FM: Leaving Harrogate Behind - The Wigan Experience.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Paddy stops 2 shots from Parkin.

2nd minute: Osorio heads away a pass.. Spiller gets it.. long pass from Spiller to the edge of the box.. Paulista beats the defender to it.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

6 minute mark: Melara gets a yellow card for pulling the jersey of Cochrane.

8 minute mark: Paulista is run over by Biggins.. Paulista is writhing in pain.. he has to come out of this game. I put Giuliani in for him.

20 minute mark: Rolfes with a pass into the box for Giuliani.. he shoots.. wide left.

25 minute mark: Tomasz with a series of great defensive plays.

26 minute mark: Kris Commons gets a yellow card for pulling Melara's jersey.

40 minute mark: Melara steals it at midfield.. passes to Benayoun who passes to Giuliani who heads it to Begeorgi in the box.. he shoots a very hard shot.. left corner of the net.. the keeper saves it.

43 minute mark: Cochrane gets a yellow card for pulling Lunt's jersey.


Halftime: We are winning 1-0. They have over 27,000 fans here today.


59 minute mark: Begeorgi has it on the left corner of the box.. passes to Benayoun in the middle of the box.. he shoots.. WIDE right. Terrible shot.

65 minute mark: Commons passes it into the left half of the box for Turner.. he shoots from 10 yards out.. into the upper left corner of the net.. GOAL. 1-1.

Kelly on for Benayoun who is tired.

86 minute mark: Kelly with a good pass to Begeorgi in the box.. Begeorgi with a ultra fast shot towards the upper left corner.. the keeper barely turns it over the bar.. Begeorgi has to have the fastest shot I've seen as a manager.

91 minute mark: Lunt is injured by Commons.. he can't finish the match. I put Mares on for Lunt to finish the match.


Game over. 1-1 tie.

We dominated possession and outshot them 15-8 (8-4 on target)

Melara won MoM, 35 of 39 passes, 10 of 13 tackles, 1 of 2 headers, 8 interceptions, 4 runs, 2 fouls drawn. 9 for form. Wall rebounded nicely with an 8 for form this match.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Kenny Lunt damaged his heel and will miss a week.

Wellington Paulista has a damaged shin and will miss about a week.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 12, 2009 -

Preston have signed Joey Gudjonsson from Leicester for 260,000 dollars.

We host Watford today. We are currently in 4th place while they are in 16th place. Watford is led by the excellent play of their keeper David Preece. Centreback Fitz Hall leads the defense. Midfielder Michael Higdon is a solid player. Striker Heidar Helguson leads the offense with 5 goals.

We are 5-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Osorio
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Elliott
MC: Stewart
MC: Benayoun
MC: Spiller
MR: Melara
SC: Graham
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Wall
S3: Mares
S4: Kelly
S5: Giuliani

[Eaglesfan27]

8 minute mark: Our offense passes it around the perimeter of the box.. finally Elliott crosses to Graham.. he heads it.. into.. the crossbar.

24 minute mark: Benayoun passes back to Spiller who shoots... just over the bar.

35 minute mark: Melara crosses to Elliott.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.

41 minute mark: Paulo tracks down a ball in the right corner of the pitch.. crosses for Graham.. Graham jumps.. the keeper outjumps him and intercepts it.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have over 13,000 fans today.


56 minute mark: Spiller passes to Benayoun who shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper is out of position.. it hits a defender and bounces out of bounds.

67 minute mark: Elliott crosses for Benayoun in the box.. he heads it.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. tips it over the bar.

71 minute mark: Melara crosses to Spiller.. he settles.. shoots from 25 yards out.. strong powerful curving shot.. heading to the upper right corner.. great save by the keeper.

87 minute marK: Elliott crosses to Spiller who shoots from 20 yards.. very good save by the keeper.


Game over: They played turtle all match and held us to a 0-0 tie.

We outshot them 16-2 (8-1 on target)

Stuart Elliott had a 10 for form!

He also won MoM, 50 of 59 passes, 3 of 3 tackles, 2 of 2 headers, 13 runs.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 15, 2009 -

Trevor Francis has been sacked by Birmingham City. Paul Scholes is the leading candidate to take over the manager's job.

Stuart Elliott was selected to the Championship Team of the Week.

Joe Kinnear has taken over at Birmingham City. So much for that rumor.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 19, 2009 -

Blackburn has fired Mark Hughes. Paul Scholes is being linked as the favorite to get the job (sheesh the media seem to love this guy [I like him too])

Greg Pearson has told the national media that he is unhappy being in the reserves and believes he deserves place in my top 11!

Liverpool has sent Sami Hyypia on loan to watford!!

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 19, 2009 -

Today we travel to play the Wolves. They are currently in 1st place while we are in 5th place. They have a strong balanced team. They are led by midfielder Seyi George Olofinjana who is playing extremely well this year. They have instealled a new keeper recently in Ben Williams since Arni Gautar Arason has been struggling. I wonder who will start today. Right back Darren Kenton will play strong defense in front of whoever it is. They have a very varied offense with 4 different players having 8 goals: Right winger David Thompson, Striker David Healy (who is questionable due to a heel injury), Striker Kevin Lisbie, and Striker Jay Bothroyd.

They are 5-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Osorio
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Elliott
MC: Rolfes
MC: Benayoun
MC: Spiller
MR: Melara
SC: Graham
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Wall
S3: Begeorgi
S4: Kelly
S5: Paulista

[Eaglesfan27]

5 minute mark: Paddy with a nice save of a shot by Bothroyd.

17 minute mark: Their defense smothers Benayoun as he gets into the box.

27 minute mark: Graham with a corner kick.. Paulo heads it.. the keeper with a good save.

Their defense is smothering our offensive attempts.

45 minute mark: Paulo tries a long range shot.. just wide left.

Ben Williams with a good first half on the few shots that reached him.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. The Wolves have over 24,000 fans today.


46 minute mark: Long pass from Craddock on the counter attack.. Julian Gray heads it to Bothroyd in the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. Paddy dives.. it's past him.. GOAL.

62 minute mark: Thompson takes the corner kick.. finds Dunne inside the box.. by the near post.. he heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL. DOwn 2-0. We are being beaten in every phase of the game.

I bring on Kelly for Benayoun, Begeorgi on for Graham and Paulista on for Paulo to try to fire up the offense.

73 minute mark: Kelly passes it into the box.. Paulista with a rare open shot.. fakes left.. dribbles right.. has the open shot towards the upper right corner.. the keeper dives back and tips it over the bar.. Amazing recovery by Ben Williams to save that one.


Game over: 2-0 loss. We were dominated today.

They outshot us 14-9 (7-3 on target)

Julian Gray wins MoM, 23 of 29 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 2 of 6 headers, 3 interceptions, 5 fouls drawn, 1 assist. 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 20, 2009 -

Greg Kelly injured his groin in training today and will the next 2 weeks approximately.

[SunDancer]

Nice to hear the success..

Is the new formation working well?

EF, I think I've found my new laptop: P4 Processor (3.6 Ghz), 1GB RAM, 80GB HD. Should kick some butt for FM2005 I think?

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 21, 2009 -
I just realized we are exactly halfway through the season. Due to our recent losses we are now in 9th place, but we are only 2 points out of 3rd and 5 points out of 2nd. The Wolves are pulling away though. Allow me to post a shot of the league standings from today's newspaper:

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 21, 2009 -

Other thoughts at the halfway point:

Our 36 goals are 5th best in the league. The Wolves are 1st with 39 (tied with Everton.)

Our 21 goals allowed are 4th best in the league. Millwall is best with only 9 allowed! The Wolves are second with only 12 allowed which is also impressive.

The Wolves are best in the league with a +27 Goal Differential. We are second at plus 15.

Given the fact that I cost us a few wins early in the season with my failed experimental formation, I think we are doing exceptionally well this season. I expect us to finish in either second or third place. I think the Wolves will be too hard to catch and will likely win the League Title. I'd be happy with second and automatic promotion.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 23, 2009 -

Tomasz Jarzebowski was selected to the Team of the Week.

Blackburn becomes the latest team to overlook Paul Scholes as they hire Ciriaco Cano to take over as manager.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Nice to hear the success..

Is the new formation working well?

EF, I think I've found my new laptop: P4 Processor (3.6 Ghz), 1GB RAM, 80GB HD. Should kick some butt for FM2005 I think?

That definitely sounds like it will kick butt

I can't wait to get a new laptop, but saving up money for a downpayment for a house is top priority right now,

Since switching to the new formation our record is: 10 wins 4 losses and 6 draws. We had 2 losses and 2 ties before the switch. So I think it is much more successful than the old experimental formation. I also think we are doing well as a team. I'm very hopeful that we will get promoted this year.

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

That definitely sounds like it will kick butt

I can't wait to get a new laptop, but saving up money for a downpayment for a house is top priority right now,

Since switching to the new formation our record is: 10 wins 4 losses and 6 draws. We had 2 losses and 2 ties before the switch. So I think it is much more successful than the old experimental formation. I also think we are doing well as a team. I'm very hopeful that we will get promoted this year.

Yeah, it was priced about $2400-something, HP, includes a printer, mouse, printer cable, and backpag. Not bad, along with a 3-year warranty.

Think it could run all the leagues in Europe (not sure how many countries, and leagues their are)?

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 26, 2009 -

Today we host Stoke. We are currently in 9th place while they are in 2nd place. Stoke has a well balanced team as well. Midfielder Paolo Vernazza is a real playmaker. Right fullbak Simon Francis is an intimidating defender. Keeper Neil Alexander is above average and has played well lately. entreback Wayne Thomas and Antonio Soldevilla also play very good defense. Strikers Gifton Noel-Williams and Karl Noon power the attack.

We are 6-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Osorio
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Elliott
MC: Rolfes
MC: Benayoun
MC: Spiller
MR: Melara
SC: Graham
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Wall
S3: Begeorgi
S4: Teale
S5: Paulista

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Yeah, it was priced about $2400-something, HP, includes a printer, mouse, printer cable, and backpag. Not bad, along with a 3-year warranty.

Think it could run all the leagues in Europe (not sure how many countries, and leagues their are)?

I'm not sure. I suspect it could run them all, but if you want to run all of the divisions of all of them, I suspect it will be somewhat slow. There is only one way to find out how quickly it runs

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Benayoun attacks but is stopped by the keeper.. he kicks a long pass to Noel-Williams.. Noel fakes right.. goes left.. the keeper comes out to cut down the angle.. Noel-Williams chips it.. over the keeper.... into the goal. Down 1-0.

8 minute mark: Melara with the corner.. Spiller heads it... barely over the bar.

30 minute mark: Thomas shuts down Paulo yet again.

33 minute mark: Melara takes the corner.. Elliott jumps.. Ryan Hutchinson jumps.. whistle.. Hutchinson is adjudged to have pushed Elliott... Penalty shot awarded! Benayoun steps up to take it.. drills it into the lower right corner. GOAL!!!! 1-1.

38 minute mark: Benayoun passes it to Graham just outside the box.. he shoots.. wide left.


Halftime: 1-1 tie. We have over 17,000 fans here today!


63 minute mark: Begeorgi on for Graham.

78 minute mark: Osorio with a good defensive play.. sends it down the pitch to Paulo.. he centers to Benayoun in the box.. Benayoun misses it.. Elliott gets it.. shoots.. wide right.

81 minute mark: Vernazza with a good pass into the box for Noon.. he unleashes a powerful shot.. Paddy dives.. tips it over the bar.

85 minute mark: Osorio chasing Noel-Williams in the box.. Noel-Williams falls to the ground.. the whistle blows.. I hold my breath.. whew.. he is called for diving and gets a yellow card.

91 minute mark: Elliott, Rolfes, and Paulo have a flurry of shots that don't make it in because of good defenders by the keeper.


Game over. 1-1 tie.

We played very well, but so did they.

We outshot them 10-6 (4-2 on target in their favor.)

Stuart Elliott won MoM, 25 of 29 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 7 of 7 headers, 9 runs, 3 fouls drawn, 1 assist. 10 for form.

Yossi Benayoun and Paulo each had 9's. Paddy, Jarzebowski, Melara, and Graham all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 29, 2009 -

Jarzebowski, Elliott, and Benayoun were all selected to the Championship Team of the Week.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 29, 2009 -

Today we are traveling to Crystal Palace. They are currently in 12th place. We are currently in 7th place. They have a very good defense but weak offense. Their leading scorer is midfielder Richard Chaplow who has 7 goals. Keeper Luis Garcia has played very well this year. Right fullback John Halls has played very well and is in demand from some several EPL teams. Centrebacks Mark Hudson and Ivar Ingimarsson are both very good. Striker Wayne Andrews is the leading striker with 5 goals.

We are 5-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Osorio
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Lunt
MC: Rix
MC: Melara
MC: Spiller
MR: Teale
SC: Begeorgi
SC: Paulista

S1: Gerken
S2: Wall
S3: Rolfes
S4: Giuliani
S5: Paulo

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Melara passes it to Begeorgi in the left half of the box.. Begeorgi shoots.. barely wide left.

4 minute mark: Jarzebowski with a great defensive play.

7 minute mark: Rix passes to Paulista in the box.. impressive crossover dribbles takes him to his left.. shoots towards the left lower corner.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

9 minute mark: Melara with a nice pass into the box.. Begeorgi shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

15 minute mark: Rix passes it to Melara at the edge of the box.. Melara shoots.. the keeper tips it over.

31 minute mark: Paddy stops a hard shot from McKenna.

40 minute mark: Paddy stops a hard shot from Campbell.

44 minute mark: Rix passes to Melara in the box.. he shoots.. the keeper barely tips it over the bar.


Halftime: Up 1-0. Crystal Palace has over 23,000 fans at this game.


52 minute mark: Paddy stops a hard shot from Chaplowe.

55 minute mark: Melara with a great pass between two defenders.. sets up Begeorgi in the middle of the box with just the keeper.. Begeorgi dribbles to this right.. shoots.. right lower corner.. powerful shot.. right past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

66 minute mark: Mark Hudson gets a yellow card for pulling Paulista's jersey.

71 minute mark: McKenna with the corner kick.. Garry heads it... into the upper left corner.. GOAL. Still up 2-1.


Game over. 2-1 win for us.

We outshot them 15-12 (8-5 on target in their favor)

Rix has a 10 for form and wins MoM, 24 of 30 passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 5 of 10 headers, 3 interceptions, 1 run, 1 assist.

Everyone except Begeorgi had an 8 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 30, 2009 -

My Assistant reminds me that Gary Teale's contract will expire in 6 months. WOO HOO!! The Board has been restricting offers, but somehow they will let me give him the 22,000 he wants. I feel this is a key signing because he is the number 1 fan favorite according to my staff. I offer him the 22,000 that he is looking for and request that he agree to a 3 year deal instead of just a 1 year extension.

Paddy Kenny wants 18,500/week which is his current salary. Despite his few flubs, he is still a top notch keeper. I decide to offer him the 18,500 that he wants.

Stuart Elliott wants 30,000/week. He is currently paid 28,000/week. I decide to offer him the 26,500/week which is the maximum the board will allow.

Finally, Ben Rix is a tough choice. He is currently making 25,000/week. He is mostly a rotator, but he is 26 and my other midfielders are generally older. Rix can definitely play. I decide to give him the 24,000 that he is requesting as I feel he would be a valuable player even at the EPL level and I think we will get promoted this year.

I'm really shocked that the board is allowing me to pay all of this money to these guys.


Matt Harrold is a 25 year old striker who is decent as a reserve, but he isn't going to be good enough to have any first team action with us. I decide to let him go and not offer him a new deal since he wants 6,000/week.

Alex Williams is a 21 year old right winger who is playing nicely with the reserve team. He is currently making 1900/week. He is requesting 1900/week to resign for 2 more years. I decide to give him that extension.

Kevin Wright is a 19 year old striker who has played well for my reserve team. He is developing some and is currently making 220/week. He wants 340/week to stay. I agree.

Jason Morris is a 20 year old central defender who hasn't shown much yet. I decide to let him go when his deal ends.

I'm really shocked that the board is allowing me to offer big money to these guys.

Checking my finances, I see we actually made 40,000 this month! Our rise in attendance is starting to generate income We are still almost a million in debt, but the board might see the light at the end of the tunnel

[Eaglesfan27]

January 1, 2010 -

CRAP! Crystal Palace has also offered a contract to Stuart Elliott.

Alex Williams has signed a new deal with us.

Ben Rix has signed the deal that we offered.



The board has informed me that they are delighted with my performance as manager.

Stuart Elliott has damaged his foot in training and will miss about a week.



Arsenal's Thierry Henry has won World Footballer of the Year. Joaquin of Real Madrid came in 2nd, and Damien Duff of Manchester Utd came in 3rd.

Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes has won World Player of the Year. Damien Duff of Manchester Utd came in 2nd, and Henry came in 3rd.

Reyes has also won European Footballer of the Year. Henry came in 2nd, and Joaquin came in 3rd.

Arsenal's Manuel Almunia has won European Goalkeeper of the Year. Tim Howard of Manchester United came in 2nd, and Petr Cech of Chelsea came in 3rd.

Real Madrid's Maxwell has won European Defender of the Year. Philipp Lahm of Real Madrid came in 2nd, and Adriano of Juventus came in 3rd.

Real Madrid's Joaquin won European Midfielder of the Year award. Patrick Vieira of Arsenal came in 2nd, and Damien Duff came in 3rd.

Thierry Henry won European Striker of the Month. Javier Saviola of Arsenal came in 2nd, and Wayne Rooney of Manchester Utd came in 3rd.




Stuart Elliott has won English Championship Player of the Month. Thomas Gravesen of Everton came in 2nd, and Gregory Vignal of Stoke came in 3rd.

Watford's Gary Fox has won Young Player of the Month. Andy Campbell of Crystal Palace came in 2nd, and Scott Phelan of Stoke came in 3rd.

Everton's Micky Adams has won Manager of the Month. Paul Fairclough of the Wolves came in 2nd, and Alan Pardew of Stoke came in 3rd.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 1, 2010 (later that night) -

Kevin Wright has signed a new contract with the club.

Paddy Kenny signed his new deal for 3 more years!

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan. 2, 2010 -

Today we host Southend in the English FA cup match.

Southend is currently 18th in League Two. Their best left fullback Mike Howell is injured. David Bryan is their best midfielder. Adam Barress is their best centreback. He is average at best. Keeper Tony Caig is below average. Their leading scorer is striker Shahed Ahmed who has 3 goals.

We are 1-6 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Wall
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Lunt
MC: Rolfes
MC: Benayoun
MC: Spiller
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Nicell
s3: Stewart
s4: Begeorgi
S5: Giuliani

[Eaglesfan27]

23 minute mark: They have been playing turtle all match.. but Paddy makes a save.. long pass to Benayoun in the box.. he dribbles to his right.. around the keeper.. shoots.. the keeper dives back.. tips it over the bar.. great recovery.

31 minute mark: Paulo gets the ball on the right side of the box.. centers for Benayoun.. hard shot.. upper left corner.. good save by the keeper.

38 minute mark: Rolfes steals it at midfield.. passes it to Spiller.. he passes to Paulo.. Paulo draws two defenders.. passes it to Benayoun in the box.. fakes right.. goes left.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


Halftime: 1-0 lead. Only 7,800 fans to see this inferior team (hopefully) lose to us.


47 minute mark: Lunt passes it into the box for Paulo.. he shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

58 minute mark: Rolfes steals it at midfield.. passes it to Paulo.. he heads it to Benayoun in the box.. Benayoun shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0!

66 minute mark: Begeorgi on for Graham, Giuliani on for Paulo, and stewart on for Spiller.

82 minute mark: Stewart with a pass into the box for Begeorgi.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Begeorgi gets the rebound.. powerful smash towards the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0!


Game over. Benayoun couldn't get the hat trick, but a nice 3-0 win

We outshot them 18-1 (9-1 on target)

Paulo had a 10 for form and won MoM, 24 of 25 passes, 0 tackles, 2 of 5 headers, 1 interception, 9 runs, 2 fouls drawn, 2 assists.

Benayoun also had a 10 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We won 90,000 for that English FA Cup win.

Gary Teale has signed with us for 3 more years.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 4, 2010 -

Ben Rix was selected to the Championship Team of the Week.

We had a fairly fortunate draw today for the fourth round of the English FA cup as we will be hosting QPR (3rd in Championship.) They are certainly better to face than the multiple EPL teams still around in the cup.

Our match against them will be 1/16/10.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 5, 2010 -

DARN! Stuart Elliott rejected my contract offer as he feels that his ability should justify a more lucrative salary. I decide to offer him a higher signing bonus.

CRAP!!! Stuart Elliott accepted an offer from Crystal Palace and will be leaving once the season is over.

Left winger is one of the areas where I have relatively little depth. Although Melara might be able to play the left side according to his profile.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 6, 2010 -

Today we travel to play Chesterfield. They are currently in 23rd place while we are in 7th place.

Their most consistent player, Centreback Simon Lee is injured for this game. Striker Trevor Benjamin leads the team with 5 goals. His partner Matthew Naylor has 4 goals. Their keeper Kevin Goeman is good, but often overmatched due to a spotty defense. Ian Evatt, their centreback, will have to play well for them to beat us today.

We are 4-5 favorites

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Wall
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Lunt
MC: Rolfes
MC: Kelly
MC: Rix
MR: Melara
SC: Begeorgi
SC: Paulista

S1: Gerken
S2: Nicell
S3: Stewart
S4: Giuliani
s5: Benayoun

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Paulista gets it on the right edge of the box.. centers for Kelly who shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

22 minute mark: Greg Kelly gets a yellow card for a trip on Bejamin.

25 minute mark: Benjamin gets a yellow card for a trip on Melara.

29 minute mark: Begeorgi dribbles up the left side of the pitch... crosses to Kelly.. he shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

31 minute mark: Lunt intercepts the ball at midfield.. passes it long to Paulista.. wide open.. dribbles into the box.. dribbles hard to his right.. gets around the keeper.. fires it into the center of the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

33 minute mark: Kelly intercepts it at midfield.. passes it ot Begeorgi.. he passes bak to Kelly.. passes back to Paulista.. Paulista dribbles around two different defenders.. into the box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. the keeper dives.. it's past him.. into the net! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

39 minute mark: Wall intercepts an offensive.. long pass to Begeorgi.. he has it 30 yards out.. beats a defender with a crossover dribble.. into the box.. shoots.. lower left corner.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.


Halftime: Up 3-0. They have over 7500 fans here today.

48 minute mark: Rix with a yellow card for tripping Harvey.

54 minute mark: Paddy stops a long shot from Hudson.

61 minute mark: Begeorgi crosses to Paulista.. he shoots.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

61 minute mark: Giuliani on for Begeorgi, Nicell on for Rolfes, and Stewart on for Rix. I'm leaving Paulista in specifically to give him a shot at the hat trick.

76 minute mark: Evatt steals the ball from Paulista.. plays it back to the keeper.. the keeper misplays it! Evatt with an own goal!!!! 4-0.

86 minute mark: Paddy stops a close range shot by Benjamin.


Game over. 4-0 win.

We outshot them 16-11 (7-3 on target)

Kenny Lunt wins MoM! Perhaps he will be a good first team Left winger once Elliott goes. Melara could back him up perhaps.

Lunt with a 9 for form, 36 of 40 passes, 5 of 6 tackles, 3 of 3 headers, 7 interceptions, 1 foul drawn, 2 assists.

Jarzebowski also had a 9. The remainder of the starting lineup all had 8's and the 3 reserves had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info: Lunt collided with Matthew Naylor during that match. NAylor has a compound fracture of his leg and he will miss the remainder of the season.

Our board is delighted with that win which moves us up into 6th place.

We are 3 points out of 3rd place, 5 points out of 2nd place, and 8 points out of 1st place.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan. 9, 2010 -

Leicester has hired Kevin Keegan to be their new manager.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan. 9, 2010 -

Today we host Everton. Everton is in 3rd place while we are in 6th place. Everton has a very talented team and looks like they might be returning to the EPL this year. Everton is led by the superb play of Thomas Gravesen who has been phenomenal all year long. He has 8 assists and 6 goals and has played an all around great game every game. Left winger Andy Reid is quite good. Striker Marcus Bent is deadly on the pitch and has 15 goals already. His partner German Hornos is hurt, but Nick Chadwick has been picking up the slack and has 7 goals. Their offense will be tough to contain. Cristian Zaccardo is their right fullback and he has been leading the defense. Keeper Richard Wright has had some bad games lately, but has had a good season overall. Wright is still on top of his game at 32 years of age.

They are 6-4 favorites.

It's raining and the temperatures are in the low 40's.

GK: Paddy
DC: Hutchinson
DC: Osorio
DC: Jarzebowski
ML: Lunt (Elliott is still hurt)
MC: Stewart
MC: Benayoun
MC: SPiller
MR: Teale
SC: Begeorgi
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Kelly
S3: Wall
s4: Graham
S5: Paulista

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Osorio heads it away in our zone.. Lunt gets it.. long pass down the left side of the pitch.. Begeorgi gets to it.. dribbles into the box.. fires an ultra hard shot into the left lower corner.. Wright didn't have a chance.. GOAL!!!! 1-0! That is Begeorgi's 10th goal of the year.

9 minute mark: Li Tie gets a yellow car for a dangerous two footed tackle on Benayoun.

14 minute mark: Gravesen gets a yellow card for a trip on Teale.

17 minute mark: Aaron Lennon gets a yellow card for a trip on Lunt.

22 minute mark: Benayoun passes it to Begeorgi on the left edge of the box.. he shoots a powerful shot towards the upper right corner.. Wright dives.. barely tips it over the bar.

39 minute mark: Paddy with a great save on a shot by Chadwick.

40 minute mark: Jarzebowski gets a yellow card for a trip on Gravesen.


Halftime: Up 1-0. We have over 17,500 fans here today


47 minute mark: Osorio with a header deep in our zone to Benayoun at midfield.. he plays a perfect through ball into the left half of the box for Begeorgi.. he fakes right.. dribbles left.. shoots.. powerful shot.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

61 minute mark: Paddy stops a hard shot by Bent.

64 minute mark: Paulo is tired, I bring on Paulista for him. Benayoun is very tired, so I bring on Kelly for him.

71 minute mark: Intricate passing between Kelly, Begeorgi, and Paulista all the way down the field.. Begeorgi finally holds it up and then passes it to Paulista in the box.. Paulista fakes out one defender.. is right of the goal.. shoots the angled shot.. upper left corner of the net.. HARD shot.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

75 minute mark: Osorio heads it from in our box.. gets it to Kelly at midfield.. he passes to Begeorgi to his left.. Begeorgi with a powerful dribble.. splits two defenders.. into the box.. lightning quick shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0! That is his hat trick!


Game over!!! 4-0 win. I put out my best 11 (except for Elliott who was injured, but Lunt played well.) Also, I debate whether Paulo or Paulista is better.. in any case, I played what is close to my best 11 and smacked down a very good team. Great win for us!

We dominated ball possession, outshot them 12-7 (6-5 on target)

Fabrice Begeorgi won MoM, 22 of 25 passes, 0 tackles, 4 of 9 headers, 2 interceptions, 2 runs, 4 fouls drawn, 3 goals! 10 for form. Every other starter had an 8. Paulista had an 8 and Kelly had the lone 7 this game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Tomasz Jarzebowski has suffered a groin strain. He will miss about 2 weeks.

Mr. Whelan is thrilled with our 4-0 win over Everton. The win moves us in 4th place, and only 1 point behind the 3rd place team. We are 5 points behind the 1st and 2nd place team. Also, our GD is now plus 24 which is only 2 behind the Wolves. We still have 20 matches left to make our move up to the top of the board which is now looking more possible.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 10, 2010 -

During a private meeting, Pavel MAres stated that he expects to be playing first team football. I can't blame the guy and really do feel bad for sitting him, but he hasn't done well in this new formation. He has great skills, and if he could become more consistent at DC I'd play him there more. I'll try to give him a game soon.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Arsenal's Manuel Almunia has won European Goalkeeper of the Year. Tim Howard of Manchester United came in 2nd, and Petr Cech of Chelsea came in 3rd.

There's just something . . . wrong - so very wrong - with that sentence.

Unless it was true.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

We had a fairly fortunate draw today for the fourth round of the English FA cup as we will be hosting QPR (3rd in Championship.) They are certainly better to face than the multiple EPL teams still around in the cup.

I feel that you need to talk trash to Frogger in the other thread.

It would only be right.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

I feel that you need to talk trash to Frogger in the other thread.

It would only be right.

[Eaglesfan27]

January 13, 2010 -

Tomasz Jarzebowski, Tom Hutchinson, and Danny Spiller were all selected to the Championship Team of the Week.

[Eaglesfan27]

January 16, 2010 -

Today we host QPR for our FA Cup 4th round game. This game will be shown on live TV. QPR is currently 3rd in the Championship while we are in 4th. QPR are missing two of their most important players this game as both Shane Paul and Martin Rowlands are injured. Centreback Danny Shittu will need to help the defense have a perfect day if they are to beat us I suspect. Keeper Paul Gallacher has been phenomenal the last few weeks. Centreback Abdeslam Ouaddou has played very well. Midfielder Paul McVeigh has been a creative spark in the midfield that has generated plenty of goals for the team this year. Striker Christian Roberts will have to pick up his play with Shane Paul being injured.

We are 6-4 favorites

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

GK: Paddy
DC: Mares
DC: osorio
DC: Hutchinson
ML: Elliott
MC: Rolfes
MC: Benayoun
MC: Spiller
MR: Teale
SC: Begeorgi
SC: Paulo

S1: Gerken
S2: Kelly
S3: Wall
S4: Graham
S5: Paulista

The announcers think Stuart Elliott will be my key player while Paul Gallacher will be their key player. They think this match will likely end in a draw.

[Eaglesfan27]

10 minute mark: The keeper stops a flurry of shots including shots by Paulo, Elliott, Benayoun and Begeorgi.

25 minute mark: Osorio with a long pass down the center of the pitch.. Paulo alone in the box.. trying to fake out the keeper.. the keeper backpedals.. Paulo shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

35 minute mark: Shittu and his partner are doing a great job of shutting down our offensive pressure.


Halftime: We dominated possession and pushed the attack, but 0-0 half. We have over 16,000 fans here today


49 minute mark: Paulo splits two defenders.. passes to Benayoun in the box.. he shoots.. keeper saves.. Begeorgi gets the rebound.. very hard shot towards the net.. the keeper blocks that too.

52 minute mark: McVeigh with a corner kick to Shittu in the box.. powerful header.. very good save by Paddy.

55 minute mark: Paulo gets the ball on the right side of the pitch.. draws two defenders.. centers for Benayoun.. he is alone in the box.. strong shot towards the lower right corner.. the keeper dives... pushes it wide.

62 minute mark: Wall on for Mares, and Paulista on for Begeorgi who is tired.

75 minute mark: Spiller with a pass into the box for Paulo.. he shoots.. the keeper tips it over the bar.

90 minute mark: Benayoun with a pass to Paulista in the box.. very hard shot.. upper right corner.. the keeper tips it over the bar. Teale takes the corner kick.. sends it to Wall.. he falls down.. Shittu is adjudged to have pushed him! Penalty kick awarded! Benayoun steps up to take the shot.. looks confident.. shoots for the left side of the net.. the keeper dives.. saves it! Paulista gets to the rebound.. but the defense steals it from him!



Game over. I'm glad we didn't lose, but was sure we would win it once we got the penalty shot.

We outshot them 11-5 (7-2 on target)

Paul Gallacher wins MoM for his 7 saves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 17, 2010 -

Greg Pearson has requested that he be placed on the transfer list. I agree to his request.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 18, 2010 -

Mark Hateley is trying to play mindgames with my team. He states that we have to win today if we want to continue our march towards the EPL. He also said that he was going to win this match and he wouldn't lose any sleep if it harms Wigan's Chances of being promoted.

I respond that I believe we will be promoted today. I told the media that I do not share Hateley's view that the club would fall short of our ambition.

The 5th round of the FA Cup was drawn today. If we beat QPR in our rematch, we will be traveling to play Middlesbrough next. They are currently 8th in the EPL and will be a tough challenge.

[weinstein7]

Who is Mark Hateley? (insert "hater" joke here...but seriously, who is he?)

[Eaglesfan27]

Jan 19, 2010 -

Stuart Wall tore his groin muscle in practice today and will miss approximately 2 months which our fans feel will be a major disruption.

We travel to play Preston today. They are currently in 5th place while we are in 4th place. Preston's best striker Mark Jackson who has 15 goals is injured for this game. They have two keepers who are splitting time and playing well, and it will be interesting to see who starts. Will it be Scott Shearer or Andrew Lonergan. Either way, centreback George Pilkinton will likely play well in front of him. Right winger Stephen Taylor has also been very consistent this season. Striker Pablo Counago is a new acquisition (that I almost acquired myself) who has 7 goals on the year and will be the top striker with Jackson hurt.

Preston are 6-4 favorites

GK: Paddy
DC: Mares (was going to start Wall before his injury)
DC: Osorio
DC: Hutchinson (I hope Jarzebowski makes it back soon from his injury)
ML: Lunt
MC: Stewart
MC: Kelly
MC: Rix
MR: Melara
SC: Begeorgi
SC: Paulista

S1: Gerken
s2: Nicell
s3: Paz
s4: Graham
s5: Giuliani

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by weinstein7

Who is Mark Hateley? (insert "hater" joke here...but seriously, who is he?)

Preston's Manager.. trying to mess with my team. Paddy came into my office, and told me he is determined to show Hateley up. Managers will play mind games with your team in the media in this game

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by weinstein7

Who is Mark Hateley? (insert "hater" joke here...but seriously, who is he?)

Dola - My bad for not mentioning he was Preston's manager in the post (I thought I did but forgot to type that)

[Eaglesfan27]

It's Lonergan in goal today and he stops Begeorgi's first shot in the 1st minute.

15 minute mark: Hutchinson plays the ball down the right side of the pitch.. Paulista gets it.. dribbles around a defender... into the right side of the box.. shoots.. upper left corner with the severely angled shot... barely wide left.

28 minute mark: Stewart with a nice pass between two defenders.. gets Kelly open in the box.. he shoots.. wide right! Darn it. Great opportunity missed.

35 minute mark: Begeorgi with a nice pass into the right side of the box for Paulista.. he fakes left.. dribbles right.. shoots.. the keeper recovers and tips it over the bar.

36 minute mark: Counago beats Paddy.. Hutchinson tackles him.. and saves a goal!

42 minute mark: Melara is tackled hard by Stephen Taylor.. Melara is crumpled down on the pitch.. he is hurt bad. Least it appears that way. I have no choice but to put Nicell in for him.

45 minute mark: Kelly passes it to Paulista in the box.. he has a good shot on goal.. great save by the keeper.


Halftime: Back and forth game.. 0-0 tie. Over 19,000 fans here rooting for Preston.


53 minute mark: Conuago with a breakaway.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. Paddy stops it.

63 minute mark: Mares with a long pass to Begeorgi in the box.. he shoots a hard shot.. lower left corner.. the keeper with a brilliant save.

68 minute mark: Osorio totally misplays a long kick from the keeper as it sails over his head.. Counago gets a breakaway.. into the box.. dribbles to the right.. around Paddy.. fires it into the net. GOAL. Down 1-0.

75 minute mark: Graham on for Begeorgi, Giuliani on for Paulista.


Game over. 1-0 loss.

We outshot them 11-5 (8-4 on target) and dominated them most of the second half.. disappointing loss.

Lonergan had a 9 for form, but my guy Tom Hutchinson also had a 9 and won MoM, 25 of 27 passes, 7 of 7 tackles, 14 of 17 headers, 8 interceptions.