Dec. 13, 2011 -

West Brom Boss Sammy Lee has told me that he doesn't want us to win the title, because he doesn't like me. He replied that he hopes to put a dent in our title chances by beating us tomorrow.

I reply that "I believe that our team has the talent to win the league. As long as we fight hard every day, we can win. We will be focused tomorrow."

Dec. 14, 2011 -

Today we travel to play West Brom. They are currently 13th in the EPL. We are currently 1st. West Brom is led by the play of striker Johan Elmander and left winger Kasper Lorentzen who are driving the offense of this team. Midfielder Rob Davis is also playing well. Michael Chopra is a good compliment at striker for Elmander. Centreback Thomas Gaardsoe has also played well this year. Their keeper, Gary Baker, has been very inconsistent.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the mid 30's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Ferdinand (back from injury)
DR: Grygera
ML: Cook (not a good position for him, but I have few options.)
MC: Djemba (also back from injury)
MC: Mamam
MR: Eagles (also back from injury)
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: Adriano
S3: Stevanovic
S4: Cahais
S5: King

2 minute mark: Cook's attempts at crosses are repeatedly getting shut down by the right fullback.

5 minute mark: long pass from Albrechsten to Lorentzen.. he crosses to Ninkovic in the box.. Ninkovic shoots.. upper right corner.. Howard dives.. tips it.. still into the goal. GOAL. Down 1-0.

9 minute mark: Eagles steals the ball at midfield.. crosses to Djemba.. he dribbles between two defenders.. into the box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. the keeper dives.. it's past him.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.

25 minute mark: Djemba steals it in our zone.. passes long to McFadden.. he is dribbling into the box.. Albrecstein catches up to him.. tackles him.

30 minute mark: Djemba passes to Cook on the left wing.. Cook crosses to Mamam in the center of the pitch, just outside the box.. Mamam shooots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-1. That is Mamam's first goal of the year.

42 minute mark: Silvestre with a long pass down the pitch.. it rolls just outside the box.. Smith gets to it.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. the keeper partially blocks it.. it rolls slowly... into the net! GOAL!!!! 3-1. That is Smith's 50th League Goal of his career for Manchester United!



Halftime: 3-1 lead. They have over 30,000 fans here today.



61 minute mark: Eagles is tired, so I put King in for him.

70 minute mark: Cahais on for Ferdinand.

75 minute mark: Long pass from Albrechstein to Elmander left of the box.. he crosses it to Davis.. Davis shoots.. it hits off Chivu.. into the left corner of the net. GOAL. 3-2.

86 minute mark: chivu intercepts the ball in our box.. passes long to McFadden.. he and Smith have 2 on goalkeeper breakaway.. McFadden dribbles into the box.. draws the keeper over.. passes to Smith on his right.. Smith buries the easy goal! Great play! GOAL!!!! 4-2.

90 minute mark: Cahais heads away a corner kick.


Game over. 4-2 win for us.

We outshot them 12-11 (8-8 on target)

McFadden won MoM, 10 for form, 30 of 31 passes, 3 of 4 tackles, 2 of 9 headers, 2 interceptions, 11 runs, 1 assist.

Smith had a 9 for form with his 2 goals. Every other starter on the team had 8's for form. Cahais had a 7 and King had a 6.

December 16, 2011 -

How rude. We drew Aston Villa in the 1st knockout round of the Champions League. I think they are one of the better teams that we could have drawn and I'd rather not face another English Team right off the bat.

Dec. 17, 2011 -

Speaking of Aston Villa, we play them now on their pitch in an EPL Match. They are currently in 4th place while we are in 1st. Three of their best players are hurt, Centreback Liam Ridgewell, winger Daniel Bierofka, and striker Luke Moore. Of the remaining players, Keeper Leo Franco will be their most important. Left winger Jermaine Jenas will need to play well too. Midfielder Mourad Meghni has played well this year. Striker Darius Vassell is the best of the healthy strikers on this squad.

We are even odd favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 30's.

GK: Hoard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera
ML: Cook
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Marino

S1: Taylor
S2: Adriano (will play, but off the bench. I think he was either a bit jaded or worn out as a frequent starter.)
S3: Stevanovic
s4: Cahais
S5: King

10 minute mark: Cook with a long pass down the left sideline.. Rooney gets to it.. dribbles into the box.. draws two defenders over.. passes between them to Eagles in the box.. he shoots.. over the bar. Missed an open net.

19 minute mark: Cook passes to Rooney on the left side of the box.. he draws over two defenders.. and the keeper.. he passes around them.. to Fletcher.. he shoots.. over the bar.

26 minute mark: Cook passes to Rooney on the left side of the box.. he dribbles between two defenders.. he shoots.. the sharply angled shot.. almost parallel to the end line.. it curves.. into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0. Great shot by Rooney.

30 minute mark: cook passes to Rooney in the left side of the box.. he draws the keeper over.. passes to Marino.. he heads it.. over the bar!

36 minute mark: Gargorov passes to Whittingham just outside the box.. he passes to Keane in the middle of the box.. Keane shoots.. upper right corner.. Howard dives.. it's past him.. GOAL. 1-1.

47 minute mark: Eagles with a corner kick to the center of the box for rooney.. he heads it.. wide right.


Halftime: 1-1 tie. They have a little over 42,000 fans here today.


47 minute mark: Cook passes to Rooney in the box.. hard shot.. the keeper blocks it.

59 minute mark: Adriano on for Rooney who is tired. King on for Taylor.

60 minute mark: Gorlitz wth a free kick from 30 yards out.. Keane jumps with Grygera.. Keane heads it.. softly.. it floats past Howard.. he was slow to react on that one. GOAL. Down 2-1.

66 minute mark: Howard stops a point blank shot from Vassell.

78 minute mark: I tell the offense to open it wide up, and I bring Stevanovic in for Djemba who is tired.

87 minute mark: Eagles passes to Adriano in the box.. he shoots.. great save by Franco.

91 minute mark: cook passes to Adriano in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.



Game over. 2-1 loss. Disappointing.

We were outshot 8-5 (2-2 on target)

Peter Whittingham won MoM, 9 for form, 29 of 33 passes, 0 tackles, 5 of 7 headers, 4 interceptions, 10 runs, 1 assist.

Rooney, Eagles, and Cook all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

Post Match Info:

Chelsea beat Sunderland 4-0. As a result, they are now in 1st place. We are in 2nd and 2 points behind them.

Dec. 20, 2011 -

Silvestre and McFadden were selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Dec. 21, 2011 -

Today we host Newcastle in an EPL match. They are currently 9th in the EPL. We are 2nd. They ar eled by their striker Ricardo Oliveira who is having a very good year. Left winger Diomansy Kamara is also playing well. Their keeper, Jesus, has been playing great. The defense has been supplied by Per Kroidrup and Scott Murphy. Craig Bellamy, their 2nd striker, is suspended for this game. Fabian Ernst a good midfielder is out injured for them.

We are even odd favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 30's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Alfonso (Duff and Downing are still injured)
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: Adriano
S3: Mamam
S4: Cahais
S5: King

4 minute mark: Kamara tripped Schreurs.. yellow card for Kamara.

9 minute mark: Rogerio tripped McFadden just outside the box.. yellow card for Rogerio.

25 minute mark: Jermaine Pennant tripped Alfonso.. yellow card for Pennant.

27 minute mark: Diego Placente pulled Schreurs' jersey.. yellow card.

30 minute mark: Schreurs tripped Placente.. yellow card for Schreurs.

45 minute mark: Schreurs crosses it across the entire pitch to McFadden.. McFadden dribbles into the left corner of the pitch.. crosses it to the near post.. Alfonso heads it.. into the upper left corner of the goal! GOAL!!!! 1-0.



Halftime: We are up 1-0. We have over 91,000 fans here today.


Smith is having a bad game, if he doesn't turn it around in 5 minutes, I'll put Adriano on for him.

47 minute mark: Schreurs crosses to Alfonso.. he dribbles between two defenders into the box... shoots.. very wide left.

48 minute mark: Schreurs pulled Julio's jersey.. Schreurs gets his second yellow card.. he is ejected.

I pull Smith and put Mamam on at right wing.

55 minute mark: James Milner tripped Alfonso.. yellow card on Milnar.

64 minute mark: McFadden is tired, I put Adriano on for him.

72 minute mark: Alfonso crosses to Adriano who heads it.. into the crossbar.. Mamam shoots the rebound.. over the bar.

79 minute mark: Ferdinand intercepts the ball deep in our zone.. passes it long towards the box.. Adriano races past both defenders.. into the box.. Adriano wide open.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0. Adriano back on the score sheet!


Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 9-7 (4-2 on target)

James McFadden won MoM, 19 of 26 passes, 0 tackles, 4 of 7 headers, 1 interception, 5 runs, 2 fouls drawn.

Schreurs and Smith had 6's. Howard had an 8. The rest of the team had 7's.

Post Match Info

YES!!! Middlesbrough (7th in the EPL) beat Chelsea 2-1! We are back in 1st place.


At the halfway point of the season, we are in 1st place with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses for a total of 43 points.

I awake to read the midseason standings in the newspaper (not all teams have played 19 games yet) :

Dec. 21, 2011 -

A few stats:

Our 38 goals leads the league. Chelsea is second with 34 goals.

Our 10 goals allowed is second in the league. Chelsea is 1st with only 9 goals allowed.

Our Goal Differential of plus 28 is best in the league. Chelsea is second with plus 25.


Stewart Downing's League Form Average is 9. I'll be glad when he is back.

Wayne Rooney is second in the EPL with an average form of 8.25. He is finally playing well, and I need to get him to not be angry and sign an extension.

Christopher Eagles is third in the league with a 7.92 average form.


Wayne Rooney is tied for 1st in the league with 10 league goals.

Adriano is tied for 7th with 8 league goals.

Alan Smith is 18th with 5 league goals.

Dec 25, 2011 -

Jens Nowotny has been sacked by Leverkusen.


Dec 26, 2011 -

Today we are hosting Charlton in an EPL Match. they are currently 18th in the EPL while we are in 1st. Their best midfielder Mohamed Sissoko is hurt. They have a solid defense which they will be relying on. The defense is led by centreback Andy Gibson and left fullback Stephen Warnock. They have returned to using Peter Enckelman in goal and he is doing well lately. Tehir offense is very weak with striker Ross McCormack being the only player doing much scoring, and he only has 4 goals on the year.

We are 2-5 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Duff
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Mamam
S4: Cahais
S5: King

9 minute mark: Adriano dribbles into the box.. draws two defenders.. passes to Fletcher on his left.. open shot at goal.. Fletcher hits the left goal post!

15 minute mark: Silvestre throws it in to Djemba.. he crosses to the near post.. Adriano outjumps three defenders.. heads it.. into the upper left corner of the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

44 minute mark: Rooney dribbles down the left side of the pitch.. dribbles into the box.. crosses to Adriano.. he heads it.. good save by the keeper.



Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. Only 65,000 fans here today.



60 minute mark: Mamam on for Duff who is tired. King for Djemba who has picked up an injury.

64 minute mark: Mamam crosses to Eagles.. who is tripped in the box.. Penalty shot awarded.. Mr. Queiroz thinks Mamam should take it.. he steps up.. blasts a shot into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

93 minute mark: Eagles with a corner kick to the near post.. Adriano outjumps his defender.. heads it.. into the upper right corner of the net! GOAL!!!! 3-0! Adriano's second. That is his 10th of the year.


Game over. 3-0 win for us.

We outshot them 12-0 (6-0 on target)

Eagles won MoM, 9 for form, 9 of 17 passes, 0 of 2 tackles, 0 of 7 headers, 3 interceptions, 9 runs, 5 fouls drawn, 2 assists.

Adriano also had a 9 for form. Howard, Ferdinand, and Lucio had 7s. The rest of the team had 8's.

Jesus has came back as a goalkeeper. :eek:

EF,

By my count (and I could be wrong) there was a 3-game winless streak in there. Do you think it's just one of those things or is it maybe time to change tactics and mix things up?

I think the amount of success we are having this season validates the tactic, and I'll keep it. However, I think a good left wing is key (I focus passing down the left wing) and my losses (and ties) have mostly occurred during Downing's injury. He will be back in a few days, and I expect the team to perk up when he returns. Also, Duff is back. It was rough having them both out injured.

Dec. 28, 2011 -

Today we travel to play Southampton in an EPL match. They are currently 14th in the EPL. We are 1st. They are led by the dynamic play of striker Robbin Kieft who has 11 goals on the year. Their keeper Simon Jentzsch has also played very well. However, their next three best players, wingers Christoph Preub and Bobby Convey as well as midfielder Jorge Pina are all injured. Danny Higginbotham anchors the defense.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the high 30's.

GK: Howard
DL: Chivu
DC: O'Shea
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Cook
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: Van Nistelrooy
S3: Mamam
S4: Cahais
S5: King

Personally, having played a whole season with Everton and the beginning of the second, I believe the game is biased towards the left wing for some reason. It seems that invariably the left wing player(if he's any good at all) has a great game, and most attacks occur from that side of the pitch. So, a good left wing is certainly beneficial.


Tell

Edit: To add good in that last part.
Edit2: Stupid keyboard...or is it my fingers?

7 minute mark: Duff crosses to Smith who heads it.. the keeper saves it.

30 minute mark: Cook passes it to Smith on the edge of the box.. 20 yard shot... wide right.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. Eagles picked up an injury just before the half. I'll have to put Mamam on for him.

They have over 32,000 fans here today.


63 minute mark: McFadden gets the ball left of the box.. passes it into the center of the box for Smith who shoots.. over the bar.

69 minute mark: I put van Nistelrooy on for McFadden and King on for Smith.

80 minute mark: Mamam crosses from the right side of the pitch.. van Nistelrooy heads it.. over the bar.

81 minute mark: Duff with a corner kick for the near post.. King jumps.. Higginbotham pushes him down.. Penalty awarded!!! van Nistelrooy steps up to take it.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0. That is van Nistelrooy's 200th career goal for Manchester United!


Game over. 1-0 win for us.

We were outshot 11-10 (8-3 on target in their favor)

Howard wins MoM for his 8 saves. He also completed 8 of 16 passes. He had a 9 for form.

Duff also had a 9. McFadden, Stevanovic, O'Shea, Chivu, and Grygera had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

I've been wondering about a left wing bias myself. Certainly Downing has some fantastic attributes and Duff has great speed, but their ratings are so consistently high that it is a little surprising. The only thing that works against that is when I play good players who aren't good left wing material, they haven't had very good form ratings. But, I still wonder if there is a left wing bias.

Post Match Info:

Craig King strained his wrist and will miss about a week.

Wow, I just realized that Chelsea tied against Leicester prior to tonight with a final score of 1-1. Tonight, they tied Arsenal 1-1. As a result, I'm now 5 points ahead of them.

Liverpool is trying to acquire Kasper Lorentzen from West Brom, but West Brom says they aren't going to sell at any price. I hope they hold onto that stance.

January 1, 2012 -

The board is pleased with my performance.


Newcastle has fired Fernando Vazquez.



Juventus' Carlos Tevez has won the World Footballer of the Year award. Borut Semler of Juventus came in 2nd, and Nicolae Mitea of Club Atletico de Madrid came in 3rd.


Tevez hahs also won the World Player of the Year Award. Wesley Sneijder of Chelsea came in 2nd, and Semler came in 3rd.


Tevez has also won the European Footballer of the Year Award. Semler came in 2nd, and Mitea came in 3rd.



Clus Atletico de Madrid's keeper Sebastian Saja has won the European Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Andreas Isaksson of Milan came in 2nd, and Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus came in 3rd.


Juventus' Vincent Kompany has won the European Defender of the Year award. Adriano of Juventus came in 2nd, and Tomas Hubschman of Juventus came in 3rd! I think that is the first time I've ever seen three defenders from one team sweep that award.


Nicolae Mitea has won the European Midfielder of the Year Award. Sneijder of Chelsea came in 2nd, and Valdo of Liverpool came in 3rd.


Carlos Tevez of Juventus also won European Striker of the Year. Semler of Juventus came in 2nd, and Vicenzo Di Giacomo of Inter came in 3rd.



James McFadden won EPL Player of the Month. Damien Duff came in 2nd, and Gareth Barry of Aston Villa came in 3rd.


Jamie Cook won Young Player of the Month in the EPL. Liam Walker of Wolverhampton came in 2nd, and Mark Harper of Coventry came in 3rd.


Tottenham's Gary Megson has won EPL Manager of the Month. I came in 2nd, and Jose Mourinho of Chelsea came in 3rd.

Jan 1, 2012 -

Today we host Blackburn. They are currently 16th in the EPL while we are in 1st. Blackburn is led by a great midfield. Brett Emerton is a dangerous scorer from the left wing spot. Midfielder Barry Ferguson has also played well in the midfield. Jozef Adam is playing well in the midfield. The defense is led by Petri Pasanen and Gianni Zuiverloon. Paul Gallagher is the leading striker with 5 goals. Their keeper Samir Handanovic has been average at best.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the 30's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Downing (welcome back!)
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Mamam
S4: Cahais
S5: Marino

4 minute mark: Downing throws it in deep in enemy turf.. to Adriano.. he heads it to Lucio... Lucio heads it to Eagles inside the penalty box.. Eagles shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! Artistic goal. 1-0.

16 minute mark: Downing with a long cross.. to Eagles on the right edge of the pitch.. he crosses it to Adriano by the near post.. Adriano outjumps the defender.. heads it.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

34 minute mark: Downing dribbles past three defenders.. crosses it to the middle of te box.. to Rooney.. he heads it.. barely wide right.

41 minute mark: O'Shea heads a keeper kick back towards the goal.. Adriano gets to it.. Johansson catches up to Adriano and tackles him.

43 minute mark: Johansson tackles Adriano outside the box.. Yellow card for Johansson.



Halftime: 2-0 lead for us. We have over 91,000 fans here today.


68 minute mark: Eagles crosses to Djemba.. he shoots.. hard curving shot.. it hits the crossbar.. Adriano kicks the rebound out of midair.. great save by the keeper.

70 minute mark: Marino on for Rooney, and Cahais on for O'Shea.

71 minute mark: Cahais elbows Gallacher in the nose.. yellow card for Cahais.

83 minute mark: Brown venturing up the right sideline.. passes to Eagles.. he heads it back to Brown.. Brown crosses to Djemba in the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.


Game over. 3-0 win for us.

We outshot them 12-0 (6-0 on target)

Downing wins MoM, 9 for form, 22 of 24 passes, 0 of 5 tackles, 1 of 3 headers, 12 runs, 2 fouls drawn.

Silvestre, Eagles, Djemba, and Adriano all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

Jan 3, 2012 -

Grygera, Silvestre, and Downing were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

My young keeper, Manu, has signed a new 3 year deal.

Because, y'know, JESUS SAVES! :DEr . . . or not.

I think it's generally accepted that the CM4 engine, like the US media, has a left wing bias. Something (Des?) even made a passing reference to it in a thread in GD not too long ago when discussing ratings (something akin to "a rating of 9 mean they are playing very well or on the left wing"). Gave me a chuckle at the time.

Whatever happens, with a name like that, I think dude should always stay with the team.

Caught up after a vacation and it's been great to see you experience so much success.

Thanks :)

Jan 7, 2012 -

Barry Parker has returned from his loan at Sheffield United. He looks like he improved quite a bit and I hope to use him in the midfield more.


Today we travel to play Birmingham in the 3rd of the English FA Cup. Robin van Persie is playing well at left wing for them. Lucas Neill and Martin Taylor are anchoring the defense. Dmitry Sychev has been their best striker and he leads the team with 11 goals. Their keeper Jose Moreira has been average in the last 5 games.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's raining and windy with temperatures in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: Adriano
S3: Grygera
S4: Schreurs
S5: van Nistelrooy

Just before the game, Thomas Heaton agreed to go on loan to Cardiff.

1st minute: McFadden dribbles up the left side of the pitch.. he passes it to Djemba in the middle of the box.. hard shot.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. and saves it.

11 minute mark: McFadden steals it from the defender in the box.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

12 minute mark: Downing passes it to Djemba in the outer edge of the box.. he shoots.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

13 minute mark: Sychev shoots from 25 yards out.. it deflects off Brown.. and veers into the right side of the net. Howard had no shot once it took that deflection. GOAL. Down 1-0.

27 minute mark: Downing passes to Fletcher on the edge of the box.. hard shot.. upper right corner of the net.. the keeper with a brilliant parry of that shot.

40 minute mark: Chivu with a long pass from midfield into the left edge of the box.. Smith gets to it.. dribbles to his right.. shoots.. lower left corner.. the keeper dives.. it is out of his reach.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.


We put the pressure on them in the last 10 minutes.


Halftime: 1-1 tie. They have over 30,000 fans here today.

49 minute mark: Eagles gets the ball at midfield.. passes it to McFadden just outside the box.. he shoots.. a good curving shot.. into the left half of the goal! GOAL!!!! 2-1.

55 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left sideline.. beats three defenders.. crosses to McFadden in the left half of the box.. he shoots.. over the bar.

80 minute mark: Downing crosses to Djemba who is by the left post.. he hits it on the half-volley.. wide left.. embarassing miss.


Game over. 2-1 win for us.

We outshot them 17-9 (9-4 on target)

McFadden wins MoM, 10 for form, 24 of 31 passes, 0 tackles, 1 of 10 headers, 2 interceptions, 10 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 1 goal.

Downing had a 9. The rest of the team had 8's except for Howard who had a 7.

January 8, 2012 -

Akin Serhat has signed a deal with Everton. He will be going to them when his contract with us expires on July 1st, 2012.

Jan. 9, 2012 -

Today we drew Gillingham (English Championship) on their pitch in the 4th round of the English FA Cup. They should be an easy matchup for us.

January 11, 2012 -

In a fun scheduling quirk, we play Birmingham again. This time on our pitch in the 1st leg of the English League Cup Semi-final.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the low 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Grygera
S4: Schreurs
S5: Marino

14 minute mark: Chivu passes it long to Rooney.. he breaks away from 2 defenders.. gets to the ball.. 30 yards out.. dribbling.. 25 yards out.. 20 yards out.. burning the defense.. crossover dribble to fake out the keeper.. fires it into the lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

19 minute mark: Downing burns two defenders.. dribbles into the box.. passes to Rooney.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.. Adriano shoots the rebound.. the keeper dives.. saves it.

25 minute mark: Eagles pulled Danny Smith's jersey.. yellow card for Eagles.

35 minute mark: Eagles passes it to Rooney in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper blocks it.

40 minute mark: Rooney is called for being offside.. Djemba argues the call.. gets a yellow card.

42 minute mark: Fletcher passes it to Downing just left of the box.. he passes to rooney who is just outside the penalty box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

43 minute mark: Adriano steals it in the midfield.. passes to Rooney 30 yards out.. he dribbles past one defender.. weaves around another.. and another.. into the box.. fakes out the keeper.. dribbles around a fourth defender.. shoots.. into the middle of the net! What a goal! GOAL!!!!! 3-0! That is Rooney's hattrick!


Halftime: 3-0 lead for us. We have over 83,000 fans here today.


50 minute mark: Chivu passes it long to Adriano.. two defenders tackle him.. the ball rolls to Rooney.. he shoots immediately from 25 yards out.. Banana shot.. it curves.. into the upper right corner of the goal!!!! GOAL!!!! 4-0. Rooney with 4 goals in the game.

58 minute mark: Djemba passes it to the left wing for Downing.. he dribbles to the corner.. crosses it for the near post.. Rooney with a diving header... he connects.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!!! 5-0! That is Rooney's 5th goal of the game! That is his 15th of the year!

67 minute mark: Sychev gets a yellow card for diving in the box.

70 minute mark: Grygera in an experiment on for Djemba. Marino on for Fletcher (also an experiment.)

71 minute mark: Geremi gets a yellow card for tripping Adriano.

71 minute mark: Grygera takes the long range free kick.. passes it to Rooney in the box.. Rooney dribbles between two defenders.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 6-0! Rooney with an amazing 6 goals! I've never seen one player score so many goals!


Game over. 6-0 win! It was the Wayne Rooney show today.

We outshot them 14-2 (11-0 on target. Rooney had 10 of those shots.)

Rooney wins MoM, 10 for form, 15 of 17 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 3 of 9 headers, 8 runs, 4 fouls drawn, 6 goals!

Chivu and Downing also had 10's for form.

Everyone else had an 8 (except for Grygera who had a 7 and Marino who had a 6.)

January 11, 2012 -

Rooney's six goals was a new Manchester United record for most goals in one game.

I sang Rooney's praises after the match, telling several reporters, that he has been playing amazingly well over the past few months.

Fans of Manchester United wrote to "The People" in thousands saying that Wayne rooney is lighting the world afire and that they are enjoying every minute of his play.

January 12, 2011 -

Mr. Queiroz tells me that Rooney is still angry at not being allowed to move clubs, and still feels he is in poor physical condition.

I wonder what he would do if he felt he was in good condition ;)

January 14, 2012 -

Today we travel to play Tottenham in an EPL Match. They are currently 3rd in the EPL. We are in 1st. Tottenham has a varied offense and a strong midfield. Striker Daniel Omoya Braaten has scored 7 goals on the year and has 10 assists. Jermain Defoe has 5 goals and Carlton Cole has 11 goals. They are a very good trio of strikers. Matthew Taylor is playing well on the left wing. Simon Davies is playing well on the right wing. Centreback Kevin Hofland is leading the defense. Paul Robinson has been good in goal for them.

We are 4-5 favorites.

It is raining with temperatures in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Adriano
S4: Schreurs
S5: Parker

3 minute mark: Fletcher with a very pretty pass into the box.. McFadden shoots.. good sae by the keeper.

6 minute mark: Lucio with a long pass to McFadden.. he has a breakaway.. whistle.. McFadden was offsides.

11 minute mark: Howard stops a long shot from Defoe.

17 minute mark: Downing crosses long to Fletcher.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

20 minute mark: Smith is tackled by Mbaziela.. he is hurt. I'll keep a close eye on him.

34 minute mark: Eagles passes long to Smith in the box.. great pass from Eagles.. Smith all alone.. dribbles towards the right post.. suddenly shoots.. powerful striker.. upper left corner.. sharp angled shot.. the keeper can't get it.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


Halftime: We are up 1-0. They have over 36,000 fans here today.


49 minute mark: Howard stops a flurry of shots from Cole and Defoe.

64 minute mark: Howard stops a long shot from Defoe.

65 minute mark: Parker has been put on for Djemba, and van Nistelrooy on for McFadden who is tired.

68 minute mark: Grygera passes it long to Smith.. the keeper comes rushing out to get the ball.. Smith beats him to it.. he shoots a chip shot.. over the keeper.. it sails.. sails.. just under the crossbar! GOAL!!!! 2-0. Smith's second goal of the game.

86 minute mark: Howard tips a hard Mendes shot over the bar.

92 minute mark: Howard stops a long shot from Defoe.


Game over. 2-0 win.

We were outshot 17-12! (11-5 on target in their favor)

Tim Howard wins MoM for his 11 saves. 10 for form! 22 of 35 passes.

Grygera, Lucio, Eagles, Downing, Fletcher, and Smith all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

January 15, 2012 -

Sheffield Wednesday has sacked Paul Sturrock.

Sunderland has sacked Hugo Sanchez. Frank Yallop is the favorite to take over the job.

Wycombe has sacked Mike Walker.

Valencia has sacked Victor Munoz.

Jan 18, 2012 -

Howard and Grygera were both selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Wayne Rooney rejected a contract offer in which I offered him 190,000/week (the max the board will allow), an 8 million dollar signing bonus, and 12,500 dollar/goal bonus.


Eric Djemba and Souleymane Mamam have been called for African National play.

Jan 18, 2012 -

Today we host the Wolves in an EPL Match. They are 18th while we are in 1st. Their left fullback, Jaco Van Den Heever is having a great year so far. However, the rest of their team is just average at best. Keeper Stuart Taylor is still doing well in the net. Left winger Julian Gray has been a capable assist man. Striker Leandrao has been a good scorer with 10 goals. Darren Carter has played well in the midfield. Andy Campbell has been adequate at right wing. Jay Bothroyd has been marginally effective at striker.

We are 1-2 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Chivu
DC: O'Shea
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Duff
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Cahais
S4: Downing
S5: Parker

13 minute mark: Schreurs crosses it to Adriano in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. good save by the keeper.

16 minute mark: Gray gets a yellow card for pulling Adriano's jersey.

24 minute mark: Schreurs crosses it from the right wing to Duff in the left side of the box.. he passes it to Cook with a quick one touch pass.. Cook just outside the box.. shoots.. over the keeper's left shoulder.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

36 minute mark: My four midfielders have been passing it back and forth probing the defense for the last two minutes.. finally Cook passes it to Duff on the left wing and he passes it on a diagonal cross into the box.. Rooney heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

42 minute mark: Duff passes to Schreurs just outside the box.. Schreurs with a hard curving shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0. That is Schreurs' first career goal for us :)


Halftime: 3-0 lead. We have over 68,000 fans today.


48 minute mark: Duff with the corner.. towards the near post.. Ferdinand outjumps his man.. heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0. That is Ferdinand's first goal of the year.

54 minute mark: Schreurs with a hard two footed tackle on Bothroyd.. he is lucky he only got a yellow card.

63 minute mark: Cahais on for Ferdinand and Parker on for Stevanovic.

72 minute mark: van Nistelrooy on for Adriano.

84 minute mark: Duff with a nice long curving pass into the left half of the box.. Rooney gets it.. tries the angled shot.. good save by the keeper.

93 minute mark: Rooney is tripped about 25 yards out.. whistle.. free kick.. he takes the free kick.. hits a powerful curving shot.. it goes around the wall.. curving.. curving.. into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 5-0! That is Rooney's 2nd goal of the game.


Game over. 5-0 win for us.

We outshot them 14-1 (11-0 on target)

Rooney won MoM, 10 for form, 14 of 15 passes, 0 of 2 tackles, 1 of 8 headers, 2 interceptions, 4 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 2 goals.

Duff also had a 10 for form. Schruers had a 9 for form. Brown, Chivu, O'Shea, Cook, and Adriano all had 8's for form. The rest of he team had 7's.

Jan 20, 2011 -

Barcelona have signed Anthony Le Tallec from Liverpool for 37 million dollars.

Sheffield United have asked to borrow Paul Kelly our young 20 year old midfielder for 3 months. I agree to their proposal.

How long is Rooney signed through? I get a feeling that the off-season may be time to shop him. Looks like he isn't going to re-sign and doesn't look too happy. Better to get something for him then nothing.

January 21, 2012 -

Today I was approached by a journalist from the Daily Star:

Most experts believe you should beat Gillingham easily. Do you share this belief?

I replied, "We have the talent to beat them, and I'm confident that IF we play our game, we will beat them."


Today we play Gillingham on their pitch in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Gillingham are currently 11th in the English Championship. Their best striker, Ben Paskowec is hurt. Kyle Swayne is also a good striker. Their keeper Alan Blayney is talented. Darren Ambrose is a good right winger. The rest of their team is not very talented. We should be able to beat them without too much trouble.

We are 1-3 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the low 40's.

GK: Howard
DL: Chivu
DC: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Parker
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Taylor
S2: van Nistelrooy
S3: Cahais
S4: Adriano
S5: Alfonso

He is signed til the end of the 2012/2013 season (i.e. the end of next season.) If I can't get him to sign by the summer time, I will reluctantly shop him.