Wigan and the EPL - A short stay?

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 9, 2010 -

Mikael Silvestre, John O'Shea, and Christopher Eagles were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho told skysports.com that he thinks Manchester United might be too good for his squad in the upcoming English League Cup match. Mourinho declared that Manchester United know how important victory would be for their morale, and stated that he knew Chelsea's supporters would not be happy with going out in the cup to their rivals.


I reply, "I'm glad that he is afraid of my team. I consider Jose a friend, and I think he is a very good manager with a very good team. To top it off, he is a good guy. However, we plan on beating them."

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by finkenst

fwiw, arjen robben is a "wonderkind" in my game.

He is considered a top notch veteran in my game in 2010.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 10, 2010 -

10 of my players were called up for international play in 3 days.


Tonight we play Chelsea in the 4th round of the English League Cup. They are using the same lineup as last time. This match is also televised.

We are 6-4 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 50's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Duff
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Rooney

S1: Barthez
S2: Neville
S3: Grygera
S4: van Nistelrooy
S5: Alfonso

Derby have made a request to borrow Alfonso right before the start of this match. I decline as I'm starting to use him now.

The announcers think Pablo Aimer who is starting in place of Coles will be Chelsea's key man. They think Wayne Rooney will lbe my key player. They predict a draw.

[weinstein7]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

You are given a choice of about 10 possible responses. You aren't told exactly how you will word it, but the choices are fairly obvious from the description of each response. You can also initiate media interactions about any player or manager at any time. It isn't restricted to replies.

Fascinating. FOF sounds worse and worse every day

[Eaglesfan27]

9 minute mark: Fletcher passes to Djemba.. hard shot.. curving.. great save by Cech as he dives to prevent it from sailing into the right edge of the net.

12 minute mark: Robben with a hard shot.. good save by Howard.

19 minute mark: Robben passes to Aimar just at the edge of the box.. Pablo shoots.. blasts a shot into the upper right corner. GOAL. Down 1-0. That is his first goal of the year for Chelsea.

25 minute mark: Duff heads away a corner kick.. gets it to Djemba outside our box.. he passes long to Rooney who has a breakaway.. Rooney with a hard shot.. the keeper blocks it.. the rebound goes right to McFadden.. he taps the ball into the open net! GOAL!!!! 1-1.

30 minute mark: Lucio heads away a shot.. initiates the counter attack.. it gets to Djemba at midfield.. he passes to Rooney who is breaking away.. the keeper comes out to meet Rooney.. he chips it.. over the keeper.. and it sails.. under the bar, into the net! GOAL!!!! 2-1.

44 minute mark: McFadden with a brilliant dribble into the box, between two defenders.. passes to Duff in the middle of the box.. he shoots.. great save by Cech.


Halftime: 2-1 lead for us. Chelsea has over 42,000 fans here tonight.


50 minute mark: Carvalho trips Rooney on the line of the box.. it's called outside the box.. yellow card for Carvalho.

52 minute mark: Djemba and Aimar collide.. Aimar is hurt. Coles comes on for Aimar.

67 minute mark: Cole beats Lucio bad with a strong dribble.. goes into the box.. passes to Robben in the center of the box.. Robben shoots.. upper right corner.. with Howard blocking the left post from Cole, he has no chance. GOAL. 2-2.

74 minute mark: McFadden is very tired, I sub RvN on for him.

85 minute mark: Mutu (who came on as a sub) takes a corner kick.. Lucio and Adriano jump.. whistle.. Lucio is judged to have pushed Adriano.. the announcer thinks it was a dubious call! So do I! Mutu steps up to take the penalty shot.. He shoots it into the lower right corner! Down 3-2.


Game over: 3-2 loss

We were outshot 12-9 (8-7 on target)

McFadden won MoM, 8 for form, 10 of 13 passes, 1 of 5 tackles, 0 of 7 headers, 10 runs, 2 fouls drawn, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 13, 2010 -

Four different teams have asked to borrow Marino. 4 other teams have asked to borrow Alfonso. I tell them all no (and make sure they aren't listed for loan.)

[SunDancer]

Nice to see you pounding away at the dynasty tonight. No steak or work to distract ya.

Few questions:
1) Is the League Cup or FA Cup is the most prestigeous English tournament? Also, what is the Community Shield Trophy (I noticed it today, and never heard of it)?

2) How is the lastest patch working? Have you noticed a difference?

3) With the regens starting to come in 2-3 years in the top tier, replacing the real players, think the game would be much more challenging, scouting, and more fun (and maybe more rewarding?)?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Nice to see you pounding away at the dynasty tonight. No steak or work to distract ya.

Few questions:
1) Is the League Cup or FA Cup is the most prestigeous English tournament? Also, what is the Community Shield Trophy (I noticed it today, and never heard of it)?

2) How is the lastest patch working? Have you noticed a difference?

3) With the regens starting to come in 2-3 years in the top tier, replacing the real players, think the game would be much more challenging, scouting, and more fun (and maybe more rewarding?)?


If you get a chance, check out the Intel processors thread in the General forum.

1. I'm not sure whether the League Cup or FA cup is more prestigious. Hopefully someone else can answer that. The Community Shield is a prestigious friendly match that is televised that matches two of the top teams from the EPL each year. I think it might match the League Cup winner versus the Division winner, but I'm not sure.

2. I've noticed that the little bugs that bothered me are gone I haven't noticed any bugs with 5.05 at this point.

3. I think the regens make the game more challenging since I don't know who is good. I've never played a career long enough to get to a totally fictional universe, but this could be the career where I do that, and I think it will be more fun and rewarding when I'm winning triples and quadruples with "fake players."

The triple is a combination such as the European Championship, EPL title, and League Cup title.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

I really look forward to trying the MLS with the new patch at some point, as I've heard from a friend or two that MLS careers are much more fun with the new patch. However, I can't tear myself away from this career/dynasty to check out the MLS at this point

[weinstein7]

So you wouldn't considering moving from Man U to say, DC United, as a step up?

[illinifan999]

It would be more of a step down.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Personally, I'd go with Iker Casillas. I think he is one of the most consistently spectacular keepers in the game.

he was on my short list....

I tried for his value of 37.5m and was rejected. Upped to 50mil + Petr Cech with money spread over time... Tried a straight $70m transfer bid and got:

now real madrid want ... $1.5 million + arjen robben for Iker Casillas.

opinions on this?

Arjen is doing pretty well as a left/right winger...

I'm tired of my keeper giving up soft goals... Twice in one game on a freekick, my idiot keeper kicked it right into tthe player in front of him and the ball rebounded into the net. So, he's been benched in favor of cudicini who is doing better than cech...

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

1. I'm not sure whether the League Cup or FA cup is more prestigious. Hopefully someone else can answer that. The Community Shield is a prestigious friendly match that is televised that matches two of the top teams from the EPL each year. I think it might match the League Cup winner versus the Division winner, but I'm not sure.

2. I've noticed that the little bugs that bothered me are gone I haven't noticed any bugs with 5.05 at this point.

3. I think the regens make the game more challenging since I don't know who is good. I've never played a career long enough to get to a totally fictional universe, but this could be the career where I do that, and I think it will be more fun and rewarding when I'm winning triples and quadruples with "fake players."

The triple is a combination such as the European Championship, EPL title, and League Cup title.

The last part, fictional players, sounds like fun. I actually look foward to having long careers. Plus, I think I could get "attached" to them more so then real-life players. I always get confused by your European Championship/Euro Cup names, then realize its the Champions League/UEFA Cup.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Nice to see you pounding away at the dynasty tonight. No steak or work to distract ya.

Few questions:
1) Is the League Cup or FA Cup is the most prestigeous English tournament? Also, what is the Community Shield Trophy (I noticed it today, and never heard of it)?

2) How is the lastest patch working? Have you noticed a difference?

3) With the regens starting to come in 2-3 years in the top tier, replacing the real players, think the game would be much more challenging, scouting, and more fun (and maybe more rewarding?)?

Good thing you mentioned work. Reminded me of a minor project that I promised a colleague I would have done by tonight

I just finished it, and called her with the results Now back to some FM

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by finkenst

he was on my short list....

I tried for his value of 37.5m and was rejected. Upped to 50mil + Petr Cech with money spread over time... Tried a straight $70m transfer bid and got:

now real madrid want ... $1.5 million + arjen robben for Iker Casillas.

opinions on this?

Arjen is doing pretty well as a left/right winger...

I'm tired of my keeper giving up soft goals... Twice in one game on a freekick, my idiot keeper kicked it right into tthe player in front of him and the ball rebounded into the net. So, he's been benched in favor of cudicini who is doing better than cech...

Personally, I think they are working you over a bit. I think a great defense can minimize the importance of a keeper, and I would generally rather have a great young midfielder. However, If you only have to give up 1.5 million dollars, you should have enough money to get another great young midfielder. Also, if your own keeper isn't doing well, it might be worth doing. However, I have to say that Cech has been one of the top keepers in my game for several years. He, Almunia and Casillas are generally the top 3 keepers in Europe each year with Howard occasionally sneaking into the final voting.

[SunDancer]

Glad I could help. I take it you got the house all to yourself tonight?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

The last part, fictional players, sounds like fun. I actually look foward to having long careers. Plus, I think I could get "attached" to them more so then real-life players. I always get confused by your European Championship/Euro Cup names, then realize its the Champions League/UEFA Cup.

I really do mean to start calling it by their real names of Champions League and UEFA cup.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 13, 2010 -

All of the following international matches were friendly matches:

Akin Serhat played well for Turkey in a 2-0 win against South Africa.


Zdenek Grygera had a 9 for form in a 2-0 win of the Czech Republic over Ireland. John O'Shea and Damien Duff played well for Ireland.

Ruud van Nistelrooy played well but didn't score in a 2-0 final of France over Holland. Mikael Silvestre played well for the French team.

James McFadden scored a goal and assisted on a goal in 4-0 Scotland win over Qatar.

Tim Howard had a poor performance despite the USA's 3-1 win over Guadeloupe. Landon Donovan scored 2 oals, and Daniel Karbassiyoon had the other goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Glad I could help. I take it you got the house all to yourself tonight?

Mrs. Eaglesfan works til 1 AM tonight

Oh well, least that leaves plenty of time for FM

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Tim Howard had a poor performance despite the USA's 3-1 win over Guadeloupe. Landon Donovan scored 2 oals, and Daniel Karbassiyoon had the other goal.

Guadeloupe? Never heard of such a country. Sounds like "Gotta-poop". This game is also educational.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 14, 2010 -

Holy crap! 15 players have been called up for international friendlies on November 17, 2010!

The players include:

Silvestre - France
Howard - USA
O'Shea - Ireland
Grygera - Czech Republic
van Nistelrooy - Holland
Alan Smith, Downing, Rooney, Craig King, Ferdinand, and Eagles - England!
Serhat - Turkey
Fletcher and McFadden - Scotland.
Djemba - Cameroon.

I give instructions to only use Rooney a maximum of 45 minutes in this friendly.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 17, 2010 -

John O'Shea twisted his knee in practice yesterday, and will miss about a week.



International Roundup:

Downing played particularly well for England in a 0-0 match with Brazil. Ferdinand also played very well. Craig King, Eagles, and Rooney were all average.


Djemba had Cameroon's only goal in a 1-0 win over Uruguay.


Zdenek Grygera had a 9 for form and was very good for the Czech Republic in their 4-0 win over Egypt.


Howard played well in a 5-0 USA win over the Faroe Islands.

Akin Serhat had an assist in a 2-2 tie between Turkey and Portugal.


Darren Fletcher and James McFadden both played well without excellin in a 1-1 tie between Scotland and Portugal.

Mikael Silvestre was excellent for France in their 2-0 win over Denmark.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 20, 2010 -

Today we host Tottenham in an EPL match. We are currently in 1st place. Tottenham is currently in 8th place. The Hot Spuds (as I like to call them) are led by their star striker Carlton Cole who has 12 goals. Jermain Defoe is a top notch striker as well, and he has 10 goals on the year. Their midfield is led by Pedro Mendes who has 7 goals. Right winger James Milner has 5 goals as well. Centreback Mbulelo Mabizela has been great along the defensive line this year. His partner Ledley King has also played very well. Keeper Paul Robinson has regularly been starting for the English National Team and he is having a very good year. I'm surprised that Tottenham has lost as many games as they have.

We are heavy 4-5 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Ferdinand (back from his injury just in time, considering O'Shea is hurt.)
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Duff
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Saha
SC: Marino

S1: Barthez
S2: Souleymane Mamam (freshly back from his injury, hoping to get a lead and begin reintegrating him into the playing time.)
S3: Grygera
S4: Ruud van Nistelrooy
S5: Alfonso

[Eaglesfan27]

17 minute mark: Carlton Cole elbowed Lucio.. yellow card for Cole.

20 minute mark: Duff crosses to Saha in the left half of the box.. he heads it.. Robinson blocks the shot.. the rebound bounces to Djemba.. hard curling shot.. Great save by Robinson.

25 minute mark: We have several good shots by Fletcher and Djemba, but the defenders are blocking them before they even reach goal.

27 minute mark: Silvestre passes it up the left sideline to Duff.. he crosses to Djemba.. Djemba hits a strong curling shot.. upper right corner.. it curves away from the keeper.. hits the post.. and bounces in! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

38 minute mark: Eagles gets a yellow card for shoving Buffel down.

43 minute mark: Silvestre passes down the left sideline.. Saha heads it towards the left corner of the pitch.. Duff gets to it.. crosses it towards the near post.. Marino and Robinson jump.. whistle.. Robinson pushed Marino! Penalty shot awarded... Saha steps up.. looks confident.. hard shot.. lower left corner! GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Halftime: 2-0 lead. We have over 67,000 fans here today.


47 minute mark: Saha gets a yellow card for pulling Dafoe's jersey.

62 minute mark: Silvestre passes it down the left side of the pitch.. Djemba heads it towards the left corner of the pitch.. Duff gets to it.. crosses towards the near post for Saha.. he heads it.. good save by the keeper to push it over the bar.

I sub in Alfonso for Duff and Mamam for Fletcher to get them some PT.

72 minute mark: Matthew Taylor gets a yellow card for a harsh tackle on Eagles.

88 minute mark: Wes Brown slides hard into James Milner.. yellow card. He argues the call.. 2nd yellow card. He is ejected.

92 minute mark: Lucio trips Dafoe and gets a yellow card.


Game over. 2-0 win. We dominated ball possession.

We outshot them 11-4 (6-1 on target)

Damien Duff wins MoM, 9 for form, 20 of 25 passes, 0 tackles, 0 headers, 2 interceptions, 7 runs, 2 fouls drawn, 1 assist.

Saha also had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 21, 2010 -

Wigan managed to tie Newcastle 1-1 in a televised match tonight. Stuart Wall had their only goal on a corner kick. Wigan are firmly in 20th (last) place in the EPL with a record of a 1 win, 3 draws, and 11 losses for a total of 6 points. Bolton and Reading also both only have 6 points.

[SunDancer]

Can we got a November-ending standing listing?

[Eaglesfan27]

November 23, 2010 -

Liverpool has lost Michael Owen to injury for 2 months. That should hurt their chances of keeping up with us. They are currently in 2nd place and just 2 points behind us.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Can we got a November-ending standing listing?

Sure. Soon, I'll be at the halfway point of the season. The EPL has a smaller number of teams (20) and therefore only has 38 games (as opposed to 46 in the EC and other lower divisions.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 25, 2010 -

Chivu has resumed full training today. Suddenly we are starting to get some defensive depth back.

Today we travel to play CSKA in a televised match in the group stage of the UEFA Cup. CSKA is currently at the top of their league in Bulgaria. Angel Yoshev, their centreback, has been their best player. Their keeper Viktor Ilivanov is good, but not nearly of EPL standard. We should crush this team.

We are only 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast and in the 30's today.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Ferdinand
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Mamam
MR: Eagles
SC: van Nistelrooy
SC: Smith

S1: Barthez
S2: Saha
S3: Grygera
S4: Fletcher
S5: Alfonso
S6: Rooney (will only play if we are getting beat towards the end of the game.)
S7: Neville

[illinifan999]

I'm really starting to hate this game.

Marseille sacked their manager and I was named as one of the possible replacements. This time they approached me. I'd have way more money to spend on wages, but they did say that they are well over their wage bill and I'd need to correct that while at Rosenborg my wage bill is fine, but I can't offer players as much as I'd like to limiting the skill level of players I can bring in. I'd also be reunited with my former striker Frode Johnsen who left me for them. I might have to sleep on this decision.

[Eaglesfan27]

TV Info: The TV announcers predict their centerback Angel Yoshev will be CSKA's key player. They predict Stewart Downing will be my top guy. They predict it will be a close match, but that we will win.

5 minute mark: Downing dribbles down most of the left sideline, burning three defenders.. crosses to Ruud van Nistelrooy in the box.. he immediately directs a shot into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

8 minute mark: Eagles collided with one of their players.. he is hurt and can't continue. I put Neville in for him.

21 minute mark: Downing crosses to Alan Smith. Yoshev pushed Smith down. Penalty shot awarded! van Nistelrooy confidently steps up.. shoots into the right side of the net.. the keeper dives.. it is out of his reach! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

31 minute mark: Markov gets off a shot from 20 yards out. Easy save for Howard.


Halftime: 2-0 lead. They have over 24,000 fans packed into the stadium today.


60 minute mark: Downing is tired, I sub Alfonso on for him.

66 minute mark: Neville passes it down the right sideline to Smith.. he gets to it.. he centers to Ruud van Nistelrooy in the middle of the box.. RvN settles it.. shoots.. upper right corner.. past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 3-0! That is van Nistelrooy's hattrick!


Game over. 3-0 win for us

We outshot them 11-4 (8-1 on target)

Ruud van Nistelrooy won MoM, 10 for form, 21 of 23 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 4 of 6 headers, 4 runs, 3 goals

Downing also had a 10 for form. Djemba had a 9 for form. The rest of the team had 8's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

I'm really starting to hate this game.

Marseille sacked their manager and I was named as one of the possible replacements. This time they approached me. I'd have way more money to spend on wages, but they did say that they are well over their wage bill and I'd need to correct that while at Rosenborg my wage bill is fine, but I can't offer players as much as I'd like to limiting the skill level of players I can bring in. I'd also be reunited with my former striker Frode Johnsen who left me for them. I might have to sleep on this decision.

I slept on several tough decisions like that. Good luck with your decision. I slept on one or two of the decisions for several days.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well, Mrs. Eaglesfan got home early!

So, I'll be waiting til tomorrow to do the update on the midseason and play some more.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

1. I'm not sure whether the League Cup or FA cup is more prestigious. Hopefully someone else can answer that. The Community Shield is a prestigious friendly match that is televised that matches two of the top teams from the EPL each year. I think it might match the League Cup winner versus the Division winner, but I'm not sure.

2. I've noticed that the little bugs that bothered me are gone I haven't noticed any bugs with 5.05 at this point.

3. I think the regens make the game more challenging since I don't know who is good. I've never played a career long enough to get to a totally fictional universe, but this could be the career where I do that, and I think it will be more fun and rewarding when I'm winning triples and quadruples with "fake players."

The triple is a combination such as the European Championship, EPL title, and League Cup title.

1. FA Cup is a ton more prestigeous (it's the oldest knockout soccer competion in the world). The Community Shield pits the EPL winner vs the FA Cup winner. (Substitute 2nd place EPL or League Cup winner if they do the double)

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by finkenst

he was on my short list....

I tried for his value of 37.5m and was rejected. Upped to 50mil + Petr Cech with money spread over time... Tried a straight $70m transfer bid and got:

now real madrid want ... $1.5 million + arjen robben for Iker Casillas.

opinions on this?

Arjen is doing pretty well as a left/right winger...

I'm tired of my keeper giving up soft goals... Twice in one game on a freekick, my idiot keeper kicked it right into tthe player in front of him and the ball rebounded into the net. So, he's been benched in favor of cudicini who is doing better than cech...

I think Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus is far and away the best keeper in the game (reflected in real life). If you can pry him away, then you are set for years to come. Otherwise, I'd keep your current keeper and sign Sebastien Saja for next season. Other options are Marcos (Brazil keeper) or Shay Given at Newcastle.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We were awarded 160,000 dollars for winning against CSKA.

Christopher Eagles bruised his thigh. He will miss 3 days including our upcoming game against Manchester City.

Ruud van Nistelrooy bruised his rib. He will miss about 3 days.

Another 5 different teams have submitted loan offers for Alfonso, I continue to reject them at this time.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 27, 2010 -

Richard Money told Football365.com that he doesn't think my side is good enough to end the season as champions. He did concede, if we have a few good signing, we might be a contender next season.

I reply, "I believe that we have the ability to go all the way and win the league."

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 28, 2010 -

Today we play Manchester City which is managed by Mr. Money. We are traveling to play them. They are currently in 12th place. We are in 1st. They are led by the superb play of centreback Damien Delaney (another hull favorite of mine in CM 03/04.) Tehir attacking midfielder Said Boutahar has been excellent at setting up players for goals, but the strikers have been fairly poor at converting them. Robert Earnshaw is the leading scorer with 6 goals, but no one else has more than 2. Tim Borowski has played very good football in the midfield. The keeper, Andres Palop, has been good despite facing a high number of shots.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the mid 50's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Ferdinand
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Mamam
SC: McFadden
SC: Marino

S1: Barthez
S2: Saha
S3: Chivu
S4: Cook
S5: Alfonso

[Eaglesfan27]

32 minute mark: Up to this point, both defenses have been dominant allowing no good scoring opportunities.

33 minute mark: Lauth passes to Earnshaw.. he passes back to Lauth who shoots.. Howard blocks the shot.. Ryan Smith gets the rebound.. taps it into the open net. GOAL. Down 1-0.

39 minute mark: Mamam crosses to Fletcher in the box.. he heads it.. just wide right.

41 minute mark: Delaney trips Marino just outside the box.. yellow card for Delaney.


Halftime: Down 1-0. Their defense is shutting us down. They have over 48,000 fans here.


62 minute mark: Duff is hurt and has to leave the pitch. I put Alfonso on for him. Mamam is tired. I put Cook in for Fletcher, and slide Fletcher out to right wing.

77 minute mark: Alfonso crosses it to Marino by the far post in the box.. he heads it.. just over the bar.

88 minute mark: Marino throws it in to Grygera.. he heads it back to Marino.. Marine crosses to Ferdinand who is 25 yards out.. Ferdinand with a hard shot.. upper right corner.. it hits the post.. bounces into the net! GOAL!!!! 1-1. That is a big goal from Ferdinand!


Game over. 1-1 tie in which our offense was stifled most of the match.

We each had 9 shots (they had 5 on target, we had 2 on target)

Sylvain Distin who started left fullback had a great game and won MoM, 33 of 44 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 8 of 9 headers, 6 interceptions, 3 runs.

Jonathan Spector who they recently acquired had an 8 for form and played stifling defense today.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Damien Duff fractured his arm and will miss about 3 weeks.

Grygera suffered a severe cut on his forehead and might miss our next game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 1, 2010 -

We are in 1st place, but the board is only pleased with my performance!


Southampton's James Beattie won EPL Player of the Month. Joe Cole of Chelsea came in 2nd, and Nigel Quashie of Leicester came in 3rd.


Leicester's Mark Robinson won young Player of the Month. Criag Scott of Newcastle came in 2nd, and Chris Robson of Sunderland came in 3rd.


Birmingham's Joe Kinnear won Manager of the Month. I came in 2nd, and Bruce Arena of Aston Villa came in 3rd.

Eric Djemba Djemba's goal against Tottenham on Nov 20, came in 2nd for goal of the month.


We are still in 1st place. We are 2 points ahead of 2nd placed Liverpool.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

1. FA Cup is a ton more prestigeous (it's the oldest knockout soccer competion in the world). The Community Shield pits the EPL winner vs the FA Cup winner. (Substitute 2nd place EPL or League Cup winner if they do the double)

Thanks for the clarification SirFozzie

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 1, 2010 -

Today we host Sparta Prague in an UEFA match. Sparta Prague has a talented team and will be much tougher than CSKA. Their strikers are quite talented led by Jan Rezek who has 8 goals in 10 games. David Jurcik has 6 goals in 11 games. Their keeper Gabor Kiraly is talentd and will be tough to score against. Their right winger David Jarolim is very talented and has 4 goals and 8 assists on the year.

We are 4-5 favorites.

It's raining and the temperatures are in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Chivu (time to get him back in action
DC: Ferdinand (Lucio is tireless, but I need to give him a game off, now and then.)
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Cook
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Saha
SC: Smith

S1: Barthez
S2: Silvestre
S3: Mamam
S4: Neville
S5: Alfonso
S6: King
S7: van Nistelrooy

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Downing with a brilliant dribble down the left sideline.. crosses to Saha.. he settles.. hard shot.. upper right corner.. great save by the keeper!

5 minute mark: Cook passes to Saha in the box.. hard shot.. the keeper blocks it.. Eagles shoots.. the keeper saves.

9 minute mark: We have a flurry of shots that their defenders and keeper deflect.

23 minute mark: Downing takes a direct kick from just left of the box.. passes it to Eagles in the center of the box.. he shoots.. over the keeper's left shoulder.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

27 minute mark: Chivu with a good defensive play.

29 minute mark: Chivu passes it down the left sideline to Downin.. he passes to Cook just outside the box.. Cook passes to Fletcher who is on his right.. Fletcher with a blazing curling shot.. it Curls into the right side of the net just clearing the post! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

35 minute mark: Eagles passes it down the right sideline for Saha!?! What is Saha doing over there.. anyway.. Saha gets it in the right corner.. crosses to the near post for Smith.. he heads it.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 3-0.


Halftime: 3-0 lead for us. We are dominating them. We have over 66,000 fans here today.


48 minute mark: Chivu passes to Downing who burns two defenders.. crosses to Cook.. he shoots.. just wide right.

50 minute mark: Downing passes from midfield to Cook.. he passes it nicely between two defenders to Smith in the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0.

56 minute mark: Fletcher is tired. I bring in Mamam for him. Downing has had a brilliant game, but with the game firmly in hand, I bring on Alfonso for him. Saha is starting to get tired, so I sub King in for Saha to get King some experience.

75 minute mark: O'Shea passes to Cook.. he shoots from 25 yards out.. the keeper barely pushes it over the bar.

87 minute mark: Alfonso crosses to Smith.. he heads it.. over the bar. Missed opportunity for the hattrick.


Game over. 4-0 win for us.

We outshot them 19-7 (12-3 on target)

Downing won MoM, 10 for form, 12 of 12 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 20 runs! 1 Assist. The guy has been dominant. He has 4 10's in his last 5 games. He has an average form of 9.44 on the season. I really need to praise him. I decide to do so after this match.

Smith had a 9 for form. The rest of the team had 8's except for the subs that all had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We won 160,000 dollars for that win.

Jamie Cook bruised his ribs and will miss 3 days.

That win qualified us to advance to the 1st knockout round.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 5, 2010 -

Just before our match with them, Bolton has sacked Pepe More. Ruud Gullit is being touted as the favorite to take over the job. Remember, Ruud was the manager here at Manchester United before he was fired and I replaced him.


Today we host Bolton in a televised match. They are currently 18th in the EPL, while we are in 1st. They rely on their very good keeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen to keep them in matches. Their offense is anemic with midfielder Kevin Nolan being the leading scorer with 2 goals. Their defense is very good with centrebacks Nicky Hunt and Tal Ben-Haim thriving.

We are 4-7 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the mid 50's today.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Rooney

S1: Barthez
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Mamam
S4: Neville
S5: Alfonso


The announcers pick Downing as my key man rather than Rooney! They pick Kevin Nolan as Bolton's key man. Not surprisingly, they pick us to win the match.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Downing passes to Djemba just outside the box.. hard curving shot.. it sails over the bar.

3 minute mark: Wesley Sonck gets a yellow card for tripping Djemba.

6 minute mark: Nicky Hunt gets a yellow card for tripping Rooney.

8 minute mark: Downing with a great dribble to get past 3 men.. but he loses the dribble over the end line.

11 minute mark: Downing with a wonderful dribble past 2 men.. crosses for Rooney.. in the center of the box.. shoots.. over the bar.. he buries his face in his hands.. he knows he should have sunk that shot.

21 minute mark: Downing passes to Djemba.. he shoots.. over the keeper's shoulder.. it hits the crossbar.. it hits the keeper's back.. it bounces barely wide right. Corner kick.

30 minute mark: Downing crosses to Rooney.. he shoots.. great save by the keeper.

35 minute mark: Ismael gets a yellow card for tripping Downing.

41 minute mark: Downing crosses to Fletcher in the middle of the box.. he heads it.. good save by the keeper.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have kept the ball in their half most of this match. There are over 75,000 fans here today.


52 minute mark: Djemba with a long range curving shot.. the keeper catches it cleanly.

56 minute mark: Downing crosses to Rooney at the far post.. he heads it.. past the keeper.. but Hunt manages to head it away! He saved a goal for sure.

65 minute mark: Rooney is exhausted and only has a 6 for form. I pull him for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Djemba was just hurt. I pull him for Mamam.

77 minute mark: Chris Baird gets a yellow card for tripping Eagles.

78 minute mark: Grygera passes to Mamam.. he shoots.. inches wide left.

80 minute mark: Downing burns his defender.. passes to McFadden in the left half of the box.. McFadden with a hard shot.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0! That is McFadden's 10th goal of the year.

86 minute mark: Lucio stops a Bolton breakaway by heading away a pass that would have set up their striker for goal.. Lucio's header goes to Downing.. he passes long to Eagles on the right wing.. Eagles passes between two defenders to Mamam in the box.. he fakes left.. goes right.. shoots.. upper right corner.. it's past the keeper! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

88 minute mark: Eagles with a corner kick.. to RvN at the near post.. he heads it.. the keeper barely tips it over the bar.


Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 16-4 (9-0 on target)

Downing won MoM, another 10 for form, 16 of 19 passes, 2 of 3 tackles, 0 of 3 headers, 21 runs! 4 fouls drawn, 1 assist.

Eagles had a 9. Rooney had a 6. The rest of the team had 7's.

I really wish I could get Rooney on track. I thought this relatively easy opponent would help him get back on the scoreboard.

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Dec 5, 2010 -

Just before our match with them, Bolton has sacked Pepe More. Ruud Gullit is being touted as the favorite to take over the job. Remember, Ruud was the manager here at Manchester United before he was fired and I replaced him.

Who takes over when the manager is fired, and they do not have a manager in place yet before a game?

Can Assistant Managers, Coaches, Physicos, Scouts all get "promoted" by the computer (I know we can do it, but do you see it with computer teams)?

Can a player become a coach, and in the long run, become a manager?

[illinifan999]

A player can become a coach. I know with Marseille (I took the job) Barthez has qualified to become a coach, and he's looking to be a good pickup for that. It'll pop up with a message telling you that your player has recievied his coaching quals and he is looking forward to being able to use them at some point. Then you usually get the message that they're retiring at the end of the year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Who takes over when the manager is fired, and they do not have a manager in place yet before a game?

Can Assistant Managers, Coaches, Physicos, Scouts all get "promoted" by the computer (I know we can do it, but do you see it with computer teams)?

Can a player become a coach, and in the long run, become a manager?

The Assistant Manager is in control. If there is no assistant manager, the most senior coach is in coach.

Yes, Assistant managers, coaches, physios, and scouts can all get promoted. I've seen teams steal my Assistant managers before to become their head manager. I'm sure they promote within too.

Yes, players become coaches. Brad Freidel of the USA is now a coach in my game. Roy Keane is a former great midfielder who is now one of my scouts. I purchased Barthez at the beginning of the season, and he is a player/coach. Players can do both towards the end of their career when they get their coaching credentials. In the lower leagues, you'll even see former great players who are still very good for the lower level of talent being player/managers.