FM2011 - Interactive Dynasty

[DeToxRox]

Bastard ownership.

[law90026]

Some predictions based on what I've seen in the game up to this date:

a) it looks like Frank Justice is going to have the best career amongst the lot;

b) Bernard Blaze and Marc Vaughan look to have some potential but they may not be able to develop at Man City;

c) out of the strikers, Daniel Ertmann might have the best career (just a gut feel). Ubaldo might have the least satisfying one. Dean, Rob and Will look to be lower-level Premier league strikers;

d) Julio O'Donnell looks steady but I'm not sure he will move;

e) Jace Hunter could be very good if given the chance;

f) Path Twelve looks like a candidate for the "worst" career in the sense he may never be more than a lower league player.

[path12]

Originally Posted by law90026

f) Path Twelve looks like a candidate for the "worst" career in the sense he may never be more than a lower league player.

I was shooting for talented but aggressive and controversial. In retrospect I would have put pace in my starting attributes instead of something like long shots because being slow will not get you to the top leagues.

Though it seems that the injury-proneness isn't helping either.

[law90026]

2014/15 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Arsenal (2x in a row, 4 in the last 5 years)
2nd place: Man Utd
3rd place: Tottenham
FA Cup: Arsenal beats Chelsea 2-1
League Cup: Man City beats Everton 3-2
Footballer of the Year: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (1st), Miguel Veloso - Man Utd (2nd), Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd) - former GK for Man Utd
Player's Player of the Year: Carlos Tevez - Man City (1st), Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal (2nd), Edin Dzeko - Tottenham (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Jonjo Shelvey - Liverpool (1st), James McCarthy - Wigan (2nd), Joe Basford - Middlesborough (3rd)
Top Scorer: Carlos Tevez - Man City (26 goals), Edin Dzeko - Tottenham(24 goals), Frederico Macheda - Man Utd (23 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Roma
2nd place: Inter
3rd place: Genoa
Italian Cup: Inter beats Napoli 2-0

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Barcelona
2nd place: Real Madrid
3rd place: Sevilla
Spanish Cup: Barcelona beats Sevilla 3-0 (Barcelona-Sevilla rematch, Barcelona 2x in a row, 3x in 4 years, 4 finals in a row)
Player of the Year: Andrea Poli - Real Madria (1st), Jose Manuel Mata - Valencia (2nd), Cicinho - Sevilla (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid (28 goals), Nene - Almeria (24 goals), Lionel Messi - Barcelona (19 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (3x in a row)
2nd place: Nantes
3rd place: PSG
French Cup: Rennes beats Lille 3-1 (Lille's 2nd losing final in a row)
Coupe de la Ligue: Lyon beats Montpellier 3-0

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern
2nd place: Leverkusen
3rd place: Schalke
German Cup: Bochum beats Dortmund on penalties

Champions League
Arsenal beats Real Madrid 1-0

Euro Cup
Man Utd beats Sevilla 1-0

Summary:
Arsenal are the new dominant force in the English Premier League it appears as they win their 4th title in 5 years and doing a treble by winning the FA Cup and Champions League as well. Man Utd come in 2nd and also managed to win the Euro Cup. Tottenham were 3rd, Man City 4th, Liverpool 5th and Chelsea 6th. Blackburn were 7th, Bolton 9th, Villa 13th and Birmingham 14th.

Roma is back at the top in Italy with a 12 point lead over Inter. Inter did manage to win a trophy by winning the Italian Cup, their 2nd in 3 years. Sampdoria came in 9th.

Over in Spain, Barcelona bucks the recent trend of new champions by retaining their league title and their Spanish Cup. Real Madrid came in 2nd and there is a new entrant into the top 3 as an exciting Sevilla side crash the party. Both Real Madrid and Sevilla were losing finalists in European finals, losing to English clubs both times.

Lyon is unstoppable in the French League as they do another double (League and League Cup). In surprising news, St Etienne, which was runners-up a few seasons back was relegated.

Bayern is finally back at the top in Germany, winning the title comfortably over arch-rivals Leverkusen.

[law90026]

2014/15 End of Season Update

Dean Hoo had a pretty decent season with Blackburn (33 games, 12 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 6.80 rating). He was also named as Premier League Young Player of the Month in November. There is speculation he may not be at Ewood Park next season because he only has 1 year left on his contract and he has not re-signed yet. Arsenal is reportedly sniffing around.

Marc Vaughan had another frustrating season with Man City in the reserve team. He only made 1 substitute appearance for the first team (6.5 rating) and Celtic is considering whether to try and sign him.

Rob Nielsen will not be having a break this summer as he heads off with the US national team to the Gold Cup again. He had an average season with Bolton (16 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 2 yellows, 6.45 rating).

Daniel Ertmann was spectacular in Portugal (29 games, 21 goals, 4 assists, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.20 rating). He has been called up to the England national team and will be hoping to get his first cap soon.

Jace Hunter is still optimistic about his future at Sampdoria, despite limited playing time (2 games, 3 conceded, 6.60 rating). He is a regular for Canada (18 caps) and is with the Gold Cup team as well.

Julio O'Donnell had a steady season but he was perhaps just a bit less effective this year (20 games, 7 yellows, 2 reds, 6.90 rating). He was recognised as one of the better young players in the Premier League though (3 Young Player of the Month awards, 1 Premier League Team of the Week award).

Bernard Blaze is suffering the same fate as Marc Vaughan, i.e. a lack of playing time in the first team (3 games, 1 goal, 6.60 rating). He is optimistic about his future at the club as well but he might be losing important development time on the pitch if this continues.

Frank Justice had fewer chances to impress with Man Utd this year (20 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 7.13 rating) as the formation was changed to a very defensive 5-3-2 formation that featured 1 defensive midfielder and 2 central midfielders. He did not feature in the Euro Cup finals that Man Utd won either. He did win a Young Player of the Month award though.

Path Twelve had his best season with Norwich so far (19 games, 1 assist, 4 yellows, 6.70 rating). He is making some progress and will hope to get more chances next season (quite possibly with Norwich again as they have a long-term tie-up with Sunderland).

Ubaldo Geronimo spent the season out on loan with an Austrian club, SC Wiener Neustadt, where he played very well (24 games, 13 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 7.37 rating). Playing for an obscure club though meant that Ubaldo was not called up to the Mexico team for the Gold Cup.

Will Brown had a season of regression with Villa (12 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 6.72 rating). For whatever reason, he became less of a regular in the side and Villa has made him available for loan. What's worse is that he did not get called up to the US squad for the Gold Cup because of his lack of playing time this year and he's devastated by it.

[DeToxRox]

My owners are gonna' get it.

[MrBug708]

So how do we get in this one?

[law90026]

Sorry Mr Bug, sign-ups were closed a little while back in the sign-up thread.

[law90026]

Gold Cup 2017 summary:

The US crashed out in the quarter finals in a shock upset to the Honduras. Rob Nielsen had started the first game and scored 2 goals in a 3-0 win over El Salvador. However, things fell apart from them thereafter when they lost 1-0 to Costa Rica (Rob played badly), followed by a 2-0 win over Haiti (Rob did not play) and the loss to Honduras (Rob did not play).

Canada on the other hand actually made it to the finals but lost 2-0 to Mexico in the finals. Jace Hunter played in all 6 games for Canada and was impressive all the way until the finals, where he might be a little disappointed with his peformance (6.5, although he did face 20 shots on goal (9 on target, 4 clear cut chances)). His average rating for the tournament was 7.2.

[law90026]

2015/16 Start of Season update

Dean Hoo left Blackburn but not for Arsenal. Instead, he signed for Rangers. Not sure if that's a step up or not but we'll see how things progress for him. He has 4 England caps (4 goals).

Marc Vaughan was sent on a season-long loan to Premier League side Nottingham Forest, where he has already impressed early in the season (3 games, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7.47 rating). The England international has 2 caps.

In an unexpected move, Rob Nielsen was acquired by Valencia for 8.75 million pounds. The US striker will be looking to impress in the Spanish League this year (2 games, 1 goal, 6.65 rating so far).

Daniel Ertmann seems to be perfectly playing in Portugal for Sporting right now. No interest from other clubs suggests he may be there for a little while more. Still not capped by England yet.

Jace Hunter is fresh off some heroics at the Gold Cup and is happy about life in Sampdoria. Still just a backup to the first team though.

Not entirely sure what is going on with Julio O'Donnell right now. Mr Birmingham is reportedly unsettled and lacking match practice right now. Could a move be on the cards?

Bernard Blaze is actually in the Man City first team now, although used in rotation system. Perhaps he will finally have a chance to prove his ability this year.

Frank Justice is happy at Old Trafford (1 game, 1 goal, 7.7 rating so far). He is part of a squad rotation system as well but he is young still (21 years old).

Path Twelve is actually with Sunderland this year but with the reserves. There's a bit of an impasse as Sunderland want to loan him out but he thinks he's too good to be loaned out. We'll have to see how that pans out this year.

Ubaldo Geronimo is reportedly still optimistic about his future at Napoli, even though he is still in the reserves. We'll see if he gets any real football time this year.

Will Brown appears to have resolved his issues with the Villa management and is now regarded as an important part of the first team (2 games, 2 goals, 7.50 rating).

[Coffee Warlord]

Viva Espana!

[DeToxRox]

Italy is lame.

[law90026]

2015/16 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Arsenal (3x in a row, 5 in the last 6 years)
2nd place: Man Utd (2x in a row)
3rd place: Man City
FA Cup: Arsenal beats Wigan 2-0 (Arsenal 2x in a row)
League Cup: Chelsea beats Man Utd 3-2
Footballer of the Year: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (1st), Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (2nd), Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Gordon Strachan (Birmingham)
Player's Player of the Year: Giuliano - Man City (1st), Carlost Tevez - Man City (2nd), Darren Fletcher - Man Utd (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Danny Wilson - Arsenal (1st), Marc Vaughan - Nottingham Forest (2nd), Mensur Hila - Everton (3rd)
Top Scorer: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (28 goals), Gabby Agbonholar - Aston Villa (23 goals), Frederico Macheda - Man Utd (20 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Palermo
2nd place: AC Milan
3rd place: Genoa (2x in a row)
Italian Cup: Genoa beats Lazio 4-2

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Barcelona (3x in a row)
2nd place: Real Madrid
3rd place: Atletico Madrid
Spanish Cup: Valencia beats Atletico Madrid 2-1 (Rob Nielsen came on after 11 minutes, 6.6 rating)
Player of the Year: Cicinho - Sevilla (1st), Mesut Ozil - Real Madrid (2nd), Balazs Dzsudzsak - Atletico Madrid (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid (24 goals), Carlos Vela - Valladolid (21 goals), Salomon Rondon - Villareal (18 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (4x in a row)
2nd place: PSG
3rd place: Rennes
French Cup: PSG beats US Orleans 3-1
Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille beats FC Lorient 2-0

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern (2x in a row)
2nd place: Leverkusen (2x in a row)
3rd place: Dortmund
German Cup: Dortmund beats Bochum on penalties

Champions League
Real Madrid beats Bayern 2-0 (Real's 2nd final in a row)

Euro Cup
Liverpool beats Palermo 4-0

Summary:
Arsenal continue to dominate in the Premier League as they win their 5th title in 6 years and 3rd in a row. Man Utd came in 2nd again and were also losing finalists in the League Cup. Arsenal did the double by winning the FA Cup. Birmingham came in 7th to qualify for Europe next year, Sunderland was 8th, Villa was 10th and Nottingham Forest 14th. Liverpool won the Euro Cup to make up for their 5th place position.

Palermo wins their 2nd title in 4 years over in Italy. Sampdoria came in 9th in the league and Napoli was 11th. Palermo thought they could have a double but were absolutely crushed by Liverpool in the Euro Cup finals. Inter came in a disappointing 5th.

Barcelona are now the big club in Spain again, winning their 3rd title in a row. Atletico Madrid make it back to the top 3, finishing 3 points ahead of 4th place Sevilla. Valencia had a decent season, coming in 5th and winning the Spanish Cup. Real Madrid lift the coveted Champions League title after being the losing finalists last year.

Lyon continues to dominate in France, their 4th title in a row was achieved this season. 2nd placed PSG ended the fairy tale run of non-league side US Orleans in the French Cup in the finals. Marseille won their 3rd League Cup in 4 years (4 in 7 years if you go back a little further).

Bayern defended their title against Leverkusen again, while 3rd placed Dortmund did manage to add some silverware by winning the German Cup. Bayern's Champions League campaign nearly came to fruition but was ended in the finals by Real Madrid. Looks like Bayern is back at the top for now.

[law90026]

2015/2016 End of Season Summary

Dean Hoo (23 years old) had a good season at Rangers (29 games, 14 goals, 4 yellows, 7.07 rating). He also has a phenomenal record for England (5 caps, 6 goals). He has indicated he is happy in Scotland but Italian champions Palermo are reportedly interested in him.

Marc Vaughan (22 years old) was finally able to show what he could do when he impressed during his season long loan at Nottinghan Forest (36 games, 1 goal, 14 assists, 5 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.26 rating). He also has 3 caps for England and was the runner-up in the Premier League Young Player of the Year award. Next season will be interesting ... will he be given a chance at Man City? Or will he be loaned out again, which will make him unhappy?

Rob Nielsen's (23 years old) first season in Spain is a successful one (37 games, 11 goals, 1 assist, 5 yellows, 6.76 rating) as he wins the Spanish Cup with Valencia. He is an important first team player for both Valencia and the USA (25 caps, 11 goals).

Daniel Ertmann made another big money move during the January transfer window when Chelseas forked out 17.5 million to sign him from Sporting (18 games, 15 goals, 3 assist, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.36 rating). He fit right into the Chelsea first team (17 games, 10 goals, 1 MOM, 7.22 rating) and won the League Cup with them, scoring the 84th minute winner in the 3-2 win over Man Utd. Surprisingly still not capped for England yet.

Jace Hunter (23 years old) had another frustrating year at Sampdoria and is now considering leaving the club. He is a regular for Canada (30 caps) but simply isn't getting regular playing time for his club side.

Julio O'Donnell has indicated he wants to leave Birmingham. Not entirely clear why but there are suspicions he feels that he isn't getting the right recognition despite his performances (35 games, 2 assists, 2 MOMs, 10 yellows, 7.15 rating) because England does not want to call him up. Was named to the Premier League Team of the Week once.

Bernard Blaze spent the season on the fringes of the Man City first team (9 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 6.76 rating). The limited game time he has had gives him confidence he can succeed next year at Man City but we'll see if that's true.

Frank Justice again saw limited playing time (19 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.18 rating) but impressed whenever given the chance. He is happy at Old Trafford still even though he wasn't in the team for the League Cup final.

Path Twelve's time at Sunderland is probably over. He made one substitute appearance (1 goal, 7.60 rating) but that was it and he has been transfer listed. Luckily there is some interest from Newcastle so maybe he will find a better fit soon.

Ubaldo Geronimo also had limited chances this year with Napoli (4 games, 1 yellow, 6.47 rating). However, there are a number of clubs that may be willing to meet his 1.6 million pound valuation, including Wigan, Stuttgart and Udinese.

Will Brown had a terrrible year because he had torn cruciate ligaments and was out for 8 months. As a result, he only made 2 appearances (2 goals, 7.50 rating) which was a waste as it might have been a really good year for him if he had maintained his goalscoring record.

[Coffee Warlord]

Been a few seasons...another player card run?

[law90026]

Dean Hoo, Striker
Club: Arsenal (Premier League)
International: England (5 caps, 6 goals)
Value: 12,000,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 2           Aggression 5         Acceleration 18
Crossing 4          Anticipation 13      Agility 17
Dribbling 15        Bravery 7            Balance 8
Finishing 17        Composure 16         Jumping 16
First Touch 13      Concentration 3      Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 3          Creativity 9         Pace 18
Heading 13          Decisions 11         Stamina 10
Long Shots 6        Determination 11     Strength 19
Long Throws 3       Flair 5 
Marking 2           Influence 15
Passing 10          Off the Ball 15
Penalties 3         Positioning 8 
Tackling 2          Teamwork 8
Technique 12        Work Rate 8

History:
2010-11: Leeds United 30 appearances (5 as sub), 7 goals, 4 yellow cards, 6.50 rating
2011-12: Blackburn Rovers 15 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 6.49 rating
2012-13: Blackburn Rovers 23 appearances (5 as sub), 6 goals, 4 assists, 1 yellow card, 6.78 rating
2013-14: Blackburn Rovers 30 games (1 as sub), 10 goals, 7 yellows, 1 red, 6.74 rating
2014-15: Blackburn Rovers 33 games, 12 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 6.80 rating
2015-16: Rangers 29 games, 14 goals, 4 yellows, 7.07 rating
Career Totals: 160 games (11 as sub), 51 goals, 6 assists

Achievements:
2013: European U-21 Champions
2016: Community Shield winner (Arsenal)
1x Premier League Young Player of the Month
1x Premier League team of the week

Summary:
Dean has moved on to potentially bigger and brighter things after his successful season at Rangers, signing for Arsenal in a 12 million pound deal. It's a dream move for the 23 year old who supported them from a young age and joins a very dominant side. He has developed well over the years and is an incredible physical specimen and has a lot of the abilities a manager looks for in a top striker. There is some criticism though that he isn't always a team player and that he can be lazy on the pitch.

[law90026]

Marc Vaughan, Defensive Midfielder / Midfielder (C)
Club: Manchester City (Premier League)
International: England (3 caps)
Value: 4,400,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 8          Acceleration 14
Crossing 6          Anticipation 19       Agility 10
Dribbling 6         Bravery 7             Balance 9
Finishing 9         Composure 9           Jumping 17
First Touch 12      Concentration 9       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 9          Creativity 19         Pace 12
Heading 8           Decisions 14          Stamina 20
Long Shots 14       Determination 11      Strength 17
Long Throws 5       Flair 8 
Marking 10           Influence 12
Passing 17          Off the Ball 10
Penalties 7         Positioning 16 
Tackling 14         Teamwork 8
Technique 17        Work Rate 15

History:
2010-11: Norwich 43 appearances, 1 goal, 5 assists, 5 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.20 rating
2011-12: Norwich 5 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 7.54 rating
Man City 3 appearances (2 as sub), 6.70 rating
2012-13: Fulham (loan) 29 appearances (4 as sub), 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellow cards, 6.96 rating
2013-14: Man City: 2 games (2 as sub), 6.55 rating
2014-15: Man City 1 game (1 as sub), 6.50 rating
2015-16: Nottingham Forest (loan) 36 games, 1 goal, 14 assists, 5 MOMs, 5 yellows, 7.26 rating
Career Total: 76 games (9 as sub), 3 goals, 17 assists

Achievements:
2013: European U-21 Championship winner
2013: U-20 World Cup 3rd place
2015: League Cup winner (Man City)
2016: English Young Player of the Year Runner-Up

Summary:
After one season out on loan to show his ability, Marc is back with Man City and he finally looks to have earned the trust of his manager to play regularly in the first team. The defensive midfielder is a real workhorse but he also has a very technically capable side to him as he can pass well, has an eye for the incisive pass and is constantly in the right place at the right time.

[law90026]

Rob Nielsen, Striker
Club: Valencia (Spanish Liga BBVA)
International: USA (25 caps, 11 goals)
Value: 6,250,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 15         Acceleration 17
Crossing 8          Anticipation 13       Agility 17
Dribbling 11        Bravery 5             Balance 10
Finishing 18        Composure 14          Jumping 15
First Touch 16      Concentration 7       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 5          Creativity 5          Pace 18
Heading 12          Decisions 6           Stamina 11
Long Shots 12       Determination 10      Strength 15
Long Throws 3       Flair 18 
Marking 1           Influence 4
Passing 9           Off the Ball 12
Penalties 6         Positioning 7 
Tackling 5          Teamwork 5
Technique 16        Work Rate 9

History:
2010-11: Bournemouth 10 appearances, 2 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellow cards, 6.45 rating
2011-12: Bolton 6 appearances, 1 goal, 6.53 rating
2012-13: Bolton 5 appearances, 3 goals, 1 yellow, 7.04 rating
2013-14: Bolton 19 games (1 as sub), 4 goals, 1 MOM, 6.44 rating
2014-15: Bolton 16 games, 2 goals, 2 yellows, 6.45 rating
2015-16: Valencia 37 games (8 as sub), 11 goals, 1 assist, 5 yellows, 6.76 rating
Career Totals: 93 games (9 as sub), 23 goals, 3 assists

Achievements:
2013: North American Gold Cup runners-up
2016: Spanish Cup winner (Valencia)

Summary:
Rob is a physical freak and is real handful to handle upfront. His ability to finish moves is also a real plus for Valencia, which is why they consider him indispensable. It was a shock that Valencia came in for him but he has shown he could develop into a really special striker. Setback at the start of this season though as he broke his arm during pre-season training and will miss the first few games as he rehabs the injury.

[law90026]

Daniel Ertmann, Striker
Club: Chelsea
International: England (22 U-21 caps, 16 goals)
Value: 13,000,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 12         Acceleration 16
Crossing 8          Anticipation 13       Agility 16
Dribbling 13        Bravery 9             Balance 8
Finishing 18        Composure 18          Jumping 12
First Touch 14      Concentration 8       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 4          Creativity 12         Pace 19
Heading 12          Decisions 10          Stamina 12
Long Shots 7        Determination 12      Strength 14
Long Throws 4       Flair 18 
Marking 2           Influence 5
Passing 11          Off the Ball 13
Penalties 7         Positioning 8 
Tackling 6          Teamwork 13
Technique 12        Work Rate 12

History:
2010-11: Liverpool 3 appearances (2 as sub), 1 goal, 6.60 rating
2011-12: Liverpool 1 appearance (6.40 rating)
Coventry (loan) 16 appearances, 7 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 1 yellow card, 7.03 rating
2012-13: West Ham (loan) 4 appearances (1 as sub), 6.17 rating
2013-14: Sporting 15 games (2 as sub), 3 goals, 1 yellow, 6.67 rating
2014-15: Sporting 29 games, 21 goals, 4 assist, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.20 rating
2015-16: Sporting 18 games, 15 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.36 rating
Chelsea 17 games (1 as sub), 10 goals, 1 MOM, 7.22 rating
Career Totals:103 games (6 as sub), 57 goals, 9 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship runner-up
2013: European U-21 Championship winner
2013: U-20 World Cup 3rd place
2016: League Cup winner (Chelsea)

Summary:
Daniel will be looking to build on a successful 2nd half of last season this time around and hopefully push for the full England squad. He has an astounding goal-scoring record, averaging a goal every 1.8 games. He is slightly less of a physical specimen compared to Dean and Rob but he makes up for it with a more rounded set of abilities.

[law90026]

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper
Club: Sampdoria
International: Canada (32 caps)
Value: 825,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Aerial Ability 11   Aggression 14         Acceleration 5
Command of Area 16  Anticipation 16       Agility 8
Communication 11    Bravery 14            Balance 7
Eccentricity 6      Composure 13          Jumping 13
First Touch 2       Concentration 12      Natural Fitness 18
Freekicks 10        Creativity 1          Pace 4
Handling 11         Decisions 11          Stamina 2
Kicking 11          Determination 13      Strength 8
One on Ones 15      Flair 1 
Penalties 1         Influence 10
Reflexes 17         Off the Ball 2
Rushing Out 14      Positioning 17 
Tendency to Punch 13Teamwork 1
Throwing 8          Work Rate 4

History:
2010-11: Barcelona B 7 appearances, 14 conceded, 1 clean sheet, 6.33 rating
2011-12: Barcelona 0 appearances
2012-13: CS Sedan Ardennes (Ligue 2 side, loan) 19 games (1 as a sub), 12 conceded, 11 clean sheets, 7.22 rating
2013-14: Sampdoria 1 game, 3 conceded, 5.20 rating
2014-15: Sampdoria 2 games, 3 conceded, 6.60 rating
2015-16: Sampdoria 0 games
Career Totals: 29 games (1 as sub), 32 conceded

Achievements:
2012: Spanish U-19 Group 2 winner
2013: Helped CS Sedan Ardennes to get promotion to Ligue 1
2015: North American Gold Cup 2nd place
2x Ligue 2 Team of the Week

Summary:
Jace Hunter's career has stalled at this stage. He is still only a back-up for Sampdoria and he may be destined to being a career back-up. There is some slight degradation of stats already but hopefully that's just a lack of playing time and not a sign of bad things to come.

[law90026]

Julio O'Donnell, Defender (C)
Club: Birmingham
International: England (29 U-21 caps)
Value: 5,250,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 16          Aggression 8        Acceleration 15
Crossing 9          Anticipation 19     Agility 10
Dribbling 10        Bravery 13          Balance 9
Finishing 4         Composure 13        Jumping 15
First Touch 16      Concentration 16    Natural Fitness 9
Freekick 18         Creativity 18       Pace 12
Heading 13          Decisions 13        Stamina 13
Long Shots 4        Determination 12    Strength 18
Long Throws 4       Flair 3
Marking 15          Influence 8
Passing 16          Off the Ball 7
Penalties 3         Positioning 17
Tackling 15         Teamwork 13
Technique 16        Work Rate 12

History:
2010-11: Birmingham 3 appearances (2 as sub), 7.15 rating
Watford (loan) 13 appearances, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 7.32 rating
2011-12: Birmingham 13 appearances (2 as sub), 2 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 6.92 rating
Doncaster (loan) 22 appearances, 2 assists, 5 MOMs, 6 yellows, 1 red, 7.59 rating
2012-13: Birmingham 30 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 11 yellows, 1 red, 7.25 rating
2013-14: Birmingham 26 games, 3 assists, 4 MOMs, 7 yellows, 1 red, 6.90 rating
2014-15: Birmingham 20 games (2 as sub), 7 yellows, 2 reds, 6.90 rating
2015-16: Birmingham 35 games, 2 assists, 2 MOMs, 10 yellows, 7.15 rating
Career Totals: 162 games (6 as sub), 2 goals, 12 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship 2nd place
2013: European U-21 Championship winner
2013: U-20 World Cup 3rd place
1x Birmingham Supporters Player of the Year
4x Premier League Young Player of the Month
7x Premier League Team of the Week
1x League 1 Young Player of the Month award
4x League 1 Team of the Week

Summary:
Julio is regarded as one of the best young centrebacks in England right now and you can understand why. He's fast, strong, tackles well ... perhaps the biggest criticism against him is that he can be a bit passive at times but that's if you really want to split hairs. He's wondering when England will cap him but at least he's happy again at Birmingham.

[law90026]

To be continued.

[Coffee Warlord]

Ahhh, my teamwork rating is right where it should be. Just give him the damn ball and get out of his way.

[law90026]

Bernard Blaze, Midfielder (R) / Attacking Midfielder (R)
Club: Man City
International: England (24 U-21 caps, 5 goals)
Value: 2,400,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 13          Aggression 13         Acceleration 17
Crossing 16         Anticipation 10       Agility 14
Dribbling 13        Bravery 8             Balance 11
Finishing 12        Composure 7           Jumping 13
First Touch 13      Concentration 7       Natural Fitness 13 
Freekick 9          Creativity 18         Pace 14
Heading 7           Decisions 10          Stamina 17
Long Shots 9        Determination 15      Strength 12
Long Throws 6       Flair 5 
Marking 7           Influence 11
Passing 15          Off the Ball 13
Penalties 7         Positioning 5 
Tackling 6          Teamwork 12
Technique 8         Work Rate 13

History:
2010-11: Watford 45 games, 2 goals, 16 assists, 2 MOMs, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.10 rating
2011-12: Man City 1 game, 1 goal, 1 MOM, 8.40 rating
Coventry (loan) 30 games, 7 goals, 9 assists, 9 MOMs, 7.56 rating
2012-13: Man City 1 game, 1 assist, 8.20 rating
2013-14: Man City, 1 game, 6.60 rating
2014-15: Man City, 3 games, 1 goal, 6.60 rating
2015-16: Man City, 9 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 6.76 rating
Career Totals: 90 games, 12 goals, 28 assists

Achievements:
2012: European U-19 Championship runners-up
2013: European U-21 Championship winner
2013: U-20 World Cup 3rd place
1x Premier League Team of the Week
1x Championship Young Player of the Month
2x Championship Team of the Week
2x League 1 Young Player of the Month
2x League 1 Team of the Week

Summary:
Bernard has had a difficult past few years as he was unable to get regular first team football. He maintained a good attitude though and is on the cusp of regular first team football this year. Whenever given the chance, he has delivered on most occasions and that boils down to the fact that he has a really ideal skill set as a winger (fast, creative, good crossing and passing). He is never going to be terribly useful on the defensive end though.

Bernard broke his arm at the start of this season and will be out for a few weeks.

[law90026]

Frank Justice, Attacking Midfielder (C) / Midfielder (C)
Club: Man Utd
International: England (1 cap)
Value: 5,250,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 4          Acceleration 13
Crossing 8          Anticipation 17       Agility 15
Dribbling 17        Bravery 6             Balance 12
Finishing 9         Composure 12           Jumping 2
First Touch 16      Concentration 13      Natural Fitness 9 
Freekick 7          Creativity 19         Pace 15
Heading 9           Decisions 20          Stamina 18
Long Shots 14       Determination 13      Strength 16
Long Throws 3       Flair 6 
Marking 6           Influence 13
Passing 16          Off the Ball 12
Penalties 8         Positioning 12 
Tackling 9          Teamwork 11
Technique 18        Work Rate 15

History:
2010-11: Norwich 16 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.89 rating
2011-12: Norwich 37 appearances, 5 goals, 6 assists, 2 yellow cards, 6.99 rating
2012-13: Norwich 24 appearances, 7 goals, 9 assists, 1 yellow card, 7.29 rating
2013-14: Man Utd 18 games, 5 goals, 2 assists, 1 yellow, 7.24 rating
2014-15: Man Utd, 20 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 7.13 rating
2015-16: Man Utd, 19 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.18 rating
Career Totals: 134 games, 25 goals, 21 assists

Achievements:
2013: English Community Shield winner
1x Premier League Young Player of the Month
1x Premier League Team of the Week
1x Championship Young Player of the Month
1x Championship Team of the Week

Summary:
Frank was given the no. 6 shirt this season and hopes were high he was going to be a first team regular. Oddly though, he has not played any competitive games so far. He is a very well-regarded player because he brings so much offensive talent when on the pitch because he can dribble, hold the ball, pass, be creative and makes the right decisions. His drawback is that he isn't the most defensive player around as he has limitations in that aspect of his game.

[law90026]

Path Twelve, Defensive Midfielder / Midfielder (C)
Club: AJ Auxerre (French Ligue 1)
International: France (5 U-21 caps)
Value: 1,100,000 pounds

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 15         Acceleration 12
Crossing 5          Anticipation 12       Agility 9
Dribbling 11        Bravery 7             Balance 6
Finishing 6         Composure 9           Jumping 11
First Touch 13      Concentration 12      Natural Fitness 12
Freekick 9          Creativity 9          Pace 8
Heading 8           Decisions 8           Stamina 19
Long Shots 12       Determination 11      Strength 17
Long Throws 1       Flair 17 
Marking 10          Influence 4
Passing 12          Off the Ball 9
Penalties 7         Positioning 16 
Tackling 16         Teamwork 14
Technique 18        Work Rate 18

History:
2010-11: FC Mulhouse 41 appearances (2 as sub), 3 goals, 8 assists, 4 MOMs, 13 yellows, 2 reds, 6.98 rating
2011-12: Sunderland 1 appearance (1 as sub), 6.40 rating
Norwich (loan) 15 appearances (3 as sub), 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.84 rating
2012-13: Norwich (loan) 17 appearances (7 as sub), 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.53 rating
2013-14: Norwich (loan) 19 games (3 as sub), 2 yellows, 6.47 rating
2014-15: Norwich (loan) 19 games (2 as sub), 1 assist, 4 yellows, 6.70 rating
2015-16: Sunderland 1 game (1 as sub), 1 goal, 7.60 rating
Career Totals: 113 games (19 as sub), 5 goals, 11 assists

Achievements:
None

Summary:
On the bright side, Path hasn't suffered any serious injuries the past few seasons. On the flip side though, he hasn't been able to establish himself in England, hence his transfer back to France to Auxerre for 1.1 million pounds. Hopefully he gets registered for the first team squad because he is currently not registered at all, which would mean another wasted year.

Path is the quintessential "water carrier", the role that Deschamps made famous. He isn't going to be the player that hogs the attention but he will work hard on the pitch, get the ball and then pass it to another teammate.

[law90026]

Ubaldo Geronimo, Striker
Club: Napoli
International: Mexico (15 U-21 caps, 14 goals)
Value: 1,200,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 7           Aggression 11         Acceleration 16
Crossing 8          Anticipation 8        Agility 13
Dribbling 12        Bravery 9             Balance 12
Finishing 18        Composure 13          Jumping 8
First Touch 12      Concentration 4       Natural Fitness 10 
Freekick 5          Creativity 17         Pace 15
Heading 11          Decisions 8           Stamina 10
Long Shots 8        Determination 14      Strength 11
Long Throws 1       Flair 20 
Marking 1           Influence 2
Passing 11          Off the Ball 12
Penalties 7         Positioning 4 
Tackling 4          Teamwork 14
Technique 15        Work Rate 12

History:
2010-11: Luton 20 appearances, 6 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 3 yellow cards, 6.82 rating
2011-12: Luton 3 appearances, 3 goals, 1 MOM, 1 yellow, 7.30 rating
Napoli 1 appearance (1 as sub), 5.90 rating
2012-13: Napoli 0 appearances
2013-14: Napoli 1 game (1 as sub), 1 assist, 7.10 rating
Kaiserslautern (loan) 3 games, 3 goals, 1 MOM, 7.30 rating
2014-15: SC Wiener Neustadt (loan) 24 games, 13 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 7.37 rating
2015-16: Napoli 4 games (1 as sub), 1 yellow, 6.47 rating
Career Totals: 56 games (3 as sub), 25 goals, 10 assists

Achievements:
2012: Blue Square Premier champion
2012: FA Trophy champion
1x German First Division Team of the Week

Summary:
Ubaldo's career is still a mystery. He's finally fed-up at Napoli and is now transfer listed at his request. Not much interest in his services though although there is a report that Bursaspor in the Turkish League is interested in signing him. When he has been given the chance, he has played well, as evidenced by his good goal/game ratio. This is largely down to the fact that he has pace and skill to beat his man and get into goalscoring positions. However, he just hasn't been able to convince the Napoli staff that he deserved a chance.

[law90026]

Will Brown, Striker
Club: Aston Villa
International: USA (16 caps, 5 goals)
Value: 3,600,000

 
Stats:
Technical           Mental                Physical
Corners 6           Aggression 3         Acceleration 16
Crossing 7          Anticipation 7       Agility 12
Dribbling 14        Bravery 9            Balance 10
Finishing 18        Composure 10         Jumping 13
First Touch 12      Concentration 5      Natural Fitness 12
Freekick 8          Creativity 8         Pace 16
Heading 11          Decisions 11         Stamina 8
Long Shots 7        Determination 11     Strength 12
Long Throws 2       Flair 5 
Marking 5           Influence 10
Passing 10          Off the Ball 13
Penalties 7         Positioning 8 
Tackling 3          Teamwork 4
Technique 15        Work Rate 8

History:
2010-11: Stevenage 14 appearances, 5 goals, 1 MOM, 2 yellow cards, 6.84 rating
2011-12: Wolves 8 appearances (3 as sub), 2 goals, 6.70 rating
2012-13: Wolves 8 appearances (2 as sub), 2 goals, 6.47 rating
Southampton (loan, League 1) 10 appearances, 8 goals, 3 assists, 2 MOMs, 3 yellow cards, 7.40 rating
2013-14: Aston Villa, 20 games (5 as sub), 8 goals, 2 yellows, 1 red, 6.81 rating
2014-15: Aston Villa, 12 games (1 as sub), 3 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 6.72 rating
2015-16: Aston Villa, 2 games (1 as sub), 2 goals, 7.50 rating

Achievements:
2013: North American Gold Cup 2nd place
1x League 1 Team of the Week
1x League 2 Team of the Week

Summary:
Will is happy at Villa right now and is looking forward to a good season with the club. He missed out most of the last season with torn cruciate ligaments and it may take him a while to get back to goalscoring form. Luckily it doesn't appear to have robbed him of his pace. Will is a finisher, plain and simple, and you really can't expect him to add much more to the team.

[law90026]

2016 European Championship Summary

It was a shocking result in the 2016 European Championship when Belgium beat Russia on penalties in the finals.

(Not summarising because I think there might be a problem with the Euro Championship. 16 teams out of 24 qualified for the next round, which doesn't seem right)

[law90026]

2016/17 End of Season Summary

Dean Hoo had a good first season with Arsenal (46 games, 21 goals, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 6.97 rating). While they didn't win the League (2nd place), they did manage to win the Champions League title.

Marc Vaughan finally had a full season with the Man City first team (32 games, 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.30 rating) and he played really well. No trophies this year though Man City managed 4th place in the league.

Rob Nielsen's Valencia came in 6th in Liga BBVA and there were no trophies for Rob this year either. However, he managed to play well for his club (32 games, 12 goals, 8 yellows, 6.83 rating) and is tutoring a youngster called Jonathan.

Daniel Ertmann earned his first cap for England this year and he now thinks of Alan Shearer (the England manager) as his favoured personnel. Good yaer for Daniel with Chelsea (31 games, 15 goals, 2 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 1 red, 7.05 rating) but no trophies and a 5th placed finish will make it a little less satisfying.

Jace Hunter did not play at all for Sampdoria again and his contract is running down. Sampdoria have placed a contract on the table but it's an open question whether he will re-sign.

Julio O'Donnell had another really good year for Birmingham (29 games, 6 MOMs, 7 yellows, 7.45 rating) but he wants out again as the club isn't a real achiever (11th in the Premier League). Birmingham will not want to sell but if Leverkusen comes in with a real offer, it might be hard for them to resist.

Bernard Blaze also had his first full season with Man City's first team and performed well (22 games, 5 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 6.95 rating). He should be getting called up for England soon if he can keep getting regular playing time.

Frank Justice was a regular for the Man Utd team after all (34 games, 5 goals, 8 assists, 4 yellows, 7.33 rating) but they only managed 3rd place in the league. They did win the FA Cup though. It will be a little disappointing for Frank that he still only has that one cap for England so far.

Path Twelve had an ok season with Auxerre (14th in Ligue 1), managing 16 games, 2 assists, 6 yellow cards and a 6.34 rating. He is regarded as an important first team player and he will be looking to build on this season.

Ubaldo Geronimo's nightmare spell at Napoli is finally coming to an end after this season. He only played 3 games (2 goals, 2 yellows, 7.13 rating) and despite playing well, still wasn't given regular playing time. He finally had enough and was given a practically free transfer to West Bromwich Albion (14th in the Premier League).

Will Brown had an ok season with Villa (20 games, 6 goals, 1 assist, 3 yellows, 6.61 rating). He would probably like more playing time but is still content with life at the club, especially since he likes playing upfront with Gabby Agbonholar.

[law90026]

2016/17 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Liverpool (first time in 27 years)
2nd place: Arsenal
3rd place: Man Utd
FA Cup: Man Utd beats Tottenham 2-0
League Cup: Blackburn beats Liverpool 3-1
Footballer of the Year: Miguel Veloso - Man Utd (1st), Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (2nd), Pato - Liverpool (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Stuart Pearce (Liverpool)
Player's Player of the Year: Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (1st), Sergio Busquets - Liverpool (2nd), James McCarthy - Wigan (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Mensur Hila - Everton (1st), Frank Justice - Nottingham Forest (2nd), Martin Kokoska - Huddersfield (3rd)
Top Scorer: Pato - Liverpool (31 goals), Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (19 goals), Gabby Agbonholar - Aston Villa (17 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Juventus (1st in 13 years)
2nd place: Catania
3rd place: Palermo
Italian Cup: Catania beats Lazio 2-0 (Catania's 2nd in 4 years, Lazio's 2nd successive loss in the finals and 3rd in 5 years)

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Real Madrid
2nd place: Sevilla
3rd place: Barcelona
Spanish Cup: Sevilla beats Osasuna 2-1
Player of the Year: Mesut Ozil - Real Madrid (1st), Gerard Pique - Barcelona (2nd), Cicinho - Sevilla (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid (22 goals), Sergio Aguero - Atletico Madrid (19 goals), Joao Silva - Deportivo (18 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (5x in a row)
2nd place: PSG (2x in a row)
3rd place: Montpellier
French Cup: Lyon beats Angers 2-1
Coupe de la Ligue: Marseille beats St Etienne 2-0 (Marseille's 4th in 5 years)

German Bundesliga
Winner: Hoffenheim (1st ever)
2nd place: Leverkusen (3x in a row)
3rd place: Bayern
German Cup: HSV beats Koln 2-0

Champions League
Arsenal beats Lyon on penalties (1-1 after extra time, 8-7 on penalties)

Euro Cup
Barcelona beats Benfica 2-0

Summary:
Liverpool finally win the league after a 27 year wait, pipping Arsenal by 1 point. Man Utd rounded out the top 3. Arsenal did manage to win the Champions League by the skin of their teeth, beating Lyon, while Man Utd also added some silverware with a FA Cup win over Tottenham. Man City were 4th, Chelsea 5th, Villa 6th and Birmingham 11th.

In Italy, Juventus also broke a 13 year duck by winning the Serie A. Catania was a surprise package, coming in 2nd and also winning the Italian Cup. Sad news for Parma as it was relegated this year.

Real Madrid finally won a league title and Barcelona underperformed in 3rd place. Sevilla, a revelation in recent years, were 2nd and also won the Spanish Cup. Barcelona did manage to regain some pride by winning the Euro Cup.

Over in France, Lyon continues to be the team, winning their 5th successive title as well as a French Cup. They nearly managed a treble but Arsenal beat them in the finals. The League Cup should be renamed the Marseille Cup as they won their 4th cup in 5 years. Auxerre was 14th placed (out of 20) but were never in real dange of being dragged into the relegation fight (15 points clear of 18th place).

A surprising win for Hoffenhein in Germany as they win a historic first ever Bundesliga title. Leverkusen came in 2nd for another year running and Bayern dropped to 3rd.

[law90026]

2017/18 Start of Season Update

Dean Hoo is one of the first names down on the team sheet at Arsenal and will be looking to lead the team back to the top of the Premier League. Worth 23 million now and capped 12 times for England (11 goals).

Marc Vaughan is also a regular at Man City and he will want to drive the team to some silverware this year. Valued at 3.3 million and capped 4 times for England.

Rob Nielsen is another player that will be looking to win some silverware this year with Valencia but it will always be hard against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. The US international is valued at 6.25 million and was recently inducted into the Valencia all-time best 11.

Daniel Ertmann may be challenging for the top scorer award this year in England and Chelsea will need his goals if they want to improve on last year's standing. The England international (8 caps, 9 goals) is valued at 11.5 million.

In shocking news, Jace Hunter now has no club. He refused to sign a contract with Sampdoria but, after leaving as a free agent, he has found that no one is interested in signing him as yet. There are indications Portsmouth (Championship) and non-league German side SVW Mannheim are interested in him though.

Julio O'Donnell did leave Birmingham for Leverkusen in a 11.5 million pound move, as Leverkusen strengthened their squad to regain their German league title. He has been really good in early games for his new club.

Bernard Blaze forms part of the Man City midfield with Marc Vaughan. He has been playing really well early in the season and is currently valued at 3.9 million.

Frank Justice is one of the key figures in the Man Utd midfield and he will be their creative force again this year. Valued at 7.75 million.

Path Twelve is very well regarded in Auxerre and he is considerd indispensable. Now valued at 2.7 million pounds and he will need to play well to keep Auxerre safe.

Ubaldo Geronimo's West Brom adventure is beginning. He has managed 1 cup appearance so far (1 assist, 7.40 rating) but has not featured in the league as yet. He was finally capped by Mexico in a game against Canada (but he only came on for a few minutes). He was part of the Mexico Gold Cup winning team.

Will Brown is a squad player in Aston Villa now. He isn't match fit because he could not take part in the pre-season games after taking part in the US Gold Cup campaign. Valued at 3.9 million.

[law90026]

2017 Gold Cup summary

A tournament which was won by Mexico comfortably in the end, 2-0 over Trinidad and Tobago.

Mexico had disposed of the US in the semi-finals 2-1 but the US managed to win the 3rd place play-off 4-1 over El Salvador.

The US campaign went as follows:
3-1 over Panama (Rob Nielsen scored 1)
1-2 loss to Jamaica
2-1 win over Haiti (Rob Nielsen scored 1)
4-0 win over Guatemala in the quarter finals (Rob Nielsen scored 3)
2-1 loss to Mexico in the semi-finals (Rob Nielsen scored 1)
4-1 win over El Salvador in the 3rd place play-off (Rob Nielsen scored 3)

As can be seen, Rob Nielsen was a standout for the US team, with 9 goals in 6 games in the tournament.

Canada on the other hand lost in the quarter finals to Mexico (4-0). Their campaign results:
3-2 loss to El Salvador
3-2 loss to Honduras
3-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago
4-0 loss to Mexico

Jace may have conceded a lot of goals but he was actually keeping Canada in games. He had an overall rating of 7.13 which was dragged down by his 6.1 performance in the horrible loss to Mexico.

[Coffee Warlord]

We are not losing to Mexico again.

The Spanish siestas and vats of sangria are quite nice in my league play, though.

[Fluzao]

Very pleased with the move to Leverkusen. Hopefully the move to a top team that also plays in the Champions League will make a call up for the national team a bit more likely.

[Coffee Warlord]

What are we now age wise...23/24ish?

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

We are not losing to Mexico again.

The Spanish siestas and vats of sangria are quite nice in my league play, though.

You only scored vs Mexico because I had a spread to make.

[Coffee Warlord]

Spoken from someone so bad he can't even play for West Freakin' Brom.

[larrymcg421]

Nielsen's lucky I'm not a keeper this time around.

[Coffee Warlord]

What, you would actually want to be known as the keeper who gave up 10 goals in one match to the same person?

[law90026]

All around 25/26 years old.

[law90026]

2017/18 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Man Utd (first time in 5 years)
2nd place: Man City
3rd place: Arsenal
FA Cup: Man City beats Swansea (Championship) 3-0 (Marc Vaughan came on after 70 mins, 6.5 rating; Bernard Blaze not in the squad)
League Cup: Arsenal beats Man Utd 4-0 (Dean Hoo scores the 4th goal, 8.1 rating; Frank Justice 6.9 rating)
Footballer of the Year: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (1st), Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (2nd), Andrea Poli - Birmingham (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd)
Player's Player of the Year: Cicinho - Liverpool (1st), Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (2nd), Moussa Sissoko - Chelsea (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Ibrahim Sangul - Tottenham (1st), Alan White - West Ham (2nd), Mensur Hila - Everton (3rd)
Top Scorer: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (29 goals), Daniel Ertmann - Chelsea (21 goals), Franco di Santo - Fulham (21 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Inter (1st in 4 years)
2nd place: Catania (2x in a row)
3rd place: Juventus
Italian Cup: Napoli beats Juventus 2-1 after extra time

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Real Madrid (2x in a row)
2nd place: Sevilla (2x in a row)
3rd place: Barcelona (2x in a row)
Spanish Cup: Almeria beats Barcelona 1-0 (Almeria's first ever major trophy)
Player of the Year: Eden Hazard - Real Madrid (1st), Juan Manuel Mata - Valencia (2nd), Mauricio Pereyra - Atletico Madrid (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid (26 goals), Lacine Traore - Sevilla (23 goals), Bruno - Almeria (18 goals) (Ronaldo's 6th scoring title in 7 years!)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (6x in a row)
2nd place: PSG (3x in a row)
3rd place: Montpellier (2x in a row)
French Cup: AS Nancy Lorraine beats Bordeux 3-2
Coupe de la Ligue: Lyon beats Marseille 3-1

German Bundesliga
Winner: Leverkusen
2nd place: Hoffenheim
3rd place: Bayern (2x in a row)
German Cup: Karlsruhe beats Leverkusen 2-1 (Julio O'Donnell not in the squad)

Champions League
Arsenal beats Atletico Madrid 3-1 (Arsenal 2x in a row; Dean Hoo 6.6 rating)

Euro Cup
Chelsea beats CSKA Moscow 2-0 (Daniel Ertmann scores 1st goal, 7.6 rating)

Summary:
Over in England, Man Utd is back at the top after a long absence, winning the league by 4 points over Man City. Arsenal dropped to 3rd but they managed to defend their Champions League title and win the League Cup. Man City also won silverware, winning the FA Cup by beating Championship side Swansea in the finals. Chelsea ended in 4th place but managed to win the Euro Cup, Villa in 7th and West Brom was 11th.

In Italy, another big club finally won the league title, as Inter won the Serie A. Catania continued its recent fine form, coming in 2nd for a second year while last year's winner Juventus dropped to 3rd.

In Spain, it was a repeat of last season's finish, as Real won the title ahead of Sevilla and Barcelona. Barcelona suffered a shock upset in the Spanish Cup finals when unfancied Almeria beat them to win their first major trophy ever. Valencia came in 5th.

Lyon continue to dominate the French League, winning the title by 18 points over perennial 2nd place PSG. The French Cup was won by AS Nancy Lorraine and Lyon did a mini-domestic double when they beat Marseille in the League Cup final. Auxerre nearly got relegated, coming in 17th and only avoiding relegation by goal difference.

Leverkusen regained their German League title, finishing 1 point ahead of last year's winner, Hoffenheim. Bayern came in 3rd again. Leverkusen were not able to complete a double as they were beaten in the German Cup final by unfancied Karlsruhe.

[law90026]

2017/18 End of Season Summary:

Dean Hoo had a pretty good year for Arsenal (52 games, 21 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 8 yellows, 7.01 rating) but one wishes he would score a tad more. He won the Champions League, the League Cup and the European Super Cup with the Gunners this year and was on the shortlist for the World Golden Ball (essentially the World's best player). He was also named to the Champions League Dream Team.

Marc Vaughan had another steady season for Man City (37 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 yellows, 7.15 rating) and was part of the Man City side that won the FA Cup.

Rob Nielsen had a decent season with Valencia (32 games, 14 goals, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 5 yellows, 6.89 rating) but was unable to push Valencia to any silverware this year.

Daniel Ertmann was spectacular this season (45 games, 33 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 5 yellows, 7.38 rating). He was a real star for Chelsea and his partnership with Eyan Derdiyok is scary for opposition teams. He won the Euro Cup this year and was also the runner up in the Premier League Golden Boot as well as being named to the Premier League Team of the Year as a starter.

Jace Hunter still has no club even though there is a bunch of interest from clubs to sign him (Bristol Rovers, Bari, Brescia, Livorno are the more notable ones). He has 50 caps for Canada.

Julio O'Donnell was fantastic in his first year with Leverkusen (42 games, 4 assists, 8 MOMs, 16 yellows, 1 red, 7.51 rating), anchoring the defence of the league champions. His performances finally got him a call-up to the England team as well. He was named to the German League Team of the Year as a starter and was also awarded the Defender of the Year title.

Bernard Blaze was good for Man City but might not have gotten as much playing time as he liked (23 games, 5 goals, 7 assists, 1 MOM, 7.06 rating). So far, he has never been part of any Man City squad in a cup final, unlike his teammate Marc Vaughan, which will be a bit disappointing for Bernard.

Frank Justice was a key part of the Man Utd team that won the Premier League (34 games, 9 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 7 yellows, 7.26 rating). He also received a runners-up medal for the League Cup, a game he will want to forget. Still only capped once for England though.

Path Twelve was a regular for an Auxerre side that nearly got relegated (28 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 6 yellows, 1 red, 6.40 rating). He is a little frustrated as he feels the team is underperforming but he hasn't indicated he wants to leave.

Ubaldo Geronimo's first season in England with WBA is a tad disappointing (16 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 2 yellows, 2 reds, 6.70 rating). His disciplinary record was appalling enough that he was dropped for a bit but he looks happy enough to stay on at WBA.

Will Brown showed he has an eye for goal (25 games, 10 goals, 2 assists, 2 MOM, 4 yellows, 6.88 rating) with Aston Villa. No trophies for Villa this year and they just missed out on a place in Europe as well.

[law90026]

2018 World Cup summary

Spain, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, USA, Denmark, England, Paraguay, France, Colombia, South Korea and Argentina qualified from the group stages for the last 16. The most surprising elimination was Holland, while Canada was also eliminated (played 3, lost 3, scored 1, conceded 6).

In the last 16, Mexico beat Spain 1-0, Italy beat Japan 1-0, Switzerland beat Egypt 2-0, Brazil beat Turkey 1-0, USA beat Paraguay 3-1, England beat Denmark 3-1, Argentina beat France 1-0 and Colombia beat South Korea on penalties.

The quarter finals saw Mexico beat Brazil 1-0, Italy beat Switzerland 3-0, Colombia beat the US 2-1 and England beat Argentina 2-1.

England then beat Mexico 3-1 in the semi-finals and Italy beat Colombia 2-1.

Mexico ended in 3rd place, beating Colombia 2-1 in the 3rd place play-off.

England won the World Cup, beating Italy 3-1 in the finals after extra time. Dean Hoo and Daniel Ertmann started upfront for England and Dean Hoo scored the 3rd goal.

Ubaldo Geronimo was in the squad but did not get any playing time.

For the US, in the group stages, they drew 1-1 with South Africa, beat Denmark 2-0 and drew with Croatia 2-2. Rob Nielsen, who started every game, scored a goal in the 3-1 win over Paraguay and the consolation goal in the 2-1 loss to Colombia. Will Brown also appeared in a couple of group games.

For England, they beat Paragruay 3-1 (Dean Hoo 2 goals), Iran 3-1, and the Czech Republic 3-0 in the group stages.They then beat Denmark 3-1, Argentina 2-1, Mexico 3-1 (Daniel Ertmann 2 goals, Dean Hoo), and Italy in the finals (Dean Hoo). Marc Vaughan and Frank Justice were also part of the World Cup winning team.

The World Cup's best player was Ramires but Dean Hoo was 2nd placed. Dean Hoo was named as a starter in the World Cup Dream Team while Daniel Ertmann was named as a sub.

[RPI-Fan]

This dynasty rocks. Would love to get in if/when you do a new batch at some point.

[law90026]

Thanks RPI-Fan but not sure I'll download any editors to add players. May start another one after this one dies, we'll see how it goes.

[law90026]

Start of Season 2018/19

Dean Hoo is a superstar now after his exploits at the 2018 World Cup. Valued at 29 million, he will be looking to drive Arsenal to a league title this year. To show how serious the Gunners are, they recently signed Hila Mensure, a standout fullback at Everton for 18.5 million, and 33 year old Cristiano Ronaldo for 9.25 million.

Marc Vaughan has been given a rest after the World Cup but he is going to hope that this rest does not become an extended one because Aaron Ramsey signed for Man City on a free transfer and is now one of the first choice central midfielders. Man City also signed a young Brazilian star in Leandrinho, who can play as a fullback or midfielder on both wings.

Rob Nielsen wears the no.9 shirt in Valencia and is one of the first choice forwards (his partner is Mame Biram Diouf). The club's big signing for the off-season was once promising Frenchman Henri Saivet, a winger, and there are hopes he can deliver threatening balls into the box for Rob to attack.

Daniel Ertmann has started the season in ridiculous fashion (6 goals in 5 games) and he may win the scoring title this year. He is another superstar in football and he will be looking to resume his fruitful partnership with Eren Derdiyok. The big transfer for Chelsea this year was Ivan Parada, a young Spanish international rightback.

Jace Hunter finally has a chance to be the no.1 keeper after he signed with Livorno in Serie A. Hopefully he can prove his worth otherwise he might find himself out of work again.

Julio O'Donnell is possibly the best defender in Germany and he is going to want to keep that title as well as help his club retain their league title. The big transfer for Leverkusen was Zakaria Labayad, a Dutch international midfielder.

Bernard Blaze is also a squad rotation player at Man City. He has played very well in 1 game so far (1 goal, 7.90 rating) and hopes that will be enough for him to keep a starting spot. Technically speaking though, 30 year old Brazilian Renato Augusto is ahead of him in the pecking order.

Frank Justice will continue to be the creative lynchpin for the Man Utd midfield. He finds himself paired with Ghanian international Kwadwo Asamoah, with Kwadwo focusing more on defence. Man Utd signed a Dutch international defender (Ricky van Hout) as well as a surprising signing in Junior Stanislas from Sunderland. Surprising because Junior isn't exceptional but Man Utd paid 13 million for him.

Path Twelve is at Auxerre and he is a first choice central midfielder for the club. Auxerre play very defensively and have paired him with another defensive midfielder in 30 year old Stanislas Oliviera, a Portugese journeyman.

Ubaldo Geronimo is showing signs of settling down at WBA (1 game, 1 goal, 7.80 rating so far). However, there is a reason why Ubaldo does not get as much game time ... WBA play a one-striker formation and he competes with 34 year old Nelson Valdez (a Paraguay international with 117 caps!) for the starting spot. The big transfer for WBA is the 3.7 million pound signing of Serge Aurier, a right back from AC Milan.

Will Brown is going to be hoping that he isn't going to be relegated to the bench again this year as he hasn't been given any playing time and is lacking match fitness. The current starting line up for Villa is Gabby Agbonholar (31 year old England striker) and Chris Malonga (31 year old Congo striker). The most expensive signing for Villa this year was 27 year old Brice Dja Djedje for 4 million from Kayserispor.

[law90026]

2018/19 Winners

English Premier League
Winner: Man Utd (2x in a row)
2nd place: Chelsea
3rd place: Liverpool
FA Cup: Everton beats Tottenham 2-1
League Cup: Arsenal beats Birmingham 1-0 (Dean Hoo 6.8 rating)
Footballer of the Year: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (1st), Edinson Cavani - Tottenham (2nd), Jack Wilshire - Arsenal (3rd)
Manager of the Year: Thorstein Helstad (Wolves)
Player's Player of the Year: Moussa Sissoko - Chelsea (1st), Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal (2nd), Cicinho - Liverpool (3rd)
Player's Young Player of the Year: Ibrahim Sangul - Tottenham (1st), Mensur Hila - Arsenal (2nd), Frederico Maggi - West Ham (3rd)
Top Scorer: Wayne Rooney - Man Utd (24 goals), Edin Dzeko - Tottenham (24 goals), Edinson Cavani - Tottenham (21 goals)

Italian Serie A
Winner: Juventus (2nd in 3 years)
2nd place: Catania (3x in a row)
3rd place: Roma
Italian Cup: AC Milan beats Catania 3-2

Spanish La Liga
Winner: Sevilla (2nd in its history, first one in 1946)
2nd place: Real Madrid
3rd place: Barcelona (3x in a row)
Spanish Cup: Atletico Madrid beats Real Madrid 2-1
Player of the Year: Alexis Sanchez - Barcelona (1st), Juan Manuel Mata - Valencia (2nd), Gerard Pique - Barcelona (3rd)
Top Goalscorer: Iker Muniain - Athletic (24 goals), Sergio Aguero - Atletico Madrid (22 goals), Lacine Traore - Sevilla (17 goals)

French Ligue 1
Winner: Lyon (7x in a row)
2nd place: PSG (4x in a row)
3rd place: Monaco
French Cup: Lyon beats Lille 3-2
Coupe de la Ligue: Montpellier beats Lyon 3-2

German Bundesliga
Winner: Bayern
2nd place: Leverkusen
3rd place: Frankfurt
German Cup: Bayern beats Hannover 2-1

Champions League
Real Madrid beats Bayern 3-2

Euro Cup
Hoffenheim beats Dynamo Kyiv 2-1

Summary:
Man Utd defend their title in England with a 2 point margin over Chelsea. Liverpool and Man City were 3rd and 4th, both 3 points behind Man Utd, in a really tight race. Arsenal were a distant 5th on 69 points, very disappointing for them. Villa were 7th and again miss out on Europe next year. West Brom were relegated in 19th place, pretty much on the last day of the season.

Juventus win Serie A for their 2nd title in 3 years. Catania were again runners-up and they will definitely feel hard done by because they were level on points with Juventus and had a superior +10 goal difference ... the problem is that Serie A looks at the head-to-head record as a tie-breaker first and that gave Juventus the title. Ridiculously close. AC Milan beat Catania in the Italian Cup final to add more salt to injury.

Sevilla are the surprise winners in the Spanish La Liga, only their 2nd title in their history. Real Madrid were level on points but lost the title on goal difference. Valencia came in 4th, 12 points behind Sevilla and Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid won a fiercely contested Spanish Cup finals against arch-rivals Real but Real made up for all this with a win over Bayern in the Champions League final.

In France, Lyon remain unstoppable as they win their 7th title in successive years. PSG are a very distant 2nd, 22 points behind Lyon. Lyon also nearly managed a domestic treble, winning the French Cup but losing in the League Cup to Montpellier (12th in Ligue 1). Auxerre (17th) again flirted with relegation but escaped on the last day.

Bayern regained their title in the Bundesliga, edging Leverkusen on goal difference on the last day. They did the domestic double by winning the German Cup as well. Hoffenheim came in 4th in the German league but won the Euro Cup to continue their recent fine form.

[law90026]

2018/19 End of Season Summary:

Dean Hoo will probably be disappointed with this season (49 games, 18 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 11 yellows, 6.98 rating) because Arsenal failed to win any of the trophies that mattered. The League Cup, Club World Championship and European Super Cup are minor trophies and the worst part is the 5th placed finish in the league. He did have a good rapport with Cristiano Ronaldo though as they pair finished with 45 goals between them.

Marc Vaughan had a season to forget (17 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 yellow, 7.14 rating). It's not that he didn't play well when he got on the pitch, it's just that he had such few chances. It didn't help that he broke his collarbone in August and missed 6 weeks (plus a few weeks more to get back into game shape).

Rob Nielsen also had limited appearances this year (17 games, 10 goals, 1 assist, 2 MOMs, 4 yellows, 7.03 rating) because he missed 4 months with knee tendinitis. Hopefully it's not going to be an issue for him going forward. He did have a really good scoring record this season and is going to be looking to push the US to Gold Cup glory.

Daniel Ertmann is recognised as one of the top European strikers (runner-up in the European Striker of the Year award) and one of the world's best (named in the 2019 World Team of the Year). He was also shortlisted for the 2018 World Golden Ball and named to the Champions League Dream Team. It's understandable since he's just plain good (46 games, 27 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 8 yellows, 1 red, 7.16 rating).

Jace Hunter is looking to leave Livorno after just 1 season, largely because Livorno was relegated (19th place). No real interest in him yet but a good Gold Cup campaign might help, especially since he was pretty bad at club level (20 games, 32 conceded, 4 clean sheets, 6.38 rating).

Julio O'Donnell continues to be the best defender in Germany (39 games, 4 assists, 9 MOMs, 14 yellows, 1 red, 7.61 rating) but he will be disappointed the club didn't defend its title or win any trophy this year. He has signed a new 5 year contract with the club so it looks like he's going to be in Germany for the foreseeable future.

Bernard Blaze had another season of quality limited appearances for Man City (17 games, 5 goals, 5 assists, 2 MOMs, 7.30 rating). He might be better served playing for another club where he would get more opportunities.

Frank Justice is another player who signed a new 5 year contract after leading his club to the League title (42 games, 8 goals, 7 assists, 2 MOMs, 1 yellow, 7.41 rating). It's surprising he isn't getting more recognition in other awards because he has been a standout for Man Utd all year long.

Path Twelve continues to be a stalwart at Auxerre and had the experience of another relegation dogfight. He played decently (24 games, 5 assists, 8 yellows, 1 red, 6.43 rating) and is regarded as one of the veterans in the team (tutoring a youngster).

Ubaldo Geronimo's career continues to stall (13 games, 2 goals, 1 MOM, 6.38 rating) as WBA get relegated. It's just surprising he can't get more game time and there is some speculation he might be offloaded in the off season.

Will Brown again faced the frustration of Villa not being able to break into the top 6 of the Premier League even though he played well (27 games, 12 goals, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 6.86 rating). He will be hoping to partner Rob Nielsen upfront in the Gold Cup.

[law90026]

2019 Gold Cup Summary

The 2019 Gold Cup was hosted by the US and hopes were high they could win the trophy on home soil. Rob Nielsen and Will Brown were in the US squad while Jace Hunter was the Canadian keeper. Ubaldo Geronimo was not called up for the competition.

In the group stages, the 3 teams that topped their groups were the US, Mexico and Costa Rica. The other 5 teams to make up the quarter finals were Honduras, Canada, El Salvador, Cuba and Guatemala.

The quarter finals saw Mexico beat Guatemala 3-0, the US beat El Salvador 4-0, Costa Rica beat Canada 3-2 and Cuba beat the Honduras 2-0.

In the semi-finals, Mexico again beat the US 4-3 while Costa Rica beat Cuba 2-1.

The US came in 3rd by beating Cuba 3-1.

In the finals, it was Mexico that won again as they beat Costa Rica 3-1 after extra time.

For the US, their tournament results as follows:
2-0 win over Surinam (Rob Nielsen 6.7 rating)
3-1 win over Barbados (Will Brown 1 goal, 7.8 rating)
1-0 loss to the Honduras (Rob Nielsen 6.5 rating)
4-0 win over El Salvador in the quarter finals (Rob Nielsen 7.1 rating)
4-3 loss to Mexico in the semi-finals (Rob Nielsen 1 goal, 8.2 rating)
3-1 win over Cuba in the 3rd place play-off (Will Brown 2 goals, 8.5 rating, MOM)

For Canada, their tournament results as follows:
3-1 win over El Salvador (Jace Hunter 7.0)
2-1 win over Panama (Jace Hunter 7.0)
3-1 loss to Mexico (Jace Hunter 5.0)
3-2 loss to Costa Rica after extra time in the quarter finals (Jace Hunter 6.4)