FM: Harrogate is marching on..

[Eaglesfan27]

GULP! 1 minute mark: Wilkshire unleashes a wicked curving shot from 30 yards that looked like it was going wide right by a large margin, but suddenly curved towards the upper right corner.. fortunately O'connor made a brilliant save.

8 minute mark: Graham Allen gets a yellow card for obstructing Smyth.

16 minute mark: palmer gets a yellow card for a trip on Wilkshire.

25 minute mark: Smyth tries to cross it, but the defense heads it away.

33 minute mark: O'Connor with another very nice save.

44 minute mark: Smyth gets a yellow card for pulling Allen's jersey.

45 minute mark: McShane with a key clearance.

Halftime: 0-0 tie.

48 minute mark: Wilkshire unleashes another beautiful curving shot from 25 yards.. nice save by O'Connor.

61 minute mark: parker gets the ball after their defender clears it with a long pass.. Keigan Parker absolutely abuses Morley and Barnett as he dribbles between them.. shoots into the lower left corner... GOAL. Down 1-0.

71 minute mark: Baker on for Wright, Barnett on for Surey, and Gardner on for Kelly.

75 minute mark: Parker gets another breakaway.. dribbles around McShane... into the box.. shoots.. brilliant diving block save by O'Connor!

79 minute mark: Mkandawire gets a yellow card for a trip on Palmer.

86 minute mark: McShane sends a long pass down to Palmer.. he centers for Barnett!?! in the middle of the box.. Barnett unleashes a hard shot.. lower left corner.. Turley dives.. he saves it.

Game over. 1-0 loss.

We were outshot 15-4 (8-1 on goal)

O'Connor gets MoM for his 7 saves.

The scary thing is that the team played very well (particularly Barnard, McShane and Craig Morgan) but we still lost.

[daedalus]

Harsh. Very harsh.

I don't know if or how many loan slots you still have left, but you might consider saving one or two. As the season progresses and you see where the holes might be, it might be able to save you from relegation.

[Eaglesfan27]

I still have one long term and all 8 short term slots open. I definitely will be keeping my eye open for future loan players who can help the team.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 9, 2008 -

Today we have our first home league One game. Hopefully, it will go better than our past two games. We are hosting Torquay today. Torquay finished in 20th last year and barely avoided relegation from League One (by a single point.) They don't have any true superstars, but Richard Garcia is a good striker. Keeper Leon cooper is above average and will be key to their success this year. Striker Marcus Tudgay is also a good player. Left fullback, Lee Mair is their best defender but centreback Darran Kempson is good as well. Right winger Jamie McMaster sets up the offense.

We've never played Torquay before.

They are even odds favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 80's today.

GK: O'Connor
DL:Barnard
DC: McShane
DC: Craig Morgan
DR: Morley
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: collett (freshly back from injury)
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Scarsella
S2: Baker
S3: Barnett
S4: Craig Gardner
S5: Seyi Morgan

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Phillips gets the ball on the left wing after Smith passes it to him.. crosses for Tudgay who outjumps McShane.. heads it.. powerful header into the upper left corner of the goal.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

32 minute mark: Smyth gets it on the left corner of the pitch.. crosses for Kelly who is in the box.. he heads it.. towards the upper left corner.. just wide.

Halftime: Down 1-0.

70 minute mark: Baker on for Wright, Gardner on for Kelly, and Seyi Morgan on for Palmer.

92 minute mark: Surey passes to Smyth in the box.. unleashes a powerful left footer.. the keeper partially blocks it.. it is trickling towards the goal.. Gardner is racing towards it.. Seyi Morgan is racing towards it.. Lee Mair is racing towards it.. Mair wins the race and clears it.

Game over. 1-0 loss.

We were outshot 6-5 (2-1 on goal)

Lee Mair won MoM, 44 of 55 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 11 of 12 headers, 7 interceptions.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 13, 2008 -

West Ham (24th in English Championship) just offered me their head coaching job. They are a former EPL team, and they have 5 players valued over 5 million dollars including strikers Bobby Zamora, Left fullback Chris Cohen, midfielder Mark Noble, Right winger Michael Proctor, and striker Patrick Agyemang. They have 5 other players worth over a million. I'd have a 4 million dollar a year transfer budget and a weekly budget of 240,000/week. A very tempting offer.

[RPI-Fan]

Again, as a reader of the dynasty, I have no qualms with you taking that job offer and in fact would like to see you do so. The board situation at Harrogate is shite.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just a quick update:

I'm trying to slow down my rate of playing the game some because in scanning some of the big teams, the regen bug appears to be affecting my league. I'm too much of an addict not to play, but I'm slowing down with the hope that before I'm done this season the patch might be out. Then again, it could be weeks still, so I might finish the season before the patch is out. Hopefully, the patch will work with this saved game.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Just a quick update:

I'm trying to slow down my rate of playing the game some because in scanning some of the big teams, the regen bug appears to be affecting my league. I'm too much of an addict not to play, but I'm slowing down with the hope that before I'm done this season the patch might be out. Then again, it could be weeks still, so I might finish the season before the patch is out. Hopefully, the patch will work with this saved game.

What's the regen bug?

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm seeing players on the top teams with great mental and physical attributes but very poor technical attributes. This appears to be the result of the known regen bug. It is supposed to be fixed in the next patch which will be released hopefully in the near future. All I know about the release date is Marc's comment that it won't be monthes... so that would mean within the next month or so to me. I'm going to keep playing this dynasty during that time.. just at a slower pace so hopefully it is fixed by the time I get to the next season.

[Poli]

Goodness. I got the game last night. I have NO idea what I'm doing. Hattrick has fooled me.

Is there a "FM for Dummies" Guide somewhere?

[Eaglesfan27]

I recommend one of Marc's old guides for CM. Not everything will be the same in FM, but it is an EXCELLENT place to start. I know you could find one with a search of this board.

[Poli]

Duly noted. Last night and this afternoon I was reminded of how little I knew about soccer.

[Eaglesfan27]

I played when I was a teenager on my high school team for a year, but I forgot most of what I knew. I really started learning the game through CM 03/04.

Feel free to ask any specific questions, and I'll try to answer it if someone else on here hasn't already beat me to it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 13, 2008 -

Despite the temptation of West Ham's job, I decide to stay at Harrogate. I need to see this job through unless one of the big four come calling.

(OOC Note: If this team becomes a dead end where we can't make money during an extended period of time and the board continues to refuse/be unable to expand the stadium or improve the resources, I will eventually issue an ultimatum and may eventually leave. However, I do not think this team is a dead end, yet.)

[Eaglesfan27]

August 15th, 2008 -

Mark Smyth was injured in practice today, and he will approximately two weeks due to a severely sprained groin.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 16, 2008 -

Today we host Bradford City which is viewed by the media as a fellow relegation battler. Hopefully, we can get our first win of the year against them. They are led by the skilled striker Steven Gillespie. Left winger John Piercy is a dangerous setup man and right winger Ben Muirhead is highly versatile. They rely on left fullback Lewis Emanuel and centerback Mark Bower to solidify the defense. Keeper Paul Henderson is questionable for this game due to a damaged ligament. It will be interesting to see if he starts. If he is unable to start, the likely choice is 20 year old David Ross who will be a relatively easy keeper to score on.

Bradford City is currently in 17th place, while we are currently 24th in League One.

They are 4-7 favorites.

It's hot and sunny with temperatures in the high 80's.

We have a 3-0-0 record against Bradford city with our last win being a 1-0 win.



GK: O'Connor
DL: Kyle Wallwork (giving the kid a chance, trying to bring some more energy onto the pitch)
DC: McShane
DC: Morley (giving us a hopeful boost on defense)
DR: Black (moving Morley inside to get 3 of my 4 best defenders along this line - at least while Wall is hurt)
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Seyi Morgan (as a target man)
SC: Palmer

S1: Scarsella
S2: Baker
S3: Barnett
S4: Gardner
S5: Soares

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Piercy crosses to Mark Wilson who unleashes a powerful curving shot.. it looks like it is going wide right.. it curves.. into the upper right corner.. O'Connor dives.. it's past him.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

Henderson did start this game.

5 minute mark: Collett plays the ball down the right wing... Palmer gets to it.. centers for Kelly in the middle of the box.. he quickly volleys it.. right over Henderson's left shoulder..GOAL!!!! 1-1. That is Kelly's 1st of the year.

10 minute mark: Piercy gets a yellow card for tripping Collett.

18 minute mark: Gillespie gets the ball on a pass from Muirhead... he shoots from 15 yards.. nice save by O'Connor.

23 minute mark: Wright centers for Kelly.. he is in the left half of the box.. shoots for the upper left corner.. just wide.. into the side net.

28 minute mark: Morley gets a yellow card for a trip on Gillespie just outside the box.

Halftime: 1-1 tie. We have 3775 fans here today at our stadium (full house)

47 minute mark: Seyi Morgan heads it to Kelly in the center of the box.. Kelly shoots.. upper right corner.. Henderson dives.. tips it over the bar.

56 minute mark: Wright centers for Kelly.. Kelly shoots.. Emanuel blocks the shot.

60 minurw mark: Morley with a nice header to turn away a Muirhead cross.

61 minute mark: I'm putting in Gardner for Seyi Morgan to see what he can do up front.

65 minute mark: Muirhead kicks a corner with a nice curving pass towards the near post.. Bowditch outleaps Morgan.... heads it.. O'Connor tries to get to it, but he can't.. GOAL. Down 2-1.

75 minute mark: Collett with a long pass to Gardner.. who heads it to Kelly in the middle of the box... Kelly shoots.. hits the crossbar.. it bounces back.. Bowditch clears it.

76 minute mark: Barnett on for Collett who is exhausted. Soares on for Kelly who is very tired.

88 minute mark: Soares gets a yellow card for tripping Bowditch.. he argues the call... second yellow card.. He is ejected.


Game over. 2-1 loss.

We were outshot 14-9 (4-4 on goal)

Ben Muirhead won MoM, 20 of 22 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 1 of 3 headers, 2 interceptions, 8 runs, 1 assist.

Everyone looked good this game except O'connor for my team. McShane was particularly good throughout the game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 19, 2008 -

Collett came into my office today demanding a new contract. He is requesting 2,600/week with a signing bonus of 6,000 dollars. My board won't allow me to offer him more than 1,600/week. He is currently making 650/week. I decide to offer him 1,600/week, 200/assist, 10% yearly raise, and a 10,000 signing bonus.


Christian Fox has decided to go to Stevanage rather than stay here as a backup.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 20, 2008 -

Today we host Rotherham in the 1st round of the League Cup. We desperately need to win this game and the money that comes with it, but it will be difficult. Rotherham is currently 19th in the English Championship and they have a very talented team. In particular, striker Will Hoskins is a star player who can very difficult to contain. Right winger James Baker is also very talented despite only being 18. Left fullback Tony Craig is a strong defender. Keeper Kevin Cuthbert is quite good.

We've never played them before.

They are 1-2 favorites.

It's going to be raining with temperatures in the high 40's today.

GK: O'Connor
DL: Wallwork (played well last game)
DC: McShane
DC: Morley
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Gardner (Kelly is tired)
SC: Seyi Morgan
SC: Palmer

S1: Scarsella
S2: Baker
S3: Barnett
S4: Davies
S5: Hawkins

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Surey passes to Gardner at the edge of the box.. Gardner with a hard shot towards the upper right corner.. Cuthbert with a nice diving save.

6 minute mark: Gary Holt gets a yellow card for pulling Gardner's jersey.

9 minute mark: Ben Bradford gets a yellow card for tripping Surey.

25 minute mark: Black trips Hoskins in the box... Penalty awarded.. Hoskins shoots towards the upper left corner... O'Connor dives.. HE CATCHES IT!!!!! What a save!

34 minute mark: Gardner shoves Cuthbert.. Yellow card for Gardner.

Halftime: 0-0

49 minute mark: Brinton Nute goes in two footed on Gardner.. Yellow card for Nute.

54 minute mark: Collett is injured and has to come off the pitch... I decide to put Hawkins in for him.

61 minute mark: O'Conoor saves the first really good opportunity for Hoskins since the penalty.. nice save by O'Connor.

68 minute mark: palmer is tired. I put on Mike Davies for him.

75 minute mark: Wallwork with a nice header to prevent an offensive effort from getting into our box.

77 minute mark: Ben Bradford shoots a hard shot from 25 yards out... O'Connor simply misplays it and lets in a relatively soft goal

I decide to sub out Gardner who is tired, and I bring in Barnett. But I move Barnett to forward and Davies to AMC.


Game over. 1-0 loss.

We outshot them 11-10 (they outshot us 5-4 on goal)

Ben Bradford won MoM, 24 of 30 passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 1 of 1 headers, 2 interceptions, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post MAtch Info:

F!#$

F!#@

I lost Grant Black to a strained wrist, Kyle Wallwork to a calf strain, Benjamin Collett to a sprained ankle, and Andrew Wright to a groin strain all in that match!! They will all be out for 2-4 weeks.

The media is asking me how I'm going to handle Collett's injury since he is such a big part of our team. I replied, "One player doesn't make a team. My squad is capable of covering Benjamin's absence."

[Eaglesfan27]

August 22nd, 2008 -

Seyi Morgan tore two ligaments in his ankle today and will be going under the knife immediately. He is expected to need 5 months to fully recover.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 23, 2008 -

Collett has rejected my contract offer. He wants more money, and the board isn't willing to offer that.

I try to compensate by raising the signing fee to 20,000 dollars, the assist bonus to 300, and the yearly raise to 25% while offering 1,600/week which is the max the board will allow.

The situation here seems to be going downhill fast.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 25, 2008 -

Today I find myself facing a tough decision. Blackpool has offered 150,000 plus 25% of next sale for Benjamin Collett. Considering that I have two guys who can play right wing well besides him right now, and that I need some transfer money to bolster the team, and that he won't sign a new deal, I decide to agree to the offer of 150,000 dollars and 25% of next sale.

I hope the fans aren't too mad.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 25, 2008 -

Today we travel to play Norwich. They are a very talented team that is currently 8th in league One. Striker Ryan Jarvis is a blooming star. Midfielder Damien Francis is a complete player who can beat you so many ways. Striker Eddie Johnson is quickly becoming a goal scoring machine. He is also a fine assist man. Left Winger Ian Henderson is fast and skilled. Centreback Greg Halford is fast and strong. They were in the Championship last year and were relegated. They still have high quality and will be a tough team for us to get our first win against.

We've never played them before.

They are very heavy 1-4 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 40's today.


GK: O'Connor
DL: Barnard
DC: McShane
DC: Craig Morgan
DR: Morley
ML: Baker
MC: Dean Davies
DR: Darren Hawkins
AMC: Gardner
SC: Kelly (an experiment to see how he looks at forward)
SC: Palmer

S1: Scarsella
S2: David Birchall
S3: Joe Barnett
S4: Mike Davies
S5: Soares

Injured:

Wallwork, Black, Seyi Morgan, Andrew Wright, Collett, Smyth. Wall just recovered from his injury.

[Eaglesfan27]

First 15 minutes, we surprisingly dominate time of possesion but they continue to shut down our offense with good defense..

18 minute mark: Their first real attack.. Taylor takes it up the right wing... crosses to Johnson... he shoots.. O'Connor blocks it... Jarvis gets the rebound.. slams it into the net. GOAL. Down 1-0.

23 minute mark: Henderson crosses for David Sanchez who plays a perfect pass to Eddie Johnson in the box.. Johnson with a diving header.. into the upper right corner past O'connor. GOAL. Down 2-0.

30 minute mark: Kelly gets called for tripping Sanchez.. yellow card.. Kelly argues the call.. gets a warning.. he keeps arguing.. Gardner is trying to calm him.. Kelly is in the ref's face.. 2nd yellow card.. he is gone! We also get penalized for dissent.

38 minute mark: Gardner argues an offside call.. Yellow card for Gardner.. we get penalized for dissent. I'm starting to hate Phil Joslin, the ref.


Halftime: Down 2-0. Norwich has over 12,000 fans here. I think this is our biggest crowd yet.


49 minute mark: Hawkins plays a nice ball down the right sideline.. great pass.. Palmer has it in the box.... shoots... over the bar!

54 minute mark: McShane is run over by Sanchez.. he is hurt and has to go off. I bring in Barnett to play DC. Also Gardner is tired, so I bring in Soares to play AMC.

58 minute mark: soares gets a pass from Baker.. brilliant dribble... between two defenders.. into the box.. shoots.. wide left.

60 minute mark: Soares get the ball on a great long pass from Barnett.. into the box.. shoots... wide left.

65 minute mark: Craig Morgan with a nice defensive play to stop a good scoring opportunity for the opposition.

69 minute mark: O'Connor with a nice save of a Sanchez shot.

76 minute mark: Jarvis gets it in the box.... shoots.. diving save by O'Connor..

80 minute mark: Johnson gets the ball on a pass from Sanchez.. shoots from 20 yards.. nice save by O'Connor.

Game over. 2-0 loss.

We were outshot 22-4 (8-0 on goal)

Eddie Johnson won MoM, 26 of 30 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

McShane (our most consistent defender the last two years has twisted his ankle and will miss about 2 weeks.

Kelly is suspended for our next game.

Good thing that Wall is healthy again..

[Eaglesfan27]

Actually, I just noticed we have about 2 weeks til our next game. Hopefully, this will give time for several guys to become healthy.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 26, 2008 -

Collett rejected our latest contract offer and he wants 2,600/week now. Our board won't allow that. Hopefully, he agrees to go on the deal that we have worked out. That transfer money could be helpful if we can pick up a young rising talent.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 27, 2008 -

Bradford City just got stud keeper Enrico Bonifazi on loan for the next 3 months.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 29, 2008 -

Oldham have offered 150,000 dollars plus 25% for Collett as well. I agree to accept this deal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Silly me.. I just realized Oldham is in League One.. They are currently 1st. Oh well, we are in no danger of winning this thing this year anyway. Collett has agreed to go to Oldham as he wants to play with such a well supported club.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug. 30, 2008 -

Today we had a fairly good draw for LDV Vans Trophy. In the 1st round we will be traveling to play Stockport (League 2.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 3, 2008 -

Greg Kelly injured his groin in practice today and will miss at least 2 weeks.

Palmer also injured his groin and will also miss about 2 weeks.

Fans are flooding the team website wondering how we are going to pick up vital points to avoid relegation with all of the injuries we are having.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 6, 2008 -

Today we face one of the clubs that were just promoted to League One with us. Barnsley is doing better in League One and is currently in 16th place. We are in 24th place. We are hosting them today. They are led by striker Mark Burchill who is clearly their most dangerous player. Right fullback Ryan willetts is a very good defender. Right winger Nicky Wroe is a good setup man. Keeper John Ruddy is good, but not as good as most of the keepers we have been facing this year. This is clearly one of our best shots to get our first League One win.


We beat them 1-0 both times we faced them last year.


They are heavy 4-7 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the high 40's today.

GK: O'Connor
DL: Barnard
DC: Wall
DC: McShane
DR: Morley
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Soares
AMC: Gardner
SC: Smyth
SC: Darren Hawkins

S1: Scarsella
S2: Black
S3: Barnett
S4: Mike Davies
S5: Kyle Wallwork

[Eaglesfan27]

7 minute mark: Soares dribbles up the right sideline.. centers for Gardner.. he heads it.. towards the upper right corner.. just barely wide...

8 minute mark: Hawkins gets the ball in the right corner of the pitch.. crosses for Smyth.. great play by the keeper to intercept the pass.

9 minute mark: Burchill gets a long pass in the box... shoots.. upper right corner.. O'Connor dives.. tips it over the bar.

17 minute mark: Mcshane with a nice header to stop a pass from getting to Burchill.

20 minute mark: Smyth with a nice pass to Hawkins.. Hawkins is running in on goal.. he is tripp.. no he is called for diving.. Yellow card for Hawkins.

21 minute mark: Niven crosses for Burchill... he heads it.. upper right corner... great save by O'connor.


32 minute mark: wroe gets a yellow card for tripping Wright.

35 minute mark: Morley intercepts a pass deep in our zone.. passes it deep for Surey.. he dribbles into the box.. fakes left.. fakes a pass to his left.. shoots.. lower right corner.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

Halftime. Up 1-0. We have a (record I think) crowd of 3792 fans here today.

46 minute mark: Gardner gets the ball after a pass from Surey.. passes between two defenders to Smyth.. Smyth with a big left footer.. it deflects off Willetts.. into the lower left corner of the net!!!! GOAL!!!! 2-0! That is Smyth's 50th league goal for team according to the announcer.

49 minute mark: Boulding crosses for Burchill.. he heads it.. O'Connor blocks it.. Burchill volleys the rebound.. into the right lower corner of the net.. GOAL. Up 2-1 still.

54 minute mark: Surey intercepts a pass at midfield.. passes to Gardner... Gardner is just outside the box... draws two defenders.. passes between them.. Smyth gets it.. quick powerful left footed shot.. into the upper right corner!!!! GOAL!!!! 3-1.

76 minute mark: Gardner is tired. I decide to put M. Davies in for him. Surey is tired, I put Barnett in for him. The crowd gives Gardner a standing ovation!

88 minute mark: Burchill gets the ball just 10 yards out.. shoots.. O'Connor with a very nice save!

GAME OVER!!! 3-1 Win! We have our first League One Win!!!

We were outshot 13-7 (6-4 on goal)

Craig Gardner had a 10 for form and wins MoM, 26 of 32 passes, 0 tackles, 7 of 9 headers, 2 interceptions, 3 runs, 2 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We officially set a record for attendance this past game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 13, 2008 -

Today we play Blackpool on the road. Blackpool is currently 20th in League One. We are still 24th. Blackpool was the team that won the playoffs last year in League Two and were promoted through those means. Blackpool has good talent. Namely star right winger Richard Langley who is still a very good player. Centreback Rob Clare keys the defense. Striker anthony Elding leads the offense. Keeper Ben Smith has played ery well this year and can be nearly impossible to beat at times, but he has been peppered with shots this year. This is a team we should be ale to beat.

We beat them 3-1 and 2-0 last year.

They are 5-4 favorites.

It's raining and temperatures are in the high 40's right now.

We are using the same lineup as last game since they played so very well together.

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: smyth was hurt by Clare but he can continue to play.

14 minute mark: Wright plays a perfect pass to Smyth in the left corner of the box.. Smyth shoots.. the keeper barely deflects it over the bar.

17 minute mark: Richardson gets a good shot on goal.. O'Connor tips it over the bar.

21 minute mark: Scramble in front of the opposition's net.. Smyth's shot is blocked by the keeper.. Hawkin's shot is blocked.. finally the defense clears it.

33 minute mark: Mcshane with a great defensive play on Langley.

38 minute mark: Morley gets a yellow card for a trip on Langley.

41 minute mark: Clare gets a yellow card for tripping Hawkins.

44 minute mark: Wright with a great pass to Hawkins in the box.. McGregor gets to him almost immediately and clears it.

Halftime: 0-0 tie. Announced crowd of just over 8,000 fans for Blackpool today.

52 minute mark: Soares with a spot on pass to Smyth in the box.. Smyth shoots.. barely wide right.

58 minute mark: O'Connor with a great save of a Langley shot from just inside the box..

61 minute mark: Gardner is tired, so I sub in M. Davies.

64 minute mark: Wall gets a warning for pulling Elding's shirt.. Hawkins is furious with the call.. Hawkins gets a yellow card for arguing with the ref.

72 minute mark: Soares is tired, so I sub in Barnett on the right wing.

78 minute mark: Smyth with a great dribble between two defenders.. crosses for Davies.. he settles it.. shoots.. nice save by the keeper.

83 minute mark: Smyth gets a pass from Davies in the box.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it partially.. it's trickling towards the goal line.. McGregor gets to it just before it scores a goal for us.. he clears it.

87 minute mark: Langley gets the ball in the box.. hard shot.. great save by O'Connor.

88 minute mark: Smyth passes it to Davies in the box.. shoots for the upper right corner.. great save by their keeper.

89 minute mark: Smyth gets a pass from Davies in the box.. shoots.. their keeper tips it over the bar.

Game over. 0-0 tie.

We outshot them 17-14 (8-4 on goal)

Their keeper Ben Smith won MoM.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 20, 2008 -

We have moved out of 24th place to 22nd place! We are hosting Brentford today. Brentford is currently in 14th and they have several very good players. Left winger Steve Hunt is a class player. This former national Irish player has speed, determination, and great passing. They have a good pair of strikers in young Scott Marshall and Jamaican legend Deon Burton. Deon has 51 caps and 10 goals in his career, and he is still a good striker. Keeper Simon Royce is 37, but still has the talent to get it done in goal. However, he is slowing down and hopefully we can beat him today. Centreback David Raven has been playing well this year.


We've never played them before.

They are 4-6 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the high 40's today.

We are using the same lineup as the last 2 games.

[Eaglesfan27]

12 minute mark: Hawkins gets it on the right edge of the pitch.. crosses for Gardner.. he shoots.. barely wide left.

Halftime: 0-0.. very defensive first half for both clubs. 3633 fans here today to support us.

46 minute mark: Wright takes a direct kick from just left of the penalty area.. beautiful high pass for Surey.. he jumps.. heads it in!!! GOAL!!! Surey with the nice header (I'm thinking of replacing him too..) Up 1-0.

62 minute mark: Hawkins gets a yellow card for diving.

64 minute mark: McShane tries a pass back to the keeper.. but he gives it to Muldowney directly in front of the goal.. O'Connor doesn't have a chance as it is an easy tap in for Muldowney for the goal 1-1 tie.

Game over. 1-1 tie. Least we are starting to play better and might avoid relegation.

We were outshot 18-8 (4-2 on goal)

Craig Gardner wins MoM (and is playing my pivotal AMC spot VERY well), 9 for form, 31 of 35 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 2 of 7 headers, 5 interceptions, 1 run, 4 fouls drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Mark Smyth strained his quads and will miss approximately a week, including our Vans Fixture in 3 days.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 22, 2008 -

Thanks to the money that I raised from Collett's sale, I have added Bournemouth's Stephen Cooke to my team. Stephen Cooke is a 25 year old midfielder who is incredibly versatile and can play any of my midfield positions from what my scout thinks. He agreed to take a significant paycut to come to my team (salary dropping from 4,800 dollars/week to 1500/week.)

He was valued at 150,000, but Bournemouth (7th in League One) sold him for only 32,000.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Despite Surey's recent goal scoring run, I expect Cooke to take over that midfield position. He will certainly get a shot at taking it over.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 23, 2008 -

Today we travel to play Stockport (24th in League Two) in the 1st round of the Vans Trophy. Their only really quality player is striker Curtis Allen who is on loan from Stoke but is ineligible for this cup match. Since all of their loan players are ineligible, we should be able to handle them easily. Their best player is likely striker Luke Beckett who is questionable for this game due to a heel injury.

We have a career record of 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses against them. Last year we beat them 6-0, but lost to them 5-4 in the rematch.

We are 6-4 favorites.

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

GK: O'Connor
DL: Barnard
DC: Wall
DC: McShane
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Soares
AMC: Gardner
SC: Kelly (I want to see if he can pitch in at forward with Gardner seizing that AMC spot)
SC: Hawkins

S1: Scarsella
S2: Palmer
S3: Barnett
S4: Davies (mike)
S5: Baker

[Eaglesfan27]

1 minute mark: Rickie Lambert gets a yellow card for a trip on Gardner.

11 minute mark: soares gets a yellow card for a trip on Lambert.

25 minute mark: O'Connor with a great save of a shot by Malcolm.

31 minute mark: Gardner feeds a pass to Kelly.. he shoots.. barely wide right..

32 minute mark: Kelly crosses for Hawkins who heads it to Gardner.. he shoots.. great save by the keeper.

38 minute mark: Wall gets a yellow card for tripping Beckett just outside the box.

43 minute mark: O'Connor with a nice save of a shot by Lambert from just outside the box.

45 minute mark: Gardner feeds it to Hawkins just inside the box.. Hawkins shoots.. wide left.

Halftime: 0-0 tie.

57 minute mark: Adams crosses it to Lambert who heads it in from the near post.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

Barnard is having a bad game, so I sub in Barnett for Barnard.

I also decide to sub in Palmer for Hawkins at this point.

65 minute mark: Palmer gets it at midfield.. dribbles down the center of the pitch.. past two defenders.. into the box.. shoots... over the bar.

68 minute mark: Gardner gets it just outside the box.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. over the bar.

72 minute mark: Palmer with a crisp pass to Kelly just outside the box.. he fakes left.. dribbles to his right.. shoots.. upper right corner.. it's past the keeper!!! GOAL!!!! 1-1.

85 minute mark: Fish gets it at midfield.. passes it to Beckett.. Beckett shoots.. O'Connor blocks it.. Roca gets the rebound.. taps it in for the goal.. DOWN 2-1.

87 minute mark: palmer crosses for Gardner who shoots for the upper left corner.. the keeper dives and tips it over the bar.

88 minute mark: wright gets it at midfield.. passes to Gardner who dribbles into the box.. he shoots.. the keeper barely tips it over the bar.

90 minute mark: Gardner gets the ball at midfield.. perfect pass to Kelly just outside the box.. Kelly with a wonderful dribble between two defenders.. shoots it into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! That is his 2nd. 2-2.

94 minute mark: Gardner passes it to Kelly just outside the box.. Kelly shoots.. the keeper deflects it over the bar.

Extra Time! Tied 2-2.

Gardner is exhausted. I decide to leave Kelly at forward where he is doing well, and I move Mike Davies into the game at Gardner's spot.

97 minute mark: Palmer gets it at midfield.. passes it between two defenders to Kelly.. he has it 30 yards out.. dribbles down the pitch.. he is beating the defenders to the box.. he shoots from 15 yards.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives... it's past him!!! GOAL!!!! 3-2! Kelly has his hattrick!

104 minute mark: Soares feeds it to Davies just outside the box.. Davies shoots.. keeper blocks it.. Kelly gets the rebound which he slams into the back of the net! GOAL!!!! 4-2!!! That is Kelly's 4th goal, and 5th of the season!

Half time of extra time: Up 4-2.

110 minute mark: Soares with a great pass to Davies.. he shoots.. hits the crossbar.. the defense clears the rebound.

115 minute mark: Kelly is hurt, but the trainer feels he can finish the game.

120 minute mark: Beckett passes it to Anton Smith who kicked the ball into the upper right corner.. GOAL. Still up 4-3.

Game over. 4-3 win. Kelly almost singlehandedly prevents an embarassing loss.

We outshot them 20-12 (11-7 on goal)

Kelly wins MoM, 10 for form, 28 of 32 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 1 of 2 headers, 4 interceptions, 4 runs, 4 goals!

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Andrew Wright suffered a chest injury and will miss about 5 days.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 26, 2008 -

We received a very favorable draw in the 2nd round of the English LDV Vans Trophy North as we will be hosting Darlington which is currently 19th in the English Conference National.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep. 27, 2008 -

We are currently 23rd in League One play. Today we travel to play Peterborough which is in 20th place. Peterborough is led by the very talented striker Elvis Hammond. Left winger Jimmy Morgan is young and talented and is a great assist man. Midfielder Daryl Fordyce is developing into a good all around player. Keeper Luke Steele (one of my favorites in CM 03/04 for a lower league team) has developed into a good player at this level.

We've never played them before.

They are 4-7 favorites

It's overcast with temperatures in the mid 50's today.


GK: O'Connor
DL: Barnard
DC: Wall
DC: McShane
DR: Black
ML: Baker
MC: Cooke (our new acquisition)
MR: Soares
AMC: Gardner
SC: Kelly (Smyth is still hurt and Kelly certainly played well at the position last game)
SC: Palmer

S1: Scarsella
S2: Hawkins
S3: Barnett
S4: Davies
S5: Surey