My 10th season as a Football Manager (4th at Manchester United)

[Eaglesfan27]

9 minute mark: Grygera passes it down the right sideline.. Schreurs gets to it.. dribbles into the right side of the box.. crosses the ball towards the far post.. McFadden with a header.. into the upper left corner... GOAL!!!! 1-0.

11 minute mark: Howard saves a 20 yard shot from Postiga.

30 minute mark: Joaquin passes to John in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. I let out a deep breath as it sails wide left.

32 minute mark: Hitzsplerger collides with Parker.. Hitzsplerger has to leave the pitch.

44 minute mark: Schreurs passes to McFadden in the box.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Parker gets the rebound.. blasts a shot.. into the crossbar.


Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have over 22,000 fans here today.



Schreurs and King are looking winded and will have to be removed soon.



46 minute mark: Howard stops a long range shot from Postiga.

58 minute mark: Postiga passes to Whittingham.. hard shot.. it deflects off Salva 20 yards out.. it redirects to the right side of the net.. Howard races over.. can't get to it. GOAL. 1-1 tie.

60 minute mark: Ortega on for Schreurs, and Godoy on for King.

75 minute mark: Rooney on for McFadden to try to pull out these 3 points..

87 minute mark: Cook passes to Alfonso left of the box.. he crosses to Rooney.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.


Game over. 1-1 tie.

We were outshot 17-6 (8-3 on target)

Howard wins MoM for his 7 saves with an 8 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 20, 2013 -

Salva injured his groin and will miss about 2 weeks.


WE had a very unfavorable draw for the 3rd round of the English League Cup. We will be hosting Chelsea. One of the two favorites to win the entire Cup will be eliminated.

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Djemba dribbles right of the box.. short cross.. to the far post.. Alfonso heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0!

14 minute mark: Lucio with a key challenge on Podolski.

23 minute mark: Djemba steals it at midfield.. passes long.. to Rooney's feet.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. it's past the keeper.... GOAL!!!! 2-0!

30 minute mark: Kalou passes to Reyes in the box.. he shoots.. from 15 yards out.. Howard with a very good save.

33 minute mark: Alfonso takes a corner kick.. near post.. Lucio outjumps his man.. heads it.. into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0!



Halftime: 3-0 lead for us. They have over 60,000 fans here today.



61 minute mark: Marchetti on for Schmidt who is tired, and Ortega on for Schreurs.

66 minute mark: Marchetti with a long pass to Rooney.. he catches up to it just before it crosses the endline.. centers to Adriano.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper with a very good save.

72 minute mark: Intricate series of passes.. ends with a pass from Kalou to Saviola in the middle of the box.. powerful shot.. upper right corner.. it's past Howard.. GOAL. 3-1.

Smith on for Rooney.

84 minute mark: Ortega passes to Djemba just outside the box.. he blasts a shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-1!

88 minute mark: Reyes crosses to Blasi.. he shoots.. Howard parries it.. Saviola gets the rebound.. shoots into the open right side of the goal. 4-2 game.



Game over. 4-2 win

They outshot us 19-10 (8-7 on target)

Eric Djemba Djemba wins MoM, 10 for form, 16 of 21 passes, 3 of 4 tackles, 1 of 4 headers, 5 interceptions, 1 foul drawn, 2 assists, and 1 goal.

Lucio had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 22, 2013 -

Kevin Keegan has been sacked by Leicester City Chairman Jim McCahill.

Dave Jones is being listed as the favorite to take this job over.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 23, 2013 -

Lucio and Djemba were both selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Leicester have hired Jose Carlos Granero. The 50 year old former Espanyol boss brings a significant amount of experience with him to the job.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 24, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Lazio in a Champions League Group Match. Lazuo is currently 18th in Italian Serie A and has been hit hard by injuries early in the year. However, most of their players are back for this match. Valeri Bojinov and Benjamin team up to make a premiere pair of strikers. Andrea Lazzari is a very good left winger. Christian Daniel Ledesma is injured for this game which weakens their midfield. Adriano and Frank Wolf are strong defenders for them. Espn Johnsen is an old veteran keeper who is still quite skilled. He is particularly good at one on ones, and he will be tough to beat.

We are 4-5 favorites.

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

GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Cahais
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Wood
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Parker
S3: Godoy
S4: Ortega
S5: Ferdinand
S6: Smith
S7: Adriano

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Schreurs with a beautiful pass to McFadden.. he dribbles past a defender.. into the box.. shoots.. lower left corner.. excellent save by the keeper.

5 minute mark: Bojinov has a breakaway.. he beats Howard.. Marchetti tackles him from behind... cleanly! Marchetti with a sure goal saver.

9 minute mark: McFadden dribbles down the left sideline.. beats a defender.. crosses to King in the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper dives.. catches it.

22 minute mark: McFadden collided with Wolf.. McFadden has to be carried off the pitch! I put Smith on for him.

25 minute mark: King at midfield.. passes it to Smith just outside the box.. Smith with a burst of speed.. dribbles past Wolf.. fakes out the keeper.. is about to shoot.. the keeper trips him! Johnsen is given a red card!!! Penalty shot awarded.. Cook steps up against the backup keeper.. Cook looks confident.. he slams it into the lower left corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

Darn! How many Adriano's are there in the soccer world. They have two on the pitch now, as their keeper is called Adriano! This 19 year old Brazilian keeper looks quite talented actually. I might have to have my scouts take a closer look at him.



Halftime: 1-0 lead for us.



55 minute mark: Bojinov with a breakaway.. shoots.. lower left corner.. Howard dives.. catches it!

65 minute mark: Ortega on for Schreurs, and Godoy on for King.

70 minute mark: Downing gets a yellow card for tripping La Cava.

71 minute mark: Lazzari dribbles into the box.. shoots from the left side.. about 20 yards out.. Howard saves it.

83 minute mark: Downing passes to Ortega.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. nice diving save by the keeper. Adriano is having a very good game in goal for a 19 year old keeper. I decide I will definitely have my scout look at this kid after this game.

89 minute mark: Downing passes to smith in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. Adriano saves it. Another nice play by the young keeper.


Game over. 1-0 win for us.

We outshot them 11-10 (10-5 on target)

Adriano, their backup keeper, won MoM, for his multiple saves.

I tell two of my best scouts to go look at this kid as soon as possible.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 28, 2013 -

Today we host Coventry in an EPL Match. We are currently 2nd while they are 12th in the EPL. They rely on star striker Wayne Worthington who has becme one of the best young strikers in all of England. Shola Ameobi is a veteran striker who can be dangerous. Dani is a good right winger who can set up the other guys on the team. Martin Scott is their right back and the leader of the defense. Gianni Zuiverloon is developing into a good centreback. Marco Tedeschi is one of the better young keepers in the EPL.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the low 50's.


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Alfonso
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Stevanovic
S3: Cook
S4: King
S5: O'Shea

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Rooney takes a corner (when did I make him a corner taker?) ... to the near post.. Lucio heads it.. to the far post.. Fletcher heads it.. into the upper left corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

4 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles down the right sideline.. past two defenders.. crosses it long.. Alfonso with a diving header by the left post.. connects.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

14 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles down the right sideline.. past two defenders.. crosses to the near post.. Adriano with a header.. it hits the post.. and bounces in! GOAL!!!! 3-0.

16 minute mark: Ameobi passes to Worthington 30 yards out.. he blasts an ultra fast curving shot.. into the upper right corner before I could even blink! GOAL. 3-1.

31 minute mark: Rooney steals a pass from the keeper to a centerback.. blasts a shot into the upper left corner before the keeper can react! GOAL!!!! 4-1.



Halftime: 4-1 lead for us. We have over 72,000 fans here today.


53 minute mark: Brown with a long pass to the right side of the box.. Adriano catches up to it just before it crosses the end line.. controls it.. passes to Rooney in the center of the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 5-1! That is Rooney's second today and 10th of the year.

63 minute mark: Alfonso crosses to Rooney by the near post.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.. right back to Rooney.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 6-1! He has his hattrick. I can now rest him

King on for Rooney and Stevanovic on for Fletcher.

Rooney gets a standing ovation. I'm going to praise him in the media after this match as well.



Game over. 6-1 win for us

We outshot them 12-1 (8-1 on target)

Rooney wins MoM, 10 for form, 9 of 9 passes, 1 of 3 tackles, 1 of 7 headers, 1 interception, 1 run, 1 foul drawn, and 3 goals.

Schreurs also had a 10 for form.

I praise Rooney in the post match interviews.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

This was a costly win as Jeroen Schreurs hurt his calf and will miss 2 weeks. However, Ortega continues to really impress in practice, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in more action.

The board is very pleased with this big win.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 2, 2013 -

Lucio, Schreurs, and Rooney were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


The board is very pleased with my performance as manager.



Liverpool's Hatem Ben Arfa has won the EPL Player of the Month. Rooney came in 2nd, and Jonathan Woodgate of Fulham came in 3rd.


My Adriano has won the EPL Young Player of the Month. Mickael Schmidt came in 2nd, and Stephane Dulmat of Aston Villa came in 3rd.



I've won Manager of the Month. Mane of Chelsea came in 2nd, and Tony Colbert of Liverpool came in 3rd.



Wayne Worthington won goal of the Month for his strike against us.



My scouts have reported that the young keeper Adriano is a wonderkid, and that he has a phenomenal future. I decide to offer Lazio 10 million for him, however, I realize that a WP might be difficult to get for such a young Brazilian keeper.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 2, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Blackburn in an EPL Match before our short international break. Blackburn is 10th in the EPL while we are in 2nd. Blackburn is led by a very good defense, that is let down by a mediocre offense. Starting Strikers Paul Gallagher and Jonathan Stead have difficulty creating goals for the team. The leading scorer is Stead with 3 goals. Liam Miller is a good midfielder, but only has 2 assists and 1 goal. The defense is very solid led by centrebacks Nils-Eric Johansson and Antonio. Samir Handanovic is an inconsistent keeper. He is usually either great or bad. He has excellent ability, and hopefully we will make him have a bad night.


We are 4-7 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the high 40's.


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Godoy
S3: Cook
S4: King
S5: Smith

[Eaglesfan27]

7 minute mark: Howard parries a flurry of shots.

21 minute mark: Howard parries a pair of shots by Stead.

25 minute mark: Josef Adams gets called for tripping Djemba.. Stead argues the call.. Stead gets a yellow card.

35 minute mark: Brown witha long passe to start a breakaway.. Rooney dribbles into the left side of the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. brilliant save by the keeper.

43 minute mark: Howard stops a long range shot from Stead.



Halftime: 0-0. They have over 31,000 fans here today.



48 minute mark: Downing with a corner to the center of the box.. Ferdinand heads it.. wide right of the net.

61 minute mark: King on for Rooney, Smith on for Adriano, and Cook on for Fletcher.


71 minute mark: Ortega takes it down the right sideline.. crosses to Downing.. he heads it.. the keeper saves it.

73 minute mark: Cook passes to Djemba in the middle of the box.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

86 minute mark: Howard stops a flurry of shots.

91 minute mark: Cook passes to Downing on the far left side of the pitch.. he crosses it.. beautiful curving cross.. to Smith in the right side of the box.. the keeper rushes to Smith.. Smith chips it.. over the keeper.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0! Smith with a huge goal.


Game over. Great 1-0 win on the road.

We were outshot 20-9 (12-6 on target)

Howard has a 10 for form, and wins MoM for his 12 saves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 5, 2013 -

Today we travel to play the Ukraine in our second to last WC Qualifying Match. We've already qualified for the WC, but the Federation expects us to win every qualifying game. The Ukraine is one of the more talented teams we have played and they will be challenging.


We are 4-7 favorites.

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

GK: Paul Robinson
DL: Ashley Cole
DC: John Terry
DC: Wayne Dunn
DR: Wes Brown
ML: Stewart Downing
MC: nigel Reo-Coker
MC: Steven Gerrard
MR: Christopher Eagles
SC: Wayne Rooney
SC: Jermaine Jenas

S1: Chris Taylor
S2: Ben Bennett
S3: Craig King
S4: Carlton Cole
S5: Ledley King
S6: Joe Cole
S7: Owen Hargreaves

[finkenst]

national team manager is an interesting job...

I kinda wish I could resign gracefully because it takes up some time...

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Downing dribbles past a defender.. fakes out another.. crosses it long.. Jenas heads it.. over the bar.


They are playing 9 men back and are shutting down our offense.


Halftime: 0-0 tie.



59 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.

Trying to give the team a spark, I pull out Rooney who is tried and put on King. I also put Joe Cole on for Downing.


69 minute mark: Onyschenko collides with Joe Cole.. Cole is hurt.

71 minute mark: I tell the team to go to an all out attack.

88 minute mark: Cole crosses to King. he shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper saves it.



Game over. 0-0 tie. They played a tough defensive battle.

We outshot them 12-3 (5-1 on target)

Their keeper, Eugene Borovyk won MoM.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by finkenst

national team manager is an interesting job...

I kinda wish I could resign gracefully because it takes up some time...

At times, I feel the same way.

Other times, it is exciting. I think it will be very exciting once I actually get to the WC.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

If you've noticed, I've stopped reporting in detail on the U21 and U19 England Teams just because they aren't as interesting, but I'll report on them once we get to the championships.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Dola -

If you've noticed, I've stopped reporting in detail on the U21 and U19 England Teams just because they aren't as interesting, but I'll report on them once we get to the championships.

i've got to rebuild the u20 and u23 brazillian teams soon..

at the moment, i just promoted all 20+ yo from u20 to u23.


--t

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Despite only getting a draw, fans are jubiliant as it has been officially announced that we are going to the World Cup!


In other WC Qualifying news:

John O'Shea played well but Ireland tied Norway 0-0. Ireland has qualified for the WC!


Dalibor Stevanovic played very well in Slovenia's 1-0 win over Germany. Slovenia still has a chance to qualify depending upon what they do in their next match.


Zdenek Grygera played well, but the Czech Republic tied Georgia 0-0. They don't have a chance of qualifying at this point.


Mickael Schmidt had a poor game before being substituted, but France beat San Marino 6-0. France is questionable for the World Cup at this point.


Darren Fletcher played well for Scotland, but they tied Greece 1-1. Scotland has a very slim chance of qualifying still.


Tim Howard played very well for the USA and they beat Jamaica 3-0. The USA has definitely qualified as they have a very impressive 9-0-0 recoord with 46 goals scored and only 1 goal allowed!

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 6, 2013 -

Lazio have rejected the 10 million dollar bid for Adriano. I offer them 15 million for the young keeper. I think he is going to become a great keeper.


Parma has sacked Serse Cosmi.

David Harper injured his wrist in practice and will miss about a month. I hope Howard and/or Taylor don't go down with injury...



October 7, 2013 -

Howard and Lucio were selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 8, 2013 -

England's U21 Team has qualified for the next round of the Euro U21 Championship Qualifying Match.

Gabriele Marchetti played well for Italy in their 2-1 win over Denmark. Italy has also advanced to the next round.


The England U21 team will play France's U21 team in the Championship Qualifying Playoff Match. The first leg will be played on November 15, 2013.



Lazio has countered my offer. They want 11.5 million now, 8.8 million over 6 months, and 30% of next sale. I agree to the terms for this wonderkid keeper. However, it will be odd having two Adriano's on my squad

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

October 8, 2013 -

England's U21 Team has qualified for the next round of the Euro U21 Championship Qualifying Match.

Gabriele Marchetti played well for Italy in their 2-1 win over Denmark. Italy has also advanced to the next round.


The England U21 team will play France's U21 team in the Championship Qualifying Playoff Match. The first leg will be played on November 15, 2013.



Lazio has countered my offer. They want 11.5 million now, 8.8 million over 6 months, and 30% of next sale. I agree to the terms for this wonderkid keeper. However, it will be odd having two Adriano's on my squad

or three if you buy chelsea's adriano.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

At times, I feel the same way.

Other times, it is exciting. I think it will be very exciting once I actually get to the WC.

Hopefully they'll improve national team coaching in the next version. I enjoy it, but I think it could be so much better. I think it's one of those areas that lags a bit behind the rest of the game. There's some little niggling things that, if fixed, could make the experience a lot more fun.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Correction:

This Joaquin is actually a younger talented midfielder who is not very established yet. It's not the Joaquin that we were both likely thinking of.

Oops. Sorry.

Better start to this season than last.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Oops. Sorry.

Better start to this season than last.

Much better start. However, I'm leaning on my starters more. Hopefully, it doesn't bite me at the end of the season.

[daedalus]

I'd be more concern about January than the end of the season.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 9, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Latvia in what I believe to be England's last WC Group Qualifying match. We don't need to win this match, but the fans will be disappointed with anything less than a decisive win. Latvia isn't as good as the last team which tied us, so we should be able to meet expectations.

We are 2-5 favorites.

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


GK: Paul Robinson
DL: Ashley Cole
DC: Ben Bennett
DC: Wayne Dunn
DR: Owen Hargreaves
ML: Stewart Downing
MC: Nigel Reo-Coker
MC: Steven Gerrard
MR: Christopher Eagles
SC: Wayne Rooney
SC: Craig King

S1: Chris Taylor
S2: Ledley King
S3: Shaun Wright-Phillips
S4: Carlton Cole
S5: John Terry
S6: Joe Cole
S7: Wayne Worthington

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney along the endline left side of the box.. Rooney shoots.. parallel to the end line.. it curves.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0!


Halftime: 1-0 lead. Disappointing. I was hoping to have a commanding lead to pull Rooney and Downing at halftime. I'm going to leave in the starting 11 for a bit more now.



Lazy effort from most of the team. I'm pulling Rooney and Downing to rest them. I put Carlton Cole and Joe Cole on for them.


70 minute mark: Joe Cole passes to Carlton Cole in the left half of the box.. he shoots from 15 yards out.. way over the bar.

73 minute mark: Joe Cole crosses long to King.. he heads it.. inches wide right of the net.

80 minute mark: Reo-Coker passes to Carlton in the box.. he shoots.. over the bar.

I decide to put Worthington on for King who is tired.

86 minute mark: Reo-Coker collides with a midfielder and is hurt. I've used all my subs so we have to go with 10 guys.

89 minute mark: Gerrard steals the keeper's pass.. passes it between two defenders.. Carlton Cole gets to it.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.



Game over. 2-0 win.

We outshot them 13-12 (4-2 on target)

Downing has a 9 for form and wins MoM, 10 of 11 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 6 runs, and 1 assist.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Fans are just jubiliant that we are going to the WC.

Darren Fletcher had 2 assists in Scotland's 3-0 win over Azerbaijan.

John O'Shea played well for Ireland in their 0-0 tie with France.

Zdenek Grygera played poorly for the Czech Republic and they lost to Serbia 2-0.

Dalibor Stevanovic played ok for Slovenia in their 2-0 win over Liechtenstein.


Tim Howard had a poor game, and the USA was beat by Costa Rica 2-0.

[Eaglesfan27]

Limited Summary of World Cup Qualifiers:

Europe:

Italy, Germany, Ireland, England, Holland, Spain, Serbia & Mont., Croatia (as the highest second place group finisher), Portugal, and Turkey.


Playoff Teams: Denmark, Slovenia, France, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Hungary.



North America:

USA, Jamaica, and Coast Rica. Trinidad & Tobago are a playoff team.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 11, 2013 -

Antonio Ortega had a poor game for Spain and was eventually substituted in their Euro U19 Championship Qualifying match against Iceland.


Lazio have accepted my offer of 20 million for their young wonderkid keeper, Adriano. His agent is requesting 22,000/week plus a 200,000 signing bonus for 3 years. This seems reasonable, and I agree to this request.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 12, 2013 -

Matias Cahais played very well for Argentina in their 4-0 win over Peru in the World Cup Qualifying Match. Argentina has a slim chance of making the WC still.

Eric Djemba Djemba had 2 assists for Cameroon in their 3-0 win over Gabon. Cameroon has a chance still to make the WC.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 15, 2013 -

Adriano has accepted my offer, but the move is delayed due to a WP hearing. The hearing is scheduled for October 29, 2013. There is no hurry as we can't make the move officially until January 1st, 2014 when the transfer window opens.



Today we host Trabzonspor from the Turkish League in this Champions League Group Match. They have a relatively weak team and should be a relatively easy match for us.


We are 1-2 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Parker
MR: Ortega
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: Godoy
S3: Alfonso
S4: Wood
S5: Salva
S6: Cook
S7: Marchetti

[Eaglesfan27]

23 minute mark: Downing crosses to the near post.. Smith heads it.. wide left.

30 minute mark: They block another shot before it even reachs the keeper. Their defenders are getting in front of our shots.

33 minute mark: Ortega throws it into Parker.. he centers it fo rFletcher in the middle of the box.. Fletcher shoots.. low and to the left corner.. the keeper dives.. partially blocks it.. but it rolls into the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

39 minute mark: Ortega crosses it the middle of the box.. Parker shoots.. over the bar.

46 minute mark: Ortega crosses to Smith who heads it to McFadden.. he shoots from 10 yards out.. left side of the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper blocks it... pounces on the rebound.



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



50 minute mark: Ortega with a corner.. kicks it to the middle of the box.. Ferdinand jumps.. heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!!! 2-0!

61 minute mark: Godoy on for McFadden who is very tired, Wood on for Parker, and Alfonso on for Downing.

65 minute mark: Ugur shoots a free kick from 21 yards out.. it deflects off the wall.. into the lower left corner.. GOAL. 2-1 lead.

86 minute mark: Ortega with a great dribble around two defenders.. short cross.. Smith heads it.. the keeper with an excellent save.

90 minute mark: Schmidt throws the ball into Wood at the right edge of the box.. Wood passes it to Godoy in the middle of the 6 yard box.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Godoy shoots the rebound.. right side of the net! GOAL!!!! 3-1. Godoy likes being a backup striker



Game over. 3-1 win.

We outshot them 21-4 (13-1 on target)

Ortega wins MoM, 9 for form, 24 of 25 passes, 0 tackles, 4 of 7 headers, 8 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 1 assist.

Fletcher also had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 16, 2013 -

Chelsea's new young uber striker (who has slipped under my radar) Giacomo Santini has suffered a hip injury in training and will miss 2-3 months. This kid had 3 goals in 6 starts.

That reminds me to check on my favorite Chelsea Player, Adu had 2 goals and 7 assists in 13 starts this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 16, 2013 -

Matias Cahais played well for Argentina in their 4-0 win over Ecuador in the WC qualifying Match. That win ensured that Argentina did qualify for the WC. The other definite South American Qualifiers are Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay. Paraguay is in the playoffs.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 20, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Bolton in an EPL Match. They are currently in 15th while we are in 2nd place. Bolton has a good scorer in Filipe Oliveira who has 5 goals to lead the team. However, he has little support. Achille Emana is a quick striker, but he misses the target frequently. Christian Grindheim is a good right winger. Kieran Richardson is an older left winger who is not playing very well this year. David Robinson is playing well in the midfield. Rik Thikssen is having a very good year at centreback to lead the team. Alexandre Negri has had a below average year in goal.

We are 4-7 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Marchetti
DR: Grygera
ML: Alfonso
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Ortega
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Salva
S3: Cook
S4: Smith
S5: Godoy

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Alfonso steals it at midfield.. passes it long to McFadden.. he catches up to it just before it crosses the endline.. he centers for Ortega.. he shoots.. lower right corner.. great save by the keeper.

4 minute mark: Lucio collides with Olivera. Lucio is hurt bad. I put Salva on for him.

8 minute mark: Brilliant pass down most of the pitch from Ortega to Alfonso.. he centers for McFadden.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. great save by the keeper.

22 minute mark: Weston with a great centering pass.. Grindhelm heads it to Nolan in the center of the box.. Kevin Nolan shoots... upper left corner.. Howard dives.. it is past him. GOAL. Down 1-0.

35 minute mark: Alfonso crosses it long.. Fletcher heads it.. over the bar.

42 minute mark: Alfonso passes to McFadden in the left corner of the pitch.. he draws two defenders over.. centers to Djemba.. good opportunity.. Djemba shoots from 15 yards.. excellent save by the keeper who stops the high shot.


Halftime: Down 1-0. They have over 27,000 fans here today.



King is hurt and is limping noticably. I put Alan Smith on for him.


54 minute mark: Grindhelm shoots from 20 yards out.. Howard blocks it.. Emana gets the rebound.. taps it into the right side of the net. GOAL. down 2-0.

60 minute mark: Ortega has picked up a minor injury, but I decide to put Godoy on for him. I also tell the offense to open it wide up.

62 minute mark: quick series of passes down the pitch from Salva to Djemba to Smith.. to Alfonso just outside the box.. Alfonso dribbles into the box.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! Down 2-1.

64 minute mark: Salva stops an attack.. initiates the counter attack.. long pass to McFadden in the left corner of the pitch.. he crosses to Godoy.. Godoy passes to Alan Smith.. Smith shoots.. the keeper blocks it... Smith gets the rebound.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-2!

77 minute mark: Schmidt with a goal saving tackle.

80 minute mark: Djemba steals it at midfield.. passes a perfect through ball into the right side of the box.. Smith gets to it.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-2 lead for us!

I tell the guys to resume a more balanced position and not a wide open attack.

84 minute mark: Salva with a key intervention in the box.

86 minute mark: Godoy with a long pass to Alfonso on the left wing.. he passes to Fletcher.. he passes to McFadden in the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. great save by the keeper.

88 minute mark: McFadden's pass for Smith sails high over his head.

91 minute mark: Grygera with a key defensive intervention.


Game over. 3-2 win I'm disappointed in our play in the first 60 minutes, but I love how the team responded to an ultra aggressive, fast paced attack in the last 30 minutes to score 3 goals and win the game.

We outshot them 15-14 (10-8 on target)

Djemba won MoM, 8 for form, 19 of 22 passes, 6 of 7 tackles, 2 of 4 headers, 2 interceptions, 2 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 1 assist.

Smith also had an 8 for form with his 2 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Lucio damaged his knee and is expected to miss about a week including our upcoming huge match against Chelsea.


Our English U19 Team has had the second qualifying round of the Euro U19 Championship drawn. We are in Group 3 along with Iceland, Israel, and Portugal. Matches will start on May 21, 2014.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 22, 2013 -

Alan Smith was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


Chelsea Manager Mane stated that he is afraid of the quality of our team and that we might be too good for them, and he is worried how his supporters will feel if Chelsea is knocked out of the League Cup by us.


I decide not to respond to that comment.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by finkenst

or three if you buy chelsea's adriano.

my latest team roster in 2007:

[Eaglesfan27]

Hehe. There is actually a good left back Adriano in my universe as well. Probably the same guy. However, given the ubiquitious nature of the name, maybe not

[Eaglesfan27]

October 23, 2013 -

Today we host Chelsea in the 3rd round of the English League Cup. Chelsea is a top quality team that has 11 wins and 1 draw this year. They are 1st in the EPL due to their extraordinary start. They have an extremely talented lineup. However, their best striker, Adriano, is out for this game due to an injury. He leads the team with 12 goals. Instead, they will certainly use Freddy Adu at their main striker position, and he has done very well this year. Joe Cole and Pablo Aimar are a dangerous pair of attacking midfielders. Diego, Rafael van der Vaart, and John Hall are an excellent trio of midfielders. Their defensive line is their weakest link, but it is still solid with Naldo and Vincenzo Guidetti anchoring the line. Petr Cech is on top of his game still at the age of 31 and he is a top flight keeper.


We are 5-4 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Salva
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Ferdinand
S3: Cook
S4: King
S5: Godoy

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Salva with the initiation of the counter attack.. long pass to Downing.. Downing passes to Schreurs.. Schreurs with an amazing dribble.. around one defender.. between two other defenders.. throws a shoulder fake.. shoots.. into the narrow crease by the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!!! 1-0! Amazing strike!

16 minute mark: Brown gets a yellow card for pulling Joe Cole's jersey.

18 minute mark: John Terry with a nice defensive play on my Adriano to prevent him from dribbling into the box.

20 minute mark: Brown gets called for a trip on Adu in the box.. Penalty shot awarded.. Sneijder steps up.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL. 1-1 game. I might have to pull Brown soon if he keeps making bad plays.

24 minute mark: Howard passes long to Rooney.. he shoots.. powerful banana shot from 30 yards.. Cech dives.. catches it.

26 minute mark: Joe Cole passes to Adu in the center of the box.. Adu shoots.. Howard saves it.

41 minute mark: John Terry gets a yellow card for pushing Schreurs.



Halftime: 1-1 tie. We have over 91,000 fans here today.



46 minute mark: Schreurs steals it.. crosses to Rooney in the box.. Rooney tries to fake out Cech.. he backpedals.. Rooney shoots.. Cech blocks it.. Terry clears the rebound.

50 minute mark: Schreurs gets a yellow card for tripping Joe Cole.

53 minute mark: Marchetti starts the counter attack.. long pass to Adriano.. he heads it to Rooney.. the keeper is out.. Rooney chips it.. over the keeper.. it floats just under the bar into the right side of the net! GOAL!!!!! 2-1! Rooney is thrilled with that goal.

59 minute mark: Adu passes to Joe Cole in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. Howard dives.. catches it! Great save!

62 minute mark: Godoy on for Schreurs and Cook on for Djemba.

80 minute mark: Adu passes to Rafael van der Vaart in the left side of the box.. strong shot.. lower left corner.. Howard dives.. blocks it wide.

86 minute mark: Brown with a key tackle on Adu in the box.

88 minute mark: Rooney gets a yellow card for a trip on Naldo.

90 minute mark: Schmidt passes it long to Fletcher.. he passes it to Rooney who is 30 yards out.. left of the goal.. Rooney shoots a blistering banana shot.. curving.. Cech dives.. it is past him into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!!! 3-1!



Game over. 3-1 win

We each had 13 shots (we had 9 on target, they had 6)

Rooney wins MoM, 10 for form, 13 of 15 passes, 0 of 2 tackles, 2 of 14 headers, 1 interception, 9 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 2 spectacular goals.

Downing had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 25, 2013 -

Michael Schmidt injured his neck in training and will miss about a week

The 4th round of the English League Cup was drawn and we will be hosting Manchester City in the next round. We could have gotten some weak teams like Stoke or Burnley that are still alive, but overall I'm happy with this draw.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 26, 2013 -

Today we host Everton in an EPL match. We are 2nd in the EPL while Everton is currently in 11th. However, their team is reportedly about to revolt against manager Micky Adams and most of the team is reportedly very unhappy. Top scorer Nathan Ellington is out injured. Top midfielder Tim Cahill and Anthony Taylor are out with injuries. Centreback Scott Laird is also out injured. Sean Brady is a top notch young centreback who is very good. Right winger, Cristian Zaccardo, is a very good player. Akin Serhat, my former striker, will likely be a key player for them today. Ceiran Hutcheson is having a good year in goal and has been a key factor in their midtable positioning.


We are 4-7 favorites.

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



GK: Howard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Cahais
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera
ML: Alfonso
MC: Wood
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Marchetti
S3: Parker
S4: Godoy
S5: Ortega

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: O'Shea with a long pass to Alfonso.. Alfonso with a very quick cross to Schreurs.. Schreurs is just outside the box.. he shoots.. strong curving shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0! Schreurs with an excellent strike. He is a much better scorer than Eagles.

28 minute mark: Cook with a pass to King in the right corner of the pitch.. he crosses it long to Alfonso.. he heads it.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

34 minute mark: Cahais passes down the left sideline.. Alfonso gets to it.. he crosses long to Schreurs.. Schreurs dribbles into the right side of the box.. Schreurs with a quick short cross to McFadden.. McFadden in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!!! 2-0.

37 minute mark: Cook passes to McFadden just left of the box.. McFadden passes between two defenders... Alfonso has it in the 6 yard box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.



Halftime: 3-0 lead. We have over 79,000 fans here today.



64 minute mark: Ortega on for Schreurs, Godoy on for King, and Parker on for Wood.

74 minute mark: Ortega dribbles past two defenders.. he passes to Godoy in the right side of the box.. Godoy fakes out a defender.. passes the ball around another defender.. to McFadden on the left side of the box.. McFadden shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0! That is McFadden's 2nd of the game and 5th of the year.


Game over. 4-0 win.

We outshot them 14-2 (6-1 on target)

Alfonso won MoM, 10 for form, 37 of 41 passes, 0 tackles, 8 of 12 headers, 1 interception, 8 runs, 1 foul drawn, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

Schreurs had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 28, 2013 -

Grygera, O'Shea, and Alfonso were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


Oct. 29, 2013 -

Adriano's initial work permit application was turned down. I have appealed the decision.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct. 30, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Trabzonspor in a CL match. They are a relatively weak team that we should beat easily. Their top player is striker Sezer Ozturk who has 5 goals in 11 starts.


We are 4-7 favorites.

It's cloudy with temperatures in the mid 30's today.


GK: Howard
DL: Ferdinand (O'Shea is ineligible)
DC: Marchetti
DC: Salva
DR: Brown
ML: Alfonso
MC: Wood
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Grygera
S3: Parker
S4: Godoy
S5: Cahais
S6: Ortega
S7: Rooney