WWSM 2008: Millwall - In pursuit of the Hammers

[BYU 14]

OK, Frogman and CW have drawn me into the fray now, dammit guys!!!

I took over Millwall in League 1 for 2007 - 08 with on goal in mind. To get to the EPL and renew one of the most bloodthirsty rivalries in English Football. Milwall VS West Ham.

2007-2008
I bring the Lions home to a 10th place finish and the fans and board are only marginally happy. None the less I get my system in place (4-1-2-1-2) attacking Diamond and start to build the team I need to make it work. Speedy wingers, a strong target man at one striker and a pacey goal machine at the other. I manage to score Chelsea as my parent club and hook up Thurrock and Sligo Rovers as feeders. The arrangement with Chelsea will serve me well in my quest for the Prem.

2008-2009
With most of the necessary pieces on place we come out fast and stay within the top four then entire Season. I have a very good young GK in Preston Edwards and speed to burn down the wings. Led by Chris Iwelumo at the target spot we close strong to take first place in League one, gaining promotion to the Coca-Cola Championship for the 09-10 campaign.

2009-2010
Expected to fight bravely against relegation I up the stakes and tell the board we will achieve a safe midtable position. I fortify the front line with speedy Fin Juho Makela as my dangerman and Ricardas Beniusis at the target spot. Makela lives up to the hype and more as he leads the Championship in goals heading into the stretch run. Beniusus has been a huge flop, spending much of the year injured and only scoring 6 goals in 23 appearances out of 47games in all competitions to date. The board also undermines me, selling off my best winger early because the offer was "to good to pass up." Overall this leaves me a little thing on the right side, but I am able to fill voids here and on the back line through loans and currently sit in 6th place with 5 games to go. Can the Lions hang on to a spot in the promotion playoffs and join the hated Hammers in the Premiership next Season???

We pick it up in April of 2010

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

Even though we hang on to 6th place by goal differential, this does not bode well to lose to the 17th place Forest squad at home. They followed us up from League one and have continued to have our number, as we are now 1 up 4 down and a draw against them over three Seasons. Their Keeper Jason Brown always plays out of his head against us. We have a tough stretch coming up with two of our last four against teams (Birmingham and Charlton) ahead of us in the promotion battle. We need to get some points in at least one of these games and need all 3 points from both Wolves and last place Cardiff away. Then, we will still need to survive the playoff battle to move up....I am saving my do it for the fans speeches for the playoffs. It will go to the wire and my squad has not performed at their highest in pressure spots this Season.

[finketr]

great...

now there are three.

[FrogMan]

sweet lord, what monster have I created?!?

I'll be reading, that's for sure!

FM

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

sweet lord, what monster have I created?!?

I'll be reading, that's for sure!

FM

Haha...even more than you know, as I might start a dynasty as well!

Great start BYU.

[BYU 14]

Maybe we can get our own sub-forum

[FrogMan]

hehe, why not, we will rival the once-and-done party

FM

[Coffee Warlord]

We are the borg.

[BYU 14]

We really screw the pooch here, giving the ball away deep and allowing O'Connor to net his second goal, which stands despite the fact that he was offsides. I have already been suspended by the FA this Season for running my mouth, which pissed the board off no end, so I keep quiet. Edwards was victimized by some spotty play along the back line as he had another fine match in goal. If I can keep him happy we will be set at Keeper for years as he is consistently turning in 8's for us. Iwelumo also played well and I thought teaming him up with his old running mate Shaun Cummings for the last 20 minutes might spark us, but Cummings was a non-factor. We defended them well on the wings and should have had a clean sheet if we would have done better at keeping possession in our half of the pitch. This puts us in 7th place, 1 point behind Middlesbrough with three to play. We go to last place Cardiff next. Despite already being set for relegation they are favorites....WTF? Our recent form is shaky but Cardiff has 4 wins all season!!!

[NoSkillz]

Love the reporting style. Well done!

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Love the reporting style. Well done!

Thanks, this game is so immersive. I always end up talking to myself when I play, so I have always wanted to do a WWSM Dynasty and record my thoughts. Frogman and CW finally inspired me to do it.

Rankled that we are underdogs away to last place Cardiff I spout off to the media that I fully expect a win. It is the first time I have done so all season when we have been the dog and I am not happy with how two of my key players react. Chris Iwelumo says he is nervous about the match and Michael McIndoe indicates he is unsure....not what I wanted from these two, especially McIndoe. In response I name both as subs and start Ryan Smith at AML and the largely disappointing Ricardas Beniusis up front with Makela. I backpedal a bit in my pregame talk and tell the boys there is no pressure on them today, hoping to loosen them up.



My moves pay off in spades in the first half as both Smith and Beniusis excel, with Beniusis finding the net off of a corner in the 35th minute. We allow only a single shot on goal in the first half and are dominating. I tell the team I am pleased at Halftime, playing it safe and send them back into the fray. Charlie "Devil went down to Georgia" Daniels gets dinged in the 63rd minute so I sub my utility defender extraordinaire Dean Holden and Jay Tabb and all hell breaks loose. Cathcart makes a rare mistake and looses his man as Cardiff score off a corner and we suddenly pucker up. Preston Edwards is forced to make two brilliant point blank saves in the 85th minute and it appears we may withstand a Cardiff comeback on his shoulders. Then Iwelumo, whom I subbed in for Beniusis some unknown reason is apparently still nervous and gives the ball away setting up the equalizer one minute from stoppage time. On this occasion Rae is clearly offside for Cardiff, but the assistant blows the call and we have to settle for a single point.

The good news is Middlesbrough lose leaving us both with 72 points, but we have a 9 goal advantage in GD. The bad news is Coventry wins and leap frogs us both into 6th place. Two games to go and we lead 'Borough on GD and trail Coventry by a point. We also have the GD edge on them though, which may come in handy. QPR is 3 points behind us and Ipswich holds out slim hopes at 4 back from us and 5 from a spot in the playoffs.

This time I can't keep quiet about the blown call and tell the local press that I feel the Referee missed the call.......I hold my breath, but surprisingly the FA is silent.....Maybe because the replays show I am right and we get screwed out of three very key points!!! Bastards!

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

A huge match against Wolves and anything less than the full 3 points spells doom to our playoff aspirations....I go for the sentimental approach and tell the lads to do it for the fans!!



This game is insane as Wolverhampton nets an early tally that ignites a firestorm of rapid fire goals (4 in 9 minutes) and when the smoke clears it stands level with Juho Makela regaining his stroke with back to back tallies. Our backline is reeling early, but respond to clamp the Wolves attack for the rest of match allowing only 4 shots after the half. Edwards is again stellar between the posts, but Wolverhamption hang tough. Chris Iwelumo, who is really fired up for this match, finally bags the go ahead goal and just as Wolverhampton seems poised to stage a late rally, late sub Ricardas Beniusis bangs home the header off a fine cross from McIndoe to seal the deal in stoppage time. Beniusis is completely fit and healthy finally, and has strung together his best back to back outings of the year the last two games. I was going to let him walk, but I may give him another look when the Season ends. It is rare to get a big, strong target man with the kind of pace he has and I would hate to give up prematurely on him.

We now sit in sixth (by goal differential) with one game to play against 2nd place Charleton. The key game sees 7th place Middlesbrough visit 8th place Coventry, who are two points back of us and the scenario is simple. We win and we make the promotion playoffs, lose and the winner of Middlesbrough/Coventry take 6th place, draw and we need a Coventry victory to have a shot at promotion.

How huge is that blown offsides call that cost us points at Cardiff now?

[BYU 14]

Knowing what we need to accomplish our goal of a playoff spot, I can only wish the team good luck before the game.....I pull Makela aside and let him know he needs to take up where he left off last time for us to have any hope.



An incredible match as we answer Charlton all day long in an incredible show of heart. McIndoe is one of the coolest penalty takers I have encountered and he added a big response goal on a brilliant strike. Again there is controversy as the Referee awards Charlton the penalty in what was a melee in the area as the ball was loose and everyone was scrambling furiously to get it. Edwards made two brilliant saves in this sequence, but could not keep the penalty out.

At Halftime I play the "win it for the fans" card, which I use sparingly, but again it does the trick. Songo'o hits from an angle even sharper than McIndoe's and Makela finally comes through with the clutch go ahead goal. All seems certain, until we are bitten by the bad officiating bug AGAIN. Charlton's McLeod was clearly offside, by easily two yards and after he scored I kept waiting for the flag that never came.....The replay clearly showed the error but it doesn't matter. It not only costs us the win, but kills our shot at promotion as well as Middlesbrough shocks Coventry at home 4-3 to jump into 6th place. It is a painful end to an otherwise fantastic Season as we miss a shot at the Prem by two points!

This time I can't hold back and comment that the call cost us as strongly as I can....Again the FA is silent, still it is a Pyrrhic victory as we will be back in the Championship next Season.

A long off Season looms ahead as I have some decisions to make. We need to shore up the Defense just a bit and add some more speed down the wings. I am also hearing a rumor that Preston Edwards may be looking to move to a bigger club. Not what I want to hear at this point as he will be one of our keys to gaining promotion.

[BYU 14]

Millwall Highlights

• Juho Makela is the top scorer, not only in the Championship, but in all of England

• Millwall take the overachievers award!

• Iwelumo leads CC in assists

(We have several other leaders as well, which I will post later)

• Arsenal and Everton take the FA and Carling Cups

Joining us from the EPL next year will be Watford, Norwich and Burnley.
Moving up from League 1 will be Sheffield Wednesday, Hudderfield and Barnsley. Can wait to thump up on them

I went after Mido last Season and I am now glad Bolton got him as he was a bust!

[BYU 14]

Money
We pay out $725K to be shared among the squad on a pro-rata basis after finishing 7th in the Coca-Cola Championship. A nice vacation bonus.

We have been given $2,600,000 for their final position in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Awards
Millwall's Juho Mäkelä has won the Coca-Cola Championship Top Goalscorer award scoring 39 goals.

Four of our players were selected in the Coca-Cola Championship Players' Select, including Preston Edwards, Michael McIndoe, Juho Mäkelä and Franck Songo'o. All but Songo'o, on loan from Reading will be back. A good showing by the Lions

June Dates
6.12.2010 - England v Iran (World Cup)
6.17.2010 - Ivory Coast v England (World Cup)
6.22.2010 - Sweden v England (World Cup)
6.24.2010 - David Fernandez's loan finishes
6.24.2010 - Franck Songo'o's loan finishes
6.24.2010 - Craig Cathcart's loan finishes
6.24.2010 - Jeff Henderson's loan finishes
6.25.2010 - Gary Moss' loan finishes
6.25.2010 - Ikenna Ofoche's loan finishes
6.25.2010 - Nana Ofori's loan finishes
6.25.2010 - Keith Palmer's loan finishes
6.30.2010 - Ricardas Beniusis' contract expires
6.30.2010 - Jay Tabb's contract expires
6.30.2010 - Chris Iwelumo's contract expires
6.30.2010 - Paul Robinson's contract expires
6.30.2010 - 5 Millwall Under 18s contracts expire
6.30.2010 - 8 Millwall Reserves contracts expire
6.30.2010 - Danny Murphy's contract expires

Rumors and Rubbish
Reports today are suggesting that Millwall left winger Michael McIndoe could be leaving the club in the near future. The winger Michael McIndoe has told London's Evening Standard that he is ambitious and needs to move to a bigger club if he is to further his career. This is not good as the previous rumor on Edwards led to this....

According to London's Evening Standard, Preston Edwards has stunned Millwall by declaring that he needs to move to a bigger club. The 20 year-old goalkeeper stated that he has ambitions to win trophies and feels he will not achieve this at Millwall. We have a nice talk and I convince him that he can be at a bigger club next year when we win promotion. He appears satisified and backs off

Millwall chairman Stewart Till offers me a new three year contract at $5,250 per week. The board wants the team to finish in a respectable position in the Coca-Cola Championship by the end of the three year plan. I take the offer since my dreams jobs (Liverpool and Spurs) are not available...A Lion for three more years

Millwall have announced the latest figures from ongoing season ticket sales.
As of today, the club has sold 2939 season tickets for the upcoming season.
The board expects the club to sell another 7800 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 10700 in total.

Re-Signings
Chris Iwelumo ST is given a new 2 year contract worth $625,000. Chris has been with us since 2008 and still produces despite being over 30. He deserves a chance to get to the Prem.

Danny Murphy AMC has signed a new 2 year contract with Millwall worth $5,250.00per week. Will only be a rotation player with Rothery, but a valuable mentor.

Paul Robinson DC has been rewarded with a new 4 year contract worth $1,900,000. Our Captain returns after expressing doubt about whether he wanted to remain a Lion earlier in the year.

Tom Pritchard has put pen to paper on a 3 year contract at Millwall worth around $45,000. He is a youngerster from our U18 with some promise and will move up to the reserves this Season. Projects into a solid first team backup down the road.

New Signings
Sunderland's Roy O'Donovan AM R/ST has agreed to a deal with Millwall. We get $1,300.00 a week (A steal) and gives us some flexibility as he can play forward and on the wing.

Wolves' Neill Collins DC has agreed to a deal with Millwall worth $7,500.00 per week for 4 years. He is a marking and tackling machine (18 in both) and will be our lock player on strikers that don't have a big advantage in pace over him.

Millwall have signed 25 year old left winger Craig Conway AM L/R from Dundee Utd on a free transfer. He will make $7,750.00 for 4 years and being able to play both sides gives us flexibility

Millwall have signed Reading's Alex Pearce DC for a fee of $1,600,000. He is as good as Cathcart was in the air and gives us a good 3 player rotation at the position. He will make $8,250 PW for 4 years.

Millwall have snapped up full-back Robbie Williams on a free transfer from Huddersfield. He will make $3,700.00 a week, a good bargain and will compete to start at Left Fullback.

Millwall have signed Chelsea's Ben Brown DC/R for a fee of $100,000. He will make $450 a week and at 18 is a solid prospect for the Right Fullback job down the road.

Leaving the Den
Doncaster have completed the signing of flamboyant winger Jay Tabb from Millwall on a free transfer. Was a solid L1 player, but did not shine as expected after promotion to the Championship. Lots of talent, it just doesn't always show on the pitch.

Leicester have signed former Scotland Under-21 international Willie Kinniburgh DC from Millwall for a fee of $120,000. Willie was just the odd man out with Cathcart and Robinson last year and it would have been no different this year with the signing of Collins.

Millwall's Ricardas Beniusis ST is now out of contract and released. Tough decision, but I can't pay his salary demands to sit on the bench, as he did not show enough to beat out Iwelumo. Plus, with O'Donovan able to fill two roles, he is the more valuable sub.

Millwall's David Fernandez AMC is now out of contract and the club have decided not to retain him. Big part of out L1 promotion run, but has declined rapidly. Spent most of last season on loan to Thurrock and would have been relegated to the reserves if we kept him, just not enough speed.

Released from the youth and reserve Team
Charlie Read

Ikenna Ofoche

Hassan Janneh

Ryan James

Gary Bowes

Gary Moss

None just showed any hope of being first teamers, better to cut ties and let them try and hook up a lower league deal. Wasted youth.

[BYU 14]

England brings home her first World Cup since 1966 and the entire country is in a state of delirium!! A host of tight matches in the knockout stages with several going to penalty kicks. The USA had a good showing, taking first in their group before falling to a tough Italy squad on PK.

The excitement over this should carry well into the Season and I am hoping this, as well as our new signings spike ticket sales.....Hey, if the Three Lions are kings of the Soccer jungle, perhaps it will be the year of the Lion in the Championship as well.

[BYU 14]

The Lions Den -The Official Newsletter of Millwall Football With the Football Season fast approaching it appears the Lions have the structure in place that Millwall supporters hope will carry them to the Premiership, coming off a resoundingly successful campaign in their return to the Coca-Cola Championship. Facing a tight transfer budget, Manager Crooks was forced to bargain hunt in his quest to return Millwall to highest echelon of English Football.....The question we have for him is, will it be enough? Coach, tell us about your squad. Goalkeepers Name Position Nat Height Weight Age Value Preston Edwards GK ENG 6'0\" 171 lbs 20 $2.5M Rhys Taylor GK WAL 6'2\" 169 lbs 20 $26K An area in which we are blessed with both skill and youth. Preston Edwards is a rising star who in my mind will one day compete for a spot as Englands #1. He is drawing a lot of attention from bigger clubs and we need to make a strong run at the prem to keep him. Taylor is capped for wales at the U21 level and could start for a lot of teams in this league, a solid back up. Defense Andrew Callaghan D R IRL 5'9\" 163 lbs 20 $65K Nana Ofori D RC ENG 5'9\" 167 lbs 20 $675K Ben Brown D RC ENG 6'3\" 202 lbs 18 $100K Dean Holden D RLC, WB RL NIR 6'0\" 154 lbs 30 $190K Paul Robinson D C ENG 6'1\" 160 lbs 28 $375K Alex Pearce D C SCO 6'2\" 163 lbs 21 $1.6M Neill Collins D C SCO 6'3\" 171 lbs 26 $2.9M Peter Okorie D/WB RL NGA 6'0\" 180 lbs 18 $6K Robbie Williams D/WB/M L ENG 5'10\" 165 lbs 25 $180K An area of strength as well as concern. Robinson will again captain the squad and is generally reliable. He had some lets downs last year when he was worried about squad discipline, just needs to stay focused. Newcomers Collins and Pearce make for a solid rotation, with Collins in particular a tough man to shake. Ofori was brought back on loan from Chelsea t shore up the right side and Williams will get first shot at the left side. Holden as always will provide depth at any spot, a valuable utility player. The other three will likely start on the reserve squad, though Brown is a prospect to be watched. The key here will be how well our Fullbacks play. If they don't get it done, look for Silva to drop back to the left side from the Midfield area. MidFielders Craig Conway AM RL SCO 5'9\" 145 lbs 25 $400K Roy O'Donovan AM R, ST IRL 5'6\" 138 lbs 24 $350K Michael McIndoe AM L SCO 5'8\" 154 lbs 30 $3.5M Ryan Smith AM L ENG 5'9\" 152 lbs 23 $130K Danny Murphy AM C ENG 5'9\" 176 lbs 33 $30K Gavin Rothery AM C ENG 5'10\" 171 lbs 22 $110K Anderson Silva WB L, DM BRA 6'1\" 169 lbs 27 $2.1M Shelton Martis D C, DM NED 6'0\" 163 lbs 27 $275K The area that makes our attack go and there is some stiff competition for both the AMC and AM R spots. McIndoe again will hold the left, with Smith providing a late game threat against weary opponents due to his pace (The fastest player on the team) We still don't have the ideal AMC for my attack, though Rothery is getting better and Murphy provides a veteran presence, that can still pick out a runner. The right side was meant to go to O'Donovan, but Conway has shown well enough in practice that he may steal the job. We will give O'Donovan some time at Striker in the friendlies, where he is also a weapon. Ideally our backline holds, which will allow Silva to man the DM spot, though Martis is a pinpoint passer, who can still provide valuable minutes. Forwards Juho Mäkelä ST FIN 6'3\" 180 lbs 27 $5.25M Chris Iwelumo ST SCO 6'4\" 211 lbs 31 $1.4M Stuart Norton ST ENG 6'4\" 205 lbs 18 $12K Austin Carbon ST ENG 6'1\" 187 lbs 18 $6K Shaun Cummings D R, ST ENG 6'0\" 154 lbs 21 $230K No question here, as the duo of Makela and Iwelumo will continue to carry the offense. Cummings is a pacey striker, who is great off the bench and O'Donovan will also get minutes here. Carbon and Norton are both reserve players at this point and are here now just for experience in the friendlies. If Makela can repeat his 2009/2010 performance we will again make a run at promotion, though that will be a tall order. Million Dollar Questions Can Makela repeat his 2009/2010 performance? Will Millwall avoid the temptation to sell off rising star Edwards? Can O'Neill and Pearce fill the shoes of Cathcart on the back line? How much will lack of pace at the AMC spot cost the Lions Can Conway and O'Donovan provide on the right wing what McIndoe does on the left? Did the Lions do enough to make another run at the Premiership?

[BYU 14]

07/11/2010

Millwall		5		Millwall	Statistic	Aylesbury
				22	Shots	8
Makela 10,14,18				9	On Target	1
O'Donovan 54				13	Off Target	7
Pearce 90				51%	Possession	49%
				6	Corners	3
				12	Free Kicks	8
				24	Throw Ins	22
Aylesbury		1		3	Fouls	8
				5	Offsides	4
Mountford 85				68%	Passes Completed	63%
				50%	Crosses Completed	14%
				90%	Tackles Won	100%
				88%	Headers Won	20%
				0	Yellow Cards	0
				0	Red Cards	0

07/16/2010

Millwall		3		Millwall	Statistic	Cam City
				23	Shots	8
Iwelumo 13,31				11	On Target	2
R, Smith 87				12	Off Target	6
				56%	Possession	44%
				4	Corners	0
				9	Free Kicks	29
				22	Throw Ins	7
Cambridge City		0		15	Fouls	7
				14	Offsides	2
				78%	Passes Completed	58%
				36%	Crosses Completed	0%
				44%	Tackles Won	61%
				75%	Headers Won	41%
				1	Yellow Cards	1
				0	Red Cards	0

I focused on a heavy pre-season conditioning schedule and had only practiced tactics for 5 days before our first match and it showed. Our Defense was shaky against Aylesbury as Mountford missed a couple of opportunities before netting one. It bothered me a semi pro striker could give us that much trouble Our Offense clicked though and Makela is off to the fast start with the hattie, which is good news for the Lion faithful. Last year we routed Cambridge City 9-1 in a friendly and we certainly struggle with quality chances this game. Defensively Collins was a beast however and Edwards has not come close to conceding a goal in his two 45 minute stints.

[BYU 14]

Thurrock - 0
Millwall - 6
Thurrock	Attendance: 17341	Millwall
0	Shots	21
0	On Target	9
0	Off Target	12
43%	Possession	57%
0	Corners	6
10	Free Kicks	13
12	Throw Ins	16
12	Fouls	6
1	Offsides	4
56%	Passes Completed	72%
-	Crosses Completed	33%
86%	Tackles Won	93%
27%	Headers Won	84%
2	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
None		C Iwelumo 5, 14
	Man of the Match	A Carbon 52, 58
	Chris Iwelumo - Millwall	J Makela 74
		S Martis 90

We deliver a solid thrashing to our Feeder Club not even allowing them a sniff, meanwhile Iwelumo is on fine form, netting his 3rd and 4th Goals over a 2 game span. This match also sees prospect Austin Carbon tally his first two Goals on the first team. Our warm up matches are done now as our next two friendlies are against Chelsea and Benfica....Hopefully we can at least stay on the same pitch with them.

I think I finally have a format I like as well......I know there are like 3 different styles of matches, but I am done experimenting now and will stick with this format.

[BYU 14]

Millwall - 0
Chelsea - 4
Millwall	Attendance: 10881	Chelsea
4	Shots	23
3	On Target	11
1	Off Target	12
45%	Possession	55%
4	Corners	4
18	Free Kicks	18
6	Throw Ins	19
17	Fouls	9
2	Offsides	9
65%	Passes Completed	76%
15%	Crosses Completed	26%
76%	Tackles Won	92%
43%	Headers Won	63%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
None		A Cole (Pen 15)
	Man of the Match	J Saviola (27)
	Goran Pandev - Chelsea	G Pandev (62,90)

We get a taste of our own medicine as our Parent club puts us to the sword in front of our home fans. It was a match of very few highlights, but we put forth a good effort and I am seeing the players start to gell a little. Chelsea is just that much better, and let's us know we have a long way to go before we are ready for the EPL.

[BYU 14]

Lion Tales - 07/25/2010

Wax on, wax off Daniel-san
I assign mentors to the young players I have been looking at on the first team this pre-season.

• Juho Makela to Austin Carbon - Carbon is unsure it will help (Of course he knows better than a 42 goal scorer last Season
• Dean Holden to Ben Brown - Brown also unsure
• Michael McIndoe to Peter Okorie - Another who doesn't think it will help his game, which is why he will be playing in the Blue Square Premier in 2 years.
• Chrise Iwelumo to Stuart Norton - Norton is the only one of the four who thinks this will help his game. Unfortunately he will also be the first one designated to the reserves as Carbon will remain in the hunt for a first team roster spot.

Filling the Den
Season ticket sales stand at 7703 and the board want 3000 more sold before the start of the Season......I'll get right on that

Separate Ways
I terminate the agreement with Sligo Rovers, who we have gained nothing from and put in a request for a new feeder club to go with Thurrock. I request a work permit feeder club and they advise me that they will see what they can do.

[BYU 14]

Millwall - 2
Benfica - 2
Millwall	Statistic	Benfica
8	Shots	25
4	On Target	11
4	Off Target	14
48%	Possession	52%
1	Corners	3
12	Free Kicks	15
20	Throw Ins	17
12	Fouls	11
3	Offsides	2
53%	Passes Completed	66%
22%	Crosses Completed	19%
80%	Tackles Won	83%
56%	Headers Won	55%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
Iwelumo (28)		Jailson (36)
McIndoe (Pen 34)	Man of the Match	O Cardoza 69
	Michael McIndoe - Millwall

Thanks to the play of McIndoe we pull out the draw against world class Benfica in a match we were totally dominated in. Our Defense played reasonable well, despite the fact they got a lot of shots, not many were of high quality. I expect the team to start rounding into form now and I am close to deciding on the 18 I will carry on the first team. The inly starting spots up for grabs are DL, Where I haven't decided if Robbie Williams will get the nod, or I will move Anderson Silva back from the Midfield. Neither Silva or Martis have looked particularly good at the DMC spot and if I do move Silva I may look for another loan to fill the the DMC spot, which is critical in our tactic. Collins played very well in the back and Ofori looks to have improved at DR, so getting him on loan from the Blues for another Season seems like a good move.

Trouble in Paradise
After the Match Preston Edwards is back at, he tells reporters that he is again looking to move to a bigger club and I am not happy about it as this represents the bulk of the questions I field.

I pull Edwards aside asking him why this is coming up again when I thought it was settled for the rest of the year. He claims he has thought about it and doesn't feel staying at the Den would be in his best interests. The meeting does not end on good terms.

Tumbling Dice
On the drive home I am listening to Radio 606 and they are discussing the pre-Season odds for promotion to the Premiership as posted by Skybet. The favorites are Fulham, Norwich and Burnley who have been made 7-4 co-favorites to gain promotion. The rest of the main contenders are priced at: 2-1 - Birmingham, 2-1 - Sheff Utd and 2-1 - Watford.

They list us as 14-1 which is an indication that the bookmakers don't believe we are far behind the top teams in this division in terms of quality. At least it is better than last Season. Hopefully we make some money for people who have faith in us.

[BYU 14]

Assistant coach Stanislav Varga has reminded you of some important dates in the month ahead:
8.3.2010 - Bournemouth v Millwall (Friendly)
8.6.2010 - Millwall v Luton (Friendly)
8.14.2010 - Wolves v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
8.18.2010 - English League Cup First Round
8.21.2010 - English League Cup Second Round Draw
8.21.2010 - Q.P.R. Under 18s v Millwall Under 18s
8.21.2010 - Southampton v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
8.22.2010 - Under 18s Cup Second Round Draw
8.24.2010 - Millwall Under 18s v Stockport Under 18s (Under 18s Cup)
8.25.2010 - Darlington Reserves v Millwall Reserves
8.28.2010 - Millwall Under 18s v Brentford Under 18s
8.28.2010 - Millwall v Norwich (Coca-Cola Championship)
8.31.2010 - End of transfer window

I also get my training report which indicates the following.

The following players have trained well over the past month:
Ryan Smith (Aerobic)
Austin Carbon (Aerobic)
Carl Bowman (Aerobic)

One player in particular failed to impress in training during the past month:
Paul Robinson (Shooting)

It bothers me that a rotation player and two youngsters are the only ones that get high marks, while my Captain is the only one that does not. I don't want to shake things up this early be changing who wears the Arm band, but this is the second time he has displayed behavior I don't want in my Captain.

[BYU 14]

Lion Tales - 08/02/2010

Boiling point
Preston Edwards hands in a formal transfer request. Edwards says that my latest refusal to allow him to move to a bigger club is one of the main reasons for his actions. I deny the request quite tersely. Edwards has made great strides in his short career to date, already learning how to piss me off!

And the tote board says
The board announced the latest figures from ongoing season ticket sales.
As of today, the club has sold 9627 season tickets for the upcoming season. The board expects the club to sell another 1100 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 10700 in total.

More from the big guys
To summarize, the board is satisfied with your coaching of the team.
This is in no small part down to your tight control of the payroll.
The club made a profit of $1.62M last month. Glad they are happy, but I would take some more money for Transfers instead.

Incentives
I promise the players' representative to pay out a higher than normal collective squad win bonus this season. As a result of the agreement, the players will be paid a total of $3.4M to be shared among the squad on a pro-rata basis if they manage to win the Coca-Cola Championship.

I also increased bonus is in place for cup competitions, with the players receiving a total of $850K to be shared among the squad if they win a cup. This news inspires Rhys Taylor and Neill Collins. I am glad Taylor is happy, as he may end up our starting Keeper if the Edwards situation blows up.

[BYU 14]

AFC Bournemouth - 4
Millwall - 3
Bournemouth	Attendance: 2375	Millwall
13	Shots	18
8	On Target	7
5	Off Target	11
46%	Possession	54%
3	Corners	6
19	Free Kicks	15
21	Throw Ins	18
5	Fouls	10
10	Offsides	9
54%	Passes Completed	65%
16%	Crosses Completed	52%
46%	Tackles Won	77%
36%	Headers Won	68%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
K Christenson (1)		J Makela (2,17)
P Dean (22)	Man of the Match	P McGuire (OG 11)
C Higgins (34)	Juho Makela - Millwall
G Stopforth (36)
08/06/2010 - Friendly
Millwall - 2
Luton - 2
Millwall	Attendance: 4375	Luton
31	Shots	7
15	On Target	3
16	Off Target	4
52%	Possession	48%
5	Corners	2
17	Free Kicks	15
21	Throw Ins	9
9	Fouls	14
6	Offsides	3
77%	Passes Completed	64%
36%	Crosses Completed	28%
58%	Tackles Won	90%
70%	Headers Won	43%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
J Makela (37)		N Maynard (10,69)
C Iwelumo (81)	Man of the Match
	Nicky Maynard - Luton

Our final two friendlies are not the results I wanted heading into the Season, though the majority on the plan can be placed squarely on one set of pouting Shoulders, Preston Edwards. The Bournemouth game in particular is nothing short of appalling. Edwards literally sleeps through the match as three of the four goals he allows in the first half could have been saved by half the people in the stands. We excel at getting the ball into our Strikers, but they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat as Mr. Poutman seems to just bring the whole team down. I berate Edwards after the match and issue a formal warning, which he feels is unfair.

The Luton match is not much better, Edwards is still lethargic, but his defense keeps shots to a minimum. Again we pepper the Luton net, but put less than 50% on target, this has got to get better!! I am really debating on whether or not I will bench Edwards going into the operner against wolves. Instead I give him his wish and transfer list for 3.5 Million, higher than his worth of 2.2. If anyone does bite I will renegotiate for higher, or insist they add a player that will help me as part of the deal to make it as hard as possible for him to leave. If we don't gain promotion he will bolt anyway when the Season ends, and things are so bitter now, even making the Prem may not keep him at the Den.

It sucks that heading into the Season the main storyline is my unhappy Keeper as it is wearing on the team morale. McIndoe also wants a bigger club, but he is keeping his mouth shut and playing hard...the way it should be.

[BYU 14]

Lion Tales - 08/07/2010

Name	Position	Morale	Form	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
Preston Edwards	GK	Okay	7-7-6-6-7	100%
Rhys Taylor	GK	Superb	7-7-7-7-7	100%
Nana Ofori	D RC	Superb	7-6-8-7-7	93%
Dean Holden	D RLC, WB RL	Very Good	6-6-7-7-7	94%
Shaun Cummings	D R, ST	Good	6-6-6-6-7	96%
Paul Robinson	D C	Superb	7-6-7-8-8	93%
Alex Pearce	D C	Good	8-7-7-6-6	100%
Neill Collins	D C	Superb	7-7-6-7-7	92%
Shelton Martis	D C, DM	Very Good	6-6-6-6-7	97%
Anderson Silva	WB L, DM	Superb	7-6-6-7-6	93%
Craig Conway	AM RL	Very Good	7-7-7-6-8	72%
Magnus Eikrem	AM RC	Good	7	82%
Roy O'Donovan	AM R, ST	Good	7-7-6-6-8	93%
Michael McIndoe	AM L	Very Good	8-7-7-7-7	88%
Ryan Smith	AM L	Very Good	6-7-6-7-7	98%
Gavin Rothery	AM C	Good	6-8-6-7-6	97%
Juho Mäkelä	ST	Superb	7-8-7-7-8	92%
Chris Iwelumo	ST	Superb	8-7-8-8-8	92%

I pare the First team down to 18 after picking up Magnus Eikrem from Man U on a season long loan. I just don't have the faith in Rothery and Murphy (Who goes to the reserves) to get it done. I also drop Robbie Williams to the reserves and move Silva back to Left Fullback. Edwards attitude has improved since being transfer listed and I hope it means we will see the old Preston on match day from here out. The projected Starters positions are highlighted in yellow as I feel this is the best 11. Holden, O'Donovan and Smith will be the first three off the bench, as they give us a versatile Defender and two wingers/forward types with late game pace to burn.


Carling Cup
Millwall will play Cheltenham Town in the English League Cup First Round.
The game will be played at The Den on Wednesday August 18th 2010.

Welcome
We sign Chelsea's Josh Johnson, a speedy striker for a fee of $130,000.
He is 18 with great upside. I am worried Shaun Cummings may not pan out, so johnson will be the heir apparent to Makela as the pace striker in our attack.

Ticket sales decline
The board announces the final sales figures for season tickets.
The ticket office has confirmed that the club has sold 9864 season tickets for this season. The sales have dropped since last season, when the club sold a total of 10384 season tickets. Kind of a surprise given our success last Season.

New Feeder Club announced
Millwall and Castillo C.F. are pleased to announce a new link between the two clubs. Under the terms of the deal the following will apply effective immediately:

• Millwall will be able to send players on loan to Castillo C.F.
  • During the loan spell the player's salary will be paid in full by Millwall.
  • Castillo have no obligation to play the player.
  • Player may be recalled by Millwall at any time.
• Castillo will host an annual friendly between the two clubs with all gate receipts to be kept by Castillo. Millwall will be under no obligation to field a full-strength team.
• Millwall will pay Castillo an annual fee of $41K.

[BYU 14]

08/14/2010 League

Wolverhampton - 1
Millwall - 2
Wolves	Attendance: 22811	Millwall
16	Shots	12
9	On Target	8
7	Off Target	4
50%	Possession	50%
4	Corners	4
21	Free Kicks	14
20	Throw Ins	16
9	Fouls	13
5	Offsides	8
66%	Passes Completed	70%
13%	Crosses Completed	11%
56%	Tackles Won	85%
39%	Headers Won	72%
1	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
S Elliott (31)		C Iwelumo (58)
	Man of the Match	C Conway (90)
	Craig Conway - Millwall
08/18/2010
Carling Cup - 1st Rd
Millwall - 2
Cheltenham - 0
Millwall	Statistic	Cheltenham
19	Shots	12
6	On Target	6
13	Off Target	6
46%	Possession	54%
10	Corners	3
15	Free Kicks	21
13	Throw Ins	15
17	Fouls	12
4	Offsides	3
68%	Passes Completed	72%
42%	Crosses Completed	14%
71%	Tackles Won	88%
71%	Headers Won	38%
4	Yellow Cards	2
1	Red Cards	0
J Makela (72)		None
S Cummings (90)	Man of the Match
	Juho Makela - Millwall
Sent off - A Silva (84)

A good start to the 2010 campaign to capture a victory away and take a cup match. Against Wolves we started slow and Edwards let in an easy goal, which had me on the verge of pulling him. As time wore on however, he got into the match and made several of the saves we are accustomed to seeing from him. Craig Conway made a stellar debut for us, taking man of the match and playing through an injury to his calve that kept him out of the Cheltenham match. Which was another one we started slowly.

One very positive factor I will take from the week is the fact that we secured each game with heroics in the 90th minute, the clincher in the Carling cup match coming with only 10 Men after Silva received his second Yellow of the match. It is a given he will lead in yellow cards, but he has to be more careful when he is carrying one!

Lion Tales - News and notes

Show me the Money
We earn $40,000.00 for our first round win in the Carling. The next draw is a few days away and I am hoping for an easy one while we are rounding into form as a squad.

No soup for you
As expected Anderson Silva draws a one game suspension for getting run in the match against Cheltenham. Holden will start in his abasence.

[BYU 14]

08/21/2010 - League

Southampton - 2
Millwall - 0
Southampton	Statistic	Millwall
17	Shots	12
9	On Target	7
8	Off Target	5
48%	Possession	52%
11	Corners	3
19	Free Kicks	19
13	Throw Ins	19
14	Fouls	10
5	Offsides	9
66%	Passes Completed	68%
25%	Crosses Completed	16%
48%	Tackles Won	90%
60%	Headers Won	50%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
D Clarkson (45,79)		None
	Man of the Match
	David Clarkson - Southhampton

We take the cleansheet, which does not occur often, but again we are struggling to create quality chances. Edwards plays well, but Dean Holden gets scorched down the wing on several occasions and it makes Southhampton's Clarkson look all world in the process. We also get nothing from our forwards and when both Makela and Iwelumo are off it is bad news for the Lions.

Lion Tales - News and notes

Carling Cup news
We draw Southend United in the English League Cup Second Round at The Den on Wednesday September 1st 2010. We are unbeaten in our last four games against our old League 1 rival, so all in all, a good draw.

Transfers
The transfer deadline for English clubs is in one week. We are not really looking to bring anyone in outside of Fabian Yantorno, who will add attacking depth, though he will likely have work permit issues.

The Infirmary
Terry Stranding has reported that Wayne Tait has suffered a pulled hamstring after the central defender attempted a sprint during the match against Stockport Under 18s. Stranding advises you that Tait will be treated at the club. It is likely that Tait will be out for between 3 weeks and a month while he is treated.

Terry Stranding has reported that defender Mark Haywood has suffered a bruised head following an accidental collision during the match against Stockport Under 18s. Stranding advises you that Haywood will be treated at the club. It is likely that Haywood will be out for around 6 days while he is treated.

Nothing of impact here as they are both U18 players, hate to see them hurt, but as long as the first team stays healthy I won't shed too many tears.

Castillo CF or bust
We apply for a work permit for Uruguayan forward Fabián Yantorno.
A decision is likely to be made by Tuesday August 31st 2010 and will probably be no, I am anticipating not having him at all this Season which will definitely make the Castillo club happy.

[BYU 14]

08/28/10 - League

Millwall - 1
Norwich - 2
Millwall	Attendance:	Norwich
20	Shots	10
16	On Target	3
4	Off Target	7
43%	Possession	57%
3	Corners	2
22	Free Kicks	14
19	Throw Ins	18
6	Fouls	17
8	Offsides	5
59%	Passes Completed	66%
25%	Crosses Completed	0%
80%	Tackles Won	76%
57%	Headers Won	60%
0	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
J Makela (14)		D Webber (2)
	Man of the Match	G McSheffrey (44)
	Gary McSheffrey - Norwich

We totally dominate EPL relegated side Norwich in all but possession and score. 16 shots on goal is tremendous, but in the end they got better quality from their 3 and that made the difference. Preston Edwards is nowhere near the Keeper he was last Season and like it or not it is a good bet his situation is a huge distraction, not only to hi but the team. Makela continues to be our biggest weapon, but he is nowhere near the blistering start he got off to last year and our Offense as a whole is inconsistent. As usual Gary McSheffrey undoes my side. Its seems like whenever I turn around he is putting the sword to whomever I am coaching. I may need to pick him uo on a transfer, if for no other reason than he quits beating me!!

09/01/10 - Carling Cup 2nd round

Millwall - 4
Southend - 1
Millwall	Attendance:	Southend
11	Shots	5
6	On Target	2
5	Off Target	3
51%	Possession	49%
4	Corners	3
19	Free Kicks	11
16	Throw Ins	16
10	Fouls	14
1	Offsides	5
75%	Passes Completed	65%
28%	Crosses Completed	20%
83%	Tackles Won	62%
69%	Headers Won	50%
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	1
M McIndoe (7)		Z Liptak (42)
J Makela (22)	Man of the Match
A Silva (38)	Juho Makela - Millwall
S Cummings (75)
		Off - A Mayberry (34)

Great to draw an old league 1 foe that we own for our second round Carling derby, and sure enough we run Southend off the pitch. A varied attack that even sees Anderson Silva ruffle the Onion bag is responsible. Amazingly, Southend played tougher after going a man down, and even scored after they lost Mayberry, but the match was never in doubt as we net 4 of our 6 on target and hold the Southenders to only 2 that find the target. Cummings does a great job coming on late and seals the deal with a brilliant strike in the 75th. Another 40K and we are on to the next round!

Lion Tales - News and notes

Pocket Change
We get $130,000 due to the 30% sell-on clause for Carl Magnay's transfer from Swansea to Doncaster. Magnay, who joined Swansea from Millwall for $120K in 2009, is said to be eager to join up with his new teammates and impress his new head coach. This is a boost for us as we made a profit, though I doubt I will see any of it for our needs.

Here and gone
We snap up winger Fabián Yantorno from Gretna on a free transfer.
Yantorno made 87 league appearances for Gretna during the 3 years he spent at Raydale Park. Unfortunately his work permit is rejected and he will indeed to off to Castillo.

Sweating to the oldies
Your assistant coach Stanislav Varga has decided to give you some feedback on how training has been going over the past month.
The following players have trained well over the past month:
Ryan Smith (Attacking)
Paul Robinson (Defending)
Austin Carbon (Attacking)

One player in particular failed to impress in training during the past month:
Mark Haywood (Tactics)

Haywood is not getting the job done on the pitch either and may have to evaluate our neet.

[BYU 14]

The Lions Den - September preview

Assistant coach Stanislav Varga has reminded you of some important dates in the month ahead:
9.1.2010 - Millwall v Southend (League Cup)
9.4.2010 - English League Cup Third Round Draw
9.4.2010 - Millwall v Ipswich (Coca-Cola Championship)
9.5.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Bournemouth Reserves
9.7.2010 - England Under 21s v Hungary Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
9.8.2010 - Halifax Reserves v Millwall Reserves
9.9.2010 - England Under 19s v Albania Under 19s (U19 International)
9.10.2010 - England Under 21s v Albania Under 21s (U21 International)
9.11.2010 - Charlton Under 18s v Millwall Under 18s
9.11.2010 - England v Albania (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
9.13.2010 - Norway Under 19s v England Under 19s (U19 International)
9.14.2010 - Norway Under 21s v England Under 21s (U21 International)
9.15.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Brighton Reserves
9.15.2010 - Norway v England (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
9.18.2010 - Coventry v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
9.20.2010 - English FA Cup Second Qualifying Round Draw
9.21.2010 - Millwall v Sheff Wed (Coca-Cola Championship)
9.22.2010 - Ipswich Reserves v Millwall Reserves
9.25.2010 - Millwall v Sheff Utd (Coca-Cola Championship)
9.29.2010 - English League Cup Third Round
9.29.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Brentford Reserves

League table after one Month

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Watford	4	4	0	0	12	3	9	12
2nd	Plymouth	4	3	1	0	4	1	3	10
3rd	Ipswich	4	2	2	0	6	3	3	8
4th	Coventry	4	2	2	0	6	4	2	8
5th	Norwich	4	2	1	1	8	5	3	7
6th	Colchester	4	2	1	1	10	9	1	7
7th	Huddersfield	4	2	1	1	4	3	1	7
8th	Bolton	4	2	1	1	5	6	-1	7
9th	Southampton	4	2	0	2	6	3	3	6
10th	Fulham	4	2	0	2	5	2	3	6
11th	Barnsley	4	2	0	2	9	7	2	6
12th	Nottm Forest	4	2	0	2	7	6	1	6
13th	Q.P.R.	4	2	0	2	7	9	-2	6
14th	Birmingham	4	1	2	1	5	5	0	5
15th	Burnley	4	1	2	1	4	4	0	5
16th	Leicester	4	1	2	1	7	9	-2	5
17th	Swansea	4	1	2	1	3	5	-2	5
18th	Crystal Palace	4	1	1	2	6	7	-1	4
19th	Millwall	4	1	1	2	4	6	-2	4
20th	Wolves	4	1	0	3	6	8	-2	3
21st	Bristol City	4	1	0	3	3	7	-4	3
22nd	Sheff Utd	4	0	2	2	3	6	-3	2
23rd	Stoke	4	0	1	3	2	7	-5	1
24th	Sheff Wed	4	0	0	4	3	10	-7	0

Though it is early I never like being this close to the drop and our enemic attack (4 goasl in 4 league games) is responsible. I have to get the lads playing like every day if a Cup match. We draw Ipswish on 09/04/2010, and it would be great to get the full three there, before we head into a 2 week international break.

Millwall Players among the League Leaders
Assists - Chris Iwelumo -Tied for 3rd with 2
Passing - Anderson Silva - 7th with 83%
Tackles a game - Nana Ofori - Tied for 4th with 4.25 PG

A far cry from last Season, where Millwall players dotted the leaderboard, no worries though as I explect the lads to come around. This group, though there are few changes to the everyday lineup, have yet to gel and I don't know if the burden lies more on pouting Preston Edwards, or the fact that Paul Robinson seems to have taken a step back in leadership. He will not be the Captain next year!

[BYU 14]

09/04/10

Millwall - 1
Ipswich - 1
Millwall	Attendance - 13679	Ipswich
16	Shots	12
7	On Target	5
9	Off Target	7
47%	Possession	53%
7	Corners	3
12	Free Kicks	17
23	Throw Ins	18
14	Fouls	9
3	Offsides	3
65%	Passes Completed	66%
30%	Crosses Completed	14%
80%	Tackles Won	82%
54%	Headers Won	48%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
J Makela (90)		D Strihavka (3)
	Man of the Match
	Ian Black - Ipswich

Disaster is averted as Makela saves the day in stoppage time, he literally scored in the last 20 seconds of the match, getting behind the defense on a well placed long ball from Ofori. It was yet another match where we could not put a quality shot on the goal, and when we did it was right at the Ipswich Keeper. Our wings played well, connecting on a fair amount of crosses that we just need to start converting as our attack is just anemis right now, the worst I have ever had in fact with this tactic. Defensively we played well after the early breakdown and Preston Edwards is playing better, but still not up to par. I have no clue how he thinks this will have teams knocking at our door when the transfer window roles around again. He will get the call during the international break to join the England U21 squad, so perhaps it is there he will look to strut his stuff.

Lion Tales - News and notes

Luck of the Draw
We will play Chelsea in the Carling Cup Third Round....away no less, yippee!!! The game will be played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday September 29th 2010. The parent club has owned us in friendlies the last three years.

Honored to be in your presence
Dean Holden was selected in the Coca-Cola Championship Team of the Week. Our first selection of the year, and rather surprising as he did not play that well in my eyes.

Week of 09/11/10
A slow week with the 14 day international break, but not completely without news as we have some players involved with their national teams.

Mash unit
Terry Stranding has reported that Andy O'Connell has sustained a damaged elbow after the forward fell heavily during the match against Bournemouth Reserves. Stranding advises you that O'Connell will be treated at the club. It is likely that O'Connell will be out for around 2 weeks while he is treated.

Terry Stranding has reported that right-back Tony Moss has suffered a calf strain after jumping to challenge for the ball during a training session today. Stranding advises you that Moss will be treated at the club.
It is likely that Moss will be out for around 3 weeks while he is treated.

Our young guys are having quite the run of misfortune. I only hope it will not extend to the first team.

The international stage
England Under 21s 4 - 0 Albania Under 21s (U21 International)
Twenty-one-year old goalkeeper Preston Edwards' fledgling international career continued in this match with a solid performance for England

Norway Under 21s 2 - 2 England Under 21s (U21 International)
Twenty-one-year-old goalkeeper Preston Edwards did well for England before eventually being substituted.

Scotland Under 21s 3 - 0 Moldova Under 21s (U21 International)
Twenty-one-year-old central defender Alex Pearce came on as a substitute for Scotland and did well.

Liechtenstein 0 - 2 Finland (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-seven-year-old striker Juho Mäkelä didn't have the best of games for Finland and was eventually substituted.

Finland 1 - 3 Romania (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-seven-year-old striker Juho Mäkelä didn't have the best of games for Finland and was eventually substituted.

A mixed bag as Edwards proves me right by stepping it up on the big stage. This doesn't put him in my good graces at all, and he is really close to becoming the Millwall #2!! Pearce shows well enough and his Scotland U21 performance goes with what he has done for us so far as well. Makela has traditionally struggled in international competitions which is beyond me...Maybe he has just overachieved for us, or maybe he freezes up under the brightest lights?

[BYU 14]

09/18/10

Coventry - 5
Millwall - 1
Coventry	Attendance: 27705	Millwall
13	Shots	10
10	On Target	7
3	Off Target	3
51%	Possession	49%
5	Corners	2
22	Free Kicks	15
25	Throw Ins	13
10	Fouls	14
5	Offsides	8
64%	Passes Completed	65%
17%	Crosses Completed	16%
84%	Tackles Won	94%
46%	Headers Won	67%
3	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
R O'Donovan (23)		M Doyle (20, 56)
	Man of the Match	M Misfud (33)
	Michael Doyle - Coventry	E Ward (39)
		M West (90)

We strolled into Coventry with high hopes and left with that "just pumped the neighbor's cat" look on our faces. I expected a lot of goals with these two squads, only not with them getting 5 of them. I bench Edwards and give Rhys Taylor the start in Goal and he is horrendous, letting in half of Coventry's shots and ending up with a 5 rating, an honor also shared by Shelton Martis. As bad as they are Nana Ofori is able to top it rating a 4!! I am not happy at all and fairly rip the entire squad when it is over. A fact the Gavin Rothery gleefully runs and spills to the media.

09/21/10

Millwall - 3
Sheffield Wed - 0
Millwall	Attendance: 13053	Sheff Wed
16	Shots	16
9	On Target	9
7	Off Target	7
47%	Possession	53%
5	Corners	4
21	Free Kicks	17
26	Throw Ins	19
15	Fouls	18
3	Offsides	3
59%	Passes Completed	64%
41%	Crosses Completed	6%
64%	Tackles Won	85%
62%	Headers Won	48%
3	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
R Smith (5)		None
C Iwelumo (42)	Man of the Match
S Cummings (78)	Ryan Smith - Millwall
C Iwelumo (Inj 58)		G Roberts (miss pen 85)

The good news of the week is we have no time to brood over our thrashing away to Coventry as Sheffield Wednesday comes to the Den. They are in the drop zone early and prove the perfect tonic as we tickle the twine three times in an otherwise fairly even match. Our Wings win it for us this game as we get a high percentage of quality crosses into the area. Ryan Smith is particularly effective making the most of his first start of the Season. I also have Edwards back in Goal and he responds with his best game of the year for us gobbling up everything Sheffield throws at him and even saving a penalty! Our dynamic duo of Makela and Iwelumo also play well, though Chris goes down with an arm injury in the second half. Hopefully it is not as bad as it looked as he was being helped off the pitch. Shaun Cummings continues to be an enigma. He tallies the clincher late off the bench, giving him 3 in 4 appearances, yet his overall rating is only 6.75.

Lion Tales - News and notes

Somebody needs a Valium
Anderson Silva has picked up an automatic one match suspension after collecting 5 yellow cards. The suspension will apply for all English domestic competitions and will start on Tuesday September 28th 2010. This is his second suspension of the year already and it starts the day we face Chelsea in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup...Awesome!

Big Ouch!!
Terry Stranding has reported that striker Chris Iwelumo has sustained a fractured arm after landing heavily during the match against Sheff Wed.
Stranding advises you that unfortunately the only course of action for a fractured arm is for the player to see a specialist. It is likely that Iwelumo will be out for between 3 weeks and a month while he is treated. This is not good at all, and I have no "true" target man now. I will insert O'Donovan in the target spot and just have my Wings play it into space now.....Oh yeah, he will miss the Chelsea match too

Smile, your on.....the BBC
The Chelsea vs Millwall League Cup match has been moved to Tuesday September 28th 2010 for live television coverage. More good news, we will be short handed and outgunned as it is. Now the whole country will get to watch Chelski sodomize us on National TV!!!

Thanks, but no thanks.
Chelsea had agreed to loan us Jack Cork DL, who promptly shoots the idea down faster than Christiano Ronaldo will dive when a defender looks at him cross-eyed.

Team Stats through 09/24/10

Name	Position	Apps	Gls	Ast	MoM	Pas	Tck	Drb	Sh T	Av Rat
Preston Edwards	GK	6	-	-	-	49%	-	-	-	7.17
Dean Holden	D RLC, WB RL	4 (2)	-	-	-	63%	1.02	0.2	-	6.67
Anderson Silva	WB L, DM	6 (1)	1	1	-	84%	1.59	0.18	-	6.71
Paul Robinson	DC	6 (1)	-	-	-	68%	3.08	-	-	7.43
Alex Pearce	DC	4 (1)	-	-	-	66%	2	-	-	7.2
Shelton Martis	DM, DC	5	-	-	-	76%	2.65	0.24	-	6.4
Craig Conway	AM RL	5	1	1	1	62%	1.42	2.37	-	7
Ryan Smith	AM L	1 (3)	1	1	1	57%	1.65	4.94	83%	7.25
Gavin Rothery	AMC	4 (3)	-	-	-	74%	0.84	-	-	6.71
Chris Iwelumo	ST	6 (2)	2	4	-	51%	0.53	-	46%	7.25
Juho Mäkelä	ST	8	4	1	2	74%	-	1.35	59%	7.25
Rhys Taylor	GK	2	-	-	-	55%	-	-	-	6
Neill Collins	DC	6 (1)	-	-	-	68%	2.64	-	-	6.57
Robbie Williams	D L, WB L	2 (1)	-	-	-	42%	1.04	-	-	6.67
Shaun Cummings	ST, DR	0 (4)	3	-	-	-	-	-	44%	6.75
Roy O'Donovan	AM R, ST	5 (2)	1	2	-	70%	1.01	5.44	54%	6.86
Michael McIndoe	AM L	7	1	1	-	61%	1.58	2.52	-	7
Nana Ofori	D RC	7	-	1	-	69%	3.14	-	-	6.71
Magnus Eikrem	AMC R	4	-	1	-	73%	0.82	0.82	-	6.5

[BYU 14]

09/25/10 - League

Millwall - 0
Sheffield United - 1
Millwall	Attendance: 13,679	Sheff Utd
13	Shots	8
5	On Target	5
8	Off Target	3
53%	Possession	47%
3	Corners	7
20	Free Kicks	10
23	Throw Ins	29
6	Fouls	15
4	Offsides	5
71%	Passes Completed	62%
41%	Crosses Completed	0%
82%	Tackles Won	88%
50%	Headers Won	58%
1	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
None		T Soares (57)
	Man of the Match
	Nick Montgomery - Sheffield UTD

We suffer the utmost in indignity, losing to drop zone dweller Sheffield Utd at home. We put chance after chance into the box from the wings, as Ryan Smith played a steller game in relief of McIndoe, who was off his game tonight, along with most of the side. Conway was decent on the right side, but our strikers could not finish, as Makela just does not have the magic without Chris Iwelumo in there with him. Just an overall drab, half hearted effort from the squad and it is apparent I need to shake things up or this season will go south fast! After the game I meet with the assistants and we tweak our tactics to better fit O'Donovan up front, as well as try and tighten up the holes that appear on our half of the pitch far too often. I will roll it out against Chelsea knowing full well it will take the team a few matches to adjust, but we stand no shot at winning this match anyway so we may as well take our lumps and get some work in.

09/28/10 - Carling Cup round 3

Chelsea - 5
Millwall - 0
Chelsea	Attendance: 41,991	Millwall
22	Shots	12
12	On Target	6
10	Off Target	6
48%	Possession	52%
3	Corners	2
18	Free Kicks	22
15	Throw Ins	17
8	Fouls	10
14	Offsides	8
68%	Passes Completed	69%
46%	Crosses Completed	16%
88%	Tackles Won	66%
63%	Headers Won	42%
0	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
J Mikel (45)		None
B Sahar (46, 51, 80)	Man of the Match
J Franks (73)	Ben Sahar - Chelsea

Not surprisingly we get pummeled, but the score does not tell the whole story. I unveil my new tactic, going with the counter attack version for this away derby and we play Chelski tight in the first 45. In fact up until they notch the first goal at the 45 minute mark, we actually have the better of the chances, forcing Petr Cech to make two spectacular saves on Roy O'Donovan chances. O'Donovan seems to adapt well to the new style of play, but eventually Chelsea figures us out and the team tanks in the second half. Ben Sahar goes on a tear, notching the Hat Trick and shredding our defense in the second 45. After his third goal, I abandon the counter approach and switch to defensive mode to stop the bleeding. It is an unceremonious exit from the Carling, as Edwards, new loan O'Halloran, Eikrem, Holden, McIndoe and Makela all notch 5 ratings for the match. Still I see some potential in the new style and think it will payoff over the long haul. I don't want to kick the team while they are down, so I sympathize with them and spur them to get ready for Plymouth.

Lion Tales - News and notes

Injury to insult
Terry Stranding has reported that defensive midfielder Anderson Silva has sustained a bruised rib following a strong challenge during the match against Sheff Utd. Stranding advises you that Silva will be treated at the club will be out for around a week. Nothing lost since he will he was suspended for the Chelsea match anyhow and will be back for Plymouth on October 2nd.

Securing the Flanks
Aston Villa's Irish defender Stephen O'Halloran DL joins us on loan for 3 months. O'Halloran, who is valued at $2.3M, currently has 9 months remaining on his $2.8K p/w deal at Villa Park. He arrives in time for the Chelski match and gets thrown straight into the fire.

On Tap for October
Assistant coach Stanislav Varga has reminded you of some important dates in the month ahead:
10.2.2010 - Millwall Under 18s v Arsenal Under 18s
10.2.2010 - Plymouth v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
10.3.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Brentford Reserves
10.4.2010 - English FA Cup Third Qualifying Round Draw
10.5.2010 - Millwall v Bolton (Coca-Cola Championship)
10.6.2010 - Southampton Reserves v Millwall Reserves
10.8.2010 - Poland Under 21s v England Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
10.9.2010 - Fulham Under 18s v Millwall Under 18s
10.9.2010 - Millwall v Q.P.R. (Coca-Cola Championship)
10.12.2010 - England Under 21s v Poland Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
10.13.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Wycombe Reserves
10.16.2010 - English FA Cup Third Qualifying Round
10.18.2010 - English FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying Draw
10.19.2010 - England Under 21s v Andorra Under 21s (U21 International)
10.20.2010 - Millwall Reserves v Crystal Palace Reserves
10.20.2010 - England v Andorra (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
10.23.2010 - Millwall Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s
10.23.2010 - Huddersfield v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
10.26.2010 - Aldershot Reserves v Millwall Reserves
10.27.2010 - Stoke v Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)
10.30.2010 - English FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying
10.30.2010 - Millwall Under 18s v Chelsea Under 18s
10.30.2010 - Millwall v Swansea (Coca-Cola Championship)

Varga also provides a training report and advises that The following players have trained well over the past month:
Shaun Cummings (Aerobic)
Ben Brown (Set Pieces)
David Lawrence (Attacking)

Nobody disappoints in training and I hope it is a sign we will turn the corner.

From the Ivory Tower
To summarize, the board is satisfied with your coaching of the team.
The team's excellent overall performance in the English League Cup has been a particular highlight. However, your decision to acquire Magnus Eikrem on loan will require justification, with the fans believing him to be an extremely poor acquisition. The club made a profit of $1.12M last month. The fans seem pretty insightful about Eikrem, who is about to get shipped back to Man U a lot earlier than planned....

Fresh faces
Liverpool's Jason Williams has joined Millwall on loan for 3 months.
Williams, who is valued at $250K, currently has 9 months remaining on his $130 p/w deal at New Anfield. He is a young striker who I amy be able to snag to become the heir to Chris Iwelumo if he looks like he has some potential. Williams faces a future behind Crouch as a Target man if he stays at Anfield, so it may be a win/win. He will get his experience starting for the reserves, as I am not going to audition a player on the first team when we are already struggling.

Chelsea's Billy Joe King has joined Millwall on loan until the end of the season. King, who is valued at $150K, currently has 21 months remaining on his $275 p/w deal at Stamford Bridge. King is a DL, who is nowhere near good enough to play on our first team. Chelsea just sent him, I didn't ask.

[BYU 14]

OK, so I am simming away in October, blast the Referee about another controversial call in the box and get suspended. The Board is pissed and censures me.

Then, while I watch helplessly from the stands we fall behind at home to last place Bristol City 4-0, before snatching back a couple at the end. Still, a 4-2 home defeat to a sure fire relegation side, coupled with my third FA suspension in the last year prove too much for the board...I get sacked!!!


Stay tuned for my next WWSM dynasty from the unemployment line.

On a somewhat cool note, three of my assistants walked when I got the axe, so at least there was some loyalty