Sunday, March 9, 2014
This is my first post about my NHL 14 Washington Capitals. I've gone through nearly a decade obviously, and been in a constant state of trying to retool the roster. I won the cup once in 2018/19, but the roster was old for the most part, and I wasn't able to replace guys immediately. Now though I've retooled to a point where I want to start posting about the team. I've made some big roster changes, to hopefully make a big, physical team in the image of the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues. I will post the roster, then explain the role of each of my key players.
Key NHL Player profiles:
LW - Bradley Boulerice - The 24 year old left wing was drafted to be the face of the franchise, and actually won a cup as a rookie, although he missed most of the playoffs with a concussion, an injury that has hit him frequently in his short career. He's a great offensive player, but doesn't exactly dominate the ice, and needs a good center for production. The 2021/22 season saw him get 76 pts in 76 games for his first PPG year. At just 24 years old, he has a solid 122 goals and 253 pts in 336 games. With more skill entering the team after the defense first system of the past, the future is bright with Boulerice establishing himself as a premiere talent in the league.
5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 5* skating, 3* physical, 3.5* defense
Career To Date: 122 Goals, 253 Points, 336 Games Played
RW - Valentin Zykov - Zykov was actually an addition via trade this season. I was struggling to score with consistency with the lineup I had in place, and my young defensive players were performing well. So I looked around the league, and saw Zykov on a struggling, defensively lacking Los Angeles team. To the Kings went D- Ryan Murray, G- Nelson Strudwick, and top prospect C- Niko Kiiskinen. Zykov is a fairly newcomer to the NHL scene, having won the AHL rookie of the year just 4 years ago. This year with the Capitals he's exploding into a premiere offensive scorer, while also helping out defensively.
5* shooting, 5* puck skills, 4* senses, 4* skating, 2.5 physical, 5* defense
Career To Date: 89 Goals, 185 Points, 210 Games Played
RW - Bryant Gudbranson - Gudbranson was the 3rd overall pick in 2017 by the Blues, but when I decided to revamp my aging, and struggling, roster, I got Gudbranson as a 22 year old. Last season he had an 80 point campaign, making me think he would be more effective offensively than expected. This season has been a step back however, although he's still quite a solid defensive minded player. He is projected to be a top 6, maybe top 3 forward throughout his career. Offensive output will determine much of that.
4* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 5* skating, 3.5* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 71 Goals, 225 Points, 366 Games Played
C - Eugene Bylsma - I thought getting Bylsma would be a blessing in disguise for my top line. He is a solid passing player, and great defensively, and as a rookie he had 38 pts in 80 games on a 2nd/3rd line that didn't score much. This year he started off with the top line, but couldn't produce, went to the second line and couldn't produce OR keep the puck out of the net. Now he's back to the third line and isn't scoring much, but is playing good defensive hockey and now leads a shut down line involving Ryznar and Rissanen, when they are healthy. Hopefully he'll grow into an offensive role as well, as the 21 year old could be a franchise center if he can score 60 points a year.
3.5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 3.5 senses, 5* skating, 3.5* physical, 4.5* defense
Career To Date: 20 Goals, 46 Points, 122 Games Played
D - John Carlson - Carlson is the lone remaining member of the original Capitals, after Ovechkin was shipped out in my purging old talent season. While I've been able to get good forwards through the draft and trades, defense has been another story. Carlson has been a steady presence on the back end, and even won a Norris Trophy the season we won the cup. While not an offensive dynamo, he's been good enough defensively and offensively combined to remain an elite defenseman in the league. At 33 years old, he's just played his 1,000th game and has a lot left in the tires for the future.
4* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 4.5 senses, 4.5 skating, 4* physical, 4.5 defense
Career To Date: 94 Goals, 484 Points, 1,002 Games Played
D - Oleg Khomutov - Khomutov is kind of an anomaly at defense. One season he grew to 94 overall, but others he can be 84 overall. As he leaves his formative seasons, he's been more consistent at 86-87 overall for me. This is a sizeable defenseman who can play solid defensively, but is more than capable when he has the puck. While I continue to await a breakout offensive season, he's been good when in the lineup. The last 2 seasons have seen him miss a lot of time though, after being healthy throughout his career.
5* shooting, 5* puck skills, 5* senses, 4* skating, 2.5* physical, 4.5* defense
Career To Date: 48 Goals, 177 Points, 407 Games Played
C - Boris Glebov - Glebov, like the player being introduced next, was a surprise to the system for me. I picked him up in the offseason for cheap after purging the team of old players, but he was just a 24 year old 77 overall center. His first season was great in the AHL, scoring 45 pts in 55 games, while also playing 9 NHL games with 4 pts. At the draft he was 81 overall, so I decided to give him a shot at replacing the released Ryan Kesler. Well, by the season started he was an 85 overall beast, and is showing it this year. Late bloomers like this is what make teams successful.
5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 4* skating, 3* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 13 Goals, 37 Points, 51 Games Played
C - Valeri Fedorov - Fedorov is like Glebov. I picked him up last season at the deadline because he was a cheap 25 year old, seemingly failed (79 overall) prospect who had 95 passing. He was a 4th liner and got PP time to set up one timers, although it didn't work and he was benched by the end of the year. In the offseason he grew a ton, into one of the most skilled players on the team. This year he's found a spot between Boulerice and Zykov on the top line with his passing skills. He is also quietly very good defensively. The 26 year old is another key piece moving forward.
4* shooting, 5* puck skills, 4.5* senses, 3.5* skating, 2.5* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 10 Goals, 50 Points, 101 Games Played
Other Players:
D - Hampus Lindholm - Signed as a free agent 2 years ago, Lindholm has been steady for me, and allowed Ryan Murray to be traded. Not producing as many points as expected.
LW - Matt Puempel - Moved a few prospects to get Puempel in the offseason to solidify the second line. So far it's worked as he's produced beyond expectations.
RW - Howard Ryznar - The big Norwegian has been around for a few seasons now, and has been productive when healthy. Health has become a big concern though, as Ryznar has missed 73 regular season games in the last 4 seasons.
D - Alan Aubry - Signed to play AHL defense, Aubry took a 4 point overall jump after signing. Has been a steady presence in his first NHL season.
D - Phil Baltisberger - Developed through the AHL system, dominated last season and now is a key member of the powerplay in the NHL.
D - Lou Hamhuis - Another player signed for AHL who grew quickly to play NHL. very good player, great defensively.
D - Nelson Cullen - Small for a DFD, but gives me a good 7th defenseman when injuries inevitably hit. Might not be a Capital for many seasons due to his size.
C - Ruslan Kapitanov - Was my first pick in 2015, hasn't developed like intended but is a good defensive player for the 4th line. His size makes him a monster.
LW - Antti Rissanen - Pure goal scorer, never developed after his last AHL season. Still a solid 20 goal producer when healthy, good 3rd liner with size.
RW - Vic Breen - Another American FA signing for the AHL who became a depth NHLer. Good goal scorer and defensive player.
RW - Norm Anderson - 13th forward, signed same way as Breen. Good awareness for 79 overall, lacks some skills to make him a regular in the lineup.
LW - Ivan Barbashev - Skilled player developed slowly in the AHL. Lacks footspeed and defensive ability, but can produce points well in depth role.
D - Seth Woywitka - Big defenseman, 8th one really, but the type of player needed for a long NHL season. Another slowly developed player in the AHL.
That's the jist of the NHL team. We're a big bunch, and players are brought in for specific needs not just for their overalls. Most of my depth has been developed through the AHL rather than signing 80-82 overall free agents and wasting money.
Top Prospects:
C - Andrei Ovechkin - 79 Overall - The 22 year old Russian has played 79 games in the NHL, but is back down to develop unless I need a call up. 6'2", 205 lbs, has great speed and a solid shot. Working on refining his game. Could easily be a top 6 forward within 2 seasons.
4.5* shooting, 3.5* puck skills, 4* senses, 5*skating, 2.5 physical, 2* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL Season: 4 Goals, 15 Points, 24 Games Played
RW - Shawn Forney - 76 Overall - 6th Overall pick 2 drafts ago, sizable at 6'3", 202 lbs, and is developing into a solid playmaker. Also has great speed, but just needs a better shot and a little more touch on passes. 20 years old so has a lot of time to grow and develop.
3* shooting, 4* pucks skills, 4* senses, 5* skating, 2.5 physical, 2* defense
3.5 Yellow Potential. AHL season: 2 Goals, 7 Points, 7 Games Played
C - Dean Sugihara - 74 Overall - 28th pick in the same draft as Forney. 6'2", 210 lbs, looks to be a future shut down centerman for me. Another young player with great starting speed to work with, very bad offensively so far though. Only 21 though.
2.5* shooting, 3* puck skills, 2.5* senses, 4.5* skating, 2.5* physical, 3* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL season: 4 Goals, 15 Points, 40 Games Played
LW - Seth Cox - 71 Overall - 36th Overall pick in 2021 (with previous 2). 6'2", 232 lbs. Very strong, looks to be a potential 3rd-4th line player with size. Has lower potential so will have to work hard to earn a spot, also 21.
2.5* shooting, 3* puck skills, 2.5* senses, 4* skating, 4* physical, 2* defense
3 Yellow Potential.. AHL season: 1 Goal, 7 Points, 14 Games Played.
D - Jarrod Conner - 76 Overall - Got Conner in a salary dump. 22 years old and 6'6", 218 lbs, quite mobile for his size, but not very strong. Also not great potential. Will see what he can be.
4* shooting, 3* puck skills, 4* senses, 4* skating, 2.5* physical, 3.5* defense
3 Red Potential. AHL season: 6 Goals, 23 Points, 31 Games Played
D - Morgan Hambly - 74 Overall - 18th Overall pick in 2018. Getting older but that's okay. Is a strong physical defenseman with good skating ability. Not very good offensively, needs to work on that to become an NHLer
2.5* shooting, 1.5* puck skills, 1* senses, 4* skating, 4* physical, 3* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL season: 2 Goals, 4 Points, 25 Games Played.
___________________________________
Anyways, this is my Capitals Team. I'll do bi-annual updates. Longer ones will be post season/ offseason reviews, and then also All-Star break updates. This will be the longest post, having to introduce my current team. Next ones will involve basically only charts and a few comments. Hope you enjoy my NHL14 Washington Capitals Dynasty.
| Washington Capitals (Shot=Overall) | ||||||
| # | CENTERS | AGE | HT | WT | SHOT | BIRTH PLACE |
| 16 | Eugene Bylsma (TWF) | 21 | 6'1" | 198 lbs | 86 | USA |
| 47 | Boris Glebov (SNP) | 27 | 6'2" | 205 lbs | 85 | Belarus |
| 53 | Valeri Fedorov (PLY) | 26 | 6'1" | 191 lbs | 84 | Latvia |
| 95 | Ruslan Kapitanov (TWF) | 27 | 6'4" | 225 lbs | 80 | Russia |
| 12 | Craig Bishop (PLY) | 26 | 6'1" | 188 lbs | 79 | Canada |
| 88 | Andrei Ovechkin (SNP) | 22 | 6'2" | 205 lbs | 79 | Russia |
| 22 | Karel Kalinka (SNP) | 27 | 6'2" | 201 lbs | 76 | Czech Republic |
| 92 | Sean Sugihara (TWF) | 21 | 6'2" | 210 lbs | 74 | Canada |
| # | LEFT WINGS | AGE | HT | WT | SHOT | BIRTH PLACE |
| 18 | Bradley Boulerice (SNP) | 24 | 6'2" | 205 lbs | 87 | Canada |
| 19 | Matt Puempel (SNP) | 29 | 6'2" | 206 lbs | 84 | Canada |
| 77 | Antti Rissanen (SNP) | 27 | 6'4" | 222 lbs | 80 | Finland |
| 24 | Ivan Barbashev (PLY) | 27 | 6'1" | 186 lbs | 79 | Russia |
| 11 | Yury Kolesnik | 26 | 6'2" | 185 lbs | 77 | Estonia |
| # | RIGHT WINGS | AGE | HT | WT | SHOT | BIRTH PLACE |
| 93 | Valentin Zykov (SNP) | 27 | 6'2" | 217 lbs | 88 | Russia |
| 83 | Bryant Gudbranson (TWF) | 24 | 6'0" | 188 lbs | 87 | Canada |
| 55 | Howard Ryznar (PWF) | 26 | 6'3" | 234 lbs | 82 | Norway |
| 21 | Vic Breen (SNP) | 26 | 6'2" | 204 lbs | 79 | USA |
| 45 | Shawn Forney (PLY) | 20 | 6'3" | 202 lbs | 76 | Canada |
| # | DEFENSE | AGE | HT | WT | SHOT | BIRTH PLACE |
| 74 | John Carlson (TWD) | 33 | 6'3" | 212 lbs | 86 | USA |
| 4 | Oleg Khomutov (TWD) | 26 | 6'4" | 212 lbs | 86 | Estonia |
| 8 | Hampus Lindholm (OFD) | 28 | 6'2" | 198 lbs | 85 | Sweden |
| 2 | Alan Aubry (TWD) | 26 | 6'4" | 216 lbs | 81 | USA |
| 44 | Phil Baltisberger (TWD) | 27 | 6'1" | 216 lbs | 80 | Switzerland |
| 3 | Lou Hamhuis (TWD) | 26 | 6'4" | 212 lbs | 80 | USA |
| 6 | Nelson Cullen (DFD) | 21 | 5'11" | 187 lbs | 80 | Canada |
| 86 | Seth Woywitka (DFD) | 26 | 6'9" | 237 lbs | 77 | Canada |
| 71 | Jarrod Conner (TWD) | 22 | 6'6" | 218 lbs | 76 | Canada |
| 38 | Morgan Hambly (DFD) | 23 | 6'2" | 206 lbs | 74 | Canada |
| # | GOALIES | AGE | HT | WT | SHOT | BIRTH PLACE |
| 34 | Kelly Schaeffer (BUT) | 22 | 6'4" | 206 lbs | 89 | USA |
| 31 | Robert Renberg (HYB) | 25 | 6'2" | 190 lbs | 80 | Sweden |
| 32 | Henrik Backstrom (BUT) | 26 | 6'3" | 207 lbs | 80 | Sweden |
| 30 | Lee Dubnyk (BUT) | 25 | 6'4" | 206 lbs | 77 | USA |
Key NHL Player profiles:
LW - Bradley Boulerice - The 24 year old left wing was drafted to be the face of the franchise, and actually won a cup as a rookie, although he missed most of the playoffs with a concussion, an injury that has hit him frequently in his short career. He's a great offensive player, but doesn't exactly dominate the ice, and needs a good center for production. The 2021/22 season saw him get 76 pts in 76 games for his first PPG year. At just 24 years old, he has a solid 122 goals and 253 pts in 336 games. With more skill entering the team after the defense first system of the past, the future is bright with Boulerice establishing himself as a premiere talent in the league.
5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 5* skating, 3* physical, 3.5* defense
Career To Date: 122 Goals, 253 Points, 336 Games Played
RW - Valentin Zykov - Zykov was actually an addition via trade this season. I was struggling to score with consistency with the lineup I had in place, and my young defensive players were performing well. So I looked around the league, and saw Zykov on a struggling, defensively lacking Los Angeles team. To the Kings went D- Ryan Murray, G- Nelson Strudwick, and top prospect C- Niko Kiiskinen. Zykov is a fairly newcomer to the NHL scene, having won the AHL rookie of the year just 4 years ago. This year with the Capitals he's exploding into a premiere offensive scorer, while also helping out defensively.
5* shooting, 5* puck skills, 4* senses, 4* skating, 2.5 physical, 5* defense
Career To Date: 89 Goals, 185 Points, 210 Games Played
RW - Bryant Gudbranson - Gudbranson was the 3rd overall pick in 2017 by the Blues, but when I decided to revamp my aging, and struggling, roster, I got Gudbranson as a 22 year old. Last season he had an 80 point campaign, making me think he would be more effective offensively than expected. This season has been a step back however, although he's still quite a solid defensive minded player. He is projected to be a top 6, maybe top 3 forward throughout his career. Offensive output will determine much of that.
4* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 5* skating, 3.5* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 71 Goals, 225 Points, 366 Games Played
C - Eugene Bylsma - I thought getting Bylsma would be a blessing in disguise for my top line. He is a solid passing player, and great defensively, and as a rookie he had 38 pts in 80 games on a 2nd/3rd line that didn't score much. This year he started off with the top line, but couldn't produce, went to the second line and couldn't produce OR keep the puck out of the net. Now he's back to the third line and isn't scoring much, but is playing good defensive hockey and now leads a shut down line involving Ryznar and Rissanen, when they are healthy. Hopefully he'll grow into an offensive role as well, as the 21 year old could be a franchise center if he can score 60 points a year.
3.5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 3.5 senses, 5* skating, 3.5* physical, 4.5* defense
Career To Date: 20 Goals, 46 Points, 122 Games Played
D - John Carlson - Carlson is the lone remaining member of the original Capitals, after Ovechkin was shipped out in my purging old talent season. While I've been able to get good forwards through the draft and trades, defense has been another story. Carlson has been a steady presence on the back end, and even won a Norris Trophy the season we won the cup. While not an offensive dynamo, he's been good enough defensively and offensively combined to remain an elite defenseman in the league. At 33 years old, he's just played his 1,000th game and has a lot left in the tires for the future.
4* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 4.5 senses, 4.5 skating, 4* physical, 4.5 defense
Career To Date: 94 Goals, 484 Points, 1,002 Games Played
D - Oleg Khomutov - Khomutov is kind of an anomaly at defense. One season he grew to 94 overall, but others he can be 84 overall. As he leaves his formative seasons, he's been more consistent at 86-87 overall for me. This is a sizeable defenseman who can play solid defensively, but is more than capable when he has the puck. While I continue to await a breakout offensive season, he's been good when in the lineup. The last 2 seasons have seen him miss a lot of time though, after being healthy throughout his career.
5* shooting, 5* puck skills, 5* senses, 4* skating, 2.5* physical, 4.5* defense
Career To Date: 48 Goals, 177 Points, 407 Games Played
C - Boris Glebov - Glebov, like the player being introduced next, was a surprise to the system for me. I picked him up in the offseason for cheap after purging the team of old players, but he was just a 24 year old 77 overall center. His first season was great in the AHL, scoring 45 pts in 55 games, while also playing 9 NHL games with 4 pts. At the draft he was 81 overall, so I decided to give him a shot at replacing the released Ryan Kesler. Well, by the season started he was an 85 overall beast, and is showing it this year. Late bloomers like this is what make teams successful.
5* shooting, 4.5* puck skills, 5* senses, 4* skating, 3* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 13 Goals, 37 Points, 51 Games Played
C - Valeri Fedorov - Fedorov is like Glebov. I picked him up last season at the deadline because he was a cheap 25 year old, seemingly failed (79 overall) prospect who had 95 passing. He was a 4th liner and got PP time to set up one timers, although it didn't work and he was benched by the end of the year. In the offseason he grew a ton, into one of the most skilled players on the team. This year he's found a spot between Boulerice and Zykov on the top line with his passing skills. He is also quietly very good defensively. The 26 year old is another key piece moving forward.
4* shooting, 5* puck skills, 4.5* senses, 3.5* skating, 2.5* physical, 4* defense
Career To Date: 10 Goals, 50 Points, 101 Games Played
Other Players:
D - Hampus Lindholm - Signed as a free agent 2 years ago, Lindholm has been steady for me, and allowed Ryan Murray to be traded. Not producing as many points as expected.
LW - Matt Puempel - Moved a few prospects to get Puempel in the offseason to solidify the second line. So far it's worked as he's produced beyond expectations.
RW - Howard Ryznar - The big Norwegian has been around for a few seasons now, and has been productive when healthy. Health has become a big concern though, as Ryznar has missed 73 regular season games in the last 4 seasons.
D - Alan Aubry - Signed to play AHL defense, Aubry took a 4 point overall jump after signing. Has been a steady presence in his first NHL season.
D - Phil Baltisberger - Developed through the AHL system, dominated last season and now is a key member of the powerplay in the NHL.
D - Lou Hamhuis - Another player signed for AHL who grew quickly to play NHL. very good player, great defensively.
D - Nelson Cullen - Small for a DFD, but gives me a good 7th defenseman when injuries inevitably hit. Might not be a Capital for many seasons due to his size.
C - Ruslan Kapitanov - Was my first pick in 2015, hasn't developed like intended but is a good defensive player for the 4th line. His size makes him a monster.
LW - Antti Rissanen - Pure goal scorer, never developed after his last AHL season. Still a solid 20 goal producer when healthy, good 3rd liner with size.
RW - Vic Breen - Another American FA signing for the AHL who became a depth NHLer. Good goal scorer and defensive player.
RW - Norm Anderson - 13th forward, signed same way as Breen. Good awareness for 79 overall, lacks some skills to make him a regular in the lineup.
LW - Ivan Barbashev - Skilled player developed slowly in the AHL. Lacks footspeed and defensive ability, but can produce points well in depth role.
D - Seth Woywitka - Big defenseman, 8th one really, but the type of player needed for a long NHL season. Another slowly developed player in the AHL.
That's the jist of the NHL team. We're a big bunch, and players are brought in for specific needs not just for their overalls. Most of my depth has been developed through the AHL rather than signing 80-82 overall free agents and wasting money.
| Capitals Midseason Stats Stats - 2022-23 | |||||||||
| Skaters | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | GW | PIM | SOG | SPCT |
| Valentin Zykov | 42 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 12 | 1 | 22 | 155 | 14.2 |
| Bradley Boulerice | 41 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 143 | 13.3 |
| Valeri Fedorov | 42 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 70 | 8.6 |
| Boris Glebov | 42 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 113 | 10.6 |
| Matt Puempel | 42 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 121 | 12.4 |
| Bryant Gudbranson | 40 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 85 | 5.9 |
| John Carlson | 42 | 4 | 16 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 62 | 63 | 6.4 |
| Alan Aubry | 38 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 36 | 8.3 |
| Howard Ryznar | 39 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 69 | 5.8 |
| Vic Breen | 42 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 68 | 13.2 |
| Lou Hamhuis | 40 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -3 | 0 | 10 | 83 | 1.2 |
| Norm Anderson | 35 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -3 | 0 | 8 | 49 | 8.2 |
| Eugene Bylsma | 42 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -5 | 0 | 24 | 71 | 4.2 |
| Hampus Lindholm | 41 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 54 | 3.7 |
| Oleg Khomutov | 25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 39 | 7.7 |
| Antti Rissanen | 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 51 | 5.9 |
| Ruslan Kapitanov | 42 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -8 | 1 | 23 | 43 | 4.7 |
| Ivan Barbashev | 24 | 0 | 5 | 5 | -3 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0 |
| Phil Baltisberger | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 12.5 |
| Andrei Ovechkin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.7 |
| Goalies | GP | W | L | T | GAA | TOI | SV | SV% | SHO |
| Kelly Schaeffer | 30 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2.10 | 1,824 | 725 | .919 | 1 |
| Robert Renberg | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2.14 | 364 | 162 | .926 | 1 |
Top Prospects:
C - Andrei Ovechkin - 79 Overall - The 22 year old Russian has played 79 games in the NHL, but is back down to develop unless I need a call up. 6'2", 205 lbs, has great speed and a solid shot. Working on refining his game. Could easily be a top 6 forward within 2 seasons.
4.5* shooting, 3.5* puck skills, 4* senses, 5*skating, 2.5 physical, 2* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL Season: 4 Goals, 15 Points, 24 Games Played
RW - Shawn Forney - 76 Overall - 6th Overall pick 2 drafts ago, sizable at 6'3", 202 lbs, and is developing into a solid playmaker. Also has great speed, but just needs a better shot and a little more touch on passes. 20 years old so has a lot of time to grow and develop.
3* shooting, 4* pucks skills, 4* senses, 5* skating, 2.5 physical, 2* defense
3.5 Yellow Potential. AHL season: 2 Goals, 7 Points, 7 Games Played
C - Dean Sugihara - 74 Overall - 28th pick in the same draft as Forney. 6'2", 210 lbs, looks to be a future shut down centerman for me. Another young player with great starting speed to work with, very bad offensively so far though. Only 21 though.
2.5* shooting, 3* puck skills, 2.5* senses, 4.5* skating, 2.5* physical, 3* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL season: 4 Goals, 15 Points, 40 Games Played
LW - Seth Cox - 71 Overall - 36th Overall pick in 2021 (with previous 2). 6'2", 232 lbs. Very strong, looks to be a potential 3rd-4th line player with size. Has lower potential so will have to work hard to earn a spot, also 21.
2.5* shooting, 3* puck skills, 2.5* senses, 4* skating, 4* physical, 2* defense
3 Yellow Potential.. AHL season: 1 Goal, 7 Points, 14 Games Played.
D - Jarrod Conner - 76 Overall - Got Conner in a salary dump. 22 years old and 6'6", 218 lbs, quite mobile for his size, but not very strong. Also not great potential. Will see what he can be.
4* shooting, 3* puck skills, 4* senses, 4* skating, 2.5* physical, 3.5* defense
3 Red Potential. AHL season: 6 Goals, 23 Points, 31 Games Played
D - Morgan Hambly - 74 Overall - 18th Overall pick in 2018. Getting older but that's okay. Is a strong physical defenseman with good skating ability. Not very good offensively, needs to work on that to become an NHLer
2.5* shooting, 1.5* puck skills, 1* senses, 4* skating, 4* physical, 3* defense
3.5 Red Potential. AHL season: 2 Goals, 4 Points, 25 Games Played.
___________________________________
Anyways, this is my Capitals Team. I'll do bi-annual updates. Longer ones will be post season/ offseason reviews, and then also All-Star break updates. This will be the longest post, having to introduce my current team. Next ones will involve basically only charts and a few comments. Hope you enjoy my NHL14 Washington Capitals Dynasty.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Rather than type out all my results like I had in Fifa 13, I'll just mention where I am in the tables.
Premiere League:
Current Record:
13-5-5 -- 6th Place
44 GF, 35 GA
Capital One Cup:
Advanced to Finals
Europa League:
Advanced to Round of 32.
4-2-0 Group Play
F.A. Cup:
Advanced to Quarter Finals
Season Review:
So far the season has gone decently, but there have been a few setbacks. After starting off 6-1-1and 2-0-0, I got into some injury trouble. Gwion Jones missed about 6 games, but more notably, keeper Alex Smithies missed 10 games which is where the majority of my losses game from. In those 10 games, 7 were league games and I only won 1 of them.
Besides that, the season has gone considerably well. Gwion Jones' $119 million price tag is proving to be worth it. When healthy, the CF from Wales has been the best player in the world. So far in 34 games in all competitions, he's scored 28 goals and added 6 assists.
Striker Anthony Martial hasn't come quite as advertised, but is still producing fairly well, with 14 goals, 3 assists in 27 appearances. The other members of the XI have been decent, although David Anderson hasn't scored yet after his 17 goal performance last year.
In midfield, Mark Hartley has only 3 goals and 1 assist, although he's been very good defensively in my RDM spot. Matthew Dwyer is having his best season so far. The 23 year old LDM has 3 goals and 9 assists so far this year. Right midfielder Marco Davide Faraoni has 6 goals and 6 assists, exceeding his goal total from all year.
Attacking midfielder Leon Bonne, 17, has had 10 goals and 3 assists in his first professional season, which has been amazing. Javier Pastore has also contributed 10 goals and 4 assists in his starting left midfield role.
The subs have been fairly strong this year as well. Stanislav Tonev has 6 goals and 9 assists, Jak Aneke has added 1 goal and 1 assists, Jake Fox, returning from injury, has 3 assists, and Andrew Hawkridge also had a goal before loaning him out in January.
Transfer Window:
In January I've decided to not really sell off anyone. My Fans and Board have been clamoring for a new midfield option, but I believe Jake Fox and Leon Bonne will be a good combination now that Fox is healthy again. I loaned out Andrew Hawkridge because he wasn't getting much playing time. Hawkridge is a fiery mid who definitely has a future with Wigan.
I have bought 2 players though. 20 year old CAM Cameron Clark (74 overall) as a future option in the central midfield role. The other addition is 26 year old keeper Fabian Spiess (74 overall) from Germany. While Spiess might never be a starting keeper he will definitely prevent me from falling apart when Smithies gets hurt. He's also young enough for a keeper to grow.
STARTING XI:
3-2-3-1-1
GK - Alex Smithies - 30 - 82 overall
RB - David Anderson - 24 - 82 overall
CB - Juan Portillo Soler - 25 - 85 overall
LB - Luke Shaw - 25 - 82 overall
RDM - Matthew Dwyer - 23 - 83 overall
LDM - Mark Hartley - 23 - 85 overall
RM - Marco Davide Faraoni - 29 - 81 overall
CM - Leon Bonne - 17 - 73 overall
LM - Javier Pastore - 31 - 85 overall
CF - Gwion Jones - 24 - 90 overall
ST - Anthony Martial - 25 - 86 overall
Subs:
ST - Stanislav Tonev - 24 - 80 overall
CB - Ryan Ingram - 23 - 83 overall
LB - Joey van Peppen - 17 - 71 overall
CM - Jake Fox - 23 - 77 overall
CM - James Agyakwa - 18 - 70 overall
CM - Jak Aneke - 17 - 72 overall
CAM - Cameron Clark - 20 - 74 overall
GK - Fabian Spiess - 26 - 74 overall
CDM - Steven Strutton - 19 - 70 overall
Premiere League:
Current Record:
13-5-5 -- 6th Place
44 GF, 35 GA
Capital One Cup:
Advanced to Finals
Europa League:
Advanced to Round of 32.
4-2-0 Group Play
F.A. Cup:
Advanced to Quarter Finals
Season Review:
So far the season has gone decently, but there have been a few setbacks. After starting off 6-1-1and 2-0-0, I got into some injury trouble. Gwion Jones missed about 6 games, but more notably, keeper Alex Smithies missed 10 games which is where the majority of my losses game from. In those 10 games, 7 were league games and I only won 1 of them.
Besides that, the season has gone considerably well. Gwion Jones' $119 million price tag is proving to be worth it. When healthy, the CF from Wales has been the best player in the world. So far in 34 games in all competitions, he's scored 28 goals and added 6 assists.
Striker Anthony Martial hasn't come quite as advertised, but is still producing fairly well, with 14 goals, 3 assists in 27 appearances. The other members of the XI have been decent, although David Anderson hasn't scored yet after his 17 goal performance last year.
In midfield, Mark Hartley has only 3 goals and 1 assist, although he's been very good defensively in my RDM spot. Matthew Dwyer is having his best season so far. The 23 year old LDM has 3 goals and 9 assists so far this year. Right midfielder Marco Davide Faraoni has 6 goals and 6 assists, exceeding his goal total from all year.
Attacking midfielder Leon Bonne, 17, has had 10 goals and 3 assists in his first professional season, which has been amazing. Javier Pastore has also contributed 10 goals and 4 assists in his starting left midfield role.
The subs have been fairly strong this year as well. Stanislav Tonev has 6 goals and 9 assists, Jak Aneke has added 1 goal and 1 assists, Jake Fox, returning from injury, has 3 assists, and Andrew Hawkridge also had a goal before loaning him out in January.
Transfer Window:
In January I've decided to not really sell off anyone. My Fans and Board have been clamoring for a new midfield option, but I believe Jake Fox and Leon Bonne will be a good combination now that Fox is healthy again. I loaned out Andrew Hawkridge because he wasn't getting much playing time. Hawkridge is a fiery mid who definitely has a future with Wigan.
I have bought 2 players though. 20 year old CAM Cameron Clark (74 overall) as a future option in the central midfield role. The other addition is 26 year old keeper Fabian Spiess (74 overall) from Germany. While Spiess might never be a starting keeper he will definitely prevent me from falling apart when Smithies gets hurt. He's also young enough for a keeper to grow.
STARTING XI:
3-2-3-1-1
GK - Alex Smithies - 30 - 82 overall
RB - David Anderson - 24 - 82 overall
CB - Juan Portillo Soler - 25 - 85 overall
LB - Luke Shaw - 25 - 82 overall
RDM - Matthew Dwyer - 23 - 83 overall
LDM - Mark Hartley - 23 - 85 overall
RM - Marco Davide Faraoni - 29 - 81 overall
CM - Leon Bonne - 17 - 73 overall
LM - Javier Pastore - 31 - 85 overall
CF - Gwion Jones - 24 - 90 overall
ST - Anthony Martial - 25 - 86 overall
Subs:
ST - Stanislav Tonev - 24 - 80 overall
CB - Ryan Ingram - 23 - 83 overall
LB - Joey van Peppen - 17 - 71 overall
CM - Jake Fox - 23 - 77 overall
CM - James Agyakwa - 18 - 70 overall
CM - Jak Aneke - 17 - 72 overall
CAM - Cameron Clark - 20 - 74 overall
GK - Fabian Spiess - 26 - 74 overall
CDM - Steven Strutton - 19 - 70 overall
Thursday, January 30, 2014
This is my Wigan Athletic team in 2020-21. I started as this team for a few reasons. My West Ham team fired me, mostly due to my unwillingness to sell many of the original players. I also didn't know much about the Global Scouting Network and relied on it too much in transfers. I went to Hull afterwards for a few seasons, but same thing happened.
I then decided to be Wigan Athletic from day 1. Wigan is a team with solid parts to return to the Premiership, and also had a Europa league spot, which I intended to use to gain extra money for the future.
History of Bloop33's Wigan Athletic
Year 1:
Year 1 was important, obviously. I had the goal of promotion, and put all Cup objectives to the side to ensure I made this goal. My side was solid, but out of the top 5 by the January Window. I hadn't made many additions to the team, the most notable being 20 year old CM Sean Murray from Watford for $390,000. Murray would go on to become an extremely important element of my squad, scoring numerous key goals for the minimal price I paid.
In January I went all in. After a cash influx from the Europa league (which I was knocked out of in the group stage), and selling RM McManaman, I went out to the Netherlands and signed 2 players who would be key to my eventual promotion and also my existence in the EPL. 1 was striker Kolbeinn Sigporsson, and the other being central mid Zlatko Junuzovic. I would go on to finish 3rd in the Championship, and win the playoff for promotion.
Year 1 Record:
P-63 W-35 D-17 L-11 F-106 A-61
------
Year 2:
2014-15 was a tough year for the squad. Our top keeper left in January, and my transfers in the summer window didn't pan out as well as expected. I decided to go for an upgrade at striker. Souha Dicko was loaned out, so behind Kolbeinn my scoring was struggling. In comes Rudnevs from Austria. The two formed a great partnership and we managed to get out of relegation and finish 14th overall in the league. The cups again were neglected, but this season showed I needed to fix something in my team to become a true contender Another big additions was GK Alex Smithies, who continues to be my top keeper. Year 2 finish: 14th.
Year 2 Record:
P-42 W-13 D-7 L-22 F-48 A-68
-------
Year 3:
Year 3, again, was a pretty non-chalant year, although this season I made a few signings that would go on to be important in later years. While in my debut EPL season we finished 14th, this year we were able to force more draws rather than losses. Center-back Ben Nugent was signed and emerged as a good force in the back end, and we also signed a few youth players who would also feature heavily in the future. RB David Anderson and CM Jake Fox. Anderson would stick with the club, while Fox went out on loan to grow.
Year 3 Results:
P-42 W-13 D-13 L-16 F-55 A-68
-------
Year 4:
The 2016-17 season was where things started to take an uptick. I went out and strengthened the midfield, adding central midfielders Leandrinho and Moussa Sissoko. I also began to revamp the front, signing a new striker to join Kolbeinn. Making all of this happen was a few trade+signs and also the sale of top RB Janmaat. David Anderson would begin to feature on the first team, and in January I'd also secure the transfer of Leighton Baines. The biggest signing for the future of the club was CB Juan Portillo Soler from Spain. He was a starting CB, 21 years old, and worth a ton in the eyes of big clubs. This year we overacheived in the league, and also got to the final of the Capital One Cup. This year, we'd finish 3rd, losing on the last day of the season to miss out on the title.
Year 4 Record:
P-46 W-29 D-7 L-10 F-88 A-62
--------
Year 5:
Year 5 started out with a bang. CB Juan Portillo Soler was sold for $50 million to Chelsea, inspiring a spending spree to try and make my squad Champions League contenders. First I signed ST Mario Manduzkic from Chelsea, followed by CF Wayne Rooney and CB Chris Smalling from Manchester United. I also signed some other younger players, who would develop into starters or sale parts by the end of the year.
We would reach the CL Quarter Finals, and also the Capital One Semi's, although we'd lose out due to a major injury bug that saw me take on Liverpool with 5 players out, including Mandzukic and Rooney.
Year 5 Record:
P-57 W-29 D-13 L-15 F-92 A-54
-------
Year 6:
The 2018-19 season would see the beginning of a trend that I am not the greatest fan of. Not much was done for transfers, slight changes, but the biggest one was a back up signing in CM Mark Hartley, who would go on to become a key contributor. While our cup performances improved, winning the F.A. Cup and making the Semi-Finals of the Champions League, our League performance slipped and, despite a great finish to the season, where we didn't lose for the final 7 games, we finished 5th.
Year 6 Record:
P-61 W-36 D-13 L-12 F-103 A-62
------
Year 7:
This was last season. Again, we'd do incredibly well in the cups, winning both the Capital One Cup, and also my first Europa League cup. We'd also lose in the final of the F.A. Cup to City. The league schedule was marred by the poor form of Smithies, leaving Declan Rudd to be the starter for 1/3 of the season. We made some huge signings, ST Daniel Sturridge, CAM Granit Xhaka, RM Adnan Januzaj, LB Luke Shaw and ST Stanislav Tonev. I was hit hard by the transfer request by former youth squad member CB Cauley Symington. The Board sold him for $18.5 million, and is now valued at over $65 million. Bitter pill to swallow. Some sales though saw me get the money to sign the return of CB Juan Portillo Soler, for $18 million less than he was sold to Chelsea for. In the end though, we once again finished 5th. Prompting me to go a little crazy in the most recent transfer window.
Year 7 Record:
P-69 W-47 D-10 L-12 F-138 A-79
_________________________________________
2020/21 Season.
So here we are in the current season. I've struggled in league play in recent years, so this year I've transformed the team to one that will hopefully get me back into the Champions League. The squad has some great players on it, as well as some talented youth. I am not going to be putting a ton of effort into the Cups, finishing in the top 4 is key. Realistically i think we can finish 1st.
Squad:
GK - Alex Smithies - 30 - 82 overall
RB - David Anderson - 23 - 82 overall
CB - Juan Portillo Soler - 25 - 85 overall
LB - Luke Shaw - 25 - 82 overall
RDM - Matthew Dwyer - 23 - 82 overall
LDM - Mark Hartley - 23 - 84 overall
RM - Marco Davide Faraoni - 28 - 81 overall
CM - Leon Bonne - 16 - 72 overall
** LM - Javier Pastore - 31 - 85 overall
** CF - Gwion Jones - 24 - 89 overall
** ST - Anthony Martial - 24 - 86 overall
-----
CB - Ryan Ingram - 23 - 82 overall
LB - Joey van Peppen - 17 - 69 overall
CAM - Andrew Hawkridge - 17 - 69 overall
CM - James Agyakwa - 17 - 68 overall
CM - Jak Aneke - 17 - 69 overall
CDM - Steven Strutton - 18 - 67 overall
ST - Stanislav Tonev - 23 - 79 overall
(out 5 months) CM - Jake Fox - 23 - 77 overall
LM - Liam Rodriguez - 17 - 65 overall
Gk - Declan Rudd - 29 - 75 overall
New Additions:
LM - Javier Pastore
Pastore was the PSG player of the game in the Europa final last season. While he is older now (31), I needed an elite left mid on the team, and picked him up for $15 million.
CF - Gwion Jones
Jones is a very young player from Wales who was playing for Real Madrid. I've wanted him for quite a while, but never had the funds. This year though, I traded them Adnan Januzaj and sent $40 million for his signature. At 89 overall, he is an instant star.
ST - Anthony Martial
Martial is another greatly talented attacking player. I sent Sturridge back to Liverpool with $58 million (acquired from the sale of Granit Xhaka to PSG for $63 million) for Martial. He is the most pure scoring striker I've had. Along with Jones, Pastore and Hartley, I feel like my team is prepared offensively to dominate for the season.
Next Post will come at the January Window to update on the Teams progress...
I then decided to be Wigan Athletic from day 1. Wigan is a team with solid parts to return to the Premiership, and also had a Europa league spot, which I intended to use to gain extra money for the future.
History of Bloop33's Wigan Athletic
Year 1:
Year 1 was important, obviously. I had the goal of promotion, and put all Cup objectives to the side to ensure I made this goal. My side was solid, but out of the top 5 by the January Window. I hadn't made many additions to the team, the most notable being 20 year old CM Sean Murray from Watford for $390,000. Murray would go on to become an extremely important element of my squad, scoring numerous key goals for the minimal price I paid.
In January I went all in. After a cash influx from the Europa league (which I was knocked out of in the group stage), and selling RM McManaman, I went out to the Netherlands and signed 2 players who would be key to my eventual promotion and also my existence in the EPL. 1 was striker Kolbeinn Sigporsson, and the other being central mid Zlatko Junuzovic. I would go on to finish 3rd in the Championship, and win the playoff for promotion.
Year 1 Record:
P-63 W-35 D-17 L-11 F-106 A-61
------
Year 2:
2014-15 was a tough year for the squad. Our top keeper left in January, and my transfers in the summer window didn't pan out as well as expected. I decided to go for an upgrade at striker. Souha Dicko was loaned out, so behind Kolbeinn my scoring was struggling. In comes Rudnevs from Austria. The two formed a great partnership and we managed to get out of relegation and finish 14th overall in the league. The cups again were neglected, but this season showed I needed to fix something in my team to become a true contender Another big additions was GK Alex Smithies, who continues to be my top keeper. Year 2 finish: 14th.
Year 2 Record:
P-42 W-13 D-7 L-22 F-48 A-68
-------
Year 3:
Year 3, again, was a pretty non-chalant year, although this season I made a few signings that would go on to be important in later years. While in my debut EPL season we finished 14th, this year we were able to force more draws rather than losses. Center-back Ben Nugent was signed and emerged as a good force in the back end, and we also signed a few youth players who would also feature heavily in the future. RB David Anderson and CM Jake Fox. Anderson would stick with the club, while Fox went out on loan to grow.
Year 3 Results:
P-42 W-13 D-13 L-16 F-55 A-68
-------
Year 4:
The 2016-17 season was where things started to take an uptick. I went out and strengthened the midfield, adding central midfielders Leandrinho and Moussa Sissoko. I also began to revamp the front, signing a new striker to join Kolbeinn. Making all of this happen was a few trade+signs and also the sale of top RB Janmaat. David Anderson would begin to feature on the first team, and in January I'd also secure the transfer of Leighton Baines. The biggest signing for the future of the club was CB Juan Portillo Soler from Spain. He was a starting CB, 21 years old, and worth a ton in the eyes of big clubs. This year we overacheived in the league, and also got to the final of the Capital One Cup. This year, we'd finish 3rd, losing on the last day of the season to miss out on the title.
Year 4 Record:
P-46 W-29 D-7 L-10 F-88 A-62
--------
Year 5:
Year 5 started out with a bang. CB Juan Portillo Soler was sold for $50 million to Chelsea, inspiring a spending spree to try and make my squad Champions League contenders. First I signed ST Mario Manduzkic from Chelsea, followed by CF Wayne Rooney and CB Chris Smalling from Manchester United. I also signed some other younger players, who would develop into starters or sale parts by the end of the year.
We would reach the CL Quarter Finals, and also the Capital One Semi's, although we'd lose out due to a major injury bug that saw me take on Liverpool with 5 players out, including Mandzukic and Rooney.
Year 5 Record:
P-57 W-29 D-13 L-15 F-92 A-54
-------
Year 6:
The 2018-19 season would see the beginning of a trend that I am not the greatest fan of. Not much was done for transfers, slight changes, but the biggest one was a back up signing in CM Mark Hartley, who would go on to become a key contributor. While our cup performances improved, winning the F.A. Cup and making the Semi-Finals of the Champions League, our League performance slipped and, despite a great finish to the season, where we didn't lose for the final 7 games, we finished 5th.
Year 6 Record:
P-61 W-36 D-13 L-12 F-103 A-62
------
Year 7:
This was last season. Again, we'd do incredibly well in the cups, winning both the Capital One Cup, and also my first Europa League cup. We'd also lose in the final of the F.A. Cup to City. The league schedule was marred by the poor form of Smithies, leaving Declan Rudd to be the starter for 1/3 of the season. We made some huge signings, ST Daniel Sturridge, CAM Granit Xhaka, RM Adnan Januzaj, LB Luke Shaw and ST Stanislav Tonev. I was hit hard by the transfer request by former youth squad member CB Cauley Symington. The Board sold him for $18.5 million, and is now valued at over $65 million. Bitter pill to swallow. Some sales though saw me get the money to sign the return of CB Juan Portillo Soler, for $18 million less than he was sold to Chelsea for. In the end though, we once again finished 5th. Prompting me to go a little crazy in the most recent transfer window.
Year 7 Record:
P-69 W-47 D-10 L-12 F-138 A-79
_________________________________________
2020/21 Season.
So here we are in the current season. I've struggled in league play in recent years, so this year I've transformed the team to one that will hopefully get me back into the Champions League. The squad has some great players on it, as well as some talented youth. I am not going to be putting a ton of effort into the Cups, finishing in the top 4 is key. Realistically i think we can finish 1st.
Squad:
GK - Alex Smithies - 30 - 82 overall
RB - David Anderson - 23 - 82 overall
CB - Juan Portillo Soler - 25 - 85 overall
LB - Luke Shaw - 25 - 82 overall
RDM - Matthew Dwyer - 23 - 82 overall
LDM - Mark Hartley - 23 - 84 overall
RM - Marco Davide Faraoni - 28 - 81 overall
CM - Leon Bonne - 16 - 72 overall
** LM - Javier Pastore - 31 - 85 overall
** CF - Gwion Jones - 24 - 89 overall
** ST - Anthony Martial - 24 - 86 overall
-----
CB - Ryan Ingram - 23 - 82 overall
LB - Joey van Peppen - 17 - 69 overall
CAM - Andrew Hawkridge - 17 - 69 overall
CM - James Agyakwa - 17 - 68 overall
CM - Jak Aneke - 17 - 69 overall
CDM - Steven Strutton - 18 - 67 overall
ST - Stanislav Tonev - 23 - 79 overall
(out 5 months) CM - Jake Fox - 23 - 77 overall
LM - Liam Rodriguez - 17 - 65 overall
Gk - Declan Rudd - 29 - 75 overall
New Additions:
LM - Javier Pastore
Pastore was the PSG player of the game in the Europa final last season. While he is older now (31), I needed an elite left mid on the team, and picked him up for $15 million.
CF - Gwion Jones
Jones is a very young player from Wales who was playing for Real Madrid. I've wanted him for quite a while, but never had the funds. This year though, I traded them Adnan Januzaj and sent $40 million for his signature. At 89 overall, he is an instant star.
ST - Anthony Martial
Martial is another greatly talented attacking player. I sent Sturridge back to Liverpool with $58 million (acquired from the sale of Granit Xhaka to PSG for $63 million) for Martial. He is the most pure scoring striker I've had. Along with Jones, Pastore and Hartley, I feel like my team is prepared offensively to dominate for the season.
Next Post will come at the January Window to update on the Teams progress...
Friday, July 12, 2013
My PS3 decided to delete my awesome Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche files (along with every other file I had). After taking most of NHL 13 off from posting the way I did on NHL 12, I had my team to a point where I was going to post each season like I used to. Then they were gone...
So I decided to become the Montreal Canadiens, bring them back to glory, and basically dominate the game for 20 years after a quick rebuild.
It took me 3 years, in year 4, I won the cup.
This is my year 5 team, much of the same guys were on the year 4 team, although I promoted some youngsters and traded away PK Subban, Connor McDavid and Trevor Daley. Most players were acquired through free agency or the draft, although some were via trades. I haven't done much other than trading for draft picks though, so far. Marleau, Huberdeau, Shattenkirk and Josi represent the only major guys on my roster I acquired through trades.
Round 1 Vs. Washington Capitals:
...
Wound up losing in the Finals in game 7. Offseason changes on next post.
So I decided to become the Montreal Canadiens, bring them back to glory, and basically dominate the game for 20 years after a quick rebuild.
It took me 3 years, in year 4, I won the cup.
This is my year 5 team, much of the same guys were on the year 4 team, although I promoted some youngsters and traded away PK Subban, Connor McDavid and Trevor Daley. Most players were acquired through free agency or the draft, although some were via trades. I haven't done much other than trading for draft picks though, so far. Marleau, Huberdeau, Shattenkirk and Josi represent the only major guys on my roster I acquired through trades.
| Montreal Canadiens Depth Chart - 2016-17 | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LW | Patrick Marleau (87) | Nathan Mackinnon (85) | Vladimir Zhamnov (77) | Roberts Jekimovs (79) |
| C | Alex Galchenyuk (88) | Jonathan Huberdeau (86) | Marcus Hinds (81) | Jarret Stoll (80) |
| RW | Patrick Kane (89) | Brandon Henry (85) | Devon Setoguchi (81) | Ben Hanowski (82) |
| D #1 | Colton Bobyk (87) | Roman Josi (84) | Francois Beauchemin (83) | |
| D #2 | Kevin Shattenkirk (86) | Cody Goloubef (84) | Shannon Hennessy (78) | |
| G | Eric Brassard (87) | Frederick Andersen (80) | ||
| Montreal Canadiens Stats - 2016-17 | |||||||||
| Skaters | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | GW | PIM | SOG | SPCT |
| Alex Galchenyuk | 79 | 23 | 56 | 79 | 22 | 6 | 18 | ||
| Patrick Kane | 77 | 32 | 46 | 78 | -1 | 4 | 32 | ||
| Patrick Marleau | 82 | 33 | 26 | 59 | 5 | 4 | 24 | ||
| Nathan Mackinnon | 74 | 13 | 39 | 52 | -11 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Jonathan Huberdeau | 74 | 11 | 39 | 50 | -7 | 3 | 8 | ||
| Brandon Henry | 58 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 10 | ||
| Kevin Shattenkirk | 79 | 8 | 32 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 34 | ||
| Vladimir Zhamnov | 71 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 22 | 3 | 34 | ||
| Roman Josi | 73 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 10 | 1 | 26 | ||
| Colton Bobyk | 70 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 15 | 1 | 16 | ||
| Ben Hanowski | 82 | 11 | 17 | 28 | -4 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Marcus Hinds | 73 | 15 | 13 | 28 | Even | 1 | 12 | ||
| Cody Goloubef | 77 | 6 | 21 | 27 | -1 | 2 | 38 | ||
| Roberts Jekimovs | 79 | 15 | 9 | 24 | Even | 3 | 20 | ||
| Devon Setoguchi | 82 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 13 | 2 | 14 | ||
| Goalies | GP | W | L | T | GAA | TOI | SV | SV% | SHO |
| Eric Brassard | 71 | 39 | 22 | 3 | 2.21 | 4,175 | 1,959 | .921 | 6 |
| Peter Delmas | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2.61 | 482 | 232 | .910 | 0 |
| Frederick Andersen | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2.25 | 560 | 269 | .922 | 1 |
Round 1 Vs. Washington Capitals:
| Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
...
Wound up losing in the Finals in game 7. Offseason changes on next post.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Sorry to anyone who had been following my West Ham team, got busy with other leagues, overwhelmed really.
EPL Results:
09/12/20 : 4 - 0 win @ Blackburn
09/19/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Everton
09/26/20 : 2 - 0 win @ QPR
10/03/20 : 3 - 1 win vs. Stoke City
10/07/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Wolverhampton
10/18/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Birmingham City
10/24/20 : 5 - 0 win @ Aston Villa
10/31/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Arsenal
11/07/20 : 1 - 2 loss @ Chelsea
11/11/20 : 0 - 1 loss vs. Newcastle
11/21/20 : 2 - 1 win vs. Liverpool
11/28/20 : 1 - 1 draw @ Tottenham
12/05/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Swansea City
12/12/20 : 2 - 2 draw @ Manchester City
12/19/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Bolton
12/28/20 : 0 - 2 loss @ Manchester United
Capital One Cup Results:
09/22/20 : 2 - 1 @ Arsenal
10/28/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Southampton
12/01/20 : (Quarter Final) 3 - 1 win vs. Newcastle
Champions Cup Results:
09/16/20 : 2 - 2 draw @ Marseilles
09/29/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Galatasaray
10/20/20 : 1 - 4 loss @ Real Madrid
11/04/20 : 3 - 0 win @ Galatasaray
11/24/20 : 3 - 1 win vs. Marseilles
12/09/20 : 4 - 1 win vs. Real Madrid
Daniel Fernandez D.
The 21 year old winger from Spain came over as a free agent in the summer and has impressed throughout the season. With 19 games played so far, the Spaniard has 4 goals and 5 assists and has impressed with his ability to create chances from the wing and to take command on corners. At 6'1", he has also proven himself to be strong defensively in heading situations. West Ham fans are very pleased about the new addition, who makes for one of the strongest lineups around the world when the full Starting XI is in.
The Golden Leg Keeps Kicking
Last years' breakout superstar, Andrea Martinetti, continued his amazing form, and has scored 21 goals in 21 games, including 16 EPL goals in 14 matches. The Italian striker has dominated the EPL for the past 3 seasons and had really proven himself to be one of the best goal scorers the EPL has seen. At only 26 years old, he has another 3-4 years of stellar play in him still before he may start to decline. Manager Dylan Barrons continues to base his attack off of the star player, and for good reason too, he always delivers.
Goal Keeping Duties Split
With Alberto Frison, 32, aging and starting to show some poor form, the net has been vacated more regularly by 24 year old German, Niclas Quiring. Bought last season, Quiring has played 14 games to Frison's 16, and has been the stronger goalie in them. The 6'6" German national has also started to see more time with the national team, and is expected to be a big part of both West Ham and Germany moving forward in big competitions. Proven a big game performer, it would seem the young keeper is destined for greatness, and it won't be long until he dominates the net for the Hammers.
Change at the Back?
The biggest weakness over the past few seasons for West Ham has been their center backs. Daniele Rugani and Ciaran Clark were always the go to guys, but both are aging and their lack of athleticism is starting to show. Frauches' return has proven to be more of a benefit to the offense with his great heading ability than his ability to defend. With the fullbacks being secure, central defender has been a main point of interest for Barrons during the transfer window.
This year has seen the emergence of long time Hammer, Jake Scott in a more prominent starters role, having played 13 games. French defender Hugo Sorbon and Portugese defender Eliseu Nunes Ferreira have both started to play more often after being bought in the past 2 seasons. Serbian Milos Stevanovic has been the big time surprise though. The 6'6" defender has dominated the aerial play this year and at only age 22, looks to be the cornerstone of the defense for years to come.
EPL Results:
09/12/20 : 4 - 0 win @ Blackburn
09/19/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Everton
09/26/20 : 2 - 0 win @ QPR
10/03/20 : 3 - 1 win vs. Stoke City
10/07/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Wolverhampton
10/18/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Birmingham City
10/24/20 : 5 - 0 win @ Aston Villa
10/31/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Arsenal
11/07/20 : 1 - 2 loss @ Chelsea
11/11/20 : 0 - 1 loss vs. Newcastle
11/21/20 : 2 - 1 win vs. Liverpool
11/28/20 : 1 - 1 draw @ Tottenham
12/05/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. Swansea City
12/12/20 : 2 - 2 draw @ Manchester City
12/19/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Bolton
12/28/20 : 0 - 2 loss @ Manchester United
Capital One Cup Results:
09/22/20 : 2 - 1 @ Arsenal
10/28/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Southampton
12/01/20 : (Quarter Final) 3 - 1 win vs. Newcastle
Champions Cup Results:
09/16/20 : 2 - 2 draw @ Marseilles
09/29/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Galatasaray
10/20/20 : 1 - 4 loss @ Real Madrid
11/04/20 : 3 - 0 win @ Galatasaray
11/24/20 : 3 - 1 win vs. Marseilles
12/09/20 : 4 - 1 win vs. Real Madrid
Daniel Fernandez D.
The 21 year old winger from Spain came over as a free agent in the summer and has impressed throughout the season. With 19 games played so far, the Spaniard has 4 goals and 5 assists and has impressed with his ability to create chances from the wing and to take command on corners. At 6'1", he has also proven himself to be strong defensively in heading situations. West Ham fans are very pleased about the new addition, who makes for one of the strongest lineups around the world when the full Starting XI is in.
The Golden Leg Keeps Kicking
Last years' breakout superstar, Andrea Martinetti, continued his amazing form, and has scored 21 goals in 21 games, including 16 EPL goals in 14 matches. The Italian striker has dominated the EPL for the past 3 seasons and had really proven himself to be one of the best goal scorers the EPL has seen. At only 26 years old, he has another 3-4 years of stellar play in him still before he may start to decline. Manager Dylan Barrons continues to base his attack off of the star player, and for good reason too, he always delivers.
Goal Keeping Duties Split
With Alberto Frison, 32, aging and starting to show some poor form, the net has been vacated more regularly by 24 year old German, Niclas Quiring. Bought last season, Quiring has played 14 games to Frison's 16, and has been the stronger goalie in them. The 6'6" German national has also started to see more time with the national team, and is expected to be a big part of both West Ham and Germany moving forward in big competitions. Proven a big game performer, it would seem the young keeper is destined for greatness, and it won't be long until he dominates the net for the Hammers.
Change at the Back?
The biggest weakness over the past few seasons for West Ham has been their center backs. Daniele Rugani and Ciaran Clark were always the go to guys, but both are aging and their lack of athleticism is starting to show. Frauches' return has proven to be more of a benefit to the offense with his great heading ability than his ability to defend. With the fullbacks being secure, central defender has been a main point of interest for Barrons during the transfer window.
This year has seen the emergence of long time Hammer, Jake Scott in a more prominent starters role, having played 13 games. French defender Hugo Sorbon and Portugese defender Eliseu Nunes Ferreira have both started to play more often after being bought in the past 2 seasons. Serbian Milos Stevanovic has been the big time surprise though. The 6'6" defender has dominated the aerial play this year and at only age 22, looks to be the cornerstone of the defense for years to come.
Monday, December 24, 2012
After a solid season, but one that didn't quite bring home the silverware we needed. This year we looked to just strengthen the squad in a few key positions but more importantly maintain our stars.
EPL Results:
08/17/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. West Brom
08/22/20 : 0 - 1 loss @ Fulham
08/29/20 : 4 - 1 win vs. Sunderland
Players Sold:
CB - Christofer Haas (81) - Germany, 26 - $8,500,000 to Shalke
CB - Hordur Magnusson (81) - Iceland, 27 - $7,500,000 to Fiorentina
RB - Nicolas Soumah (78) - France, 22 - $10,000,000 to Bayern Leverkusen
Sold the two veteran CB's to bring in some younger talent and Soumah since he was 3rd in line for the RB's. Pretty simple, no stars lost.
Players given Loans:
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (80) - Germany, 20 - Loaned to Borussia Dortmund
CM - Christian Heimeroth (80) - Germany, 22 - Loaned to Sunderland
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (81) - England, 20 - Loaned to Sevilla
CM - Paolo Maietta (83) - Italy, 22 - Loaned to Fiorentina
CAM - Randy Ricketts (75) - Canada, 18 - Loaned to Sunderland
Some short and season loans to non-essential prospects. Can't wait for Heimeroth and Vieira da Costa to develop and become apart of the team, the young German's have been impressive when they have played.
Players Bought:
LW - Daniel Fernandez D. (87) - Spain, 21 - Free Agent
CDM - Etienne Vinetot (81) - France, 22 - $26,000,000 - Stade Rennais
CB - Elisu Nunes Ferreira (80) - Portugal, 22 - $15,500,000 - Zenit St. Petersberg
Daniel Fernandez D. is possibly the steal of the year. He is extremely fast with good finishing and passing attributes. He is an instant star and compliments my current midfield greatly.
EPL Results:
08/17/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. West Brom
08/22/20 : 0 - 1 loss @ Fulham
08/29/20 : 4 - 1 win vs. Sunderland
Players Sold:
CB - Christofer Haas (81) - Germany, 26 - $8,500,000 to Shalke
CB - Hordur Magnusson (81) - Iceland, 27 - $7,500,000 to Fiorentina
RB - Nicolas Soumah (78) - France, 22 - $10,000,000 to Bayern Leverkusen
Sold the two veteran CB's to bring in some younger talent and Soumah since he was 3rd in line for the RB's. Pretty simple, no stars lost.
Players given Loans:
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (80) - Germany, 20 - Loaned to Borussia Dortmund
CM - Christian Heimeroth (80) - Germany, 22 - Loaned to Sunderland
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (81) - England, 20 - Loaned to Sevilla
CM - Paolo Maietta (83) - Italy, 22 - Loaned to Fiorentina
CAM - Randy Ricketts (75) - Canada, 18 - Loaned to Sunderland
Some short and season loans to non-essential prospects. Can't wait for Heimeroth and Vieira da Costa to develop and become apart of the team, the young German's have been impressive when they have played.
Players Bought:
LW - Daniel Fernandez D. (87) - Spain, 21 - Free Agent
CDM - Etienne Vinetot (81) - France, 22 - $26,000,000 - Stade Rennais
CB - Elisu Nunes Ferreira (80) - Portugal, 22 - $15,500,000 - Zenit St. Petersberg
Daniel Fernandez D. is possibly the steal of the year. He is extremely fast with good finishing and passing attributes. He is an instant star and compliments my current midfield greatly.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
After a very long season, West Ham's season comes to an end and after thinking we would bring home lots of silverware, we came up well short of expectations.
EPL Results:
02/03/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Newcastle
02/16/20 : 3 - 2 win vs. Wigan
03/05/20 : 0 - 0 draw @ Tottenham
03/08/20 : 3 - 0 win vs. Everton
03/28/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Blackburn
04/04/20 : 3 - 0 win @ Manchester City
04/11/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
04/15/20 : 0 - 0 draw @ Ipswich Town
04/25/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Fulham
05/02/20 : 1 - 2 loss vs. Liverpool
05/05/20 : 2 - 1 win @ Chelsea
05/09/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Bolton
05/13/20 : 1 - 1 draw @ Aston Villa
05/16/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Sunderland
05/24/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Swansea City
Capital One Cup:
03/01/20 : (Final) 4 - 2 win vs. Liverpool
F.A. Cup:
02/01/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Sheffield United
02/22/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
03/14/20 : (Quarter Final) 0 - 1 loss @ Tottenham
Champions Cup:
02/26/20 : (Round of 16) 2 - 1 win vs. Barcelona
03/17/20 :(Round of 16) 1 - 1 draw @ Barcelona
03/31/20 :(Quarter Final) 4 - 0 win vs. Arsenal
04/08/20 : (Quarter Final) 1 - 1 draw @ Arsenal
04/22/20 : (Semi Final) 3 - 0 win vs. PSV
04/28/20 : (Semi Final) 4 - 0 win @ PSV
05/30/20 : (Final) 1 - 2 loss vs. FC Bayern
Trophies:
We wanted to bring home lots of hardware, but only wound up winning the Capital One Cup. A terrific season for Andrea Martinetti was marred by injury and a cold streak at the end. Prats Bastidas was a better passer this year, but didn't score half the goals of last year, and only Sidqy was able to score over 10 goals other than the top two stars. Somehow I need to find extra scoring as that is what cost me in the end.
Future Plans:
Provided I keep my job, I will probably sell a few more players who don't play a ton and then try to find some more mids with scoring ability. Next year will definitely be a big one for West Ham if I can get my offensive players playing to the best of their abilities.
Individual Awards:
Andrea Martinetti won both the Golden Booth and Player of the Competition. Martinetti wound up with 27 league goals and 42 overall. Prats Bastidas had 12 goals, and 30 assist's this season. Next year I hope to increase the totals for both, and hopefully have another player with 20+ goals.
EPL Results:
02/03/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Newcastle
02/16/20 : 3 - 2 win vs. Wigan
03/05/20 : 0 - 0 draw @ Tottenham
03/08/20 : 3 - 0 win vs. Everton
03/28/20 : 2 - 0 win vs. Blackburn
04/04/20 : 3 - 0 win @ Manchester City
04/11/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
04/15/20 : 0 - 0 draw @ Ipswich Town
04/25/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Fulham
05/02/20 : 1 - 2 loss vs. Liverpool
05/05/20 : 2 - 1 win @ Chelsea
05/09/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Bolton
05/13/20 : 1 - 1 draw @ Aston Villa
05/16/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Sunderland
05/24/20 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Swansea City
Capital One Cup:
03/01/20 : (Final) 4 - 2 win vs. Liverpool
F.A. Cup:
02/01/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Sheffield United
02/22/20 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
03/14/20 : (Quarter Final) 0 - 1 loss @ Tottenham
Champions Cup:
02/26/20 : (Round of 16) 2 - 1 win vs. Barcelona
03/17/20 :(Round of 16) 1 - 1 draw @ Barcelona
03/31/20 :(Quarter Final) 4 - 0 win vs. Arsenal
04/08/20 : (Quarter Final) 1 - 1 draw @ Arsenal
04/22/20 : (Semi Final) 3 - 0 win vs. PSV
04/28/20 : (Semi Final) 4 - 0 win @ PSV
05/30/20 : (Final) 1 - 2 loss vs. FC Bayern
Trophies:
We wanted to bring home lots of hardware, but only wound up winning the Capital One Cup. A terrific season for Andrea Martinetti was marred by injury and a cold streak at the end. Prats Bastidas was a better passer this year, but didn't score half the goals of last year, and only Sidqy was able to score over 10 goals other than the top two stars. Somehow I need to find extra scoring as that is what cost me in the end.
Future Plans:
Provided I keep my job, I will probably sell a few more players who don't play a ton and then try to find some more mids with scoring ability. Next year will definitely be a big one for West Ham if I can get my offensive players playing to the best of their abilities.
Individual Awards:
Andrea Martinetti won both the Golden Booth and Player of the Competition. Martinetti wound up with 27 league goals and 42 overall. Prats Bastidas had 12 goals, and 30 assist's this season. Next year I hope to increase the totals for both, and hopefully have another player with 20+ goals.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Striker - Andrea Martinetti
A strong offensive team like my West Ham team requires an offensive player who transcends the sport. Andrea joined the team originally as a 21 year old, but left for a year and a half until former striker Luka Djordjevic demanded transfer. Needing a star striker, I brought back the young Italian and he immediately exploded.
Last season, he won his first golden booth with 21 league goals and 28 total. This year, however, he's become the clearly most dominant scoring threat worldwide. In 37 games at the time of this posting, he has 40 total goals. 25 goals in 22 EPL matches, 12 in 9 Champions Cup matches and 3 in the 5 domestic cup matches he played.
Forming a formidable duo with star midfield player Fransico Prats Bastidas, he has carried my team all season. There have been problems though, as he's been linked to rumours involving a move away from the club. Although he's reassured the management and fans of his intentions to stay, his demeanor has stayed fairly poor lately.
Andrea Martinetti's scoring touch looks to hold West Ham atop the league for the foreseeable future. Bookies are starting to wonder how many goals he can score this year. His leadership will continue to help while young strikers like Shaun McGlashan and Josh Kitson continue to refine their craft.
A strong offensive team like my West Ham team requires an offensive player who transcends the sport. Andrea joined the team originally as a 21 year old, but left for a year and a half until former striker Luka Djordjevic demanded transfer. Needing a star striker, I brought back the young Italian and he immediately exploded.
Last season, he won his first golden booth with 21 league goals and 28 total. This year, however, he's become the clearly most dominant scoring threat worldwide. In 37 games at the time of this posting, he has 40 total goals. 25 goals in 22 EPL matches, 12 in 9 Champions Cup matches and 3 in the 5 domestic cup matches he played.
Forming a formidable duo with star midfield player Fransico Prats Bastidas, he has carried my team all season. There have been problems though, as he's been linked to rumours involving a move away from the club. Although he's reassured the management and fans of his intentions to stay, his demeanor has stayed fairly poor lately.
Andrea Martinetti's scoring touch looks to hold West Ham atop the league for the foreseeable future. Bookies are starting to wonder how many goals he can score this year. His leadership will continue to help while young strikers like Shaun McGlashan and Josh Kitson continue to refine their craft.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
EPL Results:
01/04/20 : 1 - 0 win @ Arsenal
01/08/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Norwich City
01/18/20 : 2 - 1 win vs. Manchester United
01/25/20 : 1 - 0 win @ Stoke City
F.A. Cup Results:
01/11/20 : 2 - 0 win @ Crystal Palace
Community Shield Results:
01/14/20 (Semi-Final): 4 - 0 win @ Everton
01/28/20 (Semi-Final): 3 - 2 win vs. Everton
Players Sold:
CB - Ben Kane (75) - England, 22 - $5,500,000 to Bolton
ST - Jason Bishop (77) - England, 24 - $6,000,000 to Sunderland
CDM - Jonathan Speas (79) - United States, 24 - $5,500,000 to Manchester United
CM - Kristian Tosic (79) - Serbia, 25 - $7,000,000 to Borussia M'gladbach
LM - Bradley Chapman (76) - England, 23 - $5,000,000 to Bolton
RM - Miles Paterson (75) - England, 24 - $3,100,000 to QPR
Players Bought:
CB - Frauches (83) - Brazil, 27 - $14,000,000 - Valencia CF
RB - Rodrigo Silva Umbelino (84) - Brazil, 25 - $23,000,000 - Atletico Madrid
CB - Jonathan Vuleta (74) - Switzerland, 22 - Free Agents
CM - Paolo Maietta (79) - Italy, 21 - Free Agents
01/04/20 : 1 - 0 win @ Arsenal
01/08/20 : 3 - 1 win @ Norwich City
01/18/20 : 2 - 1 win vs. Manchester United
01/25/20 : 1 - 0 win @ Stoke City
F.A. Cup Results:
01/11/20 : 2 - 0 win @ Crystal Palace
Community Shield Results:
01/14/20 (Semi-Final): 4 - 0 win @ Everton
01/28/20 (Semi-Final): 3 - 2 win vs. Everton
Players Sold:
CB - Ben Kane (75) - England, 22 - $5,500,000 to Bolton
ST - Jason Bishop (77) - England, 24 - $6,000,000 to Sunderland
CDM - Jonathan Speas (79) - United States, 24 - $5,500,000 to Manchester United
CM - Kristian Tosic (79) - Serbia, 25 - $7,000,000 to Borussia M'gladbach
LM - Bradley Chapman (76) - England, 23 - $5,000,000 to Bolton
RM - Miles Paterson (75) - England, 24 - $3,100,000 to QPR
Players Bought:
CB - Frauches (83) - Brazil, 27 - $14,000,000 - Valencia CF
RB - Rodrigo Silva Umbelino (84) - Brazil, 25 - $23,000,000 - Atletico Madrid
CB - Jonathan Vuleta (74) - Switzerland, 22 - Free Agents
CM - Paolo Maietta (79) - Italy, 21 - Free Agents
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Took a while for this one...
EPL Results:
09/14/19 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Stoke City
09/21/19 : 3 - 0 win @ QPR
09/28/19 : 5 - 4 win vs. Manchester City
10/05/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Manchester United
10/09/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Norwich City
10/19/19 : 3 - 0 win @ Blackburn
10/26/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Everton
11/02/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Arsenal
11/10/19 : 0 - 4 loss @ Swansea City
11/12/19 : 2 - 1 win vs. Tottenham
11/23/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Wigan
11/30/19 : 0 - 3 loss vs. Chelsea
12/07/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Liverpool
12/14/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Aston Villa
12/21/19 : 4 - 0 win @ Bolton
12/28/19 : 0 - 0 draw vs. Sunderland
Capital One Cup Results:
09/03/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Leeds
09/24/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Derby
09/29/19 : (Round of 16) 2 - 1 win @ Sunderland
12/04/19 :(Quarter Final) 1 - 0 win @ Bristol City
Champions Cup Results:
Group Stage:
09/18/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
10/03/19 : 4 - 2 win @ FC Kobenhavn
10/22/19 : 1 - 1 draw vs. AC Milan
11/06/19 : 3 - 0 win @ Zenit St. Petersburg
11/26/19 : 1 - 2 loss @ AC Milan
12/11/09 : 2 - 1 win vs. FC Kobenhavn
The Martinetti Dilemma:
Part of the reason my play time diminished is I was milking my time to try and get Andrea Martinetti to stay. Not long after the summer transfer window, media reports surfaced claiming that Andrea was not liking the weather of England, and that he would want out in the next window. Considering his current run of form, and his dominating presence on the pitch, I was determined to convince him to stay. I raised his wages, praised him a lot and used him at least as a sub in nearly all my games, pissing off my other strikers, most notably Bagasan Carrington.
In the end though it paid off, in more ways than one. First off, he told me that the media just took his words out of context, and assured me he was staying. Second, he has 28 goals in 26 matches, including 18 in the EPL. His current form is that which has been rarely seen in football, and with him at the helm, I will have to look to spend some of my extra money to get the team ready for the Champion's Cup.
The England Managerial Role:
After the last round of International friendlies, I was offered the job as manager of the England. Essentially England will now be the England Hammers, as most of my team will be starting. Not really sure intensely I'll play this, but I'll definitely do the major tournaments and qualifiers for at least a year. Will be pretty cool seeing all the players I've developed playing for England.
Current Roster
Here is my current starting XI and key subs at the beginning of the January window:
Starting XI:
GK - Alberto Frison (89) - Italy, 31
RB - Haris Radetinac (82) - Serbia, 24
CB - Ciaran Clark (85) - Republic of Ireland, 30
CB - Daniele Rugani (85) - Italy, 25
LB - Luke Humphreys (89) (C) - England, 23
RDM - Will Akinde (84) - England, 25
LDM - Koikili Adan Garrido (85) - Spain, 24
RAM - El Medhi Sidqy (87) - Morocco, 26
CAM - Fransisco Prats Bastidas (90) - Spain, 23
LAM - Tyronne Granero Molina (87) - Spain, 25
ST - Andrea Martinetti (91) - Italy, 25
Subs:
GK - Niclas Quiring (80) - Germany, 23
CB - Predrag Petric (80) - Serbia, 25
CB - Hordur Magnusson (81) - Iceland, 26
CB - Hugo Sorbon (79) - France, 23
CB - Jake Scott (79) - England, 23
RB - Nicolas Soumah (78) - France, 21
LB - Trevor Murru (75) - Italy, 22
CDM - Paul Cadamarteri (81) - England, 23
CDM - Jonathan Speas (79) - United States, 24
RM - Federico Vazquez (89) - Argentina, 24
CM - Christian Heimeroth (78) - Germany, 21
CM - Pavle Lazovic (83) - Serbia, 26
CM - Danny Griffiths (83) - England, 25
CM - John Thalassitis (81) - England, 24
CAM - Craig Morris (81) - Wales, 26
CAM - Jordan Webster (85) - England, 24
CAM - Korede Southern (80) - England, 23
ST - Bagasan Carrington (85) - England, 25
ST - Josh Kitson (81) - England, 23
ST - Shaun McGlashan (78) - England, 20
Transfer Possibilities?
I have $35,000,000 in spending money, plus lots of assets. I really want to make a run at the Champions Cup, as well as catch Chelsea for 1st in the EPL. Capital One and F.A. can be played my 8/11 reserves, so no worries there.
Anyways, my team is deep, but is still lacking. The defenders are decent, but they aren't the strongest, if the CDM's are caught up field, I concede far too often.
My Midfield is very deep, but none have a killer scoring threat, leaving my striker's to bear most of the weight of scoring.
My strikers are definitely good, All are 6'0" or taller and have good finishing. Would it be worth it to go after a shorter striker?
I need some advice here to anyone willing to put in some input, where should I invest my money?
Another possibility is recalling some of my loans. I don't have many, but currently loaned players are:
CB - Christopher Haas (82) - Germany, 25
CB - Milos Stevanovic (81) - Serbia, 21
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (79) - England, 19
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (78) - Germany, 19
ST - Adam Evans (82) - England, 22
All of them have their problems, but could fill holes, especially the CB's, Haas is 6'9" and Stevanovic is 6'6".
Let me know! I won't be moving to fast in this window...
EPL Results:
09/14/19 : 1 - 1 draw vs. Stoke City
09/21/19 : 3 - 0 win @ QPR
09/28/19 : 5 - 4 win vs. Manchester City
10/05/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Manchester United
10/09/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Norwich City
10/19/19 : 3 - 0 win @ Blackburn
10/26/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Everton
11/02/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Arsenal
11/10/19 : 0 - 4 loss @ Swansea City
11/12/19 : 2 - 1 win vs. Tottenham
11/23/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Wigan
11/30/19 : 0 - 3 loss vs. Chelsea
12/07/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Liverpool
12/14/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Aston Villa
12/21/19 : 4 - 0 win @ Bolton
12/28/19 : 0 - 0 draw vs. Sunderland
Capital One Cup Results:
09/03/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Leeds
09/24/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Derby
09/29/19 : (Round of 16) 2 - 1 win @ Sunderland
12/04/19 :(Quarter Final) 1 - 0 win @ Bristol City
Champions Cup Results:
Group Stage:
09/18/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
10/03/19 : 4 - 2 win @ FC Kobenhavn
10/22/19 : 1 - 1 draw vs. AC Milan
11/06/19 : 3 - 0 win @ Zenit St. Petersburg
11/26/19 : 1 - 2 loss @ AC Milan
12/11/09 : 2 - 1 win vs. FC Kobenhavn
The Martinetti Dilemma:
Part of the reason my play time diminished is I was milking my time to try and get Andrea Martinetti to stay. Not long after the summer transfer window, media reports surfaced claiming that Andrea was not liking the weather of England, and that he would want out in the next window. Considering his current run of form, and his dominating presence on the pitch, I was determined to convince him to stay. I raised his wages, praised him a lot and used him at least as a sub in nearly all my games, pissing off my other strikers, most notably Bagasan Carrington.
In the end though it paid off, in more ways than one. First off, he told me that the media just took his words out of context, and assured me he was staying. Second, he has 28 goals in 26 matches, including 18 in the EPL. His current form is that which has been rarely seen in football, and with him at the helm, I will have to look to spend some of my extra money to get the team ready for the Champion's Cup.
The England Managerial Role:
After the last round of International friendlies, I was offered the job as manager of the England. Essentially England will now be the England Hammers, as most of my team will be starting. Not really sure intensely I'll play this, but I'll definitely do the major tournaments and qualifiers for at least a year. Will be pretty cool seeing all the players I've developed playing for England.
Current Roster
Here is my current starting XI and key subs at the beginning of the January window:
Starting XI:
GK - Alberto Frison (89) - Italy, 31
RB - Haris Radetinac (82) - Serbia, 24
CB - Ciaran Clark (85) - Republic of Ireland, 30
CB - Daniele Rugani (85) - Italy, 25
LB - Luke Humphreys (89) (C) - England, 23
RDM - Will Akinde (84) - England, 25
LDM - Koikili Adan Garrido (85) - Spain, 24
RAM - El Medhi Sidqy (87) - Morocco, 26
CAM - Fransisco Prats Bastidas (90) - Spain, 23
LAM - Tyronne Granero Molina (87) - Spain, 25
ST - Andrea Martinetti (91) - Italy, 25
Subs:
GK - Niclas Quiring (80) - Germany, 23
CB - Predrag Petric (80) - Serbia, 25
CB - Hordur Magnusson (81) - Iceland, 26
CB - Hugo Sorbon (79) - France, 23
CB - Jake Scott (79) - England, 23
RB - Nicolas Soumah (78) - France, 21
LB - Trevor Murru (75) - Italy, 22
CDM - Paul Cadamarteri (81) - England, 23
CDM - Jonathan Speas (79) - United States, 24
RM - Federico Vazquez (89) - Argentina, 24
CM - Christian Heimeroth (78) - Germany, 21
CM - Pavle Lazovic (83) - Serbia, 26
CM - Danny Griffiths (83) - England, 25
CM - John Thalassitis (81) - England, 24
CAM - Craig Morris (81) - Wales, 26
CAM - Jordan Webster (85) - England, 24
CAM - Korede Southern (80) - England, 23
ST - Bagasan Carrington (85) - England, 25
ST - Josh Kitson (81) - England, 23
ST - Shaun McGlashan (78) - England, 20
Transfer Possibilities?
I have $35,000,000 in spending money, plus lots of assets. I really want to make a run at the Champions Cup, as well as catch Chelsea for 1st in the EPL. Capital One and F.A. can be played my 8/11 reserves, so no worries there.
Anyways, my team is deep, but is still lacking. The defenders are decent, but they aren't the strongest, if the CDM's are caught up field, I concede far too often.
My Midfield is very deep, but none have a killer scoring threat, leaving my striker's to bear most of the weight of scoring.
My strikers are definitely good, All are 6'0" or taller and have good finishing. Would it be worth it to go after a shorter striker?
I need some advice here to anyone willing to put in some input, where should I invest my money?
Another possibility is recalling some of my loans. I don't have many, but currently loaned players are:
CB - Christopher Haas (82) - Germany, 25
CB - Milos Stevanovic (81) - Serbia, 21
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (79) - England, 19
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (78) - Germany, 19
ST - Adam Evans (82) - England, 22
All of them have their problems, but could fill holes, especially the CB's, Haas is 6'9" and Stevanovic is 6'6".
Let me know! I won't be moving to fast in this window...
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The start of a new season see's my West Ham defending their Barclay's Premier League title, as well as entering the Champions Cup for the second time. Last time we lost out in the Round of 16, so we hope to improve that this season.
Community Shield:
08/11/19 : 0 - 2 loss vs. Liverpool
EPL Results:
08/17/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Fulham
08/24/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Ipswich Town
08/31/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Newcastle
Players Sold:
LM - Alexander Konrad (87) - Germany, 26 - $17,500,000 to Paris Saint Germain
ST - Roberto Torres Belen (76) - Spain, 20 - $9,500,000 to Newcastle United
CAM - Heath Kennedy (79) - United States, 23 - $11,500,000 to Manchester City
ST - Maic Kacaniklic (85) - Sweden, 23 - $47,000,000 to Paris Saint Germain
CAM - Daniel Hubnik (74) - Czech Republic, 21 - $6,500,000 to Wigan Athletic
PSG and I continue our good relationship with the transfer of LM Alexander Konrad. The 5'4" German wasn't working out for my team, so I decided to move him rather than make him mad and have the board move him. PSG also wanted Maic Kacaniklic back, they offered the same $40,000,000 I bought him for last year, and since my striking group has become so deep I figured for $7,000,000 more it would be worth it. Kennedy and Hubnik were moved to clear a roster spot for a few guys and Torres Belen was another victim of a crowded strikers group.
Players given loan:
CB - Milos Stevanovic (81) - Serbia, 20 - Loaned to Werder Bremen
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (79) - England, 19 - Loaned to Newcastle
CB - Christofer Haas (82) - Germany, 25 - Loaned to Fiortentina
ST - Adam Evans (81) - England, 22 - Loaned to Bfb Stuttgart
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (78) - Germany, 19 - Loaned to Aston Villa
My youngsters get some much needed loans and they are at a point where most will start for their teams. Excited to get them into my own squad, but for now some seasoning will do them good.
Players Bought on Transfer:
CB - Hugo Sorbon (78) - France, 23 - Free Agent
CB - Predrag Petric (80) - Serbia, 25 - $12,500,000 - Olympique Lyonnais
RB - Nicholas Soumah (76) - France, 21 - Free Agent
LB - Trevor Murru (73) - Italy, 21 - $3,000,000 - Roma
CAM - El Mehdi Sidqy (87) - Morocco, 26 - $32,000,000 - Inter Milan
GK - Niclas Quiring (79) - Germany, 23 - $23,000,000 - Hamburger
I made a few nice depth moves. My biggest problem is not having enough defenders to give my starters a night off, or my subs just aren't quality yet. Signing Sorbon, Petric, Soumah and Murru should definitely help that for cup games and games against bottom table EPL teams. El Mehdi Sidqy returns after some agent problems caused him to leave before. He is the best CAM the team has ever had, so after 2 years with Inter, I wanted to get him back to bolster my team for the Champions Cup push! Niclas Quiring finally gives me a young keeper to eventually replace Frison. He'll definitely get some games in, probably 15-20, depending on how I do in the domestic cups.
Community Shield:
08/11/19 : 0 - 2 loss vs. Liverpool
EPL Results:
08/17/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Fulham
08/24/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. Ipswich Town
08/31/19 : 2 - 1 win @ Newcastle
Players Sold:
LM - Alexander Konrad (87) - Germany, 26 - $17,500,000 to Paris Saint Germain
ST - Roberto Torres Belen (76) - Spain, 20 - $9,500,000 to Newcastle United
CAM - Heath Kennedy (79) - United States, 23 - $11,500,000 to Manchester City
ST - Maic Kacaniklic (85) - Sweden, 23 - $47,000,000 to Paris Saint Germain
CAM - Daniel Hubnik (74) - Czech Republic, 21 - $6,500,000 to Wigan Athletic
PSG and I continue our good relationship with the transfer of LM Alexander Konrad. The 5'4" German wasn't working out for my team, so I decided to move him rather than make him mad and have the board move him. PSG also wanted Maic Kacaniklic back, they offered the same $40,000,000 I bought him for last year, and since my striking group has become so deep I figured for $7,000,000 more it would be worth it. Kennedy and Hubnik were moved to clear a roster spot for a few guys and Torres Belen was another victim of a crowded strikers group.
Players given loan:
CB - Milos Stevanovic (81) - Serbia, 20 - Loaned to Werder Bremen
CAM - Jonathan Hopper (79) - England, 19 - Loaned to Newcastle
CB - Christofer Haas (82) - Germany, 25 - Loaned to Fiortentina
ST - Adam Evans (81) - England, 22 - Loaned to Bfb Stuttgart
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (78) - Germany, 19 - Loaned to Aston Villa
My youngsters get some much needed loans and they are at a point where most will start for their teams. Excited to get them into my own squad, but for now some seasoning will do them good.
Players Bought on Transfer:
CB - Hugo Sorbon (78) - France, 23 - Free Agent
CB - Predrag Petric (80) - Serbia, 25 - $12,500,000 - Olympique Lyonnais
RB - Nicholas Soumah (76) - France, 21 - Free Agent
LB - Trevor Murru (73) - Italy, 21 - $3,000,000 - Roma
CAM - El Mehdi Sidqy (87) - Morocco, 26 - $32,000,000 - Inter Milan
GK - Niclas Quiring (79) - Germany, 23 - $23,000,000 - Hamburger
I made a few nice depth moves. My biggest problem is not having enough defenders to give my starters a night off, or my subs just aren't quality yet. Signing Sorbon, Petric, Soumah and Murru should definitely help that for cup games and games against bottom table EPL teams. El Mehdi Sidqy returns after some agent problems caused him to leave before. He is the best CAM the team has ever had, so after 2 years with Inter, I wanted to get him back to bolster my team for the Champions Cup push! Niclas Quiring finally gives me a young keeper to eventually replace Frison. He'll definitely get some games in, probably 15-20, depending on how I do in the domestic cups.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
EPL Results:
05/11/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Fulham
05/14/19 : 1 - 0 win @ Tottenham
05/19/19 : 4 - 1 win @ Stoke City
05/26/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Arsenal
West Ham United Crowned Barclays Premier League Champions!
After a long, tough season, West Ham finally closed the year with a 2-2 draw vs. Arsenal, more than enough to clinch their title. Arsenal struggled to end the season and was never a real threat to win the game, but they were virtually eliminated anyways unless they won by 8 goals in the game. Manchester United played against Newcastle and was 5 goals back on goal differential, but 3 points behind, so needed West Ham to lose.
The season had some rough spots for the team, but they managed to put together 24 wins, 9 draws and only 5 losses for 81 points and their first championship in a few long time. It was also manager Dylan Barrons' first bit of hardware since taking over the team. With such a young side and many top prospect players coming up, they look to keep challenging for the title in years to come.
When asked about the team, the manager said he's going to do his best to get a nice reserve squad together for the FA and Capital One Cups, in order to rest his main guns for the Champions League games. He said the goal next year is to win not just the league, but at least 1 cup as well. With the Champions League back into the rotation, many are keeping an eye on West Ham to put a big effort towards Europe's crown jewel club championship.
This year's gold boot winner also came from West Ham. Italian striker Andrea Martinetti scored a league best 21 goals in 27 games to best Sunderlands Connor Wickham by 3. Fransisco Prats Bastidas had 14 goals to go along with 17 assist's, but somehow didn't manage to win a trophy. With such a great season, he looks to attract a lot of suitors, but West Ham is adamant that it will do it's best to keep it's players.
05/11/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Fulham
05/14/19 : 1 - 0 win @ Tottenham
05/19/19 : 4 - 1 win @ Stoke City
05/26/19 : 2 - 2 draw vs. Arsenal
West Ham United Crowned Barclays Premier League Champions!
After a long, tough season, West Ham finally closed the year with a 2-2 draw vs. Arsenal, more than enough to clinch their title. Arsenal struggled to end the season and was never a real threat to win the game, but they were virtually eliminated anyways unless they won by 8 goals in the game. Manchester United played against Newcastle and was 5 goals back on goal differential, but 3 points behind, so needed West Ham to lose.
The season had some rough spots for the team, but they managed to put together 24 wins, 9 draws and only 5 losses for 81 points and their first championship in a few long time. It was also manager Dylan Barrons' first bit of hardware since taking over the team. With such a young side and many top prospect players coming up, they look to keep challenging for the title in years to come.
When asked about the team, the manager said he's going to do his best to get a nice reserve squad together for the FA and Capital One Cups, in order to rest his main guns for the Champions League games. He said the goal next year is to win not just the league, but at least 1 cup as well. With the Champions League back into the rotation, many are keeping an eye on West Ham to put a big effort towards Europe's crown jewel club championship.
This year's gold boot winner also came from West Ham. Italian striker Andrea Martinetti scored a league best 21 goals in 27 games to best Sunderlands Connor Wickham by 3. Fransisco Prats Bastidas had 14 goals to go along with 17 assist's, but somehow didn't manage to win a trophy. With such a great season, he looks to attract a lot of suitors, but West Ham is adamant that it will do it's best to keep it's players.
Well, I played a lot more games without doing any updates than I intended.
EPL Results:
02/04/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
02/16/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Cardiff City
03/02/19 : 0 - 0 draw vs. Sunderland
03/10/19 : 0 - 1 loss @ Manchester City
03/30/19 : 0 - 0 draw @ Liverpool
04/06/19 : 0 - 2 loss @ Chelsea
04/13/19 : 3 - 0 win vs. Blackburn
04/17/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Swansea City
04/28/19 : 3 - 0 win vs. Newcastle
05/04/19 : 3 - 1 win @ Everton
05/08/19 : 3 - 1 win vs. Southampton
Somehow West Ham got through a tough 4 game stretch where we scored no goals and still find themselves 2 points up on Arsenal atop the table. With 4 games to go, we find ourselves with a lot of tough games. Fulham and Stoke City are both battling to stay out of relegation, while Tottenham is currently in 6th only down on goal differential to Liverpool for 5th. Finally, our last game of the year may decide the title. Arsenal comes to play in West Ham in a battle between what is currently #1 and #2 on the table.
The success of the team his year has come from star man Fransisco Prats Bastidas. With 13 league goals and 13 assist's, he's won player of the month 3 times in a row and 4 times overall for the team. The main offensive force for the team has really carried the team and could be well sought after in the next transfer window, but I have no intentions of selling.
Of course, he's not our only offensive weapon. Andrea Martinetti has overcome some midseason slumps and is now only 2 back of the league lead, with 16 goals. The 24 year old Italian striker has come afire in recent games and hopes to finish out the season the same way. Next year he'll be looking to score at an even greater rate as West Ham takes another swing at the Champions League.
Manager Dylan Barrons has had a hard time with all of the strikers at his possession, and has said next season they may try a 2 striker formation just to give their stars more playing time. 23 year old Maic Kacaniklic, who was bought for $40,000,000 from PSG in the summer window, has only seen action in 13 games so far. Bagasan Carrington has only played 9 and Josh Kitson 11. With Shaun McGlashan and Evan Adams returning, it's expected that West Ham will even sell some of their strikers.
The only remaining issues for the team remain to be finding a star central defender and a few more good wingers. Young Jake Scott has been very impressive in his games, but hasn't reached the level of the elite defenders yet. Ciaran Clark and Daniele Rugani continue to be solid at the back, and Hordur Magnusson is still a good replacement. Youngsters Stevanovic and Haas continue to improve but their size makes them a bit more immobile than I'd like.
Time for the final 4 games, let's see if I can hold on!
EPL Results:
02/04/19 : 1 - 0 win vs. QPR
02/16/19 : 2 - 0 win @ Cardiff City
03/02/19 : 0 - 0 draw vs. Sunderland
03/10/19 : 0 - 1 loss @ Manchester City
03/30/19 : 0 - 0 draw @ Liverpool
04/06/19 : 0 - 2 loss @ Chelsea
04/13/19 : 3 - 0 win vs. Blackburn
04/17/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Swansea City
04/28/19 : 3 - 0 win vs. Newcastle
05/04/19 : 3 - 1 win @ Everton
05/08/19 : 3 - 1 win vs. Southampton
Somehow West Ham got through a tough 4 game stretch where we scored no goals and still find themselves 2 points up on Arsenal atop the table. With 4 games to go, we find ourselves with a lot of tough games. Fulham and Stoke City are both battling to stay out of relegation, while Tottenham is currently in 6th only down on goal differential to Liverpool for 5th. Finally, our last game of the year may decide the title. Arsenal comes to play in West Ham in a battle between what is currently #1 and #2 on the table.
The success of the team his year has come from star man Fransisco Prats Bastidas. With 13 league goals and 13 assist's, he's won player of the month 3 times in a row and 4 times overall for the team. The main offensive force for the team has really carried the team and could be well sought after in the next transfer window, but I have no intentions of selling.
Of course, he's not our only offensive weapon. Andrea Martinetti has overcome some midseason slumps and is now only 2 back of the league lead, with 16 goals. The 24 year old Italian striker has come afire in recent games and hopes to finish out the season the same way. Next year he'll be looking to score at an even greater rate as West Ham takes another swing at the Champions League.
Manager Dylan Barrons has had a hard time with all of the strikers at his possession, and has said next season they may try a 2 striker formation just to give their stars more playing time. 23 year old Maic Kacaniklic, who was bought for $40,000,000 from PSG in the summer window, has only seen action in 13 games so far. Bagasan Carrington has only played 9 and Josh Kitson 11. With Shaun McGlashan and Evan Adams returning, it's expected that West Ham will even sell some of their strikers.
The only remaining issues for the team remain to be finding a star central defender and a few more good wingers. Young Jake Scott has been very impressive in his games, but hasn't reached the level of the elite defenders yet. Ciaran Clark and Daniele Rugani continue to be solid at the back, and Hordur Magnusson is still a good replacement. Youngsters Stevanovic and Haas continue to improve but their size makes them a bit more immobile than I'd like.
Time for the final 4 games, let's see if I can hold on!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Here is my January review, including all the transfers involving my team. Funny, as soon as the window opened, I began to struggle.
EPL Results:
01/05/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Aston Villa
01/09/19 : 0 - 1 loss @ Wolverhampton
01/20/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Bolton
01/27/19 : 4 - 1 win vs. Manchester United
FA Cup Result:
01/12/19 :1 - 2 loss @ Charlton
Players Sold in Transfer Window:
CB - Steve Lansbury (76) - England, 22 - $6,000,000 - Sold to Sunderland
CM - Alexander Jaakkola (83) - Finland, 25 - $11,500,000 - Sold to Fiorentina
RB - Damon Massey (77) - England, 26 - $3,300,000 - Sold to Southampton
CF - Esteban Lanzini (85) - Argentina, 25 - $20,000,000 - Sold to Newcastle
A productive window sees me sell a few spare parts who weren't playing too well for me when in the team, including Esteban Lanzini, who was marred by controversy ever since it came out that he was feeling unsettled. Newcastle does buy yet another player from me though, their fifth now I believe.
Players Loaned Out:
CM - Christian Heimeroth (75) - Germany, 20 - Loaned to Norwich City
ST - Adam Evans (78) - England, 21 - Loaned to Olympiakos
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (76) - Germany, 18 - Loaned to Sunderland
Well, all three of my loaned players had been getting occasional first team action, but in each case I think they'll be playing more. Hoping they'll grow enough to be effective next year. All are very young so it's no rush.
Players Bought in Transfer Window:
CM - Kristian Tosic (78) - Serbia, 24 - Inter Milan, $8,500,000
CM - Tyronne Granero Molina (84) - Spain, 24 - Atletico Madrid, $32,000,000
CAM - Daniel Hubnik (72) - Czech Republic, 21 - Free Agents
ST - Roberto Torres Belen (74) - Spain, 19 - Free Agents
Coming my way is Tyronne Granero Molina, among the other 3. He will bring some more playmaking ability to my midfield and hopefully either meshes with Fransisco Prats Bastidas or gives me a good option when I rest my start midfielder. I'll admit, they're very much the same player, Molina being older, but they are exactly the same size, opposite foot. Molina also comes with 5 star skill moves which is somethnig Prats Bastidas didn't have.
After a weak window as far as performance goes, we hope to head into QPR off the momentum of the Manchester United drubbing, and the key signings made, and continue our run for the title. Currently, we sit atop the table by 2 points over Arsenal. We have an 11 goal lead in differential over them, but do trail 3rd placed Liverpool by 5. They are 5 points back though, so a few more good results by us should ruin their chances.
Looking to be an exciting finish to the year, and with my disappointing performances in the Capital One and F.A. cups, my team will be able to solely focus on the League Title. Blessing in disguise, maybe, or maybe it shows that my side has to improve still. Either way, it will be exciting to keep rotating the squad and use my high powered offence to hold off my challengers.
EPL Results:
01/05/19 : 2 - 0 win vs. Aston Villa
01/09/19 : 0 - 1 loss @ Wolverhampton
01/20/19 : 1 - 1 draw @ Bolton
01/27/19 : 4 - 1 win vs. Manchester United
FA Cup Result:
01/12/19 :1 - 2 loss @ Charlton
Players Sold in Transfer Window:
CB - Steve Lansbury (76) - England, 22 - $6,000,000 - Sold to Sunderland
CM - Alexander Jaakkola (83) - Finland, 25 - $11,500,000 - Sold to Fiorentina
RB - Damon Massey (77) - England, 26 - $3,300,000 - Sold to Southampton
CF - Esteban Lanzini (85) - Argentina, 25 - $20,000,000 - Sold to Newcastle
A productive window sees me sell a few spare parts who weren't playing too well for me when in the team, including Esteban Lanzini, who was marred by controversy ever since it came out that he was feeling unsettled. Newcastle does buy yet another player from me though, their fifth now I believe.
Players Loaned Out:
CM - Christian Heimeroth (75) - Germany, 20 - Loaned to Norwich City
ST - Adam Evans (78) - England, 21 - Loaned to Olympiakos
LW - Stephan Vieira da Costa (76) - Germany, 18 - Loaned to Sunderland
Well, all three of my loaned players had been getting occasional first team action, but in each case I think they'll be playing more. Hoping they'll grow enough to be effective next year. All are very young so it's no rush.
Players Bought in Transfer Window:
CM - Kristian Tosic (78) - Serbia, 24 - Inter Milan, $8,500,000
CM - Tyronne Granero Molina (84) - Spain, 24 - Atletico Madrid, $32,000,000
CAM - Daniel Hubnik (72) - Czech Republic, 21 - Free Agents
ST - Roberto Torres Belen (74) - Spain, 19 - Free Agents
Coming my way is Tyronne Granero Molina, among the other 3. He will bring some more playmaking ability to my midfield and hopefully either meshes with Fransisco Prats Bastidas or gives me a good option when I rest my start midfielder. I'll admit, they're very much the same player, Molina being older, but they are exactly the same size, opposite foot. Molina also comes with 5 star skill moves which is somethnig Prats Bastidas didn't have.
After a weak window as far as performance goes, we hope to head into QPR off the momentum of the Manchester United drubbing, and the key signings made, and continue our run for the title. Currently, we sit atop the table by 2 points over Arsenal. We have an 11 goal lead in differential over them, but do trail 3rd placed Liverpool by 5. They are 5 points back though, so a few more good results by us should ruin their chances.
Looking to be an exciting finish to the year, and with my disappointing performances in the Capital One and F.A. cups, my team will be able to solely focus on the League Title. Blessing in disguise, maybe, or maybe it shows that my side has to improve still. Either way, it will be exciting to keep rotating the squad and use my high powered offence to hold off my challengers.
With the January Window just ahead, here is the second review of the season to date
EPL Results:
10/09/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Bolton
10/20/18 : 1 - 1 draw @ Newcastle
10/28/18 : 1 - 0 win @ Swansea City
11/03/18 : 2 - 0 win vs. Tottenham
11/10/18 : 1 - 1 draw @ Fulham
11/13/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Wolverhampton
11/24/18 : 1 - 0 win @ Aston Villa
12/01/18 : 3 - 0 win vs. Cardiff City
12/09/18 : 2 - 1 win @ QPR
12/15/18 : 0 - 1 loss vs. Manchester City
12/22/18 : 4 - 0 win @ Sunderland
12/31/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Liverpool
Well, it's been a great run so far to start the season, and West Ham has a 2 point lead over Arsenal on the table as the January transfer window opens. A huge improvement in Alberto Frison's game has given the team huge amounts of confidence and we've been able to play very aggressive because of it. If there is one problem, it's that Fransisco Prats Bastidas is our only consistent offensive threat night in night out.
On defence, the back four have really solidified itself with Daniele Rugani and Ciaran Clark playing almost every game. Haris Radetinac has taken over the lead spot at RB and has been fantastic since transfering from Udinese. Luke Humphreys continues to be the leader at the back, and has actually started to play more forward lately as the team finds it's form. As far as subs go, Hordur Magnusson continues to be the main man when it comes to subs, but young Jake Scott has impressed the coaching staff tremendously this year and has arguably been our top defender when he's in the team.
The midfield continues to be solid, and there has been more solidity over who's starting each game. Koikili Adan Garrido and Will Akinde have taken over the starting CDM spots, and will likely see 90% of the action if they stay healthy. Jordan Webster and Craig Morris have also taken over the starting wing spots. The attacking mids have excelled in creating offence from the sides and both have 3 goals and an assist so far and have really looked good. Fransisco Prats Bastidas has been the star man so far this season, like last season. So far he has compiled an astonishing 7 goals and 6 assists in the central attacking mid role. His form has been terrific and his stock continues to rise. The Spaniard has yet to play a competitive game for Spain, but has played a few friendlies and will likely make their top team soon.
With the starting midfielders pretty secure, the dilemma now comes into who subs in and out. Leading the way, performance-wise, has to be 20 year old Christian Heimeroth of Germany. The youngster has yet to score an EPL goal, but has played in 10 games so far and has never looked overmatched. Danny Griffiths, Pavle Lazovic and Alexander Jaakkola continue to try to impress, but have struggled in their games and for Lazovic and Jaakkola, rumours are starting to say they may head out of town this window. Alexander Konrad and Federico Vazquez, the only true wingers on the team, continue to get some starts and subs, but with top aerial target Bagasan Carrington out of form, they are having a tough time making the team.
At striker, Andrea Martinetti continues to dominate, although he's in a bit of a scoring slump in his last few games. With 8 goals in 12 games, he continues to threaten every time his feet touch the pitch. Bagasan Carrington has struggled a bit, and has been on the bench a lot lately. With this elite striking group though, he remains the only real aerial threat and will get his chances to redeem himself. Maic Kacanikilic has not been his best since arriving for $40,000,000 from PSG, but has scored twice in his last 4 games and sees his form improving. Josh Kitson and Adam Evans continue to try and earn starting spots, and with the F.A. Cup ties on the way, they should get their chance. Kitson also looks to get some more EPL roles, while the younger Evans expects to be a first team player next season.
Newly arrive attacking midfielder Randy Ricketts of Canada recently signed his pro contract. The 16 year old looks to be a promising prospect for the club and will no doubt get some chances in the F.A. Cup. 18 year old Winger Stephan Vieira da Costa of Germany has also impressed in his few games and it's expected he'll see some time on the pitch for the rest of the season.
-Out on loan, CM John Thalassitis has played fairly solid for Gatafe CF and looks like he'll at least get a chance on the first team to start next year.
-Winger Miles Paterson's loan in Newcastle hasn't given him the play time he wanted, but he's played fairly well in his 3 games, even scoring a goal.
-Korede Southern has enjoyed 6 appearances for Manchester United and has looked sharp in them all. The Attacking Midfielder looks to be another first team contestant next year.
-Central Back Ben Kane has yet to make an appearance for Liverpool, and it's thought that West Ham may recall him if he doesn't see any time in the first few rounds of the F.A. Cup.
-Future superstar Shaun McGlashan has impressed for the fans of Celtic. The 19 year old English striker has shown incredible growth for the Scottish side and may possibly be kept next year to challenge for a first team spot. Fans of West Ham are eagerly awaiting his arrival next year, as the homegrown talent is expected to be one of the best strikers for England in a few short seasons.
- 22 year old Bradley Chapman's loan to Sheffield Wed hasn't been terrific to this point, but he'll likely stick it out and return in the offseason with a sell sticker on him. His growth hasn't been significant since being signed by the Hammers.
EPL Results:
10/09/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Bolton
10/20/18 : 1 - 1 draw @ Newcastle
10/28/18 : 1 - 0 win @ Swansea City
11/03/18 : 2 - 0 win vs. Tottenham
11/10/18 : 1 - 1 draw @ Fulham
11/13/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Wolverhampton
11/24/18 : 1 - 0 win @ Aston Villa
12/01/18 : 3 - 0 win vs. Cardiff City
12/09/18 : 2 - 1 win @ QPR
12/15/18 : 0 - 1 loss vs. Manchester City
12/22/18 : 4 - 0 win @ Sunderland
12/31/18 : 2 - 1 win vs. Liverpool
Well, it's been a great run so far to start the season, and West Ham has a 2 point lead over Arsenal on the table as the January transfer window opens. A huge improvement in Alberto Frison's game has given the team huge amounts of confidence and we've been able to play very aggressive because of it. If there is one problem, it's that Fransisco Prats Bastidas is our only consistent offensive threat night in night out.
On defence, the back four have really solidified itself with Daniele Rugani and Ciaran Clark playing almost every game. Haris Radetinac has taken over the lead spot at RB and has been fantastic since transfering from Udinese. Luke Humphreys continues to be the leader at the back, and has actually started to play more forward lately as the team finds it's form. As far as subs go, Hordur Magnusson continues to be the main man when it comes to subs, but young Jake Scott has impressed the coaching staff tremendously this year and has arguably been our top defender when he's in the team.
The midfield continues to be solid, and there has been more solidity over who's starting each game. Koikili Adan Garrido and Will Akinde have taken over the starting CDM spots, and will likely see 90% of the action if they stay healthy. Jordan Webster and Craig Morris have also taken over the starting wing spots. The attacking mids have excelled in creating offence from the sides and both have 3 goals and an assist so far and have really looked good. Fransisco Prats Bastidas has been the star man so far this season, like last season. So far he has compiled an astonishing 7 goals and 6 assists in the central attacking mid role. His form has been terrific and his stock continues to rise. The Spaniard has yet to play a competitive game for Spain, but has played a few friendlies and will likely make their top team soon.
With the starting midfielders pretty secure, the dilemma now comes into who subs in and out. Leading the way, performance-wise, has to be 20 year old Christian Heimeroth of Germany. The youngster has yet to score an EPL goal, but has played in 10 games so far and has never looked overmatched. Danny Griffiths, Pavle Lazovic and Alexander Jaakkola continue to try to impress, but have struggled in their games and for Lazovic and Jaakkola, rumours are starting to say they may head out of town this window. Alexander Konrad and Federico Vazquez, the only true wingers on the team, continue to get some starts and subs, but with top aerial target Bagasan Carrington out of form, they are having a tough time making the team.
At striker, Andrea Martinetti continues to dominate, although he's in a bit of a scoring slump in his last few games. With 8 goals in 12 games, he continues to threaten every time his feet touch the pitch. Bagasan Carrington has struggled a bit, and has been on the bench a lot lately. With this elite striking group though, he remains the only real aerial threat and will get his chances to redeem himself. Maic Kacanikilic has not been his best since arriving for $40,000,000 from PSG, but has scored twice in his last 4 games and sees his form improving. Josh Kitson and Adam Evans continue to try and earn starting spots, and with the F.A. Cup ties on the way, they should get their chance. Kitson also looks to get some more EPL roles, while the younger Evans expects to be a first team player next season.
Newly arrive attacking midfielder Randy Ricketts of Canada recently signed his pro contract. The 16 year old looks to be a promising prospect for the club and will no doubt get some chances in the F.A. Cup. 18 year old Winger Stephan Vieira da Costa of Germany has also impressed in his few games and it's expected he'll see some time on the pitch for the rest of the season.
-Out on loan, CM John Thalassitis has played fairly solid for Gatafe CF and looks like he'll at least get a chance on the first team to start next year.
-Winger Miles Paterson's loan in Newcastle hasn't given him the play time he wanted, but he's played fairly well in his 3 games, even scoring a goal.
-Korede Southern has enjoyed 6 appearances for Manchester United and has looked sharp in them all. The Attacking Midfielder looks to be another first team contestant next year.
-Central Back Ben Kane has yet to make an appearance for Liverpool, and it's thought that West Ham may recall him if he doesn't see any time in the first few rounds of the F.A. Cup.
-Future superstar Shaun McGlashan has impressed for the fans of Celtic. The 19 year old English striker has shown incredible growth for the Scottish side and may possibly be kept next year to challenge for a first team spot. Fans of West Ham are eagerly awaiting his arrival next year, as the homegrown talent is expected to be one of the best strikers for England in a few short seasons.
- 22 year old Bradley Chapman's loan to Sheffield Wed hasn't been terrific to this point, but he'll likely stick it out and return in the offseason with a sell sticker on him. His growth hasn't been significant since being signed by the Hammers.
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