Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?
You'll face either Liverpool or Swansea in the final should you get past Chelsea. Depending on how the Premier League goes, just reaching the final may not be enough for you to make the Europa League.
And it shouldn't be. If you want a prize, you need to earn it all the way. It sounds fair to me that if we want to participate in the Europa League next season, we need to win the trophy. In addition, it will be lovely to claim my first piece of silverware with this magnificent club.
Alright, Indi. Thanks for your time. Good luck for the rest of the season.
Thanks, fellas. Have a good one.
If you reach the final of the Capital One Cup and the winner has qualified for Europe, the 6th place team gets Europe, not the cup runnners up. It only works like that in the FA Cup irl. That being said it might be different on FIFA
Spoiler
November 2014
Blackburn Rovers 3-4 Bristol City
Bristol City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Watford 0-2 Bristol City
Bristol City 7-2 Birmingham City
Blackpool 3-6 Bristol City
December 2014
Middlesbrough 0-2 Bristol City
Bristol City 2-0 Derby County
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Bristol City
Bristol City 4-1 Middlesbrough
Bristol City 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Bristol City 1-1 Barnsley
Stoke City 2-0 Bristol City
Table
1. Stoke City, 63 points
2. Bristol City, 58 points
3. Crystal Palace, 57 points
4. Queens Park Rangers, 51 points
5. Bolton Wanderers, 49 points
6. Cardiff City, 48 points
...
22. Sheffield Wednesday, 18 points
23. Preston North End, 18 points
24. Bournemouth, 12 points
Press Conference
Indi, a very good couple of months for you. Do you think you can make the jump to the Premier League next season?
There's a very long way to go, folks. As much as we would love to be in the top flight, as much as we realise that we are contenders for one of the three spots that will make that happen, we want to put that to one side of our heads and take things one game at a time.
You had some very interesting results in November, not least of which was the 7-2 destruction of Birmingham.
You have to give credit to the Birmingham players, because they are a decent side. It just wasn't their day, and we felt so good that everything we tried came off. As much as it's uplifting to be leading 6-0 at halftime, it's equally demoralising to be down that many. Birmingham could have given up and conceded another six, but they fought back as best they could. We only got one in the second 45 minutes, but they got two. I refuse to say that we destroyed them.
And then you score six against Blackpool in the next game, pouring rain and all.
Blackpool played very negatively that game. Two of their players were dismissed with straight reds, but I thought another one should have gone as well. Of course, the man advantage played its part, but we have it in us to score plenty of goals. If only we could stop conceding so many, we'll be alright.
But that month, you scored 21 goals and conceded just nine. Isn't that good?
Of course it is, but look at the bigger picture. We're not always going to score seven goals in a game, but we have been conceding regularly. We need to kick the habit and really shore up our defensive play, or we risk our chances of promotion.
You did well after that, conceding just six in December.
And just three of those goals cost us a total of four points. I know I sound like a spoilt brat who wants every last crumb of his birthday cake all for himself, but I have very high standards. If I ever find myself satisfied with 14 points instead of 18 from six games, I won't manage another day. There is always room for improvement. That said, I can acknowledge when I've been outsmarted and outplayed. Stoke gave us a real game. I said earlier that they are still Premier League quality; they just had some bad luck last season, or they'd still be a division up. There's no shame in losing to a team that plays as well as Stoke does.
A few weeks ago, Gary Neville said that Sam Baldock and Scott Wagstaff aren't up to scratch for this level of football. Your thoughts?
I have only respect for Gary. He wouldn't have said what he did unless he truly believed it, and he would only believe it based on what he's seen, but you have to consider that he doesn't know these players like I do. With all due respect to Gary, he only knows half the story. I'm extremely satisfied with Scott's performances. He might not be scoring as regularly as he did last season, but he offers plenty more than just goals. As for Sam, I'll let his 20 goals do the talking.
I hate to sound like a broken record every presser, but what do you make of Anthony Martial?
The kid is 18 years old, and he has 20 goals and 10 assists in 26 league games, which means he's had a direct hand in 50% of the goals we've scored. He has strength, skill, pace and confidence that lets him play like a seasoned professional in his mid-20s. I can't see anything but amazing things for Tony, and I only hope that he achieves that potential with us.
January is upon us, and that means transfers. Is it true you're looking to sign Ben Foster from West Brom.
At this time, Ben is still contracted to West Brom. It would be wrong of me to speak of any interest we may or may not have in him.
I presume you won't be commenting on Ross McCormack either, then?
I won't be saying anything about anyone who's not part of Bristol City Football Club, whether that's Ross McCormack or Lionel Messi.
Fine. Tell us why Greg Cunningham has been listed for transfer. What's this about? We all expected you to sell Brendan Moloney.
Greg has found himself on the periphery of our first team for some weeks now, for reasons I do not wish to make public, and it's been made clear to him that we feel it best for him to seek a fresh challenge. Nobody is sure just yet as to where he will be on February 1, but it will not be with us. As for Brendan, what kind of inconsiderate jerk do you think I am, that I would sell a player simply because he gets injured a bit? When we were relegated last season, he remained with us. How could I betray him and push him out the door at a time when we are supposed to be taking care of him? Brendan is very much a part of this club, injured or not.
Will you be bringing in a replacement at left back?
Joe Bryan will be taking up that role. He's much better there than in midfield, thanks mostly to his excellent defensive ability and physical condition. He's also a brilliant crosser of the ball. This will allow Santi Aguirre to come into the first team in midfield.
Speaking of Aguirre, how is he coming along?
When we promoted him from the academy last season, none of us expected him to break into the first team so quickly, but the lad has done just that. Santi's talent is the reason he's appeared in 18 of our 26 league games, as well as all our cup matches. It was great to watch him score his first goal for us against Barnsley, earning us a point in the process, but I'm struck most by his mental strength. For a 17-year-old lad to focus only on football when his family is thousands of miles away is a special thing. He's a credit to himself and his family, and we are all so proud of him.
Marlon Pack was on the fringes of the first team for a long time and made his first appearance this season only against Barnsley. Why's that?
Unfortunately for Marlon, he was simply not good enough in preseason to merit a spot in the squad once competition began. His work ethic suffered for a few months, but he recently signed a long-term extension and is in much better spirits. I wanted to reward him for his patience, and the need to rest Liam Kelly for that crucial game against Stoke allowed him that opportunity. I can't say he will be holding down the position, but I saw enough to know that he will be closer to the first team in the second half of the season.
Final topic – Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup. Nervous?
I'm bricking myself! Chelsea are a fine side. They're top of the Premier League table by six points, and now we have the joy of two legs against them for a trophy that means more to us than it does to them. It's not going to be easy, but we will give it 100%. Hopefully, that is enough.
Blackburn Rovers 3-4 Bristol City
Bristol City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Watford 0-2 Bristol City
Bristol City 7-2 Birmingham City
Blackpool 3-6 Bristol City
December 2014
Middlesbrough 0-2 Bristol City
Bristol City 2-0 Derby County
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Bristol City
Bristol City 4-1 Middlesbrough
Bristol City 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Bristol City 1-1 Barnsley
Stoke City 2-0 Bristol City
Table
1. Stoke City, 63 points
2. Bristol City, 58 points
3. Crystal Palace, 57 points
4. Queens Park Rangers, 51 points
5. Bolton Wanderers, 49 points
6. Cardiff City, 48 points
...
22. Sheffield Wednesday, 18 points
23. Preston North End, 18 points
24. Bournemouth, 12 points
Press Conference
Indi, a very good couple of months for you. Do you think you can make the jump to the Premier League next season?
There's a very long way to go, folks. As much as we would love to be in the top flight, as much as we realise that we are contenders for one of the three spots that will make that happen, we want to put that to one side of our heads and take things one game at a time.
You had some very interesting results in November, not least of which was the 7-2 destruction of Birmingham.
You have to give credit to the Birmingham players, because they are a decent side. It just wasn't their day, and we felt so good that everything we tried came off. As much as it's uplifting to be leading 6-0 at halftime, it's equally demoralising to be down that many. Birmingham could have given up and conceded another six, but they fought back as best they could. We only got one in the second 45 minutes, but they got two. I refuse to say that we destroyed them.
And then you score six against Blackpool in the next game, pouring rain and all.
Blackpool played very negatively that game. Two of their players were dismissed with straight reds, but I thought another one should have gone as well. Of course, the man advantage played its part, but we have it in us to score plenty of goals. If only we could stop conceding so many, we'll be alright.
But that month, you scored 21 goals and conceded just nine. Isn't that good?
Of course it is, but look at the bigger picture. We're not always going to score seven goals in a game, but we have been conceding regularly. We need to kick the habit and really shore up our defensive play, or we risk our chances of promotion.
You did well after that, conceding just six in December.
And just three of those goals cost us a total of four points. I know I sound like a spoilt brat who wants every last crumb of his birthday cake all for himself, but I have very high standards. If I ever find myself satisfied with 14 points instead of 18 from six games, I won't manage another day. There is always room for improvement. That said, I can acknowledge when I've been outsmarted and outplayed. Stoke gave us a real game. I said earlier that they are still Premier League quality; they just had some bad luck last season, or they'd still be a division up. There's no shame in losing to a team that plays as well as Stoke does.
A few weeks ago, Gary Neville said that Sam Baldock and Scott Wagstaff aren't up to scratch for this level of football. Your thoughts?
I have only respect for Gary. He wouldn't have said what he did unless he truly believed it, and he would only believe it based on what he's seen, but you have to consider that he doesn't know these players like I do. With all due respect to Gary, he only knows half the story. I'm extremely satisfied with Scott's performances. He might not be scoring as regularly as he did last season, but he offers plenty more than just goals. As for Sam, I'll let his 20 goals do the talking.
I hate to sound like a broken record every presser, but what do you make of Anthony Martial?
The kid is 18 years old, and he has 20 goals and 10 assists in 26 league games, which means he's had a direct hand in 50% of the goals we've scored. He has strength, skill, pace and confidence that lets him play like a seasoned professional in his mid-20s. I can't see anything but amazing things for Tony, and I only hope that he achieves that potential with us.
January is upon us, and that means transfers. Is it true you're looking to sign Ben Foster from West Brom.
At this time, Ben is still contracted to West Brom. It would be wrong of me to speak of any interest we may or may not have in him.
I presume you won't be commenting on Ross McCormack either, then?
I won't be saying anything about anyone who's not part of Bristol City Football Club, whether that's Ross McCormack or Lionel Messi.
Fine. Tell us why Greg Cunningham has been listed for transfer. What's this about? We all expected you to sell Brendan Moloney.
Greg has found himself on the periphery of our first team for some weeks now, for reasons I do not wish to make public, and it's been made clear to him that we feel it best for him to seek a fresh challenge. Nobody is sure just yet as to where he will be on February 1, but it will not be with us. As for Brendan, what kind of inconsiderate jerk do you think I am, that I would sell a player simply because he gets injured a bit? When we were relegated last season, he remained with us. How could I betray him and push him out the door at a time when we are supposed to be taking care of him? Brendan is very much a part of this club, injured or not.
Will you be bringing in a replacement at left back?
Joe Bryan will be taking up that role. He's much better there than in midfield, thanks mostly to his excellent defensive ability and physical condition. He's also a brilliant crosser of the ball. This will allow Santi Aguirre to come into the first team in midfield.
Speaking of Aguirre, how is he coming along?
When we promoted him from the academy last season, none of us expected him to break into the first team so quickly, but the lad has done just that. Santi's talent is the reason he's appeared in 18 of our 26 league games, as well as all our cup matches. It was great to watch him score his first goal for us against Barnsley, earning us a point in the process, but I'm struck most by his mental strength. For a 17-year-old lad to focus only on football when his family is thousands of miles away is a special thing. He's a credit to himself and his family, and we are all so proud of him.
Marlon Pack was on the fringes of the first team for a long time and made his first appearance this season only against Barnsley. Why's that?
Unfortunately for Marlon, he was simply not good enough in preseason to merit a spot in the squad once competition began. His work ethic suffered for a few months, but he recently signed a long-term extension and is in much better spirits. I wanted to reward him for his patience, and the need to rest Liam Kelly for that crucial game against Stoke allowed him that opportunity. I can't say he will be holding down the position, but I saw enough to know that he will be closer to the first team in the second half of the season.
Final topic – Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup. Nervous?
I'm bricking myself! Chelsea are a fine side. They're top of the Premier League table by six points, and now we have the joy of two legs against them for a trophy that means more to us than it does to them. It's not going to be easy, but we will give it 100%. Hopefully, that is enough.
You'll face either Liverpool or Swansea in the final should you get past Chelsea. Depending on how the Premier League goes, just reaching the final may not be enough for you to make the Europa League.
And it shouldn't be. If you want a prize, you need to earn it all the way. It sounds fair to me that if we want to participate in the Europa League next season, we need to win the trophy. In addition, it will be lovely to claim my first piece of silverware with this magnificent club.
Alright, Indi. Thanks for your time. Good luck for the rest of the season.
Thanks, fellas. Have a good one.
.
.
Comment