Manchester United: An ending and a beginning

[Eaglesfan27]

Greetings to everyone reading this. This is the electronic journal of Christopher Engles.

I'm a 36 year old manager who is considered something of a young phenom. I started out my first season of managing professional football at Harrogate Town in the English Conference North back when I was 29. During my first season, I didn't know if I was going to make it through to a second. We had some rocky games in that first season. Fortunately, I showed enough improvement in the 2nd half of the season, that they gave me a chance to come back for another season. You can read about my first season as manager in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=32963


In my second season as manager, I really developed a system and brought in some good talent. Thanks to their play, I managed to help Harrogate win promotion from the English Conference North. You can read about that season in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=33340


In my third season, we continued to gather talent and we continued to win. We won the English Conference National Title and were promoted to League Two. You can read about that season in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=33908


In my fourth season, after some early struggles, the team adapted to League Two play and we went on a tear in the second half of the season. Thanks to our hot play, we won the English League Two Title and were promoted to League One. You can read about that season in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=34430


In my fifth season, I had to make a very hard decision. The team was struggling in League One as the board had continued to refuse to expand the stadium over the years. We were losing money. We didn't have the money to keep our top players. We were floundering. My status was very high and I was being offered several high profile jobs because of what I had done with Harrogate. I made the hard decision to leave Harrogate in midseason and I moved to Wigan. I suddenly had massive amounts of money. I sent some of it to Harrogate Town for a few of my favorite players. You can read about my fifth season in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=35300


In my sixth season, I managed to bring in some potent talent to Wigan via Bosman signings. Thanks to that talent, we won the English Championship with a 99 point season in which we had 30 wins, 9 draws, and 7 losses. I was glad to see that my new system worked nicely at this higher talent level. You can read about my sixth season in this thread:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=36645


Then, in my seventh season, I knew that Wigan would have a hard time staying in the EPL and I also knew that Manchester United had a coaching vacancy. It took well over a month, but just before league play started Manchester United approached me and offered me the manager's job. I felt bad leaving Wigan after only a year and a half, but this was the golden ring I had been trying to reach. I quickly took the job. I had moderate to good success in my seventh season as I brought in a few very talented players, including wonderkids Adriano and Craig King. We also brought in the very talented Stewart Downing at left wing. As a result, we improved from the previous finish of 5th place to a 2nd place team. You can read about the seventh season here:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=36968


So, now I start my eighth season. I'm considered a World Class Manager. However, I doubt that will mean much if I don't win the EPL Title with Manchester United this year. This stop is the end of my search for the pinnacle of football managing. It is also the beginning of my journey to stay at the top of the football world.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 20, 2011 -

The goal is clear. Win the EPL. Winning the Champions League and the English FA Cup would also be nice. I have 26.5 million dollars to work with. I need to decide where to spend it. To that end, I decide to take a fresh look at my roster and see where I really need to improve. I'm going to start with the forwards and work my way back.


As a group, I think I have a gluttony of talent at striker. It may start to cause some hard feelings. Actually, Ernesto Marino has already started to complain. I like Ernesto, he is a good kid. However, I never really gave him a fair shake. In any case, I think this is my strongest position as a group. Let's take a look at them individually.


Wayne Rooney - This 25 year old striker is our most accomplished player. He has 81 caps and 35 goals for England and is viewed as a world class striker. My biggest concern is that he continues to complain that he doesn't feel he is in "top shape" despite being in superb condition. He underperformed last year, despite my use of him in limited action. I hope he will bounce back with a big year coming up. He is signed for 2 more years, and at the age of 25, I plan on working on an extension soon. He currently makes 160,000 dollars/week.

James McFadden - This 28 year old Scottish Striker is also very accomplished. He has 65 caps and 13 goals for Scotland. He is an excellent dribbler and a good shooter. He does everything well, and he and Rooney seem to like each other and play well together. He is signed for 3 more years, and I plan on generally starting him alongside Rooney. He makes 70,000/week.

Louis Saha - This 32 year old French Striker looks bad in practice, but performs surprisingly well in games. His best asset is continued top notch physical attributes. He is in decline, but he still has something to give. He is only signed through this year, and I plan on working an extension with him if he is interested. He currently makes 100,000/week.

Ruud van Nistelrooy - This 34 year old Dutch Striker is a legend in his home country. He has 93 caps and 46 goals. He still is a very good scorer, and I see him having usefulness in limited action. He is also signed for another year and he makes 120,000/week. He and Saha work particularly well together and have played together for a long time. They used to be the premier pair of strikers long before I arrived. He currently makes 120,000 per week.

Adriano - I acquired this 19 year old Brazilian striker last year for 14,000,000 dollars. His value is already starting to skyrocket. This kid is already good enough to play for us as evidenced by his large number of goals last year. He is only 19, and it could be scary how good he will turn out. I expect him to continue to improve for the next 5 years. He'll get more action this year, including a few more starts. He currently is a steal at 32,500/week. He is signed for 2 more years, and I plan on working on a long term extension this year.

Craig King - I acquired this 21 year old English Wonderkid striker for a reasonable price, and his value has skyrocketed as well to 24 million. He is a superb finisher. He has great attributes. I want him and Adriano to work together more this year. I can see them being a pair of dynamic strikers togethers for a decade to come. He is currently making 42,000/week and he is also signed for 2 more years. I will work on an extension soon.

Ernesto Marino - I like Ernesto, but this 24 year old Italian striker didn't get much PT with us last year. He has the talent. He is quite good, but just not as good as my other two young strikers. He is unhappy with his playing time, and I can't blame him. He wants to be moved if he isn't going to get PT. I plan on trying to move him. He is currently "worth" 7.6 million, and he makes 17,000/week. I'll see if any team wants him. Otherwise, his contract ends after this year and I'll consider letting him go on a free.

Alan Smith - I feel even worse about Smith's situation. This 30 year old striker is a top notch striker. I really should be using him more. I plan on trying to work him into games more this year. He is a top notch talent. He is currently making 83,000/week. I'd like to keep him as a veteran talent, but I suspect he will want to move on after this year.

Akin Serhat - This 30 year old Turkish Striker is very good, but not top notch. I've never really liked him since I became manager, and I don't plan on using him much except maybe at Right wing where he has some potential. However, I'd really like to move him. It will be difficult as he has multiple leg fractures that will keep him out for 5 more months. His contract expires after the season. I will let him go on a Bosman if I can't trade him.


That is it. A gluttony of strikers. I also have several promising young strikers on the reserve squad and U18 squad that aren't ready to play on the big club, but they might develop in a few years.


In any case, I certainly don't need to acquire any more strikers for now.

[Eaglesfan27]

Now to move onto the midfielders, I believe we have acquired top notch talent and depth at this position. I've generally assumed that I need a right winger, but do I really?

At left wing I'm set, with Duff being a solid performer still, and Downing being a dominant performer.

Stewart Downing - This 26 year old English left winger has 30 caps and 6 goals. He is a superb dribbler with great speed, great technical abilities, great mental abilities. He set a Manchester United record last year for average form with 8.93. Several teams are interested in acquiring him, but they will have to pry him out of my cold dead fingers. I think he is the key to us winning, as he can set up everyone else to score. He makes 83,000/week and is signed for 3 more years.

Damien Duff - This 32 year old Irish left winger has 92 caps and 11 goals. He is even quicker than Downing, but doesn't move as well with the ball. He isn't quite the dynamic passer that Downing is, but he is good. Before Downing came here, he had been Manchester United's Player of the year two years in a row. He is still a very good player, and we will be using him quite a bit. He makes 120,000/week. He is signed for 2 more years.

Alfonso - This 19 year old Spanish Player has a great deal of potential, and he might develop into a reliable player in a few years, but I don't think he is one yet. He has excellent physical abilities, but he lacks the great crossing ability I like in my left wingers. He is signed for this year, and only makes 1,000/week. I plan on working on an extension soon since he has potential.



Midfielders:

Eric Djemba Djemba - This 30 year old midfielder from Cameroon has excellent physical attributes, excellent mental attributes, great passing, and a wonderful long range shot. He is a very good defensive player as well. He is wonderful for our midfield. He makes over 74,000/week. He is signed for 2 more years, and I think he is a key player for us.

Phil Neville - This 34 year old midfielder/right winger/right fullback is good for versatility and he has great mental attributes, but he is starting to lose foot speed. He also doesn't have much creativity or flair. He doesn't react quickly once he gets the ball. He is a good backup who is excellent at tackling, but I wouldn't want him to play much. He feels he should be a first team regular. As a result, he will certainly leave after his contract expires this year. He is currently making 21,000/week.

Barry Parker - This 21 year old was acquired for his potential. He is already a superb tackler. He has excellent marking ability, great positioning, and a very good long shot. His lack of foot speed worries me a bit. However, he could develop in a very good midfielder. He is only making 11,000/week and he is signed for 3 more years.

Darren Flethcer - Arguably, my best midfielder. This 27 year old from Scotland is "worth" 29 million dollars. He does everything well. He is a passer without peer. He has excellent first touch, excellent technique. He has great creativity and flair. He has excellent composure. He has slow footspeed, but he seems to be in the right place at the right time most of the time. He currently makes 47,000/week and is signed for 3 more years.

Dalibor Stevanovic - This 26 year old Slovenian player has 21 caps and 3 goals. He is a very good midfielder who has good footspeed, a very good long shot, good heading, good passing, good technique. His lack of determination is worrisome, and he hasn't played nearly as well as he did in his first few games at the club. I need to light a fire under him. He makes 16,500/week and is signed for 2 more years,

Jamie Cook- My third wonderkid is only 19, but already is a superb passer, penalty shooter, long shooter, dribbler, crosser. He has top notch agility and balance. He doesn't jump well, and his footspeed could be better, but he plays off the ball well and usually is in the right position. He should develop into a superstar. He is already worth 20 million.


Right Wing:

Christopher Eagles - This 25 year old English Player has 3 caps and 0 goals. He has excellent dribbling ability, great crossing ability, excellent passing, excellent technique. He would be an elite right winger if he had better foot speed. He is still a very good right winger, and he has done well in my system. He is the top guy at right wing currently.

Souleymane Mamam - This 26 year old player from Togo can play midfield or right wing. He may actually be the answer to my right wing issues. He has better foot speed than Eagles. He has very good dribbling and crossing ability. He has excellent technique. He is good. I guess he is good enough to be used against weaker opponents, but not good enough for top notch opponents.



So, I actually do have two acceptable right wingers. I don't think bringing depth in would be enough. If I want to upgrade at right wing, I need a very young potential superstar or I need someone who is really good (and is therefore likely out of my budget range.)

[Eaglesfan27]

I have a good group of defenders, but they are old. Again this is my biggest concern:


Left Fullback:

Mikael Silvestre - This 33 year old Frnech player is still a very good player. He is a superb tackler who has top notch physical attributes. He has very good mental attributes. He is an acceptable passer. He currently makes 81,000/week. He is signed for 1 more year and I would like to bring him back for at least one more year beyond that.

Cristian Chivu - This left fullback plays centerback as well. He is quite good at both positions. He is a 30 year old Romanian player who wants to move to a new club. I'll move him if I get the right offer, but I like his play and I would prefer to keep him. He has superb mental attributes, very good physical attributes, and excelelnt technical attributes. He is a great passer and can really initiate the counter attack. He does everything well that I look for in a defender.

John O'Shea - This 30 year old Irish player has 70 caps and 3 goals. He is a very good, but not exceptional defender. He playes left fullback best, but is a good centreback as well. He does everything I look for in a defender well. He currently makes 41,000/week and is signed for this year. I definitely want to bring him back.


Centrebacks:

Lucio - This 33 year old Brazilian player had 110 caps and 11 goals before retiring from international football. He is still the fastest man on my team. He has the best set of physical attributes on my team. He has exceptional mental attributes. He has exceptional heading ability, great marking, and tackling. He is the consumate defender, and he shows no signs of slowing down despite his age. He makes 110,000/week and is signed for 2 more years.

Rio Ferdinand - This 32 year old centreback has 66 caps and 4 goals. He is also a world class centreback. He has excellent physical attributes, great mental attributes, superb heading, marking, and tackling. When he and Lucio are playing well together, no one can score against us.


As mentioned, Chivu and O'shea can slide into the center. Both of my right fullbacks can also slide into the centre.


Right backs:

Wes Brown - This 31 year old English player has 29 caps and 0 goals. He has excellent physical attributes and it is odd that my defenders are my fastest players on the team. Brown is right up there with Lucio in physical attributes. He has above average mental attributes, good heading, marking, and tackling. He is a grat right fullback. He makes 48,000/week and is signed through this year. I definitely want him back for a few more years.

Zdenek Grygera - This 31 year old player from the Czech Republic plays right fullback/centreback and sweeper. He has good physical skills, very good mental attributes, and very good technical attributes. He is an excellent passer who can do a great job of initiating the counter attack. He currently makes 90,000/week and is signed for this year. I'd like to have him sign an extension as well.


As you can see, the entire defensive group is 30 or older. Therefore, I'd really like to bring in one young defender to start cultivating.

[Eaglesfan27]

Finally, my keepers:

Tim Howard - This 32 year old USA keeper (91 caps for the USA) has been the main starter here for several years. He is considered a legendary keeper by most experts. He is quite good, but he lets up soft goals sometimes, particularly in big games. I'm debating on replacing him, but it would have to be a significant step up. That will be hard to find. Howard has top notch athleticism. He has great reflexes, great rushing out ability, very good decisions, excellent aerial ability, excellent command of the area. He makes 77,000/week and is signed for 2 more years.

Fabien Barthez - This 39 year old keeper/coach has 107 caps for France. He is losing his abilities, and it is unclear if he could play much for us any longer. He is signed through this year and he is only making 17,000/week. He will retire after this year.

Thomas Heaton - This 25 year old English keeper has good abilities, but he is not quite good enough to play in the EPL Regularly. He is unhappy with the lack of PT, and I can't blame him. He currently makes 17,000/week. His contract expires after this year. He will certainly move on.


So, the final verdict. Howard will be the man this year. I'm going to look at acquiring a young potential superstar keeper that can grow into the position. I'm also going to look at acquiring a young 19 year old potential star right winger. Those two acquisitions will likely use up most of our money, if we find the right guys to acquire. I'll also be looking for a young defender.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 20, 2011 -

Now, that I have decided I will be keeping Howard as the man this year, I decide to attempt to arrange a tour of the USA in which we will play a few MLS Teams as well as a few All-Star Teams there. It would be embarassing to lose any of those matches, but the potential boost in merchandise is too good to pass up.

Hopefully, all of the teams accept.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 21, 2011 -

Well darn! Everyone rejected my offer to come on tour. None of the MLS or All-star teams want anything to do with my team. So much for my plan to do a grand tour.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 24, 2011 -

England beat the USA 4-2 in the Confederation Cup Group B matchup today. Landon Donovan scored both USA goals with 1 being assisted by Adu and 1 being assisted by Bobby Convey. Howard was just ok in goal. Stewart Downing was the MoM and had 3 assists, including 2 to Wayne Rooney, 1 to Gareth Barry. Steven Garrard scored the other goal with Joe Cole assisting.


Multiple Brazilian teams rejected my offer of coming to play them on tour.

Wow! I have a kid in my reserve system who is really blossoming, and I didn't even know it! Real Madrid have just offered 10 million dollars for midfielder Michael Wood. Michael is only 19, but he is already a very good passer with excellent physical abilities. His mental attributes are only average, but if he develops over the next few years, he could be very good.

I reject Real Madrid's offer.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 27, 2011 -

Tim Howard was disappointing yesterday for the USA as they lost 3-2 to Australia in the Confederations Cup match. Vicenzo Grella had a hattrick for Australia. Daniel Karbassiyoon scored both of the USA's goals. Adu assisted on one, and Bobby Convey assisted on the other one.

England beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the confederations Cup Group B match. Wayne Rooney scored both goals for England. Ashley Cole assisted on one, and Rooney scored the other one all by himself. Rooney had a 10 for form and won MoM.

Zaragoza have accepted the offer I made to purchase Jeroen Schruers from them. Jeroen is a 23 year old right winger who has phenomenal talents. My only concern is that he is known to shy away from contact, but he has excellent abilities. I only had to pay 10.5 million to get his club to accept my offer. Now, I'm offering a contract. Aston Villa and Arsenal are also reportedly interested in this player. I offer him 50,000/week and a 1 million dollar signing bonus (he was only asking for 45,000 and 700k.) I notice that my wage budget has shrunk considerably from the 3.2 million/week I had last year, and we are close to being over the wage budget.

Howard played very well for the USA today in a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 2, 2011 -

Zaragoza's Jeroen Schreurs rejected offers from Arsenal and Aston Villa. He accepted my offer! We have confirmed the 10.5 million dollar deal.

Liverpool have offered 30,000,000 dollars for Stewart Downing. I reject that.

Mr. Quieroz has taken over arranging our friendly matches and he has arranged several friendlies throughout Portugal against a variety of teams.

He also arranged a friendly against one of the top teams from Croatia.

I've approached 4 different physios about coming to join my staff. This would cut the player-physio ratio in half.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 3, 2011 -

We have completed the signing of 23 year old Dutch right winger Jeroen Schreurs from Zaragoza.

Two of the physios, Michel Brohan and Kevin Kilbane, have signed the contracts that I offered them.



England beat Brazil 2-1 in the Confederation Cup Final. Chris Kirkland was brilliant in goal for England. Wayne rooney played well in assisting on a James Milnar goal. Alan Smith played well as a sub. Christopher Eagles and Stewart Downing both played well.


After the match, Brazil asked Vanderley Luxemburgo to step down as the Brazilian national manager effective immediately.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 4, 2011 -

Barcelona have offered 27.5 million for Stewart Downing. I refuse the offer.


Leeds has rejected my bid of 4.8 million dollars for their young keeper Chris Taylor. I increase my offer to 6.4 million dollars.


Milan has offered 44 million dollars for Stewart Downing. I reject the offer.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2011 -

Leeds have rejected the 6.4 million dollar offer for Chris Taylor.



I decide to declare my interest with the hope of having him pressure the club to let him leave.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 9, 2011 -

Thomas Heaton skipped training today.

I decide to officially transfer list him. I also give him a warning. If he skips training again, he will be fined for a week.



Thomas Heaton accepted his warning without comment.

Leeds Boss Steve Coppell accused us of trying to unsettle young starlet Chris Taylor. The 21 year old keeper is expected to have a bright future in the game, and Coppell is angry that Manchester United are trying to poach his youngster according to a TV report I heard.



Barcelona have offered Liverpool 40 million dollars plus Freddy Adu for Vincent Kompany.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 10, 2011 -

Juventus have offered 40 million dollar for Vincent Kompany.

Milan have offered 45 million for Vincent Kompany.


It will be interesting if Liverpool bites on any of these deals.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 11, 2011 -

Today we play Infesta which is a team of average talent in Portugal. I'll be mostly looking to see our guys get in shape.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 90's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: O'Shea
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Djemba
MC: Stevanovic
MR: Schruers (interested in seeing how he blends in)
SC: Adriano
SC: King

S1: Heaton
S2: Lucio
S3: McFadden
S4: Marino
S5: Brown
S6: Fletcher
S7: Cook
s8: Parker
S9: Mamam
S10: Saha
S11: Ferdinand
S12: Eagles

The guys that have already kept in shape with international play will have it easy this preseason.

[Eaglesfan27]

13 minute mark: King intercepts it at midfield.. passes to Adriano who passes to Duff in the box.. hard shot.. the keeper tips it over.

27 minute mark: Duff passes into the box to King.. he settles it.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

35 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles up the right sideline.. crosses to Adriano in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. good save by the keeper.

40 minute mark: O'Shea passes to King at midfield.. he passes a perfect ball into the box.. Adriano beats the defender.. dribbles twice.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Halftime: 2-0 lead. King and Adriano both have 9's. Everyone else has 7 for form. Everyone is winded, although my defenders aren't winded that bad. I decide to play everyone for 10 more minutes before bringing on my subs.

51 minute mark: Duff with a corner.. O'Shea heads it.. into the crossbar.

53 minute mark: Stevanovic steals it at midfield.. passes it 30 yards up the pitch to King.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

54 minute mark: I put on the reserves.

72 minute mark: Eagles passes it down the right sideline to Marino.. he crosses to Fletcher who is 5 yards away from the goal.. Fletcher shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0.

80 minute mark: Their Alfonso is tripped in the box.. Miguel takes the penalty shot.. he blasts it over Heaton's Shoulder.. GOAL. 4-1.


Game over. 4-1 win.

We outshot them 11-2 (7-1 on target)

Craig King won MoM, 9 for form, 9 of 12 passes, 0 tackles, 0 of 7 headers, 1 assist, and 2 goals.

Adriano also had a 9.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 13, 2011 -


I read an article on soccer.net in which Chris Taylor said he is flattered to be linked in the press with a club like Manchester United. He said that he is ready to consider any offers which might be forthcoming.

I decide to offer Leeds 6.8 million dollars for Taylor.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 14, 2011 -

Leeds have rejected the 6.8 million dollar offer for Chris Taylor. I offer 7.2 million which will be my final offer for a bit. I'll let the pressure get to them, if they don't sell at this price.

Parma have rejected my 6.6 million dollar offer for Italian defender Salva (a very good looking young centreback who I doubt I can afford.)

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

June 20, 2011 -

Now, that I have decided I will be keeping Howard as the man this year, I decide to attempt to arrange a tour of the USA in which we will play a few MLS Teams as well as a few All-Star Teams there. It would be embarassing to lose any of those matches, but the potential boost in merchandise is too good to pass up.

Hopefully, all of the teams accept.

Do "player reps" and the homeland they hail from, does that indicate a more successful tour?

[Eaglesfan27]

July 15, 2011 -

Gillingham wants to borrow Thomas Heaton for 3 monthes. Until, I acquire a young keeper I need Heaton so I tell them no.

My scouts have noticed that David Harper has a great deal of potential, and they think he might be better than Heaton at this point. I contact the 21 year old keeper, and he tells me he wants 11,000/week. I offer him that.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Do "player reps" and the homeland they hail from, does that indicate a more successful tour?

I don't know.

I was trying to do a tour of the USA to promote Howard, and also because I'm obviously biased towards the USA. I can't believe several of the MLS teams and several American All Star teams refused to play us. I also can't believe Brazil refused to play us (I wanted to go there to promote Adriano.)

[Eaglesfan27]

July 15, 2011 -


Today we play Boavista. This will be televised in Portugal and England. Boavista has a fairly good team with quality players.

We will be focusing on conditioning again.

It's sunny with temperatures in the 80's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: O'Shea
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Duff
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: Adriano

S1: Heaton
S2: Ferdinand
S3: King
S4: Saha
S5: Brown
S6: Mamam
S7: Smith
S8: Parker
S9: Fletcher
S10: Neville
S11: Lucio
S12: Eagles

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I don't know.

I was trying to do a tour of the USA to promote Howard, and also because I'm obviously biased towards the USA. I can't believe several of the MLS teams and several American All Star teams refused to play us. I also can't believe Brazil refused to play us (I wanted to go there to promote Adriano.)

Yeah, that was what I was asking. Having a star player like Adriano, does going to play in his homeland really work?

[Eaglesfan27]

7 minute mark: Downing burns three defenders.. crosses to Adriano.. he is tackled just before he can shoot.

12 minute mark: Downing crosses to Adriano.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.

15 minute mark: Duff crosses to Scheurs.. hard shot.. a defender blocks it.

20 minute mark: Downing passes to McFadden.. he shoots.. hard shot.. upper right corner.. the keeper blocks it.

25 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. Adriano by the near post.. he jumps.. heads it.. over the bar.

40 minute mark: Scheurs passes it from the right wing to the center of the pitch to McFadden.. he beats the defenders.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

42 minute mark: Djemba passes 15 yards forward.. into the box.. Adriano gets it.. fakes out a defender.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

44 minute mark: Duff passes thirty yards up the pitch to Adriano.. he is alone with three defenders.. weaves his way between them.. dribbling towards the box.. the keeper comes out to meet.. he shoots a hard curving shot.. around the keeper.. it curves.. into the right side of the net! GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Halftime: 2-0 lead.

Guys aren't quite as winded as last time. I'll let them play for 10 more minutes, then I'll pull in the bench guys.


56 minute mark: I bring in the bench players.

88 minute mark: Eagles steals it in our own zone.. burns two defenders.. dribbles up the right sideline.. crosses to Smith.. he heads it.. over the bar.



Game over. 2-0 win.

Downing won MoM, 10 for form, 9 of 10 passes, 3 of 4 tackles, 2 of 4 headers, 1 interception, 11 runs, and 2 fouls drawn.

Djemba had a 9. Adriano and Duff had 8's. Schreurs had a 6 (he is having a tough time fitting in so far.) The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Yeah, that was what I was asking. Having a star player like Adriano, does going to play in his homeland really work?

I don't know for sure, but knowing how SI pays attention to the details, I would guess that it will help our merchandise sales some.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Chivu strained his groin and will miss about 2 weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 18, 2011 -

Crystal Palace has made an offer to borrow Thomas Heaton. I turn it down.

Liverpool has accepted the money plus Adu for Kompany, and Adu has agreed to come to Liverpool. If Kompany agrees to go to Barcelona, the deal will be completed. I kind of look forward to seeing Adu in action, but would rather it be for my team.




Today we play Belenenses. They are a decent team, but not as good as the last team we played. I'm going to trot out Adriano and Rooney next to each other to see how they can feed off each other.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 80's.

This match will also be televised.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Stevanovic
MR: Eagles
SC: Adriano
SC: Rooney

S1: Heaton
S2: King
S3: Schreurs
S4: Smith
S5: Brown
S6: cook
S7: van Nistelrooy
S8: Fletcher
S9: Saha
S10: Parker
S11: Ferdinand
S12: Duff

[Crapshoot]

Interesting- you thought about selling some of your spare strikers to get some extra dough ? you do seem to have 7 world class strikers...

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Downing passes to Djemba in the box.. he shoots.. wide left.

9 minute mark: Rooney crosses to Adriano by the far post.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.

26 minute mark: Eagles is tripped by Ferrara.. he gets a yellow card.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. I'm going to leave the guys on for 5 to 10 more minutes. Adriano looks a little winded though (which is understandable with 3 starts in a week.)

48 minute mark: Grygera passes it long down the right sideline to rooney.. he gets it in the corner of the pitch.. rooney evades a defener.. crosses to the near post.. Adriano heads it.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

54 minute mark: I bring in the bench guys, including Saha and van Nistelrooy at striker.

61 minute mark: Schreurs passes it from the right wing to van Nistelrooy in the box.. he settles.. turns around.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOA.. darn.. whistle for offsides on van Nistelrooy.

66 minute mark: O'Shea passes long to Saha who heads it to van Nistelrooy in the box.. he shoots.. wide left.

80 minute mark: Duff crosses to van Nistelrooy.. he heads it.. into the crossbar.

82 minute mark: O'Shea trips Dias just outside the box.. yellow card for O'Shea.

87 minute mark: Duff crosses to Schreurs who is by the far post.. he heads it.. over the bar.


Game over. 1-0 win for us.

We outshot them 15-5 (9-0 on target)

Their keeper, Goncalo, won MoM.

Downing and Eagles both had 8's. Duff had an 8. All other players had a 7.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Interesting- you thought about selling some of your spare strikers to get some extra dough ? you do seem to have 7 world class strikers...

Hehe

Yes, Marino and Serhat are on the transfer market. I'm also debating on putting Smith on the market, but I really like him and I think this will be one of van Nistelrooy's last years. I'd like to have at least one older veteran striker if I can keep him happy.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I don't know.

I was trying to do a tour of the USA to promote Howard, and also because I'm obviously biased towards the USA. I can't believe several of the MLS teams and several American All Star teams refused to play us. I also can't believe Brazil refused to play us (I wanted to go there to promote Adriano.)

Isn't July the middle of the season for both countries? Maybe something SI missed with the MLS though, since I believe they have played exhibitions before. I've noticed it's very hard to schedule tours anywhere. I couldn't get Cypriot teams to agree.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 18, 2011 -

Very interesting, Liverpool sold Vincent Kompany to Juventus! Kompany rejected bids by Milan and Barcelona. I wonder if Liverpool are going to pay money to get Adu or if they only wanted him as part of the Kompany deal?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Isn't July the middle of the season for both countries?

That is a good point. Now that you mention that, it makes sense why they both said no.

[thealmighty]

Thought I'd drop a note to let you know I've still been following along on your journey.

Question: It seems, as someone who does not play this game, that there are a couple of injuries every week. Is there, or am I just thinking it because of the way I read the dynasty? Are you expecting the doubling of physios to curb the injuries that you do have?

Keep it up- don't retire.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 20, 2011 -

David Harper has rejected offers from Manchester City and Leicester to sign with us. This 21 year old keeper will be a nice addition to the club since he is not costing us any transfer money, and I think he will be good enough to play for us a bit now.


Liverpool have signed Nigel Reo-Coker from Coventry for 17 million dollars. Coventry fans are upset at losing this fan favorite.

The fans at Coventry are very upset at manager Paul Scholes.

Arsenal has signed Hedwiges Maduro a 26 year old central defender from Ajax for 6 milliond dollars.

Arsenal fans are worried that Maduro will upset the team's chemistry. This caused Maduro to lash out at the fans in the press.


Alfonso played a disappointing game for Spain in a 1-1 tie with Denmark in the Euro U19 Championship match (Group B.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by thealmighty

Thought I'd drop a note to let you know I've still been following along on your journey.

Question: It seems, as someone who does not play this game, that there are a couple of injuries every week. Is there, or am I just thinking it because of the way I read the dynasty? Are you expecting the doubling of physios to curb the injuries that you do have?

Keep it up- don't retire.

I have no plans to retire, but I might slow down in a month or so as I ramp up preparations for my oral boards in June, but I'll still need to unwind a bit each night

My team has had frequent minor injuries, and there are usually at least one or two guys injured on any team at any time. I'm hoping that doubling the number of physios will at least cut down the injury rate

I think soccer is a violent game, and some injuries are inevitable. Hopefully, I can at least minimize them.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 23, 2011 -

Today we play Hajduk which is a Croatian Team. I'm looking for a final bit of conditioning as this is my second to last friendly. Next Match, I'll be starting my top lineup all together.


It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 80's.

GK: Howard
DL: Neville!
DC: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Parker
MC: Fletcher
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Heaton
S2: Djemba
S3: Eagles
S4: Saha
S5: Stevanovic
S6: Mamam
S7: Marino
S8: Brown
S9: Cook
S10: Adriano
S11: Ferdinand
S12: silvestre

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I have no plans to retire, but I might slow down in a month or so as I ramp up preparations for my oral boards in June, but I'll still need to unwind a bit each night

My team has had frequent minor injuries, and there are usually at least one or two guys injured on any team at any time. I'm hoping that doubling the number of physios will at least cut down the injury rate

I think soccer is a violent game, and some injuries are inevitable. Hopefully, I can at least minimize them.

What are the oral boards? Does it involve dental, oral and maxillofacial region?

Don't worry about slowing down, as long as you still post.

We got some great dynasties with FrogMan, Quiksand (new one), and the others (hopefully mine).

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: Duff with a cross to Fletcher.. he shoots.. hard shot.. wide left.

6 minute mark: Duff crosses.. to Smith.. he heads it.. upper left corner.. good save by the keeper.

8 minute mark: Howard saves a long shot.

15 minute mark: Schreurs with a strong dribble past two defenders.. crosses to Smith by the near post.. he heads it.. good save by the keeper.

28 minute mark: Zilic with a very hard tackle on Schreurs.. red card for Zilic!

33 minute mark: Duff with a corner kick.. to the far post.. McFadden heads it.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

40 minute mark: Aracic collieded with Schreurs.. Aracic is hurt.. good to see that Schreurs doesn't shy away from all contact like I heard he did.


Halftime: 0-0 tie.


55 minute mark: Duff crosses to Schreurs who runs up.. far post.. diving header.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! Very nice goal from Schreurs! 1-0.

59 minute mark: Duff crosses to Smith.. he heads it.. wide right of net.

60 minute mark: I bring in the bench players, including Adriano and Marino in at striker.

63 minute mark: Heaton stops a hard shot from Simunic.

65 minute mark: Mamam passes to Cook just outside the box.. hard shot.. over the bar.

68 minute mark: Heaton stops a hard long range shot from Simunic.

69 minute mark: Heaton stops a long range shot from Holic.

75 minute mark: Mamam crosses to Adriano who heads it.. the keeper pushes it over the bar.

77 minute mark: Mamam crosses to Marino who heads it.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

87 minute mark: 25 yard shot by Cook.. the keeper saves it.

88 minute mark: Eagles crosses to Stevanovic.. he shoots.. over the bar.

91 minute mark: Mamam with a corner kick to the far post.. Adriano outleaps the defender.. heads it.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0. Adriano is like a machine.. I'm falling in love with him (in a completely heterosexual way.)


Game over. 2-0 win for us.

Damien Duff won MoM, 9 for form, 15 of 20 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 3 of 3 headers, 6 runs, 1 assist.

Adriano had an 8, Heaton had an 8, McFadden had an 8, and Fletcher had an 8. The rest of the team all had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

What are the oral boards? Does it involve dental, oral and maxillofacial region?

Don't worry about slowing down, as long as you still post.

We got some great dynasties with FrogMan, Quiksand (new one), and the others (hopefully mine).

Adult Psychiatry Boards. I have to interview an adult psychiatric patient in front of two examiners. I have 30 minutes to do a complete psychiatric interview (normally I take about 90 minutes to do one.) I also have to do it with these 2 people watching me the whole time. I then get 2 minutes to gather my thoughts and have to present the history in a coherent organized fashion and answer any questions that they ask me about anything in psychiatry during the next half hour.

The written portion of the boards were late last year, and I passed them. I studied for them much more than I will study for this. They were much more book based. This is more about mastering my anxiety, being efficient with my questions, while still being very warm, engaging, etc. It's a wierd tough situation. 50% fail their first time. I'm actually planning on playing some FM that night in Kansas City (where I take the oral boards) to help me relax.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 27, 2011 -

Malaga has gone into receivership and they will accept any reasonable offer for players. This can be a way to get some real steals, unfortunately, the only player they have that I think is good enough to play here is a striker. Mohamed Zidan is a very talented Egyptian striker who ohas 46 caps and 35 goals. He is an explosive scorer, but I don't need any more strikers right now, and he is already 29.

Oh, my scouts just noticed that they have a very good young centreback. Matias Cahais is a 23 year old centreback who is only valued at 3.2 million, but my scouts really like him. I decide to make an offer of 1 million. Of course, work permit issues might prevent us from getting this young centreback.



Alfonso was very disappointing in a 3-0 loss Germany's U19 tea in the Euro U19 Championship.


Darren Fletcher suffered a hip fracture today! The team doctors believe he needs surgery and will miss 3 to 4 months

I hope Cook is ready to play a more prominent role.


Our final friendly is in 4 days against a good team from Belgium. I'm going to start my planned top 11 for 45-60 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2011 -

Malaga have rejected the 1 million dollar offer for Matias Cahais. I offer them 1.8 million dollars.


Mr Quieroz has informed me that the following players all have their contracts expiring in the next year (just on my big squad)


GK: Thomas Heaton - I will try to renew if the price is right, but will not push it.
D: Phil Neville - good as gone.
D: Grygera - I will renew if the price is right.
SC: Saha - I'll try to renew.
DR: Brown - Definitely renew.
DL: Silvestre - Ditto.
SC: Serhat - Good as gone.
SC: Smith - will try to renew.
SC: van Nistelrooy - will try to renew.
D: O'Shea - will try to renew
DC: Chivu will try to renew. Since he wants to go to a different club, he might refuse.
SC: Marino - Might renew..
ML: Alfonso - He is still young, I'll give him one more contract.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2011 -

Thomas Heaton is refusing to renegotiate with us since we aren't playing him enough. I'll let him go after the season.

I change my mind on Neville. The fans like him, he wants to come back for one more year at 21,000/week which is what he makes now. I agree to that.

Grygera wants a 3 year deal at 89,000/week (1 thousand less than what he is making.) I agree to his request.

Saha wants 100,000/week and I agree to a 1 year extension at these terms.

Brown wants 3 years at 52,000/week. I agree to these terms.

Silvestre wants 74,000/week for 1 extra year. I agree to these terms.


Serhat's agent informs me his client wants to move clubs. I agree that I don't want him back.


Alan smith is willing to sign a 2 year deal for 83,000/week. I ask him to sign a 3 year deal instead.


Wow! Ruud van Nistelrooy's agent informs me that he "doesn't believe Manchester United have the resources to meet his client's demands. I see what he means, for some reason, the board will only allow me to pay this particular player 33,500/week! Mr. Quieroz believes van Nistelrooy isn't worth re-signing. The board shares that view. Ruud is currently making 120,000/week. Even if I tell the board that Ruud will be a first team player, they won't let me go above that. It looks like Ruud is going to either retire or move onto another club.


John O'Shea wants 3 years at 52,000/week. I agree to that and the board lets me. I guess they just feel Ruud is too old to be a contributor any longer after this season.


Chivu wants a 2 year deal worth 120,000/week. Mr. Queiroz believes he is a vital member of the team and suggests we give him up to 150,000. I agree to his request of 120,000 but ask him to sign a 3 year deal. I raise the signing bonus that he is requesting from 1.6 million to 2 million.

Marino actually wants to stay even though he knows that he will be a backup. He wants 31,000/week, but the board will only allow me to pay him 29,500. I offer him the 29,500 that the board will allow, but boost the signing bonus to 400,000.

Alfonso wants a 3 year deal at 19,000/week. I decide to offer him that if he agrees to a 4 year deal.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2011 -

Malaga have accepted 1.8 million for Matias Cahais. This is a steal for his skill set. Of course, this is facilitated by their being in debt. Hopefully, we can get a work permit for this player. He wants a 19,500/week and a 4 year deal to be a rotation player. Carlos Queiroz doesn't believe signing Cahais is worthwile. Usually I agree with Carlos, but I disagree with him here. I offer Cahais the 19,500/week.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 30, 2011 -

chivu signed a new 3 year deal worth 18 million dollars.

Alan Smith signed a new 3 year deal for 12.5 million dollars.

Ernesto Marino signed a new 3 year deal for 4.4 million dollars.

Wes Brown signed a new 3 year deal for 7.2 million dollars.


Ruud van Nistelrooy has rejected my contract offer. He is willing to negotiate, but the board is not. Historically, he is one of my favorite players. It will be sad if he goes to another team. I hope he retires after this season.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 31, 2011 -

Louis Saha signed a new 2 year deal for 9 million dollars.

Silvestre signed a new 2 year deal for 7.2 million dollars.

Alfonso signed a 4 year deal for 4.4 million dollars.

Phil Neville signed a new deal.

Grygera signed a new 3 year deal for 12.5 million dollars.



Real Madrid have offered 40 million dollars for Philipp Lahm.


Liverpool have offered 12 million plus Djimi Traore, a 31 year old decent defender from Mali. Traore is actually more physically gifted, but is not as good mentally and he is about the same technically. However, I like O'Shea's attitude. I decide to reject this deal.

[Eaglesfan27]

OOC Note: Gotta love the wife. She comes home from work and said, "You want to play your little ball game until bedtime, don't you? That is fine, I want to play some Vampire on the computer." (she is into Vampire the Masquerade on the main computer right now. That game is ruined by bugs for me, but she deals with them.) She then says, "Guess what, I brought you a Daquiri." So, I'll now be playing while possibly getting slightly tipsy on a White Russian Daquiri. Hopefully, I don't do anything foolish

[Eaglesfan27]

July 31, 2011 -

Today we travel to play Germinal Beerschot, a decent team from Belgium.

This is our final tuneup before League Play. I'll be starting my best 11 (more or less.)

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 60's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera (Brown is hurt.)
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Cook
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Rooney

S1: Harper (the new keeper will get some action today.)
S2: Saha
S3: Schreurs
S4: Smith
S5: O'Shea
S6: Mamam
S7: Parker
S8: Neville
S9: Stevanovic
S10: Adriano
S11: Duff
S12: King

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Downing passes to McFadden in the box.. he shoots.. barely wide right.

2 minute mark: Howard stops a point blank shot from Evrard.

10 minute mark: Jorge Luis pushed Eagles.. yellow card for Luis.

19 minute mark: A breakaway is stopped as Rooney is judged to be offside.. McFadden is furious.. he argues the call.. yellow card for McFadden.

26 minute mark: cook passes to Downing who heads it at goal.. the keeper stops it.. bobbles it.. drops it.. McFadden pounces on the loose ball... Shoots.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

36 minute mark: Eagles tackles Luis hard.. yellow card on Eagles.

44 minute mark: Silvestre crosses from the left side of the pitch.. far corner.. Rooney heads it.. the keeper blocks it.


Halftime: Up 1-0.

49 minute mark: Cook gets a yellow card for tripping Mertens.

54 minute mark: Djemba gets a yellow card for obstructing Mertens.

55 minute mark: Rooney plays a perfect through ball to McFadden in the box.. he hesitates.. the defense tackles him.

56 minute mark: I sub Adriano on for McFadden who has the yellow card.

I also sub Mamam for Cook, Stevanovic for Djemba and Schreurs for Eagles.

59 minute mark: Downing crosses to Adriano in the box.. he settles it.. shoots.. over the bar.. awful effort there.

70 minute mark: Lucio gets a yellow card for a trip.

72 minute mark: Adriano dribbles up the left side of the pitch.. crosses to Mamam in the center of the box.. shoots.. barely wide left.

I bring on the rest of the bench including Harper.

76 minute mark: Harper stops a hard long range shot from Njis.

79 minute mark: Van Damme crosses from the right side to De Wilde.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL. 1-1 tie.


Game over. 1-1 tie.

Downing won MoM, 9 for form, 18 of 22 passes, 4 of 4 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 1 interception, 11 runs.

Howard, Silvestre, and McFadden all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's except for Neville who had a 6.