How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

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Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Newport County A.F.C.

'21-'22 September Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Jasper Cillessen (86 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (71 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (81 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (73 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (70 OVR)*
RB: Willem Van Hout (70 OVR)*
RB: Johan Sheriff (68 OVR)*
RB: Márcio Souza (67 OVR)*
CB: Kurt Zouma (86 OVR)
CB: Niklas Süle (84 OVR)
CB: Sebastián Vegas (78 OVR)
CB: Ron Vlaar (77 OVR)
CB: Bondz Lapslie (73 OVR)*
CB: Tafari Hunt (70 OVR)*
CB: Tom Maguire (66 OVR)* (on loan at Middlesbrough)
LB: Jordan Amavi (79 OVR)
LB: Elmir Nabiullin (77 OVR)
LB: Jeff Cohen (66 OVR)* (on loan at Shrewsbury)

CDM: Rohan Ince (77 OVR)
CDM: Doke Boëtius (75 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (73 OVR)*
CDM: Daniel Amaral (66 OVR)*
CM: Paul Pogba (91 OVR)
CM: Clark Gordon (81 OVR)*
CM: Joe Allen (80 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (70 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (73 OVR)*
LM: Raphaël Guerreiro (81 OVR)
LM: Ben Potter (76 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (77 OVR)
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (74 OVR)* (on loan at Aston Villa)
CAM: Daniele Martella (74 OVR)*
CAM: Eduard Cardenas (62 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (78 OVR)*
LW: Marcos Andrade (70 OVR)*
ST: Breel Donald Embolo (83 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (78 OVR)*
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (76 OVR)
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (73 OVR)
ST: Liam Taylor (68 OVR)*
ST: Sean Hugill (64 OVR)*
ST: Mikael Weilid (60 OVR)*
CF: Jordan Davies (60 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Cillessen (86)

Al Shahrani (81)/Süle (84)/Vegas (78)/Amavi (79)

Boëtius (75)

Farfán (C, 77) ------------------ Guerreiro (81)

Gordon (81)

Ringdal Støvland (78) ------- Embolo (83)
______________________________________

Jasper Cillessen was named Player of the Month for August.
______________________________________

League Match 5
Manchester City - Newport County (2-2)
Teixeira 9'
Embolo 30' (Gordon)
Bony 45'
Ringdal Støvland 65' (Gordon)

Clark Gordon picked a great time to showcase his skills as a passer as the two goals he assisted on helped The Exiles overcome their injuries to steal a point at the Etihad Stadium. It was a fair result for an evenly-contested game.


Sebastián Vegas put his jumping ability in full display on this corner kick but made his jump too early and the ball was secured by Bernd Leno.


Jasper Cillessen helped his side avoid defeat with this tough save on a close-range shot from Mario Götze.

Euro League - Group Match 1
Newport County - FC Krasnodar (2-1)
Leya Iseka 2' (Gersbeck)
Leya Iseka 24'
Mamaev 69'

Nicolas Gersbeck had an assist and a half and Aaron Leya Iseka netted a brace as The Exiles' B-squad started Newport's UEL campaign on the right foot at home. After assisting his striking partner a couple of minutes in Gersbeck nearly scored a goal of his own in the 24th minute but his crossing shot was deflected by Andrey Sinitsyn. Unfortunately for the Russian goalkeeper the deflection went right onto the path of Leya Iseka who did not miss to score what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

League Match 6
Newport County - Norwich (3-0)
Pogba 70' (Amavi)
Ringdal Støvland 84' (Guerreiro)
Ringdal Støvland 88' (Potter)

Paul Pogba wasn't quite ready for a full load but Giovanni Marccelino opted to have him as an option off the bench which turned out to be a wise move. Pogba scored a couple of minutes after entering the game to finally break Norwich's defense and Kjetil Ringdal Støvland scored a brace in five minutes to give Newport County a comfortable and deserved win at Rodney Parade.

League Cup - Round 3
Newport County - Blackburn Rovers (2-3)
Gersbeck 64' (pen)
Rhodes 70'
Koita 73'
Marshall 76'
Nabiullin 90+2' (Moore)

Blackburn Rovers pulled off the upset at Rodney Parade thanks to an incredible scoring outburst in a seven-minute span that shocked even The Exiles, who were never able to overcome their sudden deficit to once again fail to compete for the league cup. Newport County weren't their usual selves shooting wise as their B-squad only managed 4 shots on target out of 12 total shots mostly due to several shots hitting woodwork.

League Match 7
Leicester City - Newport County (2-2)
Mahrez 75'
Ringdal Støvland 86' (Moore)
Kramarić 90'
Ringdal Støvland 90+4'

Ringdal Støvland willed The Exiles to a draw at King Power Stadium to help Newport County earn a more-than-fair draw. Marccelino's side was once again relentless on the attack, firing off 16 shots (12 on target), but not shockingly Kasper Schmeichel was up for the challenge. As the game unfolded it sure seemed like The Exiles would end up with a tough loss but RS first broke through in the 86th minute to even up the game at 1. Andrej Kramarić's goal in the 90th minute all but assured heartbreak for Newport fans before The Norwegian Tank came to the rescue again four minutes into stoppage time, scoring in fashion very similar to his late goal vs Hull City in the season's home opener.

Euro League - Group Match 2
SK Sturm Graz - Newport County (1-6)
Edomwonyi 9'
Gersbeck 44' (pen)
Leya Iseka 53'
Esser 58' (OG)
Gersbeck 78'
Potter 84' (Taylor)
Gersbeck 90+2' (Odubajo)
Spendlhofer 41'

Sturm Graz' manager, Franco Foda, became irate in the 53rd minute and his ire lasted until well after the final whistle due to a controversial play that arguably changed the whole game. In the 53rd minute Leya Iseka's goal put The Exiles ahead for good but Foda rightfully has beef with how the goal came to be (as in, it shouldn't have been allowed). Moses Odubajo sped down the right wing all the way down to the back line before turning into the box against tight coverage from a defender. Odubajo was able to get past the defender to send the ball in towards goal which Sturm Graz' GK, Michael Esser, deflected. However, replays clear show the ball had crossed the back line before Odubajo send it towards the goal, which should had resulted on a goal kick for the home team. Instead the deflected ball found its way to Leya Iseka who didn't miss from close range. Foda lost his mind on the sidelines and it remains a mystery how he wasn't ejected, and his squad pretty much fell apart from that point forward as Newport County destroyed them led by Gersbeck's hat-trick. Anyone watching this game was certainly entertained in one way or another.


Clear evidence of the ball being out of bounds. A clear missed call by the refs.


Esser was able to deflect the ball but not secure it.


This goal by Leya Iseka was nearly gifted, and Newport County just piled it on from there.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o4EkF3x0NkQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
______________________________________






Barclays PL
Top Scorers
1. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 6
T2. Teixeira (Manchester City) - 5
T2. Jiménez (Newcastle Utd) - 5
T2. Viana (West Brom) - 5

Assists
1. Ibe (Liverpool) - 4
T2. Elbouzedi (West Brom) - 3
T2. Beşir (Leicester City) - 3

Clean Sheets
1. Ichazo (Derby County) - 4
T2. Lloris (Spurs) - 2
T2. Leno (Manchester City) - 2
(4 others with 2 also)

Review: It wasn't a perfect month for The Exiles but they definitely achieved a lot of good things in September as they start to get some key players back from injury. Newport County had to work hard to remain undefeated in league play but the draw against Leicester in particular could prove costly as Tottenham seem to remain in great form following their championship last season. Without question the last game of the month was the most talked about of them all due to all the drama surrounding Leya Iseka's goal. To date UEFA has yet to comment on the issue and it wouldn't be surprising if they don't. In all fairness, Sturm Graz was playing with 10 men since late in the first half after the red card to Lukas Spendlhofer (which was deserved) so Newport County would had probably won the game regardless of whether the ball had been ruled out of bounds prior to Leya Iseka's goal. Nonetheless, it sure makes the next match between these two teams more exciting when they face off during the last round of the group stage. Other than that Marccelino can't be happy about the loss in the League Cup at home to Blackburn Rovers but the team can always shoot to have a better showing in the F.A. Cup later this season.

Individually RS' performances are the most notable and the academy-product is once again off to a flying start to the season, currently leading the league in scoring. The Norwegian Tank has a tendency to start off seasons in great form but fail to show consistency as the season progresses so it'll be interesting to see whether this season is any different and how much The Exiles can take advantage of his top form.

In academy news, Newport County has sent scouts to United States, Northern Ireland, and Cameroon in search of more talent so that will be something to keep an eye on. All scouts are expected to return to the club's headquarters after three months.

The Academy
(listed by their ranking in it)

RM - Tobias Perez (64 OVR, 88-94 POT): This 17-year old from France has turned out to be a great find. Scouts unanimously agree he has potential to be special and he is now the top prospect in the academy. He possesses outstanding pace (78acc/73spd) for his age to go with excellent balance (73) and curve (76) on the ball.

ST - Billel Cissé (59 OVR, 86-92): This 17-year old striker from France Standing at 5'9" and 147lbs is officially the next top prospect for the club at this position. Cissé's top attribute is his pace (73 acc, 71 spd) which should come in handy for his size. The club is working on developing his striker skills.

CDM - Pierre Tägtström (58 OVR, 83-89): 16-year old from Sweden who is next in a great lineup of defensive midfielders developed by the club since Marccelino's arrival. Described as physically strong, Tägtström's exciting potential is undeniable and he displays excellent aggressiveness (89) towards the ball. At his age and with the club's depth at the position he should be able to spend time developing in the academy without any rush.

LW - Andre Domingues (57 OVR, 77-83): 16-year old from Portugal who is starting to lose the rawness of his game and slow creeping towards his great potential. His top attribute continues to be his pace (75acc/70spd), although his agility (72) and balance (71) are also notable.

CDM - Andy Tandia (53 OVR, 75-81): Yet another defensive midfielder prospect, this 17-year old prospect from France currently projects as more of a future backup for the club.
* Recent addition

2022 WC - UEFA Qualifying

Group Match 9
Austria - Hungary (3-2)
Lazaro 3'
Kavlak 13'
Kalmár 15' (Stieber)
Arnautović 50' (pen)
Szalai 88'

Austria, which had no chance to qualify for the WC coming into this game, dealt Hungary's prospects of qualifying a big blow with this surprising victory. The home side shocked the visitors with a couple of early goals and although Hungary looked to be able to at least earn a draw Marko Arnautović's penalty kick in the 50th minute pretty much closed the door on a comeback by Marccelino's squad.

Group Match 10
Hungary - Turkey (2-3)
Szalai 4'
Çalhanoğlu 11'
Nukan 33'
Szalai 65'
Tufan 67'

Hungary needed a win and an Italy loss to secure a spot in next year's World Cup but got neither as Turkey quickly answered each one of Ádám Szalai's scores to officially eliminate Hungary from contention in the last date of WC qualifying. This was a disappointing end to what had started as a magical run for the Hungarians and Marccelino.



Hungary entered this round of games in second place in the group, behind Belgium only by goal difference, but their back-to-back losses precluded them from staying in qualifying position to end their Cinderella run towards the World Cup. Despite missing out on qualifying, Marccelino showed an ability to maximize Hungary's offensive potential as Szalai finished as the group's leading scorer with 7 goals while Zoltán Stieber tied a couple of Belgian players for the most assists with 5.



It hadn't even been 24 hours since Marccelino had become available on the international market by the time the Mexican Soccer Federation had reached out to him with a job offer. However, it appears the Italian coach remains interested in coaching an European nation and he may take some time to decide on the offer from Mexico as he evaluates all of his options.

October Schedule
10/3: vs Chelsea
10/16: at Crystal Palace
10/21: vs Lech Poznań (Euro League)
10/24: at Everton
10/31: vs Manchester Utd

October shouldn't present much of a scheduling conflict for The Exiles as all of their games are pretty well spread out so Newport County will have an opportunity to make a statement on whether they can contend for a league title this season. Lech Poznań was Newport's opponent in the Round of 32 of the UEL last season and it was never much of a contest, but Marccelino will likely continue to play his B-squad in the UEL so it should be a much closer contest.

Thanks for reading

^^^ Previous update

Newport County A.F.C.

'21-'22 October Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Jasper Cillessen (86 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (71 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (81 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (73 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (71 OVR)*
RB: Willem Van Hout (71 OVR)*
RB: Johan Sheriff (69 OVR)*
RB: Márcio Souza (68 OVR)*
CB: Kurt Zouma (86 OVR)
CB: Niklas Süle (84 OVR)
CB: Sebastián Vegas (78 OVR)
CB: Ron Vlaar (77 OVR)
CB: Bondz Lapslie (73 OVR)*
CB: Tafari Hunt (70 OVR)*
CB: Tom Maguire (66 OVR)* (on loan at Middlesbrough)
LB: Jordan Amavi (79 OVR)
LB: Elmir Nabiullin (77 OVR)
LB: Jeff Cohen (66 OVR)* (on loan at Shrewsbury)

CDM: Rohan Ince (77 OVR)
CDM: Doke Boëtius (75 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (73 OVR)*
CDM: Daniel Amaral (66 OVR)*
CM: Paul Pogba (91 OVR)
CM: Clark Gordon (81 OVR)*
CM: Joe Allen (81 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (70 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (73 OVR)*
LM: Raphaël Guerreiro (81 OVR)
LM: Ben Potter (76 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (77 OVR)
CAM: Daniele Martella (75 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (75 OVR)* (on loan at Aston Villa)
CAM: Eduard Cardenas (63 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (73 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (78 OVR)*
LW: Marcos Andrade (71 OVR)*
ST: Breel Donald Embolo (83 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (78 OVR)*
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (76 OVR)
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (73 OVR)
ST: Liam Taylor (69 OVR)*
ST: Sean Hugill (64 OVR)*
ST: Mikael Weilid (61 OVR)*
CF: Jordan Davies (60 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Cillessen (86)

Al Shahrani (81)/Süle (84)/Vegas (78)/Amavi (79)

Pogba (91)

Farfán (C, 77) ------------------ Guerreiro (81)

Gordon (81)

Ringdal Støvland (78) ------- Embolo (83)
______________________________________

Kjetil Ringdal Støvland was named Player of the Month for September.
______________________________________

League Match 8
Newport County - Chelsea (1-1)
Embolo 8' (Pogba)
Kenedy 28'
Amavi 50'

The Exiles withstood a strong challenge from The Blues to manage a draw at Rodney Parade and continue their unbeaten streak in the BPL this season. Chelsea edged the home side both in possession (55%) and shots (eight, six on target) but couldn't manage to get more than their sixth draw of the season to go with one win and one loss.

League Match 9
Crystal Palace - Newport County (2-4)
Mutch 21'
Gordon 23' (Guerreiro)
Gordon 32' (Ringdal Støvland)
Farfán 71' (Ringdal Støvland)
Farfán 84' (pen)
van de Beek 90+2'
Amavi 26'

The Exiles scored four goals from the guys playing the CAM position to earn a dominant win at Selhurst Park. Clark Gordon had an eventful 10-minute stretch midway through the first half that netted him two goals and a yellow card. He was subbed out early in the second half for fellow academy graduate Ben Potter, who stepped in at RM while Jefferson Farfán moved up to CAM and it was the skipper who scored a brace of his own to seal the win for Newport County.

Euro League - Group Match 3
Newport County - Lech Poznań (0-0)

The Exiles' B-squad was unable to secure a third consecutive win in the UEL as the visiting Polish side used an edge in possession (57%) to slow down Newport County's attack. Even with that Marccelino's side created a good number of opportunities (seven shots, six on target) but weren't able to cash in on any of them to allow Lech Poznań to be tied with them for the group lead (just below them due to GD).

League Match 10
Everton - Newport County (4-0)
Bacuna 6'
Lukaku 63'
Lukaku 67'
Cleverley 82'
Pogba 9' (Sprained ankle, out for 4 weeks)
Süle 60' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

The Exiles are unbeaten in the BPL no more after a nightmarish day at Goodison Park. Everton came out with heavy pressure and were able to break through early for the lead, which was followed by another injury to Paul Pogba. The game sort of settled down from there with both teams creating a couple of scoring chances until Niklas Süle had to get off the pitch briefly with a shoulder injury. Everton exploited his absence as Lukaku netted a brace in four-minute span three minutes after Süle's brief exit, which pretty much sealed the win for Everton. Newport County was only able to generate five shots, all of them on target and of the scoring threat variety but Jack Butland was having none of it.

League Match 11
Newport County - Manchester Utd (4-1)
Embolo 33'
Farfán 38' (Ringdal Støvland)
Herrera 44'
Gordon 45+3'
Ringdal Støvland 51' (Embolo)

The Exiles trounced The Red Devils at Rodney Parade to bounce back strongly from the defeat against Everton. Man U, which gave Newport County all sorts of issues last season, was thoroughly outplayed by Marccelino's side from the kick off. It might had been a 5-1 game if not for Sergio Romero who saved a penalty kick from Farfán in the 25th minute.


Embolo opened up the scoring after outmuscling Phil Jones for the ball right outside the box.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hgjcfhnTOL8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly this free kick from Clark Gordon executed almost to perfection. Gordon has had a bounce-back season so far.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z_snWyP4QPg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


______________________________________






Barclays PL
Top Scorers
T1. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 7
T1. Jiménez (Newcastle Utd) - 7
T2. Teixeira (Manchester City) - 6
T2. Polter (QPR) - 6
T2. Jørgensen (Hull City) - 6

Assists
1. Ibe (Liverpool) - 5
T2. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 4
T2. Wickham (Crystal Palace) - 4

Clean Sheets
1. Szczęsny (Arsenal) - 6
2. Ichazo (Derby County) - 5
T2. Butland (Everton) - 4
T2. Leno (Manchester City) - 4

Analysis: Following the Everton game October had a lot of potential for being a tough month for The Exiles but their strong win to close out the month against Man U has definitely lifted the spirits in Newport. Marccelino's side had been in very good form up until the visit to Goodison Park and it must had been refreshing for them to see themselves return to good form so promptly. Nevertheless, the loss to Everton will definitely sting on a couple of levels. For one, Newport County is now one place lower in the standings; but perhaps more important is the fact that Pogba is now back on the shelf. The French star was only able to enjoy a month of action following his broken toe at the end of the pre-season before suffering this new injury to his ankle that will keep him sidelined for another month. Considering he was The Exiles' MVP last season he will definitely be a significant loss for the club. In somewhat better news, Rohan Ince has been cleared by trainers for a return to action following his broken elbow at the end of August. He's likely to step right into the starting lineup in November to fill in for Pogba, allowing academy graduate Doke Boëtius to remain in a backup role.

Individually a pair of academy graduates stood out for the club, with Kjetil Ringdal Støvland making up for a slow down in his scoring with an increase in his assists (to put himself among the league leaders now in both categories). Fellow starter Clark Gordon also continues to show great form so far this season, scoring a brace at Crystal Palace to go with his stellar free kick scorer against Man U.

In academy news of the three scouts out in search for talent only the scout in United States has brought players that have created interest from the club so far.

The Academy
(listed by their ranking in it)

RM - Tobias Perez (65 OVR, 88-94 POT): This 17-year old from France has turned out to be a great find. Scouts unanimously agree he has potential to be special and he is now the top prospect in the academy. He possesses outstanding pace (78acc/73spd) for his age to go with excellent balance (73) and curve (76) on the ball.

ST - Billel Cissé (60 OVR, 86-92): This 17-year old striker from France Standing at 5'9" and 147lbs is officially the next top prospect for the club at this position. Cissé's top attribute is his pace (73 acc, 71 spd) which should come in handy for his size. The club is working on developing his striker skills.

RB - Tony Turner (53 OVR, 80-94)*: 17-year old Yankee standing at 5'10", 154 lbs. Turner possesses excellent agility (75) but isn't too developed as a defender which is where his training will focus right off the bat.

CDM - Pierre Tägtström (59 OVR, 83-89): 16-year old from Sweden who is next in a great lineup of defensive midfielders developed by the club since Marccelino's arrival. Described as physically strong, Tägtström's exciting potential is undeniable and he displays excellent aggressiveness (89) towards the ball. At his age and with the club's depth at the position he should be able to spend time developing in the academy without any rush.

LW - Andre Domingues (57 OVR, 77-83): 16-year old from Portugal who is starting to lose the rawness of his game and slowly creeping towards his great potential. His top attribute continues to be his pace (75acc/70spd), although his agility (73) and balance (71) are also notable.

CDM - Andy Tandia (53 OVR, 75-81): Yet another defensive midfielder prospect, this 17-year old prospect from France currently projects as more of a future backup for the club.

GK - Aaron Keegan (45 OVR, 64-82)*: 15-year old American prospect who projects as more of a backup after showing a higher potential on the scout's report.
* Recent addition

November Schedule
11/4: at FC Krasnodar (Euro League)
11/7: at Spurs
11/21: vs Derby County
11/25: at Lech Poznań (Euro League)
11/28: at QPR

Exiles' fans will rack up the miles in November as the club will play four of their five games away from Rodney Parade including trips to Russia and Poland in UEL action. Each game will be intriguing starting with Newport County's rematch against Krasnodar following their controversial match-up in Wales last month. That will be followed by a showdown at White Hart Lane against last season's BPL champs who are currently two points ahead of Marccelino's side in the standings. Derby County have been a surprise contender for a top-5 finish so far this season and they will represent The Exiles' only home game in November in what could turn out to be a difficult game. Newport's B-squad failed to score at home against Lech Poznań in a draw this month so it'll be interesting so see whether Marccelino will roll the dice with the same unit as when they travel to Poland or if he'll call upon his main unit. The trip to Loftus Road to end November projects as the least attention-grabbing which could turn into a trap game for Newport.

Stay tuned!

[JHedges2]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Arsenal Football Club | January 2017 Update





2 January 2017
Matchday #20 | Vitality Stadium
Arsenal 3 - 0 Bournemouth
ARS - Xhaka 26’
ARS - Giroud 56’
ARS - Oxlade-Chamberlain 75’

Arsenal, having played 2 days prior rested the likes of Sanchez, Ozil, Koscielny, Mustafi, and Cech--yet still thrashed Bournemouth 3-0 at The Vitality to open 2017.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 January 2017
FA Cup - 4th Round | Liberty Stadium
Arsenal 1 - 0 Swansea City
ARS - Welbeck 23’

A young Arsenal squad found a goal from Danny Welbeck in the 23rd minute, and the Gunners wouldn’t look back. David Ospina notched the clean sheet with 2 brilliant saves at the death to deny Gylfi Sigurðsson an equalizer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14 January 2017
Matchday #21 | Liberty Stadium
Arsenal 1 - 0 Swansea City
ARS - Sanchez 88’

An Alexis Sanchez penalty (17th league goal) finally broke the stalemate from a soggy Liberty Stadium. It was Arsenal’s 2nd 1-0 defeat of Swansea in 7 days. Antoine Griezmann, signed 2 days prior (record £90M) did not feature.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matchday #22 | Emirates Stadium
Arsenal 2 - 0 Burnley
ARS - Griezmann 54’
ARS - Koscielny 82’

Record breaking signee Antoine Griezmann took just 54’ to open his Arsenal scoring account. His French teammate and new captain, Laurent Koscielny volleyed home the clincher in the 82’.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FA Cup - 5th Round | Falmer Stadium
Arsenal 3 - 1 Brighton
BRI - Murray 6’
ARS - Welbeck 10’
ARS - Walcott (pen) 31’
ARS - Cazorla (pen) 90’

Glen Murray shocked David Ospina and Arsenal in just the 6’. Danny Welbeck would equalize just 4 minutes later from a beautiful through ball from Aaron Ramsey. A reckless tackle from Liam Rosenoir put Brighton down a man, and a goal as Theo Walcott connected on his penalty. Santi Cazorla added another garbage time penalty to see the Gunners advance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Premier League Top Scorers
1. Sanchez (ARS) - 17
2. Defoe (SUN) - 10
3. Arnautovic (LEI) - 10
4. Montero (SWA) - 10
5. Coutinho (LIV) - 9





***MANAGER REMARKS

A good January was had at Arsenal Football Club, allowing just 1 goal in their 5 games--outscoring opponents 10-1, with 4 clean sheets for Petr Cech. They close January tied atop of the table (53 points) with Chelsea--who is next on the calendar, with a game in hand.

The transfer window saw them set a new world transfer record for Antoine Griezmann (£90M). Arsenal also brought in young French wonderkid Alban Lafont, a towering 6’4” 18 year old with loads of potential from Toulouse (£7M). With that new signing, it meant that David Ospina’s time in an Arsenal shirt has come to an end, as he was sent to Everton for £10M. Also on the way out is RB Mathieu Debuchy, heading to West Ham to the tune of £3.6M

February opens with a trip to Stamford Bridge, in which if there is a winner--they will be 3 points clear at the top. Chelsea, fresh off a 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool at Anfield will be prime to secure all 6 points from the Gunners--after beating them 2-0 back in September at The Emirates. The middle of the month will see the Gunners host 2 mid-table teams in Watford and Hull, followed by a massive Champions League fixture against Italian Champions Juventus.

***LONDON IS RED***

[JHedges2]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Barcelona on the transfer window bought 3 players.

CB - Zouma
CB - Sakho
CB - Blind

SMH. Somehow--this game still gets nearly all my gaming 'attention'. I have to save/restart through the deadline day frequently. United signed Benzema AND THEN Icardi. Couldn't allow it. The transfer logic is abysmal yet still, I can't stop playing.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Globetrotter CM

FC Barcelona
Més que un club

'21-'22 October Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Bernd Leno (88 OVR)
GK: Iñaki Serrano Molina (75 OVR)

RB: Mayke (84 OVR)
RB: Martín Montoya (81 OVR)
RB: Douglas Pereira dos Santos (AKA Douglas, 75 OVR)
RB: Djordje Ninkov (72 OVR)
RB: Otegui Khalifi (65 OVR)
RB: Cristian Artabe Meca (64 OVR)
CB: Victor Alonso (86 OVR)
CB: Marc Bartra (84 OVR)
CB: Gerard Piqué (82 OVR)
CB: Thomas Vermaelen (80 OVR)
CB: Emre Karaer (73 OVR)
LB: Jordi Alba (86 OVR)

CDM: Sergio Busquets (87 OVR)
CDM: Sergi Samper (81 OVR)
CDM: Nahuel Vada (67 OVR) on loan from 1. FC Köln
CM: Sergi Roberto (86 OVR)
CM: Rafael Alcântara (AKA Rafinha, 83 OVR)
CM: David Cruz Torres (77 OVR)
CM: Jimmy Porter (71 OVR) on loan at Middlesbrough
CM: Juan Cámara (71 OVR)
CM: Vasco Granero (61 OVR)
RM: Arda Turan (82 OVR)
RM: Aleix Vidal (82 OVR)

RW: Lionel Messi (95 OVR)
RW: Cristian Tello (82 OVR)
RW: Munir El Haddadi (AKA Munir, 82 OVR)
RW: Aitor Cantalapiedra (AKA Aitor, 71 OVR)
LW: Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. (AKA Neymar, 93 OVR)
LW: Sandro Ramírez Castillo (AKA Sandro, 85 OVR)
CF: Thomas Müller (90 OVR)
ST: Ricardo Farías da Silva (71 OVR) on loan from Manchester Utd
ST: Dani Romera (66 OVR)

Starting XI (4-3-3)

Leno (88)

Mayke (84)/Piqué (82)/Alonso (86)/Alba (86)

Roberto (86) / Busquets (87) / Turan (82)

Messi (C, 95) / Müller (90) / Neymar (93)
_________________________________

Neymar was named Player of the Month for September
_________________________________

League Match 6
Atlético Madrid - FC Barcelona (1-4)
Guilavogui 13'
Alonso 23'
Messi 31' (pen)
Messi 86' (Müller)
Messi 90+2' (Rafinha)
Roberto 20' (Dislocated shoulder, out for 8 weeks)

It was only a matter of time until Leo Messi broke out with a scoring burst and his hat-trick at the Vicente Calderón led us to a key win in this early part of the season. This was actually a pretty close game right up until Messi sealed the deal in the last few minutes, though it definitely helped to have the lead since the 31st minute. It sucks losing Sergi Roberto who was starting to establish himself as one of our best players so hopefully our depth can show their worth these next couple of months.


Victor Alonso scores his first goal as a Barcelona player.

League Match 7
FC Barcelona - Real Sociedad (3-2)
Neymar 36' (Busquets)
Pardo 50'
Messi 62' (Vidal)
Jonathas 76'
Rafinha 79' (Vidal)

A couple of blunders on defense nearly cost us three points but Aleix Vidal came of the bench to save the day with a couple of assists and we put all nine of our shots on target to escape with this win. Rubén Pardo's goal in the 50th minute was the direct result of an awful backwards pass by Arda Turan, whose camp is undoubtedly to blame for swirling rumors about his being unsettled. He reflected his unsettling mindset with his mistake which led me to bench him, a move that paid off big as Vidal made a world of difference. Mayke also made a bad pass in the 76th minute that led to Jonathas' goal but the recent signing has been outstanding so far this season so he didn't merit a benching. Vidal has been playing his arse off so far with the B-squad and making a case for more playing time so this may be the switching point.

Euro League - Group Match 3
FC Barcelona -PAOK (1-0)
Cámara 90+2'
Munir 40'

Juan Cámara turned out to be our unlikely hero in stoppage time to help us get something to show for our 14 shots, 10 on target. Robin Olsen had a flat-out ridiculous performance for the Greek club, nearly stopping everything thrown his way before Cámara's shot got past the Swedish goalkeeper just before the final whistle. Cámara had only made the roster for this game as a result of Sergi Roberto's injury, giving us exactly the kind of contribution we're looking from our depth.

League Match 8
Real Madrid - FC Barcelona (2-1)
Benzema 45+3'
Isco 67'
Messi 90+2' (pen)
Mayke 15'

The first El Clásico of the season (in league play) was not a good one for us as we failed to get even a point at the Bernabéu. Admittedly our rivals were the better team in the first half but we had managed to keep the game even until Benzema scored a ridiculous outside-the-box shot that went over Bernd Leno's stretched arms and dipped just before getting to the cross bar.



We had the much better second half but paid the price on a bad breakdown on defense in the 67th minute allowed Tony Kroos to easily find Isco for Madrid's second goal.





That deficit proved too deep against Madrid's outstanding defense which negated most of our 8 shots (half of them on target) until Messi's penalty kick in stoppage time left Keylor Navas motionless.



Copa Del Rey - Round of 32, 1st Leg
Real Zaragoza - FC Barcelona (2-2)
Vidal 9'
Seferović 15'
Tarsi 55'
Sandro 70' (pen)

Our B-squad had to battle hard to earn a draw in this leg although the two away goals could also prove to be big. We still looked like the better side, firing 11 shots (6 on target) but Yankee GK Bill Hamid was up to the task for Zaragoza. Perhaps the biggest outcome from this game was yet another poor showing from Munir whom I benched for Ricardo Farías da Silva (the loanee from Manchester Utd).

League Match 9
FC Barcelona - Real Betis (1-1)
Müller 65' (Rafinha)
Álvaro 90'
Messi 21' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

Álvaro's stoppage time goal was the perfect ending to a frustrating night in which we should had scored a lot more than just one goal. We were a constant threat, shooting 11 times (8 on target) but just couldn't quite get the ball to the back of the net more often. A costly draw that allows Betis to remain ahead of us in the standings.






Liga BBVA
Top Scorers
1. Messi (FC Barcelona) - 7
T2. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 5
T2. Neymar (FC Barcelona) - 5
(3 others with 5 also)

Assists
T1. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 4
T1. Santos (Athletic Bilbao) - 4
T2. Seguín (Bilbao Athletic) - 3
(3 others with 3 also)

Clean Sheets
T1. Moreira (Atlético Madrid) - 3
T1. Mesenhöler (Real Betis) - 3
T2. Casilla (Real Madrid) - 2
(7 others with 2 also)

Review: You could say it wasn't a bad month for us but I'd remind you the expectations here at Barça are high, so losing El Clásico and then failing to defeat Betis to jump to the top of the standings certainly made October far from successful for us. The month started out good with the big win at Atlético but I'd have to say it went downhill from there, even if the hill wasn't too steep. All that being said it's still very early in the season and we're still in great position to jump up to first place sooner than later but we can't afford to have a repeat performance of this month.

Individually obviously Messi stood out, scoring 5 goals in La Liga to jump all the way to the top of the scorers' table. However, my focus at this time is on Munir. At this point he may continue to draw the starts with the B-squads but I've seen enough to be concerned about the possibility he'd be the next man up should Thomas Müller go down with an injury, so I'm putting striker as one of my priorities for the upcoming transfer window. He had another very poor game against Zaragoza that included yet another miss on a very clear scoring chance. I'm talking one-on-one vs the goalie with plenty of time to set his shot. Unacceptable.

In academy news I'm happy to report our scouts continue to bring us excellent prospects, including our newest scout Pedro Reyes (from Spain) who has been sent on a 6-month trip to Argentina.

La Masia
(listed by ranking)

CM - Fran Martinez (60 OVR, 82-94 POT): This 17-year old from Venezuela is turning out to be a GEM. Standing at 5'7", 150lbs, Fran is described as technically gifted. He displays natural movement (80 agility, 76 balance) to go with very good ball control (76) and curve (75) on the ball.

ST - Flavio Mansilla (54 OVR, 72-92)*: 16-year old from Venezuela described as technically gifted. Mansilla initially projects as an exciting prospect displaying excellent ball control (74) for his age. I'm excited for him as a player for the club and the country.

ST - Darío Verdejo (48 OVR, 73-87): 17-year old from Spain standing at 5'11" and 176lbs. Verdejo is described as physically strong and indeed his strength (76) is his top attribute although he isn't just a log as he also has good speed (74) and jumping (73). He's very raw technically though so he'll need to work hard in that aspect of his game to develop as a scorer.

CAM - Daniel Lugano (55 OVR, 73-85): Also a 17-year old Venezuelan described as technically gifted who is also very agile (79). Since I'm able to make better evaluations of Venezuelan prospects I know Lugano, who is 5'11" and 154lbs, can also play as either a CF or CM so we're excited about his versatility on the pitch.

CB - Javier Gonzalez (55 OVR, 67-87): 18-year old from Spain who is physically strong. At 6'1" and 174lbs the lefty Gonzalez stands out for his aggression (79) and strength (76) although much like Verdejo he also has good pace (75 spd/72 acc) and jumping (71). Gonzalez isn't too raw but does need to develop quickly since he'll surely want to be promoted sooner than later.

RB - Manuel Navarro (39 OVR, 67-87)*: 15-year old from Spain described by scouts as an attacker. Navarro actually possesses decent pace (72 acc/69 spd) at a very young age and is very agile (69) as well. However, he's so raw as a defender he can't even be called a defender at this time. He's a project but he's young, so he could pay off big.

CB - Sergio Torres (48 OVR, 65-85)*: 15-year old from Spain described as physically strong. Much like Navarro, Torres oozes some impressive traits for his young age such as his jumping (72), aggression (72), strength (65), and pace (71 acc/67 spd) but he's raw as a defender and will need to work hard on that aspect of his game.
* Recent addition

2022 WC - CONMEBOL Qualifying

WC Qualifying - Match 17
Venezuela - Ecuador (6-1)
Juanpi 12' (Signorelli)
Martínez 17' (Juanpi)
Angel 31' (Juanpi)
Plata 45'
Juanpi 57' (Martínez)
Martínez 62' (Juanpi)
Feltscher 90'

Juanpi solidified his place as one of the best performers in these qualifiers with this two-goal, three-assist display to lead us to a rout of the visiting Ecuadorians, effectively eliminating the small hope that remained in the visitors to qualify to the World Cup.

WC Qualifying - Match 18
Venezuela - Chile (0-2)
Aránguiz 53'
Vidal 69'
Soriano 43' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

We were locked into third place coming into this final game of the qualifiers so I put out a starting lineup composed of subs to get a better look at some players. It wasn't a particular bad performance from them outside of Alain Baroja whose bad throw after a save led directly to Aránguiz' goal in the 53rd minute that broke the deadlock. The squad won the possession game (55%) but only created three shots (two on target). Dorados academy product, Victor Soriano, played a solid game even while dealing with injury and remains an option for the roster next summer.



As it turns out Juanpi did have an amazing run in these qualifiers leading the field by far in assists with 11, more than doubling the total of Lionel Messi and Josef Martínez who each had 5. Martínez' brace against Ecuador also allowed him to finish tied for the scoring lead as his 9 goals were only matched by Alexis Sánchez (Salomón Rondón finished just behind them with 8). I say with confidence that our form in these qualifiers was much better than four years ago and I hope we can keep it that way to make up for a poor showing in Russia in 2018.
______________________________________

November schedule
11/4: vs AIK (Euro League)
11/7: at UD Las Palmas
11/12: at Denmark (International Friendly)
11/15: vs China PR (International Friendly)
11/20: vs RCD Espanyol
11/25: at Standard Liège (Euro League)
11/28: at Real Zaragoza

November will only provide us with three league games as we try to get to the top of the standings and the expectation will be for us to win all three of them. It would do us good to meet those expectations after an up-and-down October. The B-squad has worked wonders in the UEL so far, averaging two goals/game while conceding none, so they're likely to continue to get the call in that competition throughout the group stage. Finally with Venezuela I'll get a couple of different looks in friendlies as I start to prepare the squad for the World Cup in Qatar this coming summer.

SPOILER ALERT: there will be yet another change in the lineup next month (Aleix Vidal unseated Arda Turan this month if that wasn't clear).

Stay tuned!

^^^ previous update

The Globetrotter CM



FC Barcelona
Més que un club

'21-'22 November Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Bernd Leno (88 OVR)
GK: Iñaki Serrano Molina (75 OVR)

RB: Mayke (84 OVR)
RB: Martín Montoya (81 OVR)
RB: Douglas Pereira dos Santos (AKA Douglas, 75 OVR)
RB: Djordje Ninkov (72 OVR)
RB: Otegui Khalifi (65 OVR)
RB: Cristian Artabe Meca (65 OVR)
CB: Victor Alonso (86 OVR)
CB: Marc Bartra (84 OVR)
CB: Gerard Piqué (82 OVR)
CB: Thomas Vermaelen (80 OVR)
CB: Emre Karaer (73 OVR)
LB: Jordi Alba (86 OVR)

CDM: Sergio Busquets (87 OVR)
CDM: Sergi Samper (81 OVR)
CDM: Nahuel Vada (68 OVR) on loan from 1. FC Köln
CM: Sergi Roberto (86 OVR)
CM: Rafael Alcântara (AKA Rafinha, 83 OVR)
CM: David Cruz Torres (77 OVR)
CM: Jimmy Porter (71 OVR) on loan at Middlesbrough
CM: Juan Cámara (71 OVR)
CM: Vasco Granero (62 OVR)
RM: Aleix Vidal (82 OVR)
RM: Arda Turan (82 OVR)

RW: Lionel Messi (95 OVR)
RW: Cristian Tello (83 OVR)
RW: Munir El Haddadi (AKA Munir, 82 OVR)
RW: Aitor Cantalapiedra (AKA Aitor, 71 OVR)
LW: Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. (AKA Neymar, 93 OVR)
LW: Sandro Ramírez Castillo (AKA Sandro, 85 OVR)
CF: Thomas Müller (90 OVR)
ST: Ricardo Farías da Silva (71 OVR) on loan from Manchester Utd
ST: Dani Romera (67 OVR)

Starting XI (4-3-3)

Leno (88)

Mayke (84)/Bartra 84 (82)/Alonso (86)/Alba (86)

Vidal (82) / Busquets (87) / Rafinha (83)

Messi (C, 95) / Müller (90) / Neymar (93)
_________________________________

Euro League - Group Match 4
FC Barcelona - AIK (2-0)
Cruz Torres 13' (Vidal)
Vidal 58' (Munir)
Pique 54'

Aleix Vidal solidified my decision to promote him to the main lineup by having another solid outing with the B-squad and lead us to yet another victory in the UEL. Gerard Piqué also made his debut with the B-squad, getting on the stat sheet with a yellow card. Demoting someone like Piqué was very difficult for me but it became obvious to me as time went on that he's declining a bit while Marc Bartra is in great form and looking better, so I had to make the switch.

League Match 10
UD Las Palmas - FC Barcelona (1-2)
Hernán 6'
Vidal 17' (Müller)
Mayke 42' (Vidal)

Vidal wasted no time making his presence felt with the main unit to help us overcome a surprising challenge from Las Palmas to get back on the winning track in La Liga. A big difference between my coaching style and what Barca fans are used to is I'm not obsessed with possession and Las Palmas tried to use heavy possession (58%) to offset the talent difference but in the end we were able to do enough to get the three points.

League Match 11
FC Barcelona - RCD Espanyol (3-0)
Müller 37' (Mayke)
Turan 56' (Messi)
Müller 67' (Messi)

We took the first Derbi Barceloní of the season with a certain ease, dominating our local rivals from the get-go despite not scoring until late in the first half. We finished the game with over three times as many shots as Espanyol and over twice as many shots on target.

Euro League - Group Match 5
Standard Liège - FC Barcelona (1-2)
Yattara 65'
Cruz Torres 80' (Farías da Silva)
Sandro 90' (Rafinha)
Munir 48' (Dead leg quad, out for 6 days)

Our B-squad hung in tough on the road against a team fighting to qualify to the next round and they came through with a couple of late goals to flip the score in our favor, and in the process help us clinch the top spot in the group. David Cruz Torres, a La Masia graduate, has taken advantage of his playing time stemming from Sergio Roberto's injury and definitely gotten on my radar going forward.

League Match 12
Real Zaragoza - FC Barcelona (1-5)
Vidal 23' (Messi)
Vidal 37' (Messi)
Vidal 48' (Alba)
Messi 70' (Vidal)
Hupperts 74'
Messi 79' (pen)

Oh Vidal, you magnificent breakthrough player. The Spaniard had a hat-trick and an assist and Lionel Messi matched his contribution on the scoring sheet with a brace and two assists as we easily handled the team that gave our B-squad a stronger challenge in the Copa Del Rey last month.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/natMR3Dvt6w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
______________________________________






Liga BBVA
Top Scorers
1. Messi (FC Barcelona) - 9
2. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 7
T3. Vela (Real Sociedad) - 6
(3 others with 6 also)

Assists
1. Messi (FC Barcelona) - 6
T2. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 5
T1. Santos (Athletic Bilbao) - 5
(2 others with 5 also)

Clean Sheets
T1. Moreira (Atlético Madrid) - 3
T1. Mesenhöler (Real Betis) - 3
T1. Jesús (Levante UD) - 3
T1. Rico (Real Sociedad) - 3

Review: Five games and five wins means we did exactly what we needed to do to bounce back from a far from acceptable October. League play in November started out a bit tricky with a strong challenge from Las Palmas but luckily our superior talent got us through that and we then dominated our two other league games to solidify ourselves as a title contender nearly a third of the way into the season. Unfortunately for us Real Betis also won all three of their games this month to remain just ahead of us in the standings. We're better equipped to maintain form throughout the season so we'll see how long Betis can keep their up for. In the UEL our B-squad finally gave up a score but they accomplished the important goal which was to get us a couple more wins to help us clinch the top of the group. November was a month in which we definitely met expectations and I know every month won't go that way but the timing of our performances was definitely key.

Individually you already know I'm going to brag about Vidal. Outside of Sergi Roberto you could make an argument Vidal has been our best midfielder so far this season - that's how good he had been looking with the B-squad. And since getting promoted to the starting lineup Vidal this month was a difference-maker more often than not. Arda Turan, on the other hand, had been very inconsistent, reportedly unsettled, and at times lacked focus. He was the player that swapped roles with Vidal and he could also be on his way this winter depending on how the transfer window plays out.

In academy news we continue to make additions to the squad!

La Masia
(listed by ranking)

CM - Fran Martinez (60 OVR, 83-94 POT): This 17-year old from Venezuela is turning out to be a GEM. Standing at 5'7", 150lbs, Fran is described as technically gifted. He displays natural movement (81 agility, 77 balance) to go with very good ball control (76) and curve (76) on the ball.

CAM - Javier Marquez (57 OVR, 80-94)*: 16-year ol from Spain described as a playmaker. Marquez is a smaller prospect (currently at 4'11",130lbs) but his potential is big and that's what made us sign him.

ST - Flavio Mansilla (56 OVR, 77-94): 16-year old from Venezuela described as technically gifted. Mansilla continues to project as an exciting prospect displaying excellent ball control (74) for his age. I'm excited for him as a player for the club and the country.

ST - Darío Verdejo (49 OVR, 75-83): 17-year old from Spain standing at 5'11" and 176lbs. Verdejo is described as physically strong and indeed his strength (77) is his top attribute although he isn't just a log as he also has good speed (74), aggression (74), and jumping (73). He's very raw technically though so he'll need to work hard in that aspect of his game to develop as a scorer.

CAM - Daniel Lugano (56 OVR, 72-80): Also a 17-year old Venezuelan described as technically gifted who is also very agile (79). Since I'm able to make better evaluations of Venezuelan prospects I know Lugano, who is 5'11" and 154lbs, can also play as either a CF or CM so we're excited about his versatility on the pitch.

CB - Javier Gonzalez (56 OVR, 75-89): 18-year old from Spain who is physically strong. At 6'1" and 174lbs the lefty Gonzalez stands out for his aggression (79) and strength (76) although much like Verdejo he also has good pace (77 spd/72 acc) and jumping (71). Gonzalez isn't too raw but does need to develop quickly since he'll surely want to be promoted sooner than later.

RB - Manuel Navarro (41 OVR, 74-90): 15-year old from Spain described by scouts as an attacker. Navarro actually possesses decent pace (72 acc/69 spd) at a very young age and is very agile (70) as well. However, he's so raw as a defender he can't even be called a defender at this time. He's a project but he's young, so he could pay off big.

CB - Sergio Torres (49 OVR, 67-83): 15-year old from Spain described as physically strong. Much like Navarro, Torres oozes some impressive traits for his young age such as his jumping (73), aggression (72), strength (65), and pace (71 acc/68 spd) but he's raw as a defender and will need to work hard on that aspect of his game.
* Recent addition

International Friendlies

Denmark - Venezuela (0-2)
Martínez 57' (Otero)
Peñaranda 68' (Juanpi)

Thought our guys were outstanding in Copenhagen on this night, taking the spotlight away from the Danish side to hold them to just one shot on target while we created a good number of scoring chances and converted on a couple to earn a solid win on the road in Europe.

Venezuela - China PR (3-2)
Peñaranda 7' (Ramírez)
Zhang Xizhe 12'
Cai 30'
Signorelli 75' (Soriano)
Cádiz 85' (Martínez)
Carabalí 69'

Coincidentally it was China who crushed any dreams we had of advancing past the group stage in the last World Cup. I trotted out a B-squad for this match and it was scary there for a second but our guys came through with some clutch goals to get us another win. Jhonder Cádiz probably won't make the WC roster unless a lot of the strikers ahead of him suffer injuries so it was nice to see him score a big goal for us even if it was in a friendly.
______________________________________

December schedule
12/1: vs Real Zaragoza (Copa Del Rey)
12/5: vs Sporting Gijón
12/9: at PAOK (Euro League)
12/11: at Athletic Bilbao
12/14: vs Granada CF
12/19: at Villareal CF

Before we get to the winter transfer window we'll have to take care of some things first, starting with the second leg of our matchup against Zaragoza in the Copa Del Rey. The B-squad managed a 2-2 result on the road in the first leg but our main lineup just manhandled Zaragoza at the end of November so you could guess which lineup I'm going to trot out for that one. Four league games will also give us an opportunity to finally unseat Betis if we're able to take care of business, with the visit to San Mamés projecting as the toughest match of those four. The B-squad will get the call to wrap up the group stage of the UEL in a game that will be just a formality.

Thank you for reading!

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hello, folks. Sorry for going MIA but it seems some exciting things are going on here. Rabbit, I was stunned to see you at Barcelona! Glad to see you've finally made it to the top after all those seasons of hard graft. Tex, last I checked Grimsby Town was a League Two club! Congratulations on the many promotions and being top of the Premiership. Callum Paterson is a jewel of a player, isn't he? Keano, if nobody has him, I'll take Neil Taylor. Good luck with the sponsorship!

So the reason I've gone astray is a wonderful offer came in which I simply had to take. Long story short, I now live in Ipswich, in a charming little place called Kesgrave. This past week, I had my first trip to Portman Road with a few colleagues to see Ipswich Town draw 2-2 against Reading, and we're making the drive west to Birmingham this weekend to see Town take on Aston Villa. Now that I've settled in and have a bit of time, I plan on starting a career with Ipswich instead of Reading. Hope you guys keep your eyes out for an intro post tomorrow! Take care, all.

That sounds amazing! Congratulations on your new opportunity. And yes, Paterson is a tank at right back!

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Indi: Good to see you're doing well. Taylor is most likely to be third choice behind Olsson and Kingsley so if you want to change?

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 5

The Mariners

December 2020



Grimsby Town 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur
GRI - Hourihane 5' (PEN)
MOTM: Paterson

What better way to start the month than with a top of the table clash between first and second. Fans expecting an all out attacking display were left disappointed though. This one was decided early and then it was mostly a slug fest afterwards. In the opening minute Vertonghen caught Sacko with a poor sliding challenge in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Hourihane stepped up and slotted it home and that ended up being the deciding goal. Tottenham were probably the better team and should have had more from this one, but we forced them into low percentage chances and they were unable to find an equalizer.



Europa League Group Stage
Grimsby Town 2 - 1 Olympiacos
GRI - Dickenson 38', Cole 49'
OLY - Pardo 11'
MOTM: Dickenson

Olympiacos absolutely peppered our goal, but once again we forced them into low percentage shots and we only allowed a single one in. That goal came early with Pardo getting away from his defender in front of goal and tapping in a cross for the lead. We found the equalizer off of a corner with Dickenson getting his head to the ball and putting it down and past the keeper's reach. Cole then gave us the lead not long after the restart when Kelly played him through up the middle and all he had to do was pick a corner and finish.



West Brom 0 - 2 Grimsby Town
GRI - Wolf 45', Hourihane 88'
MOTM: Hourihane

We asserted our will on West Brom from the first whistle and they could hardly manage a threat all game. Just before the half we found our break through when Hourihane played Amang through on the left and his shot was saved straight into the path of Wolf and all he had to do was finish into an open net. The second half was fairly uneventful afterwards, but just before the end Dickenson got down the left and his cross attempt was deflected and Hourihane was able to control it and slot it into the bottom corner.



Grimsby Town 4 - 0 AFC Bournemouth
GRI - Hourihane 4' (PEN), Wolf 83', Cole 87', Banton 90'
MOTM: Cole

We got the lead early and never looked back was we cruised to the win. We won an early penalty that set then tone when Hourihane converted even as the keeper guessed the right side, but the shot was too high for his reach. Then in the second half after Cole subbed on, it completely changed the game. He first raced past the defense and laid it off for Wolf to tap in. Then he scored one of his own using his pace to burst past the defense and go through on goal for the easy finish around the keeper. And to wrap up his night he played provider once again, this time playing Banton through and he finished fairly easily.



Stoke City 1 - 3 Grimsby Town
STK - Shaqiri 53'
GRI - Wolf 34', Amang 57', Cole 83'
MOTM: Amang

Stoke city came out firing, and if not for the heroics of Thomas in goal we would have been in a hole early. We weathered the storm though and finally we broke through their defense when Amang played Wolf with a perfectly timed ball through on the left and he finished across off the far post and in. In the second half though Stoke found an equalizer after we gave Shaqiri too much space on his left foot and he smashed a shot from the edge of the box across to the top right corner. We found the answer almost immediately though when Hourihane got the ball to Amang and with a bit of luck his shot was deflected off the defender and inside the near post. We brought Cole on late once again and he almost immediately paid it off just like last game when Kessie played him through and he used his pace to get behind the defense and finish into the bottom corner.



Everton FC 3 - 3 Grimsby Town
EVE - Deulofeu 18', Kenny 87', Gueye 90'
GRI - Kelly 14', Cole 50', Al Kuwaykibi 58'
MOTM: Morris

We just threw points away in this one by letting ourselves get complacent at the end. Kelly gave us the lead early after Morris played him down the right and he finished low across the goal. Deulofeu then found an answer just minutes later after working his way into wide open space on the right and then letting it fly from distance into the top corner on the far post. Cole got us the lead back after latching on to a loose ball from Kelly's shot and he hit it first time into the bottom right corner. Cole and Al Kuwaykibi then combined to press their defense and force a turnover which the latter picked up and fired home to seemingly lock up the match in our favor. Then in the closing minutes Kenny was able to chest a ball past our back line and beat our keeper on the near post to pull one back. Then a careless bit of play led to us giving the ball away and Gueye was able to play a quick one-two and get it back on the left and slide down to direct it back across to the far post and in.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Within 2 seasons, have at least 1 player from the Youth Academy signed in the first team play at least 50% of the games in the next season. (Remaining seasons: 2)

Brand Exposure
-Gain £6,800,000 earnings from shirt sales within a season

Financial
-Finish the season with £5,950,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).

Domestic Success
-Premier League: Finish Mid Table.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.

Continental Success
-Champions Cup: Reach the Group Stage.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 1

Club in Crisis

December 2016



Newport County 0 - 0 Blackpool FC
MOTM: Payne

After our poor form last month we decided to make a change to a 3 at the back. The result didn't get us the win, but I was happy with how we played. Defensively we were solid with a lot of cover for the back line, and attacking we had some really solid chances that were all kept out by their keeper. I think this is definitely something that we will experiment with further.



Blackpool FC 0 - 1 Doncaster Rovers
DON - McCullough 48'
MOTM: McCullough

It's absolutely frustrating that the difference in this one came down to a ridiculous shot from distance with pressure on the shooter as he fired away. The first half was pretty even, but just after half it was McCullough that hit that shot from outside of the box back across his body towards where the pressure was coming from and inside the far post. In the end our attack really wasn't good enough to deserve the win, but it's just beyond me how we can continue to conceded these worldies from distance.



Crawley Town 0 - 0 Blackpool FC
MOTM: Yeates

This is getting ridiculous. We haven't scored in each of our 3 games this month so far and we are struggling beyond measure. Our ability in the final third has completely fallen apart and while we are creating a good number of chances, we aren't converting any into goals. Our finishing has to improve drastically if we want to climb back into a shot at promotion.



Carlisle United 0 - 2 Blackpool FC
BLP - Philliskirk 52', Vassell 55'
MOTM: Gnanduillet

Finally we got back on track and scored some goals. The new formation instantly improved our defense, but we had been struggling in front of goal. Hopefully this marks the turning of a corner for us in that regard. We took the lead in the second half with Gnanduillet getting around the left side of the defense and sending a low ball in to the middle where Philliskirk was in the right spot to tap it in. Then just minutes later Vassell was able to take a touch right between two defenders as he received the ball and he slotted it low around the keeper to double the lead. We should have added another, but I can't be upset with the win we got here.



Blackpool FC 2 - 2 Colchester United
BLP - Philliskirk 44', Yeates 56' (PEN)
COL - McAlister 9' (OG), Robertson 79' (OG)
MOTM: Elliott

Well that is beyond frustrating. We score two goals, and then cancel those out by scoring two on ourselves as well. We fell behind early with McAlister trying to chest a ball back to the keeper but instead putting it across the goal from him and the keeper could do nothing but watch it go in. We found an equalizer though with Elliott playing the ball to Philliskirk and he got around the left side of the defense and finished low past the keeper. Then in the second half Elliott drew a foul in the box and the referee pointed to the spot allowing Yeates to tuck the spot kick away for the lead. It was looking like we we were going to hold on for the win when a cross was played into the box and Taylor overplayed the ball and allowed Loft to bring it down and he fired a shot in and Robertson stepped in the way and deflected it around our keeper for the equalizing goal.



Notts County 2 - 5 Blackpool FC
NOT - Robertson 10' (OG), Forte 65'
BLP - Vassell 13', 60', Philliskirk 45', Elliott 81', 88'
MOTM: Payne

We really need to stop scoring goals on ourselves. Despite that, we did manage to not only get the win, but in a very convincing way as well. As I mentioned, Notts took the lead after Robertson gave the ball away and then followed that up by blocking the shot back into our own goal as well. Luckily it only took minutes to find the equalizer with Vassell converting from the middle of the box to the right side of the goal. Next it was the man in form recently, Philliskirk, that added another and we had the lead going into half. Vassell then completed his brace with a fantastic shot from the left that went all the way across the goal and bounced in off the post. Notts then pulled one back with a stunning shot from Forte into the top corner from distance. Afterwards it was Elliott's time and he got free down the right and went through on goal before attempting a shot that was partially saved by still rolled on into the goal. With time almost up, Elliott bagged his second getting through on goal again and this time finishing with a clean placement past the keeper.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Sign at least 2 players younger than 20 years old, with potential greater than the average overall rating of players current;y in the same position.
-Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy to the defender position.

Brand Exposure
-Sign 1 crucial 1st team player assigned to a forward position.

Financial
-Finish the season with £2,550,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).
-Keep player salary growth under 20%

Domestic Success
-EFL League Two: Fight for Promotion.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.
-Within 2 seasons in EFL League Two: Gain Automatic Promotion (Remaining seasons :2)

House Rules

Spoiler

Credit to Pukellama on Reddit

League two

Youth:
•Can only sign 5 players up to the youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad.
•Maximum youth scout rating 1 star.
•Maximum 2 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 65 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24.
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to league 1).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 68) (max 2).
•Can only sign one pre contract agreement, min age 30, max ability 65 (67 if promotion likely).
•Maximum transfer - £500k (£200k if player included).
•Maximum wage - £1500.
•Can't buy anyone with 'great potential' or above.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 70 overall

League 1

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 3 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout rating 2 star.
•Max 3 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 69 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to Championship).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 70) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 69 (70 if promotion likely).
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above.
•Max transfer - £1mil (£500k if player included).
•Max wage - £10k.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 72 overall

Championship

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 3 star. . . Can only scout Euro countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 74 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 20 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish, Non major European leagues (such as Norway) and Major European 2nd divisions and below (bar Barcelona B).
•Can only sign one player from a non EU league.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 78) (max 3).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 78.
•Maximum transfer - £2mil (£1mil if player included).
•Maximum wage - £25k.
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in a major euro league (inc prem)
•Have to sell anyone above 79 overall

Prem (not in europe)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 4 star.
•Can scout anywhere

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 2 non EU - Non EU can be bought from non EU leagues).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 78 current overall.
•No age restriction.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro league or higher.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 80) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 78.
•Max transfer - £15mil (£10mil if player included).
•Max wage - £90k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in Europe (euro league + euro cup)
•Have to sell anyone above 80 overall

Prem (europa league)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•No maximum youth scout rating

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 3 non EU).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 81 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro cup (including non EU league).
•Can loan any player (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 80.
•Max transfer - £20mil (£12.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £150k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in euro cup
•Have to sell anyone above 83 overall

Prem (champions league) - 1st year or where you didn't reach quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can buy any nationality.
•Can not sign anyone who is above 84 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for a major team.
•Cannot loan anyone.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 85.
•Max transfer - £25mil (£17.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £175k.
•Can buy any level of potential

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from major clubs.
•Have to sell your best player if reach the semis or higher (add to transfer list, and sell to a club in the champs cup)
•Have to sell anyone who is above 86 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 88 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for someone else who reached the quarter finals.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•Max transfer - £30mil (20mil including player).
•Max wage - £225k

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. . . Have to sell your best 2 players if you don't make the quarters the following year (to a big team only).
•Have to sell anyone who is above 90 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached final in previous year

Youth:
•Can only sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone above 91 current overall.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•No max transfer.
•No max wage

Selling:
•Do not have to sell

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Last update: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2048675837

We Try. We Fail. We Win.


October 2019



Manchester City 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Selke 90'

We went into this game expecting a difficult 90-minute struggle, but boy, was I wrong. City didn't stand a chance against us, and the majority of the game was played in their half. We had several good chances to score, but Geronimo Rulli in the Citizens' goal had a very good game. It took until the 90th minute for us to break the deadlock with a Selke tap in from a low cross by Alexander Esswein. Well deserved win to gain our first points in the Champions League.



Hertha BSC 3 - 0 VfL Bochum
Selke 14' pen, 45', Platte 89'

Bottom-of-the-league side Bochum didn't stand a chance against us. Our top striker Davie Selke led our lines with a brace.



Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 - 2 Hertha BSC
Dahoud 25'
Mehmedi 21', 66' pen

Borussia Mönchengladbach are always a tough opponent, and this time we beat them thanks to a delightful performance from Admir Mehmedi. Our Swiss winger put us ahead in the 21st minute after a wonderful 20-yard solo run, but just a few minutes later Mahmoud Dahoud equalised with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. After the hour mark Mehmedi got his brace from -sigh- the penalty spot.



Hertha BSC 3 - 1 Lokomotiv Moscow
Selke 4', 64', Platte 72' pen
Henty 26'

Our second Champions League win makes us a solid contender for the top spot in our group. Davie Selke put us ahead with the first chance of the game from Mitchell Weiser's cross, but 20 minutes later Lokomotiv's Ezequiel Henty equalised with a header. Selke showed his quality in front of the goal again in the 64th minute when he was in the right place for a tap-in finish, and soon later Felix Platte finished our third of the night with yet another penalty.



Hertha BSC 1 - 1 Hamburger SV
Mehmedi 74' pen
Ademilson 20'

Ade-bloody-milson, the Brazilian striker who did f*ck all for us last season, decided to score against us and take away two points from us. The pacy attacker headed the ball into our goal early on, and it took us nearly an hour to equalise from the penalty spot. Again.



Round of 32
Hertha BSC 2 - 1 1860 München (AET)
Platte 35', 118'
Ribamar 52'

We continued our tradition of going to extra time in cup games from last season. Felix Platte put us ahead after the half an hour mark with a tap in, but early into the second half 1860 München's Ribamar equalised from a nice low cross. Deep into extra time, penalties were looming over our heads but Platte finished his brace and secured our place in the round of 16 a couple of minutes before the end of the second period of extra time. Our next opponent? Bayern München.


November 2019



Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 2 Hertha BSC
Brandt 74'
Weiser 25', Selke 31'

A very strong performance in the first half was enough for us to beat the reigning champions. Mitch Weiser was in the right place at the right time as he put a parried shot into the back of the net 25 minutes in, and just 6 minutes later Davie Selke scored a beautiful scissor kick from a 30-yard cross. We then conceded with 15 minutes of the match to go, when our keeper Rune Jarstein misplaced a pass into Julian Brandt's foot.


Hertha BSC 1 - 0 Real Madrid
Selke 43' pen

This was a triumph of counter-attacking anti-football. We played our usual 4-2-3-1 with three very pacy wingers occupying every spot of the attacking midfield trio, and with an ultra-defensive mindset. It worked perfectly as we achieved our arguably most impressive win, and even better, Real Madrid didn't get a single shot on target. The only goal of the game came from a Selke penalty in the 43rd minute after Emre Mor was taken down in the box.



Hertha BSC 0 - 1 Mainz 05
Niederlechner 55'

Disappointing and unfair. The only goal of the game came in the 55th minute when our goalie Jarstein decided not to catch a long pall. It then fell to Florian Niederlechner who had an easy job putting the ball into the net. To make matters worse, we outshot Mainz 12 to 2. And we lost. Without scoring a goal.



FC Schalke 04 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Weiser 17'

Schalke is always a tough opponent, and our match-ups tend to result in only a goal or two. This was a perfect example of that as Mitchell Weiser put us ahead in the 17th minute, and after that barely anything happened.



Lokomotiv Moscow 1 - 1 Hertha BSC
Tarasov 6'
Esswein 67'

Quite a disappointing result, but it was still enough to secure our place in the knockout stages! Tarasov put the Russian team ahead early into the game with a shot into the bottom left corner of the net, and we finally managed to equalise the game an hour later when Alexander Esswein shot the ball across goal, also to the bottom left corner of the goal. Out of our 9 shots on target, only 1 went in. Nonetheless, we are through to the round of 16!

Vladimir Darida sprained his ankle and will be out for 4 weeks.



Bayer München 1 - 4 Hertha BSC
Knoflach 10'
Mehmedi 37' pen, Selke 45', 54', Mor 78'

What a win! First we lured Bayern into a false sense of security which antelopes experience when drinking water out of a river, and then we attacked them like a crocodile which springs out of that same river in a blink of a second to break the neck of the antelope. Bayern's left back Knoflach put them ahead 10 minutes into the game with a powerful and accurate shot, but we fought well to equalise the game with a penalty kick in the 37th minute. Right before the halftime whistle Davie Selke put us ahead from a counter attack, and ten minutes into the second half he got a brace with a tap in. Later on Emre Mor netted his first goal for us with a wonderful curling finish into the top left corner of the net.


December 2019



Hertha BSC 2 - 1 FC Ingolstadt
Stark 16', Platte 87'
Lezcano 20' pen



Hertha BSC 0 - 1 Manchester City
Iheanacho 32'

Had we won this match, we would've topped our group, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Our defensive line was too far apart and a defence-splitting through ball was played to Kelechi Iheanacho. The pacy Nigerian striker then had an easy job in shooting the ball into the net. We then failed to equalise the game, but it might be better that way. Why? Because we are playing against Stoke City, the reigning Europa League champions, in the round of 16 of the Champions League.



VfB Stuttgart 0 -1 Hertha BSC
Mor 90'



Round of 16
FC Bayern München 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Duda 59'

Poor Bayern, they are but a shadow of their former selves. After our 4-1 victory against them last month, we beat them again, this time in a low-scoring game. Our #10 Ondrej Duda bagged the only goal of the game right before the hour mark with a low near-post header. The score remained that way in this game with only 7 shots, and we won in regular time. Next up: VfL Bochum.



Hertha BSC 1 - 0 VfL Wolfsburg
Platte 88'

Yet another low-scoring game, but also yet another win. We waited until the dying moments of the game to score as Felix Platte was played through on goal by Alexander Esswein. Platte then showed his quality as a striker with an ice-cold finish across goal into the bottom left corner of the net.



FC Augsburg 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Duda 41'


Bundesliga Table

1. Hertha BSC, 38 pts
2. 1. FC Köln, 34 pts
3. Mainz 05, 29 pts
4. FC Schalke 04, 26 pts
5. Bayer Leverkusen, 25 pts
6. FC Augsburg, 25 pts
---------------------------------------------
16. VfB Stuttgart, 15 pts
17. Hannover 96, 12 pts
18. VfL Bochum, 12 pts


Champions League Group

1. Manchester City, 15 pts
2. Hertha BSC, 10 pts
------------------------------
3. Real Madrid, 9 pts
4. Lokomotiv Moscow, 1 pt


My Thoughts

League Form - We are top of the table with a four-point lead over second-placed Köln, so there's nothing to complain about! Well, apart from the fact that we are having some issues scoring goals, but at least we are winning games. We are creating lots of chances, but our finishing has been quite poor. Nonetheless, I'm happy about our performances in the league. There's still half a season left to play, but I feel very confident in our ability to maintain the lead. Maybe Hertha BSC will win its first ever Bundesliga table!

Champions League - We are progressing from a group with Real Madrid and Manchester City in it, so everything is fine and dandy. If we can beat Real Madrid and Man City, we can certainly beat Stoke City and our future opponents. I hope.

DFB Pokal - As you might recall, we won the cup last season. With Bayern eliminated by us last round, I think we will win the Pokal again this season. That's at least what I'm aiming for.

Player Performances - Let's start from the back. Niklas Süle, our summer signing and replacement for John Anthony Brooks, has been a real rock at the back. Süle's strength and defensive positioning make him nearly impossible to get past, and I'm in love with his qualities at the back. His namesake Niklas Stark has also been quite good, but Stark is also quite prone to errors. Still, we have conceded the least amount of goals in the league, so our entire defence has been in top form.

Our holding midfielders Salif Sané and Per Skjelbred have been fine, although they still like to get a bit too much forwards, leaving our defenders vulnerable. Skjelbred is also retiring at the end of the season, so I'll have to sign a replacement for him. Why sign? Because the CDMs we have at the club now are simply not good enough. Max Christiansen is average, while Fabian Lustenberger is getting older and he has too high of an attacking morale. Our youth academy graduate Niels Albrecht is not good enough yet.

Right in front of them sits our attacking trio of Mehmedi, Duda, and Weiser. All of them are good dribblers, and they have created a solid amount of goals. Mehmedi has scored 5 in the league, Duda has assisted 4 in all competitions, and Weiser has assisted one more.
Vladimir Darida used to be our starting CAM before his injury, but now Duda owns that spot, and Darida will most likely take Skjelbred's spot in the #6 position.
Loanee Emre Mor adds pace and finess to the flank, and I'll most likely activate his buy clause. Everything is good in this part of the pitch.

The two strikers we have are some of the best Germany has to offer. Davie Selke is the top scorer of the Bundesliga with 10 goals in 16 league games, and in total he has netted 14 goals in 21 appearances. Felix Platte has been less effective with 6 goals in 15 appearances, but he also has enjoyed less playing time than his colleague.

Transfer Plans - I want to sell our second/thid-choice CDM Max Christiansen because he simply isn't good enough for our team. Some targets I have in mind are ex-Mainz player Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Fernando of Spartak Moscow, and the Hungarian Ádám Nagy of Bologna. I'd also like to loan a couple of youngsters out. Other than that I'm very happy about how the squad is looking.



Thank you for reading this post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback or suggestions will be appreciated!

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hahaha it had to happen Simp didn't it? How's Ademilson getting on for Hamburg overall? Selke is doing well so far!

Running away with it with Grimsby Tex! I really like the look of Harris' potential too. Blackpool is extremely inconsistent, hopefully you can make that push into the playoffs.

Betis will surely slip up at some point Rabbit! Just gotta keep winning. What are Messi's and Alonso's stats like now? Newport is looking good. The team is starting to come together bit by bit.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hahaha it had to happen Simp didn't it? How's Ademilson getting on for Hamburg overall? Selke is doing well so far!

He has made 12 appearances for HSV, and he has only scored two goals for them. Naturally one of them had to be against Hertha. It's actually interesting how players I sell often score against me. Usually it's like their only goal of the season, too Yeah, Selke has been great! He's strong and tall, but he's also got good dribbling. Just a well-rounded striker!

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Newport County A.F.C.

'21-'22 October Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Jasper Cillessen (86 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (71 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (81 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (73 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (71 OVR)*
RB: Willem Van Hout (71 OVR)*
RB: Johan Sheriff (69 OVR)*
RB: Márcio Souza (68 OVR)*
CB: Kurt Zouma (86 OVR)
CB: Niklas Süle (84 OVR)
CB: Sebastián Vegas (78 OVR)
CB: Ron Vlaar (77 OVR)
CB: Bondz Lapslie (73 OVR)*
CB: Tafari Hunt (70 OVR)*
CB: Tom Maguire (66 OVR)* (on loan at Middlesbrough)
LB: Jordan Amavi (79 OVR)
LB: Elmir Nabiullin (77 OVR)
LB: Jeff Cohen (66 OVR)* (on loan at Shrewsbury)

CDM: Rohan Ince (77 OVR)
CDM: Doke Boëtius (75 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (73 OVR)*
CDM: Daniel Amaral (66 OVR)*
CM: Paul Pogba (91 OVR)
CM: Clark Gordon (81 OVR)*
CM: Joe Allen (81 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (70 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (73 OVR)*
LM: Raphaël Guerreiro (81 OVR)
LM: Ben Potter (76 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (77 OVR)
CAM: Daniele Martella (75 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (75 OVR)* (on loan at Aston Villa)
CAM: Eduard Cardenas (63 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (73 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (78 OVR)*
LW: Marcos Andrade (71 OVR)*
ST: Breel Donald Embolo (83 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (78 OVR)*
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (76 OVR)
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (73 OVR)
ST: Liam Taylor (69 OVR)*
ST: Sean Hugill (64 OVR)*
ST: Mikael Weilid (61 OVR)*
CF: Jordan Davies (60 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Cillessen (86)

Al Shahrani (81)/Süle (84)/Vegas (78)/Amavi (79)

Pogba (91)

Farfán (C, 77) ------------------ Guerreiro (81)

Gordon (81)

Ringdal Støvland (78) ------- Embolo (83)
______________________________________

Kjetil Ringdal Støvland was named Player of the Month for September.
______________________________________

League Match 8
Newport County - Chelsea (1-1)
Embolo 8' (Pogba)
Kenedy 28'
Amavi 50'

The Exiles withstood a strong challenge from The Blues to manage a draw at Rodney Parade and continue their unbeaten streak in the BPL this season. Chelsea edged the home side both in possession (55%) and shots (eight, six on target) but couldn't manage to get more than their sixth draw of the season to go with one win and one loss.

League Match 9
Crystal Palace - Newport County (2-4)
Mutch 21'
Gordon 23' (Guerreiro)
Gordon 32' (Ringdal Støvland)
Farfán 71' (Ringdal Støvland)
Farfán 84' (pen)
van de Beek 90+2'
Amavi 26'

The Exiles scored four goals from the guys playing the CAM position to earn a dominant win at Selhurst Park. Clark Gordon had an eventful 10-minute stretch midway through the first half that netted him two goals and a yellow card. He was subbed out early in the second half for fellow academy graduate Ben Potter, who stepped in at RM while Jefferson Farfán moved up to CAM and it was the skipper who scored a brace of his own to seal the win for Newport County.

Euro League - Group Match 3
Newport County - Lech Poznań (0-0)

The Exiles' B-squad was unable to secure a third consecutive win in the UEL as the visiting Polish side used an edge in possession (57%) to slow down Newport County's attack. Even with that Marccelino's side created a good number of opportunities (seven shots, six on target) but weren't able to cash in on any of them to allow Lech Poznań to be tied with them for the group lead (just below them due to GD).

League Match 10
Everton - Newport County (4-0)
Bacuna 6'
Lukaku 63'
Lukaku 67'
Cleverley 82'
Pogba 9' (Sprained ankle, out for 4 weeks)
Süle 60' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

The Exiles are unbeaten in the BPL no more after a nightmarish day at Goodison Park. Everton came out with heavy pressure and were able to break through early for the lead, which was followed by another injury to Paul Pogba. The game sort of settled down from there with both teams creating a couple of scoring chances until Niklas Süle had to get off the pitch briefly with a shoulder injury. Everton exploited his absence as Lukaku netted a brace in four-minute span three minutes after Süle's brief exit, which pretty much sealed the win for Everton. Newport County was only able to generate five shots, all of them on target and of the scoring threat variety but Jack Butland was having none of it.

League Match 11
Newport County - Manchester Utd (4-1)
Embolo 33'
Farfán 38' (Ringdal Støvland)
Herrera 44'
Gordon 45+3'
Ringdal Støvland 51' (Embolo)

The Exiles trounced The Red Devils at Rodney Parade to bounce back strongly from the defeat against Everton. Man U, which gave Newport County all sorts of issues last season, was thoroughly outplayed by Marccelino's side from the kick off. It might had been a 5-1 game if not for Sergio Romero who saved a penalty kick from Farfán in the 25th minute.


Embolo opened up the scoring after outmuscling Phil Jones for the ball right outside the box.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hgjcfhnTOL8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly this free kick from Clark Gordon executed almost to perfection. Gordon has had a bounce-back season so far.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z_snWyP4QPg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


______________________________________






Barclays PL
Top Scorers
T1. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 7
T1. Jiménez (Newcastle Utd) - 7
T2. Teixeira (Manchester City) - 6
T2. Polter (QPR) - 6
T2. Jørgensen (Hull City) - 6

Assists
1. Ibe (Liverpool) - 5
T2. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 4
T2. Wickham (Crystal Palace) - 4

Clean Sheets
1. Szczęsny (Arsenal) - 6
2. Ichazo (Derby County) - 5
T2. Butland (Everton) - 4
T2. Leno (Manchester City) - 4

Analysis: Following the Everton game October had a lot of potential for being a tough month for The Exiles but their strong win to close out the month against Man U has definitely lifted the spirits in Newport. Marccelino's side had been in very good form up until the visit to Goodison Park and it must had been refreshing for them to see themselves return to good form so promptly. Nevertheless, the loss to Everton will definitely sting on a couple of levels. For one, Newport County is now one place lower in the standings; but perhaps more important is the fact that Pogba is now back on the shelf. The French star was only able to enjoy a month of action following his broken toe at the end of the pre-season before suffering this new injury to his ankle that will keep him sidelined for another month. Considering he was The Exiles' MVP last season he will definitely be a significant loss for the club. In somewhat better news, Rohan Ince has been cleared by trainers for a return to action following his broken elbow at the end of August. He's likely to step right into the starting lineup in November to fill in for Pogba, allowing academy graduate Doke Boëtius to remain in a backup role.

Individually a pair of academy graduates stood out for the club, with Kjetil Ringdal Støvland making up for a slow down in his scoring with an increase in his assists (to put himself among the league leaders now in both categories). Fellow starter Clark Gordon also continues to show great form so far this season, scoring a brace at Crystal Palace to go with his stellar free kick scorer against Man U.

In academy news of the three scouts out in search for talent only the scout in United States has brought players that have created interest from the club so far.

The Academy
(listed by their ranking in it)

RM - Tobias Perez (65 OVR, 88-94 POT): This 17-year old from France has turned out to be a great find. Scouts unanimously agree he has potential to be special and he is now the top prospect in the academy. He possesses outstanding pace (78acc/73spd) for his age to go with excellent balance (73) and curve (76) on the ball.

ST - Billel Cissé (60 OVR, 86-92): This 17-year old striker from France Standing at 5'9" and 147lbs is officially the next top prospect for the club at this position. Cissé's top attribute is his pace (73 acc, 71 spd) which should come in handy for his size. The club is working on developing his striker skills.

RB - Tony Turner (53 OVR, 80-94)*: 17-year old Yankee standing at 5'10", 154 lbs. Turner possesses excellent agility (75) but isn't too developed as a defender which is where his training will focus right off the bat.

CDM - Pierre Tägtström (59 OVR, 83-89): 16-year old from Sweden who is next in a great lineup of defensive midfielders developed by the club since Marccelino's arrival. Described as physically strong, Tägtström's exciting potential is undeniable and he displays excellent aggressiveness (89) towards the ball. At his age and with the club's depth at the position he should be able to spend time developing in the academy without any rush.

LW - Andre Domingues (57 OVR, 77-83): 16-year old from Portugal who is starting to lose the rawness of his game and slowly creeping towards his great potential. His top attribute continues to be his pace (75acc/70spd), although his agility (73) and balance (71) are also notable.

CDM - Andy Tandia (53 OVR, 75-81): Yet another defensive midfielder prospect, this 17-year old prospect from France currently projects as more of a future backup for the club.

GK - Aaron Keegan (45 OVR, 64-82)*: 15-year old American prospect who projects as more of a backup after showing a higher potential on the scout's report.
* Recent addition

November Schedule
11/4: at FC Krasnodar (Euro League)
11/7: at Spurs
11/21: vs Derby County
11/25: at Lech Poznań (Euro League)
11/28: at QPR

Exiles' fans will rack up the miles in November as the club will play four of their five games away from Rodney Parade including trips to Russia and Poland in UEL action. Each game will be intriguing starting with Newport County's rematch against Krasnodar following their controversial match-up in Wales last month. That will be followed by a showdown at White Hart Lane against last season's BPL champs who are currently two points ahead of Marccelino's side in the standings. Derby County have been a surprise contender for a top-5 finish so far this season and they will represent The Exiles' only home game in November in what could turn out to be a difficult game. Newport's B-squad failed to score at home against Lech Poznań in a draw this month so it'll be interesting so see whether Marccelino will roll the dice with the same unit as when they travel to Poland or if he'll call upon his main unit. The trip to Loftus Road to end November projects as the least attention-grabbing which could turn into a trap game for Newport.

Stay tuned!

^^^ Previous update

Newport County A.F.C.

'21-'22 November Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Jasper Cillessen (86 OVR)
GK: Hayato Matsuki (72 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (81 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (73 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (72 OVR)*
RB: Willem Van Hout (71 OVR)*
RB: Johan Sheriff (69 OVR)*
RB: Márcio Souza (68 OVR)*
CB: Kurt Zouma (86 OVR)
CB: Niklas Süle (84 OVR)
CB: Sebastián Vegas (78 OVR)
CB: Ron Vlaar (77 OVR)
CB: Bondz Lapslie (73 OVR)*
CB: Tafari Hunt (70 OVR)*
CB: Tom Maguire (67 OVR)* (on loan at Middlesbrough)
LB: Jordan Amavi (79 OVR)
LB: Elmir Nabiullin (77 OVR)
LB: Jeff Cohen (67 OVR)* (on loan at Shrewsbury)

CDM: Rohan Ince (77 OVR)
CDM: Doke Boëtius (76 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (74 OVR)*
CDM: Daniel Amaral (67 OVR)*
CM: Paul Pogba (91 OVR)
CM: Clark Gordon (81 OVR)*
CM: Joe Allen (81 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (71 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (73 OVR)*
LM: Raphaël Guerreiro (81 OVR)
LM: Ben Potter (76 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (77 OVR)
CAM: Daniele Martella (75 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (75 OVR)* (on loan at Aston Villa)
CAM: Eduard Cardenas (64 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (73 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (78 OVR)*
LW: Marcos Andrade (71 OVR)*
ST: Breel Donald Embolo (83 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (79 OVR)*
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (76 OVR)
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (73 OVR)
ST: Liam Taylor (70 OVR)*
ST: Sean Hugill (65 OVR)*
ST: Mikael Weilid (62 OVR)*
CF: Jordan Davies (61 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Cillessen (86)

Al Shahrani (81)/Süle (84)/Vegas (78)/Amavi (79)

Ince (77)

Farfán (C, 77) ------------------ Guerreiro (81)

Gordon (81)

Ringdal Støvland (79) ------- Embolo (83)
______________________________________

Euro League - Group Match 4
FC Krasnodar - Newport County (0-1)
Leya Iseka 20' (Allen)

The second match-up between these two clubs proved to be as close as Krasnodar supporters would had wanted but in the end The Exiles B-squad was able to pitch a shoutout and use Leya Iseka's 20th-minute goal to get the three points, clinching a spot for Newport County into the next round in the process.

League Match 12
Spurs - Newport County (1-4)
Bentaleb 7'
Ringdal Støvland 16' (Gordon)
Amavi 30'
Ringdal Støvland 67' (Nabiullin)
Ringdal Støvland 84' (Embolo)
Guerreiro 37'

Kjetil Ringdal Støvland scored his first career hat trick for The Exiles on the same game Toby Alderweireld had a forgettable performance for The Spurs and Newport County came up with a statement win at White Hart Lane. Nabil Bentaleb's long-range goal in the 6th minute didn't intimidate Marccelino's squad, nor did Tottenham's crowd which came out roaring but was slowly calmed down by Newport County's effort throughout the game. RS got past Alderweireld in the 16th minute to fire a crossing shot too powerful for Hugo Lloris, then in the 30th minute a throw-in by the Spurs near their own box went to Alderweirel who played it back towards Lloris as he was pressured by Jordan Amavi. Amavi slid towards the ball at Lloris feet and knocked it backwards before the Tottenham goalkeeper could kick it away as Newport County went ahead in the board and never looked back. A cross from Elmir Nabiullin in the 67th minute was headed in by The Norwegian Tank while being defended by Alderweireld, and if that hadn't meant a bad enough day for the Belgian defender he was also the last man on defense as Ringdal Støvland completed his hat-trick:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i2FGlS61vNs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



League Match 13
Newport County - Derby County (1-1)
Butterfield 8'
Ringdal Støvland 14' (Al Shahrani)

This was the first time all season that The Exiles were able to start their full healthy squad but even that wasn't enough to defeat a gritty Derby side that continues to fight for a top-5 spot in the standings. As a matter of fact, RS' goal was Newport's only shot on goal as all four of their other shots were not on target.

Euro League - Group Match 5
Lech Poznań - Newport County (0-3)
Gordon 17' (Farfán)
Gordon 40' (Pogba)
Potter 90+2' (Guerreiro)
Guerreiro 68'

Marccelino wasn't messing around this time against the Polish club and called on his main squad who responded with a strong win to clinch the top spot in the group. Poznań goalkeeper, Jasmin Burić, had a poor game that included Gordon's second goal going right through his hands. Meanwhile Jefferson Farfán had a noticeably strong game in his first appearance in Europe this season which gathered the attention of several media members wondering whether he'll really call it quits at the end of this season.



League Match 14
QPR - Newport County (0-3)
Ringdal Støvland 43' (Amavi)
Embolo 70' (Ringdal Støvland)
Farfán 90+1'

The Exiles wrapped up a great month for them with yet another strong win in their visit to Loftus Road. Breel Donald Embolo, who hasn't been able to match the scoring pace of his striker partner, finally saw his efforts reflected on the scoresheet. Despite a lack of scoring Embolo has often turned in solid performances so his form hasn't been much of a concern for Marccelino. Case in point, Farfán's goal in stoppage time resulted from a good Embolo shot that was saved by QPR's goalkeeper.






Barclays PL
Top Scorers
1. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 12
2. Jørgensen (Hull City) - 8
T3. Jiménez (Newcastle Utd) - 7
T3. Bony (Manchester City) - 7

Assists
1. Ibe (Liverpool) - 8
T2. Ringdal Støvland (Newport County) - 5
T2. Wickham (Crystal Palace) - 5

Clean Sheets
1. Szczęsny (Arsenal) - 8
2. Ichazo (Derby County) - 5
T2. Butland (Everton) - 4
T2. Leno (Manchester City) - 4
(2 others with 4 also)

Analysis: The Exiles were road warriors in November, winning all four games they played away from Rodney Parade. Their wins in the UEL secured their position as the best team in their group, while their wins in visits to Tottenham and QPR were commanding to solidify them as title contenders at this point of the season. Coincidentally though Arsenal had an even better month in the BPL, winning all three of their games to jump ahead of Newport in the standings and keep Marccelino's squad in third place for now. The draw vs Derby County in the team's only home game this month turned out to carry significant weight. However, another important aspect is that The Exiles finally boast a healthy roster this season that won back-to-back 3-0 games after the draw vs Derby. With a full bill of health Newport County boasts one of the stronger rosters in the BPL and they should continue to be a contender this season.

Individually it would be a shock if Ringdal Støvland isn't named Player of the Month. The academy graduate from Norway continues to establish himself as a star in the BPL. The club continues to consider him an exciting prospect so another scary concept for the rest of the league is that RS can still get a lot better. The club has done an excellent job of keeping him happy with a fair contract. And then there is Farfán who despite some decrease in his skill set is still performing at a high level. He has made it clear he's considering retirement but hasn't committed to a decision just yet. What will he do?

In academy news the club's scouts in the United States and Cameroon have brought more players into the youth squad while the scout in Northern Ireland has yet to report on a prospect that has impressed Marccelino and his staff.

The Academy
(listed by their ranking in it)

RM - Tobias Perez (65 OVR, 88-94 POT): This 17-year old from France has turned out to be a great find. Scouts unanimously agree he has potential to be special and he is now the top prospect in the academy. He possesses outstanding pace (78acc/73spd) for his age to go with excellent balance (73) and curve (76) on the ball.

ST - Billel Cissé (60 OVR, 86-92): This 17-year old striker from France Standing at 5'9" and 147lbs is officially the next top prospect for the club at this position. Cissé's top attribute is his pace (73 acc, 71 spd) which should come in handy for his size. The club is working on developing his striker skills.

RB - Ohon Aduamah (58 OVR, 84-94)*: 15-year old from Cameroon oozing tons of talent and potential at a very early age. Described as physically strong, Aduamah displays excellent aggression (80) and strength (75) to go with the jumping (75) and stamina (75) of a play-time ready prospect. He seems to have sufficient pace to play the position.

ST - Kwame Mayat (59 OVR, 78-94)*: 17-year old from Cameroon who is physically strong, and by physically strong we mean 6'3", 189lbs and some impressive physical traits. Mayat may be the most impressive physical specimen ever signed by Newport' academy, showcasing strength (78), aggression (78), jumping (75), and pace (75spd/73acc). If he can reach his potential by matching his striker skills with his physical skills he'll be an amazing player.

RB - Tony Turner (55 OVR, 80-94): 17-year old Yankee standing at 5'10", 154 lbs. Turner possesses excellent agility (76) but isn't too developed as a defender which is where his training will focus right off the bat.

CDM - Pierre Tägtström (60 OVR, 83-89): 16-year old from Sweden who is next in a great lineup of defensive midfielders developed by the club since Marccelino's arrival. Described as physically strong, Tägtström's exciting potential is undeniable and he displays eye-popping aggressiveness (90) towards the ball. At his age and with the club's depth at the position he should be able to spend time developing in the academy without any rush.

LW - Andre Domingues (58 OVR, 77-83): 16-year old from Portugal who is starting to lose the rawness of his game and slowly creeping towards his great potential. His top attribute continues to be his pace (75acc/70spd), although his agility (73) and balance (71) are also notable.

LM - Collin Taylor (54 OVR 72-88)*: 16-year old American prospect described as a playmaker. His most outstanding skill is his agility (75) which is noticeably better than any other skill he has at the moment.

CDM - Andy Tandia (54 OVR, 75-81): Yet another defensive midfielder prospect, this 17-year old prospect from France currently projects as more of a future backup for the club.

GK - Aaron Keegan (46 OVR, 68-84): 15-year old American prospect who projects as more of a backup after showing a higher potential on the scout's report.
* Recent addition

Marccelino named Wales' new manager

Giovanni Marccelino did not remain out of job in the international market for too long. The timing of a rift between the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and their now former coach Chris Coleman led to Coleman's dismissal and the FAW's immediate hire of Marccelino, who passed on offers from Mexico, Chile, and China to accept the Wales job. Logistically it makes a lot of sense for the Italian coach who already works in a Welsh city and is well respected in the area. Coleman had led Wales to a difficult qualification into this summer's World Cup but his displeasure with the FAW had become public and controversial and this break-up seemed inevitable. Marccelino had to get to work right away with a couple of friendly games.

International Friendlies

Turkey - Wales (2-2)
Yokuşlu 24'
Bale 29' (Huws)
Bradshaw 37' (Allen)
Şahiner 59'

Marccelino's first opponent with Wales was one of the squads he faced during qualifiers while managing Hungary so he was very familiar with them. Due to his tinkering with Hungary he's also familiar with Wales' 5-3-2 system which he used in this game. Wales looked good in Marccelino's debut and were probably the better team but could only manage a draw, highlighting possibly issues on the defensive end.

Romania - Wales (1-1)
Ivan 10'
Bale 49' (Huws)

Romania brought the game to Wales early and often, firing 11 shots (6 on target) but Marccelino's side had a better defensive showing and were once again able to manage a draw. Gareth Bale has looked excellent as a striker in the 5-3-2.
______________________________________

December Schedule
12/4: vs Southampton
12/9: vs SK Sturm Graz (Euro League)
12/12: at Liverpool
12/18: vs West Brom
12/25: at Sunderland
12/27: vs Swansea City
12/29: vs Sunderland

The Exiles will get an extended opportunity to make a move up in the standings with six league games before the new year arrives. Their one game in the UEL should be a formality. Southampton and Liverpool are likely to be tough challenges but Newport County will need to get a significant amount of points against West Brom, Swansea, and Sunderland (x2) which are teams trying to stay out of the relegation zone.

Thanks for reading!

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 5

The Mariners

Winter Transfer Window

Transfers Out

CB, Jamie Ward, England, 19 years old, 56 OVR - Loaned to Crewe Alexandra
LM, Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi, Saudi Arabia, 26 years old, 70 OVR - £1,500,000 to Birmingham City
CAM, Jonathan Rose, England, 20 years old, 56 OVR - £180,000 to Finn Harps
LM, Kyel Reid, England, 33 years old, 58 OVR - Pre-contract agreement to Yeovil Town
CM, Harvey King, England, 21 years old, 60 OVR - £250,000 to Barnet

Transfers In

LB, Djibril Sidibe, France, 28 years old, 84 OVR - Pre-contract agreement from AS Monaco
CB, Maxime Le Marchand, France, 31 years old, 81 OVR - Pre-contract agreeement from OGC Nice

January 2021



Grimsby Town 1 - 1 West Ham United
GRI - Sacko 28'
WHU - Kostic 90' (PEN)
MOTM: Kessie

Disappointing to say the least, but it's a result we will have to live with. Sacko got us started after Kessie played him the ball on the right and he held the defender off before turning him and slotting it low across the goal. It looked like that was going to be all there was to the game, and in the final minutes we took off Caulker who was on a yellow and Santos came on in his place. It turned out to be a massive mistake as Santos conceded a penalty allowing Kostic to convert for the equalizer and cost us the 3 points.



Arsenal FC 1 - 2 Grimsby Town
ARS - Elneny 16'
GRI - Cole 20', Morris 58'
MOTM: Osadebe

We fought hard and this was one of the toughest matches we have played in some time. Arsenal really put us to the test, and we passed it with shining colors. We fell behind early with Ozil picking out Elneny in the box and he has a simple finish in front of goal. But our answer came just minutes later with Cole using his pace to get on the end of a pass from Osadebe and he finished it past the keeper. In the second half Morris provided the spark and he spun his way around a defender, then hopped over a tackle, and let fly from the edge of the box to score the winning goal in an impressive fashion.



F.A. Cup
Grimsby Town 1 - 0 AFC Sunderland
GRI - Sacko 90'
MOTM: Wolf

Sunderland's defense proved to be tough to break down, but in the final minute we finally got the goal we deserved. Their attack on the other hand was hardly worth mentioning and they managed only a single shot the entire game, and it wasn't even on target. In the first half Wolf won a penalty and Hourihane placed his shot into the bottom corner only to see it brilliantly saved by the keeper. After that we kept throwing ourselves forward trying to get the winner, and it finally came on the very last kick of the game with Wolf sending a ball over top to Sacko and he went at the goal and slotted it back across into the bottom corner.



Grimsby Town 0 - 2 Swansea City
SWA - Fer 19', Montero 42'
MOTM: Montero

We equaled Swansea in number of chances, but they were just much more clinical than us when it came to the final touch. Fer opened the scoring after we turned the ball over in our own third and he was played through on goal and had a simple finish. Then Montero made a run on the back post and he slid down to get to a ball before his defender and directed it into the back of the net to double the lead. We weren't able to pull any back afterwards and Swansea earned a well deserved victory.



Leicester City 4 - 1 Grimsby Town
LEI - Rashford 18', 29', 76', Albrighton 83'
GRI - Amang 23'
MOTM: Rashford

This was our worst performance in quite some time and we were pretty much ran out of the stadium. Rashford started it off with a simple tap in after his teammate's shot hit the post. Amang answered right back though getting around the right side and the finishing back across the goal. Rashford struck once again after getting played up the middle and he just simply picked a corner and slotted it away. He still wasn't done and he completed his hat-trick by following up his own shot that was saved and tapping it in to the open net. Albrighton then capped it off for Leicester by picking up a cleared ball on a corner and then firing it from distance into the top corner.



F.A. Cup
Reading FC 2 - 4 Grimsby Town
REA - Wieser 57', Botaka 89'
GRI - Hourihane 22', Sacko 45', Kamada 75', Vieira 86'
MOTM: Kamada

We finally got our attack firing again and this was pretty comfortable all throughout. Hourihane got around the left side and fired it back across to the far post for the opener. Then Sacko picked up a loose ball in the box and he slotted it into the bottom right corner to double our lead. In the second half Wieser was able to get on the end of a cross and finish it past the keeper to pull one back for the home side. But we were able to regain our advantage when Kamada hopped over a tackle and then fired his shot from distance into the top left corner. Vieira then added another after a great run up the middle and he tucked it away into the bottom left corner. Botaka was able to get through late and finish on the near post for a late consolation goal.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Within 2 seasons, have at least 1 player from the Youth Academy signed in the first team play at least 50% of the games in the next season. (Remaining seasons: 2)

Brand Exposure
-Gain £6,800,000 earnings from shirt sales within a season

Financial
-Finish the season with £5,950,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).

Domestic Success
-Premier League: Finish Mid Table.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.

Continental Success
-Champions Cup: Reach the Group Stage.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 1

Club in Crisis

Winter Transfer Window

Transfers Out

GK, Sam Slocombe, England, 28 years old, 62 OVR - £350,000 to S****horpe United

Transfers In

RM, Tony McMahon, England, 30 years old, 60 OVR - Pre-Contract agreement from Bradford City
RM, Mitchell Rose, England, 22 years old, 61 OVR - Loaned from Mansfield Town
RB, Richard Foster, Scotland, 31 years old, 62 OVR - £250,000 from St. Johnstone

January 2017



Blackpool FC 0 - 2 Cambridge United
CAM - Kanamori 55', Corr 77'
MOTM: Berry

We really deserved so much more from this, but we were probably doomed from the start considering how rotated and tired of a squad we were using. We peppered their goal with shots all day, even hitting the post twice, but nothing came from it. Kanamori opened the scoring in the second half for Cambridge by cutting inside our defender and firing his shot into the top left corner in impressive fashion. A pair of Norris saves kept us from equalizing before Corr converted after getting the ball played to him after we turned it over and he was alone with the keeper and made no mistake.



Exeter City 3 - 0 Blackpool FC
EXE - McAlinden 50', Watkins 59', Reid 82'
MOTM: James

Utterly disappointing to once again control the chances and the scoreline being heavily in favor of the other side. It was obvious that it was just going to be one of those nights when they scored their opener off of a series of volleys that ended with McAlinden smashing a stunning one from way outside of the box into the top corner. Their second was directly our fault when we got caught trying to dribble out of the back and they took it away and scored easily. And their third was another takeaway that led straight to Reid firing a shot from the edge of the box into the top right corner.



Blackpook FC 3 - 3 Wycombe Wanderers
BLP - Elliott 9', 90', Potts 31'
WYC - McGinn 16', Cowan-Hall 45', Vargas 69'
MOTM: Vassell

Another game, same story. We were shockingly unlucky once again in a game that we should have won. Elliott opened the scoring after Payne played him through in front of goal and all he had to do was tap it in before the keeper could react. McGinn found an equalizer after his teammates shot rocketed off the back of our defender and fell right to his feet and he fired it home. But we were able to grab the lead once again with Vassell playing Potts down the right and he finished across the goal off the post and in. Then just before the half it was tied up again after Cowan-Hall headed home a corner kick. Wycombe then took the lead in the second half when Vargas fired a shot from distance and it beat our keeper on the left side of the goal and we found ourselves losing now. In they dying minutes though Vassell found Elliott sprinting down the right and he beat the keeper to save a point for us, the only one we took in this month.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Sign at least 2 players younger than 20 years old, with potential greater than the average overall rating of players current;y in the same position.
-Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy to the defender position.

Brand Exposure
-Sign 1 crucial 1st team player assigned to a forward position.

Financial
-Finish the season with £2,550,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).
-Keep player salary growth under 20%

Domestic Success
-EFL League Two: Fight for Promotion.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.
-Within 2 seasons in EFL League Two: Gain Automatic Promotion (Remaining seasons :2)

House Rules

Spoiler

Credit to Pukellama on Reddit

League two

Youth:
•Can only sign 5 players up to the youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad.
•Maximum youth scout rating 1 star.
•Maximum 2 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 65 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24.
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to league 1).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 68) (max 2).
•Can only sign one pre contract agreement, min age 30, max ability 65 (67 if promotion likely).
•Maximum transfer - £500k (£200k if player included).
•Maximum wage - £1500.
•Can't buy anyone with 'great potential' or above.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 70 overall

League 1

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 3 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout rating 2 star.
•Max 3 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 69 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to Championship).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 70) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 69 (70 if promotion likely).
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above.
•Max transfer - £1mil (£500k if player included).
•Max wage - £10k.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 72 overall

Championship

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 3 star. . . Can only scout Euro countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 74 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 20 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish, Non major European leagues (such as Norway) and Major European 2nd divisions and below (bar Barcelona B).
•Can only sign one player from a non EU league.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 78) (max 3).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 78.
•Maximum transfer - £2mil (£1mil if player included).
•Maximum wage - £25k.
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in a major euro league (inc prem)
•Have to sell anyone above 79 overall

Prem (not in europe)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 4 star.
•Can scout anywhere

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 2 non EU - Non EU can be bought from non EU leagues).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 78 current overall.
•No age restriction.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro league or higher.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 80) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 78.
•Max transfer - £15mil (£10mil if player included).
•Max wage - £90k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in Europe (euro league + euro cup)
•Have to sell anyone above 80 overall

Prem (europa league)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•No maximum youth scout rating

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 3 non EU).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 81 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro cup (including non EU league).
•Can loan any player (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 80.
•Max transfer - £20mil (£12.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £150k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in euro cup
•Have to sell anyone above 83 overall

Prem (champions league) - 1st year or where you didn't reach quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can buy any nationality.
•Can not sign anyone who is above 84 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for a major team.
•Cannot loan anyone.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 85.
•Max transfer - £25mil (£17.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £175k.
•Can buy any level of potential

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from major clubs.
•Have to sell your best player if reach the semis or higher (add to transfer list, and sell to a club in the champs cup)
•Have to sell anyone who is above 86 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 88 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for someone else who reached the quarter finals.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•Max transfer - £30mil (20mil including player).
•Max wage - £225k

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. . . Have to sell your best 2 players if you don't make the quarters the following year (to a big team only).
•Have to sell anyone who is above 90 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached final in previous year

Youth:
•Can only sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone above 91 current overall.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•No max transfer.
•No max wage

Selling:
•Do not have to sell

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County Winter Transfer 2020

This month saw The Magpies emerge to the top of the Premier league. This was possible through some amazing play. The squad went on a roll winning four matches continuing play that they started in December. With these wins we were able to get a one point lead in the table.

January also saw the FA Cup competition start for us in which we match up against Spurs. This was a match that saw us come 2 down to win 3-2. A truly remarkable come back.

We also continued to get in uncharted ground the EPL play moving ever closer to the final. Something that has never happened in my career.

We saw some transfers in this period. We lost CB Pearce who been our reserve rock in the back. Also we lost Serge Deble too, this one was hard, but the club decided to let him go in order to develop some young talent. We did bring in Eugene Ansah for ST to give us more youth. Next month has us in three competitions as Euro goes back into action. So we will see how things go.