FM: P'boro Utd, Year 3 ('06-'07) -- Goals Ahoy!

[Butter]

Champions League, First Knockout Round, Second Leg
AC Milan 2:3 Real Madrid (R. Madrid advance 4-2 on aggregate)
Ajax 3:0 Celtic (Ajax advance 4-1 on agg.)
Chelsea 2:0 Barcelona (Chelsea advance 4-1 on agg.)
Inter 2:1 Sporting (Inter advance 5-1 on agg.)
Man U. 3:1 Bayern Munich (Man U. advance 4-1 on agg.)
Paris 1:4 Arsenal (Arsenal advance 4-1 on agg.)
Porto 3:2 Olympiakos (Porto advance 4-2 on agg.)
Tottenham 2:1 Werder Bremen (Tottenham advance 3-2 on agg.)

Next up, the first of those 3 crucial road games, at Nottingham Forest. We try to shuffle the lineup a bit to see if that'll help us shake off the complacency. Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Pritchard, Plummer, Campo, Sarr
Mid: Fox, Valois, Monkhouse, Shaw
Str: Aaritalo, Johansen

March 10, Match 38 - From The City Ground, Nottingham
15-12-10, 10th pl., 57 pts.
@ Nott'm Forest (20-10-7, 3rd pl., 70 pts.)
Last meeting: Posh 1:2 Forest (11/18/06)
Series: Forest, 5:4

It's not a compelling first 45 minutes, but it works for me... we manage to stay level with Forest, even on chances and possession, and kept Myhre out of trouble... he only had to make 2 crucial saves, and did well on both point blank shots to prevent scores. We keep the same eleven out for the second half.

53'- An absolutely nerve-rattling series in the box off a corner kick, as the ball clatters around for a good 10 seconds... no fewer than 4 shots are attempted to be stuffed in, but our back line and Myhre keep them all out and eventually clear it.

67'- A good counter attack by Forest, and an easy chance off a cross to a man inside the six, but luckily the cross falls to a defender who doesn't finish with power and allows Myhre time to get across the goal and save it.

73'- Traore in for a limping Pritchard, and Hammond on for a tired Aaritalo.

75'- Valois' free kick is played square to Plummer, who finds Monkhouse at 10 yards... Andy shoots, it's saved, blocked to Shaw, who shoots at close range, but another good defensive play deflects the shot wide and the Forest keeper falls on it.

80'- Good header off a long cross, but Myhre is there to save it.

84'- We lose all that hard work with one lapse, as a 50/50 ball is played in front of Myhre, and the oncoming striker beats him to it, tapping it home to give Forest a 1-0 lead.

We go to a 2-5-3, but it matters not, we lose. The biggest difference in this one was Forest's quality defending. Every through ball was stopped on the head of a defender... every breakaway was tackled away before a shot could be taken. Forest frustrated our offense at every turn, and fully deserves the win. Valois wins MoM and a 9, and several other players earn 8's, which is a testament to how hard our side worked during this one... we're just not at that quality level yet. A couple more acquisitions should put us there, though.

Loss, 1-0, drop 1 spot to 11th
Shots/on target: Forest 16/7, Posh 14/6
Poss: 54-46, Forest
A: 27,344

FA Cup Quarterfinals
QPR 3:2 Arsenal
Man Utd. 3:0 Blackburn R.
Newcastle 2:0 Leeds
Sunderland 3:0 Birmingham C.

Luke Pritchard is due to be out for 5 days with an injured heel.

[Butter]

We make another minor signing, nabbing 22 year old attacking midfielder Inzaghi from his Portuguese club team, to play for our reserves next year for about $16k per season over the next 3 years. He has some decent skill, but is not Championship caliber. Mostly, I'd like to see if he'll improve, or if we can end up selling the kid off later. Inzaghi is from Guinea-Bissau.

Lamine Traore picks up a groin strain in practice, and will miss a couple of weeks of action.

Next up, another TV match at Blackburn, a team that squeaked out a win against us last time we faced each other. Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Burton, Sarr, Campo, Dakinah
Mid: Fox, Valois, Devlin, Monkhouse
Str: Johansen, Hammond

March 17, Match 39 - Ewood Park, Blackburn
15-12-11, 11th pl., 57 pts.
@ Blackburn (17-14-7, 6th pl., 65 pts.)
Last meeting: Posh 0:1 Rovers (11/4/06)
Fav: Rovers, 5:4

We have almost no chances early on... Blackburn have plenty but we are able to clear the lines fairly well. Then:

35'- A long range shot is taken, and deflects off of Dakinah and goes in... Myhre had no chance at that one, and we fall behind quickly, 1-0.

Fox, Monkhouse, and Johansen all limp into the locker room... we switch back to our standard attacking tactics, as our slightly defensive stance has failed us again.

53'- We're back on level terms on a fluke... Fox sends a long ball for Hammond, but he can't get there... Freidel races out to clear it, but the kick strikes Monkhouse and caroms into the empty net from 25 yards out! I'll take it.

We play them even for a good half hour, then, as per usual, the last 5 minutes we get dominated. I guess it's fatigue, but we always let some chances in late, and rarely create any of our own. We're usually fighting for our lives by this stage, or staving off challengers, rarely putting fear into anyone.

90'- One of those goals happens where you want to take a sledgehammer to your computer, or your players, or both. It's a good thing one isn't handy, or this Dell would be deader than a doornail. The less said the better.

But we lose. Again. That's 4 losses in a row and 5 of 6 during the most crucial stretch of the year. Dakinah and Sarr get 8's, but that's about it. Myhre earns a 6, and I'm more inclined to stick Kruse back in there and sink or swim with the guy until we can get a very solid man in net here. Myhre has been unreliable the second half of the year.

Loss, 2-1, remain in 11th
Shots/on target: Rovers 11/4, Posh 5/2
Poss: 56-44, Rovers
A: 27,421

Monkhouse needs about 5 days of rest with a strained neck, and Johansen has a groin strain and will be out about 2 weeks.

[Butter]

We're now 11 points back of the playoff zone with 7 to play, and that dream's out the window, especially considering that even if we made the playoffs, we'd get killed. The situation at the relegation end of the Championship is very interesting indeed, as the bottom 7 teams are all within 4 points of each other. It's quite a cat-fight to avoid the drop, but luckily for us our blistering mid-season form kept us far from the bottom.

The league takes a break for Euro 2008 qualifying, so we get a few extra days off.

I just can't wait for next season to start now, as I'm quite confident that our additions are going to make a run to the Premiership inevitable. We just need one top notch striker.

With our losing streak, we have several players down in morale, and try to rotate them out in favor of the more positive folks for our home match with relegation fighters Sheffield Wednesday. Lineup:
GK: Kruse
Def: Pritchard, Plummer, Sarr, Dakinah
Mid: Fox, Valois, Monkhouse, Shaw
Str: Aaritalo, Holmes

March 31, Match 40
15-12-12, 11th pl., 57 pts.
v. Sheffield Wed. (10-11-18, 17th pl., 41 pts.)
Series: Owls lead 2-1-0
Fav: Owls, Evens

9'- Monkhouse earns a corner with a determined run up the right side... his cross is deflected out. Valois flights the corner in, right onto the head of Aaritalo at the edge of the six, and Mika converts his first goal of the year! 1-0, Posh. Excellent start.

25'- Sheffield's lone chance of the half is a corner kick swung in right to Kruse.

31'- Shaw is played onside by Aaritalo, but his strike is miles high.

We control the run of play in the first 45, and hope to do the same in the second half. Same lineup.

64'- Shaw gets a nice parallel run across the top of the box, and tries to bend it in from 18 yards, but a good tip away by the keeper prevents our 2nd goal.

69'- Owls get a counter off a prolonged attack of ours, and get a player free just beating the offside call. Plummer doesn't have the speed to recover, and the striker draws Kruse right, then slots it inside the far post... 1-1.

72'- Another good chance for SW, but this time a header goes about a yard wide of the target.

75'- Navarro and Eriksson on for Valois and Shaw, Monkhouse moves to central attack.

Aaritalo takes it upon himself to launch a couple of 25 yard shots toward the end instead of trying to build an attack, and that leads to a 1-1 final. Plummer, Sarr, and Dakinah earn 8's in defense, and everyone else earns 7's, but again we can't close the deal.

Draw, 1-1, remain in 11th
Shots/on target: Posh 17/6, Owls 8/3
Poss: 51-49, Owls
A: 15,297

[Butter]

Wolverhampton fires their head coach... and for good reason, as they're well on their way to relegation from the Premiership to join us next season.

Southampton, on the other hand, are currently a shock 3rd in the Premiership, just 4 points off of Chelsea's lead, and 3 points behind 2nd place Man U. And they have an extremely favorable schedule down the stretch, with 4 home games out of the last 7, only facing one top 5 club, #5 Liverpool away. Could they be the first team besides the big 4 to win the title in 10 years? We'll see soon.

Champions League, Quarterfinals, First Leg
Arsenal 3:1 Ajax
Porto 2:2 Inter
R. Madrid 0:0 Man U.
Tottenham 2:2 Chelsea

UEFA Cup, Quarterfinals, First Leg
Dortmund 0:1 Benfica
HSV 0:2 Real Betis
Lyon 0:0 Juventus
Roma 1:0 Liverpool

Well, Bolton visits London Road today, and I'd just like to not lose if at all possible. The way we're playing, I wouldn't bet on it, though. Lineup:
GK: Kruse
Def: Pritchard, Traore, Sarr, Dakinah
Mid: Campo, Valois, Devlin, Monkhouse
Str: Johansen, Hammond

April 7, Match 41
15-13-12, 11th pl., 58 pts.
v. Bolton Wanderers(20-12-8, 4th pl., 72 pts.)
Last meeting: Trotters 4:2 Posh (10/31/06)
Fav: BW, 5:4

2'- Long ball from Dakinah, Hammond nods it down to Johansen, who has broken free... Jim attacks the keeper, then slots it home with his right foot! Great start, we take a 1-0 lead.

19'- Stelios Giannakopoulos with a point blank shot for Bolton, and Kruse with a good reflex save, and Dakinah clears the lines.

26'- Traore with a free kick that drops to Monkhouse just inside the box, but his half-volley is saved.

30'- Johansen gets a long throw-in, and crosses to Hammond... it appears to be too far for Elvis, as Trotter keeper Jaaskelainen gets there first, but he slips down, and Hammond is left with a simple tap-in! 2-0, Posh!

That's how the half ends, and we actually have played very well against one of these top league squads. No changes for the second half.

62'- Jay Jay Okocha beats 2 defenders down the left, then sends a good cross in for striker Kevin Davies, who heads it home across Kruse's body, 2-1.

Bolton keep up the pressure, and we're barely able to get the ball into their half at this point.

90+'- Naturally, they equalize during the 3rd minute of stoppage time. Nice play, lads.

Hammond picks up our only 8.

Draw, 2-2, up 1 spot to 10th
Shots/on target: Posh 13/6, Trotters 13/6
Poss: 51-49, Posh
A: 15,119

Ivan Campo suffers a groin strain during this match, and needs 2 weeks of rest.

[Butter]

Champions League Quarterfinals, Second Leg
Ajax 0:0 Arsenal (Arsenal advance 3-1 on aggregate)
Chelsea 3:2 Tottenham (Chelsea advance 5-4 on agg.)
Inter 1:2 Porto (Porto advance 4-3 on agg.)
Man U. 2:0 R. Madrid (Man U. advance 2-0 on agg.)

3 English sides and 1 Portuguese team left in the Champions League for the major hardware. The English have been dominating Europe of late.

UEFA Cup Quarterfinals, Second Leg
Benfica 4:2 Dortmund (Benfica advance 5-2 on agg.)
Real Betis 2:0 HSV (Betis advance 4-0 on agg.)
Juventus 0:3 Lyon (Olympique Lyonnais advance 3-0 on agg.)
Liverpool 2:2 Roma (Roma advance 3-2 on agg.)

The UEFA Cup is a bit more wide open, as clubs from 4 different countries remain alive.

We sign another young keeper, former AC Milan reservist Pasquale Argenio to a 2 year deal worth $32k per season. He'll join us on July 2nd. He is about on par with Lukas Kruse, so we'll see what happens with our stable of keepers. I think that brings us to 7 keepers on the roster with the senior club or reserves.

FA Cup Semifinal
Sunderland 1:2 Newcastle (in extra time)

Another road game isn't bound to improve our mood, as we visit 1st place Charlton Athletic. Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Pritchard, Traore, Sarr, Dakinah
Mid: Fox, Valois, Monkhouse, Shaw
Str: Johansen, Hammond

April 14, Match 42 - From The Valley, London
15-14-12, 10th pl., 59 pts.
@ Charlton Athletic (22-13-6, 1st pl., 79 pts.)
Last meeting: Posh 1:1 Addicks (11/25/06)
Fav: Addicks, Evens

7'- Charlton attack for a good solid 2 minutes, and finally convert as we break down and allow a striker a clean look from 10 yards.

11'- Shaw counters with a goal, a great individual effort, beating one man and firing it into the top corner from 15 yards. 1-1 before a quarter hour.

The game stays fairly even after that up until halftime, each side getting several chances, but not putting them away. Myhre has made at least 2 top drawer saves to keep us level, while both Hammond and Johansen had opportunities for us, but couldn't finish. No changes to the starting XI.

59'- A spectacular save by Myhre on a swerving 20 yard drive by Charlton that Thomas saves wonderfully.

63'- Johansen breaks loose, and crosses to an open Monkhouse at the back post, but his half-volley is sent into the side netting.

78'- Ferdinand on for a slightly injured Hammond, Navarro for Fox.

88'- Again, the late breakdown occurs, as our overly anxious defense allows a player free run at Myhre from the left, and it's finished to the far post with pace. 2-1, Addicks. Devlin on for Traore, as we move to a 2-5-3 for the final 3 minutes.

90+'- The final play of the match is a 25 yard Valois free kick that nearly sneaks in the far post, but is saved.

Another last minute loss. Hurray! We suck! Myhre was terrific all match, but couldn't withstand every chance thrown at him. He picks up a 9, Dakinah, Sarr, and Pritchard all get 8's. Traore is the weak link in the chain, earning a 6. He has been horrific the last month-plus.

Loss, 2-1, drop 2 spots to 12th
Shots/on target: Addicks 18/9, Posh 9/5
Poss: 59-41, Addicks
A: 24,323

Elvis Hammond's injury is a wrist sprain that will keep him out about a week.

[Butter]

Paul Shaw breaks his arm in Monday training, and will be out the rest of the season. Shaw had a great year for us, but it is likely his last.

We call up Phil Cave from the reserves to see if he can play out on the left for us. I also give Tobias Eriksson a rare start at AMC to see what he can do there.

Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Cave, Burton, Sarr, Dakinah
Mid: Navarro, Valois, Devlin, Eriksson
Str: Johansen, Holmes

April 17, Match 43
15-14-13, 12th pl., 59 pts.
v. West Ham United (19-11-12, 8th pl., 68 pts.)
Series: Even, 0-3-0
Fav: Hammers, 4:5

We're heavy underdogs considering our form of late, and with good cause.

The teams go back and forth early, each keeper making 1 good save, and a watching a handful of other shots pepper the crowd.

22'- Derek Holmes with his 2nd breakaway of the game, played on by Johansen... Holmes powers it past the keeper and in! 1-0, Posh.

We withstand more pressure, then...

42'- Eriksson with a nice pass to Johansen, who gets his defender to fall down, and attacks the keeper... Johansen powers it home! 2-0, Posh on a very nice goal by Johansen.

We go to the break with a 2 goal lead. Can we hold it this time?

51'- A Hammer defender is sent off after his 2nd yellow card, so we get another advantage.

Myhre is keeping us alive in this one, saving several shots very nicely.

74'- Eriksson and Devlin go off, Monkhouse and Fox on, as we go to a 4-5-1.

We pack it in, and take the 3 points, ending our game winless streak. Thomas Myhre is the well-deserved MoM with his 9 rating. Dakinah, Burton, Sarr, and Eriksson picked up 8's. Both Eriksson and Cave performed very nicely.

Win, 2-1, up 1 spot to 11th
Shots/on target: Posh 5/4, Hammers 18/6
Poss: 52-48, Hammers
A: 11,762

[Butter]

3 games left, and we're officially out of the playoff picture, 12 points behind 6th place. Charlton and Hull are even on 83 points, and look to be promoted outright.

FA Cup Semifinal
QPR 1:3 Man Utd.

Next up, a road trip to Brighton. We'll see if we can finish up strong. We bring up some kids from the reserves to play in some live matches here, under some real pressure.
Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Cave, Traore, Sarr, Carr
Mid: Fox, Valois, Monkhouse, Kubilskis
Str: Aaritalo, Johansen

April 21, Match 44 - From Withdean Stadium, Brighton
16-14-13, 11th pl., 62 pts.
@ Brighton (7-18-18, 20th pl., 39 pts.)
Last meeting: Posh 2:0 Seagulls (12/6/06)
Fav: Posh, 6:4

3'- Brighton with a free kick that's flicked on in the area, and right onto the crossbar... Kubilskis clears it away.

9'- Brighton with a 20 yard shot on an excellent cut back pass from the right, and Fox deflects it into our net. 1-0, Seagulls.

24'- Aaritalo with a beautiful 20 yard volley that just misses the far post.

35'- Valois' 20 yard free kick just misses.

No changes at the break, though Aaritalo is mildly injured.

52'- Good buildup, Kubilskis with a straight forward 20 yard shot that is blocked away, but Johansen just misses with the rebound, aiming at the far post.

57'- Valois beats his man, then holds off another and sends a centering cross to Aaritalo, who puts home a perfectly placed header from 12 yards! Aaritalo with his 2nd of the year to level the match at 1.

67'- Carr steals it, and plays it to Monkhouse... Monkhouse centers to Kubilskis, who plays a nice first touch pass to Johansen... Jim is free on the keeper and shoots from the spot... GOAL! Slotted home inside the right post, 2-1, Posh!

74'- Valois centers to Aaritalo in the arc, who gets a ball to Johansen just as he's going down... Jim is free on the keeper again, and finishes again! 3-1, Posh! Jim's 15th goal of the year, and who woke Jim up? I thought he was in hibernation until next fall.

75'- Navarro in for Valois, Kubilskis goes to the left wing, Navarro to AMC... Faulkner in for Aaritalo.

84'- Johansen completes his hat trick... but Faulkner was offside on the ball that was played forward to begin with, and apparently the referee decided to wait about 15 seconds to call it.

That's it, good effort by the youngsters to pull this one out. Jim Johansen earns a perfect 10 for his brace and MoM in this one. All of the forward and midfield players earned 8's, as did Sarr and Carr. Myhre earned our only 6.

Win, 1-3, up 1 spot to 10th
Shots/on target: Seagulls 5/3, Posh 17/8
Poss: 51-49, Posh
A: 8,278

We push Brighton one spot closer to League One. They lead Rotherham on GD only.

[Butter]

Sarr, Eriksson, and Aaritalo are selected in the Team of the Week.

Aaritalo suffers a hip injury that's quite severe, and may miss part of next season with it. The current prognosis is 3 months of rehab.

Champions League Semifinals, First Leg
Arsenal 1:1 Man Utd.
Porto 1:1 Chelsea

UEFA Cup Semifinals, First Leg
Benfica 1:1 Roma
Betis 1:1 Lyon

I notice that Sarr is coming up as wanted by West Ham... he has a $500k minimum fee release, and that's his current value. Sarr was our best defender this year, nearly averaging a 7.5. I submit a new contract offer to him, removing the minimum fee release clause, and upping his pay $60k a season, while extending the contract another year.

Next up, our final home game of the season against Crewe. I get to see future signee Kenny Lunt in action here in the Crewe midfield. Lineup:
GK: Masalin
Def: Pritchard, Cave, Sarr, Carr
Mid: Fox, Kubilskis, Monkhouse, Eriksson
Str: Johansen, Faulkner

April 28, Match 45
17-14-13, 10th pl., 65 pts.
v. Crewe Alexandra (10-14-20, 19th pl., 44 pts.)
Last meeting: Railwaymen 1:1 Posh (12/12/06)
Fav: Posh, 5:4

11'- Kubilskis beats the keeper, but instead of shooting from a nearly impossible angle, he tries to cut the ball back, and it's cleared away.

16'- Fox and Cave converge on a header, but neither one can manage to clear it, and it's easily headed home for Crewe, 1-0.

29'- Lunt with a long distance shot that doesn't trouble Masalin.

41'- Kubilskis with a 20 yard ripper that just misses the left post.

It's halftime, and we're behind. The game's pretty even though, and we were behind 1-0 in the last match. Maybe our fresher legs will tell the tale in the second 45.

63'- Devlin on for Kubilskis, Hammond for Faulkner.

82'- Finally, a decent chance as Hammond pops open from 15 yards, but he spots Johansen wide open in the middle, and plays it to him... Johansen with acres of space from 8 yards, and he finishes! He won't miss from there! 1-1!

And that's how it ends. A good equalizer there, but we couldn't force any more action. Everyone gets 7's, except Masalin, who rates only a 6.

Draw, 1-1, remain in 10th
Shots/on target: Posh 11/7, Crewe 9/5
Poss: 51-49, Crewe
A: 11,146

Remember when I said Southampton is contending for the Premiership title? Well, 4 points out of a possible 15 in about a month will kill those dreams. They'll be lucky to hang on for UEFA Cup play at this point, now in 5th. Manchester United has stormed 2 points ahead of Chelsea, and still have thoughts of the treble on their mind, a feat that rivals Arsenal achieved last season.

[Butter]

We agree terms with another defender, this time it's 23 year old left fullback Alessandro Potenza who will join us from Inter Milan in July. He is a bit short on bravery, but has decent speed and very good defensive skill. I don't remember the contract details, but I believe the deal is for in excess of $200k per season. I'll let you know when he joins the squad.

Sarr agrees to a new contract with us as well, upping his deal to $280k per season... but I get away with no signing bonus and extend the contract for 2 more seasons. Sarr is very young, only 23 and has a lot of potential to be a solid defender for us on the next level, if we can reach it.

Our scouting trip to Italy turns up another possible gem, this time it's AC Milan striker Franco Cataldo who signs with us. Cataldo has scored twice in 2 starts for Milan this year, and has blazing speed to go with his above average mental attributes and good finishing skill. He's not a great leaper, but is a serviceable passer, a very hard worker, and extremely strong. He will battle for a starting job next season. Again, I don't have the contract details at hand, but Cataldo is just 22, so I'm sure we've locked him up for a long time.

Jim Johansen finishes 2nd in the Young Player of the Month voting, with his 5 goals in April.

Champions League Semifinals, Second Leg
Chelsea 4:0 Porto (Blues advance 5-1 on agg.)
Man Utd. 0:4 Arsenal (Gunners advance 5-1 on agg.)

-Arsenal v. Chelsea for the European title. Manchester United lose their chance at the treble.

UEFA Cup Semifinals, Second Leg
Lyon 2:4 Betis (Real Betis advance 5-3 on agg.)
Roma 1:1 Benfica (Benfica advance 4-3 on PK's)

-Benfica and Betis will meet in the battle for Iberia.

Barnsley and Ipswich both have won promotion to the Championship from League One... and Charlton have put away the league, they'll be advancing to the EPL.

We get a bit sentimental, and start our 2 retirees in the final match of the year, Martin and Ferdinand. Eoin Jess would also have started, but he slipped a disc in mid-April and is still recovering, so it looks like he'll miss out. We also start a boatload of reservists, just for fun mostly. I don't expect them to really compete well in this forthcoming match, but we shall see. It's a road game at Gillingham, who've scored just 34 times all year, but allowed in only 46. Lineup:
GK: Myhre
Def: Burton, Landgren, Cave, Carr
Mid: de Graaf, Daniels, Martin, Salibur
Str: Ferdinand, Holmes

May 6, Match 46 - From Priestfield, Gillingham
17-15-13, 11th pl., 66 pts.
@ Gillingham (12-14-19, 16th pl., 50 pts.)
First meeting: Posh 1:0 Gills (12/16/06)
Fav: Posh, 6:4

Gillingham just dominate the game as we're unable to keep possession like we normally try to do. They unleash many shots at Myhre...

40'- An errant pass ends up just short of the end line, and a centering chip is headed in for the Gills, 1-0.

62'- Gills go up 2-0 on an easy steal from Carr in midfield... he is beaten, and Myhre can't stop the ensuing shot.

Kubilskis on for Les Ferdinand... and Felix Hermsen on for Dean Edward Martin for the final time.

74'- Kubilskis is free on a long ball from Carr, but he has it stolen away in the box.

84'- Holmes is free thanks to a misplay by the Gills defender, but his slotted shot strikes the foot of the post and goes out.

87'- Burton plays Daniels down the left... he cuts it inside to Holmes, who plays it diagonally onto the run of Yannis Salibur... Salibur from 12 yards, beats 1 man, then finishes! Impressive goal by Salibur, 2-1.

90+'- Sagi Burton with a dangerous free kick from about 23 yards that he just misses with.

And that's the season. Finishes with a not totally unexpected defeat, but we gave it a pretty good go, especially in the second half. Cave, Carr, and de Graaf finish strong with 8's.

Loss, 2-1, finish in 11th
Shots/on target: Gills 24/11, Posh 9/3
Poss: 55-45, Gills
A: 10,363

Blackburn win promotion, finishing ahead of Hull on GD. Hull, Nott'm Forest, Fulham, and Bolton will all battle for the final promotion spot in the playoffs, with Derby Co. and West Ham finishing just out of the running.

Rotherham avoid the drop with a final day win at Brighton... sadly, that pushes Brighton into the zone, and into League One. Wigan and Millwall also will drop.

[Butter]

In lieu of a long-winded team wrap-up, I'll just say this... I'm happy with this season, if not overjoyed. We proved we can compete on this level with this roster. We just need to add a couple of more key players to get over the hump.

Final table


Team stats
-Stats shown are only for those who made more than 1 appearance (excepting James Faulkner, who made 2 appearances, but did not score and rated a 7 both times).


Contract status
The value in the game is an estimate... if I were to try and sell Johansen for $5.6 million right now, I'd get laughed out of the transfer market most likely. Usually the price teams are willing to pay for players is a good bit lower than their listed "value". Also, the PKD column shows where the player was slotted on the team for most of the season, to help you get an idea of what I'm paying for various positions right now. Note that I have a lot of money tied up in the midfield right now, but hardly any in strikers.


Reserve stats
The stats displayed are for reserve games only. Our reserve team finished 2nd in reserve group 4, behind champions Colchester by 6 points in 40 games played. The group included mostly League One and Two reserve teams, however.


Reserve contracts
Most of the more expensive reservists are out of contract after this season, and won't be returning because they were originally with the senior squad, and were demoted.

[Butter]

May 2007

Gideon de Graaf is surprisingly selected in the Team of the Week for the final week of the season.

A shocker in the Premiership, as Chelsea overtake Man U. on the final day of the season to win the title. Chelsea finishes on 78 pts., and the Red Devils on 77. Chelsea won 1-0 over Newcastle at St. James Park, while Man U. lost at Old Trafford to relegated Leeds, 2-0 to blow their 2 point lead. Southampton pass Liverpool on the final day of the season to make the final Champions League spot, while Leeds' victory nearly pulls them out of the relegation zone... but QPR's last minute goal to earn a draw at home against Sunderland gets them 1 point clear of the zone, as they would've gone down on goal difference.

It'll be Leeds, Leicester, and Wolverhampton to re-join League One next season. Luton win the League One playoffs, and will join us in the Championship as well next year.

Championship Playoffs Summary
Semifinals, Leg One
Fulham 3:2 Nott'm Forest
Bolton 2:0 Hull

Semifinals, Leg Two
Nott'm Forest 2:3 Fulham
Hull 2:2 Bolton

Final, from Wembley
Fulham 4:0 Bolton
-Bolton were never in this one, as Claus Jensen started the onslaught in the 25th, then Luis Boa Morte added one just after the interval, and Tom Soetaers, a former Ajax player, finished up with 2 goals in the final 15 minutes to clinch promotion for Fulham, as the hometown fans went wild at Wembley.


UEFA Cup Final, from Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Benfica 1:1 Real Betis
-Real Betis wins 5-4 on PK's in a match where both teams scored in the first half hour, then hung on for dear life. It was attacking midfielder Simao that missed the final PK in regular kicks to end this match in front of just under 60,000. Betis qualified for the Cup via the Inter-Toto Cup, so their victory was a real shocker for a club that until recently was a regular in the Spanish Second Division. The last hardware they'd won on the European level was the Spanish Cup in 1977.

Champions League Final, from Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
Arsenal 2:3 Chelsea (in extra time)
-Arsenal dominated the first half of this one, capping their nice play with a 38th minute goal by Thierry Henry, tapping home a rebound of a Freddy Ljungberg strike. Unfortunately for them, Chelsea came out and played hard after the interval, capping their play with a 55th minute goal by former Bayern Munich player Michael Ballack. Adrian Mutu scored again just 9 minutes later off a beautiful play by Frank Lampard to play him onside. Chelsea give up the equalizer in the 76th, as the corner comes to Sol Campbell, his attempted cross is headed away by Ballack, but right onto the foot of defender Philippe Senderos, who grounds the ball through traffic and into the net. Just 1 minute into the extra time, Tomas Rosicky spots Mutu's run down the center, and Adrian makes the play and finishes it, and that's how it would end in front of 82,000+ in Germany.

FA Cup Final, from Wembley
Newcastle 2:3 Manchester United (in extra time)
-Patrick Kluivert and Darren Ambrose both score in the first quarter-hour to shock the Red Devils' supporters with a 2-0 lead. Louis Saha pulls one back before the break, then the Magpies look poised to claim the Cup until the final seconds, when Ryan Giggs is tripped in the box, and the referee points at the spot. A questionable call, but Saha converts the PK to send it into extra time. In the 114th, Mikael Silvestre converts a long range shot off an attempted clearance to bring the cup back to Old Trafford.

2007/08 European qualifiers from England:
Champions League: Man U., Southampton, Arsenal, Chelsea
UEFA Cup: Newcastle, Liverpool, Norwich City
Inter-Toto Cup: Tottenham, Portsmouth

[Butter]

Our transfer budget for next season is announced, and I cross my fingers while scrolling up to the message... and we're given a decent amount, $1.05 million. That sure as shit beats the $70,000 I got for this season.

Sarr was the only Posh player picked in the Championship Players' Select Team for '06-'07.

Posh players in top-25 of Championship stats leaders
Average rating:
5. Valois, 7.77
20. Sarr, 7.45
24. Hammond, 7.44

Goals:
9t. Johansen, 16
13t. Hammond, 15
15t. Shaw, 14

Assists:
3t. Valois, 16

Man of Match awards:
4t. Valois, 7

Average attendance: 12,504 (18th/24)
Goals for/against: 69 (10th)/55 (9th)

[Butter]

Continue on to Year 4.