How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

RC Deportivo



March Matches

RC Deportivo 3 - RCD Mallorca 3
28' Dani Iglesias
33' Babin
41' Figueiredo
47' Jobson
54' Babin
66' Jobson

CA Osasuna 3 - RC Deportivo 3
11' Dani Iglesias
23' Depay
26' Torres
28' Babin
35' Torres
86' Timor

Villareal CF 3 - RC Deportivo 2
31' Dani Iglesias
45' Dos Santos
53' Depay
62' Dos Santos
74' Bruno

RC Deportivo 4 - Celta Vigo 2
6' Krohn-Dehli
11' Dani Iglesias
39' Dani Iglesias
45' Depay
66' Borja Oubina
68' Sanchez

Table
1. Atletico Madrid - 68 pts
2. Real Madrid - 67 pts
3. FC Barcelona - 67 pts
4. Sevilla FC - 54 pts
5. Athletic Bilbao - 50 pts
6. Real Sociedad - 49 pts
11. RC Deportivo - 38 pts

Press Conference

Q: Dani Iglesias with 5 goals in 4 matches this month. He is really proving that your faith in him wasn't misguided. Do you see this form continuing for the last 2 months, and if so will you still be bringing another striker in this summer?

A: Dani has been everything I knew he could be. Losing Keirrison seemed like an interesting decision at the time, but I knew that Dani would be more than capable of stepping up. As far as summer transfer plans I think that more depth at striker is still something we need to look at regardless of Dani's form.

Q: Sanchez scored his first goal in his senior career at the club. He is one of two players that have come through the academy you have started up so far. How do you see the future at the club for these two players, and how do you feel about your investment in the youth academy so far?

A: Sanchez and Enrique have been great in training so far this season. They have proven to me that they belong at this senior level. Minutes still have to be earned, but they are only impressing me more and more each week. As for the academy as a whole, there are several players currently in the system that have the potential to be contributors to this club. After this season I will re-evaluate the players and determine who, if any, are ready to make their senior debuts.

Q: Not too bad of results for this month taking 5 points. You managed to keep your position the same as last month. With two months left what is your plan for finishing out the season?

A: We are in a good spot right now. Not many people had us even above the relegation positions, but I always knew we were capable of more than that. As I said before, the top half is our goal. I think that things are coming together nicely so far and I am confident that we will accomplish that.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

So guys, here we go. Another Career Mode, hopefully it will be as well-received as the Cardiff CM was. I had a play around with a few other Career Mode's and this was by far the most enjoyable and fun to play with. The team is great to play with and I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoy playing with the team. I have decided to do this Career Mode in a different style to the last one. Wait and see what it is, and any feedback will be highly appreciated as always. Anyway without further ado, let's get on with the Career Mode.

Dundee United Career Mode

The Master's first meeting with the staff of Dundee United.

TheMaster - Morning lads, so before we begin I'd like to tell you all where I see this club going in 5 seasons. I believe with the right men behind the club, with the right signings made, with a good amount of money I think this club can lift the Champions League. Currently that may seem unbelievably far fetched. You might say, we aren't even the best team in Scotland yet, let alone the best team in Europe but I believe we can do this. However, in order for this goal to be achieved I need full backing from every single one of you. This project is going to be a long haul and if you don't believe in it you may as well leave now. I need you all to believe in me and the club. If you do we will be successful. I'm sure of that.

Simon Donnelly (Assistant Manager) - I'm not sure I can go through with this to be honest boss. I think you ambitions are too much for this club. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave. I wish you well but there is no way I can go through with this. Sorry boss.

TheMaster - That's a shame. I wish you well. Thanks for your loyalty but you know my philosophy and I'm afraid you need to leave.

Darren Jackson (First Team Coach) - I'm in boss, I love this ambition. I hope we can take this club to the glory it deserves and let's hope this plan pays of in the end.

TM - Excellent, I want to keep you as First Team Coach but I would also like you to help me appoint a new Assistant Manager.

DJ - Of course boss.

TM - Right, let's start talking football, formation firstly. I'd like to play 4-2-3-1 with Rado (Radoslaw Cierzniak) in goal, Keith (Watson) and Robbo (Andrew Robertson) in the full back positions. In the two CB positions I'd like to play Gav (Gunning) and I'd actually really like to play Johnny (Souttar) to develop him. I reckon he has massive potential

DJ - Are you sure about Souttar boss? He's only 16 and is yet to show this massive potential you speak of.

TM - I'm sure. If it doesn't work, we take him out. Simple. Let's see how he does in pre-season. In midfield I'd like to sign a young boy to slot in alongside Stuart (Armstrong). For now we'll stick with John (Rankin). We have obviously some phenomenal attacking midfielders. I want Ryan (Gauld) in the centre and Gary (Mackay-Steven) and Ryan (Dow) on the right and left. Up front Nadir (Ciftci) will do brilliantly I hope.

DJ - I like this attacking formation. I think it will suprise many when we play this exciting brand of attacking football. Which players are you going to try and sign at DM.

TM - I actually am a huge fan of Jamie Ness. I think he is excellent and we would to well to bring him back to Scotland. He will cost a lot but I reckon he'll be worth it. Medhi Abeid also looks like a future star and could be a decent player to bring in, if not this year, then soon.

Thanks for reading, as I said feedback on the new style would be hugely appreciated. I hope you enjoyed and otherwise get ready for the next post.

That's an excellent write-up, and something a bit new from what I remember reading so far. It's good to have a bit of a look into the backroom proceedings. Maybe down the line you can consider bringing back another former Dundee lad, Johnny Russell? Just a thought.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Friendlies Report.
Huddersfield F.C.

Huddersfield 2-1 Kilmarnock
Shots; Hudds 15-4 Kilmarnock
Possession; 56%-44%
Man of the Match; Samson, Kilmarnock keeper.

Overall, a plucky well drilled Kilmarnock caused some problems but overall a last minute header by Clayton from a Fagundez cross proved the difference. Disappointed by the defending for Kilmarnock's goal from a long free kick hoofed up field resulting in Gardyne eventually getting a break he poked home.

Gerrard 30'
Gardyne 39'
Clayton 90'

Palermo 0-6 Huddersfield
Shots; Palermo 2-11 Huddersfield
Possession; 47%-53%
Man of the Match; Nahki Wells.

Surprisingly Palermo of Serie B were awful. Unable to pull off any passing sequence and the service to Abel Hernandez was woeful. However Cathcart and Lynch were able to deal with any threat he posed. Wells grabbed a brace and caused a re-think for TheManager as to whether he should start ahead of Vaughan. He proved clinical in the area.

Fagundez 3'
Clayton 15'
Hogg 28'
Wells 36'
Wells 61'
Norwood 86'

Huddersfield 2-2 Rayo Vallecano
Fernandez 37'
Fernandez 77'
Clayton 85'
Fagundez 89'

Shots; Huddersfield 7-8 Rayo
Possession; 51%-49%
Man of the Match; Rayo winger Fernandez.

Overall, great spirit showed by the lads to come back even for a friendly. Fagundez proved his worth here with a great cross for Clayton and a superb 25 yard drive for the late equaliser.

Summary of Friendlies.

Overall, these were quite the success, the 4-3-3 holding was discovered in the Palermo victory, and some subs/reserves such as Norwood and Wells gave food for thought as to Starting XI places.
Ball retention and defence could be improved but overall TheManager can not complain.

Please give feedback and some constructive criticism would be much appreciated as to how I can improve these posts.

Some really good results for you in preseason. Fairly straightforward updates, maybe bring in a bit more of a creative side to it if you've got that in you? Like perhaps a discussion between you and a player who stood out during these three games asking for a chance to shine in the league?

Superb reports, keep us updated! Will Buckley does seem to be quite the player. How exactly successful has Bendtner been for Brighton? Does he contribute well to open play or....?

He's far from just a poacher, mate. I'm playing a custom 4-1-4-1 with Bendtner as a CF instead of a ST, what he does is just phenomenal. There are always 1-2 guys on him, and his deep runs make room for Buckley to peel in and attack from the wing. He's also wonderful at holding up play and creating assists during counter-attacks.

So far 7 goals and 4 assists in 8 games, grown from 78 to 80 OVR. To think I got this beast on a FREE.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

RC Deportivo



March Matches

RC Deportivo 3 - RCD Mallorca 3
28' Dani Iglesias
33' Babin
41' Figueiredo
47' Jobson
54' Babin
66' Jobson

CA Osasuna 3 - RC Deportivo 3
11' Dani Iglesias
23' Depay
26' Torres
28' Babin
35' Torres
86' Timor

Villareal CF 3 - RC Deportivo 2
31' Dani Iglesias
45' Dos Santos
53' Depay
62' Dos Santos
74' Bruno

RC Deportivo 4 - Celta Vigo 2
6' Krohn-Dehli
11' Dani Iglesias
39' Dani Iglesias
45' Depay
66' Borja Oubina
68' Sanchez

Table
1. Atletico Madrid - 68 pts
2. Real Madrid - 67 pts
3. FC Barcelona - 67 pts
4. Sevilla FC - 54 pts
5. Athletic Bilbao - 50 pts
6. Real Sociedad - 49 pts
11. RC Deportivo - 38 pts

Press Conference

Q: Dani Iglesias with 5 goals in 4 matches this month. He is really proving that your faith in him wasn't misguided. Do you see this form continuing for the last 2 months, and if so will you still be bringing another striker in this summer?

A: Dani has been everything I knew he could be. Losing Keirrison seemed like an interesting decision at the time, but I knew that Dani would be more than capable of stepping up. As far as summer transfer plans I think that more depth at striker is still something we need to look at regardless of Dani's form.

Q: Sanchez scored his first goal in his senior career at the club. He is one of two players that have come through the academy you have started up so far. How do you see the future at the club for these two players, and how do you feel about your investment in the youth academy so far?

A: Sanchez and Enrique have been great in training so far this season. They have proven to me that they belong at this senior level. Minutes still have to be earned, but they are only impressing me more and more each week. As for the academy as a whole, there are several players currently in the system that have the potential to be contributors to this club. After this season I will re-evaluate the players and determine who, if any, are ready to make their senior debuts.

Q: Not too bad of results for this month taking 5 points. You managed to keep your position the same as last month. With two months left what is your plan for finishing out the season?

A: We are in a good spot right now. Not many people had us even above the relegation positions, but I always knew we were capable of more than that. As I said before, the top half is our goal. I think that things are coming together nicely so far and I am confident that we will accomplish that.

Some good results. Not a bad position to be in for your first top-flight season, hopefully you can get more games to go your way and finish inside the top half. The money would help, for sure. I'd definitely look at bringing in a good but inexpensive striker. If you've got £4-5 million to spare in the summer, might I suggest Marco Sau?

[Billy5500]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

The Black Cats' Adventure

September Update

Matches

(CAPITAL ONE) Bolton 1 - 3 Sunderland AFC (simmed)
C.Wickham - 19' ; 34'
S.Holden - 66'
C.Gardner - 68'



Sunderland AFC 2 - 1 Arsenal
S.Fletcher - 42'
E.Dzeko - 52'
C.Gardner - 53'

Incredible. We played it like a Champions League final.. Once again, keeping possesion was key (I play on 10 minute halves). S.Fletcher is amazing . They had total of 19 shots on goal, but just 8 on target. 7 of them were saved by MOTM Vito Manonne. When Edin Dzeko finally scored after like the 10 chances he had, we tried something from kick-off. Gardner passed the ball to Ki and made a huge run towards Szczesny's goal. Then Ki found Gardner with an amazing pass, and he scored!!From then on, we pretty much parked the bus. This win was more because of weak Arsenal, but we did our best aswell.

West Bromwich 1 - 1 Sunderland AFC
J.Altidore - 34'
M.Vydra - 67'

Disgraceful.. Why?? Because WBA players DIVED inside the penalty box TWICE and the ref gave TWO penalties. Believe it or not, M.Vydra couldn't score neither of them. Other than that - not an easy game.

(CAPITAL ONE) Sunderland AFC 2 - 0 Fleetwood Town (simmed)
S.Vergini - 40'
S.Larsson - 73'

Sunderland AFC 1 - 1 Liverpool
S.Ki - 14'
D.Sturridge - 52'

Once again - very disciplined, and once again - we are the one who take the lead. This happened around 90% of our games so far, and I am happy, because I know my boys can bang it into the back of the net. But Liverpool did deserve something out of this game, so fair play.

Summary

The Sunderland fans are some of the happiest fans on the world at this moment, because their team went a whole month unbeaten. It seems like Mr.Billy's tactics are really working. He said it would take him time, but he had a flying start with The Black Cats.

League Table

TEAM - Pl/GD/Pts

1.Newcastle United - 6/6/15
2.Manchester United - 6/7/14
3.Liverpool FC - 6/4/14
4.Arsenal - 6/8/13
5.Everton - 6/6/12
6.Sunderland AFC - 6/0/11
7.Southampton - 6/5/10
.
.
18.Swansea City - 6/-6/4
19.Derby County - 6/-7/4
20.West Bromwich - 6/-7/3

Best performers

8 games in all competitions

Steven Fletcher - 5 games/4 Goals/1 Assist/7,00 rating
Vito Manonne - 7 games/1 Clean Sheet/7,60 rating
Sung-Yueng Ki - 6 games/1 Goal/3 Assists/6,70 rating
C.Gardner - 6 games/3 Goals/6,50 rating
John Anthony Brooks - 5 games/1 Clean Sheet/6,70 rating
Phil Bardsley - 6 games/0 Clean Sheets/1 Goal/6,70 rating
Andrea Dossena - 4 games/2 Assists/7,20 rating



Next game : HOME vs Manchester United

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Some good results. Not a bad position to be in for your first top-flight season, hopefully you can get more games to go your way and finish inside the top half. The money would help, for sure. I'd definitely look at bringing in a good but inexpensive striker. If you've got £4-5 million to spare in the summer, might I suggest Marco Sau?

Thanks I appreciate the comments and the suggestion. Sau looks like a great pick up and in past career modes I think I would be all over going after him, but in this I am trying to focus more on target men at the front in my lone striker set up.

One of the guys I was thinking about is Graziano Pelle. He is a beast in the air and a good finisher overall. It will be the start of my 3rd season so he will be about 30, but still with a good enough overall and stats to contribute. I think he should be a decent price and be pretty effective in the areas I need him to be.

I am not dead set on him though and I am open to other suggestions such as Sau. Maybe he would be a good change of pace striker, so that remains to be seen how set I am on the style I am looking for.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

How about Cheick Diabaté of Bordeaux? He is a target man about 6'3 or 4 and has serious strength stats, should be about 75, but is good for link up play and route one, if that's your style of play.

He looks like a great option. Now I have some options to where I can focus on getting the best deal! Plus he is younger than Pelle so that is an advantage there as well.

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

New to the forum here, but became interested after looking at some interesting career modes.
I am going to update on my Huddersfield career mode from now on.
Moderate Finances.
Legendary Difficulty.
Latest Squads downloaded.

The Appointment of TheManager at John Smith's Stadium

A new refreshing manager, paid with the lowest salary in the FL Championship.
The Chairman was quoted as saying: "It is a very positive appointment I feel. It is financially benefitting us as a club as his salary is low. But his high work ethic is there to be seen already. I told him a goal was to become a mainstay in the division, but his optimism could be seen immediately as he said he would gain immediate promotion, with a quick, counter-attacking "Liverpool-esque" style of playing with the promotion of pacey, technical footballers. His optimism is clear to be seen and I feel he will do a great job with our "Terriers".

Sounds like a great career mode in the making! Huddersfield is a great team. I was pretty disappointed to meet them in League 1, meaning they had been relegated from the Championship. You've got a plus in the net with Alex Smithies. I brought him to Leeds in FIFA 13 and he's already on my list for when I start a Leeds career again soon. Good luck!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Thanks I appreciate the comments and the suggestion. Sau looks like a great pick up and in past career modes I think I would be all over going after him, but in this I am trying to focus more on target men at the front in my lone striker set up.

One of the guys I was thinking about is Graziano Pelle. He is a beast in the air and a good finisher overall. It will be the start of my 3rd season so he will be about 30, but still with a good enough overall and stats to contribute. I think he should be a decent price and be pretty effective in the areas I need him to be.

I am not dead set on him though and I am open to other suggestions such as Sau. Maybe he would be a good change of pace striker, so that remains to be seen how set I am on the style I am looking for.

Ah, well then I have to suggest Bendtner, though he may come slightly more expensive than Sau. Also consider Felipe Caicedo, Daniel Ginczek, Nabil Ghilas and Kostas Mitroglou.

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Season 2, Episode 18: Manchester Mistakes

In this episode we head to Sweden to face Malmo in the group stages before BPL clashes with Manchester City and Aston Villa.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JsAryipuwf8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Brighton & Hove Albion
Taking Flight



October 2014

Hull 0-2 Brighton
Buckley 37', Bendtner 78'
Man of the match: Will Buckley

Buckley grabs his third MOTM award of the season to seal another brilliant performance for Brighton in the pouring rain. The first goal is a beauty. LuaLua plays a cross in to Bendtner, who heads powerfully at goal. The shot is blocked but falls to Buckley on the right wing, who crosses it into the net from just outside the box. The second goal is a simple tap-in from close range, which follows a series of intricate passes in the Hull box.

Brighton 1-1 Everton
Bendtner 70'
Vellios 84'
Man of the match: Charles Aranguiz

Brighton play like tiki taka wizards, pinging the ball around relentlessly in search of a killer opportunity. Aranguiz is at the centre of it all, completing 58 of 64 passes over 90 minutes. The scoring is left until late, when Bendtner heads in from an Aranguiz free kick, but Apostolos Vellios is on hand to equalise for Everton when he's left unmarked during a late corner.

West Brom 0-2 Brighton
Buckley 10', Bendtner 60'
Man of the match: Gordon Greer

The points keep coming for Brighton as they dismantle a weak, toothless West Brom. Ben Foster is the only saving grace, preventing a repeat of the West Ham score. Buckley pops in an early goal by dribbling from the right wing to the left, and then jinking his way back into the centre on his favoured foot and shooting hard and low. Brighton's talisman then grabs yet another goal by slamming a shot past Foster with an hour on the clock.

Brighton 3-0 Aston Villa
Kongolo 41', Bendtner 45', Forster-Caskey 78'
Man of the match: Charles Aranguiz

Villa threaten in the first half, but Benteke spurns several chances to put his side in the driver's seat. Kongolo and Bendtner both score via headers during corners late in the first half, while Forster-Caskey, getting his first start in the Premier League, manages a lovely one-touch finish to secure the win.

October 2014
Cup: N/A
League: 10/12 points

Indiblue's analysis: An amazing month for us. Bendtner and Buckley continue their goalscoring form, but most important is that we are grabbing points that we need to have. Congratulations to the lads, who have really done their very best at the first time of asking in the top flight. I said I would like to see us get a little tighter, and we've managed to do that, so very well and good.

********************

November 2014

Man. United 3-1 Brighton
Van Persie 5' (pen.) 82', Young 70'
Bendtner 84'
Man of the match: Darren Fletcher (Man. United)

An early spot kick is put away by the Dutchman after he's fouled in the box by an over-eager Dunk making his first Premier League start. Much later, Ashley Young dribbles past two Brighton defenders and slams a powerful shot into the far corner. A third comes soon after as Van Persie again gets the better of Dunk, fooling him completely before executing a clinical finish. Bendtner grabs a late consolation goal for Brighton.

Brighton 3-0 Stoke
LuaLua 9', Bendtner 19' 90'
Man of the match: Charles Aranguiz

Aranguiz is again at the heart of a quick passing game, executing 77 passes and completing 72 of them. He puts LuaLua through early on with a defence-splitting ball, and the Congolese wide man finishes with a cool head to give Brighton an early lead against a tough opponent. Bendtner then grabs his first goal ten minutes after the opener, outfoxing the keeper after being played through by Aranguiz to pass into an empty net. His injury time effort is a cannon of a shot, made possible after being teed up perfectly by Mutch.

Norwich 2-1 Brighton
Van Wolfswinkel 3' (pen.), Redmond 32'
Bendtner 90'
Man of the match: Hector Bellerin

Another early penalty is conceded, this time by Kongolo. Clinical finishing by Van Wolfswinkel gives Norwich an early lead in the rain, before Redmond scores a lucky goal that gets deflected off Rohan Ince's back. Bendtner grabs his customary goal, again a header during a corner in injury time, but it is not enough.

Brighton 1-2 Cardiff
Bendtner 16'
Kim 13' (pen.), Campbell 65'
Man of the match: Kim Bo-kyung

Yet another foolish penalty means that Brighton have conceded 3 spot kicks in their past 4 games. Bendtner soon equalises with one of the most powerful shots the Premier League has ever seen, making it eight consecutive league games that the Dane has scored in. However, Frazier Campbell is able to win it for the Welsh side thanks to a lax Brighton defence allowing him the time and space needed to curl a shot past Kuszczak's reach.

QPR 0-0 Brighton
Man of the match: Tomasz Kuszczak

No goals to speak of in this dull affair. Brighton will be happy that they seem to have sorted out their defensive woes, but Bendtner will not be too thrilled to see his goalscoring run interrupted.

November 2014
Cup: N/A
League: 4/15 points

Indiblue's analysis: Much worse than last month, by a huge margin. But this is a more realistic run of games for a team playing its first Premier League season. I would have liked at least a point each from Norwich and Cardiff, but we still have many more games to go. Bendtner's form is a blessing, as we would be far worse off without his goals.

********************

Barclays Premier League

1. Tottenham Hotspur, 46 points
2. Chelsea, 38 points
3. Manchester City, 35 points
4. Manchester United, 32 points
5. Arsenal, 31 points
6. Liverpool, 28 points
...
10. Brighton & Hove Albion, 21 points

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Ah, well then I have to suggest Bendtner, though he may come slightly more expensive than Sau. Also consider Felipe Caicedo, Daniel Ginczek, Nabil Ghilas and Kostas Mitroglou.

I'll be taking a look at these guys. Thanks for the suggestions!

[moose141]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Brighton & Hove Albion
Taking Flight
********************

Barclays Premier League

1. Tottenham Hotspur, 46 points
2. Chelsea, 38 points
3. Manchester City, 35 points
4. Manchester United, 32 points
5. Arsenal, 31 points
6. Liverpool, 28 points
...
10. Brighton & Hove Albion, 21 points

10th in the league thus far is certainly nothing to hang your head at... Buckley and Bendtner have proven to be a lethal combination with some good midfield help providing solid service for them. Just need to sort out the penalty confusion and you should be all set for a solid campaign!

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Season 2, Episode 18: Manchester Mistakes

In this episode we head to Sweden to face Malmo in the group stages before BPL clashes with Manchester City and Aston Villa.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JsAryipuwf8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Shame against Malmo not to get the win, but City were just phenomenal. As for Villa, that team effort that ended with Grenier (I think) having a shot saved was a great piece of work, and shame about Ravel not grabbing a goal there. I find the post-corner shot to be one of the best ways to score, Bridcutt got me a few from that situation last season.

As for international management, go for it if you're up to it. Spain are packed with talent, and you'll have fun winning another World Cup. I'm planning to take an international job in my fourth or fifth season, after the 2016 Euros are done.

Quick question about strikers. You have Lacazette who relies more on pace, as well as Carroll who is more of a target man. Do you find either type to be better as a striker? Any preference? I tend to have better success with a big, strong forward who won't lose the ball, but it's nice to have a speed demon to latch on to those killer through balls as well. Just curious what you feel, and anyone else reading this please chime in.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

AD Alcorcon '15-'16 Season

Los Alfareros are now 6 games away from what could be the end of the season ... if they're able to hang on to one of the top two spots in the standings of Liga Adelante and advance to Liga BBVA for the first time in club history. Here's what the Top 8 (the rest are out of contention) looks like at the moment (for reference, look back at my mid-season post in page 202)

P/W/D/L; GF/GA/GD/PTS

1. RCD Espanyol: 36/24/10/2; 72/23/+49/82
2. AD Alcorcon: 36/24/7/5; 56/25/+31/79
3. CA Osasuna: 36/24/4/8; 75/25/+50/76
4. Levante UD: 36/22/10/4; 70/31/+30/76
5. Granada CF: 36/20/8/8; 66/29/+37/68
6. UD Almeria: 36/19/9/8; 55/33/+22/66
7. RM Castilla: 36/18/11/7; 61/36/+25/65
8. Real Murcia CF: 36/18/9/9; 53/41/+12/63

There are a lot of recent developments to get into. We have just finished a grueling victory over Osasuna to take sole possession of 2nd place. Our star youngers, Miguel and Vidal, have returned from loan duty and should provide a spark for the team in what would a tough end.

More importantly, we recently passed May 1st on the calendar and have obtained updated reports from the youth squad. A recent signing from Japan, Zeshin Yamura, has the city of Alcorcon buzzing. The 16-year old was scouted for 1 month by team scouts before joining the youth squad, and he has recently been signed to the senior team and inserted into the RM slot. HE presents and intriguing combination of speed, awareness, control, dribbling and passing for a kid of his age, and he has also earned free kick duties for the club. Reports suggest the team may also sign 16-year old striker Manuel Adolfo to the squad, which makes sense considering the only true strikers on the team are the starters.

Over the next two weeks Alcorcon will face CD Mirandes (19th)at home, Real Murcia CF and Hercules CF (10th) on the road, then RC Recreativo (13th), CD Lugo (21st), and Deportivo Alaves (18th) at home.

My question for you: do you think I can avoid the playoffs and qualify directly to La Liga?

I don't think I can take this. If I miss out on direct promotion the wife might find me controller on hand passed out on the bed of a heart attack. My next three games have all been DRAWS! 1-1 vs Mirandes on a game I had to play with a lot of subs due to my starters being gassed. Alvarez came through to tie the game at 1-1 in the second half so I could salvage something. I then tied 0-0 against Murcia and seemed to be falling apart against Hercules down 0-3 with 20 minutes left ... but against all odds, my strikers teamed up. Beleck crossed it to Gaona Lugo for a header to make it 1-3 in the 72nd minute, then 4 minutes later Miguel made a high through pass to Gaona Lugo who downed it with his chest at the top of the box then hit it just hard enough past the keeper to make it 2-3. It didn't seem I'd be be able to complete the comeback but in stoppage time Beleck stole the ball from a defender near midfield, raced down the right side of the pitch and crossed another beauty towards Gaona Lugo on the far post for the HAT TRICK. It ended at 3-3. Gaona Lugo jumped all the way to third for most goals in the league while Beleck all but locked up the lead for assists.

Unfortunately our inability to win has put us back in 3rd place. Espanyol has clinched direct promotion and Osasuna is ahead of us by 3 points ... BUT THEY JUST LOST in their 40th game! Which means if we beat Recreativo we'll tie the bastards (who would win a tiebreaker due to their far better goal differential). I need to win out and hope Osasuna slips once more. This is KILLING ME.