FM – From Semi-Pro Minnows to Champions League Glory: Dover Athletic FC - Page 14

NoSkillz · 02-16-2015, 05:29 PM

Sat. December 27, 2025

Barclays Premier League
Dover (16-1-0, 49 points, 1st) vs. Everton (5-5-8, 20 points, 15th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Everton: 10-1
Past Meetings: 10W 2D 4L

Everton have struggled in recent years but their incredibly long stretch in the Premier League continues. They should be safe from relegation once again but at 15th on the table, they need to continue to get their wins where they can. Today is likely not one of those days! They were big spenders in July, doling out £25 million on nine players, with their biggest purchase coming from our club when they pried away Graham Allen for £7.5 million. He hasn’t delivered much, scoring once and adding one assist in 14 matches. They also have former Dover loanee Martin Prochazka but he is merely a depth player at this point. Their leading scorer is striker Mike Hall, with only five goals.

We’ll go back to a strong lineup today and the only holdover from the Sunderland game is backup center half back Adrian Torres, as we give superstar Claudio Contreras a much needed break. Gianluca Bolis is back after missing two games due to injury. We are once again huge favourites today.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - R. Lopez, D. Hope, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes

Everton are in a flat 4-4-2 and will start Graham Allen at striker alongside Mike Hall, giving Allen a chance to hurt his former club. Smart! Franco Di Capua is their keeper. We’re overconfident today so I tell the team I expect a big win.

12’ - We steal the ball at midfield and Jose sends a GORGEOUS pass through the defence. Paul Moses gets there first and is able to right foot a shot past Di Capua into the short side for the quick goal! DOVER GOAL 1-0

17’ - We continue to press and from just outside the penalty area, Benedikt Raab touches a little back pass to Jose. From way, way out, he sends a “banana shot” that starts way wide but curves violently into the right corner of the goal! That’s freaking SENSATIONAL!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

22’ - It’s ALL DOVER, as Moses sends a pass up to Chiquinho and he does all the rest, cutting in towards goal and sending a low shot past Di Capua. That’s Chiquinho’s 10th of the year. DOVER GOAL 3-0

HALFTIME - Easily the most dominating performance of the season thus far, as we hold 67% of the ball and an outrageous 23-0 (9-0 on target) shot advantage. They simply can’t cope with us. Brilliant.

Everton come out in a 4-4-2 diamond to start the second half.

49’ - We have a free kick from 30 yards and Raab sends his trademark curling rocket that hits the woodwork, then Di Capua before bouncing in. I figure it’s an own goal but Raab is given credit. Excellent! DOVER GOAL 4-0

60’ - The accelerator is pushed all the way down and Raab now passes through to Moses, who gains space with his speed and slots yet another past the beleaguered Everton keeper. That’s two for Moses and we’re up five. DOVER GOAL 5-0

Everton now fall back into a 4-1-4-1.

65’ - We pull out the excellent Benedikt Raab and Chiquinho and bring in Emmerson Harvey and Andy Broomes.

80’ - We earn a corner and Moses crosses to the near post to Mwemere Mutesa and our young DC heads it home. A rout! DOVER GOAL 6-0

Pure domination.

Dover 6 - 0 Everton
Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.6), Jose (8.1), Chiquinho (8.6), Benedikt Raab (), Mwemere Mutesa ()
Assists - Paul Moses 3, Benedikt Raab 2, Jose
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (8.3), Adrian Torres (8.1), Renato Gaucho (8.1), Gianluca Bolis (7.6), Arsene Bamba (8.5)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Simply superb, as we hold 60% of possession and outshoot them 43-2 (17-0 on target) - hard to get much better than that statistically. Paul Moses had FIVE POINTS today. This is simply the greatest stretch of play I’ve ever seen from our side, as our undefeated run extends to 22 games (!!) and we’re 20-2-0 since our last defeat, which was to Real Madrid in Champions League group play back in September.

-- Sorry buddy. Everton sack their manager after their listless performance against us.

-- I also get a note in my post-game press conference that this was goalkeeper Ingo Wilke’s 300th league appearance for our club. He just keeps going and going.

-- In other action, Tottenham beat Birmingham 3-1, Liverpool defeat Southampton 2-0, United knock off Chelsea 2-0, Sheffield Wednesday upend Middlesbrough 1-0 and those pesky Wolves hold Man City to a 1-1 draw.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 19 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 52 points (after 18 games)
2. Manchester United - 44 points
3. Manchester City - 40 points
4. Liverpool - 37 points (after 18 games)
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5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 18 games)
6. Chelsea - 31 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points
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Dover U18 Update

-- We continue to roll, dominating Wycombe to the tune of 5-1. Bakary Kone and Giuseppe Forti bag braces and Jonathan Langlet notches a single along with two assists.

Barclays Team of the Week

-- Okay, this HAS to be a record, as we place NINE PLAYERS on the Premier League team of the week. Renato Gaucho, Claudio Contreras, Mwemere Mutesa, Salim Loucif, Mads Pedersen, Benedikt Raab, Jose, Gianluca Bolis and Paul Moses are honoured. That’s ridiculous.

Dover Injury Update

-- Rayane Hamon still is a couple weeks from returning to full training after his broken collarbone while Mads Pedersen will miss at least a month with his broken wrist.

Next Up

-- We head to London to face Arsenal in Premier League play.

NoSkillz · 02-16-2015, 07:30 PM

Wed. December 31, 2025

Barclays Premier League
Arsenal (8-2-7, 26 points, 9th) vs. Dover (17-1-0, 52 points, 1st)
Emirates Stadium, London, England

Betting Odds: Arsenal: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 7W 3D 9L

Arsenal are struggling so far this season but they do have two games in hand on most of the teams in the league, with this being one of their makeup games. They spent £24.5 million on five players in the offseason, with £12 million alone spent on A.C. Milan’s DC Tomas Bajza, a 26 year old Slovakian international. He’s been ever present but underwhelming on defence so far. Lee Ross is their leading scorer with 15 goals and they are getting a great season from left midfielder Carl Cousins, who has ten goals. Nchimunya Munyao is a DC/ST who has been played mostly at defence this year.

Only one change today, as Claudio Contreras is back in the lineup after we gave him the day off against Everton. Full strength squad today on the road. We are big favourites and I’ll stick with my successful control mentality.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - R. Lopez, A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes

4-2-3-1 for Arsenal today, with Lee Ross as the loan striker and Sergio Asenjo in goal. I tell the team to play well for the travelling supporters.

HALFTIME - Well, it can’t be easy all the time! Arsenal DOMINATE the first half, holding 62% of the ball while also outshooting us 8-5 (3-2 on target). A very rare game where almost every highlight is for the other team. We simply didn’t show up for this game and I’m pissed. Hopefully that will wake them up.

52’ - We’re much better to start the second half and after a couple of highlights, we finally strike. Off a throw in, Chiquinho sends a ball out wide to Gianluca Bolis and he dribbles into the area and shoots low underneath Asenjo and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 1-0

67’ - Chiquinho comes off and in comes Andy Broomes.

70’ - We earn a corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is headed home by RENATO GAUCHO! That’s his first of the year! DOVER GOAL 2-0

76’ - We pull off Benedikt Raab and bring in Emmerson Harvey. We also move to a counter attacking mentality.

A good second half is enough to earn us the three points.

Arsenal 0 - 2 Dover
Goals - Gianluca Bolis (7.8), Renato Gaucho (8.1)
Assists - Benedikt Raab (7.3), Chiquinho (6.8)
Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Salim Loucif (7.2), Mwemere Mutesa (7.3), Claudio Contreras (7.3), Jose (7.0)
Attendance - 56,422

A much better second half sees us through but Arsenal still held 53% of possession while shots were dead even at 12-12 (5-5 on target). Always nice to see the rare goal from Renato Gaucho!

-- There was only one other match on this day, another makeup game that saw Liverpool upend Aston Villa 3-2.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 19 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 55 points
2. Manchester United - 44 points
3. Manchester City - 40 points
4. Liverpool - 40 points
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5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 18 games)
6. Chelsea - 31 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points
----------------------------------------------------

-- We’ve reached the halfway point of the season and we’re on a record-setting pace in almost every category. The league record is 98 points, set back in 2020/21 by Manchester City and here we are on pace for an incredible 110 points! That won’t hold up but the record certainly is within reach. We are also well on pace to smash our record of 107 goals that was set in our Premier League winning season in 2023/24. We are currently on pace to score a ridiculous 126 goals. We’ve only given up 11 goals in 19 matches, which is way ahead of our pace from last year or any other year, for that matter.

Lets look at some Barclays Premier League stat leaders:

GOALS -
1. Paul Moses, Dover, 19
2. Steve Pates, Sheffield Wednesday, 14
T3. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 12
T3. Guy Luckett, Wolves, 12
T5. Chiquinho, Dover, 10
T5. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 10
T7. Tom Bull, Manchester United, 9
T7. Lee Ross, Arsenal, 9
T7. Oliver Hammeri, Liverpool, 9
T7. Hani Megahed, Reading, 9

Andy Broomes is tied for 15th with 7 goals despite being a third choice player. Claudio Contreras is in the midst of a spectacular season and has 6 goals, tying him for 20th. Jose and Arsene Bamba have three goals apiece and that ties them for 49th in the league.

ASSISTS -
1. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 19
2. Jonathan Bottone, Manchester City, 12
T3. Omar Hernandez, Manchester United, 10
T3. Peter Jansen, Tottenham, 10
T5. Daniele Bentivoglio, Tottenham, 8
T5. Paul Moses, Dover, 8
T5. Guy Luckett, Wolves, 8
T8. Jose, Dover, 7
Three other players tied with 7

Raab is well on pace to shatter the Premier League record for assists in a season, which is 23. Gianluca Bolis and Chiquinho have four assists, which ties them for 22nd. Mads Pedersen has three assists and that ties him for 36th.

AVERAGE RATING -
1. Paul Moses, Dover, 8.05
2. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 7.87
3. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 7.81
4. Chiquinho, Dover, 7.71
5. Peter Jansen, Tottenham, 7.70
6. Steve Pates, Sheffield Wednesday, 7.67
7. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 7.57
8. Mihai Vladescu, Tottenham, 7.48
T9. Jose, Dover, 7.45
T9. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 7.45

All Dover!! Six out of the top ten!! We also have Renato Gaucho at 7.43, good for 12th, Rayane Hamon is 14th at 7.41, Salim Loucif s in 15th at 7.40 and Gianluca Bolis is in 20th at 7.35. Incredible. Ten of our eleven starters are inside the top 50 and only goalkeeper Ingo Wilke isn’t represented - he’s 74th.

January Update

-- The transfer window opens as we hit January 1st and I’m also asked about changing my expectations for the season. The board don’t offer me any more money for making a change so I stay with the expectation that we’ll challenge for the title.

-- We have four Premier League games this month as we begin the second half of the season, with matches against Tottenham (home), Aston Villa (away), Southampton (home) and Chelsea (away). We also have an FA Cup tie against Newcastle here at home and a two-leg League Cup semi final against Hull City. So that’s seven matches this month.

-- We get positive training notices for Neil Evans, Jose and Andy Broomes, along with positive notices for U18 players Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Eneko Remirez. Negative notices come in for Salim Loucif and Danny Hope.

England’s Best Eleven

-- Paul Moses and Emmerson Harvey are named to England’s Best Eleven for 2025.

2025 European Awards

-- Hugo Cruz from Borussia Dortmund wins European Striker of the Year. Cruz also wins the FIFA Ballon d’Or award and World Player of the Year.

-- Real Madrid’s Zonzamas Garrido wins European Goalkeeper of the Year.

-- Abdelhalim Meddahi from Olympique Lyonnais wins European Midfielder of the Year.

-- Evandro from FC Bayern wins defender of the year.

-- Claudio Contreras and Benedikt Raab are named to the World Team of the Year best eleven. Cool!

-- Our reserves midfielder Paolo Secchi is second place in the Italian Player of the Year vote after spending last year with Fiorentina. Interesting. He has never impressed in limited action with our club.

Premier League Awards for December

-- It’s a clean sweep! Paul Moses wins player of the month honours after scoring six goals in five matches.

-- Mwemere Mutesa is named Young Player of the Month!!

-- Jose’s stunning goal against Everton last week is the second best goal of the month.

-- We played six times in December and won all six games. As a result, I win Manager of the Month once again.

Coach Leaves

-- Just two weeks after we ward off Arsenal’s bid to take one of our youth coaches, Sampdoria comes after him and takes him away. Paolo Tomasoni is gone and we get £525,000 in compensation fees. Now I have to find someone else. Damn.

Board Confidence Update

-- The board are delighted with my leadership, with our huge 6-0 win over Everton playing well in their mind but they continue to be slightly disappointed with the departure of Andrea Rocca.

-- We made a profit of £38,240 last month. Ha!

Next Up

-- We host the very tough Tottenham Hotspurs in Premier League action to start the new year.

NoSkillz · 02-16-2015, 09:03 PM

Sat. January 3, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (18-1-0, 55 points, 1st) vs. Tottenham (10-5-3, 35 points, 5th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England

Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Tottenham: 11-5
Past Meetings: 11W 4D 2L

Spurs are really playing well this year and still have a game in hand as we move into the second half of the season. They are getting huge years from strikers Peter Jansen (16 goals) and Jean Junior (15 goals) and both will need to be watched closely tonight. One of their bright young stars, left midfielder Daniele Bentivoglio, will miss today’s game due to injury.

Benedikt Raab is suspended for today’s game due to yellow card accumulation and we have some fatigue running through the team after a crazy stretch of games. Getting rests today are Jose, Gianluca Bolis and Arsene Bamba. Emmerson Harvey and Neil Cairney will man central midfield, Rafinha will play the left side and Sergio De la Vega will play on the right in a completely changed midfield. No changes defensively or up front. A pretty big game today!

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - Rafinha, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - R. Lopez, A. Torres, P. Secchi, Jose, A. Bamba, G. Bolis, A. Broomes

Umm, wow. Tottenham start in a crazy defensive 4-2-1-2-1 formation, with two central defensive mids and only Peter Jansen up front. Nuts! Zivko Kraljevic is their keeper. Lets play well for the home supporters today.

20’ - Spurs are playing for a 0-0 tie by the looks of it and we’re having great trouble breaking them down early. Now, adding to the misery is an injury to star defender Claudio Contreras and he has the cross of doom above his head. Not good at all, especially with Rayane Hamon already on the shelf. DOVER INJURY: Claudio Contreras

26’ - Spurs SCORE on a nice passing play but they are ruled offsides. NO GOAL! It was the right call.

HALFTIME - A terrible and boring first half ends with Spurs holding a 56% possession edge while we outshoot them 10-4 (5-1 on target). We did pick up a bit in the second part of that half but this is pretty uninspired. I go a bit soft and just say I’m disappointed as opposed to going full blast with anger - lets see how that works…

54’ - Sergio De la Vega dribbles down the right flank and crosses into the middle. Chiquinho is there but his shot is blocked away. However, the ball pops right to the golden boot of Paul Moses and he easily slots the ball into the empty net and we finally break through! DOVER GOAL 1-0

Spurs switch to a 4-1-2-1-2, with a very tight formation.

56’ - A long ball is sent up the left side and Moses is there first. He waits for some help and sends a pass back to Rafinha, who then sends a curling shot toward goal that deflects off a diving Kraljevic and goes IN!!! That’s Rafinha’s FIRST EVER GOAL for Dover, in this, his third season!!! WOW! DOVER GOAL 2-0

70’ - Sergio De la Vega comes off and I bring in Rodolfo Lopez.

78’ - Emmerson Harvey is hurt and needs attention but play continues. Spurs fullback Gustavo Mercado crosses into substitute Mahmoud Ashoubi and we seem shocked when he deposits the ball past Wilke and they are within one. TOTTENHAM GOAL 2-1

82’ - Harvey can continue but he’s labouring so I take him out and bring in Jose.

I then switch to a counter attacking mentality.

We’re fortunate to escape with the three points.

Dover 2 - 1 Tottenham
Goals - Paul Moses (8.1), Rafinha (7.5)
Assists - Sergio De la Vega (7.1), Paul Moses
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.1)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Well, thankfully we were much better in that second half and ended up with 51% of overall possession and a 19-11 (10-4 on target) shot advantage. We’re going to be in a bit of trouble if we have to go with a central defence of Mutesa and Torres for a long period - both are just too young, especially Torres.

-- And in the news I was dreading, we find out that Claudio Contreras has broken his arm and will miss 3-4 weeks. Very unfortunate, as Contreras is having a breakthrough season. Our other top central defender, Rayane Hamon is still at least two weeks from a full return so we are in big trouble at the back. I may have to utilize captain Salim Loucif in the middle, which will then allow us to give more playing time to big new signing Rodolfo Lopez. DOVER INJURY: Claudio Contreras - Broken Arm (3-4 weeks)

-- In other action, Aston Villa, our next opponent, knocks off Birmingham 1-0, Huddersfield shock Man City 1-0, Liverpool beat Chelsea by the same scoreline and Manchester United beat Reading 2-0.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 20 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 58 points
2. Manchester United - 47 points
3. Liverpool - 43 points
4. Manchester City - 40 points
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5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 19 games)
6. Chelsea - 31 points
7. Aston Villa - 30 points
----------------------------------------------------
8. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points
9. Sunderland - 28 points
10. Arsenal - 27 points (after 19 games)
11. Huddersfield - 25 points
12. Wolves - 24 points
13. Newcastle - 23 points
14. Middlesbrough - 22 points
15. Everton - 21 points
16. Birmingham - 21 points
17. Reading - 19 points
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18. Hull - 14 points
19. Southampton - 11 points
20. Sheffield United - 6 points (after 14 games)

Premier League Team of the Week

-- Gianluca Bolis makes the Barclays Premier League Team of the Week.

Dover Injury Update

-- Rayane Hamon is about two weeks away from returning to full training after his collarbone injury while fellow DC Claudio Contreras (broken arm) and Mads Pedersen are on the long term injury list.

Premier League Update

-- Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0, Man City win 1-0 over Sheffield Wednesday and Reading hold Liverpool to a thrilling 3-3 draw in Tuesday action.

Dover U18 Update

-- The kids throttle Leeds U18’s 9-0 in the Under 18 Cup quarterfinals. Fernando Estrada scores four goals and we get singles from Domenico Fracassetti, Bakary Kone, Luis Miguel Garcia, Michel Benard and a Jason Hague own goal. Jonathan Langlet and Marcus Sowter contribute two assists.

Next Up

-- We head to the road to face Aston Villa in Premier League action.

NoSkillz · 02-16-2015, 10:05 PM

Wed. January 7, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Aston Villa (8-6-6, 30 points, 7th) vs. Dover (19-1-0, 58 points, 1st)
Villa Park, Birmingham, England

Betting Odds: Aston Villa: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 9W 2D 6L

Villa are hanging tough this year and are holding onto 7th place and possible European qualification in easily their best start in over a decade. Mohamed Messaoudi is their leading scorer with 8 goals and we’ll need to keep an eye on him today.

We make a number of changes today and the only holdovers from our last game are Mwemere Mutesa and Rafinha, who is back at left fullback today. Adrian Torres gets the start alongside Mutesa, as both Rayane Hamon and Claudio Contreras are battling injuries. Paul Moses gets the night off and molten hot Andy Broomes is in.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - A. Broomes, M. Lugo
Bench - S. Loucif, D. Hope, Renato Gaucho, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, Z. Bardi

Flat 4-4-2 for Villa today, as they go with Christos Ntantamis up front alongside Messaoudi. Antonio Kraljevic is their keeper and he is usually dynamite against us. My assistant claims that the team is lacking motivation due to Jose captaining the squad today - hmm. I go with a rah rah speech saying the team can win today.

20’ - Not the greatest start but we strike first, as Benedikt Raab sends a ball through the defence and Manuel Lugo gets there first. He makes some space as he approaches Kraljevic and easily slots a hard shot past him for the opening goal. DOVER GOAL 1-0

27’ - We work a ball into the box and on a seemingly innocent play, a weak Andy Broomes half volley hits a Villa defender and goes in. That should be Broomes’ goal but they call it an own goal. Ticky tack scoring call but we have a two goal lead. DOVER GOAL 2-0

30’ - We have the ball again and send Lugo down the right side. He gets to the byline, turns to his stronger left foot and sends a little pass back to an oncoming Jose and he delivers a ROCKET into the top corner. Great pass from Lugo, who is really coming into his own this year and vicious shot from Jose! The crowd is NOT HAPPY, as just moments earlier, Jose took down a Villa player with studs up and I fully expected the straight red but he only got a yellow. By all rights, he shouldn’t be in this game. DOVER GOAL 3-0

HALFTIME - Superb half from a less than full strength side. We held 55% of the ball and a 17-4 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. I’m quite pleased.

63’ - We have a corner kick and Raab crosses the ball in but one of our players is taken down in the area. That’s a PENALTY! Raab calmly steps up and slots it easily into the corner of the goal! DOVER GOAL 4-0

65’ - Villa take the ball away from Gianluca Bolis and start up the pitch. They eventually send a delightful ball through to Messaoudi and he makes no mistake, putting a powerful shot past Davies and in. ASTON VILLA GOAL 4-1

70’ - I take out Jose and bring in Neil Cairney.

77’ - In comes Sergio De la Vega, taking the place of Bolis.

Villa absolutely dominated the last 30 minutes but we end up with a comfortable win.

Aston Villa 1 - 4 Dover
Goals - Manuel Lugo (8.2), Arinze Issah OG, Jose (7.8), Benedikt Raab PEN (8.5)
Assists - Andy Broomes 2 (7.9), Benedikt Raab, Manuel Lugo
Man of the Match - Benedikt Raab
Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.1), Rodolfo Lopez (7.1), Mwemere Mutesa (7.2), Adrian Torres (7.3), Rafinha (7.0), Arsene Bamba (7.0)
Attendance - 39,911

After dominating the first half, we let Villa take over in the second and in the end, possession was dead even but we outshot them 24-7 (7-2 on target). Lugo and Broomes were great once again, as were Raab and Jose.

-- In other action, Man United defeat Hull 1-0 and Spurs destroy Wolves 5-1.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 21 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 61 points
2. Manchester United - 50 points
3. Liverpool - 44 points
4. Manchester City - 43 points
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5. Tottenham - 38 points (after 20 games)
6. Chelsea - 34 points
7. Aston Villa - 30 points
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Dover U18 Update

-- We get another hat trick from Bakary Kone in a 4-0 win over Reading’s U18s. Nathan Protheroe scored the other goal while Fernando Estrada notched two assists.

Next Up

-- We begin defence of our FA Cup title with a home match against fellow Premier League side Newcastle.

NoSkillz · 02-16-2015, 11:05 PM

Sat. January 11, 2026

FA Cup - 3rd Round
Dover (1st in Premier League) vs. Newcastle (15th in Premier League)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England

Betting Odds: Dover: 2-5 (Favourites) Draw: 11-4 Newcastle: 13-2
Past Meetings: 9W 1D 3L

I won’t take these guys lightly at all, as they almost always play us tough and own a win against us just last year here at Crabble. They are coming off a pretty ugly loss to Premier League cellar dwellers Sheffield United but had three straight wins before that. Daniel Iturrieta leads the team with a paltry five goals and he’s hurt today. Their keeper is awesome though - Jak Alnwick always plays us tough.

Normally I’d go with a weaker lineup in a cup match but our next game is the first leg of the League Cup semis and that will be the game I go with the weaker side. So pretty strong lineup today. Interestingly enough, we’ll go with captain Salim Loucif at DC for the first time this year due to the injuries to normal starters Contreras and Hamon. Rodolfo Lopez will get a second straight start at right fullback.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif, R. Lopez
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, Z. Bardi, A. Broomes

Newcastle are in a defensive 4-4-1-1 formation with veteran striker Stanislas Vigneau alone up front. Alnwick is in goal. I tell the lads I expect a victory today.

HALFTIME - Boy oh boy, what a lethargic performance so far. We have almost all of the possession, with a crazy 70% of the ball but don’t have a shot on target, as shots are 11-3 (0-1 on target). I once again tell the team I’m disappointed with their efforts thus far.

51’ - We finally break through, as Paul Moses heads in a Renato Gaucho shot but the goal is called back due to offsides. NO GOAL!

59’ - I’m getting impatient, as Newcastle are starting to believe they have a chance here. I pull out Chiquinho and bring in Zoltan Bardi, while also switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

74’ - I pull off Jose and bring in Emmerson Harvey.

81’ - Boy oh boy. Back to a 4-4-2 and we move to an overload mentality.

84’ - OH MY GOODNESS!! Stanislas Vigneau takes the ball at midfield and from about 35 yards, sends a howitzer that is perfectly placed in the far corner of the goal. OH MY GOD!! This could be the upset of the year if we’re knocked out in our first FA Cup match after winning last year!! NEWCASTLE GOAL 0-1

We go to a 4-2-4.

90’+3 - There are three minutes of added time and we are just POURING on pressure, with two goal posts but we just can’t beat this guy. We get a last gasp corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is headed toward goal by Bardi. Jak Alnwick stops it but the rebound pops out to Paul Moses and he taps it in for the incredible tying marker! DOVER GOAL 1-1

We switch back to a control mentality but the whistle blows almost right after kick off.

Dover 1 - 1 Newcastle
Goals - Paul Moses (7.2)
Assists - Zoltan Bardi (6.8)
Man of the Match - Stanislas Vigneau (Newcastle ST - 7.5)
Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.2), Renato Gaucho (7.0), Benedikt Raab (7.2)
Attendance - 22,343

We held 68% of the ball and outshot them 28-5 (6-2 on target) but we’re VERY lucky to get a replay out of that. Just a pathetic performance.

FA Cup - 4th Round Draw

-- If we’re able to get past Newcastle in the replay, we’ll face Reading away.

Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Benedikt Raab makes the Premier League team of the week.

Dover Injury Update

-- We get some good news, as DC Rayane Hamon returns to full training after missing six weeks with a broken collarbone. Hopefully it won’t take too long for him to regain full fitness - I assume he was able to do cardio while he was recovering with his upper body injury.

Transfer Window Fun

-- I’ve had a few mediocre offers for youngsters like Adrian Torres, Jonathan Langlet and Luis Miguel Garcia but all are swiftly rejected. Then I get two monster offers for Arsene Bamba, with Real Madrid offering almost £18 million. It’s auto-rejected, of course but that is a lot of cash. We have no depth at left midfield anyway with the injury to Mads Pedersen and why would I trade a starting player when I’m trying to win the league AND the Champions League? No chance. Bamba has a minimum release clause of £37 million so they can feel free to offer that if they want!

Next Up

-- Yet another cup tie, as we head to The Circle to face Hull City in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals.

NoSkillz · 02-17-2015, 12:13 AM

Wed. January 14, 2026

League Cup - Semi Finals First Leg
Hull (18th in Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in Premier League)
The Circle, Hull, England

Betting Odds: Hull: 7-1 Draw: 3-1 Dover: 1-3 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 1W 0D 0L

Hull are suffering in their first year back in the Premier League, six points from safety in 18th position. Funny enough, they just tried to reinforce their lineup with former Dover ML Cameron Murray, spending £3.8 million to pry him away from Burnley, where he played the last four years. If he starts today, it would be his first for his new club. Striker Gary Jeffrey is their leading scorer with 11 goals in 25 matches.

We make sweeping changes after our lackadaisical performance against Newcastle on the weekend. Only Rodolfo Lopez and Mwemere Mutesa are brought back in from that game, as we go with mostly backups. U18 winger Jonathan Langlet is called up and will make his first ever senior team start for us. The hot duo of Andy Broomes and Manuel Lugo will start as well. Rayane Hamon, just back from injury, will be on the bench today.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez
M - J. Langlet, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega
S - A. Broomes, M. Lugo
Bench - Renato Gaucho, S. Loucif, R. Hamon, Jose, P. Secchi, A. Bamba, Z. Bardi

Flat 4-4-2 for Hull today and they have Jeffrey up front with Martin Galik. Former Dover fullback Ross McLaughlin starts on the right side and Nicklas Johansson is their keeper. Lets put on a show for the travelling support today!

16’ - Manuel Lugo sends a lovely ball up to Andy Broomes and he works his considerable magic, driving in, cutting to the right and delivering a perfect ball into the far corner. Broomes is MONEY! DOVER GOAL 1-0

26’ - We have possession and it’s Sergio De la Vega, attempting a cross. The ball deflects off a Hull defender and right to 18 year old Jonathan Langlet and he taps the ball into the net for HIS FIRST EVER DOVER GOAL!! Wow!! Way to go kid!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

HALFTIME - Pretty solid half there, with possession dead even but we hold an 11-1 (4-0 on target) shot advantage.

71’ - We have possession and send the ball out wide to De la Vega. His cross is right into the middle of the penalty area and it’s accidentally kicked into the goal by Hull defender Stephane Brasseur. DOVER GOAL 3-0

76’ - A double substitution, as I bring in Zoltan Bardi and Paolo Secchi, taking out Manuel Lugo and Neil Cairney.

89’ - We have another corner and De la Vega’s cross is headed by Mwemere Mutesa into the corner of the net. Great header! DOVER GOAL 4-0

90’+1 - Already with a yellow card, Rodolfo Lopez fouls one of their players and is given a second yellow. Dumb, dumb, dumb. DOVER RED CARD: Rodolfo Lopez

Dumb play by Lopez aside, that was an assured, professional performance from our second teamers, who continue to play at an extremely high level.

Hull 0 - 4 Dover
Goals - Andy Broomes (8.3), Jonathan Langlet (8.1), Stephane Brasseur OG, Mwemere Mutesa (8.4)
Assists - Sergio De la Vega 2 (8.3), Manuel Lugo (7.6)
Man of the Match - Mwemere Mutesa
Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.2), Rodolfo Lopez (7.3), Adrian Torres (7.6), Rafinha (7.7), Neil Cairney (7.2), Emmerson Harvey (7.3)
Attendance - 23,777

Hull dominated possession in that second half and ended up with 55% of overall possession but we outshot them 18-5 (8-2 on target). Great games from De la Vega and Mutesa.

Next Up

-- We face relegation threatened Southampton in Premier League action.

NoSkillz · 02-17-2015, 01:14 AM

Sat. January 17, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (20-1-0, 61 points, 1st) vs. Southampton (2-5-14, 11 points, 19th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Southampton: 10-1
Past Meetings: 5W 2D 1L

Southampton look destined for the drop after only one year back in the top flight, as they are currently 9 points from safety. Striker Mike Moss has been effective, with 9 goals but they simply can’t keep the ball out of their own net, with a league high 48 goals against.

Our starters will play today but we still have Adrian Torres and Mwemere Mutesa in at DC due to injuries. Rayane Hamon is again on the bench and I want to get him about 30 minutes of action if possible today to help him regain his fitness. He’ll also start in our mid-week FA Cup replay against Newcastle. Rodolfo Lopez is out today due to suspension.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - C. Davies, Rafinha, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes

Flat 4-4-2 for Southampton and they have Moss on the bench today in favour of strikers Dimitris Efthymiadis and Shyamdew Doesburg. Talk about a mouthful!!! Geoffrey Tesfaye is their keeper. I want to see a good performance from our starters today.

HALFTIME - AAANDDD…our starters come out flat yet AGAIN. What a disturbing trend. It’s utter domination, as we hold 52% of possession and a 19-2 (6-0 on target) shot advantage but we’re scoreless. Chiquinho has been TERRIBLE today and missed a couple of sitters and he’s quickly going to be overtaken on my pecking order by Broomes or Lugo. I’m getting fed up with the complacency. I tell the team they are outplaying them everywhere - now go do something about it!

54’ - Still nothing. I take out Mwemere Mutesa and bring in Rayane Hamon.

62’ - We just can’t buy a goal, as Moses hit the post twice in the same sequence just a minute ago. Chiquinho comes off and in comes Andy Broomes.

77’ - Moses has just hit ANOTHER post on a rocket shot and we’re cursed but seconds later, he is sent in again and taken down just outside the area. The referee shows a STRAIGHT RED CARD and Southampton are down to ten men. SOUTHAMPTON RED CARD: Sam Jevons

We immediately switch to an overload mentality.

83’ - Arsene Bamba passes up to Moses on the left side and he crosses into the area and there is that man Andy Broomes, volleying it off Tesfaye and FINALLY, we have a goal. DOVER GOAL 1-0

Back to a control mentality.

Boy, it’s yet another win but our main starters are struggling.

Dover 1 - 0 Southampton
Goals - Andy Broomes (7.2)
Assists - Paul Moses (6.8)
Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho (7.6)
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.2), Adrian Torres (7.1), Benedikt Raab (7.1), Arsene Bamba (7.2)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Well, we had 57% of possession and an outrageous 40-2 (10-0 on target) shot advantage but man, we just couldn’t beat their keeper. Poor Paul Moses was snake bitten once again and hit the woodwork three times in a ten minute span alone.

-- In other Premier League action, Aston Villa beat Wolves 3-0, Spurs knock off Huddersfield 2-0, Man City DESTROY Sunderland 6-1, Chelsea are shocked by Birmingham City 1-0, Liverpool and Hull draw 1-1 and Man United throttle Sheffield United 5-0.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 22 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 64 points
2. Manchester United - 53 points
3. Manchester City - 46 points
4. Liverpool - 45 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 41 points (after 21 games)
6. Chelsea - 34 points
7. Aston Villa - 33 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- Another game, another huge win. We defeat Oxford U18s 7-0, as forgotten man Marcus Sowter scores three goals and we get singles from Fernando Estrada, Luis Miguel Garcia, Domenico Fracessetti and Giuseppe Forti. Jonathan Langlet notched two assists as well.

Dover Injury Update

-- Mads Pedersen (Fractured wrist) and Claudio Contreras (fractured arm) are both a couple weeks away from returning to action.

Next Up

-- We head to St. James Park to face Newcastle in an FA Cup third round replay.

Alf · 02-23-2015, 03:54 AM

Just got back from vacations and happy to see things are still great in Doverland.

NoSkillz · 02-27-2015, 11:12 PM

Thanks Alf!

We're rolling this year but I worry a bit about complacency setting in amongst our first team players.

It certainly hasn't been an issue for the second team guys, who just continue to roll...as you'll see in the next post.

NoSkillz · 02-27-2015, 11:12 PM

Wed. January 21, 2026

FA Cup - 3rd Round Replay
Newcastle (1) vs. (1) Dover
St. James’ Park, Newcastle, England

Betting Odds: Newcastle: 11-5 Draw: N/A Dover: Evens (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 9W 2D 3L

Newcastle almost shocked the world a couple weeks back, holding us off the scoresheet until injury time in a 1-1 draw at Crabble in the FA Cup 3rd round match that now goes to a replay at St. James’ Park. This team always plays us very tight and have a great goalkeeper in Jak Alnwick.

We’ll need a win or a draw with at least two goals scored to move on. A 1-1 draw will move us into extra time. This is usually a spot for our main lineup but we’re getting nothing from them in recent games so I’m really rolling the dice today, going with mostly second teamers and also playing a 4-2-3-1 formation to hopefully confuse Newcastle. Andy Broomes is alone up front with Zoltan Bardi slotted in behind. I have a number of key starters on the bench just in case I need them but we have a weekend league match against Chelsea and I hope that our second team shows up with their customary professionalism today.

Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - E. Harvey, N. Cairney
AM - A. Bamba, Z. Bardi, S. De la Vega
S - A. Broomes
Bench - S. Loucif, Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, P. Secchi, G. Bolis, M. Lugo, P. Moses

As expected, Newcastle are once again in their 4-4-1-1 formation with Stanislas Vigneau up front and Jak Alnwick in goal. Lets put on a good show here.

4’ - A bit of a nervous start, as Newcastle get two solid chances off the opening kickoff but we hold them off. We then move up the pitch down the left side with Arsene Bamba leading the charge. He lays a pass off to the touchline to the trailing Rafinha, who then sends a glorious cross into the box that meets the head of Sergio De la Vega. The ball is sent past Alnwick and IN! What a start!! DOVER GOAL 1-0

38’ - Newcastle continue to control play and earn a free kick from distance. They send everyone up and the cross is a perfect one, right to the head of Ibon, who heads it off the goalpost and in. NEWCASTLE GOAL 1-1

HALFTIME - Newcastle are completely outplaying us and seem to want this more. They held 52% of possession that half while we outshoot them 8-7 (2-4 on target). We may need a tactics change soon and a player change as well. I tell the players we only need one goal - go and get it!

48’ - We cause a turnover and move up the pitch. Andy Broomes takes it to the byline and tries to cut back toward goal but the ball is tackled away from him. It’s in the open and there is Bamba on the doorstep and he cashes in with his weaker right foot! Yes! DOVER GOAL 2-1

Newcastle move to a flat 4-4-2 and we’ll do the same.

54’ - We have a throw in down the left side and the ball comes back to Rafinha. Once again, he shows his incredible touch with a beautiful arcing ball into the area and there again is De la Vega, hitting a quick shot off the post and JUST across the line. Holy crap - De la Vega and Rafinha hook up for the second time and we have a cushion!! DOVER GOAL 3-1.

63’ - I pull out Broomes, who has a yellow card and bring in Manuel Lugo.

82’ - We continue to push forward and it’s Bamba feeding a cross into Lugo, who heads it home! He’s on FIRE. DOVER GOAL 4-1

And our second teamers continue to roll.

Newcastle 1 - 4 Dover
Goals - Sergio De la Vega 2 (8.8), Arsene Bamba (8.8), Manuel Lugo (7.3)
Assists - Rafinha 2 (8.5), Arsene Bamba
Man of the Match - Arsene Bamba
Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies, Rodolfo Lopez (7.7), Rayane Hamon (7.6), Adrian Torres (7.2), Neil Cairney (7.1), Emmerson Harvey (7.0)
Attendance - 35,488

We had a wonderful second half and ended up with 51% of possession and an 18-11 (9-4 on target) shot advantage. Superb - it’s so reassuring to have such great depth at the club but in a way, I wonder if we should start making some changes to our first team. De la Vega is really coming on, Bamba is seemingly back to his form from a couple years ago and Lugo is shedding the “bust” label I was ready to slap on him after a terrible first year with our club - he’s been sensational this season as a fourth choice player.

-- We earn £69,000 for the win and will face Reading in the fourth round.

Next Up

-- A big Premier League matchup, as we head to London to face Chelsea.

NoSkillz · 02-28-2015, 12:58 PM

Sat. January 24, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Chelsea (10-4-8, 34 points, 6th) vs. Dover (21-1-0, 64 points, 1st)
Zola Stadium, London, England

Betting Odds: Chelsea: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 4W 5D 8L

We are monster favourites against traditional powerhouse Chelsea in their stadium, showing just how dominant we’ve been this year. Meanwhile, Chelsea have really struggled all season and are on a horrific run of form, having lost four of their last five matches, including two consecutive 1-0 losses to Birmingham (one in FA Cup play and the other in Premier League action). That’s truly brutal. They are reasonably healthy but getting no goal scoring - their leaders are Miguel Sousa and Romelu Lukaku, both of whom are tied with only 7 goals.

We’re back to a full lineup today, with the only holdovers being Arsene Bamba and Rayane Hamon. We have the second leg of our League Cup semi final coming up at home in midweek and we already have a four goal lead there, so expect a full squad of backups in that game. Back to our flat 4-4-2 today.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - R. Lopez, Rafinha, A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, M. Lugo

Zola Stadium is narrow and Chelsea are fittingly in a tight 4-4-2 diamond with no wide midfielders. Rafael Romo is their keeper and it’s Lukaku and Tony Nijhuis up front. Lets play well for the travelling support today.

17’ - Chelsea are ALL OVER us to begin and Miguel Sousa especially is a nuisance. We have a goal kick and the ball is headed back over our defence. Nijhuis gets there first and pops a shot past Wilke into the corner of the goal. CHELSEA GOAL 0-1

23’ - Chelsea continue to come at us in waves and it’s an inspired Nijhuis once again getting through the defence. His shot is stopped by Wilke but the rebound pops out to the dangerous Sousa and he makes no mistake. Our undefeated streak is in serious jeopardy, as our first team players once again are laying an egg. CHELSEA GOAL 0-2

HALFTIME - We came on in the last fifteen but can’t hit the net. What an embarrassing showing - Chelsea hold 52% of the ball but most importantly, are shelling us in the shot department, with a 13-9 (7-0 on target) edge over us. Zero shots on goal just won’t cut it. I question the team’s passion to win the game and storm out.

65’ - We pull off a terrible Chiquinho and bring in Manuel Lugo.

74’ - What a stinker this game is. Arsene Bamba is banged up and I pull him off in favour of Rafinha.

We move to an overload system to try to get a goal.

We’ve got some trouble in paradise. Our first loss in league play all season.

Chelsea 2 - 0 Dover
Goals -
Assists -
Man of the Match - Tony Nijhuis (Chelsea ST - 8.3)
Other Dover Notables - Chiquinho (5.7)
Attendance - 54,392

We played decently in the second half and Moses especially had some good chances but we can’t capitalize and our first-team players are definitely in a slump. Chelsea were motivated and their forward group, including AMC Sousa, are blazing fast and played great football today. Full marks to them for outplaying us. I’ll definitely be considering some changes soon to mix up this group. Simply put, they aren’t getting the job done these days.

-- United beat Newcastle 1-0, Huddersfield upset Villa 3-2, Liverpool upend Sheffield United 2-1, Spurs knock off Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 and Man City crush Middlesbrough 5-0.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 23 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 64 points
2. Manchester United - 56 points
3. Manchester City - 49 points
4. Liverpool - 48 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 22 games)
6. Chelsea - 37 points
7. Aston Villa - 33 points
----------------------------------------------------

Transfer Window Fun

-- The English transfer window closes in a week and it’s U18 superstar Bakary Kone that is a hot commodity, as Stuttgart, PSG and Barcelona all make increasingly attractive offers. Kone is an absolute STUD prospect and is going absolutely nowhere - he has a ludicrous 33 goals in 13 U18 or Reserves starts and is going to get a chance to make his senior team debut in our next game, as we look to shake things up a bit.

Next Up

-- We take a commanding four goal lead into the second leg of our League Cup semifinal against Hull City, with this match being at the comfortable confines of Crabble Athletic Ground.

NoSkillz · 02-28-2015, 02:40 PM

Tue. January 27, 2026

League Cup - Semi Finals Second Leg
Dover (4) vs. (0) Hull
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Hull: 10-1
Past Meetings: 2W 0D 0L

With a huge four goal advantage heading into the second leg of our League Cup semi finals, we are huge favourites to get back into the finals. Gary Jeffrey is their danger man with 14 goals on the season.

With such a big cushion, I am afforded the luxury of not only going with second teamers, but U18 players as well. Having dominant seasons with our youth squad are strikers Bakary Kone and Fernando Estrada and both will start and make their senior team debuts tonight! Kone has 33 goals in only 15 matches while Estrada is up to 41 goals in 26 matches. Just incredible. I want to see what they can do today. Two other U18 players will make their senior debuts today as well: 16 year old Michel Benard will play at MC while 18 year old, 6’ 4” defender Francisco Lopez will also make his debut at DC. Very exciting. Getting his second career start at ML is Jonahtan Langlet. I do have some veterans on the bench to help out if need be but I’m sure we’ll be fine at home with a four goal lead.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, F. Lopez, A. Torres, R. Lopez
M - J. Langlet, M. Benard, P. Secchi, S. De la Vega
S - B. Kone, F. Estrada
Bench - R. Kramer, E. Remirez, D. Hope, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, G. Bolis, A. Broomes

A couple of former Dover players suit up for Hull today. Ross McLaughlin is at DR and Cameron Murray is at left midfield. Jeffrey is up front with Martin Galik and Nicklas Johansson is in goal. With so many young players, I just wish the team luck and have a few personal chats as opposed to demanding victory.

HALFTIME - Well, it was perhaps a bit ambitious to start so many young kids today, as they are overwhelmed right now. Hull is in the relegation zone but they are still a Premier League team and they are taking it to us. Still, it’s scoreless so we’re fine but I’ll likely start introducing some influence in the second half to see us through. Hull held 54% of possession and outshot us 12-7 (2-2 on target).

61’ - We bring in Andy Broomes for Bakary Kone in hopes of grabbing a goal.

73’ - Paolo Secchi is taken out and in comes Neil Cairney.

76’ - We get a ball into the area and Fernando Estrada scores but he is ruled offsides. No goal!

80’ - Hull take advantage of a giveaway and start on a break but young Francisco Lopez takes the man down from behind. That’s a straight RED CARD! We’re down to ten men. I take out Fernando Estrada, bring in reserves DC Danny Hope, who makes HIS senior team debut and move to a 4-4-1. DOVER RED CARD: Francisco Lopez

86’ - We have a corner and it’s young Michel Benard crossing into the area to the just introduced Danny Hope and he sends a powerful header into the net. A goal on his debut!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (DOVER LEAD 5-0 ON AGGREGATE)

We hold them off the rest of the way.

Dover 1 (5) - (0) 0 Hull
Goals - Danny Hope (7.4)
Assists - Michel Benard (7.2)
Man of the Match - Adrian Torres (8.1)
Other Dover Notables - Rodolfo Lopez (7.3), Rafinha (7.2)
Attendance - 22,536

Hull ended up with 54% of overall possession while we edge them in shots 16-16 (6-5 on target). All of those kids just weren’t ready at the same time but we get a win. Nice to see Hope score on his debut - that may very well be his only game in a Dover uniform, as he’s a fifth choice player at best and even then, I’d likely look to our U18s before putting him in as a starting option.

-- Michel Benard gets in the Dover record books as the youngest player ever to suit up for our club at 16 years, 175 days old. Nice - and an assist on his debut!

-- Tottenham defeats Southampton in the other semifinal to set up a Spurs/Dover matchup at Wembley on March 1st.

Injury Update

-- Claudio Contreras returns to full training after missing about a month with a broken arm. Excellent news and none too soon!

-- A couple of days later, we get Mads Pedersen back as well, as he returns from five weeks on the shelf with a broken wrist.

Dover Reserves Update

-- Just one day after our League Cup win, we have a reserves match. Chiquinho has been struggling and I will be holding him out of our next senior team match as well, an FA Cup tie against Reading. So I decide to play him with the reserves to see if he can get a confidence boost and he goes and scores ALL SIX GOALS (in 55 minutes of playing time) in our 6-0 win over Watford. Zoltan Bardi had three assists and U18 midfielder Nathan Protheroe was also impressive, garnering two assists.

Next Up

-- We head on the road to Reading, as we face our Premier League rivals in fourth round FA Cup action.

NoSkillz · 03-01-2015, 06:49 PM

Sat. January 31, 2026

FA Cup - Fourth Round
Reading (15th in the Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in Premier League)
The Madejski Stadium, Reading, England

Betting Odds: Reading: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 12W 2D 3L

Reading are having a poor season in the league but are gaining some ground lately, going four games without a loss and have only lost two of their last nine. Hani Megahed leads the club, as usual, with 14 goals while fellow striker Cees Duarte has 10. Beyond that, there’s nothing much there. They do have former Dover defender Kostas Zagos and midfielder Simon Woodman on the roster as well.

This would normally be a “first-teamers” game but I’m making a few changes. Manuel Lugo will start up front alongside Paul Moses, as we give Chiquinho another night off. He was superb in our reserves match, scoring six goals (!!) but he’s struggled mightily lately and Lugo definitely deserves a chance the way he’s been playing lately. I’m also giving Chris Davies the start in goal.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, M. Lugo
Bench - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes

Reading are in a flat 4-4-2 with Duarte and Megahed up front. Zagos is at DR and Jan Obermajer is in goal. No fooling around, I expect a win today.

26’ - We are playing well in the early goings and generating lots of chances but Reading strike first, as Megahed takes a pass with his back to the goal, turns and fires from the top of the area and it’s a missile past Davies and in. Ugh. READING GOAL 0-1

HALFTIME - Boy, we just continue to struggle. Reading hold 52% of possession while we outshoot them 15-3 (2-2 on target). We just aren’t hitting the net. Moses looks terrible so far. I read the riot act in the room - I’m tired of this.

68’ - My god we can’t do anything! I pull off Manuel Lugo and Arsene Bamba and bring in Andy Broomes and Rafinha.

80’ - We move to an overload mentality.

This is incredible. We are OUT of the competition and this is a legitimate slump.

Reading 1 - 0 Dover
Goals -
Assists -
Man of the Match - Jan Obermajer (Reading GK - 9.1)
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.4), Mwemere Mutesa (7.2)
Attendance - 19,362

Repulsive! We are out and will not defend our FA Cup title. Reading held 51% of the ball while we outshoot them 23-5 (6-3 on target). Their keeper was man of the match and it was a much deserved honour. We are not scoring goals anymore and we need a major shakeup here - I say as much in the post game press conference and player morale takes a major hit, as expected.

Dover U18 Update

-- Fernando Estrada bags four goals and we get singles from fellow strikers Bakary Kone and Marcus Sowter in a 6-0 win over Brentford in U18 action. Kone also added two assists in the win.

February Update

-- We have four Premier League games coming up this month, with matches against Hull (away), Reading (home), Sheffield United (home) and Newcastle (away). We also begin Champions League knockout round with a final 16 match against Sampdoria in Italy. So only five matches this month - very quiet now that we’re out of the FA Cup. GRRRRR.

-- We get positive reports in training for Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and U18’ers Domenico Fracassetti, Jordan Tandy and Giuseppe Forti. A negative report comes in for Mads Pedersen but I’ll go easy on him, since he was injured all month.

January Awards

-- Man United striker Yaya Sanogo scored five goals in four games to win player of the month honours.

-- One of the fine stories of this year for us has been the play of 21 year old central defender Mwemere Mutesa and he is names as young player of the month in the Premier League. Fellow DC Adrian Torres finished second after playing a starting role most of the month.

-- Jurgen Klinsmann wins Manager of the Month honours and I finish in second despite our recent struggles.

Transfer News

-- And here it is - for the first time, someone comes after Paul Moses and it’s bloody Jose Mourinho and Manchester City, offering £20,000,000 including incentives. I can’t reject it fast enough, of course.

-- The window closes a couple days later with no further offers.

Board Confidence Update

-- The board are delighted with the leadership qualities I’m demonstrating. Our 6-0 win over Everton is the highlight while our disappointing exit in the FA Cup is the main negative.

-- We lost £736,000 last month.

Champions League Registration

-- We have registration for the knockout stages of the Champions League and I add Arsene Bamba to the roster while taking out veteran striker Zoltan Bardi.

Next Up

-- We are back in action in the Premier League with a road matchup against Hull City.

NoSkillz · 03-01-2015, 08:00 PM

Tue. February 3, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Hull (4-6-13, 18 points, 18th) vs. Dover (21-1-1, 64 points, 1st)
The Circle, Hull, UK

Betting Odds: Hull: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Dover: 1-2 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 3W 0D 0L

This marks the third game in our last seven that we are facing Hull, as we just ousted them in a two-leg League Cup semifinal. They are in the relegation zone and will need to go on a great run of form to stay in the league. Gary Jeffrey continues to be their most dangerous striker.

Time for a shakeup! Chiquinho is back in and I’ll give Paul Moses one more game to shake his slump. Lots of changes in midfield, as Mads Pedersen returns from injury and we also give starts to Neil Cairney and red hot Sergio De la Vega. Taking seats today are Jose, Arsene Bamba and Gianluca Bolis. On defence, Rafinha is in for Renato Gaucho and Rayane Hamon is benched for Mwemere Mutesa, who has simply played too well to take out. Claudio Contreras returns to the starting lineup after his month-long injury and Ingo Wilke is back in goal, as we make seven changes in our starting eleven.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, P. Secchi, A. Bamba, A. Broomes

Hull are in a flat 4-4-2 and have Jeffrey up front with Martin Galik. Three former Dover players make their starting lineup: Ross McLaughlin at DR, Cameron Murray at ML and Bernard Dunn at MC. Lets put a good performance together for the travelling support today!

5’ - We are all over them to start and Mads Pedersen sends a ball up to midfield to Moses. The great thing about this guy is that he always seems to rise up when challenged and he shows his immense skill and speed by bursting down the field, cutting back against the grain and rocketing a shot past Nicklas Johansson for the early lead. Awesome. DOVER GOAL 1-0

26’ - Hull take over the play for 15 minutes but we strike again. Neil Cairney sends a pass to Chiquinho and on an innocent looking play, tries a left footed prayer from 25 yards. Johansson is WAY too far out of the net and the weak shot arcs over his head and IN. Chiquinho finally has his slump buster. DOVER GOAL 2-0

39’ - We score one of the craziest goals I’ve ever seen, as a Sergio De la Vega cross is intercepted by a Hull defender. From close to the goal line, he attempts a clear but it hits a charging Moses, hits the crossbar then goes off Johansson and IN. An own goal but we’ll take it. DOVER GOAL 3-0

44’ - Hull have a corner kick and the ball is long through the box and Cairney latches onto it. He dribbles the entire length of the pitch and sends in a high cross that is headed by Moses and it’s IN!!! A rare header goal from Moses, his second of the game and 100th league goal of his career! Cairney and Moses are having stormers as we lead big! DOVER GOAL 4-0

HALFTIME - The game likely isn’t as one-sided as the scoreline indicates, as possession is only in our favour by 52% to 48% but we do outshoot them 12-2 (6-1 on target). I’m very pleased!

52’ - There’s a wild sequence that sees a very agitated Hull squad start pushing us around, first with Cairney getting knocked down then on the same play, Chiquinho is pushed to the ground and finally, Paul Moses is shoved down when he would have had a breakaway. The referee doesn’t hesitate, giving a STRAIGHT RED CARD to DC Dragos Mazilu and Hull are down to ten men. HULL RED CARD: Dragos Mazilu

64’ - I take out Salim Loucif, who has a yellow card and bring in Rodolfo Lopez.

80’ - I pull off Benedikt Raab and bring in Paolo Secchi.

90’+2 - Secchi takes a pass and sends a curling rocket at goal that is pushed aside by Johansson. The rebound pops right to Mads Pedersen and he sends it into the open net. DOVER GOAL 5-0

Superb game.

Hull 0 - 5 Dover
Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.3), Chiquinho (8.3), Nicklas Johansson OG, Mads Pedersen (9.2)
Assists - Neil Cairney 2 (8.8), Mads Pedersen, Paolo Secchi (6.9)
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.2), Salim Loucif (7.4), Mwemere Mutesa (8.1), Claudio Contreras (8.0), Rafinha (8.0), Sergio De la Vega (7.5), Benedikt Raab (7.4)
Attendance - 25,404

Hull did well considering they were down a man for the last 30 minutes and we only edged them in possession (51%) but outshot them 29-6 (12-1). Moses and Cairney especially were great today.

-- In other Premier League action, Villa and Sunderland tie 1-1, City knock off Tottenham 1-0, Chelsea stay hot with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield and Man United knock off Liverpool 3-2.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 24 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 67 points
2. Manchester United - 59 points
3. Manchester City - 52 points
4. Liverpool - 48 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 23 games)
6. Chelsea - 40 points
7. Aston Villa - 34 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- Fernando Estrada scores on a penalty and Jonathan Langlet also scores in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the U18 Cup semi-final.

Injury Update

-- Oh crap. Andy Broomes comes up lame in training and we find out that he damaged his achilles tendon. He will miss 2-3 MONTHS. UGH! He’s our top backup and has 15 goals in only 10 starts this year (21 total matches). We still have Manuel Lugo and Zoltan Bardi as depth and are in fine shape but Broomes is a tough loss.

Next Up

-- We head home, looking for revenge against the club that ousted us in the FA Cup, Reading.

NoSkillz · 03-01-2015, 09:39 PM

Sat. February 7, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (22-1-1, 67 points, 1st) vs. Reading (8-3-13, 27 points, 14th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 4-6 (Favourites) Draw: 9-4 Reading: 7-2
Past Meetings: 12W 2D 4L

Reading just knocked us out of the FA Cup in embarrassing fashion last week and this match gives us a shot at a bit of revenge. Their under-fire manager comes out in the press and talks about stopping Paul Moses, usually a death blow to that player’s chances of playing well but I’m going to stick with our starter. The main man to watch for Reading continues to be the dangerous Hani Megahed and their keeper, Jan Obermajer, was sensational against us last week.

We go with the EXACT same starting eleven as our midweek win over Hull. Why change a good thing? We do introduce Rayane Hamon and Jose back to our bench after they were in the stands last game and Manuel Lugo is on the bench for the injured Andy Broomes.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, A. Bamba, M. Lugo

Reading once again have their flat 4-4-2 with Megahed and Cees Duarte up front and Obermajer in goal. Lets put these guys away and put a good show on for the fans.

7’ - We are determined to play better against Reading and start off very well, controlling play from the outset. We earn a corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is to the near post and Chiquinho, who sends a RARE HEADER into the net! Great start! DOVER GOAL 1-0

28’ - We have another corner and Raab’s cross this time is to the far post and Claudio Contreras. Our big defender heads it back to the near side and it’s headed again by Mwemere Mutesa over to Paul Moses, who simply taps it past Obermajer for our second goal. Neat play! DOVER GOAL 2-0

40’ - An awkward sequence sees former Dover defender Kostas Zagos cross into the area. Mutesa looks to clear but it hits Megahed and ends up at his feet, allowing him to pound a close range shot off the hands of Ingo Wilke and into the net. READING GOAL 2-1

43’ - Reading are turning it on without fear and they score again but Duarte is ruled offsides. NO GOAL!

HALFTIME - We’re playing well but the scoreline is a nervous one, especially seeing that both of our goals came on set pieces. We hold 56% of possession and a 16-4 (6-1 on target) shot advantage. Solid but we need one more goal to put this one away. It’s a good game and both teams have three yellows already.

58’ - And we strike yet again on a corner, as Raab’s cross is to Contreras and he sends his trademark power header past Obermajer and IN! We have a cushion! DOVER GOAL 3-1

66’ - Moses has a yellow so I bring him out and in comes Manuel Lugo.

74’ - The excellent Raab comes off and in comes Jose.

Another fine performance.

Dover 3 - 1 Reading
Goals - Chiquinho (7.6), Paul Moses (7.5), Claudio Contreras (8.9)
Assists - Benedikt Raab 2 (8.2), Claudio Contreras
Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.0), Mwemere Mutesa (7.5), Rafinha (7.2), Neil Cairney (7.6)
Attendance - 23,000

We deserved to win by more than two goals here, as we held 57% of possession and a huge 35-4 (10-1 on target) shot advantage. Their keeper was solid once again but a very professional performance by our lads in this one.

-- In other Premier League action, City squash Everton 3-0, Liverpool beat Newcastle 2-0, Wolves hold Chelsea to a scoreless draw, Sunderland stun Spurs 3-2 and in the shock of the year, 16th placed Middlesbrough defeat second place Manchester United 2-1 to give us a bit more breathing space!

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 25 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 70 points
2. Manchester United - 59 points
3. Manchester City - 55 points
4. Liverpool - 51 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 24 games)
6. Chelsea - 41 points
7. Aston Villa - 34 points
----------------------------------------------------
8. Sheffield Wednesday - 34 points
9. Huddersfield - 34 points
10. Sunderland - 33 points
11. Arsenal - 31 points (after 24 games)
12. Birmingham - 30 points
13. Newcastle - 29 points
14. Wolves - 28 points
15. Reading - 27 points
16. Middlesbrough - 27 points
17. Everton - 25 points
----------------------------------------------------
18. Hull - 18 points
19. Southampton - 14 points
20. Sheffield United - 12 points

Dover U18 Update

-- The kids continue to dominate, as we get two goals from Fernando Estrada, Bakary Kone and Nathan Protheroe in a 7-0 destruction of Woking. Midfielder Jonathan Langlet had an ABSURD five assists!!! WOW!

Team of the Week

-- Claudio Contreras and Neil Cairney are named to the Barclays Premier League team of the week.

Dover Reserves Update

-- We play a pretty strong lineup and get two goals from Arsene Bamba in a 2-0 win over Chelsea’s reserves.

Next Up

-- We’re back at home to face league bottom feeders Sheffield United.

NoSkillz · 03-01-2015, 10:36 PM

Sat. February 14, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (23-1-1, 70 points, 1st) vs. Sheffield United (3-3-19, 12 points, 20th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Sheffield United: 10-1
Past Meetings: 6W 2D 2L

Sheffield United are destined for the drop, sitting a full 13 points from safety with only 13 games remaining. Their leading scorer is striker Angel Egana, with SIX goals and then they have four players with 2 goals. That’s just pathetic. This is a bad team and we should throttle them at home but we did only beat them 2-0 earlier in the year.

Their manager smartly talks about Chiquinho being a key man and he’s NEVER played well when called out in the press so he’s on the bench today. Manuel Lugo will start up front with Paul Moses. We make one other change to our starting eleven, bringing in Arsene Bamba for Mads Pedersen. We have a big Champions League game in Italy in midweek and we’ll be conscious of that today if we get out to a big lead.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega
S - P. Moses, M. Lugo
Bench - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Lopez, P. Secchi, Jose, M. Pedersen, Chiquinho

Defensive 4-2-2-2 formation from United, with two DMCs. Egana is up front with Ton Wetzel and Adrian Smith is their keeper. Lets play well for the home fans today.

5’ - Off a throw in, it’s two additions to the lineup that prove their worth, as Manuel Lugo crosses into the area and there is Arsene Bamba heading it past Smith and IN! Excellent start men! DOVER GOAL 1-0

19’ - We strike again and it’s Lugo the architect for a second time, as he sends a delightful ball up field to Paul Moses and he makes no mistake, putting it past Smith and in! DOVER GOAL 2-0

HALFTIME - We’re once again playing well, as we seem to be over our mini slump from a couple weeks ago. I’d like to be ahead by more but we’re in complete control, with 57% of the ball and a 19-4 (6-1 on target) shot advantage.

55’ - Off a throw in, we get the ball to Neil Cairney in the middle then he feeds Moses. From just outside the area, he turns and fires a low shot that is perfectly placed in the corner of the goal. That’s two for Moses today and 30 on the year! DOVER GOAL 3-0

74’ - We steal the ball at midfield and once again, it’s Cairney getting it up to Moses. That man makes a brilliant move to shake the defender, dribbles in on goal and left foots it past Smith and IN! HAT TRICK FOR MOSES!! DOVER GOAL 4-0

We bring in Rodolfo Lopez and take out a complacent Sergio De la Vega.

Solid.

Dover 4 - 0 Sheffield United
Goals - Paul Moses 3 (9.6), Arsene Bamba (8.1)
Assists - Neil Cairney 2 (9.0), Manuel Lugo 2 (8.9)
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.7), Mwemere Mutesa (7.6), Claudio Contreras (7.6), Rafinha (7.4), Sergio De la Vega (7.0), Benedikt Raab (7.4)
Attendance - 22,131

I’m just delighted with the way Neil Cairney is starting to play, as he’s earned a prolonged stretch in the first team with his fine recent performances, relegating Jose to the bench. Awesome game from Moses and Lugo up front and even defenders like Rafinha and Mwemere Mutesa are earning their spot in our main starting eleven over incumbents Renato Gaucho and Rayane Hamon. It’s an interesting time and with a Champions League match coming up this week, it will be interesting to see who I decide to start in that game. Here, we held 54% of possession and held a 30-7 (9-1 on target) shot advantage.

-- In other action, Liverpool upend Middlesbrough 2-0, Everton hold Spurs to a 2-2 draw, Man United defeat Arsenal 3-0, Sheffield Wednesday shock Chelsea 2-1 and Man City beat Villa 2-0. Arsenal fire their manager after the loss, as they continue their free fall this season.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 26 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 73 points
2. Manchester United - 62 points
3. Manchester City - 58 points
4. Liverpool - 54 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 45 points (after 25 games)
6. Chelsea - 41 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 37 points
----------------------------------------------------

Transfer Clause Money IN

-- We built in a clause that would see Evian TG FC in France pay us £500,000 if Lyubomir Kunchev played in 20 league games and Kunchev just passed that milestone. We end up having to give the team we bought Kunchev from, AS Saint-Etienne 30% of that due to a clause THEY had in our deal but that’s a nice haul for us either way. Kunchev, incidentally, is playing quite well in France, with 5 goals and 12 assists in 29 matches - good for him!

Team of the Week

-- Three of our players get named to the team of the week: Paul Moses, Manuel Lugo and Neil Cairney get the honour.

Champions League Update

-- There are some juicy match ups in the round of 16 and a shocker sees Chelsea beat Barcelona 2-0 to take a commanding lead in the second leg, which will be in Spain. Man City knock off Galatasaray 1-0 away to take command heading home.

Next Up

-- We’re off to Italy and are rare underdogs, as we face Sampdoria in the first knockout stage of the Champions League.

NoSkillz · 03-06-2015, 07:02 PM

Wed. February 18, 2026

UEFA Champions League - First Knockout Round First Leg
Sampdoria (2nd in Italian Serie A) vs. Dover (1st in Barclays Premier League)
Cassano Arena, Genova, Italy

Betting Odds: Sampdoria: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 11-5
Past Meetings: 0W 1D 0L

In all these years, we’ve only faced Sampdoria once and that was a preseason friendly a few years back. These guys are the SEVEN TIME defending Italian champions, having won their league each year since 2019 but are six points back of Juventus on this year’s Serie A table. They’ve won the Champions League once (1992) and are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They will be a tough test for us and as such, they are favoured today in the biggest spread against us all year. Like us, they get balanced scoring and have four players with double digit goal totals, highlighted by striker Francesco Salvadori with 22 goals. He’s injured and likely won’t play tonight but they have fellow striker Yahia Traore (14 goals) and I’m guessing Thiago (11 goals) will also be up front today.

A few changes for this key matchup, as Chiquinho is back in alongside Moses and Gianluca Bolis is in for De la Vega. Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and Neil Cairney will get to keep their starting slots after their fine recent play. As underdogs, we will play a counter attacking mentality for one of the few times this year and I feel that will work well on a narrow pitch here at Cassano Arena.

Dover: 4-4-2 Counter
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, M. Lugo

Sampdoria are in a flat 4-4-2 with Thiago and Traore up front, as expected. Their keeper is Marcel Patzler. I tell the team this is a winnable game.

8’ - Sampdoria has a free kick and they send the ball into our area. It’s right to Darko Gusic, their fine DC and he heads the ball past Wilke and in. SAMPDORIA GOAL 0-1

44’ - We are playing just fine and have been threatening all half and finally break through. Chiquinho heads a ball up to Moses and our star dribbles through three defenders, cuts in on goal and places an accurate shot past Patzler into the far corner of the goal! DOVER GOAL 1-1

HALFTIME - We’re doing great with possession, holding a whopping 62% of the ball and outshoot them 13-11 (3-4 on target). I’d like more chances but I’m content at 1-1 and will stick with the same tactics for now.

67’ - Sampdoria are definitely the more dangerous team in the first twenty minutes of this half but we work a counter attack and send the ball up to Moses. He turns on the jets and once again cuts through the defence, dribbles into the box and sends a low hard shot past Patzler and IN. HOLY CRAP! Sensational!!! DOVER GOAL 2-1

76’ - We take out Arsene Bamba and bring in Mads Pedersen.

80’ - I bring in Manuel Lugo and take out Chiquinho, as he has a yellow card.

90’+1 - We stall a bit and bring in Rodolfo Lopez to take the place of Gianluca Bolis.

Fantastic win.

Sampdoria 1 - 2 Dover
Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.1)
Assists - Chiquinho (7.5), Benedikt Raab (6.9)
Man of the Match - Paul Moses
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.3), Salim Loucif (7.0), Neil Cairney (7.0)
Attendance - 48,254

Sampdoria pressed hard that half and had much of the possession but we end up with 54% of the ball while they outshoot us 24-23 (6-5 on target). Moses continues his sensational run and we’re in great shape to move on as we head home for the second leg.

Dover U18 Update

-- The U18s defeat Aldershot 7-1 and we get four goals from Bakary Kone and three goals from Fernando Estrada. Ho hum! Fullback Eneko Remirez nabs two assists in the win.

Premier League Update

-- There are two Tuesday games this week and both end up as draws, as Chelsea and Sunderland tie 1-1 while Southampton and Man City battle to a scoreless draw.

Next Up

-- We stay on the road and head to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle in Premier League play.

NoSkillz · 03-06-2015, 08:23 PM

Wed. February 25, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Newcastle (8-5-13, 29 points, 14th) vs. Dover (24-1-1, 73 points, 1st)
St. James’ Park, Newcastle, UK

Betting Odds: Newcastle: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 10W 2D 3L

Newcastle have played us tough the last few years and we needed a replay to get past them in the FA Cup earlier this year. They are getting no goal scoring whatsoever and it’s striker Daniel Iturrieta leading the club with a paltry five goals. Stanislas Vigneau has 3. They’ve lost four of five games and are in a dour mood here!

With a weekend League Cup final coming up, I’m changing the lineup a bit today and resting some key players. We’ll go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and Chiquinho will be alone up front. Zoltan Bardi slots in behind. Other new additions to the lineup include Mads Pedersen, Jose, Sergio De la Vega, Renato Gaucho, Rayane Hamon, Rodolfo Lopez and Chris Davies.

Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - N. Cairney, Jose
AM - M. Pedersen, Z. Bardi, S. De la Vega
S - Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, P. Secchi, B. Raab, A. Bamba, G. Bolis, M. Lugo

Newcastle come out in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Vigneau alone up front and Vincenzo Scala sitting directly in behind. The always solid Jak Alnwick is in goal. Lets play well for the travelling support.

32’ - We are lethargic and generating very little when Newcastle hit us on the break. They have numbers and it’s the dangerous Vigneau cutting in from the left and sending a hard shot from a poor angle that deflects off Davies and goes into the goal. NEWCASTLE GOAL 0-1

HALFTIME - Oh baby. I’m once again taking these guys too lightly. I didn’t even DRESS Paul Moses today so he won’t be our saviour today. Newcastle are dominating on the ball, holding 56% of possession while we outshoot them 14-8 (7-2 on target). Once again, Jak Alnwick is superb in goal for Newcastle. We move to a flat 4-4-2 and I bring in Manuel Lugo to take the place of Zoltan Bardi, who once again is ineffective.

57’ - There is a loose ball near midfield and Lugo beats the Newcastle defender to it and heads down the field on a partial breakaway. He’s able to gain enough space to round the keeper and he has the open net to shoot at. He makes no mistake and we pull level! DOVER GOAL 1-1

73’ - Jose comes off and I bring in Benedikt Raab.

82’ - We need a goal and we take out a tired Sergio De la Vega and bring in Gianluca Bolis.

90’ - They are down to ten men due to injury so I move to a 4-2-4.

Well, that sucks.

Newcastle 1 - 1 Dover
Goals - Manuel Lugo (8.2)
Assists - Rayane Hamon (6.9)
Man of the Match - Manuel Lugo
Other Dover Notables - Claudio Contreras (7.1), Renato Gaucho (7.0)
Attendance - 42,885

Newcastle end up with 53% of possession but we outshoot them 20-13 (11-3 on target). Very uninspired performance from everyone. We needed Moses and my decision to rest him likely cost us a couple points in the standings.

-- In other action, Sheffield Wednesday can only garner a 2-2 draw versus Reading.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 27 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 74 points
2. Manchester United - 62 points (after 26 games)
3. Manchester City - 59 points
4. Liverpool - 54 points (after 26 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 45 points (after 25 games)
6. Chelsea - 42 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 38 points
----------------------------------------------------

International Update

-- We have 29 (!!) players called up for international duty. Renato Gaucho gets the call from Spain as he continues to look for his first ever senior cap and getting his first ever call up from Brazil is Rafinha!

Premier League Update

-- With a Sunday League Cup final on our hands, we watch on Saturday as City defeat Chelsea 1-0 and Sheffield Wednesday knock off Hull 2-1.

Dover U18 Update

-- Our U18s are FILTHY. We DESTROY Kingstonian 12-0!!! Fernando Estrada scores SEVEN GOALS, Bakary Kone scores FOUR GOALS and Michel Benard notches a single. Juan Jose Culebras grabs two assists in the win.

March Update

-- We have a relatively busy March, with four Premier League games: Liverpool (away), Birmingham (away), Manchester United (home) and Middlesbrough (away). We have the League Cup final against Tottenham coming up later today at Wembley and also have the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round at home against Sampdoria. If we move on as expected, we could have one more Champions League game at the end of the month. So that’s seven possible matches.

-- Mwemere Mutessa and Adrian Torres continue to train well, as do U18 youngsters Michel Benard, Jonathan Langlet and Bakary Kone. However, we get negative reports for Rafinha, Gianluca Bolis and Benedikt Raab. Not good! I talk to all three players.

Premier League Monthly Awards

-- Reading striker Hani Megahed wins player of the month while Neil Cairney and Claudio Contreras come in second and third place respectively.

-- Sheffield United striker Ton Wetzel wins young player of the month.

-- One of Paul Moses’ goals against Hull is named third best of the month.

-- Jose Mourinho wins manager of the month while I come in second.

Next Up

-- We head to Wembley to face Tottenham in the League Cup finals, as we look to lift this trophy for the third time in four seasons.

NoSkillz · 03-06-2015, 10:23 PM

Sun. March 1, 2026

League Cup - Final
Tottenham (5th in the Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in the Premier League)
Wembley, London, UK

Betting Odds: Tottenham: 11-5 Draw: N/A Dover: Evens (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 12W 4D 2L

Tottenham continue battle for Champions League play next year and have two great strikers up front in Jean Junior (23 goals) and Peter Jansen (19 goals). They are really struggling at the moment and haven’t won in six matches. They just got eliminated in the Europa League first knockout round by Hoffenheim.

We make a number of changes from the Newcastle disappointment, bringing Paul Moses and Manuel Lugo in at striker, Arsene Bamba and Benedikt Raab at midfield, Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and Salim Loucif in at defence and Ingo Wilke is back in goal. Flat 4-4-2 today and back to a control mentality, as we look to control the game and show why we deserve to win this competition.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega
S - P. Moses, M. Lugo
Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, Chiquinho

Tottenham comes out in a very strange 4-2-1-2-1 formation with Jean Junior alone up front and two defensive central mids. Wild! I tell the team to bring home the title for our fans!

5’ - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Paul Moses gets hurt trying to make a tackle and needs to come out. DISASTER. Chiquinho takes his place. DOVER INJURY: Paul Moses

25’ - These guys are killing us. Now it’s Sergio De la Vega with the dreaded cross of doom. He can continue for now but we’re getting banged up here!

37’ - OH MY GOD!!!!!! Now it’s Manuel Lugo going down and HE CAN’T CONTINUE EITHER! We are FUCKED!!! Three players with the cross of doom and I’m at a loss. We’ll need to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation and I bring in Jose at MC and move Benedikt Raab up to AMC. DOVER INJURY: Manuel Lugo

44’ - We win a corner and it’s Raab crossing to the far post and it’s Claudio Contreras sending a violent header through a maze of players and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 1-0

HALFTIME - I feel empty inside even with a lead. Lugo and Moses are hurt and we can only pray they are only out for a short period of time. Spurs are dominating possession to the tune of 59% but we outshoot them 9-5 (4-1 on target). Lets hold on.

71’ - We have a corner but Spurs clear it out of the area. Jose sends a pass back into Mwemere Mutesa, who lays one off to Raab. From a poor angle, he takes the shot and Spurs keeper Zivko Kraljevic doesn’t even move as it goes past him and in! We have a cushion!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

Tottenham move into a 4-4-2 diamond formation.

We hold them off the rest of the way.

Tottenham 0 - 2 Dover
Goals - Claudio Contreras (8.7), Benedikt Raab (8.3)
Assists - Benedikt Raab, Mwemere Mutesa (8.2)
Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.3)
Attendance - 90,000

Spurs held 53% of overall possession but we outshot them 19-13 (6-3 on target).

DOVER WIN THE 2026 LEAGUE CUP!!!

-- That’s our third League Cup win in four years and we earn £103,000. The board aren’t overly impressed, saying they expected us to win the competition the whole time and now want to ensure our concentration is fully on League and Champions League play.

-- And now, the injuries. Oh my. Manuel Lugo broke his leg and will miss FIVE TO SIX MONTHS. Oh my fucking goodness. He is done for the year and he was just coming into his own. DOVER INJURY: Manuel Lugo - Broken Leg (5-6 months)

-- OH MY GOODNESS. Paul Moses has a hip injury and will miss TWO MONTHS. I am actually sick to my stomach right now. We are now down three strikers (Andy Broomes, Lugo and Moses) and Moses is likely done for the season as well. JUST SHOOT ME! DOVER INJURY: Paul Moses (Hip - 2 months)

-- Sure, keep piling on. Sergio De la Vega also got hurt and will miss 2-3 weeks with a groin strain. We win the League Cup but at what cost?!??? DOVER INJURY: Sergio De la Vega (groin strain: 2-3 weeks).

Board Confidence Update

-- The board are delighted as usual due to our stature increase. The FA Cup defeat is the negative.

-- We lost £2.25 million last month.

Injury Update

-- DEEP BREATH! Okay, we’re down three of our top four strikers and our main roster now has only Chiquinho and Zoltan Bardi up front. We decide to call up Fernando Estrada from the U18s. He has 58 goals (!!!) down there, is 18 years old but has a man’s body at 6’2” and 191 pounds. He’ll be on the bench to start but we’ll get him some playing time for sure. Bakary Kone could also see a call up at some point. Lugo is for sure done until next July or August, Broomes is out 6-8 weeks and Moses is out for two months and will be fortunate to get back before our season is over. Needless to say, we’re in a bit of a bind now.

Team of the Week

-- Manuel Lugo was named to the Premier League team of the week.

Reserves Update

-- With half our roster either away on international duty or injured, we field a weak squad against Arsenal’s reserves yet still win 4-0. Young midfielder Nathan Protheroe scores a goal and adds two assists to lead the way. Also scoring are Bakary Kone, Luis Miguel Garcia and Paolo Secchi.

-- And that win locks up our seventh straight Reserves league title.

International Update

-- I’m delighted to see that Renato Gaucho came on as a substitute in Spain’s 4-2 win over Paraguay, giving him his first ever senior team cap! Renato Gaucho is from Brazil and just earned Spanish citizenship so this is a huge honour.

-- Also gaining his first senior cap is fullback Rafinha!!! This was his first ever call-up from his native Brazil so talk about quick! Congratulations to Rafinha and Renato Gaucho!!!

-- Also gaining senior team caps were Neil Cairney (Scotland), Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast), Zoltan Bardi (Hungary), Rodolfo Lopez and Claudio Contreras (Argentina), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Gianluca Bolis (Italy), Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda), Chris Davies and Emmerson Harvey (England), Jose (Brazil), Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and Chiquinho (Belgium).

-- Gaining youth caps are Jonathan Langlet (France U21), Adrian Torres (Spain U21), Juan Jose Culebras (Spain U20) and Cheikh Gueye (Senegal U20). Gueye recently got the call from Senegal despite being born in France so he’s now tied to Senegal at the youth level.

Next Up

-- I QUIT!! Ok, kidding. Liverpool away as we try to get back on the winning track in league play despite being rare underdogs.

NoSkillz · 03-06-2015, 11:39 PM

Sat. March 7, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Liverpool (17-6-4, 57 points, 4th) vs. Dover (24-2-1, 74 points, 1st)
Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, UK

Betting Odds: Liverpool: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4
Past Meetings: 9W 4D 10L

We throttled these guys 5-1 early in the season so they’ll be looking for revenge. They just got knocked out of the Europa League by Ajax but are on a sensational run of form in the league, with only one loss in their last 13 games. Strikers James Efmorfidis (18 goals) and Oliver Hammeri (15 goals) are very dangerous. They usually play with one striker up front so I’m guessing Hammeri will start.

Well, injuries will test our mettle as we look to put away a league title and continue forward in the Champions League. Striker depth is now zilch, as Andy Broomes, Manuel Lugo and now Paul Moses are all out for extended periods. We’ll need to rely on Chiquinho and Zoltan Bardi for goals. Emmerson Harvey gets a rare start, as we have some tired midfielders due to international travel. Gianluca Bolis is in for the injured Sergio De la Vega. Counter attacking mentality as rare underdogs today. Fernando Estrada, our U18 sensation, is on the bench today.

Dover: 4-4-2 Counter
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, E. Harvey, B. Raab, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi
Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, N. Cairney, Jose, M. Pedersen, F. Estrada

Tight 4-2-3-1 with three attacking mids today for Liverpool. Hammeri is alone up front and Chris Dunn is their keeper. I tell the team they can win this game.

8’ - We have no confidence right now with these injuries and Liverpool hit us right away, as great passing leads to a bullet from inside the area from Adam Hill and they are ahead. LIVERPOOL GOAL 0-1

42’ - We play a give and go between Chiquinho and Benedikt Raab and it’s Chiquinho who gets sent in on a breakaway. He’s in on goal and shoots low underneath Dunn and we pull level! DOVER GOAL 1-1

HALFTIME - There’s not much different to this lineup other than Harvey and Bardi but both of those guys are playing poorly today and we’re fortunate to be tied. Liverpool held 51% of possession and outshot us 14-11 (4-5 on target). I tell Bardi I have faith in him but I’m secretly wondering what is going on, as he’s been terrible for about a couple months now. We need his usual consistency and we’re not getting it yet. I reinforce that we can win this game.

65’ - We have a corner that is cleared away but the ball comes back to Raab down the left flank. He attempts a low cross but a Liverpool defender intercepts it. He tries to clear and it HITS CHIQUINHO AND DEFLECTS INTO THE NET!! Now that’s nuts! Two for Chiquinho and we lead!! DOVER GOAL 2-1

Flat 4-4-2 for Liverpool now that they are behind.

72’ - Time for changes, as we bring in Jose and take out Emmerson Harvey.

79’ - We earn another corner and Raab’s cross to the near post is headed weakly by Mwemere Mutesa but it gets past Dunn and we have a two goal lead!! DOVER GOAL 3-1

4-2-4 now for Liverpool.

82’ - Arsene Bamba comes off and in comes Mads Pedersen.

That’s a quality victory!

Liverpool 1 - 3 Dover
Goals - Chiquinho 2 (8.9), Mwemere Mutesa (7.9)
Assists - Benedikt Raab 2 (8.2)
Man of the Match - Chiquinho
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (8.2), Salim Loucif (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.1), Rafinha (7.3), Arsene Bamba (7.0)
Attendance - 59,399

Liverpool ended up with 51% of possession and outshot us 27-25 (10-11 on target). Wilke was superb and Chiquinho came through when we needed him to. Solid!

-- In other Premier League play, Chelsea beat Everton 2-1, Sheffield Wednesday knock off Sheffield United 1-0, Man United win 2-0 over Wolves, Spurs beat Southampton 2-1 and Reading shock Man City 3-1.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 29 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 77 points (after 28 games)
2. Manchester United - 65 points (after 27 games)
3. Manchester City - 62 points
4. Liverpool - 57 points (after 28 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 48 points (after 26 games)
6. Chelsea - 45 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 44 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- We win 5-0 over Rochdale, with Bakary Kone scoring twice and Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Jonathan Langlet adding singles.

New Dover Record!

-- Veteran goalkeeper Ingo Wilke played his 308th career league match for Dover, finally breaking the record held by long-time centre half back Oliver Nicholas. Congratulations to Ingo!!

Team of the Week

-- Ingo Wilke, Mwemere Mutesa and Chiquinho are named to the Premier League team of the week.

Next Up

-- We hold a slim 2-1 lead as we reach the second leg of our Champions League first knockout round, hosting Sampdoria.

NoSkillz · 03-07-2015, 01:13 AM

Wed. March 11, 2026

UEFA Champions League - First Knockout Round Second Leg
Dover (2) vs. (1) Sampdoria
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Sampdoria: 13-8
Past Meetings: 1W 1D 0L

Sampdoria have top striker Francesco Salvadori back from injury today and his 24 goals mean he’s dangerous. I expect him to start alongside Yahia Traore as they look to rebound from their defeat to us a week or so ago.

We have a major dilemma due to our striker injuries. We only registered four strikers for this competition and left Zoltan Bardi off. With Andy Broomes, Paul Moses and Manuel Lugo all injured, that leaves only Chiquinho as an available senior player. Thankfully, I don’t have to register youth players so Fernando Estrada can suit up. That said, I’ll go with a one striker formation today and keep Estrada on the bench. The nightmare scenario is Chiquinho getting a yellow today, something that is very possible if only because of his penchant for diving. One more yellow and he’ll be suspended for a Champions League game and that would mean Estrada (or another U18 player) would have to start up front. Ugh!! Anyway, Benedikt Raab is at AMC today, Neil Cairney and Jose are in the midfield and nothing else changes. We’ll go with a control mentality as slight favourites.

Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - N. Cairney, Jose
AM - A. Bamba, B. Raab, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho
Bench - C. Davies, Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, M. Pedersen, F. Estrada

Flat 4-4-2 for Sampdoria and they do have Salvadori up front with Traore. Marcel Patzler is back in goal. I encourage the team to grab some more goals.

15’ - We have the ball in their end and Jose feeds Chiquinho. With his back to the goal, he turns and unleashes a howitzer and it’s past Patzler and IN! Great start! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (DOVER LEADS 3-1 ON AGGREGATE)

HALFTIME - We’re in control and held 60% of possession and an 11-10 (4-4 on target) shot advantage. Lets finish this off.

57’ - I don’t even have words. Our only healthy senior team striker is Chiquinho and he’s HURT AND NEEDS TO COME OFF. This is an unmitigated DISASTER. DOVER INJURY: Chiquinho

I’m forced to bring in 18 year old Fernando Estrada.

62’ - Seconds later, RAFINHA is hurt AND HAS THE CROSS OF DOOM ABOVE HIS HEAD. OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS BUGGED! In comes Renato Gaucho. DOVER INJURY: Rafinha

65’ - We take possession and Jose sends a through ball to Gianluca Bolis, who walks in and shoots high past Patzler and IN. FUCK YOU SAMPDORIA!!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 (DOVER LEAD 4-1 ON AGGREGATE)

74’ - It’s not quite over, as on a turnover, Yahia Traore is able to round Wilke and easily score. SAMPDORIA GOAL 2-1 (DOVER LEAD 4-2 ON AGGREGATE)

We are able to hold them off from there and move onto the final eight!

Dover 2 - 1 Sampdoria (DOVER WIN 4-2 ON AGGREGATE)
Goals - Chiquinho (7.2), Gianluca Bolis (7.5)
Assists - Jose 2 (7.6)
Man of the Match - Marcel Patzler (Sampdoria GK - 8.0)
Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.4), Claudio Contreras (7.2)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Possession ended dead even but we outshot them 21-16 (9-6 on target). I’m afraid to even look at the injuries…

-- We luck out. Chiquinho is banged up but ultimately has no significant injury while Rafinha has a thigh strain and will only miss a week or so. DOVER INJURY: Rafinha (thigh strain - 9-11 days)

-- We are awarded £2,609,000 for playing in the first knockout round. Cool!

Premier League Update

-- Birmingham STUN Manchester United 3-1 in Premier League play. We play Birmingham next and they are the Cinderella story of the season and are up to 10th place in the league!! This after just getting promoted from the Championship last year. What a story!!! On the weekend, the upsets continue, as Middlesbrough knocks off Tottenham 3-1 as well.

-- City beat Hull 4-0 and Chelsea knock off Tottenham a few days later 2-1, as Spurs start catching up to everyone else in games played. Also in mid-week action, Sheffield Wednesday beat Newcastle 1-0 and Liverpool upend Wolves 2-1.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 30 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 77 points (after 28 games)
2. Manchester United - 65 points (after 28 games)
3. Manchester City - 65 points
4. Liverpool - 60 points (after 29 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 48 points (after 28 games)
6. Chelsea - 48 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 47 points
----------------------------------------------------
8. Sunderland - 46 points
9. Birmingham - 42 points
10. Aston Villa - 41 points (after 29 games)
11. Huddersfield - 41 points (after 29 games)
12. Newcastle - 36 points
13. Wolves - 34 points
14. Arsenal - 34 points (after 27 games)
15. Reading - 31 points
16. Middlesbrough - 31 points
17. Everton - 30 points
----------------------------------------------------
18. Hull - 19 points
19. Southampton - 16 points
20. Sheffield United - 12 points

Dover U18 Update

-- Bakary Kone scores FIVE and we get singles from Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Andrew Hunter in an 8-0 whitewash of Southampton. Just in case you were wondering, the U18s are 19-1-0, with 120 goals for and FIVE GOALS AGAINST all season. HAR!

Injury Update

-- Sergio De la Vega returns to full training after missing a couple of weeks with a groin strain. Andy Broomes and Paul Moses are still out for over a month and Manuel Lugo is done for the season with his broken leg.

Champions League Second Knockout Round Draw

-- We’ve reached the final eight and joining us are Chelsea, who knocked off Barcelona 2-0 on aggregate, Atletico Madrid, who won 6-2 over HSV, Man United, who won 3-1 over Real Madrid and Sevilla, who STUNNED the defending champs Olympique Lyonnais 5-3. Also moving on are Manchester City, who beat Galatasaray 3-0, Dortmund, who beat Juventus 4-2 and OM, who knocked off Benfica 4-2. My ideal opponent would be Sevilla and that’s who we get!! They are fourth in Spain right now and likely the weakest team left in the competition. Other match ups see OM face Man United, Chelsea go up against Atletico Madrid and Dortmund battle Man City. Amazing that all four English clubs could end up advancing to the semis!

Next Up

-- We face red-hot Birmingham on the road in Premier League play.

NoSkillz · 03-09-2015, 09:43 PM

Sat. March 21, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Birmingham (12-6-12, 42 points, 9th) vs. Dover (25-2-1, 77 points, 1st)
St. Andrews, Birmingham, UK

Betting Odds: Birmingham: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 7W 0D 1L

Birmingham is unquestionably playing the role of Cinderella in this year’s Premier League and their fantastic play is one of the great stories of the season. They are coming off a 1st place season in the Championship last year and have ridden a great run of recent form to move all the way up into 9th place on the table, easily locking up their spot in the top flight for next season. They’ve won five of their last six Premier League matches, including away wins at Arsenal AND Manchester United!!! Superb! All this and they only added five players to their roster all season, spending only £2.4 million. Their leading scorers are strikers Sosthene Ntagungira (11 goals) and Jamie Booth (10 goals) and they are also getting contributions from former Dover youngster Arron Williams, a central midfielder.

We’ve had a nice ten day break since our Champions League win but have a major match coming up mid-week versus Manchester United. We’ll rest a number of players today, including Claudio Contreras and Benedikt Raab. Starting up front alongside Chiquinho is 18 year old Fernando Estrada, getting his second career start today. Adrian Torres is in at DC along with Rayane Hamon, Rodolfo Lopez starts at right fullback and Chris Davies is in goal. Renato Gaucho starts at left fullback for the injured Rafinha. Back to a flat 4-4-2 today.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - M. Mutesa, S. Loucif, E. Harvey, B. Raab, S. De la Vega, A. Bamba, Z. Bardi

Flat 4-4-2 for Birmingham and it’s Booth and Ntagungira up front. Edwin Leferink is their keeper.

HALFTIME - We are playing TERRIBLE football, generating no chances and they are definitely the better club right now. Estrada simply isn’t ready yet and you can SEE how nervous he is out there, not wanting the ball AT ALL and giving it away almost immediately after getting it. Our midfield isn’t good today either. Very disappointing. Possession is dead even yet Birmingham outshoots us 10-6 (3-0 on target). NO SHOTS ON GOAL for us. I read the riot act in the dressing room and introduce Zoltan Bardi for the second half in place of young Estrada.

73’ - We are playing much better in the second half but have nothing to show for it. We bring in the cavalry, taking out Jose and Mads Pedersen while bringing in Benedikt Raab and Arsene Bamba.

76’ - We have possession and it’s Raab and Bardi, two of our substitutes, exchanging passes. Bardi then sends a lovely ball through the defence to NEIL CAIRNEY, who rushes in from his holding midfielder position and is all alone on Leferink and makes no mistake in putting the ball past him into the corner of the goal. Beauty!! DOVER GOAL 1-0

Birmingham move to a 4-4-2 diamond.

79’ - Birmingham earn a corner and we clear. However, Adam Sinnott, a substitute himself, takes the ball and delivers an accurate blast from well out and it’s over our defence, past Davies and into the corner of the net. Oh my. BIRMINGHAM GOAL 1-1

87’ - Out of desperation, I change to a 4-2-4 formation and an overload mentality to try to get the winning goal.

90’ - We earn a corner and Raab’s cross is to the far post and there is the 6’4” Renato Gaucho, up on the play due to our overload mentality, heading it forcefully into the net for a RARE goal! DOVER GOAL 2-1

We immediately revert back to a 4-4-2 and a counter attacking mentality.

Whew!

Birmingham 1 - 2 Dover
Goals - Neil Cairney (8.0), Renato Gaucho (8.2)
Assists - Zoltan Bardi (7.1), Benedikt Raab (6.9)
Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho
Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (7.2)
Attendance - 25,728

We ended up with 52% of possession and a 15-13 (4-4 on target) shot advantage. We escape with a win when a draw was likely the just result. Poor games from Torres, Pedersen and Estrada, who all received 6.1 ratings.

-- Chelsea beat Villa 2-0, City upend Sheffield United 1-0, Man United crush Sheffield Wednesday 6-0, Liverpool beat Huddersfield 2-1, Sunderland oust Newcastle 3-1 and Tottenham rout Reading 3-0 in other Premier League action. Essentially, everyone who should have won did just that.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 31 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 80 points (after 29 games)
2. Manchester United - 68 points (after 29 games)
3. Manchester City - 68 points
4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 30 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 51 points (after 29 games)
6. Chelsea - 51 points
7. Sunderland - 49 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- The kids rout Crawley 8-0 behind four more goals from Bakary Kone. We get a pair from Juan Jose Culebras and singles from Guiseppe Forti and Marcus Sowter. Michel Benard had three assists and Jonathan Langlet had two. Kone had 18 (!!) shots this game and I’ll be calling him up for our next game, returning the ineffective Fernando Estrada.

International Update

-- A number of African players are called up by their respective international teams, including 19 year old Bakary Kone, who is called up by Ivory Coast for the first time. Lets hope he gets his first senior team cap! Kone has been sensational for our U18s, scoring a ludicrous 56 goals in only 24 matches.

Team of the Week

-- Renato Gaucho is named to the Barclays Premier League team of the week.

Injury Update

-- Paul Moses (hip), Andy Brooms (achilles tendon) and Manuel Lugo (broken lower leg) are all on the long-term injury list. Broomes is the closest to returning and may be back in about three weeks. Moses is at least five weeks away and Lugo is out for the rest of the season and likely won’t return until late July.

Next Up

-- The biggest game of the Premier League season, as we host second place Manchester United at Crabble Athletic Ground.

NoSkillz · 03-09-2015, 11:19 PM

Wed. March 25, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (26-2-1, 80 points, 1st) vs. Manchester United (21-5-3, 68 points, 2nd)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Manchester United: 11-5
Past Meetings: 8W 4D 13L

United are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 6-0 whitewash over a very strong Sheffield Wednesday club on Sunday. They’ve been chasing us all season and this is an extremely important game for them - if they lose, they’ll fall 15 points behind us on the table with only 8 games remaining, essentially giving us the title. They need a win today much more than we do. 33 year old striker Yaya Sanogo continues to produce at a high level, with 26 goals in 37 games. United are missing a few key players, most notably former Dover DC Cristian Rodriguez, who is suffering from a double hernia. OUCH! We’ll once again do battle with former keeper Manuel Perez.

We’ll go with the strongest and hottest lineup possible today. Zoltan Bardi will be up front with Chiquinho. Arsene Bamba, Benedikt Raab, Claudio Contreras, Mwemere Mutesa, Salim Loucif and Ingo Wilke all make it back into the starting lineup. Control mentality as favourites today. A draw would be fine but lets get a win and end this thing early!!

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi
Bench - R. Hamon, Rafinha, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega, P. Secchi

Flat 4-4-2 for United, who have Tom Bull alongside the ageless wonder Sanogo. Perez is in goal. Lets put a great performance together for a sell-out crowd!!

9’ - This has been a CRAZY START!!! Chiquinho was yellow carded in the first minute for diving, something he does way too often for my tastes and gets away with at least two more dives in the next couple minutes, including a tackle from United defender Juan Manuel Gutierrez, who gets a yellow himself. Then, in the 9th minute, Chiquinho has a partial break and goes down in the area once again at the hands of Gutierrez, forcing the referee to point to the spot! That’s a PENALTY!! Gutierrez pleads his case to NO AVAIL and is given the RED CARD!!! MY GOD. Insane start!! MANCHESTER UNITED RED CARD: Juan Manuel Gutierrez

10’ - It’s Neil Cairney stepping up to take the penalty and he goes to the left and it’s past a diving Perez and IN!!! SENSATIONAL START! DOVER GOAL 1-0

United are forced into a change and are in a 4-3-2 formation.

14’ - United have possession and send a pass through the defence to Tom Bull, who sends a rocket into the top corner for the instant reply. BUT WAIT! It’s called offsides!! NO GOAL! The right call was made after seeing the replay.

26’ - Yaya Sanogo gives the ball away at midfield and we work back the other way. Arsene Bamba sends a little pass through to Chiquinho and he sends a quick shot that is past Perez, off the post and JUST over the goal line!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

HALFTIME - Superb!!! Things finally calmed down a bit there in the last twenty minutes but we are outplaying them all over the pitch. We hold 56% of possession and a 13-2 (5-0 on target) shot advantage. Keep it up boys!!

50’ - We have an incredible offensive sequence that sees Benedikt Raab feed a through ball to Bamba. He cuts in on goal and shoots and Perez makes the sensational diving stop! The ball gets away and Zoltan Bardi reaches it first. From the byline, he takes a look and passes back to Chiquinho, who sends a one-touch shot past Perez and it’s IN! That’s two for Chiquinho and we’re running away with this!!! DOVER GOAL 3-0

71’ - We continue to absolutely DOMINATE the proceedings and if not for Manuel Perez, we’d have six by now. We work possession and Gianluca Bolis sends a ball into Chiquinho. He’s well covered but turns and shoots and it’s through a maze of players and IN!! That’s a HAT TRICK FOR CHIQUINHO and his 100th career goal for our club! DOVER GOAL 4-0

74’ - I have substitutes ready to come on for Chiquinho and Raab but as we wait for a stoppage in play, our three goal man gets the ball and lays it off for Raab. He sends a CURLING ROCKET FROM 30 YARDS and it’s past a diving Perez and in. WHAT A SHOT!! WHAT A GAME!!! DOVER GOAL 5-0

After the goal, Chiquinho and Raab come off to standing ovations, as Paolo Secchi goes in at striker and Emmerson Harvey is in at central midfield.

87’ - Now it’s Bardi taking a pass and moving into the area. He’s about to cut to the middle and he’s taken down by Alex Ojapah. The ref hesitates but then blows the whistle. That’s ANOTHER PENALTY!!! Once again, we call on Neil Cairney and as usual, he goes left and it’s once again perfectly placed. This is AWESOME!! DOVER GOAL 6-0

United move to a 5-1-2-1 formation. HAH. I move Neil Cairney up to striker to see if we can get him a hat trick.

89’ - On a beautiful individual effort, Bernardo Duenas weaves through our defenders and sends a rocket launcher past Wilke and it’s into the net. That might be United’s first shot on goal. There goes the goose egg. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 6-1

90’+1 - We work quickly back up field and send a ball into the middle to Cairney, who we moved to striker to try to get a hat trick. He’s into the area and selflessly delivers a low cross to the far post and there is Arsene Bamba with the EASY tap in. This is INCREDIBLE!! DOVER GOAL 7-1

HOLY CRAP! GREATEST GAME EVER!!!

Dover 7 - 1 Manchester United
Goals - Chiquinho 3 (9.6), Neil Cairney 2 (9.5), Benedikt Raab (8.3), Arsene Bamba (9.3)
Assists - Chiquinho 2, Zoltan Bardi 2 (9.2), Gianluca Bolis (8.4), Neil Cairney, Arsene Bamba
Man of the Match - Chiquinho
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (8.0), Claudio Contreras (8.2), Renato Gaucho (8.2)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Just an absolute mind-blowing performance from our team at the most critical time, as we SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROY our biggest rivals and are now a whopping 15 points up on them on the table, all but locking away the Premier League title! We held 56% of possession and outshot them 28-5 (15-1 on target). Poor Manuel Perez was pretty good for them despite giving up seven goals. Lots of ratings in the 5’s and 4’s for United, including an awesome 3.4 rating for Luiz Carlos, their captain. Chiquinho is stepping up BIG TIME in the absence of Paul Moses, getting the rare opportunity to play our vaunted attacking forward position rather than his usual supporting role. The only starting non-keeper on our team to get a rating less than 8.0 was Mwemere Mutesa, who cruelly got a 6.5 rating and must have taken blame for the beautiful goal by Duenas. Don’t worry buddy - I am on cloud nine and I tell the players after the game that their performance was sensational, giving rare praise that is much deserved.

-- There’s only one other game today and that match sees Spurs keep up their hot streak in a win over Aston Villa, 3-1.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 31 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 83 points (after 30 games)
2. Manchester United - 68 points (after 30 games)
3. Manchester City - 68 points
4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 30 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 54 points (after 30 games)
6. Chelsea - 51 points
7. Sunderland - 49 points
----------------------------------------------------

Next Up

-- We head on the road to face struggling Middlesbrough in Premier League action.

NoSkillz · 03-11-2015, 11:06 PM

Sat. March 28, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Middlesbrough (8-7-16, 31 points, 17th) vs. Dover (27-2-1, 83 points, 1st)
The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, UK

Betting Odds: Middlesbrough: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Dover: 1-2 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 11W 2D 4L

Well, after a couple of solid seasons in a row where they finished 8th and 13th respectively, Middlesbrough are struggling mightily this season and are just one position above the relegation zone. The positive thing is that they are a full 12 points ahead of the 18th placed team, Southampton, so they should be safe with only 7 games remaining. 28 year old striker Roland Hoxha is coming off a 28 goal season but only has 12 thus far, yet still leads the club.

We have a couple of key players away on international duty, most notably Arsene Bamba and Mwemere Mutesa. Therefore, Mads Pedersen and Rayane Hamon will slot in for them today. Rafinha is back in the lineup today after missing a couple of games due to injury and Sergio De la Vega is in for a tired Gianluca Bolis. Chris Davies will start in goal. I intend to do whatever I can to break the Premier League points record, which is currently 98, set in 2020/21 by Manchester City. We’re on pace to better that mark with eight games remaining.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega
S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi
Bench - Renato Gaucho, Rodolfo Lopez, A. Torres, E. Harvey, Jose, G. Bolis, P. Secchi

Middlesbrough are in a unique 3-4-1-2 formation, something I’ve rarely seen at this level. We should be able to score goals against these guys. Hoxha is up front with Jonatan Adrover and it’s Acaymo Covelo in goal.

HALFTIME - Well, after the madness that was our last game, we are scoreless against 17th placed Middlesbrough. We are playing fine, holding 65% of possession and an 8-2 (2-0 on target) shot advantage but we aren’t generating many great chances. I tell the team this is a winnable game - lets get a goal.

Middlesbrough drop back into a 5-2-1-2 formation.

64’ - We finally break through, as a Mads Pedersen cross from the left flank is headed in by Sergio De la Vega! DOVER GOAL 1-0

69’ - Off an innocent looking throw in, the ball comes back to the right flank and to Salim Loucif. He crosses into the centre of the area and there is Chiquinho, well off the goal line, heading one violently through the defence and past Covelo! DOVER GOAL 2-0

74’ - We make a double substitution, taking out Benedikt Raab and Salim Loucif and bringing in Jose and Rodolfo Lopez. We have a Champions League match coming up in midweek and want to ensure our key players are well-rested.

82’ - We earn a corner and it’s the recently introduced Jose sending a ball to the far post and Claudio Contreras. He heads it toward goal and it’s headed again by Rayane Hamon and IN! DOVER GOAL 3-0

86’ - We pull off Chiquinho and bring in Paolo Secchi.

Excellent second half!

Middlesbrough 0 - 3 Dover
Goals - Sergio De la Vega (8.0), Chiquinho (7.9), Rayane Hamon (8.3)
Assists - Salim Loucif (8.1), Claudio Contreras (8.1), Mads Pedersen (7.7)
Man of the Match - Rayane Hamon
Other Dover Notables - Rafinha (7.5)
Attendance - 26,796

We held 58% of overall possession and a 19-4 (9-0 on target) shot advantage, as we poured it on in the second half to prevail.

-- Sunderland does us a huge favour and holds Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, moving us 17 points ahead of them in the race for the title. In fact, Man City is now up to second place and sit 15 points back but we have a game in hand on them. Essentially, we only need five more points to lock up the league, as United would have to run the table to get to 91 points and the best City can do at this point is 89 points. LOOKIN’ GOOD!!

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 32 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 86 points (after 31 games)
2. Manchester City - 71 points
3. Manchester United - 69 points (after 31 games)
4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 31 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 57 points (after 31 games)
6. Chelsea - 54 points
7. Sunderland - 50 points
----------------------------------------------------

International Update

-- Not only does U18 superstar Bakary Kone get his first ever international cap for Ivory Coast, but he scores THREE GOALS ON HIS DEBUT!!! He praises me in his interview after the game, saying I’ve given him the confidence and belief in his skills. Nice kid, that Bakary!! Also gaining international caps are Salim Loucif (Algeria), Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast) and Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda).

Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Five of our players make the Premier League team of the week: Renato Gaucho, Rayane Hamon, Claudio Contreras, Arsene Bamba and Chiquinho.

Champions League Update

-- Chelsea and Atletico Madrid battle to a scoreless draw in London while Dortmund SMOKE Manchester City 4-1 to take control of that matchup.

April Update

-- A very busy month of April as we work towards the end of the season. We have five Premier League match ups, with games against Wolves (home), Huddersfield (away), Sheffield Wednesday (home), Arsenal (home) and Sunderland (away). We also have both legs of our Champions League quarterfinal against Sevilla, with the first game coming up later today at home. If we prevail, we’ll play both of the semi final games as well this month. So that’s a whopping NINE potential games this month!! I assume that perhaps one of our league games will be rescheduled if we make it to the Champions League semis.

-- We get positive training reports for young defenders Mwemere Mutesa and Adrian Torres, along with U18 players Jordan Tandy, Francisco Lopez and Fernando Estrada. Negative reports come in for Ingo Wilke and two U18 players, Ross Peake and Michel Benard. I have chats with all three of those players.

Premier League Awards for March

-- Our very own Chiquinho scored six goals in four matches and is named as the Barclays Premier League player of the month for March! Very cool - he’s been SUPERB since Paul Moses got hurt and this is richly deserved.

-- Arsenal midfielder Dentinho wins young player of the month honours.

-- And after winning all four of our Premier League matches, I’m named as Manager of the Month for the FOURTH TIME this season!

Next Up

-- We host Spanish club Sevilla in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

NoSkillz · 03-12-2015, 06:08 PM

Wed. April 1, 2026

UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinal First Leg
Dover (1st in Barclays Premier League) vs. Sevilla (4th in Spanish Liga BBVA)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Sevilla: 7-4
Past Meetings: 1W 0D 1L

We face Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and we’ve faced them in this competition before back in 2022, splitting two group stage games but outscoring them 3-1. They are fourth in Spain right now but only five points back of first placed Barcelona so they can’t be taken lightly. That said, this was likely the most ideal opponent left in the competition. They’ve only won their league once (1946!) but are three time Europa League champs, most recently in 2020. Striker Lorenzo Sion leads the club with 19 goals and we see our old friend Saber Nasri once again. He’s really struggled in his first season in Spain after we sold him to Sevilla for £6.25 million.

Once again, I have to deal with zero striker depth, as only Chiquinho is healthy and eligible for the competition right now. Zoltan Bardi wasn’t registered, as Paul Moses, Andy Broomes and Manuel Lugo were all healthy back at registration time. So we will go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and Chiquinho will be alone up front. I do have Fernando Estrada available as a substitute.

Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - N. Cairney, Jose
AM - A. Bamba, B. Raab, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, Rodolfo Lopez, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega, F. Estrada

Sion is alone up front in Sevilla’s 4-2-3-1 and Tarik Bachiri is in goal. Saber Nasri is on the bench for them today. Lets play well for our fans today!

23’ - We are playing APPALLING football and are losing every battle thus far. Sevilla sends an innocent ball through our defence and it’s one of those 50/50 balls that goalkeeper Ingo Wilke half-heartedly attacks. Lorenzo Sion beats him to it and easily puts it into the open net. Oh boy…BAD start. SEVILLA GOAL 0-1

HALFTIME - Just a pathetic performance thus far. Sevilla dominate in every facet, with 53% of possession, an 11-7 (4-2 on target) shot advantage and a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard. I question the team’s passion to win the game and storm out of the room. I move to a flat 4-4-2 and introduce young Fernando Estrada at striker, taking out Jose.

47’ - We’re in COMPLETE SHOCK, as Sevilla steal the ball, run down the right flank and cross to the middle and it’s headed home by midfielder Solomon Okoye. We are in BIG TROUBLE at home. SEVILLA GOAL 0-2

78’ - We move to an overload mentality and a 4-2-4, bringing on Rodolfo Lopez for Salim Loucif.

Oh my goodness.

Dover 0 - 2 Sevilla
Goals -
Assists -
Man of the Match - Solomon Okoye (Sevilla MC - 7.8)
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Claudio Contreras (7.7)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

We held 51% of overall possession but were outshot 14-11 (5-2 on target). Down 2-0 early in the second half, we ended up with ZERO shots on target in that half. Pathetic. I absolutely tear into our players in the room after the game. We are in BIG TROUBLE and will need a two goal win in Spain to have any chance of moving on. Not something I’d bet on, considering we will once again have no strikers other than Chiquinho, who was invisible today. That was our second home loss of the season, with the other one also a 2-0 loss in Champions League play, with that loss coming to Real Madrid back in the group stages.

Next Up

-- We try to get back on the winning track in league play versus the pesky Wolves.

bbgunn · 03-12-2015, 10:49 PM

Ugh... But that will make that 3-0 win in Sevilla all the more sweeter.

Alf · 03-13-2015, 05:24 AM

Time for rebellion !

NoSkillz · 03-13-2015, 09:26 PM

Thanks guys - we'll need a vintage performance to move on, that's for sure! We definitely have it in us but will we show up is the question!

NoSkillz · 03-13-2015, 09:26 PM

Sat. April 4, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (28-2-1, 86 points, 1st) vs. Wolves (9-11-12, 38 points, 12th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Wolves: 10-1
Past Meetings: 12W 5D 1L

Wolves held us to a 2-2 draw earlier in the year so I want revenge and a huge win today. They are having a decent season but I’m eager to crush them. Guy Luckett is having a huge season for them, with 23 goals in 32 matches.

I completely dismantle our lineup, as most of the players are gassed from the midweek Champions League loss. I do have Chiquinho up front with Fernando Estrada - I need these two to develop instant chemistry if we’re to have any chance whatsoever in the second leg of the Champions League quarters.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - C. Davies
D - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - M. Pedersen, E. Harvey, Jose, S. De la Vega
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - Renato Gaucho, S. Loucif, B. Raab, P. Secchi, G. Bolis, Z. Bardi

Flat 4-4-2 for Wolves, as they have Luckett up front with Stefano Zeno. Bas Hofstra is in goal. I demand a victory.

1’ - We respond right off the opening kickoff, taking the ball up field and seeing a Chiquinho cross from the left flank booted in by Sergio De la Vega at the 29 second mark! DOVER GOAL 1-0

33’ - Despite the lead, we are NOT playing great but we begin a counter attack. Chiquinho does very well to make some space and he’s charging toward the byline. He draws a defender and the keeper is also way over to the right so Chiquinho crosses to the middle and there is 18 year old Fernando Estrada in perfect position to tap it home!!! That’s his first ever goal for our club!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

HALFTIME - Geez. Wolves held 62% (!!) of the ball but we outshoot them 11-9 (5-2 on target). Not great but we have the lead. Great to see Estrada get a goal - we need him to be competent in our next game. I encourage the team in the dressing room.

61’ - We have a throw in near midfield and send it to Chiquinho. He works his magic from there, weaving in towards goal and curling a rocket from distance that just sneaks in off the far post and IN. Sensational effort. DOVER GOAL 3-0

63’ - Only about ten seconds after the ensuing kickoff, Wolves send a long ball up to Zeno and he splits our defence and shoots the ball past Davies and in. Ugh. WOLVES GOAL 3-1

Wolves move to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

72’ - I need to keep Chiquinho healthy so I pull him out and bring in Zoltan Bardi.

76’ - Mads Pedersen jukes up the left flank and sends a low, hard cross into the middle and there is FERNANDO ESTRADA, smoking the ball into the back of the net. Estrada has TWO!! DOVER GOAL 4-1

We immediately take out Rayane Hamon and Jose and bring in Salim Loucif and Paolo Secchi.

Very nice.

Dover 4 - 1 Wolves
Goals - Fernando Estrada 2 (8.9), Sergio De la Vega (8.0), Chiquinho (8.8)
Assists - Chiquinho 2, Mads Pedersen 2 (9.0)
Man of the Match - Mads Pedersen
Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.1), Rodolfo Lopez (7.2), Rayane Hamon (7.1), Adrian Torres (7.0), Rafinha (7.2), Jose (7.0), Emmerson Harvey (7.3)
Attendance - 22,057

A MUCH better second half, as possession would end up dead even for the game and we outshoot them 26-14 (12-7 on target). Very encouraging games from Chiquinho and young Estrada, who will need to play exceptionally well under intense pressure in Spain if we’re to have any chance at survival in the Champions League.

-- In other Premier League action, United win over City 2-0 in the Manchester derby and that result means we only need ONE MORE POINT to lock up the league title! Woo! Elsewhere, Liverpool beat Sunderland 3-0, Spurs knock off Sheffield United 2-0 and Chelsea defeat Middlesbrough 3-1.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 33 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 89 points (after 32 games)
2. Manchester United - 72 points (after 32 games)
3. Manchester City - 71 points
4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 32 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 60 points (after 32 games)
6. Chelsea - 57 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 50 points
----------------------------------------------------

Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Sergio De la Vega, Mads Pedersen, Fernando Estrada and Chiquinho are all named to the Premier League team of the week. What an honour for 18 year old Estrada!!

Dover Injury Update

-- A wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel but maybe too little, too late. Andy Broomes is nearing a return after missing a couple months with a damaged achilles tendon but if we lose our Champions League match later tonight, we’ll essentially have nothing to play for. Paul Moses could be back by the end of the month while Manuel Lugo is out until July or August.

Next Up

-- We’re off to Spain and head into this crucial second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Sevilla two goals down. Needless to say, we need a superlative performance to move on.

NoSkillz · 03-13-2015, 11:06 PM

Tue. April 7, 2026

UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final Second Leg
Sevilla (2) vs. (0) Dover
Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla, Spain

Betting Odds: Sevilla: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4
Past Meetings: 1W 0D 2L

Well, just one week after our embarrassing 2-0 home loss to Sevilla, here we are in desperation mode, needing to win by two goals to at least have a chance of moving on. Sevilla do have a few key injuries on defence but Lorenzo Sion and his 20 goals will be in the lineup today.

We need an influential lineup to navigate these choppy waters so I go with my veterans today, with the notable exception being 18 year old striker Fernando Estrada, who needs to start due to all of our striker injuries. I contemplate going with a counter attacking mentality to start but we’re down two goals and need to have a positive game plan if we’re to move on. So we’ll stick with a control mentality.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega

Sion is alone up front in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Tarik Bachiri is their keeper who we barely tested in the last game. No beating around the bush here - I expect a win today.

18’ - We are RESPONDING!!! A great start with lots of action in their end and we finally break through, as Chiquinho dribbles through their side of half, cuts to the middle and feeds a great ball through to Gianluca Bolis, who immediately shoots hard and low and it’s past Bachiri and IN!! That’s Bolis’ SIXTH GOAL in Champions League play this year, a crazy total for a right midfielder!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (1-2 ON AGGREGATE)

39’ - We have a free kick from just outside the area but Benedikt Raab’s shot is hit into the wall and bounces out. He chases it down and feeds Jose, who decides to shoot from WAY OUT and it’s a CURLING ROCKET that bends past Bachiri and is IN THE NET!! OH MY GOD WHAT A SHOT!!! WE PULL LEVEL!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 (2-2 ON AGGREGATE)

HALFTIME - A SENSATIONAL first half for us, as we level the score, hold 52% of possession and a 13-8 (5-3 on target) shot advantage. Superb. I tell the team that one more goal will be enough for the victory they deserve!! Lets do it boys!!

49’ - We win possession and it’s young Fernando Estrada sending in a RIDICULOUS pass to Chiquinho, who is barely onside but he’s through the defence and pounds a shot that is past Bachiri and IN. HOLY CRAP!!!! DOVER GOAL 3-0 (3-2 ON AGGREGATE)

I don’t hesitate moving into a counter attacking mentality now that we have the lead. I can even give up a goal here but should move on due to away goals. Sevilla move to a flat 4-4-2.

57’ - There is CRAZY ACTION in both directions, as Sevilla are really sending everyone forward and that’s given them one great chance that we were lucky to stop but also has opened up great counter attacking options for us, one of which saw Bachiri ROB Chiquinho. We earn a free kick from just outside the box and there is Raab, delivering an accurate touch shot that clears the wall and curls into the corner past a stunned Bachiri as we KEEP POURING IT ON!!! DOVER GOAL 4-0 (4-2 ON AGGREGATE)

67’ - Jose is banged up so I pull him off and bring in Neil Cairney.

80’ - Gianluca Bolis has a yellow card so no need to take any chances. I pull him out and bring in Sergio De la Vega.

One of the great victories of my career!!

Sevilla 0 - 4 Dover (DOVER WIN 4-2 ON AGGREGATE)
Goals - Gianluca Bolis (8.2), Jose (8.3), Chiquinho (9.3), Benedikt Raab (8.9)
Assists - Chiquinho 2, Benedikt Raab, Fernando Estrada (7.7)
Man of the Match - Chiquinho
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (7.7), Rayane Hamon (7.7), Claudio Contreras (7.5), Renato Gaucho (7.5), Arsene Bamba (7.4)
Attendance - 44,005

We held 56% of possession and outshot Sevilla 28-13 (12-6 on target). Simply put, one of the great wins in Dover history, down two goals heading into an away leg and winning by FOUR. Chiquinho continues to carry us on his 29 year old back and we get awesome performances from all eleven players, including 18 year old Estrada, who looked VERY GOOD. He’s going to be one to watch. We somehow move on!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!

-- In other Champions League action, OM beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford then go on to win in penalty kicks to advance. Atletico Madrid win 3-1 over Chelsea and after a scoreless draw in the first leg, it’s Madrid that moves on. Finally, City and Dortmund battle to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad but it’s the German club moving to the next round based on the 5-2 aggregate. There were four English teams in the quarters but we’re the only one to make it through to the semis!

-- We earn £2.87 million for playing in the quarterfinals.

-- Gianluca Bolis has reached the yellow card limit and will miss game one of our Champions League semi final.

Dover Reserves Update

-- Reserves defender Danny Hope and U18 star Bakary Kone both score two goals in our 4-1 win over Aston Villa’s reserves.

Champions League Semi Final Draw

-- We are down to four teams, with us, Atletico Madrid, Dortmund and OM. We will face Dortmund in Germany in the first leg - Dortmund are currently second in the German Bundesliga, a single point back of Leverkusen. Dortmund won the Champions League in 1997, their only win and are eight time German league champions, including last year. They are the second smallest club left in the competition, with us, of course, being the smallest. So a good draw once again. We do have a Premier League game against Arsenal rescheduled to the second week of February due to our Champions League commitments.

Barclays Premier League Update

-- We have a Monday night match this weekend against Huddersfield so we can relax and watch the weekend action. Manchester United win 2-0 at Everton to keep their very slim hopes alive. We only need a single point to clinch our second ever Premier League title. Sheffield Wednesday knock off pesky Birmingham 1-0, Tottenham win 3-0 over Newcastle, Chelsea beat Reading by the same score while City beat Liverpool 3-1.

Bonus Clause Money IN

-- We sold promising young striker Rogelio Garcia to Werder Bremen three years ago and included a league goals clause in the contact. He finally scored his tenth league goal and we earn £450,000 as a result. Easy money.

Dover U18 Update

-- We get goals from Marcus Sowter and Jonathan Langlet in a 2-0 win over Brighton’s U18s.

Next Up

-- We have a chance to clinch the Premier League title with a win against Hudderfield.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 12:45 AM

Mon. April 13, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Huddersfield (12-5-15, 41 points, 12th) vs. Dover (29-2-1, 89 points, 1st)
The Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, UK

Betting Odds: Huddersfield: 13-2 Draw: 11-4 Dover: 2-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 11W 3D 3L

Huddersfield are having one of their better years in recent history, as their 12 wins are the best total since 2021. They don’t score an awful lot and their leading goal scorer is 32 year old striker Paul Lumsden with only 11 in 27 matches. 26 year old Chilean international Cesar Mora has 8 goals in 27 games but is the more dangerous player. He is a recent transfer and a large one at that, having come over from Estudiantes for a whopping £21 million!! He must be still trying to settle in to his first year of English football.

With a win or draw today, we’ll clinch our second ever Premier League title so I’m going with a veteran lineup as a result. We make ZERO changes from our Champions League winning lineup and keep young Fernando Estrada up front as well. We may need him in the matchup against Dortmund so I want to get him playing time today. Andy Broomes is very close to a return and I see him possibly playing in our league game next weekend in order to regain some match fitness but he likely won’t be ready to start in Champions League play right away. The only change we make today is to put Zoltan Bardi on the bench.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, Zoltan Bardi

As expected, it’s Mora and Lumsden up front in Huddersfield’s flat 4-4-2. Alex Smithies is in goal. I tell the team to get that Premier League trophy for our great supporters!

16’ - A solid start and we see Gianluca Bolis attempt a cross into the box to Arsene Bamba but it’s accidentally knocked into the goal by Huddersfield defender Antonio Guzzetti. We’ll take it! DOVER GOAL 1-0

30’ - We continue to control the action and we get a ball up to young Fernando Estrada off a throw in. He passes into the middle to Benedikt Raab and our sensational midfielder sends a blast from a few steps outside the penalty area and it curls into the net off the hands of Smithies! Great shot and we ARE ALREADY DREAMING OF LIFTING THAT TROPHY!! DOVER GOAL 2-0

41’ - We earn a corner after great work from Bamba and it’s Raab taking it. He crosses to the far post and there is the towering Claudio Contreras with his trademark power header that gets into the back of the net. That’s TEN GOALS THIS YEAR for Contreras!! DOVER GOAL 3-0

HALFTIME - The stats don’t look as good as the scoreboard, as Huddersfield actually held 51% of possession while we outshoot them 10-4 (7-2 on target). Don’t mind those numbers - the scoreboard indeed tells the tale, as we dominated the highlights and are putting in a thoroughly professional performance. Lets finish this off.

51’ - We have another corner and we duplicate our last one, as Raab’s cross to the far post is once again headed in by Contreras! He has two and we’re up BIG! DOVER GOAL 4-0

53’ - Now it’s Hudderfield with a corner and the cross is to the near post and there is leading scorer Paul Lumsden hitting the ball on the volley and it’s past Wilke and in. HUDDERSFIELD GOAL 4-1

64’ - I bring in Zoltan Bardi for the excellent Fernando Estrada.

71’ - We work possession well and it’s Zoltan Bardi sending a great pass up to Chiquinho and he does the rest, moving in on goal and easily scoring past Smithies. DOVER GOAL 5-1

Mads Pedersen comes on for Arsene Bamba.

78’ - We make our last substitution, bringing on Neil Cairney and taking out Jose.

89’ - Our two best players for this game and the last few weeks combine once again, as a Benedikt Raab free kick is headed in by Chiquinho! That’s two for him tonight. DOVER GOAL 6-1

SUPERB!

Huddersfield 1 - 6 Dover
Goals - Claudio Contreras 2 (9.2), Chiquinho 2 (9.3), Antonio Guzzetti OG, Benedikt Raab (9.5)
Assists - Benedikt Raab 3, Gianluca Bolis (8.3), Fernando Estrada (7.3), Zoltan Bardi (6.9)
Man of the Match - Benedikt Raab
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Salim Loucif (7.8), Rayane Hamon (7.9), Renato Gaucho (7.6), Jose (7.2), Arsene Bamba (7.1)
Attendance - 22,561

Possession ended up dead even and we outshoot them 22-9 (13-5 on target). Another sensational performance and Raab and Chiquinho continue to put up ridiculous numbers. Raab, a central midfielder, now has 8 goals and a LUDICROUS 32 assists in 43 total matches, while Chiquinho is up to 23 goals and 15 assists in his 38 matches. He’s been phenomenal ever since moving into Paul Moses’ advanced striker role. That all said, the most important thing is this…

DOVER HAVE WON THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE!!!!!

-- Our second championship in three years and we complete a double for this season, with a League Cup victory in the bag. We still have two things to concentrate on as we finish the season: first and foremost, we want to win the Champions League and complete a treble but a secondary goal is to finish with 100 points in the Premier League, something that has never been done before.

-- The board and our fans are obviously delighted with the championship and fans are singing my name in the streets. What a beautiful tune!

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 34 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 92 points (after 33 games)
2. Manchester United - 75 points (after 33 games)
3. Manchester City - 74 points
4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 33 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 63 points (after 33 games)
6. Chelsea - 60 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 53 points
----------------------------------------------------

Raab Makes the Record Books

-- Benedikt Raab gets his name in the Dover record books, as his three assists in that game give him 32 on the year, breaking the old Dover mark of 29 set back in 2010 by Paul Caffrey.

-- Dover also makes the Premier League record books, as we reach 108 goals on the season, eclipsing our own record of 107 set two years ago. We may hit 120 before the year ends!!

Premier League Team of the Week

-- Ingo Wilke, Claudio Conteras, Benedikt Raab and Chiquinho make the Barclays Premier League team of the week.

Dover Injury Update

-- UGH. Backup goalkeeper Chris Davies sprains his ankle during training and will miss the next four weeks, essentially ruling him out for the rest of the season. Ingo Wilke will be busy but perhaps I’ll give one of my U18 keepers a game or two at some point.

Premier League Update

-- Tottenham and Arsenal play a make up game and it’s a scoreless draw.

Dover Reserves Update

-- We get two goals and two assists from U18 striker Marcus Sowter as we roll to a 5-1 win over Derby’s reserves. Also scoring were Neil Evans, Paolo Secchi and Bakary Kone

Next Up

-- We host Sheffield Wednesday in Premier League action. We have secured the league but are now looking to set the Premier League points record, which is currently 98, set a few years back by Manchester City.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 12:02 PM

Sat. April 18, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (30-2-1, 92 points, 1st) vs. Sheffield Wednesday (16-5-13, 53 points, 7th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 2-5 (Favourites) Draw: 11-4 Sheffield Wednesday: 13-2
Past Meetings: 12W 5D 4L

Wednesday are having one of their best seasons in recent memory and continue their challenge for European football. That said, they will be missing their top scorer for the rest of the season, as 16 goal man Steve Pates is out with a calf injury. Darijo Jukic will likely lead the charge at the front but only has 7 goals thus far.

Not to jinx us or anything but it’s been over five years since these guys beat us and as huge underdogs today, they will be in tough. Still, we need to avoid complacency with a big Champions League match coming mid-week in Germany. We rotate the squad somewhat to give some of our backups a start and to keep our stars rested for that Dortmund game. Chiquinho is in the lineup alongside Zoltan Bardi. New to the lineup today are Mads Pedersen, Emmerson Harvey, Neil Cairney, Adrian Torres, Mwemere Mutesa and Rodolfo Lopez.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez
M - M. Pedersen, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi
Bench - Rafinha, S. Loucif, P. Secchi, Jose, A. Bamba, S. De la Vega, F. Estrada

Flat 4-4-2 for Sheffield, with Jukic up front alongside Sandi Labrovic. Fernando Cardoso is their keeper. I expect a win boys.

6’ - We have a free kick near the byline on the left side and Neil Cairney’s cross is hit on the volley by Adrian Torres. It’s back toward the near post and there is Mwemere Mutesa in great position to head the ball into the net! DOVER GOAL 1-0

HALFTIME - Well, it’s a nervous scoreline but we’re in complete control, holding 63% of possession and a 7-4 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. I would like one more goal here and encourage the team in the room at half.

80’ - We’re still in control but just can’t get that insurance marker. I bring in Fernando Estrada to take the place of Zoltan Bardi.

Lots of chances but their keeper was superb. We’ll take the three points.

Dover 1 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday
Goals - Mwemere Mutesa (8.1)
Assists - Neil Cairney (8.5)
Man of the Match - Neil Cairney
Other Dover Notables - Rodolfo Lopez (7.1), Adrian Torres (7.3), Renato Gaucho (7.4), Emmerson Harvey (7.0)
Attendance - 22,493

Well, a drab scoreline but we really played well and had a lot of great chances at goal. We held 57% of possession and a 21-7 (11-2 on target) shot advantage. Cairney was excellent.

-- In other action, Sunderland move into 7th ahead of Wednesday after a 3-2 win over Birmingham. Relegation favourites Hull SHOCK Chelsea 1-0 to keep their slim hopes of staying up alive while United and Spurs battle to a 2-2 draw.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 35 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 95 points (after 34 games)
2. Manchester United - 76 points (after 34 games)
3. Manchester City - 74 points (after 34 games)
4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 33 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 65 points
6. Chelsea - 60 points
7. Sunderland - 54 points
----------------------------------------------------
8. Sheffield Wednesday - 53 points
9. Birmingham - 46 points
10. Aston Villa - 45 points
11. Arsenal - 42 points (after 32 games)
12. Wolves - 42 points
13. Newcastle - 42 points
14. Huddersfield - 41 points (after 34 games)
15. Reading - 40 points
16. Everton - 36 points (after 34 games)
17. Middlesbrough - 32 points
----------------------------------------------------
18. Hull - 24 points
19. Southampton - 23 points
20. Sheffield United - 12 points

FA Cup Update

-- Everton upset Liverpool to get through to the FA Cup final, where they’ll face Manchester City.

Premier League Team of the Week

-- Neil Cairney and Mwemere Mutesa make the Barclays Premier League team of the week.

Dover Injury Update

-- We continue to wait as Andy Broomes is still not training fully but may be ready to come off the bench tomorrow. Paul Moses is nearing a return as well. GK Chris Davies and striker Manuel Lugo are out for the rest of this season.

Future Transfer IN

-- We continue to add the top youth prospects in the world, coming to an agreement with Valencia to bring 16 year old midfielder Borja to Dover for £8 million plus incentives. He’s already starting games for Athletic Club Bilbao, as he’s on a year-long loan assignment in the top Spanish league and has 3.5 star potential. He will make his way to England on July 1st and I’ll have more on him at that time.

Dover Injury Update

-- The day before our big Champions League match in Germany, we finally get word that Andy Broomes is ready for full training. He’s missed three months of action due to an achilles tendon injury. He can likely come off the bench in tomorrow’s game but it will take some time for him to get back up to speed. Paul Moses has also begun light training so it’s a good day!

Champions League Update

-- In the other semi final, Atletico Madrid and OM battle to a 2-2 draw in Spain. Advantage: OM.

Next Up

-- We head to Germany to face the powerful Borussia Dortmund squad in the first leg of Champions League semi final play.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 01:08 PM

Wed. April 22, 2026

UEFA Champions League - Semi Final First Leg
Dortmund (2nd in German Bundesliga) vs. Dover (1st in English Premier League)
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany

Betting Odds: Dortmund: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8
Past Meetings: 3W 0D 1L

We’ve faced Dortmund in three previous friendlies and more notably, in the 2024 European Super Cup, where we prevailed 4-3. They are currently three points back of first placed Leverkusen in domestic play and have one of the great strikers in the world of football in speedy Hugo Cruz. He has 29 goals in 39 matches this year. They usually play with one man up front in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Like us, they have some injury concerns but they have more than enough depth to match us.

We’ll go with the exact same lineup that got us here in that spectacular 4-0 win over Sevilla in the last round with one exception: Gianluca Bolis is suspended for this contest due to yellow card accumulation so Sergio De la Vega draws the start. Young Fernando Estrada looks to build on some impressive recent performances and will start alongside Chiquinho. Andy Broomes, just back from three months on the sidelines, is on the bench today and I envision him getting 30 minutes of playing time. As the slightest of underdogs, I’ll stick with my control mentality on the road, a positive game plan - after that crazy win in Spain, I feel we’re playing with house money at this point!

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, S. De la Vega
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, A. Broomes

Dortmund are in their 4-2-3-1 formation with Cruz alone up front. Paulo Roberto sits behind him and it’s Julio Cesar Cejas in goal. I tell the team that this is a winnable game despite the hostile environment. Lets do it!

6’ - A bit of a nervous start for us, as Dortmund are controlling play and they start a counter attack. One of their midfielders gets into the area but safely away from danger near the byline but Rayane Hamon inexplicably takes him down and the ref points to the spot. That’s a PENALTY. Up steps Ignacio Nunez and he places an accurate shot into the corner of the goal. Terrible start. DORTMUND GOAL 0-1

33’ - We are all over them but again, a counter attack does us in, as Dortmund gets it up to super fast and skilled Hugo Cruz and he speeds past Claudio Contreras, gets in on goal and shoots past Wilke and it’s in. Again, we’re in BIG TROUBLE. Great goal though. DORTMUND GOAL 0-2

HALFTIME - An uneasy half, as we seemingly control play but their explosive speed leads to two counter attack goals on their only two shots on target. We hold 55% of possession and an 8-7 (4-2 on target) shot advantage. I don’t go to full paint peeling mode but I tell the club I want to see much more in the second half.

58’ - Despite my pleas at half, we come out completely flat and Dortmund are taking the play to us. UGH. Double substitution, as I bring in Andy Broomes and Mads Pedersen, taking out Fernando Estrada and Arsene Bamba. Bamba has been terrible tonight.

73’ - Neil Cairney comes on for a banged up Jose.

81’ - We’re pressing and Benedikt Raab passes into the middle of the field to Cairney, who just came on. From WELL OUT, he sends an absolute howitzer that curls around the defence and into the right corner of the goal! WHAT A SHOT BY CAIRNEY!! DOVER GOAL 1-2

We get a couple of late corners but can’t convert.

Dortmund 2 - 1 Dover
Goals - Neil Cairney (8.0)
Assists - Benedikt Raab (7.0)
Man of the Match - Neil Cairney
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.0), Rayane Hamon (5.5)
Attendance - 53,070

A really poor second half, as Dortmund controlled affairs but we struck for a VERY important away goal late to give ourselves a decent chance in the second leg. Hugo Cruz is truly sensational - his speed is breathtaking and he’s ALWAYS dangerous. Their wide midfielder Eduardo Gallardo was also excellent. Rayane Hamon got saddled with a terrible rating and rightfully so for his ill-advised challenge that resulted in the penalty. Neil Cairney played 17 minutes but was all over the place and got named man of the match. Dortmund ended up with 53% of the ball and a 21-14 (5-6 on target) shot advantage. Just a horrible last 45 minutes for us and I tell the team I’m very disappointed in the lacklustre effort.

Premier League Update

-- There are two mid-week makeup games, as Huddersfield upset Man United 1-0 and Liverpool upend Everton 2-0 to gain some revenge for their weekend loss in the FA Cup to the same squad.

Next Up

-- We face Sunderland away in Premier League action.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 02:16 PM

Sat. April 25, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Sunderland (15-9-11, 54 points, 7th) vs. Dover (31-2-1, 95 points, 1st)
Stadium of Light, Sunderland, UK

Betting Odds: Sunderland: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 9W 2D 5L

Sunderland have vaulted into the 7th place spot on the table and they always are a threat to win against us. They are on a great run of form that has seen them only lose once in their last 12 matches. Their leading scorer is striker Jeremy Russell with 15 goals but he’s suspended for today’s match, lucky for us. Lucas Alba (10 goals) will likely be his replacement. Boy, Craig Flett has fallen hard - he’s usually their danger man but the 32 year old hasn’t scored a single goal this year.

We host Dortmund at home on Tuesday in the critical second leg of the Champions League semis so I’m playing a squad filled with backups, for the most part. We’re going with a one striker formation and will start an unfit Andy Broomes at striker as we try to quickly work him back to full fitness. Zoltan Bardi will play behind him at the attacking central midfield position. Also in the lineup today are Mads Pedersen, Emmerson Harvey, Gianluca Bolis, Rafinha and Mwemere Mutesa.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - E. Harvey, Jose
AM - M. Pedersen, Z. Bardi, G. Bolis
S - A. Broomes
Bench - A. Torres, R. Lopez, P. Secchi, N. Cairney, A. Bamba, S. De la Vega, Chiquinho

Flat 4-4-2 for Sunderland today, with Connor Wickham and Lucas Alba up front and Sam Cowler is in goal. Claudio Contreras is overconfident. Great. I tell the team they can win this.

HALFTIME - We simply haven’t shown up AT ALL for this match. Sunderland are beating us to every ball and we’re generating nothing. They hold 53% of possession but we outshoot them 7-3 (3-1 on target), although I can’t remember any of those shots. Not good enough. I’m angry.

48’ - We work up field on a counter and the ball eventually comes to Emmerson Harvey, who rips a low shot past Cowler and IN!! But wait?! OFFSIDES??? The replay is inconclusive. Ugh.

56’ - Andy Broomes is banged up…again. I bring in Chiquinho to take his place and move to a flat 4-4-2.

71’ - I take out Salim Loucif and bring in Rodolfo Lopez.

75’ - Mindful of our Champions League match coming up, I pull out Claudio Contreras and bring in Adrian Torres.

78’ - We have a corner and Jose delivers the ball to the near post. Mwemere Mutesa heads it and it’s off the woodwork, then off the back of goalkeeper Sam Cowler and it deflects into the net. We’ll take it. DOVER GOAL 1-0

Sunderland move to a 5-3-2. Umm, okay!

81’ - We have possession again and work the ball up field quickly, sending in Emmerson Harvey. He eludes a tackle near the edge of the area and shoots but Cowler makes the diving save. The ball hits a Sunderland defender and deflects right to the foot of Chiquinho and he makes no mistake, pounding the ball into the back of the net! More good fortune finds us and it looks like the three points are in our pocket. DOVER GOAL 2-0

Ok.

Sunderland 0 - 2 Dover
Goals - Sam Cowler OG, Chiquinho (7.3)
Assists - Mwemere Mutesa (7.9)
Man of the Match - Mwemere Mutesa
Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.6), Claudio Contreras (7.1), Rafinha (7.3)
Attendance - 47,192

Sunderland held 54% of the ball but we outshoot them 19-10 (8-2 on target). With the win, we reach 98 points, tying the all-time Premier League record set by Manchester City back in 2020/21.

-- In other action, Aston Villa hold United to a 2-2 draw, Chelsea beat Sheffield United 1-0, Sheffield Wednesday beat Wolves 2-0, City beat Birmingham by the same scoreline and Liverpool knock off Tottenham 2-1. Hull and Southampton both lose and they are relegated back to the Championship next year, along with last placed Sheffield United. Champions League spots are locked away as well, as it will be us, United, City and Liverpool playing in the top European competition next year. Spurs and Chelsea are playing Europa League football and the last Europa League spot is up for grabs, with 7th placed Sheffield Wednesday not only watching Sunderland behind them, but also Everton, who could grab the spot if they win the FA Cup.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 36 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 98 points (after 35 games)
2. Manchester United - 77 points
3. Manchester City - 77 points (after 35 games)
4. Liverpool - 72 points (after 35 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 65 points
6. Chelsea - 63 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 56 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- Striker Marcus Sowter scores five goals and we get singles from Andrew Hunter, Bakary Kone and an AFC Wimbledon own goal in a 8-0 win. Kone added two assists in the win.

Secchi Unhappy

-- Central midfielder Paolo Secchi is unhappy and is looking for first team football. I got him on a free from Barcelona two years ago and he really hasn’t featured in our plans, as he’s been a fifth choice player this year behind Raab, Jose, Cairney and Harvey. With talented central mids like Michel Benard and Juan Jose Culebras currently on the U18 club, I don’t see much of a future here for Secchi so I tell him I’ll look to find a new club for him.

Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Ingo Wilke and Mwemere Mutesa win team of the week honours.

Next Up

-- We are down one goal, as we welcome Borussia Dortmund to Crabble Athletic Ground for the second leg of the Champions League semi final.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 10:11 PM

Tue. April 28, 2026

UEFA Champions League - Semi Final Second Leg
Dover (1) vs. (2) Dortmund
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dortmund: 7-4
Past Meetings: 3W 0D 2L

Well, here we go. Hugo Cruz tore us up in the first leg along with winger Eduardo Gallardo. They still have injury concerns but that didn’t hold them back last week.

We make a couple of changes from our last game against them. Gianluca Bolis is back in at right midfield after missing the last game due to suspension. I also take a chance and put in Mwemere Mutesa in place of Rayane Hamon. Hamon’s foul that resulted in a penalty shot goal for Dortmund arguably cost us the game and Mutesa has been so good all year. He deserves the shot - also, he’s a bit faster than Hamon and we need as much speed as possible to counteract Cruz. Neil Cairney will also start in midfield alongside Benedikt Raab. Young Fernando Estrada gets another start up front but I will be ready to insert Andy Broomes if necessary.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada
Bench - Rafinha, R. Lopez, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, A. Broomes

Dortmund are in their 4-2-3-1 with Cruz alone up front and Julio Cesar Cejas is in goal. No beating around the bush - I tell the team I expect to advance!

1’ - OH MY GOD. Right off the opening kickoff, Dortmund march down the field, avoiding a tackle from Salim Loucif before delivering a pass to Hugo Cruz. We force him to his weaker left foot but his weak shot somehow gets underneath Ingo Wilke and is IN. NOOO!!! They strike 30 seconds into the match. DORTMUND GOAL 0-1 (1-3 ON AGGREGATE)

19’ - We work possession and it’s young Estrada attempting a shot but it’s wide right. Gianluca Bolis scoops it up and attempts a cross into the middle and it hits defender Rafael Gonzalez and deflects into the net! An own goal and we’re back in this!! DOVER GOAL 1-1 (2-3 ON AGGREGATE)

32’ - It doesn’t look like it’s meant to be. We are putting pressure on and Dortmund clear out to midfield. The incredible Hugo Cruz is 1 on 2 versus Mutesa and Contreras, blows by them both and sends a MISSILE past Wilke and it’s in. Damn, he’s incredible. DORTMUND GOAL 1-2 (2-4 ON AGGREGATE)

HALFTIME - Once again, we’re playing terrible football and are getting outplayed in every facet of the game. Dortmund hold 53% of possession and a 6-5 (5-1 on target) shot advantage. Where’s the passion lads?!?! We need three goals to move on. Not giving up yet…

67’ - Andy Broomes comes on for Fernando Estrada, as we move to a 4-2-4.

77’ - We work a counter attack off a failed Dortmund free kick and we have numbers. The ball is moved ahead to Chiquinho and from the edge of the area, he unleashes a blast into the top corner of the goal. DOVER GOAL 2-2 (3-4 ON AGGREGATE)

We move to an overload mentality and I bring in Rafinha and Rodolfo Lopez, pulling out Renato Gaucho and Salim Loucif.

Dortmund react by moving to a 4-2-1-2-1 with two DMCs, as they are ready to hang on for dear life now.

They hold on the rest of the way and we’re out.

Dover 2 - 2 Dortmund (DORTMUND WIN 4-3 ON AGGREGATE)
Goals - Rafael Gonzalez OG, Chiquinho (7.3)
Assists - Gianluca Bolis (6.9)
Man of the Match - Hugo Cruz (Dortmund ST - 8.8)
Other Dover Notables -
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Well, we were pretty much in trouble at every stage of the Champions League competition this year but we’re finally ousted by Dortmund, with most of the damage done by the sensational Hugo Cruz. We simply couldn’t overcome our injury issues at striker. We ended up dead even in possession and we outshot them 14-13 (4-6 on target).

-- We earn £3,652,000 for playing in the Champions League semis.

-- The other semi sees OM and Atletico Madrid draw 1-1 and also draw 3-3 on aggregate but OM moves on to the final due to away goals.

-- Neil Cairney will be suspended for our first Champions League game next year due to yellow card accumulation.

Premier League Update

-- Liverpool oust Arsenal 2-1 in midweek Premier League action. The Gunners are seriously struggling this year, sitting in 15th place!

Dover Reserves Update

-- Andy Broomes notches a hat trick and adds an assist in a 4-2 win over Blackpool’s reserves. Neil Evans scores our other goal.

May Update

-- We have three Premier League matches left but with the league locked up, the only thing left to play for is the Premier League record in points, which we share at this moment but can eclipse with just one point. We want to exceed 100! We host Manchester City and Arsenal then head on the road in our final match against Everton.

-- Positive training reports come in for Mwemere Mutesa, Adrian Torres and Fernando Estrada, along with U18’ers Andrew Hunter, Juan Jose Culebras and Michel Benard. Negative reports come in for Lorenzo Raimondi and Luis Miguel Garcia.

April Awards

-- Yaya Sanogo wins the Barclays Premier League player of the month award for the 14th time in his illustrious career. Chiquinho comes in second.

-- Marco Esposito from Arsenal wins young player of the month honours.

-- A Chiquinho goal against Wolves early last month is named goal of the month in the Premier League.

-- Once again, I win manager of the month in the league. It’s been a good year.

Board Confidence Update

-- No real change here. The board continue to be delighted with my leadership. Our 7-1 win over Man United is the highlight and our early FA Cup exit is the negative.

-- We made a profit of £5.05 million last month.

Next Up

-- Manchester City comes to Crabble Athletic Ground in Premier League play.

NoSkillz · 03-14-2015, 10:28 PM

Oh yeah, one more thing...

Alf · 03-15-2015, 06:16 AM

too.

bbgunn · 03-15-2015, 08:06 PM

three.

NoSkillz · 03-18-2015, 11:05 PM

Sat. May 2, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (32-2-1, 98 points, 1st) vs. Manchester City (24-5-6, 77 points, 3rd)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Manchester City: 11-5
Past Meetings: 6W 4D 8L

City are still jockeying for Champions League positioning, currently tied with Manchester United at 77 points and Liverpool is only two points back. City does have a game in hand. We beat these guys 3-1 at the Etihad earlier in the year in one of our more comprehensive performances. They are completely healthy today so I expect a good performance.

Well, the one thing to play for today is to get into the record books. We need a single point to eclipse the Premier League record of 98 points in a season, ironically held by our opponents and set back in 2020/21. A win gets us to 101 points and that’s my goal for today. We’re making some changes today, introducing Andy Broomes, Mads Pedersen, Jose, Sergio De la Vega, Rafinha, Rayane Hamon and Rodolfo Lopez into the lineup.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - M. Pedersen, B. Raab, Jose, S. De la Vega
S - A. Broomes, Chiquinho
Bench - Renato Gaucho, S. Loucif, N. Cairney, E. Harvey, G. Bolis, A. Bamba, Z. Bardi

The dangerous but injury prone Jelle Hoegee is alone up front in City’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Antonio is in goal. I tell the team they can win this match.

41’ - We’re in complete control but just can’t get the ball past Antonio, as Andy Broomes alone has had about four point blank opportunities. We finally strike, as a Benedikt Raab free kick from just outside the area hits the wall and deflects right to Mads Pedersen and he slams a bomb past the City keeper. DOVER GOAL 1-0

HALFTIME - City held a slight possession edge with 51% of the ball but we outshoot them 16-9 (9-1 on target) in a scintillating display of attacking football. Antonio was superb for them in that half. I’m pleased with the effort thus far - we just need to finish.

49’ - Jelle Hoegee, City’s best attacking player, makes a horror tackle on Claudio Contreras and is shown the straight RED CARD! City is down to ten men. MANCHESTER CITY RED CARD: Jelle Hoegee

City move into a 4-1-1-2-1.

71’ - I pull out an ineffective Jose and bring in Neil Cairney.

76’ - Grr. Jonathan Bottone tackles Sergio De la Vega and he’s down with the cross of doom. Gianluca Bolis is forced in.

81’ - We earn a corner and Raab’s cross is to the far post and there is Contreras heading it home. Stud. DOVER GOAL 2-0

Fine effort.

Dover 2 - 0 Manchester United
Goals - Mads Pedersen (7.7), Claudio Contreras (8.7)
Assists - Sergio De la Vega (6.9), Benedikt Raab (7.9)
Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras
Other Dover Notables - Rodolfo Lopez (7.0), Rayane Hamon (7.3), Rafinha (7.4), Chiquinho (5.9)
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

That scoreline doesn’t show our dominance, as we hold 53% of the ball and outshoot City 32-11 (14-2 on target). That’s an ass kicking against a completely healthy and world-class opponent. I can’t explain Chiquinho’s poor rating - just one of those things I guess. He missed a couple sitters so maybe that hurt the rating.

-- Sergio De la Vega twists his ankle and will miss the final two games of the season. DOVER INJURY: Sergio De la Vega (Twisted Ankle - three weeks)

-- In other action, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield battle to a 1-1 draw, Liverpool move up to third after whipping Villa 4-1, United SLAM Southampton 7-0, Tottenham beat struggling Arsenal 1-0 and Chelsea get upset 2-0 by Newcastle.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 37 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 101 points (after 36 games)
2. Manchester United - 80 points
3. Liverpool - 78 points
4. Manchester City - 77 points (after 36 games)
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 68 points
6. Chelsea - 63 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 57 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover Make the Record Books

-- With the win, we become the first team in Premier League history to exceed 100 points in a season!

Injury Update

-- Lethal striker Paul Moses returns to full training after missing about two months with a hip injury.

Team of the Week

-- Claudio Contreras makes the Premier League team of the week.

Dover Reserves Update

-- Fernando Estrada continues to astound, scoring two goals and adding two assists in a 4-1 win over Reading’s reserves. Paul Moses scored in his return to action and Jonathan Langlet also scored.

-- Fernando Estrada suffers a gashed head and will miss five days of action while Emmerson Harvey sprains an ankle and is out for a month. DOVER INJURIES: Emmerson Harvey (sprained ankle - 4 weeks); Fernando Estrada (gashed head - five days)

Premier League Update

-- Arsenal, who we play in two more days in our home closer, battle Manchester City to a thrilling 3-3 draw in a makeup game.

Next Up

-- We host Arsenal in our last home match of the season.

NoSkillz · 03-19-2015, 12:04 AM

Fri. May 8, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Dover (33-2-1, 101 points, 1st) vs. Arsenal (12-7-17, 43 points, 14th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 1-4 (Favourites) Draw: 4-1 Arsenal: 9-1
Past Meetings: 8W 3D 9L

What in the hell has happened to Arsenal?!?! 14th place…17 losses?! That’s nuts for a team of this size. They are completely healthy and have a 34 goal scorer on their club too in Lee Ross. Their defence is deplorable, having given up 59 goals thus far but man, this has to be an anomaly. That said, they are winless in EIGHT straight. We are monster favourites today.

Our last home game of the season. Interestingly enough, I notice that Paul Moses, who just returned to full training earlier this week after two months on the sidelines, was just passed for the league scoring lead by Yaya Sanogo, who has gone on a crazy late season run. Moses, always among the fittest players on the club, is already match fit after only one reserves game so he’ll start today. We’ll go with mostly starters today in our final home clash and will play mostly backups in our final match on Monday against Everton.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, A. Torres, P. Secchi, Jose, M. Pedersen, R. Lopez, A. Broomes

Lee Ross is up front with Marco Esposito and Sergio Asenjo is in goal. I expect a win to close out the home schedule today!

6’ - We have a corner and Benedikt Raab goes to old faithful, Claudio Contreras at the far post. His header deflects off Paul Moses and goes in. Moses gets credit and we’re ahead early! DOVER GOAL 1-0

HALFTIME - We are ALL OVER them but again, we just can’t finish. We held 54% of possession and a whopping 16-2 (6-0 on target) shot advantage. Moses is super tired and likely won’t last much longer.

46’ - Eww. We cough up the ball in their end and Arsenal start a counter. It’s an innocent enough looking play but Lee Ross eludes Contreras and the ball eventually comes to Marco Esposito and he calmly deposits the ball into the net. ARSENAL GOAL 1-1

50’ - If this game meant anything, I’d have steam coming out of my ears, as Arsenal have a corner and it’s headed by the great Nchimunya Munyao and goes off Wilke, then the post and then dribbles across the goal line. We’re coming undone despite DOMINATING. ARSENAL GOAL 1-2

56’ - Paul Moses comes off and in comes Andy Broomes.

75’ - We’ve gone completely cold here. I pull out Salim Loucif and Arsene Bamba and bring in Rodolfo Lopez and Mads Pedersen. We move to an overload mentality and a 4-2-4 formation.

90’+3 - We’re into injury time and there are only seconds left on the clock. Asenjo has a goal kick and we head the ball back up field. The Arsenal fullback mistimes his jump and the ball is over his head. Rushing onto it is Mads Pedersen and he’s in on goal and shoots past the keeper and we pull level in dramatic fashion!! DOVER GOAL 2-2

Back to a flat 4-4-2 and control mentality for the kick off.

We’ve done that quite a bit this year!

Dover 2 - 2 Arsenal
Goals - Paul Moses (7.2), Mads Pedersen (7.3)
Assists - Claudio Contreras (7.9), Benedikt Raab (7.5)
Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras
Other Dover Notables -
Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out)

Well, we completely outclassed them, with 57% of possession and a huge 27-4 (9-2 on target) shot advantage but credit to them for taking advantage of their only two opportunities. We need to be better than that.

-- This was a make up game and the only one on the Friday schedule.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS
(ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 37 GAMES UNLESS NOTED)

1. Dover - 102 points
2. Manchester United - 80 points
3. Manchester City - 78 points
4. Liverpool - 78 points
----------------------------------------------------
5. Tottenham - 68 points
6. Chelsea - 63 points
7. Sheffield Wednesday - 57 points
----------------------------------------------------

Dover U18 Update

-- The U18’s finish off their season with a 5-0 win over Portsmouth. We get goals from Cheikh Gueye, Bakary Kone, Robert Hoffmann, Jonathan Langlet and Marcus Sowter. Sowter and Michel Benard each had two assists. The U18s finish the season 23-1-0 in U18 league play, scoring 143 goals and allowing FIVE. They also won the FA Youth Cup as well. Sensational season.

Emerson Stars

-- Forgotten young fullback Emerson, who has been on season-long loan with Recreativo, wins the Young Player of the Year award in Spain after a wonderful season there. Excellent news - he’s only 21 years old and is unquestionably still in my long-term plans.

Next Up

-- We’ll play a host of backups, as we travel to face Everton in a meaningless Premier League season finale.

NoSkillz · 03-20-2015, 08:54 PM

Sun. May 10, 2026

Barclays Premier League
Everton (10-9-18, 39 points, 16th) vs. Dover (33-3-1, 102 points, 1st)
Goodison Park, Liverpool, UK

Betting Odds: Everton: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Dover: 1-2 (Favourites)
Past Meetings: 11W 2D 4L

Everton are having one of their toughest seasons in recent memory and could drop down to 17th place with a loss and a Middlesbrough win today. Mike Hall leads the club with 13 goals and fellow striker Erik Uhrik has 8. Former Dover midfielder Graham Allan is having a horrific season with his new club, scoring only 2 goals in 31 games while playing the majority of his time at striker. Everton also has former Dover players Martin Prochazka and Daniel Traore.

We’re going with almost a full lineup of backups in our season finale. 19 year old Philippe Jung will get his first ever senior team start. I have a number of U18 players on the bench, including Ralf Kramer, Eneko Remirez, Giuseppe Forti and Michel Benard. Paul Moses is on the bench and I will bring him in during the second half in an attempt to get him the Premier League goal scoring title.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - P. Jung
D - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez
M - M. Pedersen, Jose, N. Cairney, G. Bolis
S - A. Broomes, Z. Bardi
Bench - R. Kramer, D. Hope, E. Remirez, M. Benard, P. Secchi, G. Forti, P. Moses

Graham Allan is up front with Mike Hall in Everton’s flat 4-4-2. Franco Di Capua is their keeper. Lets play well for our travelling support today.

33’ - We are getting DOMINATED here all over the pitch and Everton finally strike on a beautiful three way passing play that results in a tap in goal from Henri Atangana. EVERTON GOAL 0-1

35’ - Right off the ensuing kick off, we move back up field and it’s Rafinha feeding a ball into the middle to Neil Cairney. From just outside the area, he sends a low, accurate blast into the far corner of the goal. We immediately get back on level terms. DOVER GOAL 1-1

45’+2 - We’re in the last minute of injury time and we move up field off a Philippe Jung throw. Mads Pedersen is sent down the left flank and he sends a low cross into the area. Andy Broomes is there and he left foots it past Di Capua and in! DOVER GOAL 2-1

HALFTIME - Talk about opportunistic! We get throttled in possession, as Everton hold 57% of the ball in the first half and outshoot us 11-8 (2-5 on target) but as you can see, we are getting more from our shots and we have the one goal lead. I encourage the team to keep pressing forward.

46’ - Holy smokes! Right off the kick off to start the half, we immediately move into their end and it’s Pedersen again feeding Broomes. He cuts in from the left and Di Capua does a terrible job with his angles and it’s an easy goal for Broomes into the gaping net. Wow! DOVER GOAL 3-1

49’ - Everton come right back and it’s Mike Hall, with his back to goal, turning at the top of the area and firing a low shot past Jung to get them back to within one. EVERTON GOAL 3-2

57’ - I pull out an invisible Zoltan Bardi and bring in Paul Moses.

61’ - Moses makes an impact right away, delivering a perfect corner kick that meets the head of young Adrian Torres and it’s sent into the net. DOVER GOAL 4-2

70’ - Coming in for his last Dover appearance (most likely anyway), is Paolo Secchi, as he replaces the excellent Cairney.

73’ - Boy, our defence is deplorable today and our poor U18 keeper Jung just isn’t good enough for this level, as it’s Atangana again breaking through and easily scoring past our beleaguered keeper. EVERTON GOAL 4-3

81’ - Giuseppe Forti comes in for Gianluca Bolis. This is Forti’s senior team debut.

88’ - Off a failed corner, Jose takes a shot from distance that is headed in by Broomes for his HAT TRICK! But wait! He’s OFFSIDES! No goal.

90’+1 - Oh my. Off a giveaway, midfielder Gaucho takes a weak shot from distance and it’s in the corner of the goal past the TERRIBLE PHILIPPE JUNG. Oh, he sucks! EVERTON GOAL 4-4

Oh well - let them have their moment.

Everton 4 - 4 Dover
Goals - Andy Broomes 2 (8.8), Neil Cairney (7.5), Adrian Torres (7.2)
Assists - Mads Pedersen 2 (8.5), Rafinha (6.7), Paul Moses (6.9)
Man of the Match - Henri Atangana (Everton MR - 8.8)
Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (5.7)
Attendance - 38,308

Everton held 51% of overall possession and we edged them in shots 18-17 (11-5 on target). Everton come back from two 2-goal deficits to draw. Hamon missed a key tackle that allowed the tying goal. Our defence was rotten, Jung (6.3) was terrible and it just wasn’t a good performance, even if we played a bunch of backups. Oh well.

-- In other action, Chelsea and Man United draw 1-1, City beat Wolves 2-0, Sheffield Wednesday beat Middlesbrough 1-0, Liverpool win 3-0 over relegated Southampton and the pesky lads from Birmingham lock up a top half finish by upsetting Tottenham 1-0 on the road.

-- We earn £16,000,000 for winning the Premier League. Nice!

Next Up

-- Stats, recaps, awards, etc.

Tellistto · 03-21-2015, 12:21 PM

Nice job!

Tell

NoSkillz · 03-22-2015, 10:24 PM

2025-26 Barclays Premier League - Team Stats

-- It was a record breaking year for our squad, as our 119 goals destroys the previous league record of 107 goals, set by ourselves two years ago. Our ludicrous +91 goal differential is another record. We also set a team mark for fewest goals allowed with 28 and that’s including the four our third string goalkeeper gave up in our last game. Of course, as previously noted, our 103 points are also a Premier League record.

-- Our average attendance continues to edge up, moving to 22,652, up from last year’s average of 22,469. Once again, you have to keep in mind that our stadium only holds 23,000. We once again led the league in average attendance by capacity % (98%) and were third in stadium sellouts with 15 (Hull of all teams finished on top with 17 sellouts in 19 home matches). We are a big enough club to have a bigger stadium but my board simply won’t cooperate there.

-- Other key team stats: we were T-5th in penalty goals with only 3 (same amount as last year), 1st in goals from corners with an incredible 29 (up from 21 last year and we’ve led the league three years in a row), T-5th in goals from IFK's with 8 (down from 11 last year when we finished 1st) and we were T1st in goals from DFKs with 2 (down from 3 last year). We continue to be among the most gentlemanly clubs in the league, finishing T-13th with 52 yellow cards (up from last year’s total of 47 which was 18th) while our red card tally was ZERO for a third consecutive year, with us being the only club without a red card in the league. Very, very impressive numbers once again.

2025-26 Barclays Premier League - Player Stats

-- 23 players participated in all 38 games across the league but none of them were from our club, as we continue to rotate our squad due to cup ties and continental play. Our league “iron-man” didn’t even finish in the top 100, as Benedikt Raab played in 32 of our 38 league games.

GOALS
T1. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 27
T1. Paul Moses, Dover, 27
3. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 23
4. Chiquinho, Dover, 22
5. Hani Megahed, Reading, 21

T23. Andy Broomes, Dover, 10
T23. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 10

Moses only played in 25 league games versus Sanogo’s 37 but Sanogo is the guy who gets ultimate credit for scoring the most league goals on the record page. That’s ridiculous.

ASSISTS
1. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 30
2. Omar Hernandez, Manchester United, 20
3. Jonathan Bottone, Manchester City, 17
T4. Daniele Bentivoglio, Tottenham, 13
T4. Nicola Papaleo, Everton, 13
T4. Axel Parisot, Liverpool, 13
T4. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 13

T9. Paul Moses, Dover, 11
T14. Mads Pedersen, Dover, 9
T18. Chiquinho, Dover, 8
T23. Neil Cairney, Dover, 7
T23. Jose, Dover, 7
T33. Gianluca Bolis, Dover, 6

Raab wins the assist title for the second consecutive season and obliterates the Premier League record of 23 in the process. He’s sensational.

MAN OF MATCH AWARDS
1. Paul Moses, Dover, 10
2. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 9
3. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 8
4. Steve Pates, Sheffield Wednesday, 6
T5. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 5
SIX OTHER PLAYERS TIED FOR 5TH WITH 5

T12. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 4
T21. Andy Broomes, Dover, 3
T21. Renato Gaucho, Dover, 3
T48. Rayane Hamon, Dover, 2
T48. Mwemere Mutesa, Dover, 2
T48. Neil Cairney, Dover, 2
T48. Chiquinho, Dover, 2

AVERAGE RATING
1. Paul Moses, Dover, 7.96
2. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 7.84
3. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 7.78
4. Chiquinho, Dover, 7.57
5. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 7.51

T7. Mads Pedersen, Dover, 7.47
T9. Neil Cairney, Dover, 7.45
12. Mwemere Mutesa, Dover, 7.43
T14. Renato Gaucho, Dover, 7.41
T14. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 7.41
T17. Salim Loucif, Dover, 7.34
21. Rayane Hamon, Dover, 7.28
26. Gianluca Bolis, Dover, 7.25
T36. Jose, Dover, 7.17

Thirteen of our players make the top 36?!?! Amazing group of talent here!

NoSkillz · 03-22-2015, 10:44 PM

Barclays Premier League Awards

-- After finishing second for this award last year, our very own Benedikt Raab wins English Footballer of the Year for 2025/26!! Yaya Sanogo from United comes second and Jean Junior from Tottenham finishes third.

-- A supreme honour for Claudio Contreras, as our towering young central defender is named Players’ Player of the Year!! Omar Hernandez from United comes second and Chiquinho comes third.

-- Ahh, turns out I was wrong about the goal scoring title, as Paul Moses is officially given the award over Sanogo due to playing fewer matches.

-- The awards keep piling up, as Renato Gaucho wins the English Players’ Young Player of the Year award. Arsenal’s Pires finishes second and United’s Rogerio finishes third.

-- More awards!! Neil Cairney is awarded with the Barclays Premier League Goal of the Season for his curling strike against Sheffield United on October 4th! I think that’s our first goal of the year award in all my years managing.

-- Despite winning the Premier League title by a record amount AND winning a number of monthly managing awards, I finish second in the balloting for Manager of the Year. Malkay Mackay wins after leading Birmingham City to a very surprising 9th place finish. Well done.

-- Barclays Premier League Players' Team of the Year
GK - Manuel Perez, Manchester United
DL - Renato Gaucho, Dover
DC - Claudio Contreras, Dover
DC - Salah Abbes, Manchester City
DR - Capitao, Manchester City
ML - Daniele Bentivoglio, Tottenham
MC - Benedikt Raab, Dover
MC - Omar Hernandez, Manchester United
MR - Jonathan Bottone, Manchester City
ST - Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United
ST - Paul Moses, Dover

Four players on the best eleven!! Chiquinho makes the team as a substitute as well.

Yearly Training Summary

-- We get positive training reports for Mwemere Mutesa and Adrian Torres from our senior team. Getting positive reports from the U18s include GK Philippe Jung, DR Eneko Remirez, DC Andrew Hunter, MC Juan Jose Culebras, ST Bakary Kone and DC Francisco Lopez.

End of Season Break

-- With no games remaining, our players depart for summer vacation and will return in early July.

NoSkillz · 03-29-2015, 10:30 AM

Stadium Improvements

-- We move from the planning stage to the construction stage, as a project has begun to improve our club’s youth recruitment network. We’re currently rated “above average” but we’ve never really been able to develop a true “home grown” talent - all of our U18 stars have been brought in from other clubs.

Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Mads Pedersen gets named to the final Premier League team of the week for the 2025/26 season.

International Update

-- We have a few players taking part in the Euro U19 qualifiers. Eneko Remirez (Spain), Juan Jose Culebras (Spain) and Marcus Sowter (England - three goals) all take part.

-- Seventeen others are called up for other international friendlies.

Champions League Final

-- For the second consecutive season, French powerhouse OM is a bridesmaid, as they lose 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League finals, the team that knocked us out. Hugo Cruz scored in the 84th minute to break the 1-1 deadlock to secure Dortmund’s second Champions League title, with their first coming all the way back in 1997. Congratulations to Dortmund - they were deserved champions and got to do it in their own country, as the game took place in Stuttgart.

-- We are awarded a very tasty sum of £21,739,000 in Champions League television revenue! Love it! We pay out approximately £1.6 million to the squad as a bonus.

-- The 2027 Champions League final will take place at the Panathinaikos Arena in Athens, Greece.

-- The sensational Hugo Cruz wins the Champions League Golden Boot after scoring an incredible 17 goals in the competition and also is named as the Best Player.

-- Our very own Jose is awarded with the Champions League trophy for Best Goal for his stunner against Sevilla on April 7th.

-- Three of our players make the Champions League Dream Team for 2025/26: DL Renato Gaucho, DC Claudio Contreras and MC Benedikt Raab.

Coach Poaching

-- Once again, our staff are in high demand and our U18 manager Chris Armas signs with Real Madrid despite me offering him the money he wanted. By my recollection, this is the second year in a row that our U18 manager has been stolen from us. We immediately make a contract offer to someone suitable to take on that role.

June Update

-- As usual, the Premier League transfer window opens on June 9th but I won’t be doing anything major until our budget for the next year is set. We have a few players on the U18 team with expiring contracts but none that are part of my future plans.

Premier League Monthly Awards

— Liverpool winger Axel Parisot wins the Premier League player of the month award.

— Kevin Martin from Sheffield Wednesday picks up the last Young Player of the Month award for the season.

— Birmingham City manager Malky Mackay wins Manager of the Month for guiding his minnows into a top ten position by the end of the season.

Board Confidence Update Update

-- The board are delighted with the leadership qualities I’m demonstrating. Our stature increase is the main positive and our poor FA Cup performance is the major disappointment.

-- We made a profit of £25.83 million last month. Very nice.

NoSkillz · 04-04-2015, 11:04 AM

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

-- We had been grooming Manuel Perez to take over our starting goalkeeper position for the past three years but he was stolen from us during the preseason by rivals Manchester United. So we were forced to lean heavily on Dover veteran Ingo Wilke and as usual, he did not disappoint. He made 43 appearances, his highest total in four years and for the first time since our League 1 days, he allowed fewer goals than games played. He was excellent in his age 32 season and doesn’t look to be regressing at all. The Perez sale forced us to look for a capable backup keeper and we were able to secure the services of English international Chris Davies in a bargain deal with Reading. Davies was superb, allowing only 9 goals in his 17 appearances and he’s certainly capable of more. He took no time at all to adjust to our style of play and I’m happy to have him here. With Davies injured at the end of the year, I was able to give U18 prospect Philippe Jung a start in our final match and he didn’t fare well against Arsenal. Our goalkeeping was the biggest question mark to start the season but Wilke and Davies were both great.

D

-- This was the fifth straight year we’ve started with the same back four but age is starting to catch up to a couple of them and we’re already grooming their successors. The greatest thrill was seeing Claudio Contreras blossom into arguably the best centre half back in football - he was simply sensational, scoring 12 goals and providing stout defence on the backend. He’s a monster of a man with more than enough speed to counter the best strikers in the world and we’re lucky to have him. His contract expires at the end of next year but he is my first priority this spring - I will get him extended soon. His partner in the middle, Rayane Hamon, also played well but at 28 years old, he’s going to start slowing down soon. We moved out our main backup in the preseason (Saber Nasri) due to the emergence of Rwanda international Mwemere Mutesa and the youngster proved he was more than capable of an increased workload, scoring 7 goals and matching up very well alongside Contreras when Hamon got hurt. The 22 year old Mutesa is the future and could overtake Hamon as our main starter as early as next season. 19 year old Adrian Torres was a long-time transfer target of mine and I finally was able to secure his services in July. I only intended to play him about 10 times but he got into 17 games, proving he was more than capable of playing at this level at a tender age. He’ll continue to develop here and will be a candidate for 20 games or so next season. Francisco Lopez and Luis Miguel Garcia are U18 players with the potential to contribute in the future, while reserves DC Danny Hope made one substitute appearance, scoring in his first and only senior team game. His contract is expiring and won’t be renewed. We were incredible in the middle of our defence this year.

-- We had great bounce-back seasons from our two main fullbacks. Captain Salim Loucif will never be an offensive threat but he was very solid on the back end and had one of his better seasons here at Dover. Renato Gaucho continues to improve and also had a wonderful year, being given the great honour of being named Young Player of the Year in the Premier League. The very versatile Rafinha started the year at left midfield, as we battled injuries to our two main starters but played most of the year at left fullback and he was very strong. He’s a valuable player for us and will continue to see time all over the pitch. Our big offseason signing was right fullback Rodolfo Lopez and he was just okay - he’s still learning the language and trying to find his way in English football and I have high hopes for him once he settles in. Ralf Kramer and Eneko Remirez spent most of the year with our U18s.

M

-- After astonishing everyone last year, Benedikt Raab went back out and did even better this season, scoring 8 goals and adding an incredible 35 assists to prove once again that he is the best midfielder and perhaps, best PLAYER in the game. He can set the pace on offence, provide stifling defence and is a set-piece master. There is simply nothing he can’t do and at 24 years young, he’s destined to continue his play for years to come. Perhaps the biggest surprise this year was the re-emergence of former Wonderkid Neil Cairney, as he’d force himself into the starting lineup after piling up great performances throughout the season. It was a wonderful development! Jose took a bit of a step back, showing up out of shape to start the season and he never really got on track - he did play well late in the season but is 28 years old and only has one year left on his contract. He’ll need to show me he still is worthy of a spot on this team right out of camp this July. Emmerson Harvey once again was our fourth option and didn’t really make much of an impression - he’s got incredible potential, is an English international and just needs to take advantage of his chances. I’ll continue to watch his development closely but I’d love for the 22 year old to take hold of a starting spot - he’s 6’4” and a very commanding presence when on his game. Paolo Secchi was our fifth midfielder and as such, didn’t get many chances to show his stuff. He yearns for more first-team football, something he won’t get here so I’ll be looking to move him this summer. The incredible 16 year old Michel Benard got an assist in his senior team debut and will continue to develop with our U18s this coming year. We have incredible depth at this position.

-- Left midfield is another great strength at this club, although injuries continue to haunt normal starter Arsene Bamba. He was coming off a very poor year by his standards and did play much better this year but the injuries continue to be a major concern. Thankfully, Mads Pedersen followed up a fine debut year with a second great season, scoring 6 goals and adding 12 assists in only 24 starts. He’s among the most dynamic talents on our club and is destined to take over the main starting role perhaps as soon as this year. We shored up our right midfield position in the offseason, picking up talented Argentine Sergio De la Vega - he’s still learning the language but looks like he’ll be a fine acquisition after scoring 8 goals in only 25 starts. Incumbent Gianluca Bolis continues to flash great skill but also continues to confound with his inconsistency. He did have a very solid season overall but you’re always left wanting a bit more with the guy. That said, I resigned him to an extension and will continue to give him at least half of the starts next year. U18 star Jonathan Langlet got a few appearances early in the year when Pedersen and Bamba were hurt and showed great promise. Giuseppe Forti is another U18 player but won’t make an impact with our senior team in the future.

S

-- After an injury plagued 2025 season, Paul Moses bounced back in a big way, scoring 34 goals in as many starts to once again lead the way from the front lines. After an injury-free start to his career, he’s run into issues with calf and hip injuries in successive seasons. That all said, he seemed to regain his explosiveness this year and I expect him to continue his prolific scoring well into the future. We ran into incredible injury issues at striker but through all of that, the one constant has been Chiquinho - he’s a medical marvel at 30 years young and has only been injured THREE TIMES in his whole career. He was forced into a major role and once again showed his class, scoring 25 times, 22 of which came in league play. He is on a contract that expires next year and I worry about him losing his edge now that he’s in his 30s but it would be very hard to move a player of his stature. One reason I think about it is due to the emergence of young Manuel Lugo, who came to the club with great fanfare two years ago but struggled immensely in his first year. Then, he simply went out and dominated this year, scoring 8 goals and adding 11 assists in only 12 starts before breaking his leg early in the new year. It was a huge blow for him and for our club and I hope that the 24 year old can bounce back from that devastating injury. Andy Broomes also had major injury issues, damaging his achilles that required three months on the sidelines. He was in fine scoring form when healthy, pumping in a sensational 17 goals in only 13 starts. We saw a major regression from Zoltan Bardi this year, as he only scored 2 goals in 21 appearances (9 starts) but he’s still a valuable player with the versatility to play striker and both regular midfield and attacking midfield positions. We also have sensational youngsters like Fernando Estrada and Bakary Kone ready to make an impact soon.

RESERVE TEAM PLAYERS

-- We only had one reserve team member who didn’t make a senior team appearance and that is striker Neil Evans. The 20 year old is on an expiring contract that won’t be renewed.

LOAN PLAYERS

-- We had four players out on loan for the season. DC Adam Betts was sent to Charlton in the Championship and only played four games for their club, as they went with better options - he’s still under contract for one more year and I’d like to sell him, iff possible. Excellent fullback prospect Emerson spent the season at Recreativo and was named as the Spanish Young Player of the Year, as he put up five assists in 25 matches. I may send him back out for one more year of seasoning, as we have incredible depth right now on the right side with Loucif and Lopez. Another fine prospect is ML Felix Hernandez, who scored 4 goals and added 6 assists in 29 games for Metalist in the Ukraine. He was ever-present in their lineup when healthy but missed almost six months with knee tendonitis. He may have a place here at Dover next year. Lastly, we had striker Alberto Velazquez out on loan to Werder Bremen but he wasn’t used much, notching a single assist and no goals in 8 appearances. He’s a loan candidate or even a candidate for sale next year.

U18 PLAYERS

-- Our U18s outdid themselves this year, winning every honour imaginable and scoring an average of six goals a game, mostly due to our trio of incredible prospects up front. Bakary Kone fell one goal short of Alberto Velazquez record total of 62 but his 61 goals were scored in only 28 games. Not to be outdone, Fernando Estrada scored 60 goals of his own in only 32 matches while also scoring two goals for our senior team. Kone is a smaller forward while Estrada is 6’2” tall already and I’d say Estrada is the better prospect. We also have 18 year old Marcus Sowter, who scored 33 goals in 39 matches (19 starts) as our backup striker. Sowter will get another full year with our U18s this year and I’m guessing he’ll easily eclipse the 50 goal mark as our primary option up front. We have great prospects everywhere: Francisco Lopez and Luis Miguel Garcia are superb talents at DC, Ralf Kramer and Eneko Remirez have loads of potential at DL and DR respectively and Jonathan Langlet, Juan Jose Culebras and Michel Benard are top-notch midfielder prospects. As usual, I’ll continue to be on the lookout for the best young talent and we do have a couple of intriguing prospects due to arrive in early July.

NoSkillz · 04-12-2015, 10:53 PM

-- We have only our second ever Turnover decline, although this is solely due to the lack of a chairman investment. Otherwise, we would have been up once again. We were frugal in the transfer market, actually netting a gain due to player sales (the Manuel Perez sale to United being the big one in our favour) but spent a record amount in wages. The finances continue to be strong and once again, we are considered to be “rich”.

Contract Extension

-- We extend the contract of superstar defender Claudio Contreras, giving him a four year contract worth a total of £12,000,000 (£55,000 per week). This is still a steal - he’s only 23 years old and a four star player and will continue his incredible development for years to come.

World Cup 2026

-- Mexico looks to defend their 2022 title on home turf, as the 2026 World Cup is about to begin. We have fourteen players in the competition: Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast), Chiquinho (Belgium), Paul Moses, Emmerson Harvey and Chris Davies (England), Rayane Hamon (France), Gianluca Bolis (Italy), Neil Cairney (Scotland), Renato Gaucho (Spain), Claudio Contreras, Sergio De la Vega and Rodolfo Lopez (Argentina) and Salim Loucif (Algeria).

NoSkillz · 04-12-2015, 11:40 PM

Transfer Window Opens

-- The Premier League transfer window reopens and as usual, many of our key players look to be targets for the largest clubs in the world.

Transfer Market - Needs

-- At this point, we have no money so I won’t be conducting any major business until our budget is set. That said, I don’t have many holes in the lineup and don’t envision any large spending. We’ll continue to look for the best youngsters available.

Youth Recruitment Improved

-- Our planned expansion to our club’s youth and training facilities has been completed and our youth recruitment network is now considered “Established”, moving up from “Above Average”. Hopefully, this means we’ll finally develop our own star players here at Dover as opposed to having to buy them from others.

Transfer Window Fun

-- The first enquiry comes in for striker Andy Broomes and it’s Chelsea looking to buy him. No chance boys.

-- Former Dover loanee Gian Marco Fanfoni accepts a move to Tottenham, completing a ridiculous £29,500,000 transfer from Stuttgart. That’s insane money for the 21 year old - he was awesome for us as a 18 and 19 year old and it will be interesting watching his development with the Spurs.

-- We have a few offers trickle in for the unhappy Paolo Secchi and finally get one worth accepting from Birmingham. We’ll see if Secchi can sign a contract with them…

World Cup 2026

-- Chiquinho plays well in a losing cause for Belgium, as they drop a 1-0 decision to Uruguay.

-- Neil Cairney plays well for Scotland, as they defeat Columbia 3-0.

-- England and Ivory Coast battle to a scoreless draw. Arsene Bamba, Paul Moses and Emmerson Harvey all play in the contest.

-- Jose contributes an assist in a 6-0 whitewash of Czech Republic.

-- Sergio De la Vega, Claudio Contreras and Rodolfo Lopez all take part in Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Holland.

-- Salim Loucif captains Algeria to a 1-1 draw against the United States.

-- Rayane Hamon plays well for France in a solid 1-1 draw against Spain.

European Club Rankings

-- We move up 7 more places on the European Club rankings list, landing in the 3rd position with 153.055 coefficient points. Manchester United retain first place on the club coefficient list and Barcelona remains in second. What heady stuff for us!! Champions Dortmund move up to fourth and OM are now in fifth spot.

Transfer OUT

-- Paolo Secchi agrees to a contract with Birmingham, finishing off a £4,000,000 transfer deal with additional incentives likely. I signed Secchi on a free in 2024 from Barcelona after he showed great promise with their “B” team. He spent a full season on loan with Fiorentina in Italy, finishing second in the Italian Player of the Year voting while there but didn’t get into many games with us last year. He was never going to get many starting opportunities here and with some great youngsters in our U18 system, he was a luxury. In all, he appeared in 15 games with Dover (2 starts) and notched two assists. We wish him the best with Birmingham and hope he gets an opportunity to contribute there.

NoSkillz · 05-31-2015, 12:56 PM

European Golden Boot

-- Our very own Paul Moses wins his second European Golden Boot in three years! His 27 goals ties Man United’s Yaya Sanogo but Moses played 12 less games and wins that tie-breaker. Very cool.

Preseason Friendlies

-- We decide to head to Brazil for our traditional foreign tour, taking on Internacional and Corinthians. We also have home friendlies versus Ahlen and Schalke (both in the German Bundesliga) and Blackpool (Premier League) and away friendlies versus Burnley (Championship), AS Monaco (France Ligue 1) and Juventus (Italy Serie A). A pretty tough schedule.

World Cup 2026

-- The World Cup continues and many Dover players continue to get key assignments. Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast}, Neil Cairney (Scotland), Emmerson Harvey and Chris Davies (England), Jose (Brazil), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Claudio Contreras, Rodolfo Lopez and Sergio De la Vega (Argentina), Rayane Hamon (France) and Chiquinho (Belgium) all take part in the next round of games for their countries. Chiquinho scores two goals for Belgium while Contreras and Harvey score their first ever senior level international goals for Argentina and England respectively.

-- Of countries represented by Dover players, Belgium and Ivory Coast are eliminated after the three game Group Stage.

Contract Extension

-- Speaking of which, we are able to extend the contract of 30 year old striker Chiquinho by one year with no increase to his salary. Big bonuses were enough to lock him up until July 2028. Chiquinho is like the Energizer Bunny - he just keeps on going and going and never gets hurt either. I’m happy to have him for the additional year.

NoSkillz · 05-31-2015, 01:09 PM

Premier League Sponsorship

-- Manchester United continue to bring in the sponsorship money, netting £59 million to lead our league. The lowest earner was Southampton, who generated about £525k. We took in approximately £1.26 million.

World Cup 2026

-- Paul Moses, Chris Davies and Emmerson Harvey all feature in England’s 2-0 win over Chile, with Moses scoring in that contest. Neil Cairney also notched an assist in Scotland’s 3-1 win over South Korea.

England Season Summary

Here's a look at the BBC Sport Season Summary report on all the English leagues, with a full recap of the Premier League and just a quick look at the promotions/relegations in the other leagues.

Barclays Premier League 2025/26
Winners - Dover
Relegated - Hull, Southampton, Sheffield United
Top Goalscorer - Paul Moses, Dover - 27
Most Assists - Benedikt Raab, Dover - 30
Highest Average Rating - Paul Moses, Dover - 7.96 (25 apps)
Overachievers - Birmingham
Underperformers - Arsenal
Signing of the Season - Dover’s Sergio De la Vega (£7.0m)
Worst Signing of the Season - Reading’s Petar Zelenika (£7.75m)

npower Championship
Winners - Derby
Promoted - Derby, Watford, Blackpool
Relegated - Tranmere, MK Dons, Millwall

npower League 1
Winners - Brighton
Promoted - Brighton, Chesterfield, Swansea
Relegated - Barnet, Gillingham, Stockport, Carlisle

npower League 2
Winners - Exeter
Promoted - Exeter, Accrington, Southend, Bristol City
Relegated - Lincoln, Scunthorpe

Blue Square Bet Premier
Winners - Mansfield
Promoted - Mansfield, Stevenage
Relegated - Kingstonian, Cheltenham, Newport County, Bury

Blue Square Bet North
Winners - Bury Town
Promoted - Bury Town, Fleetwood
Relegated - Boston United, Redditch, North Ferriby

Blue Square Bet South
Winners - Ebbsfleet
Promoted - Ebbsfleet, Margate
Relegated - Chelmsford, AFC Hornchurch, Chesham

Other Winners
FA Cup - Manchester City
League Cup - Dover
Community Shield - Manchester United
Johnstone's Paint Trophy - Swansea
FA Trophy - Mansfield

Europe Qualification
Champions League Group Stage - Dover, Manchester United, Manchester City
Champions League Best Placed Playoff - Liverpool
Europa League Fourth Qualifying Round - Everton, Tottenham
Europa League Third Qualifying Round - Chelsea

02-16-2015, 05:29 PM	#651
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. December 27, 2025 Barclays Premier League Dover (16-1-0, 49 points, 1st) vs. Everton (5-5-8, 20 points, 15th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Everton: 10-1 Past Meetings: 10W 2D 4L Everton have struggled in recent years but their incredibly long stretch in the Premier League continues. They should be safe from relegation once again but at 15th on the table, they need to continue to get their wins where they can. Today is likely not one of those days! They were big spenders in July, doling out £25 million on nine players, with their biggest purchase coming from our club when they pried away Graham Allen for £7.5 million. He hasn’t delivered much, scoring once and adding one assist in 14 matches. They also have former Dover loanee Martin Prochazka but he is merely a depth player at this point. Their leading scorer is striker Mike Hall, with only five goals. We’ll go back to a strong lineup today and the only holdover from the Sunderland game is backup center half back Adrian Torres, as we give superstar Claudio Contreras a much needed break. Gianluca Bolis is back after missing two games due to injury. We are once again huge favourites today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - R. Lopez, D. Hope, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes Everton are in a flat 4-4-2 and will start Graham Allen at striker alongside Mike Hall, giving Allen a chance to hurt his former club. Smart! Franco Di Capua is their keeper. We’re overconfident today so I tell the team I expect a big win. 12’ - We steal the ball at midfield and Jose sends a GORGEOUS pass through the defence. Paul Moses gets there first and is able to right foot a shot past Di Capua into the short side for the quick goal! DOVER GOAL 1-0 17’ - We continue to press and from just outside the penalty area, Benedikt Raab touches a little back pass to Jose. From way, way out, he sends a “banana shot” that starts way wide but curves violently into the right corner of the goal! That’s freaking SENSATIONAL!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 22’ - It’s ALL DOVER, as Moses sends a pass up to Chiquinho and he does all the rest, cutting in towards goal and sending a low shot past Di Capua. That’s Chiquinho’s 10th of the year. DOVER GOAL 3-0 HALFTIME - Easily the most dominating performance of the season thus far, as we hold 67% of the ball and an outrageous 23-0 (9-0 on target) shot advantage. They simply can’t cope with us. Brilliant. Everton come out in a 4-4-2 diamond to start the second half. 49’ - We have a free kick from 30 yards and Raab sends his trademark curling rocket that hits the woodwork, then Di Capua before bouncing in. I figure it’s an own goal but Raab is given credit. Excellent! DOVER GOAL 4-0 60’ - The accelerator is pushed all the way down and Raab now passes through to Moses, who gains space with his speed and slots yet another past the beleaguered Everton keeper. That’s two for Moses and we’re up five. DOVER GOAL 5-0 Everton now fall back into a 4-1-4-1. 65’ - We pull out the excellent Benedikt Raab and Chiquinho and bring in Emmerson Harvey and Andy Broomes. 80’ - We earn a corner and Moses crosses to the near post to Mwemere Mutesa and our young DC heads it home. A rout! DOVER GOAL 6-0 Pure domination. Dover 6 - 0 Everton Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.6), Jose (8.1), Chiquinho (8.6), Benedikt Raab (), Mwemere Mutesa () Assists - Paul Moses 3, Benedikt Raab 2, Jose Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (8.3), Adrian Torres (8.1), Renato Gaucho (8.1), Gianluca Bolis (7.6), Arsene Bamba (8.5) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Simply superb, as we hold 60% of possession and outshoot them 43-2 (17-0 on target) - hard to get much better than that statistically. Paul Moses had FIVE POINTS today. This is simply the greatest stretch of play I’ve ever seen from our side, as our undefeated run extends to 22 games (!!) and we’re 20-2-0 since our last defeat, which was to Real Madrid in Champions League group play back in September. -- Sorry buddy. Everton sack their manager after their listless performance against us. -- I also get a note in my post-game press conference that this was goalkeeper Ingo Wilke’s 300th league appearance for our club. He just keeps going and going. -- In other action, Tottenham beat Birmingham 3-1, Liverpool defeat Southampton 2-0, United knock off Chelsea 2-0, Sheffield Wednesday upend Middlesbrough 1-0 and those pesky Wolves hold Man City to a 1-1 draw. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 19 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 52 points (after 18 games) 2. Manchester United - 44 points 3. Manchester City - 40 points 4. Liverpool - 37 points (after 18 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 18 games) 6. Chelsea - 31 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- We continue to roll, dominating Wycombe to the tune of 5-1. Bakary Kone and Giuseppe Forti bag braces and Jonathan Langlet notches a single along with two assists. Barclays Team of the Week -- Okay, this HAS to be a record, as we place NINE PLAYERS on the Premier League team of the week. Renato Gaucho, Claudio Contreras, Mwemere Mutesa, Salim Loucif, Mads Pedersen, Benedikt Raab, Jose, Gianluca Bolis and Paul Moses are honoured. That’s ridiculous. Dover Injury Update -- Rayane Hamon still is a couple weeks from returning to full training after his broken collarbone while Mads Pedersen will miss at least a month with his broken wrist. Next Up -- We head to London to face Arsenal in Premier League play. __________________ 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

02-16-2015, 07:30 PM	#652
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. December 31, 2025 Barclays Premier League Arsenal (8-2-7, 26 points, 9th) vs. Dover (17-1-0, 52 points, 1st) Emirates Stadium, London, England Betting Odds: Arsenal: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 7W 3D 9L Arsenal are struggling so far this season but they do have two games in hand on most of the teams in the league, with this being one of their makeup games. They spent £24.5 million on five players in the offseason, with £12 million alone spent on A.C. Milan’s DC Tomas Bajza, a 26 year old Slovakian international. He’s been ever present but underwhelming on defence so far. Lee Ross is their leading scorer with 15 goals and they are getting a great season from left midfielder Carl Cousins, who has ten goals. Nchimunya Munyao is a DC/ST who has been played mostly at defence this year. Only one change today, as Claudio Contreras is back in the lineup after we gave him the day off against Everton. Full strength squad today on the road. We are big favourites and I’ll stick with my successful control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - R. Lopez, A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes 4-2-3-1 for Arsenal today, with Lee Ross as the loan striker and Sergio Asenjo in goal. I tell the team to play well for the travelling supporters. HALFTIME - Well, it can’t be easy all the time! Arsenal DOMINATE the first half, holding 62% of the ball while also outshooting us 8-5 (3-2 on target). A very rare game where almost every highlight is for the other team. We simply didn’t show up for this game and I’m pissed. Hopefully that will wake them up. 52’ - We’re much better to start the second half and after a couple of highlights, we finally strike. Off a throw in, Chiquinho sends a ball out wide to Gianluca Bolis and he dribbles into the area and shoots low underneath Asenjo and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 1-0 67’ - Chiquinho comes off and in comes Andy Broomes. 70’ - We earn a corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is headed home by RENATO GAUCHO! That’s his first of the year! DOVER GOAL 2-0 76’ - We pull off Benedikt Raab and bring in Emmerson Harvey. We also move to a counter attacking mentality. A good second half is enough to earn us the three points. Arsenal 0 - 2 Dover Goals - Gianluca Bolis (7.8), Renato Gaucho (8.1) Assists - Benedikt Raab (7.3), Chiquinho (6.8) Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Salim Loucif (7.2), Mwemere Mutesa (7.3), Claudio Contreras (7.3), Jose (7.0) Attendance - 56,422 A much better second half sees us through but Arsenal still held 53% of possession while shots were dead even at 12-12 (5-5 on target). Always nice to see the rare goal from Renato Gaucho! -- There was only one other match on this day, another makeup game that saw Liverpool upend Aston Villa 3-2. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 19 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 55 points 2. Manchester United - 44 points 3. Manchester City - 40 points 4. Liverpool - 40 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 18 games) 6. Chelsea - 31 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points ---------------------------------------------------- -- We’ve reached the halfway point of the season and we’re on a record-setting pace in almost every category. The league record is 98 points, set back in 2020/21 by Manchester City and here we are on pace for an incredible 110 points! That won’t hold up but the record certainly is within reach. We are also well on pace to smash our record of 107 goals that was set in our Premier League winning season in 2023/24. We are currently on pace to score a ridiculous 126 goals. We’ve only given up 11 goals in 19 matches, which is way ahead of our pace from last year or any other year, for that matter. Lets look at some Barclays Premier League stat leaders: GOALS - 1. Paul Moses, Dover, 19 2. Steve Pates, Sheffield Wednesday, 14 T3. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 12 T3. Guy Luckett, Wolves, 12 T5. Chiquinho, Dover, 10 T5. Yaya Sanogo, Manchester United, 10 T7. Tom Bull, Manchester United, 9 T7. Lee Ross, Arsenal, 9 T7. Oliver Hammeri, Liverpool, 9 T7. Hani Megahed, Reading, 9 Andy Broomes is tied for 15th with 7 goals despite being a third choice player. Claudio Contreras is in the midst of a spectacular season and has 6 goals, tying him for 20th. Jose and Arsene Bamba have three goals apiece and that ties them for 49th in the league. ASSISTS - 1. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 19 2. Jonathan Bottone, Manchester City, 12 T3. Omar Hernandez, Manchester United, 10 T3. Peter Jansen, Tottenham, 10 T5. Daniele Bentivoglio, Tottenham, 8 T5. Paul Moses, Dover, 8 T5. Guy Luckett, Wolves, 8 T8. Jose, Dover, 7 Three other players tied with 7 Raab is well on pace to shatter the Premier League record for assists in a season, which is 23. Gianluca Bolis and Chiquinho have four assists, which ties them for 22nd. Mads Pedersen has three assists and that ties him for 36th. AVERAGE RATING - 1. Paul Moses, Dover, 8.05 2. Benedikt Raab, Dover, 7.87 3. Claudio Contreras, Dover, 7.81 4. Chiquinho, Dover, 7.71 5. Peter Jansen, Tottenham, 7.70 6. Steve Pates, Sheffield Wednesday, 7.67 7. Jean Junior, Tottenham, 7.57 8. Mihai Vladescu, Tottenham, 7.48 T9. Jose, Dover, 7.45 T9. Arsene Bamba, Dover, 7.45 All Dover!! Six out of the top ten!! We also have Renato Gaucho at 7.43, good for 12th, Rayane Hamon is 14th at 7.41, Salim Loucif s in 15th at 7.40 and Gianluca Bolis is in 20th at 7.35. Incredible. Ten of our eleven starters are inside the top 50 and only goalkeeper Ingo Wilke isn’t represented - he’s 74th. January Update -- The transfer window opens as we hit January 1st and I’m also asked about changing my expectations for the season. The board don’t offer me any more money for making a change so I stay with the expectation that we’ll challenge for the title. -- We have four Premier League games this month as we begin the second half of the season, with matches against Tottenham (home), Aston Villa (away), Southampton (home) and Chelsea (away). We also have an FA Cup tie against Newcastle here at home and a two-leg League Cup semi final against Hull City. So that’s seven matches this month. -- We get positive training notices for Neil Evans, Jose and Andy Broomes, along with positive notices for U18 players Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Eneko Remirez. Negative notices come in for Salim Loucif and Danny Hope. England’s Best Eleven -- Paul Moses and Emmerson Harvey are named to England’s Best Eleven for 2025. 2025 European Awards -- Hugo Cruz from Borussia Dortmund wins European Striker of the Year. Cruz also wins the FIFA Ballon d’Or award and World Player of the Year. -- Real Madrid’s Zonzamas Garrido wins European Goalkeeper of the Year. -- Abdelhalim Meddahi from Olympique Lyonnais wins European Midfielder of the Year. -- Evandro from FC Bayern wins defender of the year. -- Claudio Contreras and Benedikt Raab are named to the World Team of the Year best eleven. Cool! -- Our reserves midfielder Paolo Secchi is second place in the Italian Player of the Year vote after spending last year with Fiorentina. Interesting. He has never impressed in limited action with our club. Premier League Awards for December -- It’s a clean sweep! Paul Moses wins player of the month honours after scoring six goals in five matches. -- Mwemere Mutesa is named Young Player of the Month!! -- Jose’s stunning goal against Everton last week is the second best goal of the month. -- We played six times in December and won all six games. As a result, I win Manager of the Month once again. Coach Leaves -- Just two weeks after we ward off Arsenal’s bid to take one of our youth coaches, Sampdoria comes after him and takes him away. Paolo Tomasoni is gone and we get £525,000 in compensation fees. Now I have to find someone else. Damn. Board Confidence Update -- The board are delighted with my leadership, with our huge 6-0 win over Everton playing well in their mind but they continue to be slightly disappointed with the departure of Andrea Rocca. -- We made a profit of £38,240 last month. Ha! Next Up -- We host the very tough Tottenham Hotspurs in Premier League action to start the new year. __________________ 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

02-16-2015, 09:03 PM	#653
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. January 3, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (18-1-0, 55 points, 1st) vs. Tottenham (10-5-3, 35 points, 5th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Tottenham: 11-5 Past Meetings: 11W 4D 2L Spurs are really playing well this year and still have a game in hand as we move into the second half of the season. They are getting huge years from strikers Peter Jansen (16 goals) and Jean Junior (15 goals) and both will need to be watched closely tonight. One of their bright young stars, left midfielder Daniele Bentivoglio, will miss today’s game due to injury. Benedikt Raab is suspended for today’s game due to yellow card accumulation and we have some fatigue running through the team after a crazy stretch of games. Getting rests today are Jose, Gianluca Bolis and Arsene Bamba. Emmerson Harvey and Neil Cairney will man central midfield, Rafinha will play the left side and Sergio De la Vega will play on the right in a completely changed midfield. No changes defensively or up front. A pretty big game today! Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - Rafinha, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - R. Lopez, A. Torres, P. Secchi, Jose, A. Bamba, G. Bolis, A. Broomes Umm, wow. Tottenham start in a crazy defensive 4-2-1-2-1 formation, with two central defensive mids and only Peter Jansen up front. Nuts! Zivko Kraljevic is their keeper. Lets play well for the home supporters today. 20’ - Spurs are playing for a 0-0 tie by the looks of it and we’re having great trouble breaking them down early. Now, adding to the misery is an injury to star defender Claudio Contreras and he has the cross of doom above his head. Not good at all, especially with Rayane Hamon already on the shelf. DOVER INJURY: Claudio Contreras 26’ - Spurs SCORE on a nice passing play but they are ruled offsides. NO GOAL! It was the right call. HALFTIME - A terrible and boring first half ends with Spurs holding a 56% possession edge while we outshoot them 10-4 (5-1 on target). We did pick up a bit in the second part of that half but this is pretty uninspired. I go a bit soft and just say I’m disappointed as opposed to going full blast with anger - lets see how that works… 54’ - Sergio De la Vega dribbles down the right flank and crosses into the middle. Chiquinho is there but his shot is blocked away. However, the ball pops right to the golden boot of Paul Moses and he easily slots the ball into the empty net and we finally break through! DOVER GOAL 1-0 Spurs switch to a 4-1-2-1-2, with a very tight formation. 56’ - A long ball is sent up the left side and Moses is there first. He waits for some help and sends a pass back to Rafinha, who then sends a curling shot toward goal that deflects off a diving Kraljevic and goes IN!!! That’s Rafinha’s FIRST EVER GOAL for Dover, in this, his third season!!! WOW! DOVER GOAL 2-0 70’ - Sergio De la Vega comes off and I bring in Rodolfo Lopez. 78’ - Emmerson Harvey is hurt and needs attention but play continues. Spurs fullback Gustavo Mercado crosses into substitute Mahmoud Ashoubi and we seem shocked when he deposits the ball past Wilke and they are within one. TOTTENHAM GOAL 2-1 82’ - Harvey can continue but he’s labouring so I take him out and bring in Jose. I then switch to a counter attacking mentality. We’re fortunate to escape with the three points. Dover 2 - 1 Tottenham Goals - Paul Moses (8.1), Rafinha (7.5) Assists - Sergio De la Vega (7.1), Paul Moses Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.1) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Well, thankfully we were much better in that second half and ended up with 51% of overall possession and a 19-11 (10-4 on target) shot advantage. We’re going to be in a bit of trouble if we have to go with a central defence of Mutesa and Torres for a long period - both are just too young, especially Torres. -- And in the news I was dreading, we find out that Claudio Contreras has broken his arm and will miss 3-4 weeks. Very unfortunate, as Contreras is having a breakthrough season. Our other top central defender, Rayane Hamon is still at least two weeks from a full return so we are in big trouble at the back. I may have to utilize captain Salim Loucif in the middle, which will then allow us to give more playing time to big new signing Rodolfo Lopez. DOVER INJURY: Claudio Contreras - Broken Arm (3-4 weeks) -- In other action, Aston Villa, our next opponent, knocks off Birmingham 1-0, Huddersfield shock Man City 1-0, Liverpool beat Chelsea by the same scoreline and Manchester United beat Reading 2-0. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 20 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 58 points 2. Manchester United - 47 points 3. Liverpool - 43 points 4. Manchester City - 40 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 35 points (after 19 games) 6. Chelsea - 31 points 7. Aston Villa - 30 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Sheffield Wednesday - 28 points 9. Sunderland - 28 points 10. Arsenal - 27 points (after 19 games) 11. Huddersfield - 25 points 12. Wolves - 24 points 13. Newcastle - 23 points 14. Middlesbrough - 22 points 15. Everton - 21 points 16. Birmingham - 21 points 17. Reading - 19 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Hull - 14 points 19. Southampton - 11 points 20. Sheffield United - 6 points (after 14 games) Premier League Team of the Week -- Gianluca Bolis makes the Barclays Premier League Team of the Week. Dover Injury Update -- Rayane Hamon is about two weeks away from returning to full training after his collarbone injury while fellow DC Claudio Contreras (broken arm) and Mads Pedersen are on the long term injury list. Premier League Update -- Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0, Man City win 1-0 over Sheffield Wednesday and Reading hold Liverpool to a thrilling 3-3 draw in Tuesday action. Dover U18 Update -- The kids throttle Leeds U18’s 9-0 in the Under 18 Cup quarterfinals. Fernando Estrada scores four goals and we get singles from Domenico Fracassetti, Bakary Kone, Luis Miguel Garcia, Michel Benard and a Jason Hague own goal. Jonathan Langlet and Marcus Sowter contribute two assists. Next Up -- We head to the road to face Aston Villa in Premier League action. __________________ 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 : 02-16-2015 at 09:04 PM.

02-16-2015, 10:05 PM	#654
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. January 7, 2026 Barclays Premier League Aston Villa (8-6-6, 30 points, 7th) vs. Dover (19-1-0, 58 points, 1st) Villa Park, Birmingham, England Betting Odds: Aston Villa: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 9W 2D 6L Villa are hanging tough this year and are holding onto 7th place and possible European qualification in easily their best start in over a decade. Mohamed Messaoudi is their leading scorer with 8 goals and we’ll need to keep an eye on him today. We make a number of changes today and the only holdovers from our last game are Mwemere Mutesa and Rafinha, who is back at left fullback today. Adrian Torres gets the start alongside Mutesa, as both Rayane Hamon and Claudio Contreras are battling injuries. Paul Moses gets the night off and molten hot Andy Broomes is in. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - A. Broomes, M. Lugo Bench - S. Loucif, D. Hope, Renato Gaucho, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, Z. Bardi Flat 4-4-2 for Villa today, as they go with Christos Ntantamis up front alongside Messaoudi. Antonio Kraljevic is their keeper and he is usually dynamite against us. My assistant claims that the team is lacking motivation due to Jose captaining the squad today - hmm. I go with a rah rah speech saying the team can win today. 20’ - Not the greatest start but we strike first, as Benedikt Raab sends a ball through the defence and Manuel Lugo gets there first. He makes some space as he approaches Kraljevic and easily slots a hard shot past him for the opening goal. DOVER GOAL 1-0 27’ - We work a ball into the box and on a seemingly innocent play, a weak Andy Broomes half volley hits a Villa defender and goes in. That should be Broomes’ goal but they call it an own goal. Ticky tack scoring call but we have a two goal lead. DOVER GOAL 2-0 30’ - We have the ball again and send Lugo down the right side. He gets to the byline, turns to his stronger left foot and sends a little pass back to an oncoming Jose and he delivers a ROCKET into the top corner. Great pass from Lugo, who is really coming into his own this year and vicious shot from Jose! The crowd is NOT HAPPY, as just moments earlier, Jose took down a Villa player with studs up and I fully expected the straight red but he only got a yellow. By all rights, he shouldn’t be in this game. DOVER GOAL 3-0 HALFTIME - Superb half from a less than full strength side. We held 55% of the ball and a 17-4 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. I’m quite pleased. 63’ - We have a corner kick and Raab crosses the ball in but one of our players is taken down in the area. That’s a PENALTY! Raab calmly steps up and slots it easily into the corner of the goal! DOVER GOAL 4-0 65’ - Villa take the ball away from Gianluca Bolis and start up the pitch. They eventually send a delightful ball through to Messaoudi and he makes no mistake, putting a powerful shot past Davies and in. ASTON VILLA GOAL 4-1 70’ - I take out Jose and bring in Neil Cairney. 77’ - In comes Sergio De la Vega, taking the place of Bolis. Villa absolutely dominated the last 30 minutes but we end up with a comfortable win. Aston Villa 1 - 4 Dover Goals - Manuel Lugo (8.2), Arinze Issah OG, Jose (7.8), Benedikt Raab PEN (8.5) Assists - Andy Broomes 2 (7.9), Benedikt Raab, Manuel Lugo Man of the Match - Benedikt Raab Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.1), Rodolfo Lopez (7.1), Mwemere Mutesa (7.2), Adrian Torres (7.3), Rafinha (7.0), Arsene Bamba (7.0) Attendance - 39,911 After dominating the first half, we let Villa take over in the second and in the end, possession was dead even but we outshot them 24-7 (7-2 on target). Lugo and Broomes were great once again, as were Raab and Jose. -- In other action, Man United defeat Hull 1-0 and Spurs destroy Wolves 5-1. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 21 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 61 points 2. Manchester United - 50 points 3. Liverpool - 44 points 4. Manchester City - 43 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 38 points (after 20 games) 6. Chelsea - 34 points 7. Aston Villa - 30 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- We get another hat trick from Bakary Kone in a 4-0 win over Reading’s U18s. Nathan Protheroe scored the other goal while Fernando Estrada notched two assists. Next Up -- We begin defence of our FA Cup title with a home match against fellow Premier League side Newcastle. __________________ 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

02-16-2015, 11:05 PM	#655
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. January 11, 2026 FA Cup - 3rd Round Dover (1st in Premier League) vs. Newcastle (15th in Premier League) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England Betting Odds: Dover: 2-5 (Favourites) Draw: 11-4 Newcastle: 13-2 Past Meetings: 9W 1D 3L I won’t take these guys lightly at all, as they almost always play us tough and own a win against us just last year here at Crabble. They are coming off a pretty ugly loss to Premier League cellar dwellers Sheffield United but had three straight wins before that. Daniel Iturrieta leads the team with a paltry five goals and he’s hurt today. Their keeper is awesome though - Jak Alnwick always plays us tough. Normally I’d go with a weaker lineup in a cup match but our next game is the first leg of the League Cup semis and that will be the game I go with the weaker side. So pretty strong lineup today. Interestingly enough, we’ll go with captain Salim Loucif at DC for the first time this year due to the injuries to normal starters Contreras and Hamon. Rodolfo Lopez will get a second straight start at right fullback. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif, R. Lopez M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, Rafinha, S. De la Vega, Z. Bardi, A. Broomes Newcastle are in a defensive 4-4-1-1 formation with veteran striker Stanislas Vigneau alone up front. Alnwick is in goal. I tell the lads I expect a victory today. HALFTIME - Boy oh boy, what a lethargic performance so far. We have almost all of the possession, with a crazy 70% of the ball but don’t have a shot on target, as shots are 11-3 (0-1 on target). I once again tell the team I’m disappointed with their efforts thus far. 51’ - We finally break through, as Paul Moses heads in a Renato Gaucho shot but the goal is called back due to offsides. NO GOAL! 59’ - I’m getting impatient, as Newcastle are starting to believe they have a chance here. I pull out Chiquinho and bring in Zoltan Bardi, while also switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation. 74’ - I pull off Jose and bring in Emmerson Harvey. 81’ - Boy oh boy. Back to a 4-4-2 and we move to an overload mentality. 84’ - OH MY GOODNESS!! Stanislas Vigneau takes the ball at midfield and from about 35 yards, sends a howitzer that is perfectly placed in the far corner of the goal. OH MY GOD!! This could be the upset of the year if we’re knocked out in our first FA Cup match after winning last year!! NEWCASTLE GOAL 0-1 We go to a 4-2-4. 90’+3 - There are three minutes of added time and we are just POURING on pressure, with two goal posts but we just can’t beat this guy. We get a last gasp corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is headed toward goal by Bardi. Jak Alnwick stops it but the rebound pops out to Paul Moses and he taps it in for the incredible tying marker! DOVER GOAL 1-1 We switch back to a control mentality but the whistle blows almost right after kick off. Dover 1 - 1 Newcastle Goals - Paul Moses (7.2) Assists - Zoltan Bardi (6.8) Man of the Match - Stanislas Vigneau (Newcastle ST - 7.5) Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.2), Renato Gaucho (7.0), Benedikt Raab (7.2) Attendance - 22,343 We held 68% of the ball and outshot them 28-5 (6-2 on target) but we’re VERY lucky to get a replay out of that. Just a pathetic performance. FA Cup - 4th Round Draw -- If we’re able to get past Newcastle in the replay, we’ll face Reading away. Barclays Premier League Team of the Week -- Benedikt Raab makes the Premier League team of the week. Dover Injury Update -- We get some good news, as DC Rayane Hamon returns to full training after missing six weeks with a broken collarbone. Hopefully it won’t take too long for him to regain full fitness - I assume he was able to do cardio while he was recovering with his upper body injury. Transfer Window Fun -- I’ve had a few mediocre offers for youngsters like Adrian Torres, Jonathan Langlet and Luis Miguel Garcia but all are swiftly rejected. Then I get two monster offers for Arsene Bamba, with Real Madrid offering almost £18 million. It’s auto-rejected, of course but that is a lot of cash. We have no depth at left midfield anyway with the injury to Mads Pedersen and why would I trade a starting player when I’m trying to win the league AND the Champions League? No chance. Bamba has a minimum release clause of £37 million so they can feel free to offer that if they want! Next Up -- Yet another cup tie, as we head to The Circle to face Hull City in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals. __________________ 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

02-17-2015, 12:13 AM	#656
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. January 14, 2026 League Cup - Semi Finals First Leg Hull (18th in Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in Premier League) The Circle, Hull, England Betting Odds: Hull: 7-1 Draw: 3-1 Dover: 1-3 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 1W 0D 0L Hull are suffering in their first year back in the Premier League, six points from safety in 18th position. Funny enough, they just tried to reinforce their lineup with former Dover ML Cameron Murray, spending £3.8 million to pry him away from Burnley, where he played the last four years. If he starts today, it would be his first for his new club. Striker Gary Jeffrey is their leading scorer with 11 goals in 25 matches. We make sweeping changes after our lackadaisical performance against Newcastle on the weekend. Only Rodolfo Lopez and Mwemere Mutesa are brought back in from that game, as we go with mostly backups. U18 winger Jonathan Langlet is called up and will make his first ever senior team start for us. The hot duo of Andy Broomes and Manuel Lugo will start as well. Rayane Hamon, just back from injury, will be on the bench today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez M - J. Langlet, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega S - A. Broomes, M. Lugo Bench - Renato Gaucho, S. Loucif, R. Hamon, Jose, P. Secchi, A. Bamba, Z. Bardi Flat 4-4-2 for Hull today and they have Jeffrey up front with Martin Galik. Former Dover fullback Ross McLaughlin starts on the right side and Nicklas Johansson is their keeper. Lets put on a show for the travelling support today! 16’ - Manuel Lugo sends a lovely ball up to Andy Broomes and he works his considerable magic, driving in, cutting to the right and delivering a perfect ball into the far corner. Broomes is MONEY! DOVER GOAL 1-0 26’ - We have possession and it’s Sergio De la Vega, attempting a cross. The ball deflects off a Hull defender and right to 18 year old Jonathan Langlet and he taps the ball into the net for HIS FIRST EVER DOVER GOAL!! Wow!! Way to go kid!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 HALFTIME - Pretty solid half there, with possession dead even but we hold an 11-1 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. 71’ - We have possession and send the ball out wide to De la Vega. His cross is right into the middle of the penalty area and it’s accidentally kicked into the goal by Hull defender Stephane Brasseur. DOVER GOAL 3-0 76’ - A double substitution, as I bring in Zoltan Bardi and Paolo Secchi, taking out Manuel Lugo and Neil Cairney. 89’ - We have another corner and De la Vega’s cross is headed by Mwemere Mutesa into the corner of the net. Great header! DOVER GOAL 4-0 90’+1 - Already with a yellow card, Rodolfo Lopez fouls one of their players and is given a second yellow. Dumb, dumb, dumb. DOVER RED CARD: Rodolfo Lopez Dumb play by Lopez aside, that was an assured, professional performance from our second teamers, who continue to play at an extremely high level. Hull 0 - 4 Dover Goals - Andy Broomes (8.3), Jonathan Langlet (8.1), Stephane Brasseur OG, Mwemere Mutesa (8.4) Assists - Sergio De la Vega 2 (8.3), Manuel Lugo (7.6) Man of the Match - Mwemere Mutesa Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.2), Rodolfo Lopez (7.3), Adrian Torres (7.6), Rafinha (7.7), Neil Cairney (7.2), Emmerson Harvey (7.3) Attendance - 23,777 Hull dominated possession in that second half and ended up with 55% of overall possession but we outshot them 18-5 (8-2 on target). Great games from De la Vega and Mutesa. Next Up -- We face relegation threatened Southampton in Premier League action. __________________ 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

02-17-2015, 01:14 AM	#657
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. January 17, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (20-1-0, 61 points, 1st) vs. Southampton (2-5-14, 11 points, 19th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Southampton: 10-1 Past Meetings: 5W 2D 1L Southampton look destined for the drop after only one year back in the top flight, as they are currently 9 points from safety. Striker Mike Moss has been effective, with 9 goals but they simply can’t keep the ball out of their own net, with a league high 48 goals against. Our starters will play today but we still have Adrian Torres and Mwemere Mutesa in at DC due to injuries. Rayane Hamon is again on the bench and I want to get him about 30 minutes of action if possible today to help him regain his fitness. He’ll also start in our mid-week FA Cup replay against Newcastle. Rodolfo Lopez is out today due to suspension. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - C. Davies, Rafinha, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes Flat 4-4-2 for Southampton and they have Moss on the bench today in favour of strikers Dimitris Efthymiadis and Shyamdew Doesburg. Talk about a mouthful!!! Geoffrey Tesfaye is their keeper. I want to see a good performance from our starters today. HALFTIME - AAANDDD…our starters come out flat yet AGAIN. What a disturbing trend. It’s utter domination, as we hold 52% of possession and a 19-2 (6-0 on target) shot advantage but we’re scoreless. Chiquinho has been TERRIBLE today and missed a couple of sitters and he’s quickly going to be overtaken on my pecking order by Broomes or Lugo. I’m getting fed up with the complacency. I tell the team they are outplaying them everywhere - now go do something about it! 54’ - Still nothing. I take out Mwemere Mutesa and bring in Rayane Hamon. 62’ - We just can’t buy a goal, as Moses hit the post twice in the same sequence just a minute ago. Chiquinho comes off and in comes Andy Broomes. 77’ - Moses has just hit ANOTHER post on a rocket shot and we’re cursed but seconds later, he is sent in again and taken down just outside the area. The referee shows a STRAIGHT RED CARD and Southampton are down to ten men. SOUTHAMPTON RED CARD: Sam Jevons We immediately switch to an overload mentality. 83’ - Arsene Bamba passes up to Moses on the left side and he crosses into the area and there is that man Andy Broomes, volleying it off Tesfaye and FINALLY, we have a goal. DOVER GOAL 1-0 Back to a control mentality. Boy, it’s yet another win but our main starters are struggling. Dover 1 - 0 Southampton Goals - Andy Broomes (7.2) Assists - Paul Moses (6.8) Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho (7.6) Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.2), Adrian Torres (7.1), Benedikt Raab (7.1), Arsene Bamba (7.2) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Well, we had 57% of possession and an outrageous 40-2 (10-0 on target) shot advantage but man, we just couldn’t beat their keeper. Poor Paul Moses was snake bitten once again and hit the woodwork three times in a ten minute span alone. -- In other Premier League action, Aston Villa beat Wolves 3-0, Spurs knock off Huddersfield 2-0, Man City DESTROY Sunderland 6-1, Chelsea are shocked by Birmingham City 1-0, Liverpool and Hull draw 1-1 and Man United throttle Sheffield United 5-0. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 22 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 64 points 2. Manchester United - 53 points 3. Manchester City - 46 points 4. Liverpool - 45 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 41 points (after 21 games) 6. Chelsea - 34 points 7. Aston Villa - 33 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- Another game, another huge win. We defeat Oxford U18s 7-0, as forgotten man Marcus Sowter scores three goals and we get singles from Fernando Estrada, Luis Miguel Garcia, Domenico Fracessetti and Giuseppe Forti. Jonathan Langlet notched two assists as well. Dover Injury Update -- Mads Pedersen (Fractured wrist) and Claudio Contreras (fractured arm) are both a couple weeks away from returning to action. Next Up -- We head to St. James Park to face Newcastle in an FA Cup third round replay. __________________ 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

02-23-2015, 03:54 AM	#658
Alf Pro Starter Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Rennes, France	Just got back from vacations and happy to see things are still great in Doverland. __________________ FOFL - GML - IHOF - FranceStats

02-27-2015, 11:12 PM	#659
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Thanks Alf! We're rolling this year but I worry a bit about complacency setting in amongst our first team players. It certainly hasn't been an issue for the second team guys, who just continue to roll...as you'll see in the next post. __________________ 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

02-27-2015, 11:12 PM	#660
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. January 21, 2026 FA Cup - 3rd Round Replay Newcastle (1) vs. (1) Dover St. James’ Park, Newcastle, England Betting Odds: Newcastle: 11-5 Draw: N/A Dover: Evens (Favourites) Past Meetings: 9W 2D 3L Newcastle almost shocked the world a couple weeks back, holding us off the scoresheet until injury time in a 1-1 draw at Crabble in the FA Cup 3rd round match that now goes to a replay at St. James’ Park. This team always plays us very tight and have a great goalkeeper in Jak Alnwick. We’ll need a win or a draw with at least two goals scored to move on. A 1-1 draw will move us into extra time. This is usually a spot for our main lineup but we’re getting nothing from them in recent games so I’m really rolling the dice today, going with mostly second teamers and also playing a 4-2-3-1 formation to hopefully confuse Newcastle. Andy Broomes is alone up front with Zoltan Bardi slotted in behind. I have a number of key starters on the bench just in case I need them but we have a weekend league match against Chelsea and I hope that our second team shows up with their customary professionalism today. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez M - E. Harvey, N. Cairney AM - A. Bamba, Z. Bardi, S. De la Vega S - A. Broomes Bench - S. Loucif, Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, P. Secchi, G. Bolis, M. Lugo, P. Moses As expected, Newcastle are once again in their 4-4-1-1 formation with Stanislas Vigneau up front and Jak Alnwick in goal. Lets put on a good show here. 4’ - A bit of a nervous start, as Newcastle get two solid chances off the opening kickoff but we hold them off. We then move up the pitch down the left side with Arsene Bamba leading the charge. He lays a pass off to the touchline to the trailing Rafinha, who then sends a glorious cross into the box that meets the head of Sergio De la Vega. The ball is sent past Alnwick and IN! What a start!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 38’ - Newcastle continue to control play and earn a free kick from distance. They send everyone up and the cross is a perfect one, right to the head of Ibon, who heads it off the goalpost and in. NEWCASTLE GOAL 1-1 HALFTIME - Newcastle are completely outplaying us and seem to want this more. They held 52% of possession that half while we outshoot them 8-7 (2-4 on target). We may need a tactics change soon and a player change as well. I tell the players we only need one goal - go and get it! 48’ - We cause a turnover and move up the pitch. Andy Broomes takes it to the byline and tries to cut back toward goal but the ball is tackled away from him. It’s in the open and there is Bamba on the doorstep and he cashes in with his weaker right foot! Yes! DOVER GOAL 2-1 Newcastle move to a flat 4-4-2 and we’ll do the same. 54’ - We have a throw in down the left side and the ball comes back to Rafinha. Once again, he shows his incredible touch with a beautiful arcing ball into the area and there again is De la Vega, hitting a quick shot off the post and JUST across the line. Holy crap - De la Vega and Rafinha hook up for the second time and we have a cushion!! DOVER GOAL 3-1. 63’ - I pull out Broomes, who has a yellow card and bring in Manuel Lugo. 82’ - We continue to push forward and it’s Bamba feeding a cross into Lugo, who heads it home! He’s on FIRE. DOVER GOAL 4-1 And our second teamers continue to roll. Newcastle 1 - 4 Dover Goals - Sergio De la Vega 2 (8.8), Arsene Bamba (8.8), Manuel Lugo (7.3) Assists - Rafinha 2 (8.5), Arsene Bamba Man of the Match - Arsene Bamba Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies, Rodolfo Lopez (7.7), Rayane Hamon (7.6), Adrian Torres (7.2), Neil Cairney (7.1), Emmerson Harvey (7.0) Attendance - 35,488 We had a wonderful second half and ended up with 51% of possession and an 18-11 (9-4 on target) shot advantage. Superb - it’s so reassuring to have such great depth at the club but in a way, I wonder if we should start making some changes to our first team. De la Vega is really coming on, Bamba is seemingly back to his form from a couple years ago and Lugo is shedding the “bust” label I was ready to slap on him after a terrible first year with our club - he’s been sensational this season as a fourth choice player. -- We earn £69,000 for the win and will face Reading in the fourth round. Next Up -- A big Premier League matchup, as we head to London to face Chelsea. __________________ 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 : 02-27-2015 at 11:15 PM.

02-28-2015, 12:58 PM	#661
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. January 24, 2026 Barclays Premier League Chelsea (10-4-8, 34 points, 6th) vs. Dover (21-1-0, 64 points, 1st) Zola Stadium, London, England Betting Odds: Chelsea: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 4W 5D 8L We are monster favourites against traditional powerhouse Chelsea in their stadium, showing just how dominant we’ve been this year. Meanwhile, Chelsea have really struggled all season and are on a horrific run of form, having lost four of their last five matches, including two consecutive 1-0 losses to Birmingham (one in FA Cup play and the other in Premier League action). That’s truly brutal. They are reasonably healthy but getting no goal scoring - their leaders are Miguel Sousa and Romelu Lukaku, both of whom are tied with only 7 goals. We’re back to a full lineup today, with the only holdovers being Arsene Bamba and Rayane Hamon. We have the second leg of our League Cup semi final coming up at home in midweek and we already have a four goal lead there, so expect a full squad of backups in that game. Back to our flat 4-4-2 today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - R. Lopez, Rafinha, A. Torres, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, M. Lugo Zola Stadium is narrow and Chelsea are fittingly in a tight 4-4-2 diamond with no wide midfielders. Rafael Romo is their keeper and it’s Lukaku and Tony Nijhuis up front. Lets play well for the travelling support today. 17’ - Chelsea are ALL OVER us to begin and Miguel Sousa especially is a nuisance. We have a goal kick and the ball is headed back over our defence. Nijhuis gets there first and pops a shot past Wilke into the corner of the goal. CHELSEA GOAL 0-1 23’ - Chelsea continue to come at us in waves and it’s an inspired Nijhuis once again getting through the defence. His shot is stopped by Wilke but the rebound pops out to the dangerous Sousa and he makes no mistake. Our undefeated streak is in serious jeopardy, as our first team players once again are laying an egg. CHELSEA GOAL 0-2 HALFTIME - We came on in the last fifteen but can’t hit the net. What an embarrassing showing - Chelsea hold 52% of the ball but most importantly, are shelling us in the shot department, with a 13-9 (7-0 on target) edge over us. Zero shots on goal just won’t cut it. I question the team’s passion to win the game and storm out. 65’ - We pull off a terrible Chiquinho and bring in Manuel Lugo. 74’ - What a stinker this game is. Arsene Bamba is banged up and I pull him off in favour of Rafinha. We move to an overload system to try to get a goal. We’ve got some trouble in paradise. Our first loss in league play all season. Chelsea 2 - 0 Dover Goals - Assists - Man of the Match - Tony Nijhuis (Chelsea ST - 8.3) Other Dover Notables - Chiquinho (5.7) Attendance - 54,392 We played decently in the second half and Moses especially had some good chances but we can’t capitalize and our first-team players are definitely in a slump. Chelsea were motivated and their forward group, including AMC Sousa, are blazing fast and played great football today. Full marks to them for outplaying us. I’ll definitely be considering some changes soon to mix up this group. Simply put, they aren’t getting the job done these days. -- United beat Newcastle 1-0, Huddersfield upset Villa 3-2, Liverpool upend Sheffield United 2-1, Spurs knock off Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 and Man City crush Middlesbrough 5-0. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 23 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 64 points 2. Manchester United - 56 points 3. Manchester City - 49 points 4. Liverpool - 48 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 22 games) 6. Chelsea - 37 points 7. Aston Villa - 33 points ---------------------------------------------------- Transfer Window Fun -- The English transfer window closes in a week and it’s U18 superstar Bakary Kone that is a hot commodity, as Stuttgart, PSG and Barcelona all make increasingly attractive offers. Kone is an absolute STUD prospect and is going absolutely nowhere - he has a ludicrous 33 goals in 13 U18 or Reserves starts and is going to get a chance to make his senior team debut in our next game, as we look to shake things up a bit. Next Up -- We take a commanding four goal lead into the second leg of our League Cup semifinal against Hull City, with this match being at the comfortable confines of Crabble Athletic Ground. __________________ 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 : 02-28-2015 at 12:59 PM.

02-28-2015, 02:40 PM	#662
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Tue. January 27, 2026 League Cup - Semi Finals Second Leg Dover (4) vs. (0) Hull Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, England Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Hull: 10-1 Past Meetings: 2W 0D 0L With a huge four goal advantage heading into the second leg of our League Cup semi finals, we are huge favourites to get back into the finals. Gary Jeffrey is their danger man with 14 goals on the season. With such a big cushion, I am afforded the luxury of not only going with second teamers, but U18 players as well. Having dominant seasons with our youth squad are strikers Bakary Kone and Fernando Estrada and both will start and make their senior team debuts tonight! Kone has 33 goals in only 15 matches while Estrada is up to 41 goals in 26 matches. Just incredible. I want to see what they can do today. Two other U18 players will make their senior debuts today as well: 16 year old Michel Benard will play at MC while 18 year old, 6’ 4” defender Francisco Lopez will also make his debut at DC. Very exciting. Getting his second career start at ML is Jonahtan Langlet. I do have some veterans on the bench to help out if need be but I’m sure we’ll be fine at home with a four goal lead. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, F. Lopez, A. Torres, R. Lopez M - J. Langlet, M. Benard, P. Secchi, S. De la Vega S - B. Kone, F. Estrada Bench - R. Kramer, E. Remirez, D. Hope, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, G. Bolis, A. Broomes A couple of former Dover players suit up for Hull today. Ross McLaughlin is at DR and Cameron Murray is at left midfield. Jeffrey is up front with Martin Galik and Nicklas Johansson is in goal. With so many young players, I just wish the team luck and have a few personal chats as opposed to demanding victory. HALFTIME - Well, it was perhaps a bit ambitious to start so many young kids today, as they are overwhelmed right now. Hull is in the relegation zone but they are still a Premier League team and they are taking it to us. Still, it’s scoreless so we’re fine but I’ll likely start introducing some influence in the second half to see us through. Hull held 54% of possession and outshot us 12-7 (2-2 on target). 61’ - We bring in Andy Broomes for Bakary Kone in hopes of grabbing a goal. 73’ - Paolo Secchi is taken out and in comes Neil Cairney. 76’ - We get a ball into the area and Fernando Estrada scores but he is ruled offsides. No goal! 80’ - Hull take advantage of a giveaway and start on a break but young Francisco Lopez takes the man down from behind. That’s a straight RED CARD! We’re down to ten men. I take out Fernando Estrada, bring in reserves DC Danny Hope, who makes HIS senior team debut and move to a 4-4-1. DOVER RED CARD: Francisco Lopez 86’ - We have a corner and it’s young Michel Benard crossing into the area to the just introduced Danny Hope and he sends a powerful header into the net. A goal on his debut!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (DOVER LEAD 5-0 ON AGGREGATE) We hold them off the rest of the way. Dover 1 (5) - (0) 0 Hull Goals - Danny Hope (7.4) Assists - Michel Benard (7.2) Man of the Match - Adrian Torres (8.1) Other Dover Notables - Rodolfo Lopez (7.3), Rafinha (7.2) Attendance - 22,536 Hull ended up with 54% of overall possession while we edge them in shots 16-16 (6-5 on target). All of those kids just weren’t ready at the same time but we get a win. Nice to see Hope score on his debut - that may very well be his only game in a Dover uniform, as he’s a fifth choice player at best and even then, I’d likely look to our U18s before putting him in as a starting option. -- Michel Benard gets in the Dover record books as the youngest player ever to suit up for our club at 16 years, 175 days old. Nice - and an assist on his debut! -- Tottenham defeats Southampton in the other semifinal to set up a Spurs/Dover matchup at Wembley on March 1st. Injury Update -- Claudio Contreras returns to full training after missing about a month with a broken arm. Excellent news and none too soon! -- A couple of days later, we get Mads Pedersen back as well, as he returns from five weeks on the shelf with a broken wrist. Dover Reserves Update -- Just one day after our League Cup win, we have a reserves match. Chiquinho has been struggling and I will be holding him out of our next senior team match as well, an FA Cup tie against Reading. So I decide to play him with the reserves to see if he can get a confidence boost and he goes and scores ALL SIX GOALS (in 55 minutes of playing time) in our 6-0 win over Watford. Zoltan Bardi had three assists and U18 midfielder Nathan Protheroe was also impressive, garnering two assists. Next Up -- We head on the road to Reading, as we face our Premier League rivals in fourth round FA Cup action. __________________ 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 : 02-28-2015 at 02:41 PM.

03-01-2015, 06:49 PM	#663
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. January 31, 2026 FA Cup - Fourth Round Reading (15th in the Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in Premier League) The Madejski Stadium, Reading, England Betting Odds: Reading: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 12W 2D 3L Reading are having a poor season in the league but are gaining some ground lately, going four games without a loss and have only lost two of their last nine. Hani Megahed leads the club, as usual, with 14 goals while fellow striker Cees Duarte has 10. Beyond that, there’s nothing much there. They do have former Dover defender Kostas Zagos and midfielder Simon Woodman on the roster as well. This would normally be a “first-teamers” game but I’m making a few changes. Manuel Lugo will start up front alongside Paul Moses, as we give Chiquinho another night off. He was superb in our reserves match, scoring six goals (!!) but he’s struggled mightily lately and Lugo definitely deserves a chance the way he’s been playing lately. I’m also giving Chris Davies the start in goal. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Renato Gaucho, M. Mutesa, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, M. Lugo Bench - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, S. De la Vega, A. Broomes Reading are in a flat 4-4-2 with Duarte and Megahed up front. Zagos is at DR and Jan Obermajer is in goal. No fooling around, I expect a win today. 26’ - We are playing well in the early goings and generating lots of chances but Reading strike first, as Megahed takes a pass with his back to the goal, turns and fires from the top of the area and it’s a missile past Davies and in. Ugh. READING GOAL 0-1 HALFTIME - Boy, we just continue to struggle. Reading hold 52% of possession while we outshoot them 15-3 (2-2 on target). We just aren’t hitting the net. Moses looks terrible so far. I read the riot act in the room - I’m tired of this. 68’ - My god we can’t do anything! I pull off Manuel Lugo and Arsene Bamba and bring in Andy Broomes and Rafinha. 80’ - We move to an overload mentality. This is incredible. We are OUT of the competition and this is a legitimate slump. Reading 1 - 0 Dover Goals - Assists - Man of the Match - Jan Obermajer (Reading GK - 9.1) Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.4), Mwemere Mutesa (7.2) Attendance - 19,362 Repulsive! We are out and will not defend our FA Cup title. Reading held 51% of the ball while we outshoot them 23-5 (6-3 on target). Their keeper was man of the match and it was a much deserved honour. We are not scoring goals anymore and we need a major shakeup here - I say as much in the post game press conference and player morale takes a major hit, as expected. Dover U18 Update -- Fernando Estrada bags four goals and we get singles from fellow strikers Bakary Kone and Marcus Sowter in a 6-0 win over Brentford in U18 action. Kone also added two assists in the win. February Update -- We have four Premier League games coming up this month, with matches against Hull (away), Reading (home), Sheffield United (home) and Newcastle (away). We also begin Champions League knockout round with a final 16 match against Sampdoria in Italy. So only five matches this month - very quiet now that we’re out of the FA Cup. GRRRRR. -- We get positive reports in training for Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and U18’ers Domenico Fracassetti, Jordan Tandy and Giuseppe Forti. A negative report comes in for Mads Pedersen but I’ll go easy on him, since he was injured all month. January Awards -- Man United striker Yaya Sanogo scored five goals in four games to win player of the month honours. -- One of the fine stories of this year for us has been the play of 21 year old central defender Mwemere Mutesa and he is names as young player of the month in the Premier League. Fellow DC Adrian Torres finished second after playing a starting role most of the month. -- Jurgen Klinsmann wins Manager of the Month honours and I finish in second despite our recent struggles. Transfer News -- And here it is - for the first time, someone comes after Paul Moses and it’s bloody Jose Mourinho and Manchester City, offering £20,000,000 including incentives. I can’t reject it fast enough, of course. -- The window closes a couple days later with no further offers. Board Confidence Update -- The board are delighted with the leadership qualities I’m demonstrating. Our 6-0 win over Everton is the highlight while our disappointing exit in the FA Cup is the main negative. -- We lost £736,000 last month. Champions League Registration -- We have registration for the knockout stages of the Champions League and I add Arsene Bamba to the roster while taking out veteran striker Zoltan Bardi. Next Up -- We are back in action in the Premier League with a road matchup against Hull City. __________________ 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

03-01-2015, 08:00 PM	#664
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Tue. February 3, 2026 Barclays Premier League Hull (4-6-13, 18 points, 18th) vs. Dover (21-1-1, 64 points, 1st) The Circle, Hull, UK Betting Odds: Hull: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Dover: 1-2 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 3W 0D 0L This marks the third game in our last seven that we are facing Hull, as we just ousted them in a two-leg League Cup semifinal. They are in the relegation zone and will need to go on a great run of form to stay in the league. Gary Jeffrey continues to be their most dangerous striker. Time for a shakeup! Chiquinho is back in and I’ll give Paul Moses one more game to shake his slump. Lots of changes in midfield, as Mads Pedersen returns from injury and we also give starts to Neil Cairney and red hot Sergio De la Vega. Taking seats today are Jose, Arsene Bamba and Gianluca Bolis. On defence, Rafinha is in for Renato Gaucho and Rayane Hamon is benched for Mwemere Mutesa, who has simply played too well to take out. Claudio Contreras returns to the starting lineup after his month-long injury and Ingo Wilke is back in goal, as we make seven changes in our starting eleven. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, P. Secchi, A. Bamba, A. Broomes Hull are in a flat 4-4-2 and have Jeffrey up front with Martin Galik. Three former Dover players make their starting lineup: Ross McLaughlin at DR, Cameron Murray at ML and Bernard Dunn at MC. Lets put a good performance together for the travelling support today! 5’ - We are all over them to start and Mads Pedersen sends a ball up to midfield to Moses. The great thing about this guy is that he always seems to rise up when challenged and he shows his immense skill and speed by bursting down the field, cutting back against the grain and rocketing a shot past Nicklas Johansson for the early lead. Awesome. DOVER GOAL 1-0 26’ - Hull take over the play for 15 minutes but we strike again. Neil Cairney sends a pass to Chiquinho and on an innocent looking play, tries a left footed prayer from 25 yards. Johansson is WAY too far out of the net and the weak shot arcs over his head and IN. Chiquinho finally has his slump buster. DOVER GOAL 2-0 39’ - We score one of the craziest goals I’ve ever seen, as a Sergio De la Vega cross is intercepted by a Hull defender. From close to the goal line, he attempts a clear but it hits a charging Moses, hits the crossbar then goes off Johansson and IN. An own goal but we’ll take it. DOVER GOAL 3-0 44’ - Hull have a corner kick and the ball is long through the box and Cairney latches onto it. He dribbles the entire length of the pitch and sends in a high cross that is headed by Moses and it’s IN!!! A rare header goal from Moses, his second of the game and 100th league goal of his career! Cairney and Moses are having stormers as we lead big! DOVER GOAL 4-0 HALFTIME - The game likely isn’t as one-sided as the scoreline indicates, as possession is only in our favour by 52% to 48% but we do outshoot them 12-2 (6-1 on target). I’m very pleased! 52’ - There’s a wild sequence that sees a very agitated Hull squad start pushing us around, first with Cairney getting knocked down then on the same play, Chiquinho is pushed to the ground and finally, Paul Moses is shoved down when he would have had a breakaway. The referee doesn’t hesitate, giving a STRAIGHT RED CARD to DC Dragos Mazilu and Hull are down to ten men. HULL RED CARD: Dragos Mazilu 64’ - I take out Salim Loucif, who has a yellow card and bring in Rodolfo Lopez. 80’ - I pull off Benedikt Raab and bring in Paolo Secchi. 90’+2 - Secchi takes a pass and sends a curling rocket at goal that is pushed aside by Johansson. The rebound pops right to Mads Pedersen and he sends it into the open net. DOVER GOAL 5-0 Superb game. Hull 0 - 5 Dover Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.3), Chiquinho (8.3), Nicklas Johansson OG, Mads Pedersen (9.2) Assists - Neil Cairney 2 (8.8), Mads Pedersen, Paolo Secchi (6.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.2), Salim Loucif (7.4), Mwemere Mutesa (8.1), Claudio Contreras (8.0), Rafinha (8.0), Sergio De la Vega (7.5), Benedikt Raab (7.4) Attendance - 25,404 Hull did well considering they were down a man for the last 30 minutes and we only edged them in possession (51%) but outshot them 29-6 (12-1). Moses and Cairney especially were great today. -- In other Premier League action, Villa and Sunderland tie 1-1, City knock off Tottenham 1-0, Chelsea stay hot with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield and Man United knock off Liverpool 3-2. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 24 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 67 points 2. Manchester United - 59 points 3. Manchester City - 52 points 4. Liverpool - 48 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 23 games) 6. Chelsea - 40 points 7. Aston Villa - 34 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- Fernando Estrada scores on a penalty and Jonathan Langlet also scores in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the U18 Cup semi-final. Injury Update -- Oh crap. Andy Broomes comes up lame in training and we find out that he damaged his achilles tendon. He will miss 2-3 MONTHS. UGH! He’s our top backup and has 15 goals in only 10 starts this year (21 total matches). We still have Manuel Lugo and Zoltan Bardi as depth and are in fine shape but Broomes is a tough loss. Next Up -- We head home, looking for revenge against the club that ousted us in the FA Cup, Reading. __________________ 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

03-01-2015, 09:39 PM	#665
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. February 7, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (22-1-1, 67 points, 1st) vs. Reading (8-3-13, 27 points, 14th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 4-6 (Favourites) Draw: 9-4 Reading: 7-2 Past Meetings: 12W 2D 4L Reading just knocked us out of the FA Cup in embarrassing fashion last week and this match gives us a shot at a bit of revenge. Their under-fire manager comes out in the press and talks about stopping Paul Moses, usually a death blow to that player’s chances of playing well but I’m going to stick with our starter. The main man to watch for Reading continues to be the dangerous Hani Megahed and their keeper, Jan Obermajer, was sensational against us last week. We go with the EXACT same starting eleven as our midweek win over Hull. Why change a good thing? We do introduce Rayane Hamon and Jose back to our bench after they were in the stands last game and Manuel Lugo is on the bench for the injured Andy Broomes. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, A. Bamba, M. Lugo Reading once again have their flat 4-4-2 with Megahed and Cees Duarte up front and Obermajer in goal. Lets put these guys away and put a good show on for the fans. 7’ - We are determined to play better against Reading and start off very well, controlling play from the outset. We earn a corner and Benedikt Raab’s cross is to the near post and Chiquinho, who sends a RARE HEADER into the net! Great start! DOVER GOAL 1-0 28’ - We have another corner and Raab’s cross this time is to the far post and Claudio Contreras. Our big defender heads it back to the near side and it’s headed again by Mwemere Mutesa over to Paul Moses, who simply taps it past Obermajer for our second goal. Neat play! DOVER GOAL 2-0 40’ - An awkward sequence sees former Dover defender Kostas Zagos cross into the area. Mutesa looks to clear but it hits Megahed and ends up at his feet, allowing him to pound a close range shot off the hands of Ingo Wilke and into the net. READING GOAL 2-1 43’ - Reading are turning it on without fear and they score again but Duarte is ruled offsides. NO GOAL! HALFTIME - We’re playing well but the scoreline is a nervous one, especially seeing that both of our goals came on set pieces. We hold 56% of possession and a 16-4 (6-1 on target) shot advantage. Solid but we need one more goal to put this one away. It’s a good game and both teams have three yellows already. 58’ - And we strike yet again on a corner, as Raab’s cross is to Contreras and he sends his trademark power header past Obermajer and IN! We have a cushion! DOVER GOAL 3-1 66’ - Moses has a yellow so I bring him out and in comes Manuel Lugo. 74’ - The excellent Raab comes off and in comes Jose. Another fine performance. Dover 3 - 1 Reading Goals - Chiquinho (7.6), Paul Moses (7.5), Claudio Contreras (8.9) Assists - Benedikt Raab 2 (8.2), Claudio Contreras Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.0), Mwemere Mutesa (7.5), Rafinha (7.2), Neil Cairney (7.6) Attendance - 23,000 We deserved to win by more than two goals here, as we held 57% of possession and a huge 35-4 (10-1 on target) shot advantage. Their keeper was solid once again but a very professional performance by our lads in this one. -- In other Premier League action, City squash Everton 3-0, Liverpool beat Newcastle 2-0, Wolves hold Chelsea to a scoreless draw, Sunderland stun Spurs 3-2 and in the shock of the year, 16th placed Middlesbrough defeat second place Manchester United 2-1 to give us a bit more breathing space! BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 25 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 70 points 2. Manchester United - 59 points 3. Manchester City - 55 points 4. Liverpool - 51 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 44 points (after 24 games) 6. Chelsea - 41 points 7. Aston Villa - 34 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Sheffield Wednesday - 34 points 9. Huddersfield - 34 points 10. Sunderland - 33 points 11. Arsenal - 31 points (after 24 games) 12. Birmingham - 30 points 13. Newcastle - 29 points 14. Wolves - 28 points 15. Reading - 27 points 16. Middlesbrough - 27 points 17. Everton - 25 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Hull - 18 points 19. Southampton - 14 points 20. Sheffield United - 12 points Dover U18 Update -- The kids continue to dominate, as we get two goals from Fernando Estrada, Bakary Kone and Nathan Protheroe in a 7-0 destruction of Woking. Midfielder Jonathan Langlet had an ABSURD five assists!!! WOW! Team of the Week -- Claudio Contreras and Neil Cairney are named to the Barclays Premier League team of the week. Dover Reserves Update -- We play a pretty strong lineup and get two goals from Arsene Bamba in a 2-0 win over Chelsea’s reserves. Next Up -- We’re back at home to face league bottom feeders Sheffield United. __________________ 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

03-01-2015, 10:36 PM	#666
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. February 14, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (23-1-1, 70 points, 1st) vs. Sheffield United (3-3-19, 12 points, 20th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Sheffield United: 10-1 Past Meetings: 6W 2D 2L Sheffield United are destined for the drop, sitting a full 13 points from safety with only 13 games remaining. Their leading scorer is striker Angel Egana, with SIX goals and then they have four players with 2 goals. That’s just pathetic. This is a bad team and we should throttle them at home but we did only beat them 2-0 earlier in the year. Their manager smartly talks about Chiquinho being a key man and he’s NEVER played well when called out in the press so he’s on the bench today. Manuel Lugo will start up front with Paul Moses. We make one other change to our starting eleven, bringing in Arsene Bamba for Mads Pedersen. We have a big Champions League game in Italy in midweek and we’ll be conscious of that today if we get out to a big lead. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega S - P. Moses, M. Lugo Bench - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Lopez, P. Secchi, Jose, M. Pedersen, Chiquinho Defensive 4-2-2-2 formation from United, with two DMCs. Egana is up front with Ton Wetzel and Adrian Smith is their keeper. Lets play well for the home fans today. 5’ - Off a throw in, it’s two additions to the lineup that prove their worth, as Manuel Lugo crosses into the area and there is Arsene Bamba heading it past Smith and IN! Excellent start men! DOVER GOAL 1-0 19’ - We strike again and it’s Lugo the architect for a second time, as he sends a delightful ball up field to Paul Moses and he makes no mistake, putting it past Smith and in! DOVER GOAL 2-0 HALFTIME - We’re once again playing well, as we seem to be over our mini slump from a couple weeks ago. I’d like to be ahead by more but we’re in complete control, with 57% of the ball and a 19-4 (6-1 on target) shot advantage. 55’ - Off a throw in, we get the ball to Neil Cairney in the middle then he feeds Moses. From just outside the area, he turns and fires a low shot that is perfectly placed in the corner of the goal. That’s two for Moses today and 30 on the year! DOVER GOAL 3-0 74’ - We steal the ball at midfield and once again, it’s Cairney getting it up to Moses. That man makes a brilliant move to shake the defender, dribbles in on goal and left foots it past Smith and IN! HAT TRICK FOR MOSES!! DOVER GOAL 4-0 We bring in Rodolfo Lopez and take out a complacent Sergio De la Vega. Solid. Dover 4 - 0 Sheffield United Goals - Paul Moses 3 (9.6), Arsene Bamba (8.1) Assists - Neil Cairney 2 (9.0), Manuel Lugo 2 (8.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.7), Mwemere Mutesa (7.6), Claudio Contreras (7.6), Rafinha (7.4), Sergio De la Vega (7.0), Benedikt Raab (7.4) Attendance - 22,131 I’m just delighted with the way Neil Cairney is starting to play, as he’s earned a prolonged stretch in the first team with his fine recent performances, relegating Jose to the bench. Awesome game from Moses and Lugo up front and even defenders like Rafinha and Mwemere Mutesa are earning their spot in our main starting eleven over incumbents Renato Gaucho and Rayane Hamon. It’s an interesting time and with a Champions League match coming up this week, it will be interesting to see who I decide to start in that game. Here, we held 54% of possession and held a 30-7 (9-1 on target) shot advantage. -- In other action, Liverpool upend Middlesbrough 2-0, Everton hold Spurs to a 2-2 draw, Man United defeat Arsenal 3-0, Sheffield Wednesday shock Chelsea 2-1 and Man City beat Villa 2-0. Arsenal fire their manager after the loss, as they continue their free fall this season. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 26 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 73 points 2. Manchester United - 62 points 3. Manchester City - 58 points 4. Liverpool - 54 points ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 45 points (after 25 games) 6. Chelsea - 41 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 37 points ---------------------------------------------------- Transfer Clause Money IN -- We built in a clause that would see Evian TG FC in France pay us £500,000 if Lyubomir Kunchev played in 20 league games and Kunchev just passed that milestone. We end up having to give the team we bought Kunchev from, AS Saint-Etienne 30% of that due to a clause THEY had in our deal but that’s a nice haul for us either way. Kunchev, incidentally, is playing quite well in France, with 5 goals and 12 assists in 29 matches - good for him! Team of the Week -- Three of our players get named to the team of the week: Paul Moses, Manuel Lugo and Neil Cairney get the honour. Champions League Update -- There are some juicy match ups in the round of 16 and a shocker sees Chelsea beat Barcelona 2-0 to take a commanding lead in the second leg, which will be in Spain. Man City knock off Galatasaray 1-0 away to take command heading home. Next Up -- We’re off to Italy and are rare underdogs, as we face Sampdoria in the first knockout stage of the Champions League. __________________ 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

03-06-2015, 07:02 PM	#667
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. February 18, 2026 UEFA Champions League - First Knockout Round First Leg Sampdoria (2nd in Italian Serie A) vs. Dover (1st in Barclays Premier League) Cassano Arena, Genova, Italy Betting Odds: Sampdoria: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 11-5 Past Meetings: 0W 1D 0L In all these years, we’ve only faced Sampdoria once and that was a preseason friendly a few years back. These guys are the SEVEN TIME defending Italian champions, having won their league each year since 2019 but are six points back of Juventus on this year’s Serie A table. They’ve won the Champions League once (1992) and are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They will be a tough test for us and as such, they are favoured today in the biggest spread against us all year. Like us, they get balanced scoring and have four players with double digit goal totals, highlighted by striker Francesco Salvadori with 22 goals. He’s injured and likely won’t play tonight but they have fellow striker Yahia Traore (14 goals) and I’m guessing Thiago (11 goals) will also be up front today. A few changes for this key matchup, as Chiquinho is back in alongside Moses and Gianluca Bolis is in for De la Vega. Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and Neil Cairney will get to keep their starting slots after their fine recent play. As underdogs, we will play a counter attacking mentality for one of the few times this year and I feel that will work well on a narrow pitch here at Cassano Arena. Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, G. Bolis S - P. Moses, Chiquinho Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, M. Lugo Sampdoria are in a flat 4-4-2 with Thiago and Traore up front, as expected. Their keeper is Marcel Patzler. I tell the team this is a winnable game. 8’ - Sampdoria has a free kick and they send the ball into our area. It’s right to Darko Gusic, their fine DC and he heads the ball past Wilke and in. SAMPDORIA GOAL 0-1 44’ - We are playing just fine and have been threatening all half and finally break through. Chiquinho heads a ball up to Moses and our star dribbles through three defenders, cuts in on goal and places an accurate shot past Patzler into the far corner of the goal! DOVER GOAL 1-1 HALFTIME - We’re doing great with possession, holding a whopping 62% of the ball and outshoot them 13-11 (3-4 on target). I’d like more chances but I’m content at 1-1 and will stick with the same tactics for now. 67’ - Sampdoria are definitely the more dangerous team in the first twenty minutes of this half but we work a counter attack and send the ball up to Moses. He turns on the jets and once again cuts through the defence, dribbles into the box and sends a low hard shot past Patzler and IN. HOLY CRAP! Sensational!!! DOVER GOAL 2-1 76’ - We take out Arsene Bamba and bring in Mads Pedersen. 80’ - I bring in Manuel Lugo and take out Chiquinho, as he has a yellow card. 90’+1 - We stall a bit and bring in Rodolfo Lopez to take the place of Gianluca Bolis. Fantastic win. Sampdoria 1 - 2 Dover Goals - Paul Moses 2 (9.1) Assists - Chiquinho (7.5), Benedikt Raab (6.9) Man of the Match - Paul Moses Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.3), Salim Loucif (7.0), Neil Cairney (7.0) Attendance - 48,254 Sampdoria pressed hard that half and had much of the possession but we end up with 54% of the ball while they outshoot us 24-23 (6-5 on target). Moses continues his sensational run and we’re in great shape to move on as we head home for the second leg. Dover U18 Update -- The U18s defeat Aldershot 7-1 and we get four goals from Bakary Kone and three goals from Fernando Estrada. Ho hum! Fullback Eneko Remirez nabs two assists in the win. Premier League Update -- There are two Tuesday games this week and both end up as draws, as Chelsea and Sunderland tie 1-1 while Southampton and Man City battle to a scoreless draw. Next Up -- We stay on the road and head to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle in Premier League play. __________________ 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

03-06-2015, 08:23 PM	#668
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. February 25, 2026 Barclays Premier League Newcastle (8-5-13, 29 points, 14th) vs. Dover (24-1-1, 73 points, 1st) St. James’ Park, Newcastle, UK Betting Odds: Newcastle: 7-2 Draw: 9-4 Dover: 4-6 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 10W 2D 3L Newcastle have played us tough the last few years and we needed a replay to get past them in the FA Cup earlier this year. They are getting no goal scoring whatsoever and it’s striker Daniel Iturrieta leading the club with a paltry five goals. Stanislas Vigneau has 3. They’ve lost four of five games and are in a dour mood here! With a weekend League Cup final coming up, I’m changing the lineup a bit today and resting some key players. We’ll go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and Chiquinho will be alone up front. Zoltan Bardi slots in behind. Other new additions to the lineup include Mads Pedersen, Jose, Sergio De la Vega, Renato Gaucho, Rayane Hamon, Rodolfo Lopez and Chris Davies. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - C. Davies D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, R. Lopez M - N. Cairney, Jose AM - M. Pedersen, Z. Bardi, S. De la Vega S - Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, P. Secchi, B. Raab, A. Bamba, G. Bolis, M. Lugo Newcastle come out in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Vigneau alone up front and Vincenzo Scala sitting directly in behind. The always solid Jak Alnwick is in goal. Lets play well for the travelling support. 32’ - We are lethargic and generating very little when Newcastle hit us on the break. They have numbers and it’s the dangerous Vigneau cutting in from the left and sending a hard shot from a poor angle that deflects off Davies and goes into the goal. NEWCASTLE GOAL 0-1 HALFTIME - Oh baby. I’m once again taking these guys too lightly. I didn’t even DRESS Paul Moses today so he won’t be our saviour today. Newcastle are dominating on the ball, holding 56% of possession while we outshoot them 14-8 (7-2 on target). Once again, Jak Alnwick is superb in goal for Newcastle. We move to a flat 4-4-2 and I bring in Manuel Lugo to take the place of Zoltan Bardi, who once again is ineffective. 57’ - There is a loose ball near midfield and Lugo beats the Newcastle defender to it and heads down the field on a partial breakaway. He’s able to gain enough space to round the keeper and he has the open net to shoot at. He makes no mistake and we pull level! DOVER GOAL 1-1 73’ - Jose comes off and I bring in Benedikt Raab. 82’ - We need a goal and we take out a tired Sergio De la Vega and bring in Gianluca Bolis. 90’ - They are down to ten men due to injury so I move to a 4-2-4. Well, that sucks. Newcastle 1 - 1 Dover Goals - Manuel Lugo (8.2) Assists - Rayane Hamon (6.9) Man of the Match - Manuel Lugo Other Dover Notables - Claudio Contreras (7.1), Renato Gaucho (7.0) Attendance - 42,885 Newcastle end up with 53% of possession but we outshoot them 20-13 (11-3 on target). Very uninspired performance from everyone. We needed Moses and my decision to rest him likely cost us a couple points in the standings. -- In other action, Sheffield Wednesday can only garner a 2-2 draw versus Reading. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 27 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 74 points 2. Manchester United - 62 points (after 26 games) 3. Manchester City - 59 points 4. Liverpool - 54 points (after 26 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 45 points (after 25 games) 6. Chelsea - 42 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 38 points ---------------------------------------------------- International Update -- We have 29 (!!) players called up for international duty. Renato Gaucho gets the call from Spain as he continues to look for his first ever senior cap and getting his first ever call up from Brazil is Rafinha! Premier League Update -- With a Sunday League Cup final on our hands, we watch on Saturday as City defeat Chelsea 1-0 and Sheffield Wednesday knock off Hull 2-1. Dover U18 Update -- Our U18s are FILTHY. We DESTROY Kingstonian 12-0!!! Fernando Estrada scores SEVEN GOALS, Bakary Kone scores FOUR GOALS and Michel Benard notches a single. Juan Jose Culebras grabs two assists in the win. March Update -- We have a relatively busy March, with four Premier League games: Liverpool (away), Birmingham (away), Manchester United (home) and Middlesbrough (away). We have the League Cup final against Tottenham coming up later today at Wembley and also have the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round at home against Sampdoria. If we move on as expected, we could have one more Champions League game at the end of the month. So that’s seven possible matches. -- Mwemere Mutessa and Adrian Torres continue to train well, as do U18 youngsters Michel Benard, Jonathan Langlet and Bakary Kone. However, we get negative reports for Rafinha, Gianluca Bolis and Benedikt Raab. Not good! I talk to all three players. Premier League Monthly Awards -- Reading striker Hani Megahed wins player of the month while Neil Cairney and Claudio Contreras come in second and third place respectively. -- Sheffield United striker Ton Wetzel wins young player of the month. -- One of Paul Moses’ goals against Hull is named third best of the month. -- Jose Mourinho wins manager of the month while I come in second. Next Up -- We head to Wembley to face Tottenham in the League Cup finals, as we look to lift this trophy for the third time in four seasons. __________________ 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

03-06-2015, 10:23 PM	#669
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sun. March 1, 2026 League Cup - Final Tottenham (5th in the Premier League) vs. Dover (1st in the Premier League) Wembley, London, UK Betting Odds: Tottenham: 11-5 Draw: N/A Dover: Evens (Favourites) Past Meetings: 12W 4D 2L Tottenham continue battle for Champions League play next year and have two great strikers up front in Jean Junior (23 goals) and Peter Jansen (19 goals). They are really struggling at the moment and haven’t won in six matches. They just got eliminated in the Europa League first knockout round by Hoffenheim. We make a number of changes from the Newcastle disappointment, bringing Paul Moses and Manuel Lugo in at striker, Arsene Bamba and Benedikt Raab at midfield, Rafinha, Mwemere Mutesa and Salim Loucif in at defence and Ingo Wilke is back in goal. Flat 4-4-2 today and back to a control mentality, as we look to control the game and show why we deserve to win this competition. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega S - P. Moses, M. Lugo Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, Chiquinho Tottenham comes out in a very strange 4-2-1-2-1 formation with Jean Junior alone up front and two defensive central mids. Wild! I tell the team to bring home the title for our fans! 5’ - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Paul Moses gets hurt trying to make a tackle and needs to come out. DISASTER. Chiquinho takes his place. DOVER INJURY: Paul Moses 25’ - These guys are killing us. Now it’s Sergio De la Vega with the dreaded cross of doom. He can continue for now but we’re getting banged up here! 37’ - OH MY GOD!!!!!! Now it’s Manuel Lugo going down and HE CAN’T CONTINUE EITHER! We are FUCKED!!! Three players with the cross of doom and I’m at a loss. We’ll need to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation and I bring in Jose at MC and move Benedikt Raab up to AMC. DOVER INJURY: Manuel Lugo 44’ - We win a corner and it’s Raab crossing to the far post and it’s Claudio Contreras sending a violent header through a maze of players and it’s IN! DOVER GOAL 1-0 HALFTIME - I feel empty inside even with a lead. Lugo and Moses are hurt and we can only pray they are only out for a short period of time. Spurs are dominating possession to the tune of 59% but we outshoot them 9-5 (4-1 on target). Lets hold on. 71’ - We have a corner but Spurs clear it out of the area. Jose sends a pass back into Mwemere Mutesa, who lays one off to Raab. From a poor angle, he takes the shot and Spurs keeper Zivko Kraljevic doesn’t even move as it goes past him and in! We have a cushion!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 Tottenham move into a 4-4-2 diamond formation. We hold them off the rest of the way. Tottenham 0 - 2 Dover Goals - Claudio Contreras (8.7), Benedikt Raab (8.3) Assists - Benedikt Raab, Mwemere Mutesa (8.2) Man of the Match - Claudio Contreras Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.3) Attendance - 90,000 Spurs held 53% of overall possession but we outshot them 19-13 (6-3 on target). DOVER WIN THE 2026 LEAGUE CUP!!! -- That’s our third League Cup win in four years and we earn £103,000. The board aren’t overly impressed, saying they expected us to win the competition the whole time and now want to ensure our concentration is fully on League and Champions League play. -- And now, the injuries. Oh my. Manuel Lugo broke his leg and will miss FIVE TO SIX MONTHS. Oh my fucking goodness. He is done for the year and he was just coming into his own. DOVER INJURY: Manuel Lugo - Broken Leg (5-6 months) -- OH MY GOODNESS. Paul Moses has a hip injury and will miss TWO MONTHS. I am actually sick to my stomach right now. We are now down three strikers (Andy Broomes, Lugo and Moses) and Moses is likely done for the season as well. JUST SHOOT ME! DOVER INJURY: Paul Moses (Hip - 2 months) -- Sure, keep piling on. Sergio De la Vega also got hurt and will miss 2-3 weeks with a groin strain. We win the League Cup but at what cost?!??? DOVER INJURY: Sergio De la Vega (groin strain: 2-3 weeks). Board Confidence Update -- The board are delighted as usual due to our stature increase. The FA Cup defeat is the negative. -- We lost £2.25 million last month. Injury Update -- DEEP BREATH! Okay, we’re down three of our top four strikers and our main roster now has only Chiquinho and Zoltan Bardi up front. We decide to call up Fernando Estrada from the U18s. He has 58 goals (!!!) down there, is 18 years old but has a man’s body at 6’2” and 191 pounds. He’ll be on the bench to start but we’ll get him some playing time for sure. Bakary Kone could also see a call up at some point. Lugo is for sure done until next July or August, Broomes is out 6-8 weeks and Moses is out for two months and will be fortunate to get back before our season is over. Needless to say, we’re in a bit of a bind now. Team of the Week -- Manuel Lugo was named to the Premier League team of the week. Reserves Update -- With half our roster either away on international duty or injured, we field a weak squad against Arsenal’s reserves yet still win 4-0. Young midfielder Nathan Protheroe scores a goal and adds two assists to lead the way. Also scoring are Bakary Kone, Luis Miguel Garcia and Paolo Secchi. -- And that win locks up our seventh straight Reserves league title. International Update -- I’m delighted to see that Renato Gaucho came on as a substitute in Spain’s 4-2 win over Paraguay, giving him his first ever senior team cap! Renato Gaucho is from Brazil and just earned Spanish citizenship so this is a huge honour. -- Also gaining his first senior cap is fullback Rafinha!!! This was his first ever call-up from his native Brazil so talk about quick! Congratulations to Rafinha and Renato Gaucho!!! -- Also gaining senior team caps were Neil Cairney (Scotland), Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast), Zoltan Bardi (Hungary), Rodolfo Lopez and Claudio Contreras (Argentina), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Gianluca Bolis (Italy), Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda), Chris Davies and Emmerson Harvey (England), Jose (Brazil), Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and Chiquinho (Belgium). -- Gaining youth caps are Jonathan Langlet (France U21), Adrian Torres (Spain U21), Juan Jose Culebras (Spain U20) and Cheikh Gueye (Senegal U20). Gueye recently got the call from Senegal despite being born in France so he’s now tied to Senegal at the youth level. Next Up -- I QUIT!! Ok, kidding. Liverpool away as we try to get back on the winning track in league play despite being rare underdogs. __________________ 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 : 03-06-2015 at 10:25 PM.

03-06-2015, 11:39 PM	#670
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. March 7, 2026 Barclays Premier League Liverpool (17-6-4, 57 points, 4th) vs. Dover (24-2-1, 74 points, 1st) Liverpool Stadium, Liverpool, UK Betting Odds: Liverpool: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4 Past Meetings: 9W 4D 10L We throttled these guys 5-1 early in the season so they’ll be looking for revenge. They just got knocked out of the Europa League by Ajax but are on a sensational run of form in the league, with only one loss in their last 13 games. Strikers James Efmorfidis (18 goals) and Oliver Hammeri (15 goals) are very dangerous. They usually play with one striker up front so I’m guessing Hammeri will start. Well, injuries will test our mettle as we look to put away a league title and continue forward in the Champions League. Striker depth is now zilch, as Andy Broomes, Manuel Lugo and now Paul Moses are all out for extended periods. We’ll need to rely on Chiquinho and Zoltan Bardi for goals. Emmerson Harvey gets a rare start, as we have some tired midfielders due to international travel. Gianluca Bolis is in for the injured Sergio De la Vega. Counter attacking mentality as rare underdogs today. Fernando Estrada, our U18 sensation, is on the bench today. Dover: 4-4-2 Counter GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, E. Harvey, B. Raab, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi Bench - Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, N. Cairney, Jose, M. Pedersen, F. Estrada Tight 4-2-3-1 with three attacking mids today for Liverpool. Hammeri is alone up front and Chris Dunn is their keeper. I tell the team they can win this game. 8’ - We have no confidence right now with these injuries and Liverpool hit us right away, as great passing leads to a bullet from inside the area from Adam Hill and they are ahead. LIVERPOOL GOAL 0-1 42’ - We play a give and go between Chiquinho and Benedikt Raab and it’s Chiquinho who gets sent in on a breakaway. He’s in on goal and shoots low underneath Dunn and we pull level! DOVER GOAL 1-1 HALFTIME - There’s not much different to this lineup other than Harvey and Bardi but both of those guys are playing poorly today and we’re fortunate to be tied. Liverpool held 51% of possession and outshot us 14-11 (4-5 on target). I tell Bardi I have faith in him but I’m secretly wondering what is going on, as he’s been terrible for about a couple months now. We need his usual consistency and we’re not getting it yet. I reinforce that we can win this game. 65’ - We have a corner that is cleared away but the ball comes back to Raab down the left flank. He attempts a low cross but a Liverpool defender intercepts it. He tries to clear and it HITS CHIQUINHO AND DEFLECTS INTO THE NET!! Now that’s nuts! Two for Chiquinho and we lead!! DOVER GOAL 2-1 Flat 4-4-2 for Liverpool now that they are behind. 72’ - Time for changes, as we bring in Jose and take out Emmerson Harvey. 79’ - We earn another corner and Raab’s cross to the near post is headed weakly by Mwemere Mutesa but it gets past Dunn and we have a two goal lead!! DOVER GOAL 3-1 4-2-4 now for Liverpool. 82’ - Arsene Bamba comes off and in comes Mads Pedersen. That’s a quality victory! Liverpool 1 - 3 Dover Goals - Chiquinho 2 (8.9), Mwemere Mutesa (7.9) Assists - Benedikt Raab 2 (8.2) Man of the Match - Chiquinho Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (8.2), Salim Loucif (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.1), Rafinha (7.3), Arsene Bamba (7.0) Attendance - 59,399 Liverpool ended up with 51% of possession and outshot us 27-25 (10-11 on target). Wilke was superb and Chiquinho came through when we needed him to. Solid! -- In other Premier League play, Chelsea beat Everton 2-1, Sheffield Wednesday knock off Sheffield United 1-0, Man United win 2-0 over Wolves, Spurs beat Southampton 2-1 and Reading shock Man City 3-1. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 29 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 77 points (after 28 games) 2. Manchester United - 65 points (after 27 games) 3. Manchester City - 62 points 4. Liverpool - 57 points (after 28 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 48 points (after 26 games) 6. Chelsea - 45 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 44 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- We win 5-0 over Rochdale, with Bakary Kone scoring twice and Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Jonathan Langlet adding singles. New Dover Record! -- Veteran goalkeeper Ingo Wilke played his 308th career league match for Dover, finally breaking the record held by long-time centre half back Oliver Nicholas. Congratulations to Ingo!! Team of the Week -- Ingo Wilke, Mwemere Mutesa and Chiquinho are named to the Premier League team of the week. Next Up -- We hold a slim 2-1 lead as we reach the second leg of our Champions League first knockout round, hosting Sampdoria. __________________ 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

03-07-2015, 01:13 AM	#671
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. March 11, 2026 UEFA Champions League - First Knockout Round Second Leg Dover (2) vs. (1) Sampdoria Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Sampdoria: 13-8 Past Meetings: 1W 1D 0L Sampdoria have top striker Francesco Salvadori back from injury today and his 24 goals mean he’s dangerous. I expect him to start alongside Yahia Traore as they look to rebound from their defeat to us a week or so ago. We have a major dilemma due to our striker injuries. We only registered four strikers for this competition and left Zoltan Bardi off. With Andy Broomes, Paul Moses and Manuel Lugo all injured, that leaves only Chiquinho as an available senior player. Thankfully, I don’t have to register youth players so Fernando Estrada can suit up. That said, I’ll go with a one striker formation today and keep Estrada on the bench. The nightmare scenario is Chiquinho getting a yellow today, something that is very possible if only because of his penchant for diving. One more yellow and he’ll be suspended for a Champions League game and that would mean Estrada (or another U18 player) would have to start up front. Ugh!! Anyway, Benedikt Raab is at AMC today, Neil Cairney and Jose are in the midfield and nothing else changes. We’ll go with a control mentality as slight favourites. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - N. Cairney, Jose AM - A. Bamba, B. Raab, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho Bench - C. Davies, Renato Gaucho, R. Hamon, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, M. Pedersen, F. Estrada Flat 4-4-2 for Sampdoria and they do have Salvadori up front with Traore. Marcel Patzler is back in goal. I encourage the team to grab some more goals. 15’ - We have the ball in their end and Jose feeds Chiquinho. With his back to the goal, he turns and unleashes a howitzer and it’s past Patzler and IN! Great start! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (DOVER LEADS 3-1 ON AGGREGATE) HALFTIME - We’re in control and held 60% of possession and an 11-10 (4-4 on target) shot advantage. Lets finish this off. 57’ - I don’t even have words. Our only healthy senior team striker is Chiquinho and he’s HURT AND NEEDS TO COME OFF. This is an unmitigated DISASTER. DOVER INJURY: Chiquinho I’m forced to bring in 18 year old Fernando Estrada. 62’ - Seconds later, RAFINHA is hurt AND HAS THE CROSS OF DOOM ABOVE HIS HEAD. OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS BUGGED! In comes Renato Gaucho. DOVER INJURY: Rafinha 65’ - We take possession and Jose sends a through ball to Gianluca Bolis, who walks in and shoots high past Patzler and IN. FUCK YOU SAMPDORIA!!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 (DOVER LEAD 4-1 ON AGGREGATE) 74’ - It’s not quite over, as on a turnover, Yahia Traore is able to round Wilke and easily score. SAMPDORIA GOAL 2-1 (DOVER LEAD 4-2 ON AGGREGATE) We are able to hold them off from there and move onto the final eight! Dover 2 - 1 Sampdoria (DOVER WIN 4-2 ON AGGREGATE) Goals - Chiquinho (7.2), Gianluca Bolis (7.5) Assists - Jose 2 (7.6) Man of the Match - Marcel Patzler (Sampdoria GK - 8.0) Other Dover Notables - Mwemere Mutesa (7.4), Claudio Contreras (7.2) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Possession ended dead even but we outshot them 21-16 (9-6 on target). I’m afraid to even look at the injuries… -- We luck out. Chiquinho is banged up but ultimately has no significant injury while Rafinha has a thigh strain and will only miss a week or so. DOVER INJURY: Rafinha (thigh strain - 9-11 days) -- We are awarded £2,609,000 for playing in the first knockout round. Cool! Premier League Update -- Birmingham STUN Manchester United 3-1 in Premier League play. We play Birmingham next and they are the Cinderella story of the season and are up to 10th place in the league!! This after just getting promoted from the Championship last year. What a story!!! On the weekend, the upsets continue, as Middlesbrough knocks off Tottenham 3-1 as well. -- City beat Hull 4-0 and Chelsea knock off Tottenham a few days later 2-1, as Spurs start catching up to everyone else in games played. Also in mid-week action, Sheffield Wednesday beat Newcastle 1-0 and Liverpool upend Wolves 2-1. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 30 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 77 points (after 28 games) 2. Manchester United - 65 points (after 28 games) 3. Manchester City - 65 points 4. Liverpool - 60 points (after 29 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 48 points (after 28 games) 6. Chelsea - 48 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 47 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Sunderland - 46 points 9. Birmingham - 42 points 10. Aston Villa - 41 points (after 29 games) 11. Huddersfield - 41 points (after 29 games) 12. Newcastle - 36 points 13. Wolves - 34 points 14. Arsenal - 34 points (after 27 games) 15. Reading - 31 points 16. Middlesbrough - 31 points 17. Everton - 30 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Hull - 19 points 19. Southampton - 16 points 20. Sheffield United - 12 points Dover U18 Update -- Bakary Kone scores FIVE and we get singles from Marcus Sowter, Michel Benard and Andrew Hunter in an 8-0 whitewash of Southampton. Just in case you were wondering, the U18s are 19-1-0, with 120 goals for and FIVE GOALS AGAINST all season. HAR! Injury Update -- Sergio De la Vega returns to full training after missing a couple of weeks with a groin strain. Andy Broomes and Paul Moses are still out for over a month and Manuel Lugo is done for the season with his broken leg. Champions League Second Knockout Round Draw -- We’ve reached the final eight and joining us are Chelsea, who knocked off Barcelona 2-0 on aggregate, Atletico Madrid, who won 6-2 over HSV, Man United, who won 3-1 over Real Madrid and Sevilla, who STUNNED the defending champs Olympique Lyonnais 5-3. Also moving on are Manchester City, who beat Galatasaray 3-0, Dortmund, who beat Juventus 4-2 and OM, who knocked off Benfica 4-2. My ideal opponent would be Sevilla and that’s who we get!! They are fourth in Spain right now and likely the weakest team left in the competition. Other match ups see OM face Man United, Chelsea go up against Atletico Madrid and Dortmund battle Man City. Amazing that all four English clubs could end up advancing to the semis! Next Up -- We face red-hot Birmingham on the road in Premier League play. __________________ 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

03-09-2015, 09:43 PM	#672
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. March 21, 2026 Barclays Premier League Birmingham (12-6-12, 42 points, 9th) vs. Dover (25-2-1, 77 points, 1st) St. Andrews, Birmingham, UK Betting Odds: Birmingham: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 7W 0D 1L Birmingham is unquestionably playing the role of Cinderella in this year’s Premier League and their fantastic play is one of the great stories of the season. They are coming off a 1st place season in the Championship last year and have ridden a great run of recent form to move all the way up into 9th place on the table, easily locking up their spot in the top flight for next season. They’ve won five of their last six Premier League matches, including away wins at Arsenal AND Manchester United!!! Superb! All this and they only added five players to their roster all season, spending only £2.4 million. Their leading scorers are strikers Sosthene Ntagungira (11 goals) and Jamie Booth (10 goals) and they are also getting contributions from former Dover youngster Arron Williams, a central midfielder. We’ve had a nice ten day break since our Champions League win but have a major match coming up mid-week versus Manchester United. We’ll rest a number of players today, including Claudio Contreras and Benedikt Raab. Starting up front alongside Chiquinho is 18 year old Fernando Estrada, getting his second career start today. Adrian Torres is in at DC along with Rayane Hamon, Rodolfo Lopez starts at right fullback and Chris Davies is in goal. Renato Gaucho starts at left fullback for the injured Rafinha. Back to a flat 4-4-2 today. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, Jose, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - M. Mutesa, S. Loucif, E. Harvey, B. Raab, S. De la Vega, A. Bamba, Z. Bardi Flat 4-4-2 for Birmingham and it’s Booth and Ntagungira up front. Edwin Leferink is their keeper. HALFTIME - We are playing TERRIBLE football, generating no chances and they are definitely the better club right now. Estrada simply isn’t ready yet and you can SEE how nervous he is out there, not wanting the ball AT ALL and giving it away almost immediately after getting it. Our midfield isn’t good today either. Very disappointing. Possession is dead even yet Birmingham outshoots us 10-6 (3-0 on target). NO SHOTS ON GOAL for us. I read the riot act in the dressing room and introduce Zoltan Bardi for the second half in place of young Estrada. 73’ - We are playing much better in the second half but have nothing to show for it. We bring in the cavalry, taking out Jose and Mads Pedersen while bringing in Benedikt Raab and Arsene Bamba. 76’ - We have possession and it’s Raab and Bardi, two of our substitutes, exchanging passes. Bardi then sends a lovely ball through the defence to NEIL CAIRNEY, who rushes in from his holding midfielder position and is all alone on Leferink and makes no mistake in putting the ball past him into the corner of the goal. Beauty!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 Birmingham move to a 4-4-2 diamond. 79’ - Birmingham earn a corner and we clear. However, Adam Sinnott, a substitute himself, takes the ball and delivers an accurate blast from well out and it’s over our defence, past Davies and into the corner of the net. Oh my. BIRMINGHAM GOAL 1-1 87’ - Out of desperation, I change to a 4-2-4 formation and an overload mentality to try to get the winning goal. 90’ - We earn a corner and Raab’s cross is to the far post and there is the 6’4” Renato Gaucho, up on the play due to our overload mentality, heading it forcefully into the net for a RARE goal! DOVER GOAL 2-1 We immediately revert back to a 4-4-2 and a counter attacking mentality. Whew! Birmingham 1 - 2 Dover Goals - Neil Cairney (8.0), Renato Gaucho (8.2) Assists - Zoltan Bardi (7.1), Benedikt Raab (6.9) Man of the Match - Renato Gaucho Other Dover Notables - Rayane Hamon (7.2) Attendance - 25,728 We ended up with 52% of possession and a 15-13 (4-4 on target) shot advantage. We escape with a win when a draw was likely the just result. Poor games from Torres, Pedersen and Estrada, who all received 6.1 ratings. -- Chelsea beat Villa 2-0, City upend Sheffield United 1-0, Man United crush Sheffield Wednesday 6-0, Liverpool beat Huddersfield 2-1, Sunderland oust Newcastle 3-1 and Tottenham rout Reading 3-0 in other Premier League action. Essentially, everyone who should have won did just that. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 31 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 80 points (after 29 games) 2. Manchester United - 68 points (after 29 games) 3. Manchester City - 68 points 4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 30 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 51 points (after 29 games) 6. Chelsea - 51 points 7. Sunderland - 49 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- The kids rout Crawley 8-0 behind four more goals from Bakary Kone. We get a pair from Juan Jose Culebras and singles from Guiseppe Forti and Marcus Sowter. Michel Benard had three assists and Jonathan Langlet had two. Kone had 18 (!!) shots this game and I’ll be calling him up for our next game, returning the ineffective Fernando Estrada. International Update -- A number of African players are called up by their respective international teams, including 19 year old Bakary Kone, who is called up by Ivory Coast for the first time. Lets hope he gets his first senior team cap! Kone has been sensational for our U18s, scoring a ludicrous 56 goals in only 24 matches. Team of the Week -- Renato Gaucho is named to the Barclays Premier League team of the week. Injury Update -- Paul Moses (hip), Andy Brooms (achilles tendon) and Manuel Lugo (broken lower leg) are all on the long-term injury list. Broomes is the closest to returning and may be back in about three weeks. Moses is at least five weeks away and Lugo is out for the rest of the season and likely won’t return until late July. Next Up -- The biggest game of the Premier League season, as we host second place Manchester United at Crabble Athletic Ground. __________________ 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 : 03-09-2015 at 09:46 PM.

03-09-2015, 11:19 PM	#673
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. March 25, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (26-2-1, 80 points, 1st) vs. Manchester United (21-5-3, 68 points, 2nd) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: Evens (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Manchester United: 11-5 Past Meetings: 8W 4D 13L United are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 6-0 whitewash over a very strong Sheffield Wednesday club on Sunday. They’ve been chasing us all season and this is an extremely important game for them - if they lose, they’ll fall 15 points behind us on the table with only 8 games remaining, essentially giving us the title. They need a win today much more than we do. 33 year old striker Yaya Sanogo continues to produce at a high level, with 26 goals in 37 games. United are missing a few key players, most notably former Dover DC Cristian Rodriguez, who is suffering from a double hernia. OUCH! We’ll once again do battle with former keeper Manuel Perez. We’ll go with the strongest and hottest lineup possible today. Zoltan Bardi will be up front with Chiquinho. Arsene Bamba, Benedikt Raab, Claudio Contreras, Mwemere Mutesa, Salim Loucif and Ingo Wilke all make it back into the starting lineup. Control mentality as favourites today. A draw would be fine but lets get a win and end this thing early!! Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, B. Raab, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi Bench - R. Hamon, Rafinha, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega, P. Secchi Flat 4-4-2 for United, who have Tom Bull alongside the ageless wonder Sanogo. Perez is in goal. Lets put a great performance together for a sell-out crowd!! 9’ - This has been a CRAZY START!!! Chiquinho was yellow carded in the first minute for diving, something he does way too often for my tastes and gets away with at least two more dives in the next couple minutes, including a tackle from United defender Juan Manuel Gutierrez, who gets a yellow himself. Then, in the 9th minute, Chiquinho has a partial break and goes down in the area once again at the hands of Gutierrez, forcing the referee to point to the spot! That’s a PENALTY!! Gutierrez pleads his case to NO AVAIL and is given the RED CARD!!! MY GOD. Insane start!! MANCHESTER UNITED RED CARD: Juan Manuel Gutierrez 10’ - It’s Neil Cairney stepping up to take the penalty and he goes to the left and it’s past a diving Perez and IN!!! SENSATIONAL START! DOVER GOAL 1-0 United are forced into a change and are in a 4-3-2 formation. 14’ - United have possession and send a pass through the defence to Tom Bull, who sends a rocket into the top corner for the instant reply. BUT WAIT! It’s called offsides!! NO GOAL! The right call was made after seeing the replay. 26’ - Yaya Sanogo gives the ball away at midfield and we work back the other way. Arsene Bamba sends a little pass through to Chiquinho and he sends a quick shot that is past Perez, off the post and JUST over the goal line!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 HALFTIME - Superb!!! Things finally calmed down a bit there in the last twenty minutes but we are outplaying them all over the pitch. We hold 56% of possession and a 13-2 (5-0 on target) shot advantage. Keep it up boys!! 50’ - We have an incredible offensive sequence that sees Benedikt Raab feed a through ball to Bamba. He cuts in on goal and shoots and Perez makes the sensational diving stop! The ball gets away and Zoltan Bardi reaches it first. From the byline, he takes a look and passes back to Chiquinho, who sends a one-touch shot past Perez and it’s IN! That’s two for Chiquinho and we’re running away with this!!! DOVER GOAL 3-0 71’ - We continue to absolutely DOMINATE the proceedings and if not for Manuel Perez, we’d have six by now. We work possession and Gianluca Bolis sends a ball into Chiquinho. He’s well covered but turns and shoots and it’s through a maze of players and IN!! That’s a HAT TRICK FOR CHIQUINHO and his 100th career goal for our club! DOVER GOAL 4-0 74’ - I have substitutes ready to come on for Chiquinho and Raab but as we wait for a stoppage in play, our three goal man gets the ball and lays it off for Raab. He sends a CURLING ROCKET FROM 30 YARDS and it’s past a diving Perez and in. WHAT A SHOT!! WHAT A GAME!!! DOVER GOAL 5-0 After the goal, Chiquinho and Raab come off to standing ovations, as Paolo Secchi goes in at striker and Emmerson Harvey is in at central midfield. 87’ - Now it’s Bardi taking a pass and moving into the area. He’s about to cut to the middle and he’s taken down by Alex Ojapah. The ref hesitates but then blows the whistle. That’s ANOTHER PENALTY!!! Once again, we call on Neil Cairney and as usual, he goes left and it’s once again perfectly placed. This is AWESOME!! DOVER GOAL 6-0 United move to a 5-1-2-1 formation. HAH. I move Neil Cairney up to striker to see if we can get him a hat trick. 89’ - On a beautiful individual effort, Bernardo Duenas weaves through our defenders and sends a rocket launcher past Wilke and it’s into the net. That might be United’s first shot on goal. There goes the goose egg. MANCHESTER UNITED GOAL 6-1 90’+1 - We work quickly back up field and send a ball into the middle to Cairney, who we moved to striker to try to get a hat trick. He’s into the area and selflessly delivers a low cross to the far post and there is Arsene Bamba with the EASY tap in. This is INCREDIBLE!! DOVER GOAL 7-1 HOLY CRAP! GREATEST GAME EVER!!! Dover 7 - 1 Manchester United Goals - Chiquinho 3 (9.6), Neil Cairney 2 (9.5), Benedikt Raab (8.3), Arsene Bamba (9.3) Assists - Chiquinho 2, Zoltan Bardi 2 (9.2), Gianluca Bolis (8.4), Neil Cairney, Arsene Bamba Man of the Match - Chiquinho Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (8.0), Claudio Contreras (8.2), Renato Gaucho (8.2) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Just an absolute mind-blowing performance from our team at the most critical time, as we SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROY our biggest rivals and are now a whopping 15 points up on them on the table, all but locking away the Premier League title! We held 56% of possession and outshot them 28-5 (15-1 on target). Poor Manuel Perez was pretty good for them despite giving up seven goals. Lots of ratings in the 5’s and 4’s for United, including an awesome 3.4 rating for Luiz Carlos, their captain. Chiquinho is stepping up BIG TIME in the absence of Paul Moses, getting the rare opportunity to play our vaunted attacking forward position rather than his usual supporting role. The only starting non-keeper on our team to get a rating less than 8.0 was Mwemere Mutesa, who cruelly got a 6.5 rating and must have taken blame for the beautiful goal by Duenas. Don’t worry buddy - I am on cloud nine and I tell the players after the game that their performance was sensational, giving rare praise that is much deserved. -- There’s only one other game today and that match sees Spurs keep up their hot streak in a win over Aston Villa, 3-1. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 31 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 83 points (after 30 games) 2. Manchester United - 68 points (after 30 games) 3. Manchester City - 68 points 4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 30 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 54 points (after 30 games) 6. Chelsea - 51 points 7. Sunderland - 49 points ---------------------------------------------------- Next Up -- We head on the road to face struggling Middlesbrough in Premier League action. __________________ 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

03-11-2015, 11:06 PM	#674
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. March 28, 2026 Barclays Premier League Middlesbrough (8-7-16, 31 points, 17th) vs. Dover (27-2-1, 83 points, 1st) The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, UK Betting Odds: Middlesbrough: 9-2 Draw: 13-5 Dover: 1-2 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 11W 2D 4L Well, after a couple of solid seasons in a row where they finished 8th and 13th respectively, Middlesbrough are struggling mightily this season and are just one position above the relegation zone. The positive thing is that they are a full 12 points ahead of the 18th placed team, Southampton, so they should be safe with only 7 games remaining. 28 year old striker Roland Hoxha is coming off a 28 goal season but only has 12 thus far, yet still leads the club. We have a couple of key players away on international duty, most notably Arsene Bamba and Mwemere Mutesa. Therefore, Mads Pedersen and Rayane Hamon will slot in for them today. Rafinha is back in the lineup today after missing a couple of games due to injury and Sergio De la Vega is in for a tired Gianluca Bolis. Chris Davies will start in goal. I intend to do whatever I can to break the Premier League points record, which is currently 98, set in 2020/21 by Manchester City. We’re on pace to better that mark with eight games remaining. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - M. Pedersen, N. Cairney, B. Raab, S. De la Vega S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi Bench - Renato Gaucho, Rodolfo Lopez, A. Torres, E. Harvey, Jose, G. Bolis, P. Secchi Middlesbrough are in a unique 3-4-1-2 formation, something I’ve rarely seen at this level. We should be able to score goals against these guys. Hoxha is up front with Jonatan Adrover and it’s Acaymo Covelo in goal. HALFTIME - Well, after the madness that was our last game, we are scoreless against 17th placed Middlesbrough. We are playing fine, holding 65% of possession and an 8-2 (2-0 on target) shot advantage but we aren’t generating many great chances. I tell the team this is a winnable game - lets get a goal. Middlesbrough drop back into a 5-2-1-2 formation. 64’ - We finally break through, as a Mads Pedersen cross from the left flank is headed in by Sergio De la Vega! DOVER GOAL 1-0 69’ - Off an innocent looking throw in, the ball comes back to the right flank and to Salim Loucif. He crosses into the centre of the area and there is Chiquinho, well off the goal line, heading one violently through the defence and past Covelo! DOVER GOAL 2-0 74’ - We make a double substitution, taking out Benedikt Raab and Salim Loucif and bringing in Jose and Rodolfo Lopez. We have a Champions League match coming up in midweek and want to ensure our key players are well-rested. 82’ - We earn a corner and it’s the recently introduced Jose sending a ball to the far post and Claudio Contreras. He heads it toward goal and it’s headed again by Rayane Hamon and IN! DOVER GOAL 3-0 86’ - We pull off Chiquinho and bring in Paolo Secchi. Excellent second half! Middlesbrough 0 - 3 Dover Goals - Sergio De la Vega (8.0), Chiquinho (7.9), Rayane Hamon (8.3) Assists - Salim Loucif (8.1), Claudio Contreras (8.1), Mads Pedersen (7.7) Man of the Match - Rayane Hamon Other Dover Notables - Rafinha (7.5) Attendance - 26,796 We held 58% of overall possession and a 19-4 (9-0 on target) shot advantage, as we poured it on in the second half to prevail. -- Sunderland does us a huge favour and holds Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, moving us 17 points ahead of them in the race for the title. In fact, Man City is now up to second place and sit 15 points back but we have a game in hand on them. Essentially, we only need five more points to lock up the league, as United would have to run the table to get to 91 points and the best City can do at this point is 89 points. LOOKIN’ GOOD!! BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 32 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 86 points (after 31 games) 2. Manchester City - 71 points 3. Manchester United - 69 points (after 31 games) 4. Liverpool - 63 points (after 31 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 57 points (after 31 games) 6. Chelsea - 54 points 7. Sunderland - 50 points ---------------------------------------------------- International Update -- Not only does U18 superstar Bakary Kone get his first ever international cap for Ivory Coast, but he scores THREE GOALS ON HIS DEBUT!!! He praises me in his interview after the game, saying I’ve given him the confidence and belief in his skills. Nice kid, that Bakary!! Also gaining international caps are Salim Loucif (Algeria), Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast) and Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda). Barclays Premier League Team of the Week -- Five of our players make the Premier League team of the week: Renato Gaucho, Rayane Hamon, Claudio Contreras, Arsene Bamba and Chiquinho. Champions League Update -- Chelsea and Atletico Madrid battle to a scoreless draw in London while Dortmund SMOKE Manchester City 4-1 to take control of that matchup. April Update -- A very busy month of April as we work towards the end of the season. We have five Premier League match ups, with games against Wolves (home), Huddersfield (away), Sheffield Wednesday (home), Arsenal (home) and Sunderland (away). We also have both legs of our Champions League quarterfinal against Sevilla, with the first game coming up later today at home. If we prevail, we’ll play both of the semi final games as well this month. So that’s a whopping NINE potential games this month!! I assume that perhaps one of our league games will be rescheduled if we make it to the Champions League semis. -- We get positive training reports for young defenders Mwemere Mutesa and Adrian Torres, along with U18 players Jordan Tandy, Francisco Lopez and Fernando Estrada. Negative reports come in for Ingo Wilke and two U18 players, Ross Peake and Michel Benard. I have chats with all three of those players. Premier League Awards for March -- Our very own Chiquinho scored six goals in four matches and is named as the Barclays Premier League player of the month for March! Very cool - he’s been SUPERB since Paul Moses got hurt and this is richly deserved. -- Arsenal midfielder Dentinho wins young player of the month honours. -- And after winning all four of our Premier League matches, I’m named as Manager of the Month for the FOURTH TIME this season! Next Up -- We host Spanish club Sevilla in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. __________________ 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

03-12-2015, 06:08 PM	#675
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. April 1, 2026 UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinal First Leg Dover (1st in Barclays Premier League) vs. Sevilla (4th in Spanish Liga BBVA) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Sevilla: 7-4 Past Meetings: 1W 0D 1L We face Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and we’ve faced them in this competition before back in 2022, splitting two group stage games but outscoring them 3-1. They are fourth in Spain right now but only five points back of first placed Barcelona so they can’t be taken lightly. That said, this was likely the most ideal opponent left in the competition. They’ve only won their league once (1946!) but are three time Europa League champs, most recently in 2020. Striker Lorenzo Sion leads the club with 19 goals and we see our old friend Saber Nasri once again. He’s really struggled in his first season in Spain after we sold him to Sevilla for £6.25 million. Once again, I have to deal with zero striker depth, as only Chiquinho is healthy and eligible for the competition right now. Zoltan Bardi wasn’t registered, as Paul Moses, Andy Broomes and Manuel Lugo were all healthy back at registration time. So we will go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and Chiquinho will be alone up front. I do have Fernando Estrada available as a substitute. Dover: 4-4-2 DM (4-2-3-1) Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - N. Cairney, Jose AM - A. Bamba, B. Raab, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho Bench - Rafinha, Rodolfo Lopez, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega, F. Estrada Sion is alone up front in Sevilla’s 4-2-3-1 and Tarik Bachiri is in goal. Saber Nasri is on the bench for them today. Lets play well for our fans today! 23’ - We are playing APPALLING football and are losing every battle thus far. Sevilla sends an innocent ball through our defence and it’s one of those 50/50 balls that goalkeeper Ingo Wilke half-heartedly attacks. Lorenzo Sion beats him to it and easily puts it into the open net. Oh boy…BAD start. SEVILLA GOAL 0-1 HALFTIME - Just a pathetic performance thus far. Sevilla dominate in every facet, with 53% of possession, an 11-7 (4-2 on target) shot advantage and a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard. I question the team’s passion to win the game and storm out of the room. I move to a flat 4-4-2 and introduce young Fernando Estrada at striker, taking out Jose. 47’ - We’re in COMPLETE SHOCK, as Sevilla steal the ball, run down the right flank and cross to the middle and it’s headed home by midfielder Solomon Okoye. We are in BIG TROUBLE at home. SEVILLA GOAL 0-2 78’ - We move to an overload mentality and a 4-2-4, bringing on Rodolfo Lopez for Salim Loucif. Oh my goodness. Dover 0 - 2 Sevilla Goals - Assists - Man of the Match - Solomon Okoye (Sevilla MC - 7.8) Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Claudio Contreras (7.7) Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) We held 51% of overall possession but were outshot 14-11 (5-2 on target). Down 2-0 early in the second half, we ended up with ZERO shots on target in that half. Pathetic. I absolutely tear into our players in the room after the game. We are in BIG TROUBLE and will need a two goal win in Spain to have any chance of moving on. Not something I’d bet on, considering we will once again have no strikers other than Chiquinho, who was invisible today. That was our second home loss of the season, with the other one also a 2-0 loss in Champions League play, with that loss coming to Real Madrid back in the group stages. Next Up -- We try to get back on the winning track in league play versus the pesky Wolves. __________________ 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

03-12-2015, 10:49 PM	#676
bbgunn College Benchwarmer Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Osaka, Japan via Honolulu, Hawaii via Birmingham, Alabama	Ugh... But that will make that 3-0 win in Sevilla all the more sweeter. __________________ U of Hawaii \| U of Alabama \| Montreal Impact \| Montreal Canadiens \| West Ham \| West Indies cricket \| Portland Trail Blazers

03-13-2015, 05:24 AM	#677
Alf Pro Starter Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Rennes, France	Time for rebellion ! __________________ FOFL - GML - IHOF - FranceStats

03-13-2015, 09:26 PM	#678
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Thanks guys - we'll need a vintage performance to move on, that's for sure! We definitely have it in us but will we show up is the question! __________________ 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

03-13-2015, 09:26 PM	#679
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. April 4, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (28-2-1, 86 points, 1st) vs. Wolves (9-11-12, 38 points, 12th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 1-6 (Favourites) Draw: 5-1 Wolves: 10-1 Past Meetings: 12W 5D 1L Wolves held us to a 2-2 draw earlier in the year so I want revenge and a huge win today. They are having a decent season but I’m eager to crush them. Guy Luckett is having a huge season for them, with 23 goals in 32 matches. I completely dismantle our lineup, as most of the players are gassed from the midweek Champions League loss. I do have Chiquinho up front with Fernando Estrada - I need these two to develop instant chemistry if we’re to have any chance whatsoever in the second leg of the Champions League quarters. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - C. Davies D - Rafinha, A. Torres, R. Hamon, R. Lopez M - M. Pedersen, E. Harvey, Jose, S. De la Vega S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - Renato Gaucho, S. Loucif, B. Raab, P. Secchi, G. Bolis, Z. Bardi Flat 4-4-2 for Wolves, as they have Luckett up front with Stefano Zeno. Bas Hofstra is in goal. I demand a victory. 1’ - We respond right off the opening kickoff, taking the ball up field and seeing a Chiquinho cross from the left flank booted in by Sergio De la Vega at the 29 second mark! DOVER GOAL 1-0 33’ - Despite the lead, we are NOT playing great but we begin a counter attack. Chiquinho does very well to make some space and he’s charging toward the byline. He draws a defender and the keeper is also way over to the right so Chiquinho crosses to the middle and there is 18 year old Fernando Estrada in perfect position to tap it home!!! That’s his first ever goal for our club!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 HALFTIME - Geez. Wolves held 62% (!!) of the ball but we outshoot them 11-9 (5-2 on target). Not great but we have the lead. Great to see Estrada get a goal - we need him to be competent in our next game. I encourage the team in the dressing room. 61’ - We have a throw in near midfield and send it to Chiquinho. He works his magic from there, weaving in towards goal and curling a rocket from distance that just sneaks in off the far post and IN. Sensational effort. DOVER GOAL 3-0 63’ - Only about ten seconds after the ensuing kickoff, Wolves send a long ball up to Zeno and he splits our defence and shoots the ball past Davies and in. Ugh. WOLVES GOAL 3-1 Wolves move to a 4-3-1-2 formation. 72’ - I need to keep Chiquinho healthy so I pull him out and bring in Zoltan Bardi. 76’ - Mads Pedersen jukes up the left flank and sends a low, hard cross into the middle and there is FERNANDO ESTRADA, smoking the ball into the back of the net. Estrada has TWO!! DOVER GOAL 4-1 We immediately take out Rayane Hamon and Jose and bring in Salim Loucif and Paolo Secchi. Very nice. Dover 4 - 1 Wolves Goals - Fernando Estrada 2 (8.9), Sergio De la Vega (8.0), Chiquinho (8.8) Assists - Chiquinho 2, Mads Pedersen 2 (9.0) Man of the Match - Mads Pedersen Other Dover Notables - Chris Davies (7.1), Rodolfo Lopez (7.2), Rayane Hamon (7.1), Adrian Torres (7.0), Rafinha (7.2), Jose (7.0), Emmerson Harvey (7.3) Attendance - 22,057 A MUCH better second half, as possession would end up dead even for the game and we outshoot them 26-14 (12-7 on target). Very encouraging games from Chiquinho and young Estrada, who will need to play exceptionally well under intense pressure in Spain if we’re to have any chance at survival in the Champions League. -- In other Premier League action, United win over City 2-0 in the Manchester derby and that result means we only need ONE MORE POINT to lock up the league title! Woo! Elsewhere, Liverpool beat Sunderland 3-0, Spurs knock off Sheffield United 2-0 and Chelsea defeat Middlesbrough 3-1. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 33 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 89 points (after 32 games) 2. Manchester United - 72 points (after 32 games) 3. Manchester City - 71 points 4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 32 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 60 points (after 32 games) 6. Chelsea - 57 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 50 points ---------------------------------------------------- Barclays Premier League Team of the Week -- Sergio De la Vega, Mads Pedersen, Fernando Estrada and Chiquinho are all named to the Premier League team of the week. What an honour for 18 year old Estrada!! Dover Injury Update -- A wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel but maybe too little, too late. Andy Broomes is nearing a return after missing a couple months with a damaged achilles tendon but if we lose our Champions League match later tonight, we’ll essentially have nothing to play for. Paul Moses could be back by the end of the month while Manuel Lugo is out until July or August. Next Up -- We’re off to Spain and head into this crucial second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Sevilla two goals down. Needless to say, we need a superlative performance to move on. __________________ 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

03-13-2015, 11:06 PM	#680
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Tue. April 7, 2026 UEFA Champions League - Quarter Final Second Leg Sevilla (2) vs. (0) Dover Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla, Spain Betting Odds: Sevilla: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dover: 7-4 Past Meetings: 1W 0D 2L Well, just one week after our embarrassing 2-0 home loss to Sevilla, here we are in desperation mode, needing to win by two goals to at least have a chance of moving on. Sevilla do have a few key injuries on defence but Lorenzo Sion and his 20 goals will be in the lineup today. We need an influential lineup to navigate these choppy waters so I go with my veterans today, with the notable exception being 18 year old striker Fernando Estrada, who needs to start due to all of our striker injuries. I contemplate going with a counter attacking mentality to start but we’re down two goals and need to have a positive game plan if we’re to move on. So we’ll stick with a control mentality. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, S. De la Vega Sion is alone up front in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Tarik Bachiri is their keeper who we barely tested in the last game. No beating around the bush here - I expect a win today. 18’ - We are RESPONDING!!! A great start with lots of action in their end and we finally break through, as Chiquinho dribbles through their side of half, cuts to the middle and feeds a great ball through to Gianluca Bolis, who immediately shoots hard and low and it’s past Bachiri and IN!! That’s Bolis’ SIXTH GOAL in Champions League play this year, a crazy total for a right midfielder!! DOVER GOAL 1-0 (1-2 ON AGGREGATE) 39’ - We have a free kick from just outside the area but Benedikt Raab’s shot is hit into the wall and bounces out. He chases it down and feeds Jose, who decides to shoot from WAY OUT and it’s a CURLING ROCKET that bends past Bachiri and is IN THE NET!! OH MY GOD WHAT A SHOT!!! WE PULL LEVEL!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 (2-2 ON AGGREGATE) HALFTIME - A SENSATIONAL first half for us, as we level the score, hold 52% of possession and a 13-8 (5-3 on target) shot advantage. Superb. I tell the team that one more goal will be enough for the victory they deserve!! Lets do it boys!! 49’ - We win possession and it’s young Fernando Estrada sending in a RIDICULOUS pass to Chiquinho, who is barely onside but he’s through the defence and pounds a shot that is past Bachiri and IN. HOLY CRAP!!!! DOVER GOAL 3-0 (3-2 ON AGGREGATE) I don’t hesitate moving into a counter attacking mentality now that we have the lead. I can even give up a goal here but should move on due to away goals. Sevilla move to a flat 4-4-2. 57’ - There is CRAZY ACTION in both directions, as Sevilla are really sending everyone forward and that’s given them one great chance that we were lucky to stop but also has opened up great counter attacking options for us, one of which saw Bachiri ROB Chiquinho. We earn a free kick from just outside the box and there is Raab, delivering an accurate touch shot that clears the wall and curls into the corner past a stunned Bachiri as we KEEP POURING IT ON!!! DOVER GOAL 4-0 (4-2 ON AGGREGATE) 67’ - Jose is banged up so I pull him off and bring in Neil Cairney. 80’ - Gianluca Bolis has a yellow card so no need to take any chances. I pull him out and bring in Sergio De la Vega. One of the great victories of my career!! Sevilla 0 - 4 Dover (DOVER WIN 4-2 ON AGGREGATE) Goals - Gianluca Bolis (8.2), Jose (8.3), Chiquinho (9.3), Benedikt Raab (8.9) Assists - Chiquinho 2, Benedikt Raab, Fernando Estrada (7.7) Man of the Match - Chiquinho Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.1), Salim Loucif (7.7), Rayane Hamon (7.7), Claudio Contreras (7.5), Renato Gaucho (7.5), Arsene Bamba (7.4) Attendance - 44,005 We held 56% of possession and outshot Sevilla 28-13 (12-6 on target). Simply put, one of the great wins in Dover history, down two goals heading into an away leg and winning by FOUR. Chiquinho continues to carry us on his 29 year old back and we get awesome performances from all eleven players, including 18 year old Estrada, who looked VERY GOOD. He’s going to be one to watch. We somehow move on!!! WOOOOOOOO!!! -- In other Champions League action, OM beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford then go on to win in penalty kicks to advance. Atletico Madrid win 3-1 over Chelsea and after a scoreless draw in the first leg, it’s Madrid that moves on. Finally, City and Dortmund battle to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad but it’s the German club moving to the next round based on the 5-2 aggregate. There were four English teams in the quarters but we’re the only one to make it through to the semis! -- We earn £2.87 million for playing in the quarterfinals. -- Gianluca Bolis has reached the yellow card limit and will miss game one of our Champions League semi final. Dover Reserves Update -- Reserves defender Danny Hope and U18 star Bakary Kone both score two goals in our 4-1 win over Aston Villa’s reserves. Champions League Semi Final Draw -- We are down to four teams, with us, Atletico Madrid, Dortmund and OM. We will face Dortmund in Germany in the first leg - Dortmund are currently second in the German Bundesliga, a single point back of Leverkusen. Dortmund won the Champions League in 1997, their only win and are eight time German league champions, including last year. They are the second smallest club left in the competition, with us, of course, being the smallest. So a good draw once again. We do have a Premier League game against Arsenal rescheduled to the second week of February due to our Champions League commitments. Barclays Premier League Update -- We have a Monday night match this weekend against Huddersfield so we can relax and watch the weekend action. Manchester United win 2-0 at Everton to keep their very slim hopes alive. We only need a single point to clinch our second ever Premier League title. Sheffield Wednesday knock off pesky Birmingham 1-0, Tottenham win 3-0 over Newcastle, Chelsea beat Reading by the same score while City beat Liverpool 3-1. Bonus Clause Money IN -- We sold promising young striker Rogelio Garcia to Werder Bremen three years ago and included a league goals clause in the contact. He finally scored his tenth league goal and we earn £450,000 as a result. Easy money. Dover U18 Update -- We get goals from Marcus Sowter and Jonathan Langlet in a 2-0 win over Brighton’s U18s. Next Up -- We have a chance to clinch the Premier League title with a win against Hudderfield. __________________ 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 : 04-15-2015 at 12:59 PM.

03-14-2015, 12:45 AM	#681
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Mon. April 13, 2026 Barclays Premier League Huddersfield (12-5-15, 41 points, 12th) vs. Dover (29-2-1, 89 points, 1st) The Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, UK Betting Odds: Huddersfield: 13-2 Draw: 11-4 Dover: 2-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 11W 3D 3L Huddersfield are having one of their better years in recent history, as their 12 wins are the best total since 2021. They don’t score an awful lot and their leading goal scorer is 32 year old striker Paul Lumsden with only 11 in 27 matches. 26 year old Chilean international Cesar Mora has 8 goals in 27 games but is the more dangerous player. He is a recent transfer and a large one at that, having come over from Estudiantes for a whopping £21 million!! He must be still trying to settle in to his first year of English football. With a win or draw today, we’ll clinch our second ever Premier League title so I’m going with a veteran lineup as a result. We make ZERO changes from our Champions League winning lineup and keep young Fernando Estrada up front as well. We may need him in the matchup against Dortmund so I want to get him playing time today. Andy Broomes is very close to a return and I see him possibly playing in our league game next weekend in order to regain some match fitness but he likely won’t be ready to start in Champions League play right away. The only change we make today is to put Zoltan Bardi on the bench. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, Zoltan Bardi As expected, it’s Mora and Lumsden up front in Huddersfield’s flat 4-4-2. Alex Smithies is in goal. I tell the team to get that Premier League trophy for our great supporters! 16’ - A solid start and we see Gianluca Bolis attempt a cross into the box to Arsene Bamba but it’s accidentally knocked into the goal by Huddersfield defender Antonio Guzzetti. We’ll take it! DOVER GOAL 1-0 30’ - We continue to control the action and we get a ball up to young Fernando Estrada off a throw in. He passes into the middle to Benedikt Raab and our sensational midfielder sends a blast from a few steps outside the penalty area and it curls into the net off the hands of Smithies! Great shot and we ARE ALREADY DREAMING OF LIFTING THAT TROPHY!! DOVER GOAL 2-0 41’ - We earn a corner after great work from Bamba and it’s Raab taking it. He crosses to the far post and there is the towering Claudio Contreras with his trademark power header that gets into the back of the net. That’s TEN GOALS THIS YEAR for Contreras!! DOVER GOAL 3-0 HALFTIME - The stats don’t look as good as the scoreboard, as Huddersfield actually held 51% of possession while we outshoot them 10-4 (7-2 on target). Don’t mind those numbers - the scoreboard indeed tells the tale, as we dominated the highlights and are putting in a thoroughly professional performance. Lets finish this off. 51’ - We have another corner and we duplicate our last one, as Raab’s cross to the far post is once again headed in by Contreras! He has two and we’re up BIG! DOVER GOAL 4-0 53’ - Now it’s Hudderfield with a corner and the cross is to the near post and there is leading scorer Paul Lumsden hitting the ball on the volley and it’s past Wilke and in. HUDDERSFIELD GOAL 4-1 64’ - I bring in Zoltan Bardi for the excellent Fernando Estrada. 71’ - We work possession well and it’s Zoltan Bardi sending a great pass up to Chiquinho and he does the rest, moving in on goal and easily scoring past Smithies. DOVER GOAL 5-1 Mads Pedersen comes on for Arsene Bamba. 78’ - We make our last substitution, bringing on Neil Cairney and taking out Jose. 89’ - Our two best players for this game and the last few weeks combine once again, as a Benedikt Raab free kick is headed in by Chiquinho! That’s two for him tonight. DOVER GOAL 6-1 SUPERB! Huddersfield 1 - 6 Dover Goals - Claudio Contreras 2 (9.2), Chiquinho 2 (9.3), Antonio Guzzetti OG, Benedikt Raab (9.5) Assists - Benedikt Raab 3, Gianluca Bolis (8.3), Fernando Estrada (7.3), Zoltan Bardi (6.9) Man of the Match - Benedikt Raab Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.5), Salim Loucif (7.8), Rayane Hamon (7.9), Renato Gaucho (7.6), Jose (7.2), Arsene Bamba (7.1) Attendance - 22,561 Possession ended up dead even and we outshoot them 22-9 (13-5 on target). Another sensational performance and Raab and Chiquinho continue to put up ridiculous numbers. Raab, a central midfielder, now has 8 goals and a LUDICROUS 32 assists in 43 total matches, while Chiquinho is up to 23 goals and 15 assists in his 38 matches. He’s been phenomenal ever since moving into Paul Moses’ advanced striker role. That all said, the most important thing is this… DOVER HAVE WON THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE!!!!! -- Our second championship in three years and we complete a double for this season, with a League Cup victory in the bag. We still have two things to concentrate on as we finish the season: first and foremost, we want to win the Champions League and complete a treble but a secondary goal is to finish with 100 points in the Premier League, something that has never been done before. -- The board and our fans are obviously delighted with the championship and fans are singing my name in the streets. What a beautiful tune! BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 34 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 92 points (after 33 games) 2. Manchester United - 75 points (after 33 games) 3. Manchester City - 74 points 4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 33 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 63 points (after 33 games) 6. Chelsea - 60 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 53 points ---------------------------------------------------- Raab Makes the Record Books -- Benedikt Raab gets his name in the Dover record books, as his three assists in that game give him 32 on the year, breaking the old Dover mark of 29 set back in 2010 by Paul Caffrey. -- Dover also makes the Premier League record books, as we reach 108 goals on the season, eclipsing our own record of 107 set two years ago. We may hit 120 before the year ends!! Premier League Team of the Week -- Ingo Wilke, Claudio Conteras, Benedikt Raab and Chiquinho make the Barclays Premier League team of the week. Dover Injury Update -- UGH. Backup goalkeeper Chris Davies sprains his ankle during training and will miss the next four weeks, essentially ruling him out for the rest of the season. Ingo Wilke will be busy but perhaps I’ll give one of my U18 keepers a game or two at some point. Premier League Update -- Tottenham and Arsenal play a make up game and it’s a scoreless draw. Dover Reserves Update -- We get two goals and two assists from U18 striker Marcus Sowter as we roll to a 5-1 win over Derby’s reserves. Also scoring were Neil Evans, Paolo Secchi and Bakary Kone Next Up -- We host Sheffield Wednesday in Premier League action. We have secured the league but are now looking to set the Premier League points record, which is currently 98, set a few years back by Manchester City. __________________ 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 : 03-14-2015 at 12:55 AM.

03-14-2015, 12:02 PM	#682
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. April 18, 2026 Barclays Premier League Dover (30-2-1, 92 points, 1st) vs. Sheffield Wednesday (16-5-13, 53 points, 7th) Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 2-5 (Favourites) Draw: 11-4 Sheffield Wednesday: 13-2 Past Meetings: 12W 5D 4L Wednesday are having one of their best seasons in recent memory and continue their challenge for European football. That said, they will be missing their top scorer for the rest of the season, as 16 goal man Steve Pates is out with a calf injury. Darijo Jukic will likely lead the charge at the front but only has 7 goals thus far. Not to jinx us or anything but it’s been over five years since these guys beat us and as huge underdogs today, they will be in tough. Still, we need to avoid complacency with a big Champions League match coming mid-week in Germany. We rotate the squad somewhat to give some of our backups a start and to keep our stars rested for that Dortmund game. Chiquinho is in the lineup alongside Zoltan Bardi. New to the lineup today are Mads Pedersen, Emmerson Harvey, Neil Cairney, Adrian Torres, Mwemere Mutesa and Rodolfo Lopez. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, A. Torres, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez M - M. Pedersen, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, Z. Bardi Bench - Rafinha, S. Loucif, P. Secchi, Jose, A. Bamba, S. De la Vega, F. Estrada Flat 4-4-2 for Sheffield, with Jukic up front alongside Sandi Labrovic. Fernando Cardoso is their keeper. I expect a win boys. 6’ - We have a free kick near the byline on the left side and Neil Cairney’s cross is hit on the volley by Adrian Torres. It’s back toward the near post and there is Mwemere Mutesa in great position to head the ball into the net! DOVER GOAL 1-0 HALFTIME - Well, it’s a nervous scoreline but we’re in complete control, holding 63% of possession and a 7-4 (4-0 on target) shot advantage. I would like one more goal here and encourage the team in the room at half. 80’ - We’re still in control but just can’t get that insurance marker. I bring in Fernando Estrada to take the place of Zoltan Bardi. Lots of chances but their keeper was superb. We’ll take the three points. Dover 1 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday Goals - Mwemere Mutesa (8.1) Assists - Neil Cairney (8.5) Man of the Match - Neil Cairney Other Dover Notables - Rodolfo Lopez (7.1), Adrian Torres (7.3), Renato Gaucho (7.4), Emmerson Harvey (7.0) Attendance - 22,493 Well, a drab scoreline but we really played well and had a lot of great chances at goal. We held 57% of possession and a 21-7 (11-2 on target) shot advantage. Cairney was excellent. -- In other action, Sunderland move into 7th ahead of Wednesday after a 3-2 win over Birmingham. Relegation favourites Hull SHOCK Chelsea 1-0 to keep their slim hopes of staying up alive while United and Spurs battle to a 2-2 draw. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 35 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 95 points (after 34 games) 2. Manchester United - 76 points (after 34 games) 3. Manchester City - 74 points (after 34 games) 4. Liverpool - 66 points (after 33 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 65 points 6. Chelsea - 60 points 7. Sunderland - 54 points ---------------------------------------------------- 8. Sheffield Wednesday - 53 points 9. Birmingham - 46 points 10. Aston Villa - 45 points 11. Arsenal - 42 points (after 32 games) 12. Wolves - 42 points 13. Newcastle - 42 points 14. Huddersfield - 41 points (after 34 games) 15. Reading - 40 points 16. Everton - 36 points (after 34 games) 17. Middlesbrough - 32 points ---------------------------------------------------- 18. Hull - 24 points 19. Southampton - 23 points 20. Sheffield United - 12 points FA Cup Update -- Everton upset Liverpool to get through to the FA Cup final, where they’ll face Manchester City. Premier League Team of the Week -- Neil Cairney and Mwemere Mutesa make the Barclays Premier League team of the week. Dover Injury Update -- We continue to wait as Andy Broomes is still not training fully but may be ready to come off the bench tomorrow. Paul Moses is nearing a return as well. GK Chris Davies and striker Manuel Lugo are out for the rest of this season. Future Transfer IN -- We continue to add the top youth prospects in the world, coming to an agreement with Valencia to bring 16 year old midfielder Borja to Dover for £8 million plus incentives. He’s already starting games for Athletic Club Bilbao, as he’s on a year-long loan assignment in the top Spanish league and has 3.5 star potential. He will make his way to England on July 1st and I’ll have more on him at that time. Dover Injury Update -- The day before our big Champions League match in Germany, we finally get word that Andy Broomes is ready for full training. He’s missed three months of action due to an achilles tendon injury. He can likely come off the bench in tomorrow’s game but it will take some time for him to get back up to speed. Paul Moses has also begun light training so it’s a good day! Champions League Update -- In the other semi final, Atletico Madrid and OM battle to a 2-2 draw in Spain. Advantage: OM. Next Up -- We head to Germany to face the powerful Borussia Dortmund squad in the first leg of Champions League semi final play. __________________ 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 : 03-14-2015 at 12:04 PM.

03-14-2015, 01:08 PM	#683
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Wed. April 22, 2026 UEFA Champions League - Semi Final First Leg Dortmund (2nd in German Bundesliga) vs. Dover (1st in English Premier League) Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany Betting Odds: Dortmund: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Dover: 13-8 Past Meetings: 3W 0D 1L We’ve faced Dortmund in three previous friendlies and more notably, in the 2024 European Super Cup, where we prevailed 4-3. They are currently three points back of first placed Leverkusen in domestic play and have one of the great strikers in the world of football in speedy Hugo Cruz. He has 29 goals in 39 matches this year. They usually play with one man up front in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Like us, they have some injury concerns but they have more than enough depth to match us. We’ll go with the exact same lineup that got us here in that spectacular 4-0 win over Sevilla in the last round with one exception: Gianluca Bolis is suspended for this contest due to yellow card accumulation so Sergio De la Vega draws the start. Young Fernando Estrada looks to build on some impressive recent performances and will start alongside Chiquinho. Andy Broomes, just back from three months on the sidelines, is on the bench today and I envision him getting 30 minutes of playing time. As the slightest of underdogs, I’ll stick with my control mentality on the road, a positive game plan - after that crazy win in Spain, I feel we’re playing with house money at this point! Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, Jose, S. De la Vega S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - Rafinha, M. Mutesa, R. Lopez, E. Harvey, N. Cairney, M. Pedersen, A. Broomes Dortmund are in their 4-2-3-1 formation with Cruz alone up front. Paulo Roberto sits behind him and it’s Julio Cesar Cejas in goal. I tell the team that this is a winnable game despite the hostile environment. Lets do it! 6’ - A bit of a nervous start for us, as Dortmund are controlling play and they start a counter attack. One of their midfielders gets into the area but safely away from danger near the byline but Rayane Hamon inexplicably takes him down and the ref points to the spot. That’s a PENALTY. Up steps Ignacio Nunez and he places an accurate shot into the corner of the goal. Terrible start. DORTMUND GOAL 0-1 33’ - We are all over them but again, a counter attack does us in, as Dortmund gets it up to super fast and skilled Hugo Cruz and he speeds past Claudio Contreras, gets in on goal and shoots past Wilke and it’s in. Again, we’re in BIG TROUBLE. Great goal though. DORTMUND GOAL 0-2 HALFTIME - An uneasy half, as we seemingly control play but their explosive speed leads to two counter attack goals on their only two shots on target. We hold 55% of possession and an 8-7 (4-2 on target) shot advantage. I don’t go to full paint peeling mode but I tell the club I want to see much more in the second half. 58’ - Despite my pleas at half, we come out completely flat and Dortmund are taking the play to us. UGH. Double substitution, as I bring in Andy Broomes and Mads Pedersen, taking out Fernando Estrada and Arsene Bamba. Bamba has been terrible tonight. 73’ - Neil Cairney comes on for a banged up Jose. 81’ - We’re pressing and Benedikt Raab passes into the middle of the field to Cairney, who just came on. From WELL OUT, he sends an absolute howitzer that curls around the defence and into the right corner of the goal! WHAT A SHOT BY CAIRNEY!! DOVER GOAL 1-2 We get a couple of late corners but can’t convert. Dortmund 2 - 1 Dover Goals - Neil Cairney (8.0) Assists - Benedikt Raab (7.0) Man of the Match - Neil Cairney Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.0), Rayane Hamon (5.5) Attendance - 53,070 A really poor second half, as Dortmund controlled affairs but we struck for a VERY important away goal late to give ourselves a decent chance in the second leg. Hugo Cruz is truly sensational - his speed is breathtaking and he’s ALWAYS dangerous. Their wide midfielder Eduardo Gallardo was also excellent. Rayane Hamon got saddled with a terrible rating and rightfully so for his ill-advised challenge that resulted in the penalty. Neil Cairney played 17 minutes but was all over the place and got named man of the match. Dortmund ended up with 53% of the ball and a 21-14 (5-6 on target) shot advantage. Just a horrible last 45 minutes for us and I tell the team I’m very disappointed in the lacklustre effort. Premier League Update -- There are two mid-week makeup games, as Huddersfield upset Man United 1-0 and Liverpool upend Everton 2-0 to gain some revenge for their weekend loss in the FA Cup to the same squad. Next Up -- We face Sunderland away in Premier League action. __________________ 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

03-14-2015, 02:16 PM	#684
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Sat. April 25, 2026 Barclays Premier League Sunderland (15-9-11, 54 points, 7th) vs. Dover (31-2-1, 95 points, 1st) Stadium of Light, Sunderland, UK Betting Odds: Sunderland: 3-1 Draw: 2-1 Dover: 4-5 (Favourites) Past Meetings: 9W 2D 5L Sunderland have vaulted into the 7th place spot on the table and they always are a threat to win against us. They are on a great run of form that has seen them only lose once in their last 12 matches. Their leading scorer is striker Jeremy Russell with 15 goals but he’s suspended for today’s match, lucky for us. Lucas Alba (10 goals) will likely be his replacement. Boy, Craig Flett has fallen hard - he’s usually their danger man but the 32 year old hasn’t scored a single goal this year. We host Dortmund at home on Tuesday in the critical second leg of the Champions League semis so I’m playing a squad filled with backups, for the most part. We’re going with a one striker formation and will start an unfit Andy Broomes at striker as we try to quickly work him back to full fitness. Zoltan Bardi will play behind him at the attacking central midfield position. Also in the lineup today are Mads Pedersen, Emmerson Harvey, Gianluca Bolis, Rafinha and Mwemere Mutesa. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Rafinha, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - E. Harvey, Jose AM - M. Pedersen, Z. Bardi, G. Bolis S - A. Broomes Bench - A. Torres, R. Lopez, P. Secchi, N. Cairney, A. Bamba, S. De la Vega, Chiquinho Flat 4-4-2 for Sunderland today, with Connor Wickham and Lucas Alba up front and Sam Cowler is in goal. Claudio Contreras is overconfident. Great. I tell the team they can win this. HALFTIME - We simply haven’t shown up AT ALL for this match. Sunderland are beating us to every ball and we’re generating nothing. They hold 53% of possession but we outshoot them 7-3 (3-1 on target), although I can’t remember any of those shots. Not good enough. I’m angry. 48’ - We work up field on a counter and the ball eventually comes to Emmerson Harvey, who rips a low shot past Cowler and IN!! But wait?! OFFSIDES??? The replay is inconclusive. Ugh. 56’ - Andy Broomes is banged up…again. I bring in Chiquinho to take his place and move to a flat 4-4-2. 71’ - I take out Salim Loucif and bring in Rodolfo Lopez. 75’ - Mindful of our Champions League match coming up, I pull out Claudio Contreras and bring in Adrian Torres. 78’ - We have a corner and Jose delivers the ball to the near post. Mwemere Mutesa heads it and it’s off the woodwork, then off the back of goalkeeper Sam Cowler and it deflects into the net. We’ll take it. DOVER GOAL 1-0 Sunderland move to a 5-3-2. Umm, okay! 81’ - We have possession again and work the ball up field quickly, sending in Emmerson Harvey. He eludes a tackle near the edge of the area and shoots but Cowler makes the diving save. The ball hits a Sunderland defender and deflects right to the foot of Chiquinho and he makes no mistake, pounding the ball into the back of the net! More good fortune finds us and it looks like the three points are in our pocket. DOVER GOAL 2-0 Ok. Sunderland 0 - 2 Dover Goals - Sam Cowler OG, Chiquinho (7.3) Assists - Mwemere Mutesa (7.9) Man of the Match - Mwemere Mutesa Other Dover Notables - Ingo Wilke (7.6), Claudio Contreras (7.1), Rafinha (7.3) Attendance - 47,192 Sunderland held 54% of the ball but we outshoot them 19-10 (8-2 on target). With the win, we reach 98 points, tying the all-time Premier League record set by Manchester City back in 2020/21. -- In other action, Aston Villa hold United to a 2-2 draw, Chelsea beat Sheffield United 1-0, Sheffield Wednesday beat Wolves 2-0, City beat Birmingham by the same scoreline and Liverpool knock off Tottenham 2-1. Hull and Southampton both lose and they are relegated back to the Championship next year, along with last placed Sheffield United. Champions League spots are locked away as well, as it will be us, United, City and Liverpool playing in the top European competition next year. Spurs and Chelsea are playing Europa League football and the last Europa League spot is up for grabs, with 7th placed Sheffield Wednesday not only watching Sunderland behind them, but also Everton, who could grab the spot if they win the FA Cup. BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - STANDINGS (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 36 GAMES UNLESS NOTED) 1. Dover - 98 points (after 35 games) 2. Manchester United - 77 points 3. Manchester City - 77 points (after 35 games) 4. Liverpool - 72 points (after 35 games) ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Tottenham - 65 points 6. Chelsea - 63 points 7. Sheffield Wednesday - 56 points ---------------------------------------------------- Dover U18 Update -- Striker Marcus Sowter scores five goals and we get singles from Andrew Hunter, Bakary Kone and an AFC Wimbledon own goal in a 8-0 win. Kone added two assists in the win. Secchi Unhappy -- Central midfielder Paolo Secchi is unhappy and is looking for first team football. I got him on a free from Barcelona two years ago and he really hasn’t featured in our plans, as he’s been a fifth choice player this year behind Raab, Jose, Cairney and Harvey. With talented central mids like Michel Benard and Juan Jose Culebras currently on the U18 club, I don’t see much of a future here for Secchi so I tell him I’ll look to find a new club for him. Barclays Premier League Team of the Week -- Ingo Wilke and Mwemere Mutesa win team of the week honours. Next Up -- We are down one goal, as we welcome Borussia Dortmund to Crabble Athletic Ground for the second leg of the Champions League semi final. __________________ 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

03-14-2015, 10:11 PM	#685
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	Tue. April 28, 2026 UEFA Champions League - Semi Final Second Leg Dover (1) vs. (2) Dortmund Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK Betting Odds: Dover: 5-4 (Favourites) Draw: 11-5 Dortmund: 7-4 Past Meetings: 3W 0D 2L Well, here we go. Hugo Cruz tore us up in the first leg along with winger Eduardo Gallardo. They still have injury concerns but that didn’t hold them back last week. We make a couple of changes from our last game against them. Gianluca Bolis is back in at right midfield after missing the last game due to suspension. I also take a chance and put in Mwemere Mutesa in place of Rayane Hamon. Hamon’s foul that resulted in a penalty shot goal for Dortmund arguably cost us the game and Mutesa has been so good all year. He deserves the shot - also, he’s a bit faster than Hamon and we need as much speed as possible to counteract Cruz. Neil Cairney will also start in midfield alongside Benedikt Raab. Young Fernando Estrada gets another start up front but I will be ready to insert Andy Broomes if necessary. Dover: 4-4-2 Control GK - I. Wilke D - Renato Gaucho, C. Contreras, M. Mutesa, S. Loucif M - A. Bamba, B. Raab, N. Cairney, G. Bolis S - Chiquinho, F. Estrada Bench - Rafinha, R. Lopez, R. Hamon, E. Harvey, Jose, M. Pedersen, A. Broomes Dortmund are in their 4-2-3-1 with Cruz alone up front and Julio Cesar Cejas is in goal. No beating around the bush - I tell the team I expect to advance! 1’ - OH MY GOD. Right off the opening kickoff, Dortmund march down the field, avoiding a tackle from Salim Loucif before delivering a pass to Hugo Cruz. We force him to his weaker left foot but his weak shot somehow gets underneath Ingo Wilke and is IN. NOOO!!! They strike 30 seconds into the match. DORTMUND GOAL 0-1 (1-3 ON AGGREGATE) 19’ - We work possession and it’s young Estrada attempting a shot but it’s wide right. Gianluca Bolis scoops it up and attempts a cross into the middle and it hits defender Rafael Gonzalez and deflects into the net! An own goal and we’re back in this!! DOVER GOAL 1-1 (2-3 ON AGGREGATE) 32’ - It doesn’t look like it’s meant to be. We are putting pressure on and Dortmund clear out to midfield. The incredible Hugo Cruz is 1 on 2 versus Mutesa and Contreras, blows by them both and sends a MISSILE past Wilke and it’s in. Damn, he’s incredible. DORTMUND GOAL 1-2 (2-4 ON AGGREGATE) HALFTIME - Once again, we’re playing terrible football and are getting outplayed in every facet of the game. Dortmund hold 53% of possession and a 6-5 (5-1 on target) shot advantage. Where’s the passion lads?!?! We need three goals to move on. Not giving up yet… 67’ - Andy Broomes comes on for Fernando Estrada, as we move to a 4-2-4. 77’ - We work a counter attack off a failed Dortmund free kick and we have numbers. The ball is moved ahead to Chiquinho and from the edge of the area, he unleashes a blast into the top corner of the goal. DOVER GOAL 2-2 (3-4 ON AGGREGATE) We move to an overload mentality and I bring in Rafinha and Rodolfo Lopez, pulling out Renato Gaucho and Salim Loucif. Dortmund react by moving to a 4-2-1-2-1 with two DMCs, as they are ready to hang on for dear life now. They hold on the rest of the way and we’re out. Dover 2 - 2 Dortmund (DORTMUND WIN 4-3 ON AGGREGATE) Goals - Rafael Gonzalez OG, Chiquinho (7.3) Assists - Gianluca Bolis (6.9) Man of the Match - Hugo Cruz (Dortmund ST - 8.8) Other Dover Notables - Attendance - 23,000 (Sell-Out) Well, we were pretty much in trouble at every stage of the Champions League competition this year but we’re finally ousted by Dortmund, with most of the damage done by the sensational Hugo Cruz. We simply couldn’t overcome our injury issues at striker. We ended up dead even in possession and we outshot them 14-13 (4-6 on target). -- We earn £3,652,000 for playing in the Champions League semis. -- The other semi sees OM and Atletico Madrid draw 1-1 and also draw 3-3 on aggregate but OM moves on to the final due to away goals. -- Neil Cairney will be suspended for our first Champions League game next year due to yellow card accumulation. Premier League Update -- Liverpool oust Arsenal 2-1 in midweek Premier League action. The Gunners are seriously struggling this year, sitting in 15th place! Dover Reserves Update -- Andy Broomes notches a hat trick and adds an assist in a 4-2 win over Blackpool’s reserves. Neil Evans scores our other goal. May Update -- We have three Premier League matches left but with the league locked up, the only thing left to play for is the Premier League record in points, which we share at this moment but can eclipse with just one point. We want to exceed 100! We host Manchester City and Arsenal then head on the road in our final match against Everton. -- Positive training reports come in for Mwemere Mutesa, Adrian Torres and Fernando Estrada, along with U18’ers Andrew Hunter, Juan Jose Culebras and Michel Benard. Negative reports come in for Lorenzo Raimondi and Luis Miguel Garcia. April Awards -- Yaya Sanogo wins the Barclays Premier League player of the month award for the 14th time in his illustrious career. Chiquinho comes in second. -- Marco Esposito from Arsenal wins young player of the month honours. -- A Chiquinho goal against Wolves early last month is named goal of the month in the Premier League. -- Once again, I win manager of the month in the league. It’s been a good year. Board Confidence Update -- No real change here. The board continue to be delighted with my leadership. Our 7-1 win over Man United is the highlight and our early FA Cup exit is the negative. -- We made a profit of £5.05 million last month. Next Up -- Manchester City comes to Crabble Athletic Ground in Premier League play. __________________ 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