FM 05: Manchester United - What can we do for an encore?

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 2, 2018 -

Let's review the 10 most improved and 10 most regressed players. First I'll look at the good news:


1) Paul Shaw - The 16 year old right back/centreback has significantly improved his strength, balance, agility. He is playing smarter on the pitch and he has become a better tackler, better all around defender. However, he is only 16 and he needs to show a great deal of improvement for at least 2 or 3 more years before he might be ready for 1st team football.


2) Mark Hall - The 19 year old striker has top notch speed, but is improving his agility and balance. He is becoming a better dribbler, a better shooter, a better passer, and better mentally. I think another year of improvement like this and he will be ready to play some with the first team.


3) Karl Roberts - The 17 year old defensive midfielder/centreback has improved his strength, mental composue, and most of his technical abilities. He still needs to improve a great deal more before he is ready for 1st team football.


4) Graham Lewis - The 17 year old English Keeper is growing in confidence on my youth team and is improving his all around game. If he continues to improve at this rate, my coaches think he could be a #2 keeper in 2 to 3 years.


5) Kevin Young - My 24 year old striker really shouldn't be kept in the reserve system any longer. He isn't star quality, but he could be a nice rotation player. He plays a lot like Wright, and has good ability, just not very good or great ability. However, he has shown quite a bit of growth the last year in all areas of his game, particularly his dribbling.


6) Andew Harper - The 17 year old defensive midfielder has really been working out. He has significantly improved his stregnth and stamina. He is becoming a better tackler, and man marker. He is also passing better. He is still a few years away from playing on the 1st team.


7) Alberto Flores - The 19 year old phenom has struggled with our fist team, but he continues to improve, albeit not as much as I would hope. His most notable improvements are in his passing where he is bcoming top notch, and his technique. He also has improved his shooting ability and our coaches feel he has the strongest, most accurate shot on the team! He also is improving his dribbling and that might help him make up for his lack of natural speed.


8) Michael Oswald - The 23 year old striker/midfielder has improved all aspects of his game a bit. In particular, his dribbling is becoming top notch as his shot.


9) Barry Parker - The 28 year old midfielder is having a bounce back year as he works harder on his technique and his dribbling. He also is becoming even tougher mentally.


10) Mickael Schmidt - The 26 year old left/right back is working harder this year since I demoted him last year. He has really improved his positioning, tackling, and passing. He is once again a top flight back.



Now for the most regressed:


1) Stewart Downing - The 34 year old left winger has lost his explosive speed and acceleration. He is still able to get by some guys, but not like he used to. He is also becoming a less dominating dribbler and not as crisp of a passer. I don't expect him to remain in the starting lineup beyond this year, and I've now decided I won't renew his deal.


2) Matias Cahais - The 30 year old centreback is looking slower, weaker, and less sharp mentally as well as technically. His passing has become sloppy and his tackling is becoming weak.


3) Wayne Rooney - My scouts estimate that he has lost about 25% of his top notch speed when running wind sprints. He still has some speed, but no where near the excellent speed he used to have. His stamina and acceleration are also not as good. He also is losing some of his passing ability. He is still a great striker, but it looks like he won't be for long...


4) Helder Barbosa - It is unclear if this is due to his injury or not, but my coaches think that his natural abilities are all beginning to diminish.


5) Andy Johnson - The 19 year old right back is showing significant regressing in his already mediocre abilities and our coaches aren't sure why.


6) Bob Wright - Our coaches think the 26 year old striker is becoming lazy in his training due to the lack of PT. He is definitely not as sharp in practice.


Our coaches believe everyone else has either progressed slightly, or stayed the same in ability level.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 4, 2018 -

Tamburini and Pinna have been called up to Italy's U21 squad for their match against Georgia.


Adriano (GK), Schmidt, and Kompany were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.



Sep 5, 2018 -

Swindon (13th in EC) has asked to borrow Mark Hall. They have top notch training facilities, so I agree.

Pinna had an assist for Italy in their 2-0 win over Georgia.




Sep 5, 2018 -

Today I coach Portugal in our first English Championship Qualifying Match. They have been running a 4-2-3-1 and I decide to keep that for now. Particularly since, we are shot on quality strikers but have several quality attacking midfielders. Today we travel to play Iceland. Iceland doesn't have any stars of note.


We are 4-7 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the low 40's.


GK: Rui Caeiro - The 22 year old keeper is not quite up to EPL standards, but he is the best in Portugal at this time and is playing ok for Porto.

DL: Flavio Sousa - The 30 year old left back is fast and is a strong tackler. He is not a two way player, as he doesn't have any offensive abilities. However, he is a solid defender and has played well for Porto.

DC: Peter Prospar - The 26 year old centreback is strong, fast, and has good positioning. He has been very solid for Porto (anyone see a trend? )

DC: Rui Sousa - The 31 year old midfielder/centreback is very fast, has good leaping ability, controls the air, and anticipates well. He has played poorly for Reggina, but I hope for better from him here..

DR: Pedro Lima - The 23 year old right back uses great positioning and technique to make up for lackluster speed. The 23 year old is playing extremely well for Benfica.

MC: Paulo Prazeres - The 31 year old midfielder has good speed, average skills, but has been a star for the team for a few years. He is having a poor year for Sporting CP, so I'll be interested to see how he does here..

MC: Bruno Goncalves - The 24 year old midfielder is a skilled passer, and a good long range shooter. He is playing ok for Benfica this year.


AMC: Ze Mario - The 29 year old attacking midfielder is of average ability except for the fact that he is an exception dribbler. He is playing well for Boavista this year.

AMC: Bruno Gama - The 31 year old attacking midfielder is a very tough competitor with excellent shooting ability. Perhaps, my most dangerous scorer.

AMC: Cristiano Ronaldo - The 33 year old attacking midfielder/striker is losing his ability with age, but he is still a dangerous scorer with great body control. He has 2 goals for Milan in 2 starts.


SC: Ruben Saramago - The 32 year old striker is my only true bonafide star striker on the squad. He has a great shooting touch and is fast and agile. He has 6 goals and 3 assists in 7 starts for Werder Bremen this year.



S1: Joao Magalhaes
S2: Joao Filipe
s3: Joao Pereira
S4: Ricardo
S5: Tiago Avila
S6: Nuno Ferro
s7: Edward Wong

[Eaglesfan27]

8 minute mark: Bruno Gonclaves gets a yellow card for a hard two footed tackle on one of their defenders.

9 minute mark: Ronaldo with a great dribble past two defenders, passes it into the box to Saramago.. he shoots.. over the bar.

12 minute mark: Saramego steals the ball off the keeper as he is dribbling it!!! He dribbles past the keeper.. shoots into the wide open net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

16 minute mark: Prazeres passes to Saramego in the middle of the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0! That is Saramego's 20th goal for Portugal.



Halftime: 2-0 lead for us.



55 minute mark: Ze Mario gets a yellow card for arguing an offside call.

56 minute mark: Nuno Ferro on for Ze Mario who is tired.



Game over. 2-0 win.

We outshot them 17-2 (6-0 on target)

Ruben Saramago won MoM, 9 for form, 25 of 30 passes, 1 key pass, 2 of 2 tackles, 5 of 13 headers, 3 interceptions, 2 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 2 goals.

Lima, Flavio Sousa, and Prazeres had 8's for form. Ze Mario had a 6. Everyone else had a 7.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 5, 2018 -


During Belgium's match with Lithuania, Vincent Kompany broke his leg in 2 places! He is out for 4-6 months! I hope he can fully recover and earn his big contract.


Boogaart played very well for Holland in their 1-0 win over Norway.

Trotta had an assist for Italy in their 4-0 win over Georgia.

Mickael Schmidt had an assist for France in their 3-1 win over Bulgaria.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 8, 2018 -

Today we host Arsenal in a key EPL Match. We are currently in 3rd while Arsenal is in 2nd. Arsenal is led by their pair of star strikers, Mauro Di Mauro who is in his prime and Christophe Sanchez who is also in his prime. Fran is a dominating centreback who solidifies the entire defense. Villa is a play maker in the midfield who works very well with Hatem Ben Arfa who plays all over the midfield. Warren Norman has been their main keeper since they sold Jesus. Norman was a great pickup as he is a top quality keeper.


We are 5-4 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 50's.

Injured: Kompany and Barbosa.


GK: Adriano
DL: Cahais
DC: Cardozo
DC: Miller
DR: Boogaart
ML: Downing
MC: Godoy
MC: Parker
MR: Ortega
SC: Flores (I need him to show me he can play well in big games)
SC: King

S1: Dani
s2: Oswald
S3: Tamburini
S4: Rooney
S5: Adriano

[Eaglesfan27]

10 minute mark: Downing is repeatedly being stopped by their defenders.

12 minute mark: Ortega dribbles down the right sideline.. tries to cross it.. it deflects off a defender to Parker outside the box.. he shoots from 25 yards out.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

20 minute mark: Flores steals it from Villa at midpitch.. shows an ability I wasn't sure he had to dribble past one.. two.. a third defender.. into the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. great save by Norman.



Halftime: 1-0 lead. We have a sold out stadium with over 91,000.



50 minute mark: Girard with a corner kick to the near post.. Hatem Ben Arfa outjumps everyone.. heads it.. upper right corner.. GOAL. 1-1.

53 minute mark: Ortega passes it to Flores in the box.. Flores heads it.. the keeper barely parries it.

62 minute mark: Ortega with a great dribble into the box.. passes it to King.. he shoots.. Norman blocks it.. Flores shoots the rebound.. brilliant save by Norman.

64 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. Parker heads it.. upper right corner.. Norman blocks it.

65 minute mark: Godoy gets the ball at midpitch.. dribbles up the pitch.. lofts a pass into the right corner of the box to Ortega.. Ortega spins around Gavilan.. dribbles into the 6 yard box.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-1. That is Ortega's 1st of the year.

70 minute mark: Rooney on for Flores, Adriano on for King, and Tamburini on for Godoy.

72 minute mark: Miller clears a corner with a long header to Ortega.. he dribbles up the right sideline.. centers it to the near post.. Adriano hits it on the half-volley.. great play by Norman to push it over the bar.

On the ensuing corner, Downing with an outswinging pass.. Adriano heads it.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-1.


Game over. 3-1 win.

We outshot them 19-6 (15-2 on target)

Ortega won MoM, 10 for form, 11 of 12 passes, 1 of 7 tackles, 1 of 5 headers, 15 runs, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

Godoy and Parker had 8's for form. Everyone else had a 7.


Flores, 7 for form, 12 of 13 passes, 1 key pass, 0 of 1 tackles, 4 of 9 headers, 3 runs, 1 foul drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

The physio informs that Tamburini needs a week off due to a bruised head?!?


Sep 9, 2018 -

Ortega was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


Sep 10, 2018 -

We've been made 5-2 favorites to win the Champions League this year. Valencia has 5-1 odds, Juventus 7-1 odds, Deportivo 15-2 odds, Liverpool 11-1 odds, and Inter has 11-1 odds.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 12, 2018 -

Today we host Valencia in a Group E Champions League Match. Valencia is a very talented team. Sean Brady is one of the finest defenders in the world. Romain Dos Santos has become a superstr striker. The 26 year old French striker has every physical skill you could want in a plyer. He is also a brilliant shooter, great passer, and has excellent overall ability. Richard is a slow left winger, but he is a very talented player who uses great positioning and technique to make things happen. Tim Wiese is 36, but the legendary keeper shows no signs of his abilities declining.


We are even odd favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 50's.

Injured: Barbosa, Kompany, and Tamburini


GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Salva
DR: Miller
ML: Pinna
MC: Heller
MC: Godoy
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Dani
S2: Boogaart
S3: Flores
S4: Oswald
S5: Trotta
S6: Ortega
S7: King

[Eaglesfan27]

Wiese has already made a trio of nice saves at the 10 minute mark.

16 minute mark: Godoy passes to Rooney in the box.. hard shot.. upper right corner.. Wiese saves it.

24 minute mark: Cardozo gets a yellow card for tripping Dos Santos.

31 minute mark: Pinna passes it to Rooney in the left half of the box.. Rooney shoots.. upper right corner.. Great save by Wiese.

34 minute mark: Godoy collides with Brady.. yellow card on Godoy.



Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have over 91,000 fans here today.



Rooney is looking very tired in the locker room. I'm probably sub him soon. Cardozo is playing poorly.. I put Boogaart on for him now.


48 minute mark: Pinna passes it to Rooney.. he shoots a powerful banana shot from 30 yards out.. Wiese saves it.

53 minute mark: Pinna with a long pass to Adriano.. he bursts behind the defense.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Rooney gets the rebound.. fakes out the keeper.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

58 minute mark: Dos Santos gets a yellow card for a two footed tackle on Miller.. Miller has been playing great defense on Dos Santos in the last 30 minutes or so.

59 minute mark: Rooney is exhausted. I put Flores on for him.

78 minute mark: Pinna passes it to Flores in the left half of the box.. Flores draws two defenders.. fakes out one of them.. plays a perfect pass to Heller in the center of the box.. Heller shoots it into the upper right corner for an easy goal! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

85 minute mark: Brady tackles Flores stopping his breakaway.


Game over. 2-0 win for us

We outshot them 18-4 (11-0 on target)

Schreurs won MoM, 9 for form, 17 of 18 passes, 2 key passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 3 of 6 headers, 2 interceptions, 13 runs.

Heller also had a 9 for form. Pinna, Godoy, Rooney, and Flores all had 8's for form. Cardozo had a 5. Everyone else had 7's.


Flores, 31 minutes played, 8 for form, 7 of 7 passes, 2 key passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 0 headers, 1 interception, 5 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 1 assist.


After the match, I'm going to offer Flores another new contract and finally promise him a starter's role (which I haven't done in my previous offers.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 15, 2018 -

Alberto Flores has signed a new 4 year deal worth 12.5 million dollars in which I promised him regular starting time..



Sep 16, 2018 -

Today we travel to play Chelsea in a key EPL Match. We are in 1st while Chelsea is in 3rd place. Chelsea is led by star midfielder/forward Freddy Adu. Adu has 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 starts. Julien Ribeiro is playing terrific as the attacking midfielder. The defense is led by centrebacks Naldo and John Woodward. Petr Cech is having a revitalization of his game in goal.


We are 5-4 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 50's.


Kompany, Barbosa, and Schruers are injured

GK: Adriano
DL: Trotta
DC: Cardozo
DC: Miller
DR: Schmidt
ML: Pinna
MC: Parker
MC: Godoy
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Dani
S2: Oswald
S3: Flores
S4: King
s5: Boogaart

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Trotta with a key tackle on Carreno who was burning my defense.

14 minute mark: Adriano stops a blistering shot from Adu.

33 minute mark: Schmidt passes it odwn the right sideline to Ortega.. he centers it for Rooney.. who heads it.. nice save by Cech.

44 minute mark: Adu beat Adriano, but Schmidt blocked the shot from being a goal!

45 minute mark: Schmidt with a long pass down the pitch.. Rooney beats the defenders to it.. shoots.. Cech saves it.



Halftime: 0-0 tie. They have just over 42,000 fans here today.



48 minute mark: Parker blasted a curving shot, but Cech made a great save.

50 minute mark: Ribeiro shot a good curving shot from 35 yards out.. Adriano was in position to stop it, but misplayed it! GOAL. 1-0.

55 minute mark: Trotta passes it down the left sideline.. Pinna gets it.. centers it for Adriano.. he heads it.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.

62 minute mark: Flores on for Rooney who is exhausted and Oswald on for Parker who is very tired.

87 minute mark: Ortega dribbles down the right sideline.. passes it to Adriano.. he heads it to Godoy outside the box.. Godoy shoots from 25 yards out.. Cech blocks it.. Flores immediately shoots the rebound.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-1. That is Flores' 1st of the year.



Game over. 2-1 win for us.

We outshot them 19-12 (11-6 on target)

Petr Cech won MoM, 10 for form, 10 saves, 17 of 34 passes.


Ortega had a 9 for form. Adriano (GK), Trotta, Schmidt, Godoy, and Adriano all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.


Flores, 28 minutes played, 7 for form, 3 of 4 passes, 1 key pass, 0 tackles, 1 of 2 headers, 2 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 17, 2018 -

Godoy injured his wrist in training today and will miss about a week.


Sep 21, 2018 -

Adriano (GK) suffered a groin strain in practice today and will miss at least 2 weeks!

I move Blanco from the reserve squad to the main squad.


Antonio is only 19, but he has greatly improved his game, and I think I'll give him the start in our next match. Dani is good, but Blanco is the future and he is good enough to play now.


We had a fairly favorable draw in the English League Cup as we will be playing Cardiff at their pitch. Cardiff is currently 11th in the EC.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 22, 2018 -

Today we host Charlton in an EPL match. We are in 1st while they are in 10th. Satoshi Sato has been a relevation for them. The 24 year old Japanese striker is fast, reasonably strong, and has a nice skill level. He has 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 starts for them. Jafeth Asprilla is a 34 year old Colombian striker who has provided solid play as the #2 man. He has 4 goals in 4 starts. Steve Gardner and Michael Spence have been the key defenders. Steven Defour has been playing very well at the AMC position. Jamie Bird is growing into the starting keeper position. The 21 year old Welsh keeper has steadily improved since the beginning of the year. His last two matches have been good and he has 2 straight clean sheets.


We are 1-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 50's.


Injured: Adriano (GK), Kompany, Godoy, and Barbosa.


GK: Antonio Blanco
DL: Trotta
DC: Salva
DC: Cardozo
DR: Miller
ML: Pinna
MC: Parker
MC: Heller
MR: Ortega
SC: Flores
SC: King

S1: Dani
S2: Tamburini
s3: Wood
S4: Wright
S5: Cahais

[Eaglesfan27]

35 minute mark: Heller passes to King right of the box.. he centers it for Flores.. he heads it.. into the left goal post.. unlucky bounce.

39 minute mark: Long pass from Cardozo into the box.. Flores is the first man there.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.



Halftime: 1-0 lead. We have just over 70,000 fans here today.



63 minute mark: Pinna passes to Flores in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. great play by the keepeer to tip it over the bar.

66 minute mark: Mohamed Sissoko gets a long pass from Bird.. Sissoko passes it to Morgan in the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. Blanco dives.. he is too late. GOAL. 1-1.

73 minute mark: Wright on for King who is very tired.


Game over. 1-1 tie. Very disappointing effort by the team.

We outshot them 16-3 (9-2 on target)

Jamie Bird, their keeper, wins MoM, 8 for form, 8 saves, 15 of 44 passes.


Blanco had a 6 for form in his debut.

Cardozo, Pinna, and Ortega had 8's. Everyone else had a 7.


Flores, 7 for form, 9 of 14 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 3 of 5 headers, 2 interceptions, 1 run, 1 foul drawn, and 1 goal.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Milan has sent centreback Jorg Walther and 28 million dollars to Arsenal for keeper, Jesus, who has become a star. Jorg Walther is a VERY talented centreback who is slow, but so skilled that he dominates. I think Arsenal made a very nice deal to bolster themselves.

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Arsenal has sold their best centreback, Marek Mach to Lazio for 25 million dollars.

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ahh, I see why Arsenal needed money! They have signed star keeper Warren Norman from West Ham for 26 million dollars!

Looks like they've ultimately exchanged Jesus and Mach for Norman and Walther and 27M. It sounds like you think pretty highly of both Mach and Norman which makes it sounds like a winning combination to me! (Hey, I'm still a Gooner, okay? )

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

The physio informs that Tamburini needs a week off due to a bruised head?!?

You'd want a week off too, if you had a bruised head.

Suckly about Vince Kompany, though.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Looks like they've ultimately exchanged Jesus and Mach for Norman and Walther and 27M. It sounds like you think pretty highly of both Mach and Norman which makes it sounds like a winning combination to me! (Hey, I'm still a Gooner, okay? )You'd want a week off too, if you had a bruised head.

Suckly about Vince Kompany, though.

Good point. I definitely think Arsenal is bouncing back in this career. I guess that is good since I need a good foe

Yeah, Kompany was a bad loss.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 23, 2018 -

Jurgen Meyer had a goal and an assist for our U18 team in their 2-0 win over Macclesfield.


Sep 24, 2018 -

Trotta injured his foot in practice today and will miss about a week.



Sep 25, 2018 -

Today we travel to play Club Brugge in a Champions League MAtch. Attacking midfielder Tim Boot has been their best player and he just isn't that great. He has 4 goals and an assist in 6 starts, but I think we will be able to contain him fairly easily.


We are 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 40's.

Adriano (GK), Trotta, Petit, Kompany, Wood, and Barbosa are all injured.


GK: Blanco (one more chance)
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Salva
DR: Miller
ML: Downing
MC: Tamburini
MC: Heller
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Dani
S2: Cahais
S3: Parker
S4: Oswald
S5: Boogaart
S6: Pinna
S7: King

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Ortega passes it long to Rooney.. he is breaking away.. a defender is catching him.. he shoots from 35 yards out.. over the bar.

4 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney left of the box.. Rooney with a sharp pass to Adriano in the middle of the box.. he shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

12 minute mark: Henrique with a free kick into the box.. Boot outjumps Tamburini.. heads it.. upper right corner.. Blanco was late.. GOAL. 1-1.

19 minute mark: Romulo passes to Boot in the left half of the box.. Boot shoots.. lower right corner.. Blanco is very late getting there! GOAL. Down 2-1. Blanco looks great in practice, but it is clear he is not ready to play regular first team football.

34 minute mark: Tamburini is whistled for tripping Boot.. Rooney argues the call.. yellow card on Rooney.


Halftime: 2-1 deficit. Downing has been embarassingly bad except for his one assist... His lack of speed is really showing.


57 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. to the near post.. Heller heads it.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-2. Downing is still good at corner kicks.

61 minute mark: Pinna on for Downing and Oswald on for Rooney who is tired.

68 minute mark: Cardozo pushes down Boot! Cardozo is given a red card for the seemingly unprovoked shove!

I slide Tamburini back to centreback and go with a 4-3-2.

73 minute mark: Boot with a rough bodycheck on Pinna.. yellow card for Boot.

75 minute mark: Boot in the box.. shoots from 12 yards out.. nice save by Blanco.

Cahais on for Tamburini.


78 minute mark: Heller gets the ball at midpitch.. long pass into the box.. oswald beats two defenders there by a foot.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-2.

Rafael has played incredible defense for them all game, stopping multiple Adriano breakaways.

90 minute mark: Heller passes to Adriano who heads it to Oswald.. he dribbles past two defenders.. into the box.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-2.



Game over. 4-2 win.

We outshot them 14-5 (9-3 on target)


Ortega wins MoM, 9 for form, 25 of 26 passes, 5 key passes, 2 of 6 tackles, 1 of 5 headers, 2 interceptions, 9 runs, 1 foul drawn.

Heller also had a 9 for form. Salva, Miller, Adriano, and Oswald all had 8's for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 29, 2018 -

Today we travel to play Sunderland in an EPL Match. They are currently in 19th while we remain in 1st. Sunderland is led by star striker Pierre Michel who is highly talented. The 26 year old French Striker has top notch speed, excellent acceleration, and a great shot. He has 5 goals in 8 starts this year. Jiri Novak is a talented midfielder who is good both ways. Vicente and Steven Taylor are working well at the centreback positions. Andrew Collins is a 19 year old keeper who has been starting with some regularity for them. He is inexperienced and can be beat fairly easily by deke moves.


We are 4-7 favorites.

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

Injured: Adriano (GK), Cahais, Trotta, Kompany, and Barbosa.


GK: Dani (Blanco isn't ready yet)
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Salva
DR: Miller
ML: Pinna
MC: Parker
MC: Heller
MR: Schreurs
SC: Flores
SC: King

S1: Blanco
S2: Petit
S3: OSwald
S4: Wright
S5: Wood

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: Vicente gets a yellow card for tripping Flores.

5 minute mark: Parker steals the ball at midpitch.. passes it into the box to King's feet.. he knocks the ball down.. turns.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

That is King's 5th goal of the year.


16 minute mark: Heller and Parker pass it back and forth.. probing the defense.. Parker has a clear lane.. shoots from 30 yards out.. upper left corner.. Collins is late getting there! GOAL!!!! 2-0.


30 minute mark: King passes it to Flores.. he dribbles between two defeners.. into the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.

40 minute mark: Pinna passes it to Flores in the middle of the box.. Flores shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper dives.. tips it over the bar.

42 minute mark: Parker passes it into the box.. Flores shoots it.. another solid save by the keeper.

Flores is doing a great job of breaking behind the defenders despite the lack of good speed..



Halftime: 2-0 lead for us. They have over 48,000 fans here today.



60 minute mark: Wright on for King and Petit on for Cardozo.

72 minute mark: Dani saves a long range shot.



Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 13-9 (10-5 on target)

Parker wins MoM, 10 for form, 33 of 43 passes, 4 key passes, 3 of 5 tackles, 8 of 8 headers, 5 interceptions, 3 runs, 1 foul drawn, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

Heller had a 9 for form. Dani, Miller, Pinna, and King all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.


Flores, 7 for form, 16 of 18 passes, 1 key pass, 0 of 1 tackles, 1 of 4 headers, 1 interception, 4 fouls drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just an update (at the request of a few PM's):

This dynasty isn't dead by any stretch of the imagination. My laptop needed some repairs and those were just recently finished. I expect to be resuming this dynasty soon

[Eaglesfan27]

After another long hiatus, this thread is back for good. I really do want to see how Alberto turns out, even though part of me is afraid he is going to be a relative bust.


Sep 30, 2018 -


Alessandro Di Matteo has signed a new 4 year deal. The 17 year old Italian keeper is now tied to us through 2022.

Oct 1, 2018 -


The board is pleased with my performance as manager.

Antonio Ortega has won the EPL Player of the Month. Michael Perry of West Brom came in 2nd, and Jaime Gavilan of Arsenal came in 3rd.

Adriano Pinna has won us the EPL Young Player of the Month. Mark Walsh of West Brom came in 2nd, and Liam Murray of Everton came in 3rd.

I've won EPL Manager of the Month. Brian Little of Cardiff City came in 2nd, and Steve Coppell of West Brom came in 3rd.

Barry Parker, Michael Heller, and Craig King were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Diego Cardozo's ban has been increased one match.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 3, 2018 -


Today we host Birmingham. We are currently 1st in the EPL. Birmingham is in 18th. They are led by English striker Barry Johnson who is slow but talented. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 starts this year. Right back Peter Nagy is the key to their defense ad he has played well this year with over 6 interceptions per game. Keeper Rune Almenning Jarstein has been let down by his defense and is averaging almost 2 goals allowed per game despite being a talented keeper.


We are 2-5 favorites.

It's very windy with temperatures in the 50's.


GK: Dani (Adriano is still hurt)
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo (his ban is for European competition)
DC: Salva
DR: Miller
ML: Downing
MC: Godoy
MC: Parker
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Blanco
S2: Oswald
S3: Schreurs
S4: King
S5: Boogaart

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Downing forces the action and earns us a corner which they clear.


9 minute mark: Miller helps hold it deep in their zone... crosses it to the middle of the box.. Godoy heads it.. inches wide right.



16 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left sideline.. centers it over Rooney's head.. right to Adriano's feet.. he knocks it down.. takes two quick dribbles to his right.. shoots from 10 yards out.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!!!! 1-0.


26 minute mark: Ortega dribbles down the right sideline, centers it to Adriano who heads it to Parker in the box.. he shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.


39 minute mark: Miller collides with their left winger and he is down and out. I bring on Boogaart for him.



Halftime: 1-0 lead. We are dominating possession, but Cardozo is slightly hurt and I don't have anyone else to bring on for him.

We haver over 76,000 fans here today.



49 minute mark: Godoy with some fancy footwork to fake out two guys.. he shoots from 20 yards out.. the keeper dives and punches it over the bar.


52 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney just outside the box.. he has a breakaway.. he is caught by a defender from behind.

53 minute mark: Ortega is called for tripping their left winger.. yellow card.. he argues the call.. he gets a second yellow card!


I take Rooney out of the game and put Schreurs on at right wing. We'll go with a 4-4-1.


54 minute mark: Quick ball movement from Adriano to Downing left of the box.. he passess to Godoy in the center of the box.. he shoots upper left corner.. it is tipped over the bar.


66 minute mark: We generate a flurry of activity in front of their net, but they have 7 guys back and they stop our attacks.

75 minute mark: Their keeper has a pair of acrobatic saves.


87 minute mark: Salva singlehandedly stops a breakaway by their speedier striker.

90 minute mark: They are pressing the attack, but Boogaart starts the counterattack with a pass to Schruers at midifeld.. he passes it ahead to Adriano.. Adriano with a nice crossover dribble to get past the lone defender.. he dribbles into the box.. he fakes out the keeper with another great crossover dribble.. shoots into the open net! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

91 minute mark: Adriano steals the ball.. passes to Schreurs who is running to his right.. Schreurs dribbles into the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.


Game over. 3-0 win

We outshot them 19-3 (despite being down a man for almost 40 minutes)

12-2 on target in our favor.

Adriano won MoM, 10 for form, 17 of 24 passing, 0 tackles, 12 of 16 headers, 2 interceptions, 5 runs, 1 foul drawn, 1 assist, and 2 goals.

Downing also had a 10 for form. Schreurs had a 9. Dani had an 8. Everyone else had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Cardozo sprained his ankle and will miss about a week.

Miller twisted his knee and will miss about a week.



Jurgen Meyer our new young phenom had 2 goals and an assist in our U18's 3-0 win over Leeds.


The team now has a 10 day break for international play and I get to know my Portugal team better.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 6, 2018 -

Jurgen Meyer had a goal and an assist in our U18's 3-0 win over Bolton.


Today I coach Portugal against Russia. We are an old team, but are more talented. We are expected to win. I'm going to run the offense primarily through Cristiano Ronaldo.



2 minute mark: Ronaldo with a perfect to Saramego in the box, but the keeper stops the shot.


7 minute mark: Tiago Avila gets a yellow card for tripping their right winger.

30 minute mark: Ronaldo with some nice dribbling to get into the box, but he shoots over the net.



Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have just under 45,000 fans here today.



53 minute mark: They score a fluky goal on a 45 yard shot that our keeper just misplayed.

70 minute mark: We've missed several good scoring opportunities in the last 10 minutes.



Game over. 1-0 loss.

Cristiano struggled in the playmaking role today.


We blew a lot of opportunities.

We outshot them 15-3 (6-2 on target)

Their keeper, Igor Akinfeev, won MoM with his 6 saves and a 9 for form.

Ronaldo had a 6 for form.

[Christomir]

Hey, you said this one was back for good :P

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Christomir

Hey, you said this one was back for good :P

It is

However, I keep getting distracted by TCB, BBCF, and Civ4. Not bad company

However, I plan on at least one long session this weekend as Mrs. Eaglesfan has a big project and I'm going to have extra "me" time.

Edited to add: I really do love this game and really do plan on playing this career until Flores retires or totally flames out. I'm going to try to update at least 2 to 3 times per week even if the weekday sessions are short ones

[finkenst]

woot.

i'm still playing along in my career...

now i'm the england coach after taking two seasons off from international after my stint with brazil.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 10, 2018 -

Stewart Downing and Adriano (the striker) were named to the EPL Team of the Week.




Today I coached Portugal to a 4-0 lead at halftime over Estonia. Ruben Saramago had 3 goals in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal and 2 assists.


We pulled back in the 2nd half, but won 4-0.


(OOC NOTE: The international game just isn't as fun with Portugal. I'll focus more on it when/if I get to the WC, but otherwise am going to focus on Manchester United. England was fun to coach because I at least had some of my own guys. However, this international break early in the year has always been a bit of a "hump" for me to get over.)

[Izulde]

I need to find my copy of FM06 again and start up another new dynasty from some bottom tier team and work my way up either with the team or jobwise until I score an international job

Congrats on Portugal in case I haven't mentioned it already

Edit: I mean FM06

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks. Probably won't be any more updates until after the Super Bowl (unless it is a blow out which I'm hoping won't be the case.)

[Eaglesfan27]

OOC: Getting a quick game in during my lunch break.


Oct 13, 2018 -

Today we host Coventry in an EPL Match. We are in 1st place. They are last in the EPL. Their team is on the verge of mutiny and they have been hit by some big injuries early. Left back Roberto Di Bari is performing the best so far this year for them. Right back Martin Scott is also playing well for them, and their defense has been ok most games. However, Striker Wayne Worthington is the only guy scoring on their team. He has 5 goals, but as long as we focus on shutting him down, this should be an easy game.


We are 1-2 favorites.

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


Injured: Kompany, Barbosa.

Suspended: Ortega


GK: Adriano (back from injury)
DL: Trotta
DC: Salva
DC: Boogaart
DR: Schmidt
ML: Downing
MC: Godoy
MC: Heller
MR: Schreurs
SC: Flores (time to get him another start, with Rooney tired)
SC: Adriano

S1: Dani
S2: Oswald
S3: Parker
S4: King
S5: Petit

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Downing with a free kick from just outside the box.. he shoots.. wide right.


8 minute mark: Schruers plays a ball in the box that leads to a flurry of activity, but ultimately their defenders block all of the shots.


10 minute mark: Trotta plays the ball long for Adriano.. he heads it to Flores in the box.. Flores shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Adriano with the rebound.. shoots into the open net! GOAL!!!!! 1-0.


16 minute mark: Boogaart with a nice defensive play on Worthington in the box.


30 minute mark: Heller steals the ball, passes it up to Godoy just outside the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper dives.. blocks it.


37 minute mark: Boogaart gets tangled up with Worthington.. Boogaart has to be helped off the pitch.

I put Petit in the game for him.




Halftime: 1-0 lead. We have over 71,000 fans here today.




50 minute mark: Downing passes the ball into the left half of the box for Flores, but he has a man on him. Weak shot.. the keeper easily saves it.

51 minute mark: Downing gets the ball from Heller in the left corner of the pitch.. he plays a nice long cross.. Adriano outjumps the keeper.. heads it.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

53 minute mark: Worthington with a breakaway.. Adriano blocks his shot.. Worthington shoots again.. Adriano smothers it!


63 minute mark: Oswald on at right wing since Schreurs is exhausted.

Parker on for Godoy because he is tired as well.



Game over. 2-0 win. We coasted too much the last 30 minutes, but still a solid win.


We outshot them 14-5 (9-4 on target)


Downing wins MoM, 9 for form, 20 of 22 passes, 3 key passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 1 of 6 headers, 7 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 1 assist.

Adriano (GK), Schmidt, Schreurs, Heller, Flores, and Adriano all had 8's for form.



Flores line: 8 for form, 6 of 8 passes, 1 key pass, 0 of 1 tackles, 3 of 7 headers, 6 runs, 1 foul drawn, 1 assist.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Game Info:

Boogaart sprained his quadriceps and will miss a few days.


Oct 14, 2018 -

Downing was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

[daedalus]

Unrelated but I ended up buying Boogaart in '06 purely because of this thread.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Unrelated but I ended up buying Boogaart in '06 purely because of this thread.

Very cool

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 16, 2018 -

Today we travel to play Dinamo Buc. in a Champions League Match. They are one of the top teams in Romania while we are 1st in the EPL. Today I'm going to try to work a few of the younger guys into the game, but Flores is a bit tired and will probably rest.


We are 4-7 favorites.

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


Injured: Kompany, Barbosa.

Suspened/Ineligible: Cardozo, Petit, Wood.



GK: Adriano
DL: Trotta
DC: Cahais
DC: Miller
DR: Schmidt
ML: Pinna (I want to get him more work)
MC: Tamburini (Let's see what this kid can do)
MC: Parker
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: King

S1: Blanco (I almost gave him a start)
S2: Heller
S3: Wright (Will get in today)
S4: Oswald
S5: Boogaart (will only play if another defender is hurt)
S6: Schreurs
S7: Flores (might play as a sub.)

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: Cahais starts our counterattack.. quick pass to Tamburini.. quick pass to King's feet.. he has a breakaway.. he fakes out the keeper.. shoots.. the keeper recovers, blocks it and pushes it just inches wide.


9 minute mark: Pinna passes to Rooney.. he is breaking away.. he is caught from behind.


23 minute mark: Rooney passes to King in the box.. he shoots.. good save by the keeper.


26 minute mark: Pinna passes to Rooney in the left edge of the box.. he fakes out a defender.. crosses it to King by the far post.. great save by the keeper.


34 minute mark: Tamburini gets the ball at midfield.. dribbles up the pitch.. passes it to Pinna in the left half of the box.. he dribbles into the 6 yard box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.





Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have over 15,000 fans here today.




46 minute mark: Trotta picks up a yellow card for tripping their striker.


47 minute mark: Tamburini with a nice banana shot from 25 yards out, but the keeper deflects it over the bar.


50 minute mark: Tamburini gets a yellow card for pulling the jersey of his man.

60 minute mark: Oswald on for Rooney, Wright on for King, and Schruers on for Ortega who has picked up a minor injury.



67 minute mark: Pinna with a great pass into the box after intercepting a keeper kick.. Oswald shoots.. great save by their keeper.

77 minute mark: Cahais gets a yellow card for tripping their striker, fortunately it was outside the box.


91 minute mark: Schmidt throws it in deep in their zone.. he throws it into the box.. to Cahais.. he shoots.. it deflects off a defender.. and in! GOAL!!!!! 2-0.


We outshot them 20-12 (12-2 on target)

Schmidt won MoM, 8 for form, 29 of 35 passes, 4 key passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 5 of 5 headers, 9 interceptions, 1 foul drawn, and 1 assist.


King, Parker, and Wright had 7's for form. All of my other players had 8's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Michael Oswald twisted his knee and will miss at least a week.


Adriano Trotta suffered a calf strain and will miss 1-2 weeks.



october 17, 2018 -

Sunderland has fired Richard Money since they are 20th in the EPL. Sanli Tuncay is being listed as a serious contender to take over the club.



Oct 20, 2018 -

Our U18 team beat Barnsley 2-0. Jurgen Meyer was player of the match with a goal and an assist.




Fulham shocked Chelsea 3-0 today at Chelsea's stadium!

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 21, 2018 -

Today we host Liverpool in an EPL Match. They are 4th in the EPL while we are in 1st. Liverpool is decimated by injuries right now. Their top striker, Lebohang Mokoena is out injured. Their top centreback, Antonio, is injured. Their #3 striker, Moreira is out injured. Nuno Ferro who is aging and Junior are injured in the midfield. As a result of the injuries, they will be relying on keeper Chris Taylor and striker Nicky Platt to help carry the team today. Defensively, Alberto is a strong left back who is very fast and will probably try to shut down Adriano today. However, due to injuries, they will probably start Ryan Green at right back. Rooney has to take advantage of this slow fullback.



We are 5-4 favorites.

It is sunny with temperatures in the 70's.


Injured: Kompany, Trotta, Barbosa, and Oswald.

GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Salva
DR: Boogaart
ML: Pinna (I think he might be better than Downing who is 34 at this point.)
MC: Godoy
MC: Heller
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Blanco
S2: Petit
S3: Schreurs
S4: King
S5: Flores (will get in if we get a 2 goal lead.)

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Stephane Dalmat passes it to Ellis who passes it back to Mawene.. he shoots from 25 yards out.. Adriano just doesn't react in time.. GOAL in the upper right corner. 1-0. That was a soft goal.


2 minute mark: Rooney gets a yellow card for pushing Ryan Green. Ortega argues the call and gets a yellow card as well.


4 minute mark: Ellis gets it on the left wing, passes it to Dalmat.. Dalmat dribbles past both of my centerbacks.. into the box.. he fakes right.. shoots.. lower left corner.. Adriano is late. GOAL! 2-0.


11 minute mark: Jordan Holmes gets a yellow card for holding Ortega's jersey.


13 minute mark: Pinna with a nice dribble between two defenders.. into the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. the keeper blocks it.


24 minute mark: Heller gets a yellow card for pushing Alberto.

26 minute mark: Pinna passes to Rooney in the box.. he is tackled from behind before he can shoot.


33 minute mark: Pinna passes it to Rooney in the left half of the box... he threads a pass between two defenders.. Godoy shoots.. upper left corner.. Taylor with a great save.


41 minute mark: Pinna passes to Rooney in the left half of the box.. he has a breakaway.. he dribbles towards the 6 yard box.. he is caught from behind.



Halftime: Down 2-0


Salva is having a bad game as is Schmidt. Adriano, the striker, has done nothing.


I'm giving Adriano 5 minutes to turn it around before King comes on..



46 minute mark: Adriano handballs.. Cardozo argues the call and gets a yellow card.

48 minute mark: Adriano pushes Alberto.. he argues the call.. he gets a yellow card and we get called for dissension.

I put Flores on for Rooney and King on for Adriano.



58 minute mark: Green gets a yellow card for tripping Flores.


61 minute mark: Dalmat with a breakaway.. into the box.. Adriano smothers the shot.

73 minute mark: Pinna with a breakaway.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. upper right corner.. nice save by Taylor.


82 minute mark: Ortega with a corner to the near post.. Cardozo heads it.. barely wide of the goal post.

84 minute mark: Pinna passes to King left of the box.. King centers it to the far post.. Heller with a diving header.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-1.


88 minute mark: Boogaart stops a Dalmat breakaway.

89 minute mark: We get a pair of quick shots on goal, but Taylor stops them both.



Game over. 2-1 loss


We outshot them 16-7 (10-5 on target)


Despite the loss, Ortega won MoM, 9 for form, 12 of 18 passes, 1 key pass, 5 of 7 tackles, 4 of 8 headers, 4 interceptions, 14 runs, 2 fouls drawn.

Pinna had an 8 for form.


Both Adriano's had 5's for form. The rest of the team had 7's.


Flores in 41 minutes, 7 for form, 3 of 4 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 3 of 4 headers, 1 run, 1 foul drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Salva twisted his ankle and will miss about a week.



Oct 24, 2018 -

Ortega was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.



Today we travel to play Cardiff in the 3rd round League Cup Match. Cardiff is 10th in the EPL while we are in 1st. They are led by striker Bartomeu Monteiro De Aln who leads the team with 5 goals. The 25 year old striker from Guinea-Bissau is a speedster with decent technical abilities. Luis Carlos is a good keeper wh has played way above himself this year. Hopefully, we can crack him.


We are 4-7 favorites.


It's overcast with temperatures in the 60's.



Injured: Oswald, Barbosa, Kompany, Trotta, Salva.


GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Miller
DR: Boogaart
ML: Pinna (played well enough to get another start)
MC: Tamburini (ditto)
MC: Parker
MR: Schreurs
SC: Flores
SC: King

S1: Blanco
S2: Ortega
S3: Adriano
S4: Cahais
S5: Petit

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Andy Gibson is doing a good job of stopping Flores' dribbles into the box.

13 minute mark: Pinna gets a yellow card for tripping Canini.

18 minute mark: Pinna passes to Flores in the box.. he shoots.. wide left.


24 minute mark: Flores with a nice through ball to King in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.

43 minute mark: Gibson again stops Flores from getting a good shot off in the box.



Halftime: 0-0 tie.




52 minute mark: Pinna starts our counterattack off of their corner kick.. long pass to King.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots.. the keeper saves it.

70 minute mark: Adriano on for Flores.



End of Regulation: 0-0 tie.



Halftime of Extra Time: 0-0 tie.


Ortega on for Schruers.


106 minute mark: Pinna with a cross towards Adriano.. Luis Carlos intercepts it.. bobbles it! Into his own goal!!! 1-0 we lead.


114 minute mark: Adriano with a pair of solid saves.


117 minute mark: Ortega passes it into the box to King who heel passes back to Adriano.. he shoots from 12 yards out.. upper left corner.. great save by their keeper.



Game over. 1-0 win.

We outshot them 11-8 (8-5 on target)

Pinna won MoM, 9 for form, 36 of 45 passes, 3 key passes, 5 of 8 tackles, 6 of 10 headers, 1 interception, 6 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 1 assist.


Cardozo, Schreurs, and Flores all had 7's for form.

The rest of my starters had 8's.



Flores, 7 for form, 16 of 19 passes, 3 key passes, 3 of 3 tackles, 3 of 6 headers, 1 interception, 3 runs, 1 foul drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 26, 2018 -

Almost the most favorable draw possible for the English League Cup 4th round as we will travel to play the only League 2 Team left, Q.P.R.



Oct 27, 2018 -

Today we host Middlesbrough in an EPL Match. They are in 16th while we remain in 1st. Morale on the team is quite bad right now, and 3 of their big contributors are hurt. They will be relying on my former player, Jamie Cook to set things up from his midfielder spot. Andrea Salerno will probably be the most dangerous striker on the pitch for them. He is a 21 year old Italian Striker who is really becoming a very good player. He has excellent speed, good technique, and is a potent target man. He has 4 goals in 10 starts this year. Jan Lastuvka is 36, but is still playing at a very high level and the keeper will be tough to beat today.



We are 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 50's.


Injured: Trotta, Kompany, Barbosa



GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Miller
DR: Boogaart
ML: Downing
MC: Godoy
MC: Heller
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Blanco
S2: Cahais
S3: Wood (I'd like to get him some PT)
S4: King
S5: Petit

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Downing passes it to Rooney in the left half of the box.. strong curving shot.. Lastuvka barely tips it wide.

16 minute mark: Salerno pushes Cardozo.. yellow card on Salerno... Guerno argues the call.. he gets a yellow too.


18 minute mark: Rooney is stopped for the 3rd time this match as he tries to dribble into the box.


22 minute mark: Downing's corner is very wild and sails over everyone's head.

32 minute mark: Adriano goes down after colliding with Lastuvka! Adriano is hurt


King on for Adriano.



34 minute mark: Rooney steals it from Paulo Henrique, the centreback, inside their box.. he shoots immediately from 14 yards out .. powerful shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0. Rooney made that goal happen!


44 minute mark: King collides with Marquez, he goes down and has to be carried off!

I don't have another natural striker to put up there. I move Godoy up to the striker position and put Wood in the midfield.




Halftime: 1-0 lead. We have over 68,000 fans here today.



84 minute mark: Rooney and Godoy get off a pair of shots each, but Lastuvka blocks them all in a very impressive display of keeping ability.


87 minute mark: Boogaart singlehandedly stops a 2-on-1 breakaway with some great positioning.

90 minute mark: Adriano has stopped a few long range shots in the last few minutes, including one hard shot by Cook.



Game over. 1-0 win.


We outshot them 16-5 (5-3 on target)

Downing wins MoM, 8 for form, 23 of 27 passes, 3 key passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 2 of 7 headers, 3 interceptions, 8 runs, 1 foul drawn.


Schmidt, Ortega, and Rooney also had 8's for form. Everyone else had a 7.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Adriano damaged his shoulder and will miss about a week.

Craig King suffered a sprained ankle and will miss about a week.


Boogaart needs some rest according to my physios.



Oct 28, 2018 -

Jurgen Meyer had a goal and an assist in our U18's 2-0 win over Preston.




Oct 29, 2018 -

Schmidt was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.




Oct 31, 2018 -

Today we host Dinamo Buc in a Champions League Match. See the preview from the last game against them.


We are 4-7 favorites.


It's cold but clear with temperatures in the high 30's.



Injured: Kompany, Barbosa, Cardozo, King, and Adriano.


GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Salva
DC: Cahais
DR: Miller
ML: Pinna
MC: Tamburini
MC: Parker
MR: Schreurs
SC: Flores
SC: Oswald (He is getting unhappy with the lack of PT, and I can't blame him.)


S1: Blanco
S2: Heller
S3: Godoy
S4: Wright
S5: Boogaart
S6: Ortega
S7: Downing

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Flores steals the ball in the box.. shoots.. nice save by the keeper.


5 minute mark: Pinna gets a yellow card for pushing their right winger. His propensity to pick up yellow cards is concerning.


8 minute mark: Pinna with a great free kick.. perfect placement for Oswald who heads it.. nice save by the keeper.


18 minute mark: Pinna with a nice cross to the middle of the box.. Calin intercepts it, but he knocks it right down to Schreurs.. Schreurs shoots from 8 yards.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


33 minute mark: Salva gets a corner after their defender knocks away the corner kick.. Salva shoots.. upper left corner... GOAL!!!! 2-0.



Halftime: 2-0 lead. We have over 79,000 fans here today.



58 minute mark: Flores just doesn't have enough speed to pull away on a great breakaway opportunity.

62 minute mark: Flores with a nifty dribble past two defenders into the left half of the box.. he draws another defender.. centers it to Tamburini in the box.. he hits on the half-volley.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0! Nice goal!


75 minute mark: Wright on for Oswald.




Game over. 3-0 win for us

We outshot them 17-4 (12-0 on target)


Schreurs won MoM, 10 for form, 20 of 29 passes, 5 key passes, 0 tackles, 1 of 4 headers, 1 interception, 14 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 1 goal.


Salva, Tamburini, Pinna, Parker, and Flores all had 8's. Everyone else had 7's.



Flores, 8 for form, 12 of 15 passes, 2 key passes, 7 of 10 headers, 9 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 1 assist. Sometimes, I have to remind myself Flores is only 19 and that I need to be patient with him.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

My Physio informs me Parker needs rest.


We've advanced to the next round of the Champions League with that win.




November 1, 2018 -


The Board is very pleased with my performance as manager.


Stewart Downing has won the EPL Player of the Month!


Stephane Dalmat of Liverpool came in 2nd, and Hatem Ben Arfa of Arsenal came in 3rd.




Sunderland's Dave Grant has won the EPL Young Player of the Month. Steve Campbell of Aston Villa came in 2nd, and Tony Ashton of Everton came in 3rd.



Arsenal's Ezio Rossi has won the EPL Manager of the Month. Pako Ayestaran of Liverpool came in 2nd, and Rafa Benitez of Chelsea came in 3rd.





Here is a look at the table at this point:

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Man Utd		13	10	1	2	27	7	+20	31
2nd		Liverpool		14	9	4	1	24	11	+13	31
3rd		Arsenal		13	10	1	2	16	6	+10	31
4th		Chelsea		13	8	3	2	23	7	+16	27
5th		West Brom		14	8	3	3	19	13	+6	27
6th		Everton		14	6	4	4	18	18	0	22
7th		Man City		14	7	1	6	15	17	-2	22
8th		Aston Villa		13	5	3	5	17	13	+4	18
9th		Charlton		13	4	6	3	11	8	+3	18
10th		Birmingham		14	4	5	5	21	20	+1	17
11th		Cardiff		13	5	1	7	13	18	-5	16
12th		Fulham		14	5	1	8	11	16	-5	16
13th		Leeds		13	4	3	6	8	10	-2	15
14th		West Ham		14	4	3	7	17	20	-3	15
15th		Crystal Palace		13	3	5	5	16	18	-2	14
16th		Newcastle		13	4	2	7	12	15	-3	14
17th		Middlesbrough		14	3	4	7	11	18	-7	13
18th		Sunderland		14	4	1	9	13	29	-16	13
19th		Tottenham		14	2	5	7	12	23	-11	11
20th		Coventry		13	1	2	10	10	27	-17	5

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 4, 2018 -

Today we travel to play Leeds in an EPL Match. They are in 13th while we are in 1st. They have a balanced offense led by star striker Shane Paul and centreback Nick Porter who has chipped in 6 goals each. Defensively they struggle, and keeper Richard McDonald has played well, but is often overwhelmed by shots. If their defense was more solid, I think they would be in the top 8 at least.


We are 1-2 favorites.

It's windy but clear with temperatures in the low 40's.



GK: Adriano
DL: Schmidt
DC: Cardozo
DC: Boogaart
DR: Miller
ML: Downing
MC: Godoy
MC: Heller
MR: Ortega
SC: Oswald
SC: Adriano

S1: Blanco
S2: Salva
S3: Schreurs
S4: Flores
S5: Trotta