Tex - thanks for the update but unlike Simp I wasn't necessarily looking forward to it if you seem to be disconnected from it. You're a better version than Chico at the moment in that you seem to be around more often than him but I'm sure there's a reason why you're not posting regularly. Hope all it's good and when you're ready to roll, be it with Sheffield or a new CM, I look forward to following.
No worries it was one I had laying around from before I had stopped playing, which is why I had told Simp a few weeks back that I had something I could post but probably wouldn't have anything for a while after that. That career is just where the last update left off so it was a good idea to go ahead and get that out so whenever I do end up coming back to it I can pick up there.
Been wanting to play lately but have been a bit preoccupied so I haven't been able to. Things are going well for me though! Just celebrated 1 year wedding anniversary with my wife last week!
I've tried to become a WBA fan since Rondon was signed but can't nobody become a fan of a Pulis team, that's absurd. Would be fun to see that team actually reach his potential (please play Gamboa/Poco at FB). Malaga would also be fun because they have like 3 Venezuelans depending on which roster you use.
__________________ vrabbit
______________________________ Currently playing: FIFA 19 on XB1
Spoiler
Previously played: FIFA 16 on XB1 Teams: FC Barcelona
Globetrotter CM (previously at FC Twente, Kayserispor, Dorados de Sinaloa and Central Coast Mariners F.C.)
Newport County A.F.C.
__________________ vrabbit
______________________________ Currently playing: FIFA 19 on XB1
Spoiler
Previously played: FIFA 16 on XB1 Teams: FC Barcelona
Globetrotter CM (previously at FC Twente, Kayserispor, Dorados de Sinaloa and Central Coast Mariners F.C.)
Newport County A.F.C.
FIFA 16
Everton Career Mode
Ok seriously, Cruzerr, this has to be the last one, right?
Season 1
Squad
Spoiler
Goalkeepers
Loris Karius - 81 OVR - AGE 23 - Germany
Joel Robles - 75 OVR - AGE 26 - Spain
Jindrich Stanek - 65 OVR - AGE 20 - Czech Republic
Defenders
Seamus Coleman - 81 OVR - AGE 27 - Republic of Ireland
Mason Holgate - 65 OVR- AGE 19 - England (On loan at Wolves)
Jonjoe Kenny - 60 OVR - AGE 19 - England (On loan at Plymouth Argyle)
Tyias Browning - 69 OVR - AGE 22 - England
Tony Hibbert - 70 OVR - AGE 35 - England
John Stones - 79 OVR - AGE 22 - England
Phil Jagielka - 80 OVR - AGE 33 - England
Ramiro Funes Mori - 75 OVR - AGE 25 - Argentina
Matthew Pennington - 66 OVR - AGE 21 - England (On loan at Middlesbrough)
Leighton Baines - 84 OVR - AGE 31 - England
Brendan Galloway - 70 OVR - AGE 20 - England
Luke Garbutt - 72 OVR - AGE 23 - England
Antonio Rüdiger - 77 OVR - AGE 23 - Germany
Midfielders
James McCarthy - 81 OVR - AGE 25 - Republic of Ireland
Muhamed Besic - 76 OVR - AGE 23 - Bosnia & Herzegovina
Conor Grant - 64 OVR - AGE 21 - England
Gerard Deulofeu - 81 OVR - AGE 22 - Spain
Aaron Lennon - 76 OVR - AGE 29 - England
Aiden McGeady - 77 OVR - AGE 30 - Republic of Ireland
Darron Gibson - 77 OVR - AGE 28 - Republic of Ireland
Liam Walsh - 65 OVR - AGE 18 - England
Harry Charsley - 61 OVR - AGE 19 - Republic of Ireland
Ryan Ledson - 68 OVR - AGE 18 - England
Tom Cleverley - 77 OVR - AGE 26 - England
Kevin Mirallas - 81 OVR - AGE 28 - Belgium
Conor McAleny - 65 OVR - AGE 23 - England
Ross Barkley - 81 OVR - AGE 22 - England
Kieran Dowell - 67 OVR - AGE 19 - England (On loan at Charlton Athletic)
Shani Tarashaj - 72 OVR - AGE 21 - Switzerland
Ravel Morrison - 78 OVR - AGE 23 - England
Attackers
Romelu Lukaku - 82 OVR - AGE 23 - Belgium
Arouna Kone - 76 OVR - AGE 32 - Ivory Coast
Leandro Rodriguez - 67 OVR - AGE 23 - Uruguay
Courtney Duffus - 59 OVR - AGE 20 - England
Oumar Niasse - 79 OVR - AGE 26 - Senegal
David Henen - 64 OVR - AGE 20 - Belgium
Barkleys' penalty sent us to the COC Semi Finals!
Chapter 3 - December
Middle point of the season. Before the boys in blue could get their Christmas presents, they needed to see the year off well. However, like they knew firsthand - nothing comes easy in this league.
Premier League
Matchday 15
Leicester City 1-1 Everton
13' Coleman (OG)
28' Lukaku (Deulofeu)
Premier League
Matchday 16
Everton 1-1 Liverpool
12' Coutinho (Clyne)
21' Lukaku (PEN)
Capital One Cup
Quarter Finals
Chelsea 0-0 Everton
Everton won 4-3 on penalties.
Premier League
Matchday 17
Sunderland 1-1 Everton
50' Carroll
62' Lukaku (PEN)
Premier League
Matchday 18
Everton 0-1 Aston Villa
67' Ayew (Veretout)
Premier League
Matchday 19
Burnley 0-1 Everton
10' Niasse (Ledson)
Premier League
Matchday 20
Southampton 1-0 Everton
68' Ramirez
Snaps of Blue
He keeps on scoring, this time from a corner.
A rare mistake from Karius.
Niasse beating Burnley on his own.
One mans disappointment is another mans pleasure.
Moreno getting carded after giving away a penalty.
Carroll beating the whole defense.
My thoughts
First off - Sorry for the black edges on pictures! For some reason they stayed there and I only noticed them after uploading, will crop them out next time!
What a month - Such a difficult month, my god. We really stuggled in most games, it just did not click at all. Not even the "Lukaku, bail us" tactic work, nothing. I am glad we snuck the win against Chelsea, it could be a real chance for silverware, but other then that, work needs to be done.
The Derby - The derby was actually intense, my god. We had plenty of chances, but Mignolet was on his game, wow. Even saved a last minute chance from Lukaku, which I swear was going to the top corner.
Backbreaker - We literally played last 3 games in 5 days, my word. The whole month was tough, but that was just insane. A lot of players got minutes, which is why Ledson even gave an assist (he will be a beast!)
Next month - Next month will feature a crucial game against Man City, and the COC Semis against Arsenal!
What about the league post you promised, Cruzerr? - Well, Rabbit, it will come today! Stay Tuned!
I've tried to become a WBA fan since Rondon was signed but can't nobody become a fan of a Pulis team, that's absurd. Would be fun to see that team actually reach his potential (please play Gamboa/Poco at FB). Malaga would also be fun because they have like 3 Venezuelans depending on which roster you use.
Rondon is a raw beast and my first choice for our striker signing this summer.
Rondon is a raw beast and my first choice for our striker signing this summer.
Remind me what your team is again?
__________________ vrabbit
______________________________ Currently playing: FIFA 19 on XB1
Spoiler
Previously played: FIFA 16 on XB1 Teams: FC Barcelona
Globetrotter CM (previously at FC Twente, Kayserispor, Dorados de Sinaloa and Central Coast Mariners F.C.)
Newport County A.F.C.
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (69 OVR). Joe Green available to be recalled from loan if needed. Fullbacks: Jerome Binnom-Williams (72 OVR), Moses Odubajo (70 OVR), Nicolai Fernandes (68 OVR), Mehmet Çelik (67 OVR), Magnus Dahle (59 OVR), Atsushi Nagatsuka (54 OVR). Centre-backs: Juan Komar (70 OVR), Tyler Blackett (69 OVR), Taylor Moore (66 OVR), Andrew Hughes (61 OVR), Kieran Parselle (60 OVR), Jean Ambrose (60 OVR), Tafari Hunt (59 OVR). Midfielders/Wingers: Rohan Ince (73 OVR), Konsta Salo (72 OVR), Clark Gordon (70 OVR), Bondz Moore (69 OVR), Jack Giles (69 OVR), Ben Potter (66 OVR), Devante Parker (66 OVR), Cristiano Dall'Oglio (63 OVR), Hikaru Ichigawa (62 OVR). Strikers: Jack McKay (70 OVR), Marcus Thuram (67 OVR), Patrick Miller (64 OVR), Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (61 OVR), Aaron Collins (61 OVR).
J. Paint Trophy - Area Quarter Final Doncaster - Newport County (0-2) Gordon 8'
Thuram 90+' (Odubajo) Gordon 45+' (Sprained ankle, out 3 weeks)
Marcus Thuram continued to be a pain for opposing defenses, having a hand in both goals as The Exiles continue to move in the JPT. Gordon's score early in the game came as a result of a Thuram shot that was saved, the ball deflecting towards a wide open Gordon. Unfortunately for the academy product from Scotland he once again starts the month with an injury that will keep him out about 3 weeks.
League Match 16 Portsmouth - Newport County (0-0)
Spoiler
Gotta complain about the game here. On the calendar this game was the day after a friendly with Finland and for some reason after said friendly was over the calendar sat on game day but only with the option to advance without showing the game happening. Some sort of glitch obviously. I guess I'm just happy I didn't get an L.
League Match 17 Newport County - Bury (4-2)
Miller 8' Giles 38' (Potter)
Mayor 52' McKay 69' (Thuram)
B. Moore 84' (Potter)
McKay 90+' (B. Moore)
Bury gave The Exiles a run for their money but in the end Newport was able to equalize the game twice then run away with a two-goal lead thanks to big games from Jack McKay, Ben Potter, and Bondz Moore.
Spoiler
Jack McKay celebrates his goal in stoppage time of the 2nd half.
League Match 18 Rotherham Utd - Newport County (1-0)
Newell 62' Dall'Oglio 26' Parker 70'
The Exiles' B-squad created a few scoring opportunities but couldn't outplay a Rotherham squad that earned their goal to pull out this victory. Furthermore, Dall'Oglio's third yellow card in league play meant he'd have to miss the next game.
League Match 19 Newport County - Walsall (2-1)
Fantom 9' Ichigawa 44' (Salo)
Potter 86' (Giles)
Marccelino chose to play his B-squad in back-to-back games and with Dall'Oglio's absence the club decided to promote Hikaru Ichigawa from the academy, a move that paid off as the CDM scored an equalizer as the half neared its end. Both teams pushed each other in the second half looking for the victory and it would be The Exiles who would find the game winner as Potter handled backup duties at CAM.
Spoiler
Salo feeds Ichigawa who would go on to score his first career goal in his first career game as a pro.
League Match 20 MK Dons - Newport County (3-1)
Jennings 32'
Randall 78' Giles 89'
Randall 90+'
A much-awaited match-up between the top two teams in the league went to the Dons, who were hosting The Exiles. Newport came into this game as the highest scoring team in the league but the hosts countered with the best defense in the league and they, at least for this night, proved their defense was better than Newport's offense.
Clean Sheets 1 - Martin (MK Dons) - 8
2 - Day (Gillingham) - 7
T3 - Piedrahita (Luton Town) - 5
...
T4 - Martinez (Newport County) - 4
Spoiler
Review: As you might be able to conclude from looking at the standings we had gone into that last game of the month with a 3-point lead for 1st place but unfortunately we were unable to get the job done against a good MK Dons squad. In retrospect maybe the simmed draw at Portsmouth hurts a bit since that looked like a winnable game. But still, it seems like every month we cut into the Dons' lead so have to be happy about that with still more than half a season left. It was a special moment to promote Ichigawa out of necessity then get him scoring on his very first game (which out of necessity was also a start). His overall and Dall'Oglio's are pretty much the same but the Italian's game is slightly more well-rounded so he'll continue to be ahead of the Japanese in the pecking order for now. Other than that, obviously happy about continuing to move in the JPT and a bit worried about Gordon suffering injuries in back-to-back months though not quite ready to put him in Giles' territory just yet.
In academy news, there's still no news as we keep our scouts on hold so we'll just update you on the guys in the youth squad:
- Gregorio Miranda (LB,61 OVR, 81-87): The now 17-year old from Argentina is actually right-footed and may project as an option at RB. Pace-wise he's currently similar to Fernandes in that he's close to average although he has better acceleration (and obviously isn't as advanced in his overall development).
- David Fox (RM, 61 OVR, 78-84): 16-year old from Scotland has very good agility and our scouts are very pleased by his progress in the academy last season which may lead to promotion at some point this season.
- Satoshi Kagome (CDM, 47 OVR, 78-84): 17-year old from Japan who is physically strong. Coaches will look to develop him into more than just a defensive stopper.
- Hayato Matsuki (GK, 61 OVR,75-81): This Japanese prospect was the first goalkeeper to join the academy and after recently turning 17 he now stands 6'7" and 196lbs, making him a very special prospect for the club. His potential may not be as high as we initially thought but he has been working hard in the academy, impressing coaches and improving his skillset (AND his potential is higher than any other GK in the game with his measurements).
- Bondz Laslie (CB, 55 OVR, 77-83): 18-year old from England who seems like a carbon copy of Tafari Hunt who was recently promoted, and we hope he'll develop his game as quickly.
- Daniel Seager (CM, 54 OVR, 76-82): After recently turning 17 this Englishman decided to focus on using his 6-feet, 176-pound frame towards being a defensive midfielder to maximize some of his best attributes such as strength and aggression.
- Yoshi Ishinomori (CM, 46 OVR, 75-83): The 17-year old from Japan is a commanding physical presence standing at 6'5" and 189lbs and the club will try to develop his skill set to quickly match his physical abilities.
- Eiichi Suzuki (GK, 57 OVR, 76-82): The 16-year old from Japan represents the second keeper signed by the club and will battle with his countryman in the academy.
- Juan Pablo (LW, 58 OVR, 72-78): The final evaluation for this Argentinian prospect is that the 17-year old's potential isn't as high as initially thought. Still, he possesses very good quickness and swiftness and his outstanding skills in short spaces could be a weapon of value for us.
* Recent addition.
Having recently taken over for a Finland national team that has qualified for the 2018 World Cup, the few friendly games the team will have before the big dance will be important for Marccelino to get a good grip on this squad.
International Friendly Finland - Norway (3-0) Ring 30' (Hurme)
Ring 45+' (Pukki)
Pohjanpalo 48' (Ring)
Finland was rusty adjusting the 4-1-2-1-2 and for the first 29 minutes of the game Norway had a sizable advantage in possession but they themselves weren't being too sharp on offense. A couple of counter-attacks by Finland gave them a 2-0 lead at the half and they managed it from there.
International Friendly Bulgaria - Finland (0-0)
Neither team was able to create many opportunities though Marccelino can walk away from this game proud of holding the opponent to just one shot that wasn't even on target.
That's all for this update!
^^^ Previous update
Newport County A.F.C.
'17-'18 December Update
The Roster
Spoiler
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (69 OVR), Hayato Matsuki (61 OVR). Fullbacks: Jerome Binnom-Williams (72 OVR), Moses Odubajo (70 OVR), Nicolai Fernandes (69 OVR), Mehmet Çelik (67 OVR), Gregorio Miranda (61 OVR), Magnus Dahle (60 OVR), Atsushi Nagatsuka (54 OVR). Centre-backs: Juan Komar (70 OVR), Tyler Blackett (70 OVR), Taylor Moore (66 OVR), Andrew Hughes (61 OVR), Jean Ambrose (61 OVR), Tafari Hunt (60 OVR), Kieran Parselle (60 OVR). Midfielders/Wingers: Rohan Ince (73 OVR), Konsta Salo (72 OVR), Clark Gordon (70 OVR), Bondz Moore (69 OVR), Jack Giles (69 OVR), Ben Potter (66 OVR), Devante Parker (66 OVR), Cristiano Dall'Oglio (63 OVR), Hikaru Ichigawa (63 OVR), David Fox (62 OVR), Juan Pablo (59 OVR), Daniel Seager (55 OVR). Strikers: Jack McKay (70 OVR), Marcus Thuram (68 OVR), Patrick Miller (64 OVR), Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (63 OVR), Aaron Collins (61 OVR).
F.A Cup - Round 2 Newport County - Barnsley (2-2) Thuram 21' (B. Moore)
Williams 52'
Boutaïb 79' Blackett 89' (Salo)
Barnsley goalkeeper Adam Davies played out of his mind all game long, pushing The Exiles to the brink of elimination until a shot from outside the box by the one of the unlikeliest scorers essentially sent this match-up to a replay later this month. Davies was worth the price of admission all on his own, making 8 saves, each one seemingly more impressive than the previous one. Newport put together 12 shots, 9 on goal, and needed every bit of it to simply draw against a squad they undoubtedly outplayed but was simply more decisive with their chances.
Spoiler
Adam Davies did not see this shot to his right from Tyler Blackett in the 89th minute until it was too late due to all the bodies between him and the ball.
J. Paint Trophy - Area Semi Final AFC Wimbledon - Newport County (2-3) McKay 13'
Beere 31' Ince 39' (McKay)
Taylor 80' Gordon 90+' (B. Moore)
Clark Gordon turned in a full game effort and put a bow on it with a game-winning goal on practically the last play of the game in stoppage time.
With consecutive cup games in a four-day span and league game lurking four days later Marccelino did not want to use Konsta Salo in the game so Gordon was asked to go all the way. It was a hard-fought game the way these match-ups used to be in League Two action, but the best team prevailed at the end.
League Match 21 Newport County - Chesterfield (1-1) P. Miller 42' (Salo)
Evans-Blake 84'
Sylvan Ebans-Blake was relentless all game long and the fourth time was charm for him as he finally got a shot on target and turned it into the equalizer for the game's final score. The Exiles' B-team turned in a respectable effort but were unable to create many scoring opportunities and it was Emiliano Martinez who would walk away with MOM honors after Chesterfield's 9 shots (5 on goal).
League Match 22 Oldham Athletic - Newport County (1-1)
Cassidy 5' McKay 35' (B. Moore)
Martinez saved a penalty kick in the 31st minute to keep The Exiles in the game and McKay scored four minutes later to allow Newport to steal a point on the road. Although the team are far separated in the standings the hosts kept possession about even while creating more opportunities for a score.
F.A Cup - Round 2 (Replay) Barnsley - Newport County (1-2) Gordon 25' (Odubajo)
Giles 49' (Thuram)
Williams 58' Giles 75' Gordon 75' Ince 62' (Bruised shoulder, out 5 days)
The Exiles stepped up to the challenge of playing this replay on the road and won this game behind a constant attack (8 shots, 7 on target).
Spoiler
Clark Gordon opens up the scoring for The Exiles.
League Match 23 Newport County - Luton Town (2-2) P. Miller 38' (Salo)
Vildozo 49' (pen)
Marriott 71' Potter 85' (Ichigawa)
The Exiles B-squad could only put together enough offense to earn a draw against a familiar foe. Konsta Salo found Patrick Miller on a counter attack to open up the scoring but Luton Town goalkeeper Kevin Piedrahita shut it down for most of the game thereafter, keeping his squad in the game to help them turn around the score. Fortunately for the fans at Rodney Parade, Ben Potter was able to turn the corner against his defender for an unstoppable shot that would net Newport a point.
League Match 24 Newport County - MK Dons (4-0) Thuram 7' (Ince)
Giles 62'
Dall'Oglio 83' (Salo)
Salo 86' (McKay)
The Exiles blitzed the Dons to avenge their loss at Milton Keynes at the end of last month, attacking without mercy from the get-go and frustrating their opponents to leave them with no shots on target on six attempts. Marccelino knew this was an important game and his team responded with perhaps their best game of the season to date.
F.A Cup - Round 3 Newport County - Nott'm Forest (0-1)
Assombalonga 29'
Forest played suffocating defense for the entirety of the game to conceal The Exiles' offense and walk away with the 1-0 victory in this cup tie. On the other hand, Britt Assombalonga was a force to be reckoned with all game long so it was fitting he'd score the only goal of the game.
Marccelino's Diary: More draws than I would had liked which made the win over the Dons that much more important. On a separate note it was frustrating to be eliminated from the F.A. It's important to note we were eliminated from both the COC and the FA by teams from the Championship, which is the tier of The Football League we're trying to get and we're on track to join this season. This doesn't go unnoticed by me and we need to continue to improve our squad if we're going to succeed and achieving promotion and if we're planning on continuing to have success next season. This upcoming transfer window could be an opportunity to improve our roster if we figure out a way to obtain some funds. At least we've moved on to the Area Final of the JPT which now more than ever is a trophy I'd like to raise.
Towards the end of the month, and with the upcoming transfer window in mind, I decided to promote a number of guys from the academy to give us some flexibility with some decision and to maybe get some of those lads some playing opportunities on loan. Therefore, our academy only has three players left in it:
- Satoshi Kagome (CDM, 48 OVR, 78-84): 17-year old from Japan who is physically strong. Coaches will look to develop him into more than just a defensive stopper.
- Yoshi Ishinomori (CM, 47 OVR, 77-83): The 17-year old from Japan is a commanding physical presence standing at 6'5" and 189lbs and the club will try to develop his skill set to quickly match his physical abilities.
- Eiichi Suzuki (GK, 58 OVR, 76-82): The 16-year old from Japan represents the second keeper signed by the club and will battle with his countryman, Hayato Matsuki, to become the club's main backup goalkeeper.
* Recent addition.
Gregorio Miranda, David Fox, Bondz Laslie, and Juan Pablo were promoted at my own request. Daniel Seager requested promotion and we granted it. The plans is for youth scouts to go in search of more talent once the transfer window closes and we can assess how much of our funds we'll be able to put towards scouting more young talent.
What's next
1/2/18: at Southend United (JPT)
1/5/18: at Walsall
1/8/18: vs Southend United (JPT)
1/13/18: vs Oldham Athletic
1/27/18: at Chesterfield
1/30/18: vs Rotherham Utd
Two games against last seasons' JPT champion as well as four games against teams competing for a playoff spot. Plus, of course, the much discussed transfer window. SPOILER ALERT: one of our top-rated prospects is sold for over twice his value, who will it be?
__________________ vrabbit
______________________________ Currently playing: FIFA 19 on XB1
Spoiler
Previously played: FIFA 16 on XB1 Teams: FC Barcelona
Globetrotter CM (previously at FC Twente, Kayserispor, Dorados de Sinaloa and Central Coast Mariners F.C.)
Newport County A.F.C.