How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[southernmetalhead]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Starting up a 17 CM as I just bought a PS4 and have been loving the game.

Should have something out over the weekend. Going to be rolling with Olympique de Marseille.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

We Try. We Fail. We Win.


Transfers Out


Sinan Kurt, 65 Ovr, Left Midfielder, 20 Years Old, 1-year-loan to Luzern

Sinan Kurt has the potential to become a very good attacking player, but he isn't on that level yet. Instead of rotting on the bench, a loan to Swiss team Luzern was the best option for both him and us.


Ondrej Duda, 73 Ovr, Attacking Midfielder, 21 Years Old, 1-year-loan to SV Darmstadt

Our young Slovakian #10 is another player who can have a huge impact for us in the future, but as of now the attacking midfielder spot in our 4-2-3-1 is occupied by Vladimir Darida and his substitute Valentin Stocker. Just like in Kurt's case, we believe that a loan to a weaker side will help his development.


Florian Kohls, 59 Ovr, Central Midfielder, 21 Years Old, €300,000 to Thun

Kohls is not good enough to play regurly for us, and he most likely will never be good enough for that. Consequently, we decided to part ways with him.


Jens Hegeler, 70 Ovr, Centre Back, 28 Years Old, €1,400,000 to FC Ingolstadt

Hallelujah! The day this deal was completed was a glorious one for all Hertha fans, as arguably the worst player of the team was finally sold. The central midfielder (even though he's a CB in-game) is poor at defending, passing and dribbling and he was of no actual use to the team.


Alexander Baumjohann, 72 Ovr, Attacking Midfielder, 29 Years Old, €2,400,000 to Eintracht Frankfurt

Unlike Jens Hegeler, Baumjohann was a liked character among Hertha supporters, but the hard reality is that the 29-year-old has been dead wood for a couple of seasons now. Eintracht Frankfurt were willing to pay his market value, and the transfer was completed.


Transfers In




Felix Passlack

67 Ovr, Right Back, 18 Years Old, Germany

€2,000,000

One position we needed to strengthen was the right back spot. Our starting right back Peter Pekarik is 29 years old and we don't have a proper replacement for him as Mitchell Weiser is more effective as a winger. That is why we decided to spend €2M on 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund academy graduate Felic Passlack, who has the potential to become a world-class fullback and possibly even the longterm replacement for Philipp Lahm in the German national team. For now Passlack won't get that much playing time, but in a couple of seasons he might be an undisputed starter in the team.




Dominik Kohr

75 Ovr, Defensive Midfielder, 22 Years Old, Germany

€6,500,000

After selling Jens Hegeler, the only backup central midfielder we had left in the squad was Allan Souza with an overall of 64. I wasn't too happy about this which is why I decided to sign a young backup defensive midfielder, and my eyes landed on Dominik Kohr from FC Augsburg. We paid €6.5M for the 22-year-old German U21 international, and we hope that the well-rounded holding midfielder reaches his potential at Hertha BSC.

***

August 2016



Hertha BSC 2 - 1 SC Freiburg
Ibisevic 5', Darida 83' pen
Abrashi 78'

Our league season began with a solid 2-1 win over recently-promoted Freiburg. The new captain Vedad Ibisevic put us into the lead only five minutes into the game, and Vladimir Darida got us the winning goal from the penalty spot against his old team a few minutes after Amir Abrashi equalised the game. A relatively good performance to open up the league season.


September 2016



FC Ingolstadt 0 - 4 Hertha BSC
Darida 45', Ibisevic 49', 61', Esswein 89'



Hertha BSC 1 - 0 FC Schalke 04
Haraguchi 32'

This game wasn't very interesting, but the three points are all that matter. Vedad Ibisevic's shot took a slight deflection off Genki Haraguchi in the 32nd minute, and that goal was enough to secure our win.



Bayern München 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Esswein 77'

Unbelievable, we managed to beat one of the best teams in the world! The entire team did a great job against the Bavarians, and our summer signing Alexander Esswein tapped the ball into the back of the net in the 77th minute to win us the game.



Eintracht Frankfurt 0 - 1 Hertha BSC
Ibisevic 40'


The Squad
As of October 1st

Spoiler

Goalkeepers

Spoiler

Rune Jarstein #22, 31 years old, Norway, 78 ovr
Thomas Kraft #1, 28 years old, Germany, 74 ovr
Nils-Jonathan Körber #29, 19 years old, Germany, 56 ovr

Right Backs

Mitchell Weiser #23, 22 years old, Germany, 79 ovr
Peter Pekarik #2, 29 years old, Slovakia, 77 ovr
Felix Passlack, #4, 18 years old, Germany, 67 ovr

Left Backs

Marvin Plattenhardt #21, 24 years old, Germany, 77 ovr
Maximilian Mittelstädt #34, 19 years old, Germany, 67 ovr

Centre Backs

John Anthony Brooks, #25, 23 years old, USA, 79 ovr
Sebastian Langkamp #15, 28 years old, Germany, 78 ovr
Niklas Stark, #5, 21 years old, Germany, 75 ovr

Defensive Midfielders

Per Ciljan Skjelbred #3, 29 years old, Norway, 78 ovr
Fabian Lustenberger #28, 28 years old, Switzerland, 76 ovr
Dominik Kohr #13, 22 years old, Germany, 75 ovr

Central Midfielders

Vladimir Darida #6, 26 years old, Czech Republic, 79 ovr
Allan #20, 19 years old, Brazil, 66 ovr (on loan from Liverpool)

Attacking Midfielders

Valentin Stocker #14, 27 years old, Switzerland, 76 ovr
Ondrej Duda #10, 21 years old, Slovakia, 73 ovr (loaned out to SV Darmstadt)

Right Wingers

Alexander Esswein #7, 26 years old, Germany, 74 ovr
Sami Allagui #11, 30 years old, Tunisia, 72 ovr

Left Wingers

Salomon Kalou #8, 31 years old, Ivory Coast, 78 ovr
Genki Haraguchi #24, 25 years old, Japan, 75 ovr
Sinan Kurt #18, 20 years old, Germany, 65 ovr (loaned out to Luzern)

Strikers

Vedad Ibisevic #19, 32 years old, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 78 ovr (C)
Julian Schieber #16, 27 years old, Germany, 75 ovr

Starting XI




Bundesliga Table

1. Hertha BSC, 15 pts
2. Eintracht Frankfurt, 9 pts
3. Hamburger SV, 9 pts
4. FC Schalke 04, 9 pts
5. Bayer Leverkusen, 8 pts
6. RB Leipzig, 8 pts
---------------------------------------------
16. FC Ingolstadt, 3 pts
17. SC Freiburg, 2 pts
18. SV Darmstadt, 0 pts


My Thoughts

Transfers - Quite self-explanatory: Kohls wasn't good enough for the team and he was sold because of it, while Hegeler and Baumjohann were dead wood. Passlack and Kohr were both signed for squad depth. Now the only player we need to get rid of is Sami Allagui.


Form - Five games, five wins, and we have conceded only a single goal. Needless to say, at this point I'm starting to play around with sliders in order to make the game more difficult. I do not want to qualify for the Champions League in my first season in charge of the team, as this would be quite unrealistic and it would make the career less enjoyable for me. I want to struggle and fight until the end for every single point.

Players - Vedad Ibisevic has already scored four goals and he is in good form. Salomon Kalou lost his starting spot to Genki Haraguchi, because the Japanese winger is much more effective than Kalou. Speaking of wingers, Mitchell Weiser on the opposite side has been in top form. Our defenders have also played very well, which can be seen in the amount of goals we have conceded.



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

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 December Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK:Bill Hamid (75 OVR)
GK: Eiichi Suzuki (67 OVR)*
GK: Hayato Matsuki (66 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (79 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (72 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (64 OVR)*
CB: Sebastian Vegas (75 OVR)
CB: Harry Maguire (75 OVR)
CB: Luan (75 OVR)
CB: Tafari Hunt (68 OVR)*
CB: Bondz Laslie (66 OVR)* (on loan at Barnet)
CB: Tom Maguire (59 OVR)*
LB: Nicolai Fernandes (76 OVR)*
LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR)
LB: Gregorio Miranda (70 OVR)*
LB: Jeff Cohen (58 OVR)*

CDM: Rohan Ince (76 OVR)
CDM: Hikaru Ichigawa (69 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (69 OVR)*
CDM: Doke Boëtius (69 OVR)*
CDM: Satoshi Kagome (60 OVR)*
CM: Clark Gordon (78 OVR)*
CM: Gary Woods (66 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (64 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient)
CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (59 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (70 OVR)*
LM: Ben Potter (72 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR)
CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (71 OVR)* (on loan at Wolves)
CAM: Daniele Martella (67 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (76 OVR)*
ST: Thierry Ambrose (78 OVR)
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (75 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (72 OVR)*
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (70 OVR) (on loan from Juventus)
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (70 OVR) (on loan from Roma)
ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid (75)

Al Shahrani (79)/Maguire (75)/Vegas (75)/B-Williams (75)

Ince (76)

Farfán (80) ------------------ Moore (76)

Gordon (78)

Ambrose (78) ------- Saint-Maximin (75)
______________________________________

League Match 14
Newport County - Sheffield Wed (1-1)
Ambrose 20' (Odubajo)
Hutchinson 77'

Sheffield Wednesday stole a point at Rodney Parade in a game in which they should had been blown off the pitch several times. Statistically this was a master piece by The Exiles who should had put the game away in the first half which they finished with 9 shots (6 on target) and 65% possession. However, they were only able to muster one goal from that dominant performance and the visitors responded with a more even second half in which they scored the equalizer on their only shot on target.

League Match 15
Manchester City - Newport County (3-4)
Farfán 9' (Ambrose)
Saint-Maximin 66' (Gordon)
Silva 68'
Aubameyang 73'
Saint-Maximin 75' (Al Shahrani)
Aubameyang 86' (pen)
Ichigawa 90' (Moore)
Hamid 83'

There will probably not be a crazier game anywhere in the world this season. Maybe for a few years. The Exiles surprisingly jumped to an early lead at the Etihad Stadium courtesy of their skipper and managed the lead well from there for nearly 60 minutes at which point they actually doubled their lead and the upset seemed well on its way. However, MCFC's talent quickly erased the lead in a matter of five minutes with goals from David Silva and Aubameyang and suddenly it was anyone's game over the last 20 minutes. If we only knew what we were in for ...

Just two minutes after Aubameyang's equalizer, Allan Saint-Maximin scored his second goal of the game to shock the home fans and put Newport County ahead again. That lead would last just over 10 minutes as City's pressure high on the pitch forced a mistake by The Exiles' back line, which made an errant pass back towards Bill Hamid who had to challenge a City attacker for the ball, resulting in a foul called on Newport County's goalkeeper that would lead to a straight red card. The Exiles were out of substitutions at this point although Giovanni Marccelino has regularly not carried a backup goalkeeper on his bench, and Harry Maguire got the call to step in at GK. Predictably, Aubameyang scored the ensuing PK and everyone at the stadium expected City to complete the comeback in the final minutes but it was Newport County who had one more shock left in them.

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

Joe Hart had an awful game on goal as the play above was not his only blunder of the game. He was also partially at fault in Saint-Maximin's first goal of the game, also timid as he stepped out for a box but changing his mind mid-way then tripping on a defender to give the French striker an easy target for the score.



UNREAL.

Euro League - Group Match 6
PAOK - Newport County (3-3)
Jairo 20'
Leya Iseka 42' (pen)
Jairo 68'
Gersbeck 71'
Pelkas 75'
Potter 85' (Odubajo)

With a showdown against Arsenal in league play just two days later Marccelino rolled the dice with his B-squad in this game, which The Exiles couldn't lose if they wanted to move on past the group stage. If you were a Newport County fan with heart problems and watched this game while not fully recovered from their previous game, then you're probably reading this recap from your hospital bed because this one was another dandy. The Greek club needed a win in order to assure a spot into the next round and they did everything possible to get it, leading at three different points during this game but the youngsters for Newport County continued to find ways to claw back into the game, led by two loanee strikers, to earn the draw and win their group.

League Match 16
Newport County - Arsenal (1-1)
Ramsey 12'
Moore 45' (Farfán)
Gordon 48' (ACL, out for the season)

The Exiles were able to manage a draw against the Gunners but suffered a big loss in the process as one of their youngest stars, Clark Gordon, suffered an ACL injury that will keep him out for at least seven months, effectively ending his season. Newport County players were visibly distraught early in the second half when Gordon suffered the injury while battling for a loose ball against Laurent Koscielny and even the French defender immediately turned his attention to the injured Gordon.

Speaking after the game, Giovanni Marccelino had this to say about the academy graduate from Scotland: "I can confirm Clark suffered a significant injury on his right knee during today's game. It's a tough break for a bright young man yet at the same time all of us here at Newport are convinced that he'll fully recover from this injury and the hope right now is that he'll be back to training during the summer just before pre-season. We look forward to making sure the best medical specialists are able to assist this young star during his treatment and recovery and we of course wish him a speedy recovery."

Capital One Cup - Quarter Final
Manchester City - Newport County (1-1, 5-3 PKs)
Leiva 49'
Ambrose 52' (Moore)
Moore 52' (bruised elbow, out 5 days)

Joe Hart was determined to make up for his blunders in the previous meeting between these two teams earlier this month and his performance was key in leading City to end Newport County's run in the C.O.C. The Exiles had 13 shots, 9 on goal, but couldn't score more than a goal and even that was a result of a save by Hart that Ambrose was able to recoup to score on his second attempt off a cross from a Bondz Moore free kick from the left wing. As one would had expected, Hart was able to carry his hot streak into the penalty shootout in which he stopped a shot from Saint-Maximin to give City the edge they needed as all five of their shooters succeeded from the penalty strike.

League Match 17
West Ham - Newport County (2-3)
Ambrose 24' (Farfán)
Vegas 31' (Potter)
Uth 57' (pen)
Niasse 70'
Potter 85' (Ambrose)

Ben Potter had the last word in a highly entertaining game at London Stadium to lead The Exiles to a road win. Newport County was on point all game long with just one of their 11 shots being off target and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first third of the game. The Hammers held their ground thereafter and managed to equalize the game with 20 minutes left and it seemed like momentum was in their favor, but in the 85th minute Thierry Ambrose found a streaking Potter on his right side who calmly scored the game-winner.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aNMz2l5rFJk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 18
Newport County - Leicester City (2-1)
Gersbeck 25' (pen)
Vardy 47'
Salo 71'

Konsta Salo, who has struggled since his return to this club this summer, scored a screamer from outside the box that would make Jordan Henderson proud to lead the Exiles' B-squad to their second victory in as many games this month.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L88BebeWzmo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

League Match 19
Chelsea - Newport County (2-1)
Lewandowski 39'
Pašalić 43'
Ambrose 88' (Al Shahrani))

The Blues continue to have The Exiles' number this season this time thanks to a four-minute spur in which they scored both of their goals in what was a pretty evenly played game. For Newport County it was good to see Ambrose score for the third consecutive game he's played in as well as seeing Al Shahrani get on the stat sheet so soon after his return from injury.








Barclays PL
Top Scorers
T1. Aubameyang (Manchester City) - 9
T1. Chadli (Spurs) - 9
T1. Fletcher (Sunderland) - 9
T1. Arfield (Burnley) - 9
...
T3. Ambrose (Newport County) - 7

Assists
T1. Gordon (Newport County) - 7
T1. Kane (Spurs) - 7
T1. Clasie (Southampton) - 7
2. Farfán (Newport County) - 6

Clean Sheets
1. Begović (Chelsea) - 8
2. Adrián (West Ham) - 7
3. Heaton (Burnley) - 6

Euro League
Top Scorers
T1. Gutiérrez (Sporting CP) - 7
T1. Bakambu (Sevilla FC) - 7
T2. Gervinho (Roma) - 6
T2. Emond (Standard Liège) - 6

Assists
T1. Banega (Sevilla FC) - 4
T1. Kasami (AS Saint-Étienne) - 4
T1. Trigueros (Villareal CF) - 4
T1. Athanasiadis (PAOK) - 4

Clean Sheets
1. Ruffier (AS Saint-Étienne) - 5
T2. Baumann (1899 Hoffenheim) - 4
T2. Giannakopoulos (Panathinaikos) - 4
(6 others with 4 also)

Analysis: Eventful month to close out 2019 by The Exiles, perhaps too eventful. Missed points vs Sheffield Wednesday look the difference between 7th and 8th place right now for the club. The league game at City is an instant classic, a regular-looking game that turned bananas in the last 25 minutes. Marccelino had decided to play the B-squad in the following game at PAOK but with Hamid's suspension against City he could had chose to play the American goalkeeper in Greece but he instead opted for Japanese academy product Hayato Matsuki who wasn't solely responsible for any of the three goals. You could say Matsuki is behind in the backup GK battle against his fellow countryman from the academy, Eiichi Suzuki, who was picked for the start against Arsenal in Hamid's absence and had a very good game. He just wasn't mentioned much in the recap which was mostly focus on the unfortunate injury suffered by Gordon. Despite their exit in the C.O.C. Exiles' fans should be pleased with the club's performance in the tournament as they showed true desire to win the cup in each game. Subsequent wins at West Ham and versus Leicester were a good sign that the club was not affected by their exit in the C.O.C. and while they would had preferred to also add points at Stamford Bridge it was a good performance by the club.

As a result of Gordon's injury Jefferson Farfán has moved to the CAM role from RM, while in somewhat of a surprise Ben Potter and not Jack Giles has been tabbed as the new starter at RM. With the transfer window about to start it'll be interesting to see what moves The Exiles make following Gordon's injury.

The Academy

ST - Liam Taylor (54 OVR, 81-87 POT): This 16-year old from England has officially been listed as the top prospect in the academy. He currently stands at 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago.

RB - Willem Van Hout (61 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent over 18 months in the academy and shown notable progress over last season, therefore he's likely to be promoted at some point this season. Van Hout doesn't possess the pace the team would like at the position but Marccelino is keeping more of an open mind when it comes to that after watching Fernandes play.

RB - Márcio Souza (58 OVR, 79-85): 17-year old from Brazil who is an absolute CB prospect now standing at 6'5", 194lbs at the moment. He just needs to continue to work on his defensive game.

CDM - Daniel Amaral (56 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil whose signing is starting to be recognized as Newport County is making a habit of pumping out exciting prospects at this position. For that same reason though, Amaral is unlikely to be rushed to promotion to the senior roster.

ST - Sean Hugill (49 OVR, 77-83): This 17-year old from England is a very enticing prospect for the club who is developing well. His top traits are his aggression (79) and jumping (78) which couple with his 6'5", 185lbs frame make him a potential nightmare for opposing defenses.

RB - Miguel De Mesquites (53 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game.

CAM - Eduard Cardenas (51 OVR, 75-81): 17-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He's still a very raw prospect so it'll be important for him to make the most out of his time in the academy and he has been looking good so far..

CF - Jordan Davies (44 OVR, 73-79): 15-year old from England described as physically strong at a very young age. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position.
* Recent addition

Jeff Cohen (LB, 58 OVR) requested and was granted promotion to the senior squad.

January's Schedule
1/1: at Liverpool
1/5: at Ipswich Town (F.A. Cup)
1/8: vs Watford
1/12: at Everton
1/18: at Leicester City

Four road trips out of five games will be a tough test for The Exiles as they also look to manage the transfer window. Of course if they are able to handle Ipswich Town in the F.A. Cup then they will also play one more game in that competition next month. While Newport County entered the season hoping to win one of the local cups as a way to return to European competitions next season, their current place in the standings could possibly earn them a spot in those competitions through their positioning in the league so it'll be interesting to see Marccelino manages his roster going forward.

Thanks for reading

Previous Update

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 January Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK:Bill Hamid (75 OVR)
GK: Eiichi Suzuki (67 OVR)*
GK: Hayato Matsuki (66 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (79 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (72 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (64 OVR)*
CB: Sebastian Vegas (75 OVR)
CB: Harry Maguire (75 OVR)
CB: Luan (75 OVR)
CB: Tafari Hunt (68 OVR)*
CB: Bondz Laslie (67 OVR)* (on loan at Barnet)
CB: Tom Maguire (59 OVR)*
LB: Nicolai Fernandes (76 OVR)*
LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR)
LB: Gregorio Miranda (70 OVR)*
LB: Jeff Cohen (59 OVR)*

CDM: Rohan Ince (76 OVR)
CDM: Hikaru Ichigawa (69 OVR)*
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (69 OVR)*
CDM: Doke Boëtius (69 OVR)*
CDM: Satoshi Kagome (61 OVR)*
CM: Clark Gordon (78 OVR)*
CM: Gary Woods (67 OVR)*
CM: Daniel Seager (65 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient)
CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (60 OVR)*
RM: David Fox (71 OVR)*
LM: Ben Potter (72 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR)
CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (71 OVR)* (on loan at Wolves)
CAM: Daniele Martella (67 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (76 OVR)*
ST: Thierry Ambrose (78 OVR)
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (76 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (72 OVR)*
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (70 OVR) (on loan from Juventus)
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (70 OVR) (on loan from Roma)
ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid (75)

Al Shahrani (79)/Maguire (75)/Vegas (75)/B-Williams (75)

Ince (76)

Potter (72) ------------------ Moore (76)

Farfán (C, 80)

Ambrose (78) ------- Saint-Maximin (76)
______________________________________

Transfer News

• Nicolas Gersbeck (ST, 70 OVR) returned to Roma at the end of his short-term loan. Sources indicate Newport County will attempt to acquire the German striker on a permanent basis.

______________________________________

League Match 20
Liverpool - Newport County (2-2)
Saint-Maximin 6' (Ambrose)
Lallana 25'
Farfán 38' (Ince)
Pogba 63' (pen)

Sebastian Vegas committed a silly handball in the 61st minute and Paul Pogba scored on the resulting penalty kick to help The Reds salvage a point at Anfield in what has been a very tough season for Jürgen Klopp's squad. From Newport County's perspective they probably should had taken advantage of a Liverpool squad in poor form, although in all fairness this was an evenly played game.

______________________________________

Transfer News

• Bondz Laslie (CB, 67 OVR) returned from loan at Barnet.

______________________________________

F.A. Cup - Round 3
Ipswich Town - Newport County (2-2)
Sandro 6'
Giles 41' (Leya Iseka)
Leya Iseka 45+' (Miller)
Wells 74'
Boëtius 24'

Marccelino challenged his B-squad to help The Exiles advance from this game but Ipswich Town's resiliency pushes this match-up to a replay later this month. Aaron Leya Iseka, a loanee from Juventus hoping to convince the Newport County board to execute the purchase clause of the agreement, did all he could to help his side get the win but in the end it wasn't enough.

______________________________________

Transfer News

• Cristiano Dall'Oglio (CDM, 69 OVR) loaned on short-term to Wolverhampton.

______________________________________

League Match 21
Newport County - Watford (2-0)
Moore 7' (Ambrose)
Ince 37' (Ambrose)

Thierry Ambrose showed once again he can affect a game through more than just scoring by completing a couple of assists to help The Exiles get back on the winning track in what was otherwise a tightly-contested game.

League Match 22
Everton - Newport County (2-0)
Deulofeu 28'
Gibson 45+'
Al Shahrani 26' (broken ankle, out 3 months)

Double whammy here for The Exiles against against a desperate Everton squad trying to separate themselves from the relegation zone. The Toffees were aggressive from the get-go, especially on defense where they swarmed to ball constantly, and edged out Newport County in possession (56%) and shots (11, 6 on goal - vs 3/2 for Newport). To make matters worse for Marccelino's squad, Al Shahrani suffered his second significant injury of the season and he'll now be out for a significant portion of the remainder of the season. He has a shot to return to action towards mid-April.

______________________________________

Transfer News

• Hikaru Ichigawa (CDM, 69 OVR) sold to Montpellier Hérault SC for €3.25 million.
• Satoshi Kagome (CDM, 61 OVR) loaned on short-term to Northampton Town.
• Nicolas Gersbeck (ST, 70 OVR) acquired from Roma for €2.4 million.
• Allan Saint-Maximin (ST, 76 OVR) refused to negotiate a contract with SD Eibar and Newport County's deal with the club from La Liga to sell the French striker for €10 million fell through.

______________________________________

F.A. Cup - Round 3 replay
Newport County - Ipswich Town (1-0)
Boëtius 33' (Giles)
Sears 8'
Knudsen 84'

Freddie Sears committed an inexplicable hard tackle from behind on David Fox eight minutes into leave his side with 10 men for the rest of the game and The Exiles' B-squad was able to make that edge count to beat Ipswich Town and move on in the F.A. Cup.

After Ichigawa's (sold) and Dall'Oglio's (loaned) departures, 18-year old Doke Boëtius (Dutch academy graduate) has been tasked with backup CDM duties which include a starting role with this B-squad. He showed his promise with a nifty volley off a corner kick from Jack Giles to score what would prove to be the match-winning goal in the 33rd minute.

League Match 23
Leicester City - Newport County (1-3)
Odubajo 30' (Ince)
Potter 56' (Odubajo)
Kramarić 73'
Giles 82'
Ince 72' (sprained knee, out 3 weeks)

Moses Odubajo was a force to be reckoned with in his return to the starting lineup (again filling in for the injured Al Shahrani) and the fullback h played a role in each of The Exiles' scores to lead Newport County to a bounce-back win in league play. In addition to opening up the scoring a third of the way in, then assisting Ben Potter 10 minutes into the second half, it was Odubajo's shot in the 82nd minute that was initially saved by Kasper Schmeichel then bounced across the box where Giles calmly put it away for the final score of the game. Odubajo was in excellent form while filling in for Al Shahrani earlier in the season and a repeat effort from him in the second half of the season would be big for Marccelino's squad.

______________________________________

Transfer News

• Ron Vlaar (CB, 80 OVR) acquired from AZ in a swap for Luan (CB, 75 OVR).
• Gary Woods (CM, 67 OVR) loaned on short-term to Dagenham.
• Kurt Zouma (CB, 83 OVR) signed to pre-contract (5 years, €120K wages). Will join Newport County at the end of the season.

______________________________________

F.A. Cup - Round 4
Newport County - Blackburn Rovers (2-2)
Koita 10'
Rhodes 17'
Potter 28' (Binnom-Williams)
Moore 36' (Farfán)
Fernandes 90'

______________________________________

Transfer News

• Nicolai Fernandes (LB, 76 OVR) sold to Manchester Utd for €22.5 million.
• Elmir Nabiullin (LB, 76 OVR) acquired from Rubin Kazan for €7 million on deadline day.
• Yoshi Ishinomori (CM, 60 OVR) loaned on short-term to Exeter City on deadline day.
• Paul Pogba (CM, 88 OVR) signed to pre-contract (5 years, €230K wages). Will join Newport County at the end of the season.

Barclays PL
Top Scorers
T1. Aubameyang (Manchester City) - 10
T1. Chadli (Spurs) - 10
T1. Fletcher (Sunderland) - 10
T1. Arfield (Burnley) - 10

Assists
T1. Gordon (Newport County) - 7
T1. Kane (Spurs) - 7
2. Farfán (Newport County) - 6

Clean Sheets
1. Begović (Chelsea) - 9
2. Adrián (West Ham) - 8
3. Heaton (Burnley) - 7

Analysis: Strictly talking about results, it was sort of more of the same that we have seen from The Exiles this season - a couple of wins, a few draws, and a loss mixed in every now and then to keep them in check. Nevertheless, don't look now but Newport County sit in 7th place just 4 points away from 4th place Burnley (who are having a tremendous season as another team just promoted from last season). While only six teams in the league have given up more goals than Newport County, they have been able to find success through their scoring which is tied for second-best in the league with Tottenham (and only behind Manchester City).

It was no surprise then to see Marccelino & Co. make a conscious effort to upgrade at the CB position. In a curious swap, the team acquired Ron Vlaar from AZ while scouting the Dutch club for their upcoming match-up in the Round of 32 of the UEL. From AZ's point of view, they liked the idea of bringing in a younger CB with some untapped potential that could step into the starting role being vacated by Vlaar. This, of course, makes the match-up between these two teams next month much more intriguing. But Newport County wasn't done there and then shocked the BPL by signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma to pre-contract for 5 seasons. Unlike, Vlaar, Zouma is very much in his prime and still has room for improvement which must be exciting for the club considering he instantly becomes the best defender on the roster. This marks the third consecutive season that The Exiles have signed a CB on pre-contract (Luan in '18, Maguire in '19). Marccelino also orchestrated a bit of a shakeup at CDM by bumping Boëtius to the backup role after the departures of Ichigawa and Dall'Oglio. Ichigawa was actually a target by several clubs and although Newport County did not intend to sale him they were very satisfied with the offer they received from Montpellier. Boëtius and Dall'Oglio had been listed for loan since the summer and following Ichigawa's sale the club was still willing to send one of them out on loan and keep the other for the rest of the season, and Dall'Oglio was the one to receive interest so that was that.

Then there's the marquee signing of this window, the pre-contract agreement with French star Paul Pogba. The arrival of the all-around midfielder next season will give Marccelino several options with his lineup/formations next season. Pogba, reportedly unhappy with Livepool's struggles this season, was considering an offer from AC Milan when Newport County pitched the idea of remaining in the BPL with one of the hottest up-and-coming squads in the league in which he would be the leader, and the French star bought in right away. The only other surprising move was the club's sale of Nicolai Fernandes, an academy product from Denmark who is an exciting prospect. Valued at €7.5 million, Man U had offered €9 million to start negotiations. Newport County decided to set the price at three times the player value and Man U was so determined to acquire the young fullback that they agreed to the asking price right away. Luckily for The Exiles' board they were able to replace Fernandes with their immediate target in Elmir Nabiullin.

In the academy front, Newport County has parted ways with one of their scouts in Daniel Espejord as the Norwegian hadn't been identifying the kind of talent the club desired. His role has yet to be filled and it's expected that with an improved budget the club may acquire a higher-caliber youth scout. Englishman Adam Adeyemi (3* EXP/2* JUD) and Finish scout Kimmo Räsänen(3*/2*) have assigned to Spain and Portugal respectively too look for pacey prospects. Here is the club's youth squad at the moment:

ST - Liam Taylor (55 OVR, 81-87 POT): This 16-year old from England has officially been listed as the top prospect in the academy. He currently stands at 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago.

RB - Willem Van Hout (62 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent nearly two full seasons in the academy and shown notable progress over that time, therefore he's likely to be promoted very soon. Van Hout doesn't possess the pace the team would like at the position but Marccelino is keeping more of an open mind when it comes to that after watching Fernandes play.

RB - Márcio Souza (58 OVR, 79-85): 17-year old from Brazil who is an absolute CB prospect now standing at 6'5", 194lbs at the moment. He just needs to continue to work on his defensive game.

CDM - Daniel Amaral (57 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil whose signing is starting to be recognized as Newport County is making a habit of pumping out exciting prospects at this position. For that same reason though, Amaral is unlikely to be rushed to promotion to the senior roster.

ST - Sean Hugill (50 OVR, 77-83): This 17-year old from England is a very enticing prospect for the club who is developing well. His top traits are his aggression (81) and jumping (80) which coupled with his 6'5", 185lbs frame make him a potential nightmare for opposing defenses.

RB - Miguel De Mesquites (54 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game.

CAM - Eduard Cardenas (52 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He's still a very raw prospect so it'll be important for him to make the most out of his time left in the academy and he has been looking good so far.

CF - Jordan Davies (46 OVR, 73-79): now a 16-year old from England described as physically strong and now measuring at 5'5", 154lvs. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position.
* Recent addition

February's Schedule
2/1: vs West Ham
2/5: at Blackburn Rovers (F.A. Cup replay)
2/9: vs Newcastle Utd
2/11: at Aston Villa
2/20: at AZ (Euro League)
2/23: vs Crystal Palace
2/27: vs AZ (Euro League)

The Exiles are officially in the hunt for a spot into European competition through the league, therefore it'll be interesting to see how they manage the schedule this coming month during the six-day stretch in which they'll play three games. Tottenham and Sunderland will face each other for the Capital One Cup title and so long as both teams don't fall out of the top-5 this season in the BPL that will mean the 6th place team at the end of the season will qualify for the UEL next season. In UEL this season we'll have that Newport County - AZ match-up to look forward to with Vlaar and Luan facing their former clubs.

Thanks for reading

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Pogba and Zouma!!!!! Gonna be fun haha.

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Galway United; Season 1

Good news!:

So yeah, I'm starting a career mode with Galway United in the League Two. Why Galway? Well, first of all, I really like their club logo. Another reason is their kits. I like them, as they're clean and not too lower league-ish.

The biggest reason however is the fact that Galway United is rated as one of the worst teams in Fifa 17. The 4th worst, actually:

So, this is going to be a challenge. A strict budget, a team with loads of med 50's, low 60's. It's going to be a struggle, but it should be good fun. Let's go!

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Galway United; Season 1

I'm making two shorter posts, sorry about that. It should be easier to read that way. Anyway, Galway United has some transfers to announce!

Yes, I picked Pepelu up again. He was immense for me on my AFC Wimbledon career on Fifa 16, and he has been super good so far for me on Fifa 17. His passing is incredible, he is an exact copy of Kroos. Actually, He is the Spanish Kroos.

I jumped straight into the games after those singings, so here we go:

Starting XI:

Spoiler

August

Morecambe 1 - 1 Galway Utd
18' Murphy 1 - 0
68' Mor 1 - 1

Petersborough 0 - 2 Galway Utd
(EFL Cup)
13' Connolly 0 - 1
23' Faherty 1 - 1

Galway Utd 1 - 1 Mansfield
65' Rose 0 - 1
80' Mor 1 - 1

Accrington 2 - 2 Galway Utd
10' Connolly 0 - 1
50' Murphy 1 - 1 (O.G.)
69' Alvares 1 - 2
90' Gornell 2 - 2

Galway Utd 1 - 0 Cheltenham
(EFL Cup)
6' Mor 1 - 0

Galway Utd 0 - 0 Stevenage

Galway Utd 2 - 1 Bradford City
(Cup game)
40' Connolly 1 - 0
55' Pepelu 2 - 0
71' McNully 2 - 1

Decent start to the career. August has been quite good. Mor has hit the ground running, whilst Cerny is still struggling to make an actual impact. Pepelu has been commanding every game so far, what a player. But getting 4 draws isn't really that good, though. It looks like we're kinda leaking goals at the moment. At least we're not losing. We're creating some decent changes, we just need to start putting them away.

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Gotta love the fact that the standard of our league is so high!

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 1

The Mariners

August 2016



Grimsby Town 2 - 1 Crewe Alexandra
GRI - Vernon 2', Bogle 45'
CRE - Dagnall 63'
MOTM: Vernon

It's the first game of the season, and while the result was what we wanted, there are a lot of areas that we need to improve on. Crewe doubled us up on shot attempts, but we did well with the ones we did take. Vernon put us ahead early with a great half volley off of a rebound and the Bogle doubled it up with a fantastic header just outside the 6 yard box. We possessed the ball well, but that doesn't do us much good if we don't turn that into chances. It's great to get the 3 points, but that could have easily gone the other way. Still, its only the first game of the season, and it sure feels great to be in the Football League.



EFL Cup
Grimsby Town (7) 2 - 2 (6) Leyton Orient
GRI - Davies 8', Vernon 80'
LEY - Simpson 66', Collins 89'
MOTM: Davies

After an uninspiring first half saw us still come out with a 1-0 lead thanks to a stunning Davies free kick, we picked it up in the second half and really got it going after the scored an equalizer. Vernon then brought us ahead with what should have been a game winner, but Collins came on as a substitute, and took a bad touch off an attempted clearance on a corner and directed it straight into our own net. The ultimate result was to be decided by penalties, and after a miss from each side, we saw 7 different penalty takers come up and it was Dunne who sent his wide left to clinch the win for us.



Newport County 0 - 1 Grimsby Town
GRI - Bogle 29'
MOTM: Berrett

Finally a match that we looked like we had under control. It was just about even in terms of chances for both sides, but they didn't really throw anything at us that troubled us too much. What decided it in the end for us was Berrett's corner that found Bogle's head and he sent it into the ground right by the keeper's feet and he wasn't able to adjust to the bounce. A strong performance, and I can feel the side starting to gain some confidence out on the pitch.



Grimsby Town 0 - 1 Mansfield Town
MAN - Rose 39'
MOTM: Rose

This one was extremely disappointing. We were terrible in front of net and couldn't bury any of our chances. Our ineptitude was highlighted by missing back to back sitters in front of goal on the same possession. Mansfield took the win with a designed set piece where they laid it off to Rose and his shot took a deflection off a defender and went around the keeper. No need to tear it all down just yet, we had our chances, we just need our players to take advantage of the chances they do get.



EFL Cup
Preston North End 0 - 1 Grimsby Town
GRIM - Bogle 118'
MOTM: Mills

We still need to improve on our finishing, but we got the one that mattered. We managed a poor 2 shots on goal in this one, even though we had some good looks. Henderson in goal saved us with one spectacular stop after another, and in the dying minutes of the last extra time, Vernon sent Bogle through and he kept his shot low and tucked it into the far post to send us through with the win.



Hartlepool United 3 - 1 Grimsby Town
HAR - Alessandra 39', Woods 45', Nsiala 53'
GRI - Vernon 69'
MOTM: Laurent

We put on what was probably our best attacking display of the season, and still our troubles in front of goal reared their ugly head as we failed to convert shot after shot. While our attack was firing on all cylinders, our defense broke down altogether. We found ourselves in a 3-0 hole not long after half and it was pretty much over at that point. Some subs brought a little bit of life and it was Wright who came in off the bench and sent in the cross that Vernon headed into the back of the net for our only goal. The back line was embarrassing in this one, and that is something we will have to correct if we want to accomplish anything in this league.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy assigned to the midfielder position
-Grow 1 Youth Academy player by at least 5 overall points. Play them in 5 matches, either as part of the starting 11 or coming in as a sub.

Brand Exposure
-Within 3 seasons, increase season ticket holders with at least 10% of the stadiums capacity. (Remaining seasons: 3)

Financial
-Finish the season with £2,550,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget)

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

[Gholdt]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Galway United; Season 1

Got some more games for you all

September

Crewe Alexandre 3 - 0 Galway Utd
19' Dagnall 1 - 0
41' Jones 2 - 0
72' Cooper 3 - 0

No idea what happend here. Crewe just blew us out of the water. Anyway, let's continue..

Galway Utd 2 - 1 Hartlepool
36' Connolly 1 - 0
41' Paynter 1 - 1
71' Mor 2 - 1

Grimsby Town 1 - 2 Galway Utd
3' Tuton 1 - 0
Cerny 1 - 1
82' Faherty 1 - 2

Sorry Texasbum

Galway Utd 2 - 0 Newport County
2' Cerny 1 - 0 Penalty Kick
71' Mor 2 - 0
90+' Grego-cox 2 - 1

Tottenham Hotspur 4 - 0 Galway Utd
(EFL Cup)
12' Son 1 - 0
19' Janssen 2 - 0
56' Lamela 3 - 0
81' Janssen 4 - 0 Penalty Kick

Luton Town 0 - 1 Galway Utd
45' Mullins 0 - 1 O.G.

We suffered two big defeats this month. Spurs and Crewe absolutely destroyed us. Spurs doing that to us isn't too special, but the fact that Crewe dominated us is worrying. Luckily we kinda bounced back twice after suffering defeats.

October

Galway Utd 1 - 0 Plymouth
3' Mor 1 - 0

Leyton Orient 1 - 1 (4-3 after penalties) Galway Utd
(Cup game)
19' Horgan 0 - 1
89' Simpson 1 - 1

Barnet 0 - 2 Galway Utd
8' Dembelé 0 - 1 O.G.
28' Pepelu 0 - 2
80' Akinde 1 - 2

Galway Utd 2 - 1 Cheltenham
10' Cerny 1 - 0 Penalty Kick
80' Cerny 2 - 0
88' Pell 2 - 1

Crawley Town 0 - 3 Galway Utd
10' Shanahan 0 - 1
24' Cerny 0 - 2
60' Connolly 0 - 3

Galway Utd 0 - 1 Portsmouth
40' Roberts 0 - 1

Exeter City 1 - 4 Galway Utd
41' Pepelu 0 - 1
45' Faherty 0 - 2
65' Mor 0 - 3
90+' Simpson 1 - 3
90+' Henville 1 - 4 O.G.

Alright, we're really starting to get a decent run going. It's a shame that Leyton threw us out of the cup, and with the Spurs defeat that means we're out of all the cups already. We're winning games, but it's too close every time. 2 - 1 victories are still 3 points, but we're just about holding on every time. Luckily we showed our fans and the competition what we can do against Exeter. Scoring 4 away from home is good, I'm happy with that.

P.S. I'm annoyed by 2 things, so far. The fact that literally every team that I come up against in the League Two plays with the 442 formation. besides that, I absolutely hate the new penalty kick system in Fifa 17. I think that I missed about 70-75% of my penalties so far. That's not only in this career mode, but in regular games and on Ultimate Team as well. I'm struggling to get decent power behind the ball, and I usually blast it wide. Oh well..

besides that, I'm loving the gameplay. It does feel a lot smoother compared to 16, and it's easier to set up a decent attack.

[southernmetalhead]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Slight change of plans.

Staying in France, but instead of Marseille, I'll be going with Nantes.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Still haven't got my copy of 17. It's expected Thursday, so there will be an intro post this weekend for my first career. I expect that will be mostly story and transfers. Not sure it will be Chelsea though. Some really nice teams out there.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Gholdt - I can get behind the concept of an Irish club in the football league. Why not? Your transfer acquisitions jump out at me because I was under the impression your budget was small. Pepelu must have cost a pretty penny. Mor and Černý on loan do make sense financially since their wages are low and they immediately give you a scary attack. Kind of hard to hate on those moves though considering that's a rough roster over at Galway. A lot of draws in league play in August although you started to pick up the wins in September. No shame in losing to Tottenham in the EFL either, that's a rough draw. Looks like you had a really good October too but then you got on my bad side when you didn't give me a table (standings).

Tex - digging the layout still. First thing that got my attention is that you don't seem to be using Brandon Comley in your XI - why is that? Overall you had a decent August that you can build on. You have my head-scratching with the youth squad additions though, I know you're a League 2 side but neither prospect seems exciting to me. The video about how the club was promoted was dope. Looking forward to more updates.

Simp - that's a really solid roster you had to start with at Hertha. You know I dig the Passlack signing - he's even better in this year's game so that should work out real well for you. Kohr is a really solid piece too, not a world beater but someone who takes care of his end. Obviously you had a great start to the season and I look forward to the new update to see if the increased difficulty has given you a bigger challenge.

******

That's all I got for now, I have a headache

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Tex - digging the layout still. First thing that got my attention is that you don't seem to be using Brandon Comley in your XI - why is that? Overall you had a decent August that you can build on. You have my head-scratching with the youth squad additions though, I know you're a League 2 side but neither prospect seems exciting to me. The video about how the club was promoted was dope. Looking forward to more updates.

Thanks man! So I had originally planned to use Comley with Dinsley in the middle. Dinsley got a spot in the XI since he is the club captain in real life so I felt like I had to find a place for him. Then Berrett put in some really good performances so I started rolling with the man in form. Comley is my best midfielder in terms of defense though so if we ever have a lead with around 60-70 mins left I will usually bring him on to try to see out the win for us.

As for the prospects, since this is a new FIFA I'm just kind of experimenting a little to see what the youth academy is like this year. I will probably have a bit more names come in at first and then get selective as I start to get a feel for what types of players are best for each position and what not. So just messing around a little for now.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

BREAKING NEWS
Indi Blue promoted to Brighton manager

[Keano16]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

BREAKING NEWS
Indi Blue promoted to Brighton manager

It's back!