINAL!!!!

#3 Huddersfield Town

Vs

#13 Everton




Today is actually a repeat of the last time we won the 1922 Cup final against Everton!



I make no major changes to my squad. It’s basically Mooy, Mounie and the Wonderkids. Which is a weird name for a band.

Here we go!!!

After a slow start, we score:




D’Amico to Lupu on an attack across goal! Everton push back and we avoid a big wave. We have some pressure turned aside. Half. Don’t get complacent! One of their players is injured in the 56th and leaves the game. I send in Jorgensen for a poor Mounie. Schindler for James. They score in the 69th. Two minutes later:



We claw back! Multiple Everton waves are crashing around us Can we hold? I am saving my last sub for an injury or ET? Five minutes of extra time.




We hold and win!!! D’Amico is MOM

[Abe Sargent]

STATS!!!!


EPL Stats:


D’Amico led with 9 MOM,

D’Amico and Junior were 1st and 2nd In miles covered

With 7.56, D’Amico was 3rd in rating; 4th was Junior with 7.54. Mounie was 8th with 7.36

Junior was tied for 3rd with 20 goals. Mounie was 5th with 19. Lupu was tied for 12th with 14.

Mounie was 2nd in avg minues/goal

Mounie was 6th In % of shots on target

With 18 assists, D’Amico led the league by 4, Junior was tied for 7th with 12.

D’Amico led the league in key passes. Lupu was 9th.

D’Amico led the league in chances created. Junior was 4th

Viveros’s 91% was the highest for completion %. Mooy was 13th.

D’Amico was 2nd in dribbles/game. Junio r 11th


Tootle was 9th in key headers

Tootle tied for 3rd in shots blocked

These are the only players I had with an EPL Rating fewer than 7.0 – Schindler, Loftus-Cheek, Insua, Jorgensen, Ristovski, Tosin, Darlow. Just one of my youth clocked in at 6.98 – Osario.


Good jorb folks!

[Abe Sargent]

Before I move to Romania, I was to make some offers.



This is Matteo Guendouzi, a great young, developed star who was unsigned and is coming free in a month. I make him an offer to join us for free. I really do want to bring in a nice ST that can really do well. Mounie plays well with my AM guys, but often just doesn’t do well at all. Compare him to Gimenez, Ivan or Schlocobiert who was always on fire. Jorgensen, Mounie, Lazcano, backup GK Lossl – none of these are my long-term future at the position, although I’d be fine moving into next year with Mounie at ST. I am also losing Lowe, Lazcano, and Jorgensen. I list the 33 year old Insua as well as GK Darlow. Kachunga is already listed, at his request.

That means I would be intentionally carrying the following older vets into next year – Schindler, Mooy, Ristovski, Mounie, Loftus-Cheek and Berghuis. I’d transfer list LC if I brought in Guendouzi.

We have 88 mill for next year’s club.

I still love Chris Hughes from Man City whom we loaned last year and he has a buyout clause of 75 mill. He’s the best English youth player out there right now and he’s already been capped at 19. He plays in the middle, and if we don’t sign Guendouzi I will likely make him an offer.

[Abe Sargent]

In case you care!



Our team awards. I would agree with the 3rd and 4th choices. My goal of the season is Osario’s Junior is fine as player of the season, although I like D’Amico better.

Great annual training – Lupu, Viveros, D’Amico, Tootle, and Gomes.




Which Jersey did you buy?

[Abe Sargent]

My board agree to more improvements to the club:



I give them an extra Summer week off and will ask them to report on July 11th! I choose the USA for training camp. This is a good time to build up our USA brand after a big EPL season.







Enjoy those team records!


I sell Darlow to Celtic and Insua to Newcastle.



Sepsi won their league as well:



In case you cared. I do!