FM2007 Interactive - 6th season ongoing

[law90026]

One year ago:
The building had clearly seen better times. The signboard read "Wonderkids Central" and insiders in football would know that this used to be one of the premier, if not THE premier, training centres for talented young football players .. wonderkids if you will.

But times change. With the introduction of large amounts of money into the beautiful game, clubs could now have their own extensive training facilities and central academies were no longer necessary. It was the passing of an age and no one knew if it would be for the best.

Inside, a gruff old man was supervising the training of a group of youngsters. This would be the last graduating class from his school and he wanted them to be the best. That probably was the reason why he drove them so hard and why he tried his best not to build emotional ties with the kids.

Present:
The old man, a year older, closed the doors of the school, his school. It was over and it was time to find something new to do. There had been some job offers, for talented youth coaches are still valuable to clubs. But he wondered whether it was time to just walk away. Still, he had time to think about it and was in no hurry to take any offer that came along. After all, the agent fees he had picked up over the years for his kids had made him a rich man.

One thing he would do though would be to continue monitoring the progress of his last bunch of kids, the best lot he had trained in some years now. Besides, he had to know if they moved because a portion of their transfer fees would belong to him ...

[law90026]

Technical stuff:
Started the game with English, Italian, German, Spanish and Scottish leagues.

All 9 players signed up are in-game. What I did was to give each of them a current ability of 135 (better than average) and a random potential ability. All were unsigned and, early in the game, the bidding wars appear to have started

I have decided not to manage any clubs at all and just monitor the progress of these players. Updates for them will be on a monthly basis for now.

[law90026]

9 July 2006:
Frank Justice signs for West Ham on a 3 year contract at 2,300 pounds a week. Appearance bonus of 4,700 pounds, 230 pound goal bonus and 575 pound win bonus.

The promising striker is delighted and rejected an offer from Charlton Athletic.

[law90026]

11 July 2006:
Al Mighty, 17 year old Italian keeper, has accepted an offer from Sevilla and rejected an offer from Deportivo. A reason for this appears to be that Al was keen to work with Sevilla's manager, Juande Ramos.

The promising keeper is feeling pressured though by all the interest in him (there are a lot of clubs still interested, including Tottenham, Werder Bremen, Milan, Fiorentina, Lazioo and Deportivo).

The contract is a youth contract at 170 pounds a week and is for 5 years. He will sign a professional contract for 2,900 pounds a week when he turns 19, on 1 June 2008.

[law90026]

12 July 2006
Mike Schaplowsly has signed for Chelsea because he wanted to work with Jose Mourinho. The 17 year old striker rejected offers from Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

The contract is for 2,100 pounds a week for the next 3 years, along with an appearance bonus of 4,300 pounds, a goal bonus of 210 pounds and a 525 pound win bonus.

[law90026]

12 July 2006
BB Gunn has signed for Portsmouth, rejecting offers from Norwich and Hearts.

The contract is for 3 years at 2,200 pounds a week and comes with a 4,300 pound appearance bonus, a 55 pound goal bonus and a 550 pound win bonus.

[law90026]

12 July 2006
Charles Schexnayder has signed for Arsenal, citing his main reason was working alongside Arsene Wenger. Offers from Inter and HSV were rejected.

He is on a 4 year youth contract but will sign his professional contract in 2007 at 2,900 pounds a month.

[law90026]

12 July 2006
Bud Wiser has signed for Birmingham on a 2 year contract at a weekly wage of 2,200 pounds a month. His bonuses are a 4,400 pound appearance bonus, a 110 pound goal bonus and a 550 pound win bonus.

[law90026]

13 July 2006
Jace Hunter signed for Blackburn, with the young keeper stating that he was looking forward to working with Mark Hughes. Offers from Watford, Charlton and Bolton were rejected.

His contract is for 3 years at 2,100 pounds a week and a 4,100 pound appearance bonus, a 500 pound win bonus and a 625 pound clean sheet bonus.

[law90026]

15 July 2006
Owen Hunter has signed for FC Bayern, rejecting offers from Werder Bremen, Milan and Arsenal.

The young defender is feeling pressured by the amount of interest in him (including Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Milan, and Sevilla). His 3 year contract pays him 2,300 pounds a week and a 4,600 pound appearance bonus and 575 pound win bonus.

[law90026]

24 July 2006
Sean Treacy has signed for Liverpool, rejecting offers from Tottenham, Middlesborough and Man City. The opportunity to work with Rafa Benitez was too great to pass up. This was surprising, considering Sean is a lifelong Tottenham fan.

His contract is for 3 years, at 2,900 pounds a week and with a 5,750 pound appearance bonus, 70 pound goal bonus and 725 pound win bonus.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by law90026

12 July 2006
BB Gunn has signed for Portsmouth, rejecting offers from Norwich and Hearts.

The contract is for 3 years at 2,200 pounds a week and comes with a 4,300 pound appearance bonus, a 55 pound goal bonus and a 550 pound win bonus.

Portsmouth? What's wrong with him? Then again... better than Norwich and Hearts, I suppose.

[law90026]

Summary and Overview:

Mike Schaplowsky - Chelsea U-18s
The sky's the limit for the young Polish forward, who is already valued at 8 million pounds. He may be in the U-18s now but most believe he will be moved up sooner rather than later.

Mike has incredible finishing for a 17 year old (20). He is also incredibly composed (18) and has tons of flair (19). Combined with his dribbling ability (15), acceleration (16), agility (15) and pace (15), it is little wonder he is expected to set the U-18 team alight.

B.B. Gunn - Portsmouth U-18's
The English defensive midfielder is recognised for his physical attributes at this time, which promise him a bright future. With great acceleration (17), agility (16), balance (16), jumping (17), pace (17) and strength (15), he is well-placed to be able to take on the demanding role of a central midfielder. Coupled with his bravery (19), creativity (15), decision making ability (18), determination (16), positioning (17), marking (19) and tackling (19), it's little wonder the 17 year-old is already worth 3.4 million pounds.

Frank Justice - West Ham U-18's
The big burly English striker is valued at 3.2 million pounds. Not fully developed clearly but with great potential, he is one to watch out for. He has a finely honed sense of where the goal is (finishing 17) and he is the ideal target man with his heading (19), jumping (17) and strength (16). Very composed for a 17 year old (19), the big man is also a good passer of the ball (17) and has some tricks up his sleeve (flair 15).

Sean Treacy - Liverpool U-18's
The midfielder is outstanding when it comes to tackling (18), making decisions (18) and having great vision on the pitch (creativity 20). However, while he is decent in other areas of the game, he isn't particularly outstanding yet ... hence his value of 2.4 million pounds.

Charles Schexnayder - Arsenal U-18s
The 15 year-old* is in the Arsenal U-18 team, not surprising considering how youthful he is. Still, he's showing great potential and is likely to be a handful in the future down the left wing. Good acceleration (16), balance (15), pace (16), aggression (15), anticipation (16), composure (15), decision making ability (15), determination (15), off the ball movement (15), positioning (19) and tackling (16) suggests that he will be a very good defender/wing back. For a 15 year old, being valued at 1.4 million pounds isn't bad at all.

*=mistake in editing, he's 15 instead of 17. My bad.

Owen Hunter - FC Bayern U-19's
The German sweeper/defender will spend some time in the U-19 squad before moving up. He's established that he is a good header of the ball (16), marker (16), passer (18) and tackler (19), leading some to believe he may be able to follow in the footsteps of great German sweepers like Matthias Sammer and Lothar Matthaus. However, his lack of physical attributes at this time is a drawback but hopefully this will develop over time. This may account for his 625,000 pound valuation.

Al Mighty - Sevilla First Team
The 17 year old is training with the first team, a great experience for him. Some believe he has the ability to play now if required and this may be true since Al has good handling (15), reflexes (15), a keen sense of when to rush out (19), bravery (19), agility (19) and balance (18). Of course, whether he will be given the chance to is a different matter. Valued at 375,000 pounds.

Bud Wiser - Birmingham U-18's
This youngster is a great crosser of the ball (17) and dribbler (19). Along with his anticipation skills (16), flair (15), teamwork (16) and pace (17), he has potential to be a good winger. The fact that he's in a lesser team is hurting his value though, only 130,000 pounds.

Jace Hunter - Blackburn U-18s
The Scottish lad is only valued at 75,000 pounds but he has time to change that. It's surprising since he has really good skills such as his aerial ability (19), command of area (15), communication (19), one on ones (15), reflexes (20), throwing (16) and decision making ability (16). Blackburn may have found a nice keeper here.

[law90026]

I bypassed most of July since these were friendly games and stats were not available for most of the fixtures. August is when the games start, including U-18 games. I'll post updates on the leagues and fixtures as and when they are interesting as well.

[law90026]

Chelsea beats Liverpool 2-1 in the Community Shield.

In a very close game (8 shots on goal, 4 on target, for each team, 49% possession to Chelsea), a brace from new boy Adriano was enough to lead Chelsea to victory with Liverpool's goal coming from Harry Kewell. Man of the Match was Jaime Carragher.

[law90026]

Transactional Summary

15 August 2006
Frank Justice leaves West Ham on a 5 month loan to Championship side Q.P.R.

16 August 2006
Mike Schapolowsky leaves Chelsea on a 5 month loan to Championship side Leicester City.

25 August 2006
Jace Hunter leaves Blackburn on a 5 month loan to Championship side Barnsley.

29 August 2006
Owen Hunter leaves FC Bayern on a season long loan to Burghausen, who play in the German Second Division. This will be disappointing for the 17 year old, who had made 3 first-team appearances for FC Bayern already this season, with an average rating of 6.67 and managing one assist in those 3 games.

[law90026]

Report for August 2006

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Loan to Leicester
In his first 2 games for Leicester, Mike has averaged a rating of 8.00, scoring one goal and earning a Man of the Match award in the process. He started games against West Brom and Barnsley (where he got the goal and MOM).

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Portsmouth U-18's
The captain of the U-18 side has not been spectacular yet. In 2 games for the U-18's, he's averaging about 6.00. However, BB Gunn did start a game for the first team in a 2-0 win over West Ham, getting a 7 in the process.

Frank Justice - Striker, Loan to QPR
Frank started his first 2 games for QPR and has been erratic, with a 6.50 average rating to go with a booking.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Liverpool U-18's
The youngster has been the subject of multiple loan bids and it's a certainty he's moving in September.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18's
Already the captain of the Arsenal U-18's at age 15, Charles started all 3 U-18 games played in August and managed to get a MOM in the process.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Loan to Burghausen
No appearances for his new club yet. Before leaving on his loan, Owen Hunter managed to make 3 first team appearances for FC Bayern, with an average rating of 6.67 as well as with one assist.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al's been riding the bench, being the first choice reserve keeper. That's a good thing or bad thing, because while Al is in the first team, he may not play very much at all.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley
One game, 7.0 rating, 2-1 win over Leicester ... but the goal was conceded to Mike Schaplowsky.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Birmingham
Promoted to the first team, Bud started one game and came off the bench for another, for a 6.50 average rating. However, Bud has since gotten injured, cracking some ribs and is expected to be out for anything between 1 to 4 weeks.

[condors]

Hopefully Bud will be back in 1st team action soon

[law90026]

September 2006 Transactions and News
2 September 2006
Sean Treacy joins Championship side Preston on a 5 month loan. He rejected offers from Leicester (where he would have been playing with Mike Schaplowsky), Derby and Sheff Wed.

12 September 2006
BB Gunn joins Sheffield Wednesday on a 5 month loan.

16 September 2006
Leicester Manager Robert Kelly is delighted with Mike Schaplowsky's form, claiming that some of his performances have been magical. Mike has been playing really well lately and the praise is well deserved.

In response, Mike agreed with the praise and felt that he was at the top of his game.

[law90026]

September 2006 report:

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (loan)
8 games, 5 goals, 2 MOMs, 7.63 average rating, Mike is proving to be really good, at least at the Championship level. That means 6 games and 4 goals for Leicester in September, an awesome record for any striker, let alone a 17 year old.

One flaw to point out? No assists in 8 games. A bit of a ball hog is our Mike.

Frank Justice - Striker, QPR (loan)
8 games, 4 goals, 2 MOMs, 7.25 average rating, as Frank is proving to be the equal of Mike Schaplowsky. That also means Frank had 4 goals in 6 games for QPR in September.

Couple of issues with Frank's performances though. First, 0 assists as well. More importantly, Frank's a bit of a hothead, with 2 more bookings in 6 games, bringing him to 3 yellow cards for the season already.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (loan)
5 games for his new club and Sean's managed 1 goal and 1 assist to go with a 7.20 rating. However, that hasn't helped Preston much, who are 22nd out of 24 teams in the Championship.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (loan)
6.50 rating in 4 games for the Owls and BB Gunn has also picked up his first yellow card.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
In shocking news, Charles broke his left ankle in a U-18 game and is out of action for 2 months. Let's hope he makes it back without losing any of his pace.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
And Al Mighty played 3 games for the first team this month, starting 2 games and coming on for the last 10 mins against Real Madrid. More impressively, Al was the MOM for the game against Espanyol for his performance in the first 19 mins, which Sevilla lost 4-1 ... all 4 goals came after Al Mighty came off and it appears his MOM award was recognition of that. He's got a 7.67 rating, with 1 goal conceded and 2 clean sheets to his name.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen
In his first 4 games for Burghausen, Owen Hunter has proven to be a stalwart in defence. 8.00 average rating with 2 MOMs and an assist, Owen is also averaging an astonishing 7.50 tackles a game, leading the German Second Division.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley
The young keeper has played 7 games for Barnsley and conceded 10 goals with 1 clean sheet. He's also got 2 yellow cards, which is scary for a goalkeeper, suggesting his temperament may not be the best. However, Jace isn't playing badly, as indicated by his 7.57 rating ... its not his fault his defence sucks.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Birmingham U-18's
Sadly, after recovering from his injury, Bud lost his place in the first team squad and was sent back to the U-18's, where he has performed decently but not spectacularly.

[law90026]

October 2006 Report

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan)
Mike cooled down after his hot start, playing 6 more games in October but not managing to add to his 5 goals this season. But he did get a first ... his first red card in a game against Ipswich, a 2-0 loss.

Frank Justice - Striker, QPR (on loan)
Frank's jaded and in need of a rest. Question is whether he'll get it. Apparently he's not quite ready for the exertions of a full season yet. 5 games with 1 goal and 1 assist and a MOM award .. and yet another yellow card.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan)
Sean also recorded his first red card in October, in a 2-0 loss to Burnley. No other quantifiable contributions to note.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan)
4 more games for the Owls this month and BB scored his first goal as well, a 9th minute goal against Leicester which ended 1-1.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18's
Still seeing a specialist, 3 more weeks to go before he can start training again.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al started 2 more games this month, a 1-0 win over Deportivo in the Primera Liga and a 2-1 win over Universidad LP in the 1st leg of the 4th round of the Spanish Cup. More importantly, Al has built up a good relationship with the current first choice keeper, 33 year old Andres Palop, who is currently tutoring Al.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen
Owen started 3 more games for Burghausen, recording 2 more assists and 1 more MOM. It apepars Owen is proving to be capable of changing defence to attack with his passing. Still with an astonishing 7.29 tackles a game.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley
4 games in October for Barnsley, another 6 goals conceded. His rating is slipping somewhat, down to 7.36 from 7.57 last month. It should also be reported that Jace is currently the first choice Scotland U-19 keeper and has appeared in 3 friendlies this year.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea (on loan)
On 26 October, Bud Wiser was sent to League One team Swansea on a 3 month loan. Bud appeared in one game for Swansea at the end of the month, a 1-0 win over Rotherham and got a 6 rating.

[law90026]

November News:
5 November 2006
Sevilla's manager praises Al Mighty's performances. Osasuna's manager also praises Al Mighty's performance in a 3-1 loss to Sevilla.

Al Mighty agreed that he was playing well and felt he was at the top of his game.

26 November 2006
Leicester's manager, Robert Kelly, sacked. Will this affect Mike Schaplowsky?

28 November 2006
Dave Penney appointed as new manager of Leicester.

[law90026]

November Report

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan)
Mike played 4 games this month for Leicester and scored 4 more goals, bringing his season's tally to 9. Astoundingly, he still hasn't recorded an assist yet. 17 games played, 9 goals, 3 MOMs and 7.35. He missed one game because of injury in November.

Frank Justice - Striker, QPR (on loan)
Frank is still tired but he's soldiering on. 5 more games and 1 more goal this month. Season so far, 18 games played, 6 goals, 1 assist, 3 MOMs, 4 yellow cards and 7.11.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan)
Another 5 more games in the German Second Division and 2 more MOMs for the month. 12 games, 3 assists, 6.81 tackles a game and a 7.75 rating.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan)
Sean played in all 5 of Preston's games in November but again didn't record any key statistics. You get the feeling Sean is the midfielder that does all the dirty work but gets none of the glory. His best performance this month was against Leicester (8 rating), a game which Preston lost 4-0 (Mike Schaplowsky scoring 2). 14 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.79.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan)
BB was ever present for all 6 leagues games that Sheff Wed played in October. 14 appearances, 1 goal and a disappointing 6.21 rating thus far for the Owls.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
The 15-year old finally makes it back from injury and is trying to reclaim a spot in the starting 11 for the team.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
6 games started for Al as he's beginning to push for a regular starting spot ... until he twisted his ankle and is out for 2-3 weeks. He's proving to be slightly injury prone, this being his third injury already this season. Still, Al has been good in goal for Sevilla when given the chance, playing 11 games (starting 9), conceding just 4 goals and with 7 clean sheets, and an average rating of 7.73.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley (on loan)
The injury bug also strikes Jace as he breaks a finger, putting him out of action for 1 - 2 months. 4 games for Barnsley this month and 6 more goals conceded. Season thus far: 16 games, 23 goals conceded, 2 clean sheets, 3 yellow cards, 7.25.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea (on loan)
Injured again, this time with a twisted ankle, Bud is out for anything between 2 days to 4 weeks (damn those inferior physios). Bud appeared in just one game in November prior to the injury (suffered in training) and played badly, getting a 5 rating. Bud's another player that looks injury prone. His injury list to date:
Fracture ribs (out for a month in August)
Gashed Head (out for a week in October)
Facial Injury (out for a week in October)
And now the twisted ankle.

[law90026]

Sidenote:
The reason why the players' position on the updates fluctuate is due to their changing value, with the highest valued players on top. As can be seen, Owen Hunter is beginning to get some recognition for his performances as his value has gone up significantly in the past month, jumping over 4 players in November.

[condors]

argh not exactly a dream start for Bud Wiser

[cschex]

Originally Posted by law90026

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
In shocking news, Charles broke his left ankle in a U-18 game and is out of action for 2 months. Let's hope he makes it back without losing any of his pace.

Ouch! What's worse, that's exactly the injury that happened to me in high school (though while it was playing baseball, it ended my soccer-playing days). This game is eerie sometimes.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by law90026

\
Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan)
Sean also recorded his first red card in October, in a 2-0 loss to Burnley. No other quantifiable contributions to note.

That's right, I'm nasty.

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by law90026

Sidenote:
The reason why the players' position on the updates fluctuate is due to their changing value, with the highest valued players on top. As can be seen, Owen Hunter is beginning to get some recognition for his performances as his value has gone up significantly in the past month, jumping over 4 players in November.

Excellent!!

[law90026]

December News
1 December 2006
David Villa wins World Player of the Year. Juan Roman Riquelmen was 2nd and Steven Gerrard was 3rd.

2 December 2006
Charles Schexnader breaks his foot in a match against the Brentford U-18s and will be out for about 4 months. This is devastating for the 16 year old, who had just returned from a broken ankle recently.

7 December 2006
Sheff Wed have asked to extend BB Gunn's loan by another 3 months as they feel he would become a valuable member of the first team. The 17 year old defensive midfielder is valued at 2.9 million pounds. The offer was accepted on 8 December 2006 and BB Gunn's loan is extended to 11 March 2007.*

*= No idea why the timing is off since the initial loan was for 5 months.

31 December 2007
Stephen Gerrard wins World Footballer of the Year. Miroslav Klose was 2nd and Thierry Henry was 3rd.

[law90026]

December update:

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan)
Mike's loan expires on 15 January 2007 and no word from Leicester whether they intend to extend it. For December, Mike played 6 games and scored 3 goals, while recording 0 assists in the process. Mike was named young player of the month in December.

Quick update: Mike Schaplowsky came in 3rd for Goal of the Month in November (an audacious chip).

Frank Justice - Striker, QPR (on loan)
Similarly, Frank's loan is up soon, on 14 January 2007. He's currently recovering from a strained back suffered early on in December. Prior to this injury, Frank managed 1 game in December and had an assist (against Sheff Wed in a 1-0 win).

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan)
The German League is having its winter break now and will resume games on 26 January 2007. Owen appeared in Burghausen's last 3 games before the break and remains a rock in their defence.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan)
Sean Treacy appeared in 7 games for Preston in December without notching up any goals or assists. His passing percentage so far this year is 72%, which places him 49th in the English Championship.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan)
BB made 3 appearances for the Owls in December before fracturing his ribs. He is expected to be out for another 2 weeks to 2 months. He did manage his first MOM award though in the 1-0 loss to Leicester. The injury was suffered in the 80th minute of a 2-1 win over Southend.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
The youngster is patiently waiting to recover from his injury. Specialists have informed him that he will be out for the next 3 months.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al has just come back from his injury and will be looking at establishing himself again.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley (on loan)
Jace is still out with a broken finger. Estimates for recovery are anything between a day to 3 weeks. Barnsley played 6 games in December while Jace was out and replacement keeper, 33 year old Nick Colgan, conceder 9 goals without keeping a clean sheet.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea
Bud made it back from his injury and made 4 appearances for Swansea in December. He has not been performing well though as his rating of 5.83 suggests. Still, Swansea are 2nd in League 1. The trend for Bud is that he's been substituted in every game he's appeared in during December, normally early in the 2nd half.

[law90026]

Half-Year Update on the World at Large
At the half-way point of the 06-07 season, Manchester United currently lead the English Premier League with 46 points, a full 10 points ahead of 2nd and 3rd placed teams Liverpool and Everton. Arsenal and Chelsea are 5th and 7th respectively. The bottom 3 are Watford, Fulham and Charlton.

In the Championship (an update here since a large number of players are playing in this league), West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace all have 49 pts, just 2 ahead of Norwich and 3 ahead of Sunderland. QPR (Frank Justice) are 7th with 44 pts, Sheff Wed (BB Gunn) are 17th with 33 pts, Leicester (Mike Schaplowsky) are 20th with 31 pts, Preston (Sean Treacy) are 22nd with 31 pts and Barnsley (Jace Hunter) are 24th and last with 28 pts.

Over in Germany, FC Bayern (Owen Hunter's team) lead the First Division with 38 pts. Kaiserslautern lead the Second Division with 36 pts and Burghausen (Owen Hunter) are 7th with 29 pts.

In Serie A, Roma are top with 33 pts, followed by Chievo, Inter, Milan and Torino. Juventus are 20th in Serie B but this is taking into account their 17 pt deduction, without which they would be 4th in Serie B.

In the Primeria Liga, Real Madrid are first with 40 pts, 7 pts ahead of Barcelona. Sevilla (Al Mighty) are 4th with 30 pts, just one point behind 3rd place team Deportivo (31 pts).

[law90026]

Half Year Update on the Kids

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan from Chelsea)
The young Pole has demonstrated that he will be very good in the future, if not already. Valued at 8.75 million pounds, Mike is the top goalscorer for Leicester but this hasn't been enough to help Leicester's league position. There probably are questions whether Mike could break into the Chelsea first team at this time, considering Chelsea's strikers are Adriano, Didier Drogba, Shevchenko and Saloman Kalou.

Grade: A

Frank Justice - Striker, QPR (on loan from West Ham)
The big man/kid is now valued at 7.5 million pounds and is joint topscorer for QPR, who are doing decently in the Championship. Will there be a future for Frank back at West Ham? It's hard to tell, since West Ham's forwards are Carlos Tevez (11 goals this season), Dean Ashton (9 goals), Marlon Harewood (12 goals) and Bobby Zamora, all of them relatively young as well.

Grade: A-

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan from FC Bayern)
The 3.8 million pound defender will be very good in the future. He's probably the best defender in the German Second Division already as he's leading in average rating as well as number of tackles per game. The players ahead of him at FC Bayern are likely to be first-choice centrebacks Lucio and Daniel Van Buyten.

Grade: A

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan from Liverpool)
This 17 year old is valued at 3.2 million pounds, largely based on his potential since his on-field appearances for Preston haven't been scintillating. A 6.62 average rating thus far makes Sean just slightly better than average. Unless there's some marked improvement in the future, it's hard to see Sean having a career at Liverpool, considering there are players like Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Harry Kewell ahead of him.

Grade: C+

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wednesday (on loan from Portsmouth)
The defensive midfielder (3 million valuation) has also not performed brilliantly so far, just a 6.29 average rating. Maybe things are starting to pick up though, since he recently got his first MOM award. The injury he suffered will hurt though since he's out of commission for a quite a bit. It's a real possibility BB Gunn will be able to return to Portsmouth and get some playing time as there are no real names ahead of him except for Manuel Fernandes and Gary O'Neil (don't ask me who this is but his stats are good and he's valued at 10+ million).

Grade: C

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
The 16 year old is worth 1.7 million pounds but he hasn't been able to show what he can do yet, not with the injuries he has suffered.

Grade: Incomplete

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
A good signing for Sevilla, though that isn't necessarily reflected in his value (1.7 million pounds). He's played well when given the chance to do so and he'll only get better over time.

Grade: A

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Barnsley (on loan from Blackburn)
Jace has nothing to be ashamed of this year. He's increased his value about 10 times (775,000 pounds) and he's been capped twice by the Scotland U-21 team. Great signing by Blackburn if Jace can continue to develop.

Grade: B+

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea (on loan from Birmingham)
Possibly the most disappointing of the kids so far, Bud's injuries have not helped him at all this year. He's struggling to play well in League One, which casts into doubt whether he has what it takes to become a Premiership player for Birmingham. His value has increased marginally, from 130,000 pounds to 300,000 pounds.

Grade: C

[law90026]

January 2007 News
10 January 2007
Swansea Manager Kenny Jackett thinks Bud Wiser has been playing reasonably well of late althought there was quite a lot of room for improvement. Bud was happy with the comment and felt pleased with his recent performances and is really enjoying his football at the moment.

13 January 2007
Mike Schaplowsky's loan with Leicester extended for 3 months to 14 April 2007.

14 January 2007
Frank Justice returns to West Ham U18's.

23 January 2007
Bud Wiser's loan with Swansea extended for 2 more months to 24 April 2007.

24 January 2007
Jace Hunter returns to Blackburn.

28 January 2007
Jace Hunter joins Hearts on loan until the end of the season.

29 January 2007
Sean Treacy's loan with Preston extended for 2 more months to 30 March 2007.

1 February 2007
Arbroath (Scottish Division 3, 140 pounds a week) and Brescia (Serie B, 10,750 pounds a week) offer me a job Wonder if I should bother?

[Sublime 2]

I love this dynasty so far...great job!

[law90026]

1 February 2007
I accept the offer from Arbroath, just for fun (I can always quit in a bit :P).

Sidenote:
Let me know if there are other things you would like to see in the dynasty or any thoughts you might have.

Edit: Heh, I decided it would be too much work to manage a club and I wasn't sure I would enjoy it much anyway taking into context what I'm doing in this game. Press Report follows:

"There has been shock and disbelief at Gayfield Park today after new Arbroath manager Dayne Ho sensationally quit the club just hours after being appointed. With Arbroath officials refusing to comment, it is still too early to guess the reasons for Ho's dramatic decision". LOL

[law90026]

January Update

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan from Chelsea)
4 games for Leicester this month but just one goal and no assists for Mike.

Frank Justice - Striker, West Ham
Maybe being recalled wasn't a bad thing for Frank as he has managed 2 substitute appearances for West Ham, in a 2-1 win over Charlton and a 0-0 draw against Wigan. His rating of 5.50 is far from the best though.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan from FC Bayern)
Owen returns from the winter break to pick up where he left off. 2 games, 2 8 ratings, 2 more assists, 7.05 tackles/game and a pass success rate of 91%.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan from Liverpool)
Sean made 3 appearances for Preston in January, not recording any goals or assists and averaging 6.33 but playing the full game each time. Results for Preston in those games were a 2-1 loss to Luton, a 1-1 draw with Southend and a 0-0 draw with Sunderland.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan from Portsmouth)
BB has just recovered from his injury and is looking to get fit again. For what it's worth, Sheff Wed consider BB to be an important first team player so he should get his starting spot back once he's got some training under his belt.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al started 4 games for Sevilla in January, though he conceded 4 goals in those 4 games (one goal each game). When Adres Palop returned from his 3 month injury, Al Mighty went back to the bench.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U-18s
2 more months of recovery for Charles.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Hearts (on loan from Blackburn)
Jace has recently joined Hearts but it looks like he isn't the first choice keeper (he's behind Craig Gordon, a Scotland International). Before leaving Barnsley, Jace did manage one more game for them, a 2-1 win over Cardiff and recorded a 7 rating.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea (on loan from Birmingham)
Maybe all he needed was some time. Bud played 5 games for Swansea in January and managed to get a 9 rating as well as the MOM award in a 2-0 win over Northampton. There's clearly still room for improvement but at least he has dragged his rating up to 6.50 in 10 appearances for Swansea.

[bbgunn]

Ugh, the injuries hurt, but football world, just you wait...

[law90026]

18 February 2007
Burghausen boss is delighted with Owen Hunter's performances, claiming they have been nothing short of magical. Owen agreed with his boss's comments and was looking forward in anticipation to every match.

[law90026]

February Update

Frank Justice - Striker, West Ham
Frank is now the highest valued player of the kids, at 9.75 million pounds. This is helped by the fact that he started a Premiership game for West Ham (laying on an assist in a 3-1 win over Everton on TV) as well as appeared as a substitute in West Ham's first leg loss to Lens in the EURO Cup (West Ham won the 2nd leg 3-1). In other news, Frank also got his first U-21 cap and scored on his debut against the Paraguay U-20s.

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan from Chelsea)
As the season wears on , Mike appears to be slowing down. No goals in February for Leicester (to be fair, he only played 2 games for Leicester; the other 2 games were cup games which Mike is not allowed to play in under the terms of his loan).

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan from FC Bayern)
6 games, 1 assist, more MOMs for Owen Hunter as he maintains his numbers. 7.17 tackles a game, 91% pass success rate, 7.81 rating.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan from Portsmouth)
BB reclaims his starting spot in Sheff Wed's midfield and starts 4 games for the Owls, with an average rating of 6.50. BB did go up against Sean Treacy in a 1-1 draw between Sheff Wed and Preston, ooth players managing only a 6 rating.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Preston (on loan from Liverpool)
Sean started 5 out of 6 games for Preston in February. The reason for the missed game? Automatic suspension for a red-card, Sean's 2nd of the season. An average rating of 6.02 in February has to be improved on.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla,
Al rode the bench this month as his mentor is back and playing.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U18s
3 more weeks to go.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Hearts (on loan from Blackburn)
Jace managed to get one start in February, conceding 2 goals in a 2-1 loss to Falkirk and getting a 6.0 rating.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Swansea (on loan from Birmingham)
Bud started all 5 of Swansea's games in February, even getting his first goal in a 2-1 win over Scunthorpe. However, besides the Scunthorpe game, he hasn't played well and his overall rating for February is around 6.02.

[law90026]

March News
9 March 2007
BB Gunn's loan with Sheff Wed extended for another month and will now expire on 8 April 2007.

24 March 2007
Bud Wiser returns to Birmingham.

30 March 2007
Simon Treacy returns to Liverpool.

[law90026]

March Update

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Leicester (on loan from Chelsea)
Mike played in 4 out of 5 games for Leicester in March, managing 3 more goals. His stats so far this year are 35 starts, 17 goals, 0 assists, 4 MOMs and a 7.29 rating. Mike also earned his first U-21 cap against the Andorra U-21's.

Mike was named to the English Championship Team of the Week on 5 March.

Frank Justice - Striker, West Ham
Frank failed to play any games for West Ham in March, though he managed to start for the England U-21s against the Isreal U-21s.

By way of update, Frank Justice was named to the English Championship Team of the Week twice with QPR, on 16 October and 11 September.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/defender, Burghausen (on loan from FC Bayern)
Owen's played 24 games for Burghausen this year, with 6 assists, 8 MOMs, a yellow card and a red card. He's averaging 6.95 tackles a game, 91% pass rate and a 7.75 rating. Owen got his first two caps for the German U-21 team as well.

Owen was named to the German Second Division Team of the Week on 4 previous occasions.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Sheff Wed (on loan from Portsmouth)
22 starts for the Owls this season, 1 goal, 1 MOM, 3 yellow cards and a 6.32 rating.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Liverpool Reserves
Sean finished his loan spell with Preston having started 32 games for them and managing to get 1 goal and 1 assist, along with a 6.47 rating. Sean's been promoted to the Liverpool Reserves team.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U18s
Young Charles is back again from injury and his potential is starting to get recognised as he recorded his first U-19 cap for Germany.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al started one game in March, bringing his season stats to 16 games (14 started), 10 goals conceded, 7 clean sheets, 3 MOMs and a rating of 7.44.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Hearts
Jace started 2 games for Hearts in March, conceding 3 goals in the process. His stats for Hearts so far are 3 games started, 5 goals concded, 1 yellow card and a 6.33 rating. Jace also has 5 Scotland U-21 caps for the season.

Jace has a new favoured club, Barnsley.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Birmingham Reserves
Bud returned from his loan to Birmingham, where he was sent to the Reserves. His stats at Swansea were 18 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 MOM and 6.39, along with one League One Team of the Week Award.

[law90026]

April News
8 April 2007
BB Gunn returns to Portsmouth.

14 April 2007
Mike Schaplowsky returns to Chelsea.

[law90026]

April Update

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Chelsea U18s
Returning to Chelsea after nearly an entire season on loan to Leicester, Mike has been sent to the U18 team. He played well while at Leicester, starting 37 games and scoring 17 goals with an average rating of 7.27, very impressive numbers for a 17 year old.

Birmingham and Southampton are showing interest in Mike.

Frank Justice - Striker, West Ham U18s
It's been a bit of a roller-coaster for Frank. He appeared in 6 games for the first team, 5 of them as a substitute, but after suffering a concussion, he was sent down to the U18s. Perhaps West Ham want to make sure Frank doesn't suffer any long lasting injury, since he still has many years ahead of him.

Leicester are showing an interest in Frank.

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Portsmouth
Since returning to Portsmouth, BB has worked his way so that he's a regular on the subs bench. He still hasn't played much yet, but at least he's in a position to do so. He's made one appearance as a substitute and got a 6 for that.

Barnsley, Cardiff, Colchester, Doncaster, Hull, Luton, Preston, Southend and Wolves have expressed an interest in BB Gunn.

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Liverpool U18s
Playing in the U18s for Liverpool, Sean's highlight so far would be coming on as a sub for 20 mins in the 2nd leg of Liverpool's European Cup tie against Arsenal. For the record, Liverpool beat Arsenal and are presently facing Manchester United in the semi-finals.

Colchester, Doncaster and Luton have expressed an interest in Sean Treacy.

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, Burghausen (on loan from FC Bayern)
Owen played 3 games for Burghausen in April and got another assist, bringing him to 7 for the season.

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U18s
Similar to Sean Treacy, the 16 year old's highlight is the same game against Liverpool in the 2nd leg of the European Cup Quarterfinals. Charles came on with 15 mins left and got a 6, becoming one of the youngest ever players to play for the Arsenal senior team.

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al continues to sit on the bench, though he is still being mentored by the No. 1 keeper.

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Hearts
No further appearances for Jace in a Hearts shirt in April.

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Birmingham U18s
Bud appeared in 4 Championship games for Birmingham before being sent back to the U18s. He is presently being tutored by Damien Johnson.

[law90026]

May News
4 May 2007
FC Bayern wins the German First Division.

12 May 2007
Man Utd win the English Premier League. The top 4 are already determined, it's just a question of final positioning for 3rd and 4th. Chelsea have confirmed 2nd place with 72 pts, Liverpool have 67 pts and Arsenal have 66 pts. 5th place Tottenham are at 60 pts.

12 May 2007
Celtic win the Scottish Premier League.

13 May 2007
Arsenal take 3rd as they draw 2-2 with West Ham on the last day of the Premiership and Liverpool lose 2-0 to Blackburn.

13 May 2007
Real Madrid win the Spanish Primera Liga.

16 May 2007
Werder Bremen wins the Euro Cup with a 3-0 win against Rangers.

19 May 2007
Chelsea win the FA Cup, beating Manchester City 1-0. Manchester City were also relegated from the Premier League, making this a double blow.

20 May 2007
Burghausen boss praises Owen Hunter's form. Owen responded that while he was pleased, he believed he could up his performance still.

23 May 2007
Barcelona win the European Cup with a 1-0 win over Man Utd.

26 May 2007
Celtic win the Scottish Cup with a 3-0 win over Hibernian, completing their double.

26 May 2007
FC Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 to win the German Cup, completing their double.

27 May 2007
Roma win Serie A.

[law90026]

End of Season Update

English Premier League
Manchester United win the title with 78 pts, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool coming in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Tottenham and Newcastle come in 5th and 6th, qualifying for the Euro Cup next season. Manchester City, Wigan and Fulham were relegated.

Top Goalscorers were Kanu, Anelka (Bolton) and Drogba with 19 goals each.

Steven Gerrard led all players with 12 assists.

Player's Player of the Year award went to Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), with Henry (Arsenal) and Kanu (Portsmouth) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Footballer of the Year was Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), with Berbatov (Spurs) and Tim Cahill (Everton) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Player's Young Player of the Year was Collins John (Fulham) with Al Bangura (Watford) and Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Manager of the Year was Alex Fergurson (Man Utd) and Mourinho (Chelsea) and Jol (Tottenham) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Bundesliga
FC Bayern won the title with Leverkusen and Werder Bremen coming in 2nd and 3rd. Frankfurt, Cottbus and Mainz were relegated.

Top Goalscorer was Roy Makaay (FC Bayern) with 19 goals.

David Jarolim (HSV) led all players with 9 assists.

Player of the Year award went to Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), with Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen) and Vahid Hashemian (Hannover) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Goalkeeper of the Year was Hans-Jorg Butt of Leverkusen.

Youth Player of the Year was Eugen Polanski (Gladbach) with Marcell Jansen (Gladbach) and Gonzalo Castro (Leverkusen) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Manager of the Year was Felix Magath (FC Bayern) and Michael Skibbe (Leverkusen) and Thonas Schaaf (Werder Bremen) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Burghausen (Owen Hunter) came in 8th in the German Second Division but they had the 3rd best defence.

Serie A
Roma won the Serie A, with Inter, Milan and Chievo coming 2nd, 3rd and 4th (European Cup places). Lazio, Udinese and Atalanta qualified for the Euro Cup. Ascoli, Reggina and Cagliari were relegated.

Interesting point: Milan had 65 pts, after having 8 pts deducted. Without that, they would have 73 pts, more than Roma. That's what happens when you cheat.

Top Goalscorer was Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter) with 18 goals.

Top Assist was Andrea Pirlo (Milan) with 9.

Goalkeeper of the Year was Marco Storari of Messina.

Defender of the Year was Alessandro Nesta of Milan.

Foreign Player of the Year was Sebestian Frey (GK for Fiorentina).

Italian Player of the Year was Ighli Vannucchi of Empoli and Iaquinta (Inter) and Barone (Torino) were 2nd and 3rd.

Manager of the Year was Luciano Spalletti (Roma) with Ancelotti (Milan) and Mancini (Inter) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Player of the Year was Luca Toni (Fiorentina) and Mancini (Roma) and Lucarelli (Livorno) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Young Player of the Year was Paco Sanchez (Livorno), with Gyan Asmoah (Udinese) and Didier Digard (Empoli) coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Sidenote: Juventus came in 13th in Serie B. Even they had their 17 pts restored, they would not have been promoted. That's what happens when you cheat

La Liga
Real Madrid won the title, with Sevilla coming in 2nd and Deportivo 3rd. Barcelona came in 7th, very disappointing for them. Real Sociedad, Gimnastic and Racing were relegated.

Top goalscorere was Fernando Torres (Atletico) with 23 goals.

Top Assist was David Beckham (Real Madrid) with 12.

Goalkeeper of the Year was Iker Casillas.

Manager of the Year was Fabio Capello with Sevilla's Juande Ramos coming in 2nd.

Player of the Year was Fernando Torres.

[law90026]

Season 1 Summary

Mike Schaplowsky - Striker, Chelsea U18s
Mike ends the season valued at 10.5 million pounds. Over the course of the season, he spent most of his time at Leicester City, where he scored 17 goals. He appeared in 2 games as a substitute for Chelsea, averaging 6.50 and scoring his first ever Premiership goal against Newcastle in a 2-0 win.

Mike is a hot prospect for the future and he'll be hoping to get some Premiership experience soon, whether with Chelsea or another club. 1 U-21 cap for England. *

Grade: A- (inability to get many first team games at Chelsea brings it down slightly)

*= Explanation: I couldn't get Mike to appear in the game unless I gave him England as a secondary nation. Apologies for that.

Frank Justice - Striker, West Ham
Also valued at 10.5 million pounds, the big target man appeared in 6 games for West Ham, getting an assist and a 6.33 rating. Frank will look back to his time with QPR as a good time, during which he scored 7 goals.

Frank is part of the West Ham squad rotation and has been compared to one of his fellow West Ham strikers, Marlon Harewood. 2 U-21 England caps with 1 goal.

Grade: A- (similarly, inability to break into West Ham first team pulled this down slightly)

BB Gunn - Defensive Midfielder, Portsmouth
BB Gunn is valued at 7.25 million pounds but he'll look back on this season as a disappointment, considering some of the expectations on him. 23 appearances for the Owls was decent but not his 6.35 rating. He made one substitute's appearance for Portsmouth.

BB Gunn is considered part of the squad rotation in Portsmouth at this time.

Grade: B (has great mental and physical attributes but needs more technical ability to reach the next grade)

Sean Treacy - Midfielder, Liverpool U18s
Sean Treacy made 3 appearances for the Liverpool first team and did really badly, 5.67 rating. His time with Preston was better overall, 32 appearances and a 6.47 rating with 1 goal and 1 assist.

Valued at 4.4 million pounds, Sean Treacy is considered promising and a hot prospect for the future. But whether that future is at Liverpool will remain to be seen.

Grade: B- (simply didn't perform that well this season)

Owen Hunter - Sweeper/Defender, FC Bayern
The 4.4 million pound defender played in 29 games for Burghausen, marshalling the 3rd best defence in the Second Division. He managed 8 assists (joint 2nd in the Second Division) and 9 MOM awards (No. 1) to go with a 7.69 rating (No. 1).

Owen Hunter won the German Second Divison Youth Player of the Year award and also acquired 3 U-21 German caps.

Grade: A (while not playing in the First Division, Owen was absolutely brilliant with Burghausen)

Charles Schexnader - Left Wing, Arsenal U18s
Injuries took their toll on Charles and he'll be hoping to do better next year. He's capped at the German U-19 level at this time but it's hard to evaluate how he did since he didn't play that many noteworthy matches.

Grade: Incomplete

Al Mighty - Goalkeeper, Sevilla
Al finishes the season with 18 games under his belt and a 7.39 rating. He's currently valued at 2 million pounds and already has a European Super Cup Runner's up medal.

Grade: B+ (great potential for the future and he played well at the highest level when required to do so)

Bud Wiser - Left Winger, Birmingham
Injuries also took their toll on Bud Wiser and he never really got started for the first 5-6 months of his career. Things are slowly beginning to pick up for the 975,000 pound winger as he made 4 apperarances for Birminghim in the Championship. He'll look back at his time with Swansea (18 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.39) as a wasted opportunity.

Grade: C+ (not playing that well in the Championship is alarming)

Jace Hunter - Goalkeeper, Blackburn
Now valued at 925,000 pounds, Jace will be looking for more first team experience next year. He probably recognises that he made a mistake joining Hearts since he only played 3 games for them but the call of home was too strong at the time. 5 U-21 caps for Scotland.

Grade: B- (did decently at Barnsley but the lack of playing time in the latter part of the season hurt Jace)

[law90026]

Pre-Season News

5 June 2007
Mike Schaplowsky and Frank Justice both come off the bench in a 1-0 win for the England U21s over Estonia U21s.

Jace Hunter picked up his 6th U-21 cap for Scotland in a 4-0 win over Faroe Islands U21s.

Al Mighty gets his first U-21 cap for Italy in a 2-0 win over Lithuania U-21s.

21 June 2007
Mike Schaplowsky joins Celtic on a season long loan.

30 June 2007
Owen Hunter gets his first cap for Germany in a 4-0 win over Japan in the Confederations Cup 3rd place play-off.

2 July 2007
Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen) wins European Footballer of the Year, with Steven Gerrard coming in 2nd and Ronaldinho (Barcelona) 3rd.

5 July 2007
BB Gunn rejects Portsmouth's offer of a new 3 year contract. He wants substantial bonuses for his appearance in the first team.

15 July 2007
Frank Justice rejects West Ham's contract offer as he wants an appearance fee bonus.

17 July 2007
Bud Wiser signs a new contract wih Birmingham, which will expire on 30 June 2009. His new contract increases his weekly wage from 2,200 pounds to 3,000 pounds but his appearance bonus is only 300 pounds now, along with a 150 pound goal bonus and a 750 pound win bonus. This contract is meant to reflect Bud Wiser's new status as an important first team player. Oh .. and Bud's injured again, with strained knee ligaments, out for another 1-3 weeks.

30 July 2007
West Ham Manager, Alan Pardew, is reportedly chasing after Liverpool midfielder Sean Treacy.

1 August 2007
Petr Cech (Chelsea) wins European Goalkeeper of the Year, Shay Given (Newcastle) and Marco Amelia (Livorno) come in 2nd and 3rd.

Andrea Baragli (Palermo) wins European Defender of the Year, William Gallas (Arsenal) and Dani Alves (Sevilla) come in 2nd and 3rd.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) wins European Midfielder of the Year, Ronaldinho (Barcelona) and Joaquin (Valencia) come in 2nd and 3rd.

Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen) wins European Striker of the Year, David Villa (Valencia) and Thierry Henry (Arsenal) come in 2nd and 3rd.

Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, indicates that he is prepared to sell Sean Treacy, who is not in his manager's plans this season and has been asked to seek opportunities elsewhere. Upon hearing this news, Blackburn makes an offer to loan Sean Treacy.

[bbgunn]

This is amazing! Keep it up!

[law90026]

August News
8 August 2007
Birmingham sells Bud Wiser to Fulham for 1.7 million pounds. Bud's new contract pays him 7,250 pounds a week, with a 1,800 pound appearance bonus, 375 pound goal bonus and 1,800 pound win bonus, and will be used as part of the squad rotation. Bud is excited about the move.

9 August 2007
Sean Treacy joins Blackburn on a season long loan. In particular, he turned down an offer to join Arsenal.

12 August 2007
Chelsea win the Community Shield 3-0 on penalties against Manchester United. It was 1-1 at full time. Drogba had given Chelsea a 16 min lead but Saha equalised in the 42nd min.

24 August 2007
Werder Bremen win the Euro Super Cup with a 3-1 win over Barcelona.

[law90026]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

This is amazing! Keep it up!

Thanks for the kind words