Manchester United: Building on Success

[Eaglesfan27]

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

I'm a 37 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/...ead.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/...ead.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/...ead.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/...ead.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/...ead.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/...ead.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/...ead.php?t=36968


In my eighth season, we enjoyed great success. We had an early battle with Chelsea for the EPL lead. Eventually, our offense really started popping. Wayne Rooney had his best season ever as a Red Devil. Our defense came together. We won the EPL Title. We also won the English Cup Title. However, we fell short of the quadruple and lost in the final of the Champions League and the English FA Cup. Those were both disappointing losses. A developing story all year long was Wayne Rooney's dissatisfaction that I would not let him go to Milan or another "more prestigious club" that made huge offers for him. You can read about the eighth season here:

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...ad.php?t=37396


So, now I begin the 9th season. My biggest question remains: Do I sell Rooney or do I sign him to a new deal. I desperately want to sign him to a big extension, but if he doesn't take a deal in the next month or so I will consider all offers for him.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 19, 2012 -

Last Year we had a very successful financial year as you already know if you read about last year's course.

We have over 100 million in the bank after paying a 37 million dollar dividend to club shareholders.

As a result, the board is willing to let me offer Rooney a bit more.

I'm now offering him: 220,000/week, 44k/goal, 44k/assist, 20% annual raise, and 11 million dollar signing bonus. He is a true star, and I will be happy if he accepts this deal. This is a 4 year deal that will take him through most of his prime years.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 20, 2012 -

Wayne Rooney scored England's only goal in a 1-1 tie with Serbia & Mont. in the European Championship Group Play. Wes Brown, Eagles, Downing, and Alan Smith also started for England! They all played well.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 21, 2012 -

Jeroen Schreurs played well for Holland, but they lost 2-0 to Sweden in the European Championship Group Play.

Damien Duff had an assist and John O'Shea played well in Ireland's 2-1 win over Spain in the European Championship.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 21, 2012 -

Sheesh. Wayne Rooney has rejected this offer. He still feels he is deserving of a better basic salary. I don't know how much better it can get. Carlos Tevez is making 180,000 at Juventus in comparision.

I make Rooney another offer:

The same terms except that the yearly wage raise is now 25%. Also, I add a minimum fee release clause of 120 million dollars.


Wayne Rooney scored 2 goals today for England in their 2-0 win over Romania in the European Championship Group Match. Stewart Downing assisted on both goals. Eagles and Brown also started. Alan Smith came on as a reserve for Joe Cole at the 55 minute mark.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 23, 2012 -

Wayne Rooney has rejected this latest offer as well. I'll make him another offer in a week or two, but it is looking even more likely that I will move him if I get a high value offer.


Eric Djemba Djemba tore his hamstring during a match for Cameroon today. He will be out for about 2 months.


Before tearing his hamstring, Djemba had an asist for Cameroon in their 2-2 tie with Nigeria in a World Cup Qualifying match.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 23, 2012 -

Sweden and Ireland met in the European Championship Quarter Final. Ireland won on penalties after regulation in a 3-2 shootout. John O'Shea played very well for the club. They didn't use Damien Duff at all.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 24, 2012 -

Juventus has sacked Fernando Orsi. My assistant, Carlos Queiroz is considered the favorite to be hired away! He would be a big loss. He is an excellent Assistant Manager who has offered me plenty of great advice.


Holland beat Spain 2-1 in the European Championship Quarterfinal. Jeroen Schreurs had an assist for Holland in the match and played well.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 27, 2012 -

England beat Holland 3-0 in the European Championship Semi-final. Wayne Rooney had a goal, James Milner had a goal, and Jermain Defoe had the last goal. Christopher Eagles had an assist. Stewart Downing played well. Wes Brown didn't play this match.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2012 -

Germany beat Ireland 0-0, but on penalties in the European Championship Semi-final. Germany and England will meet in the Final.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2012 -

Liverpool have signed Wayne Bridge away from Chelsea on a Bosman deal.


The transfer window has opened.

The board is delighted with my performance.

[Tellistto]

Sad to say, Man U or you are now likely on Rooneys disliked list. This basically means he won't sign no matter what you do. It'd probably be better to be proactive if/when you decide he's to go, by offering him to clubs at whatever price you want to get for him. Since Milan offered 80+ offer him around for 100 and see if anyone bites, someone will probably come back with at least a counter. Don't let him go for nothing, even paying Everton 35% is better than getting 0.


Tell

Mostly just to get the subscribe :P

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Sad to say, Man U or you are now likely on Rooneys disliked list. This basically means he won't sign no matter what you do. It'd probably be better to be proactive if/when you decide he's to go, by offering him to clubs at whatever price you want to get for him. Since Milan offered 80+ offer him around for 100 and see if anyone bites, someone will probably come back with at least a counter. Don't let him go for nothing, even paying Everton 35% is better than getting 0.


Tell

Mostly just to get the subscribe :P

I agree with everything you said. He is still angry at me for not letting him move last year, and I'm fairly sure I'm on his disliked list. I'm going to make one last offer for him, and then I'm about to begin actively shopping him.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2012 -

Everton have signed Akin Serhat from us on a Bosman transfer. I'm glad to see him leave.


Aston Villa has signed 30 year winger Darijo Srna from Lens on a Bosman transfer.


Everton have signed keeper Ceiran Hutcheson from Hearts as a Bosman signing.


Everton have signed midfielder Valery Mezague from Portsmouth on a Bosman signing.


Fulham have signed Peter Whittingham from Aston Villa on a free transfer.


Everton have signed 31 year old striker Nathan Ellington from Portsmouth on a Bosman signing.


Fulham have signed 29 year old striker Helder Postiga from Porto on a Bosman signing.


Aston Villa have signed 24 year old keeper Paul Lancaster on a free transfer from Liverpool.




Thomas Heaton has left the club on a free transfer as his contract has expired.

Steve Burgess has left the club on a free transfer as his contract has run out and we did not feel it was worthwile to renew.


Juventus did not take Mr. Queiroz away from us They signed Franco Colomba instead to be their new maanager.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2012 -

England beat Germany 2-1 in the European Championship Final! Stewart Downing had the first goal at the 5 minute mark, and he assisted on a Joe Cole goal at the 20 minute mark in their 2-1 win. Eagles, Downing, and Rooney all started and played well for us.


Sam Allardyce has stated that he feels he has accomplished everything possible after winning the European Championship and he is stepping down as manager of England!!!


I don't apply for club jobs, but I certainly do apply for National Jobs if I think I have a chance of being accepted. I'm going to apply to become England's Manager.


Michael van Praag has been sacked from Holland's National Team as they are disappointed with the team's failure to win the European Championship.

Rafa Benitez has been sacked from Spain.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 5, 2012 -

Romania's Tiberiu Ghioane has won the European Championship Best Player Award. Damien Delaney of Ireland came in 2nd, and Sean Brady of Ireland came in 3rd.


Wayne Rooney has won the European Championship Golden Boot. He was the leading scorer with 5 goals. Seefan De Weerd of Holland came in 2nd, and Sanli Tuncay of Turkey came in 3rd.



Wow. Wayne Rooney has told me that he is no longer angry at me for not allowing him to move clubs! He does believe that he isn't fully fit yet (which he believed all year last year, but I kept playing him regularly anyway.)



He is now requesting 180,000/week, a 5.8 million dollar signing bonus, 9k/goal, and 5.4k per assist. This is the first time he has altered his demands in some time. He wants a 4 year deal. The board will now allow me to offer up to 240k/week for him. Since he is no longer angry, I try offering him exactly what he requested.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2012 -

Today was a good day!

First, Wayne Rooney came into my office. He agreed that he likes me and wants to work with me. He signed a new 4 year deal worth 43 million dollars!

An hour later, the national body for England called me. They told me they felt there is no one who is better qualified to become the next national manager of England! I wonder if Rooney forgave me because he realized I was going to be his national coach?


Whatever. I'm just happy that both things happened today. I accept the job as England's Manager. I hope Manchester United doesn't become too upset.



Club Atletico de Madrid has sacked Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.

Chelsea have signed 21 year old keeper Federico Donatelli from Torino for 6.4 million dollars.


Now, that I have cleared up the question of Rooney, I need to analyze all of my club's positions and decide where to invest the 47 million dollar transfer budget (if anywhere - I never spent 38 million of my 50 plus million last year.)

I'll go celebrate this great news with my wife and sleep on this and look at our roster tomorrow.

[Barkeep49]

I thought for sure Rooney was going to go. That's terrific news for you!

[illinifan999]

This is probably the message the AI managers got ingame.

hxxp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/dansik/fmmanager.gif

sorry i hate hxxping but dont want to get anyone in trouble

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I thought for sure Rooney was going to go. That's terrific news for you!

I thought so too. I'm really happy that almost a year of kissing butt finally worked

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by illinifan999

This is probably the message the AI managers got ingame.

hxxp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/dansik/fmmanager.gif

sorry i hate hxxping but dont want to get anyone in trouble

No need to apologize. I haven't been officially appointed yet, but I'm sure something like that will happen soon

[weinstein7]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'll go celebrate this great news by sleeping with my wife and look at our roster tomorrow.

Fixed it for you.

[Galaxy]

Great news EF...

Your team seems pretty in place, maybe go after a player like Abu?

By the way, I got my laptop, downloaded the patch, and will load up a new career tonight. I'm thinking I will start in either Ireland or Scotland low-tier leagues.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Great news EF...

Your team seems pretty in place, maybe go after a player like Abu?

By the way, I got my laptop, downloaded the patch, and will load up a new career tonight. I'm thinking I will start in either Ireland or Scotland low-tier leagues.

I'm guessing you meant Adu? Unfortunately, I doubt my 47 million dollars will be enough to get him. He is valued at 55 million now and Chelsea views him as indispensable. I'll look at the roster in a few hours, but I suspect I'll be looking to invest in a younger defender or two.

[Galaxy]

Yeah, Adu..

Maybe can bring in one or two young stars with loads of the potential in the center through the backfield. Looking from the roster, age def. seems to be a concern in the backfield, and maybe the midfield.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2012 -

Roster Analysis:

GK:

Tim Howard - Age is a worry since he is 33, but he still has top notch ability. The question is how long? In any case, he should be my starter this year.

Chris Taylor - The likely heir apparent. He is 22 years old. He is very good at most things. The only undoing might be his poor ability at rushing out. Otherwise, he looks like a very good keeper. He is the #1 backup now.

David Harper - He is a 22 year old keeper who might develop into a top notch keeper. Has superb physical ability. He has excellent goalkeeping skills. He might eventually beat out Taylor for the #1 job. His biggest weakness is that he loses his composure at times.


Final analyis: I'm happy with my 3 keepers at this time. We have one or two good keepers in our U18 team. I don't see a need to acquire a keeper this year.



Defenders:

Mikael Silvestre - Still a very capable defender at the age of 34. The question is how long can he keep it up? He had a few bad games last year, and I think he is slowly starting to wear out. This is his last season that he is signed through and I'm not sure if I will invite him back after this year. If I do, it will certainly be as a backup.

John O'Shea - 31 year old left back/centreback is still very good at the age of 31. He isn't top notch, but he is close. I feel comfortable with him on the pitch as long as he has a top notch defender next to him. He is signed for 2 more years and shows no signs of decline.

Cristian Chivu - 31 year old leftback/centreback is top notch defender. Great passer who does a wonderful job of initiating the counter attack. Also a very good defender. I'm glad he is happy to be here now. He is signed for 2 more years.

Lucio - This 34 year old Brazilian centreback is still one of the best in teh world. He has better physical attributes than any defender on my team, and better than almost any player. Superb speed even at the age of 34. He has excellent mental attributes. His technical attributes are starting to decline. I wonder how many more years he has left? He is signed through this year, and I will offer him an extension very soon if he is interested.

Rio Ferdinand - This 33 year old English Centreback is still a top notch defender. Almost as good as Lucio in physical ability, he is just as good in mental and technical skills. Really a top notch defender. I plan on re-signing him too if he wants to play longer. He is signed through this year.

Matais Cahais - This 24 year old Argentian was my first attempt at injecting some youth last year. Didn't play much, but really developed last year. He is a little slow, and doesn't jump as well as I would like, but he has excellent mental and technical abilities. I will use him much more often this year and see if he is a long term answer.

Wes Brown - This 32 year old right back/centreback still has grat physical skills. His mental abilities are solid, but his technical abilities are starting to decline just a bit. He should be able to play regularly for me for at least another year and maybe two.

Zdenek Grygera - This 32 year old rightback/centreback is starting t show his age a bit. He is still very good in almost every area, but not great in any area any longer.


Overall, I like this group and barring injuries I don't think we have a need. However, the guys are all old. We need to inject youth in this group. It's the only group I don't have a young potential superstar. I'd like to acquire one this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Midfielders:

Stewart Downing - This 27 year old left winger is in the prime of his career. He is a world class left winger. My only concern is that a few guys on the team don't particularly like him. However, Rooney and Adriano love the guy. He is my clear #1 starter for at least a few years. He is signed for 2 more years.

Damien Duff - This 33 year old Irish left winger still has great speed, great physical abbilities, but his technical abilities are beginning to decline significantly. Perhaps the media were right, it might be time to start using this guy less frequently. However, I think he might be good enough for one more year. His mental attributes are top notch.

Alfonso - This 20 year old Spanish left winger is continuing to develop skills. He has very good physical skills, great mental skills, and his technical abilities are passable but still in need of development. In particular, I'd like to see him develop better crossing. Also of concern is that despite being a left winger, he is right footed. That inhibits the speed of his crosses at times.


Phil Neville - 35 year old defender/midfielder is strictly backup material. He has decent physical skills, very good mental skills, and poor technical skills except he is a decent defender still.

Eric Djemba Djemba - This 31 year old midfielder is still a top notch player. His injuries that are occuring with age are a concern. He has top notch phyiscal abilities, very good mental attributes, and very good technical skills. Has a superb long range shooting ability. Probably has 1-2 more years of first team football. He is signed through this year.

Barry Parker - I brought this 22 year old midfielder onto the team for youth. He is probably ready to play more regularly now. However, top players in the midfield remain ahead of him on the depth chart.

Michael Wood - This 20 year old midfielder is becoming unhappy that we aren't using him. He is developing in some areas nicely, and is worth 14 million dollars! However, I find myself considering selling him. Mainly because I don't think he is ready to play regularly, but he does have a great deal of potential. I might work him onto the pitch more.

Darren Fletcher - This 28 year old Scottish midfielder is still a top notch midfielder. He doesn't have very good speed, but he does everything else well. He is a great passer. Still one of my #1 midfielders, but perhaps not for long if Cook continues to develop..

Jamie Cook - This 20 year English Wonderkid is developing very nicely. He doesn't have great speed, but he has terrific off the ball skills. He has very good mental attributes. He has a great long shot. He is an excellent passer, excellent penalty shooter. He will almost certainly become our top midfielder in the near future. This kid has superstar potential. We recently signed him to a 4 year deal. He is signed through 2016.

Dalibor Stevanovic - This 27 year old midfielder is a very good midfielder. He has excellent shooting ability, good defensive ability, good physical skills. My biggest concern is his lack of determination on the pitch at times. He is good, but we have a glut of talent in the midfield. He might be one of my top candidates to attempt to move.

Souleymane Mamam - This 27 year old midfielder is a good midfielder. He is getting lost in the numbers game. He has excellent foot speed (the best among all of my central midfielders), he has good mental abilities, average technical skills. He is also someone I could seek to move out of this glut.

Christopher Eagles - This 26 year old right winger has become a star. His only fault is lack of good foot speed, yet he uses great anticipation, great crossing ability, good shooting, and excellent mental attributes to play the position very well.

Jeroen Schreurs - This 24 year old Dutch player could potentially push Eagles for the #1 right wing slot. He has better footspeed, excellent mental attributes, and is a superb passer. He really does everything well. He had a knock for not being brave before I acquired him, but this hasn't been a significant problem.


Overall, this position is overloaded with quality. I think Downing - Djemba - Fletcher - Eagles is as good a 4 across the midfield as any team in the world. Cook is a potential superstar. Wood could become very good too. Our stars aren't too old, and if anything I need to move a bit of the excess talent.

I definitely don't see the need to acquire a player unless it is a superstar who has sentimental attachment (such as Adu - although I might play him at Forward if I could somehow get him.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Finally, Striker:

Alan Smith - This 31 year old had a great season last year as he was one of 4 players to score over 20 goals, however, he shows signs of starting to decline in the offseason. It will be interesting to see if he rounds into shape as the pre-season commences. He still has excellent physical abilities, superb mental abilities, but his technical abilities have declined during this offseason. He is signed for 2 more years, and would appear to be among our top 4 strikers.


James McFadden - This 29 year old Scottish player is still in his prime. He also had over 20 goals last year. He is looking very good in practice, and appears to be a top notch striker still. Clearly my third best striker.


Wayne Rooney - This 26 year old is in the prime of his career. I'm very happy to have signed him to a new 4 year deal. He does everything well except tackling the opposition. He has excellent speed that is the best of my strikers. He is a superb dribbler. He has excellent first touch and shooting ability. Not great at heading, but doesn't have many weaknesses. Clearly my #1 striker. Led the team with 31 goals last year.


Adriano - This 20 year old Brazilian striker is my best acquisition at Manchester United so far. He has skyrocketed in value to over 50 million dollars now. He is signed to a new deal for 3 more years. He has superb physical abilities, excellent mental attributes (except for low creativity and flair), and excellent first touch. He is a great finisher around the net. Not a good penalty shooter, but that is ok. He is clearly either my #2 or #3 striker and should get better in the next few years.


Craig King - This 22 year old wonder kid didn't get to play much last year and I'm afraid it slowed down his development. One of my top goals this year is to get King more PT. He has great finishing ability, and he has the potential to be a star or superstar. I need to get him more PT. He is only signed through this year, and I need to make sure he is happy. I plan on offering him an extension now. I contact his agent, and his agent informs me that Craig wants to stay with the club but he wants to be reassured of more playing time this year. He also wants a raise to 70,000/week as well as a 1.2 million dollar signing bonus. I offer him all of those things.


Louis Saha - This 33 year old striker has lost most of his abilities. He is mostly around for sentimental reasons at this point. However, I will let him go when his contract runs out after this year. His footspeed was his last great attribute, and that has seriously declined now.

Ruud van Nistelrooy - This 36 year old striker has lost all of his speed. He didn't have a ton of speed to start with. He has a great shooting touch still, and is still a top notch penalty shooter. I don't anticipate using him much, and mostly signed him for sentimental reasons. He is a player/coach this year and I'm hoping he will agree to work for us as a physio after he retires.

Ernesto Marino - This 26 year old striker is good, even very good, but he isn't top notch. On most teams, he would be a #2 or #3 guy, but here he gets knocked out of the rotation by 5 guys who are better than him. I really want to move him, and will attempt to be very active in doing so very soon.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2012 -

My plans:

1. Perhaps for sentimental reasons, I really want to acquire Freddy Adu. I have 47 million dollars to work with. I also have a few spare players. I'm going to make a bid for Adu, using that money, Marino, and Wood or Stevanovic as a package deal. I don't know if it will be enough to get Adu. Perhaps this is a sentimental move and is not a smart move. However, I think Adu's value is going to continue to rise.. hopefully I get him and hopefully it is a smart investment. Seeing him play for Chelsea in the Champions League convinced me his footspeed is not so bad that he can't be effective at this level.


2. If my Adu bid(s) fail, I will go after a young defender or two to inject youth into that group. I really don't see any other needs at this point.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 9, 2012 -

Today I was officially announced by The English Football Association as their new national coach. Pundits wonder if a conflict of interest will merge as I divide my time between club and country.


The English Football Association has told me that expect England to qualify for the forthcoming World Cup. They expect strong performances from the national team throughout the qualification period and wish to remind me that the hopes and dreams of this proud footballing nation rest squarely on my shoulders.


Thanks, no pressure there.



Valencia has told Football365.com that they are interested in acquiring Jeroen Schreurs from us. Schreurs' agent is quoted on the site as saying that his client would be tempted by a move to Valencia if it should happen.


I reply to the rumor by saying, that "we will move Jeroen only if the price is right."



France has appointed Lens Boss, Victor Zvunka, as their new national coach.


Spain has appointed Real Madrid boss Francisco Chaparro as their new national coach.


Holland has hired PSV boss, Guus Hiddink, to be their new national coach.



Craig King has signed a new deal for 3 years and 10.5 million dollars. I need to make sure that I give him the promised extra playing time in the near future.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 10, 2012 -

Chelsea has rejected my first offer of 47 million dollars, Michael Woods, and Ernesto Marino for Adu. I will offer Stevanovic in that deal as well. I'll also add 30% of next sale on Adu.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 10, 2012 -

Today we are playing at Apollon in a friendly match. I'm strictly looking for a good tune-up today.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Cahais
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: King
S3: Schreurs
S4: Adriano
S5: O'Shea
S6: Mamam
S7: Parker
S8: Brown
S9: Alfonso
S10: Lucio
S11: Ferdinand
S12: Cook

[Eaglesfan27]

27 minute mark: Downing with a corner.. to the near post.. Smith heads it over the bar.

33 minute mark: Stevanovic with a hard long range shot.. over the bar.

36 minute mark: Eagles passes it long to Downing.. he has a breakaway.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. good save by the keeper.

43 minute mark: Downing passes to Stevanovic in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. Not much action. Our guys need to get in shape. I bring in the guys on the bench pairing Adriano and King at forward.


56 minute mark: Alfonso crosses the ball for King.. it sails over King's head.. into the goal! Fluke Goal! 1-0 lead.

73 minute mark: Alfonso crosses long to Schreurs who dribbles down the right sideline.. Schreurs passes it to King by the near post.. he traps it.. turns.. shoots.. upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 2-0. King with a nice shot.

86 minute mark: My midfielders pass it around the pitch.. looking for a hole in the defense.. Alfonso passes it to Adriano in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. tips it over the bar.


Game over. 2-0 win. Nice tune-up for us.

We outshot them 12-2.

Downing won MoM, 9 for form, 12 of 16 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 3 of 3 headers, 13 runs, 1 foul drawn.

Eagles, Schreurs, and Alfonso all did well. Most of the team was average. King did well too.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 13, 2012 -

Chelsea have offered 5.8 million plus 30% for Barry Parker. Very interesting, I tell them I want over 15 million for him. However, if they reject this Adu deal, I might throw parker as a part exchange in my new offer to them.


Jeroen Schreurs has told football365.com that he would be keen on joining Valencia, but the speculation is unsettling. He would like the situation to be settled one way or the other soon.

I don't want to move him, but if they force my hand I might...

[Eaglesfan27]

July 13, 2012 -

Chelsea have rejected my most recent offer for Adu. Now, I know that I'm going a bit too much on emotion as I find myself making a very generous offer for him:

I'm offering them 47 million, Michael Wood, Marino, Stevanovic, and now adding Mamam to the deal (I would add Parker, but I can't until the most recent counteroffer to Chelsea is rejected.)

I'm also upping the percentage of next sale to 40%. Adu certainly would be another star if we get him (at the expense of depth.)

[Eaglesfan27]

July 13, 2012 -

Today we travel to play Kalamaria which is a mediocre team. They will be another "Get into shape" match for us.

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

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Cahais
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Cook
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: O'Shea
S3: Schreurs
S4: King
S5: Brown
S6: Mamam
S7: Duff
S8: Lucio
S9: Parker
S10: Smith
S11: Ferdinand
S12: Wood

[Eaglesfan27]

15 minute mark: Cleyton pushed Rooney.. Cleyton gets a yellow card.

30 minute mark: Cook passes to Rooney.. he dribbles past a defender.. into the box.. shoots.. over the bar.

32 minute mark: Wellington pushed Cook.. yellow card for Wellington.. Cleyton argues the call.. gets his second yellow card.. he is ejected.

37 minute mark: Eagles passes to Fletcher in the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. good save by their keeper.

45 minute mark: Mamam passes the ball to Cook just outside the box.. he shoots.. wide right.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. I bring in the guys on my bench. Wood is among those, and is therefore getting his first real action with the big team even if it is a friendly.


54 minute mark: Wood passes to Duff in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper blocks it.. Smith gets the rebound.. taps it into the right half of the goal! GOAL!!! 1-0 lead.

89 minute mark: Duff dribbles down the left sideline.. crosses it long to the far side of the box.. Schreurs with a diving header.. the ball sails.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Game over. 2-0 win. Another good tune-up.

We outshot them 15-2 (8-0 on target)

Their keeper won MoM.

Schreurs, Cahais, Cook, and Fletcher looked really good. Everyone else was average.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 15, 2012 -

Today we travel to play Olympiakos in a friendly match. They are one of the better teams in Greece and this should be a good match. This match will be televised in Greece and England.

It's hot and sunny with temperatures in the high 80's today.


GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Cook
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: O'Shea
S3: Schreurs
S4: King
S5: Cahais
S6: Mamam
S7: Alfonso
S8: Grygera
S9: Parker
S10: Chivu
S11: Marino
S12: Wood

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Brown passes it long to Smith.. he has a breakaway.. whistle.. he is called for having been offside.

1st minute: Eagles steals the ball at midfield.. passes it long to McFadden.. he beats two defenders to it.. dribbles between them.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!! 1-0.

11 minute mark: Howard stops a 15 yards hot from Vasaliskas.


Halftime: A lackluster first half with only a few good scoring opportunities. Hopefully, my stars turn it on once the regular season starts. I'm bringing in the bench players.


51 minute mark: Mamam steals it at midfield.. passes it to Schreurs on the right wing.. he crosses to Marino in the box... Marino settles it.. shoots.. lower left corner.. the keeper dives.. GOAL!!!! 2-0. Good job Marino. Raise your trade value!


Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 12-7 (4-3 on target)

Howard won MoM. Everyone played well.

[GoldenEagle]

This is your conscience speaking.

You are giving up way, way too much for Adu.

That is all, for now.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 17, 2012 -

Chelsea have rejected my latest offer for Adu. I will make one final offer: I perform the previous offer plus I add Barry Parker into the mix. This will wipe out depth, but will also clear out a log jam of players at midfield while adding another true star to the mix. Then, I'll be able to mostly rely on Adu, Cook, Fletcher, and Djemba in the middle of the midfield. However, this offer is very generous and it will be my last offer for Adu (although I might declare interest and see if he wants to put pressure on them.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

This is your conscience speaking.

You are giving up way, way too much for Adu.

That is all, for now.

I *know* you are right, yet I couldn't stop myself from making one final offer.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 18, 2012 -

Milan have offered 80 million dollars for Freddy Adu!

[Eaglesfan27]

July 20, 2012 -

Chelsea have rejected my latest offer for Freddy Adu. The insanity must stop. I will not make any more offers unless they accept a reasonable offer. I will try to pressure them by making my desire to add Adu public.


Rada Benitez has been hired at Atletico de Madrid to take effect immediately.


The media speculated about my interest already. They feel that chelsea will sell Adu at the right price, but not to an EPL rival. They have a good point.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 20, 2012 -

Today we travel to play Sint-Truiden a team in Belgium in a friendly match. They have a mediocre team and should be easy to beat.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 70's.


GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Cook
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: O'Shea
S3: Schreurs
S4: King
S5: Cahais
S6: Mamam
S7: Duff
S8: Grygera
S9: Parker
S10: chivu
S11: Marino
S12: Wood

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Downing crosses to Cook in the middle of the box.. he heads it.. the keeper punches it over the bar.


32 minute mark: Cook crosses it to rooney.. he heads it... into the upper left corner.. Go.. whistle. Rooney is judged to have jumped unfairly with the defender.. the goal is waved off.


Halftime: 0-0 tie.


55 minute mark: We have a flurry of shots that their keeper stops.

65 minute mark: I put the bench players into the game.


0-0 tie. Very disappointing. Everyone was was just average except Eagles and Downing who played well. I hope the guys pick it up once the season starts.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 23, 2012 -

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has told the press that he will not sell Freddy Adu at any price.

I've already moved on. I've made bids on two young Italian Defenders who appear to have the potential to be great. I made a bid for Parma central defender Salva. Salva rejected the 9 million dollar bid yesterday. This 19 year old central defender has told Parma that he wants to come to Manchester United and he has made his wishes well known to the public via the press.

I also made an offer of 8.4 million for Gabriele Marchetti and Valencia rejected the offer. These two young Italian centrebacks could be great defenders in the future. I'll look to add them to the club to bolster our depth in the one area where I think we need it.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 25, 2012 -

Gabriele Marchetti has told Valencia boss Covelo (and the press) that he is upset that the club rejected our transfer bid for him. The 20 year old central defender is keen to join Manchester United and states that he should be allowed to leave.

Parma countered my offer for Salva today by asking for 19 million. I counter that with an offer of 15 million.

[Galaxy]

I think going for the two young defenders may be a better move for the depth and long-term for the United. Milan's $80 million offer should scare you away.

[robbgmaier]

those adu manuevers you made were just madness. jesus I'm glad chelsea didn't agree. sometime in a couple years when you start a new dynasty you can get him

I still say you should have shipped rooney's ass out