FM: Harrogate is marching on..

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 7, 2008 -

Leicester countered my offer by asking for 3.4 million for Joey Gudjonsson. I'll hold of on getting him for that price.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 7, 2008 -

After some further thought, I decide to offer them Jason Roberts for Gudjonsson in a straight up trade.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 8, 2008 -

Today was the draw for the quarterfinals of the League Cup. I think I probably received the most favorable draw of the various possibilities. I will be hosting Bolton in the quarterfinal match (I missed out on having to face Arsenal, Man Utd, Newcastle, Tottenham, and the Wolves.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 8, 2008 -

My Assistant Manager, Chris Hutchings, reports that Paddy Kenny was absolutely magnificient for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against Denmark today as his keeping led to a 1-0 victory for Ireland. Paddy had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 12, 2008 -

- Today we suffered a tough blow as Ben Rix tore a groin muscle. The physio wants us to send him to get surgery, but Ben wants to try to rehab and come back as soon as possible. It's a tough choice, but with our lack of depth in the midfield, I decide to go with the player and try a more conservative rehab without the surgery.

- Leicester have rejected the trade offer for Joey Gudjonsson, and suddenly I *need* him or another midfielder of a similar talent level. I decide to offer Roberts, 300,000 dollars and 25% of next sale for Gudjonsson.

- I decide to send my scouts out to look at several midfielders whom I hear are available for transfer. I also call Harrogate and offer them 300,000 for Richie Wellens. I'm going to try to re-convince Wellens to come play for us with a big pay raise..

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 12, 2008 -

Paddy Kenny played well for the Republic of Ireland in leading them to a 2-0 win over New Zealand today.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 14, 2008 -

Harrogate accepted my offer for Richie Wellens.

His agent is telling me that Richie has no interest in coming to this club. I decide to offer him a 500% pay increase to 8,000/week as well as a 40,000 dollar signing bonus. I also offer him 300/assist and a 20% annual raise.

Leicester have rejected my offer for Joey Gudjonsson.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 15, 2008 -

I've gotten my hair cut. I'm wearing a fresh new outfit. I'm bloody nervous. Today, my team is playing on TV for the first time ever. We are currently in 22nd place and we are traveling to play Ipswich. Ipswich is currently in 20th and I think we have a good chance to beat them as they are on a downturn and our spirits were really bolstered by that last win. They are led by keeper Alexandrs Kolinko who is a top notch keeper and will be difficult to beat. Tommy Miller is a creative skilled player who really plays well in the midfield. Centreback Aidan Collins is solid and getting better at the age of 22. Striker Dean Bowditch is their leading scorer with 5 goals.

We are 6-4 favorites.

It's going to be overcast with temperatures in the mid 30's today.

GK: Paddy
DL: Baines
DC: Wall
DC: Ward
DR: Wright
ML: Lunt
MC: Kelly
MC: Harrold (for the injured Rix)
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Roberts

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Edwards, Paul
S4: Edwards, Philip
S5: Mohamed Moreau

The Television commentators in the pregame show state that Gary Teale will be our key player. Tommy Miller will be the key player for Ipswich.

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Kelly with an excellent through ball for Roberts in the box.. he is tackled by Adem Atay... Penalty shot awarded!!! Graham steps up.. looks left.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

17 minute mark: Harrold gets a yellow card for pulling Melligan's jersey.

23 minute mark: Kelly passes to Lunt on the left edge of the box.. Lunt shoots.. nice save by the keeper.

25 minutemark: Watson gets off a good shot from just outside the box.. nice save by Paddy.

35 minute mark: Teale with a great cross for Lunt on the left side of the box.. Lunt shoots.. powerful shot.. just over the bar.

41 minute mark: long pass from Ward into the box.. Roberts outraces two defenders.. gets to the ball.. shoots.. upper left corner.. nice save by Ipswich's keeper.

43 minute mark: Ward with a great series of clearances of crosses.

44 minute mark: Kelly with a nice through ball.. Graham shoots.. lower left corner.. Kolinko dives.. saves it.

45 minute mark: Paddy with a brilliant block of a header off of a corner.. he punches it out to ward who sends it down the left sideline to Graham.. Graham and Teale alone with the keeper in the box.. Graham passes over the keeper's head.. Teale heads it.. into the net!!!! GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Halftime: We are up 2-0. There are over 25,000 fans at this game.

54 minute mark: Baines gets a yellow card for a trip on Melligan.

58 minute mark: Graham gets a yellow card for a trip on Watson.

65 minute mark: Melligan gets a yellow card for a trip on Lunt who was racing down the left sideline.

68 minute mark: Wright gets a yellow card for a trip on Bowditch.

69 minute mark: paddy with a nice block of a Bowditch shot.. Bowditch gets the rebound.. quickly lifts it into the upper right corner.. it's in the back of the net. GOAL. Still up 2-1.

79 minute mark: Roberts steals it at midfield along the right sideline.. he passes it to Teale who is 30 yards out.. Teale spins to his right.. around one defender.. crosses over a second defender.. into the box.. fakes out the keeper going left than right.. fires it into the back of the net.. GOAL!!!! 3-1... What a spectacular goal!

91 minute mark: Harley crosses from the left wing.. Foster is by the near post.. he outjumps Ward.. heads it.. into the net.. nice goal by Foster. GOAL. Still up 3-2.


Game over. 3-2 win for us on TV!!!

We outshot them 19-17 (10-9 on goal)

Paddy has a 9 for form and wins MoM for 7 of 9 saves. Kelly, Graham, Teale, Wall, Ward, and Lunt all had 8's for form. The rest of the team had 7's (including the out of position Harrold.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 17, 2008 -

What an ass! Richie Wellens has rejected my very generous contract offer. He'd rather stay at Harrogate and continue to make 1,600/week.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 18, 2008 -

I've just been informed that the following matches were picked for live TV coverage!!!

Dec. 14 - Hull v Wigan.

Feb. 7 - Wigan v Millwall

Feb 21 - Wigan v Preston.

I think I did well in talking about the team in the post game interview. Hopefully, I'll have a similarly positive experience in those games.

[Crapshoot]

Good move Eagles- sometimes you have abandon what you love to grow.

One piece of advice - don't always take the asking price at face value. Very often, as in the case of those young players, you can get them for less - and should make a low offer (though you might get laughed out of the park). They're still ridiculously expensive, but cheaper than their asking prices for sure.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Good move Eagles- sometimes you have abandon what you love to grow.

One piece of advice - don't always take the asking price at face value. Very often, as in the case of those young players, you can get them for less - and should make a low offer (though you might get laughed out of the park). They're still ridiculously expensive, but cheaper than their asking prices for sure.

Thanks for tha advice. I definitely know that. I'm only offering top dollar to Harrogate (as one last favor to them.) For every other team, I'm offering low and working my way up if I really want the player (such as the young Italian striker from Brescia )

[Crapshoot]

yeah - it must feel great to make that first big offer after years scrimping for pennies..

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

yeah - it must feel great to make that first big offer after years scrimping for pennies..

Absolutely!

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 18, 2008 -

Today we host Q.P.R. We are currently in 21st place, and they are in 13th place. QPR has an outstanding defensive line led by the dynamic duo of Dean Richards and Danny Shittu at centreback. They are both playing very well this year. Keeper Chris Day is solid, and has 8 clean sheets on the year. His reflexes are still impressive despite being 33. Left winger Kevin McLeod is fast a skilled dribbler and excellent at crossing the ball. Striker Christian Roberts is an excellent target for those crosses. He is the leading scorer with 6 goals this year.

They are 6-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy!
DL: Baines
DC: Wall
DC: Ward
DR: Wright
ML: Elliott (I want him to play forward but need him in the midfield with the injury to Rix)
MC: Kelly
MC: Lunt (versatile midfielder moves inside)
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Roberts

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Edwards, Paul
S4: Edwards, Philip
S5: Matt Harrold

[Eaglesfan27]

7 minute mark: Wall with a pair of quality plays in this minute to stop Christian Roberts from getting a good scoring opportunity.

10 minute mark: Wall gets a yellow card for a trip on Christian.

25 minute mark: Martin Rowlands gets a yellow card for tripping Kelly.

26 minute mark: Lunt takes a corner kick.. Roberts at the near post.. heads it.. the keeper blocks it.. Ward gets the rebound.. blasts a shot.. just over the bar.

27 minute mark: Lunt gets a yellow card for pulling Bean's jersey.

36 minute mark: Wright gets a yellow card for checking Gallen.

39 minute mark: Darren Ward gets a yellow ard for a trip on Bean.

41 minute mark: kelly trips bean.. Roberts argues the call.. yellow card on Roberts.

Halftime: 0-0. We only have 10,000 plus fans today. I guess the cold and rain kept them away.

46 minute mark: Elliott with a brilliant dribble down the left sideline in which he evaded 2 defenders.. a great cross.. Roberts by the far post.. the keeper jumps with him.. the keeper punches it away.

57 minute mark: Elliott with a good cross.. Graham heads it.. the keeper blocks it.. the defense clears it.

60 minute mark: Paddy comes out to intercept a long pass from Bircham.. oh crap.. he misplays it.. it bounces over his head into the box.. Christian Roberts beats him and Wall to the ball.. Roberts fires it home.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

65 minute mark: Paddy stops a shot from Roberts just inside the box.

73 minute mark: The defense intercepts an offensive.. Martin Rowlands with a long pass.. Christian Roberts get to it.. puts a nice move on Ward.. dribbles around him into the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. Paddy dives.. can't get to it.. GOAL. Down 2-0.

82 minute mark: Teale gets a yellow card for tripping McLeod.

Game over. 2-0 loss.

We were outshot 13-6 (5-2 on goal)

Danny Shittu won MoM. The entire defensive line was so good and they all had 9's for form!

Shittu's line - 17 of 27 passes, 13 of 16 tackles, 6 of 7 headers, 3 interceptions.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 22, 2008 -

Birmingam's young striker Jens Janse has agreed to come join us on loan for 3 months. This young Dutch player is a very good striker who has an excellent touch around the net.

[SunDancer]

EF,
I just read up prolly in two and half hours last night of your dynasty. Great read.

You are playing on a laptop? What specs are you using? How quickly does it move?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

EF,
I just read up prolly in two and half hours last night of your dynasty. Great read.

You are playing on a laptop? What specs are you using? How quickly does it move?

Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, I play FM on my laptop while having the TV on in the background for the downtime periods.

My laptop is an Inspiron 8500 from Dell. It is a Pentium 4 - 2.2 Ghz Processor with 512 MB of RAM. 40 GB Hard Drive with an 80 GB external hard drive attached.

It moves fairly well most times. For some reason it takes incessantly long to save the game throughout most points of the year. I'm not sure why, but it frequently takes over 5 minutes to save or load a game. Other than that, it moves smoothly most times and I'm currently running 10 leagues (the highest leagues in France, Spain, Italy, and all of the English Leagues down to English Conference North and South.)

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, I play FM on my laptop while having the TV on in the background for the downtime periods.

My laptop is an Inspiron 8500 from Dell. It is a Pentium 4 - 2.2 Ghz Processor with 512 MB of RAM. 40 GB Hard Drive with an 80 GB external hard drive attached.

It moves fairly well most times. For some reason it takes incessantly long to save the game throughout most points of the year. I'm not sure why, but it frequently takes over 5 minutes to save or load a game. Other than that, it moves smoothly most times and I'm currently running 10 leagues (the highest leagues in France, Spain, Italy, and all of the English Leagues down to English Conference North and South.)

I asked because I am going to a laptop later this summer, and I will take it with me to college, and besides using it for the Internet, Word Processing, and I want to get FM 2005. It's the only game I would play, and would only thing I would have installed on my system. I'm just trying to figure out the specs of powering all the leagues in Spain, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands-all leagues I consider "premier" leagues with top clubs).

This game seems to be just be reimersive from CM 03/04, and seems like its pretty solid bug-wise. Sounds like its an awesome way to just relax, play with a beer or whatever, and spend a hour or two a night, unwinding after a days work. How often do you play, and how long?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

I asked because I am going to a laptop later this summer, and I will take it with me to college, and besides using it for the Internet, Word Processing, and I want to get FM 2005. It's the only game I would play, and would only thing I would have installed on my system. I'm just trying to figure out the specs of powering all the leagues in Spain, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands-all leagues I consider "premier" leagues with top clubs).

This game seems to be just be reimersive from CM 03/04, and seems like its pretty solid bug-wise. Sounds like its an awesome way to just relax, play with a beer or whatever, and spend a hour or two a night, unwinding after a days work. How often do you play, and how long?

CM 03/04 really got me into this series, and this game just seems so much better in so many small ways. The 2D is so much better and more realistic in my opinion. The next patch should (hopefully) take care of most of the remaining bugs. You will probably need a very powerful laptop, if you want to run all of the leagues in each of those countries and have it run smmothly. If you just want to run the top Spanish, English, Scotish, Italian, German, French, and Dutch leagues than most of the newer laptops should run that smoothly. Of course, it is all a matter of how patient you are going to want to be.

As for me, when I first got it, I was playing constantly for many hours a day. There was even a joke thread about it on the general board written by someone who was very funny. Now, I usually play 4-5 times/week for at least 30 minutes and usually an hour or two. It is definitely a great way just to relax, and it is still my favorite game I've bought in the last year (and I've bought many games in the last year.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 22, 2008 -

Today we travel to play Charlton. We are currently in 21st place in the Championship. Charlton is currently in 1st and playing very well. Charlton has many good players. Midfielder Michael Tonge is a skilled player who can make some amazing passes at times. He is also a very strong dribbler. Centreback Jonathan Fortune is one of the most dominating defensive players that I've ever played against. He is strong, fast, and usually in the right position. Striker Francis Jeffers is the perfect comination of fast, agile, and technically skilled. He has a few caps for the English National Team and has 2 goals internationally. He has 8 league goals this year and will be very difficult to contain. Right winger Dennis Rommedahl is a legend for the Dutch Internation team. He has 75 caps and 17 goals for Denmark. He is one of the fastest players I've ever seen despite being 30. He is a top notch player. Keeper Stephan Andersen certainly benefits from the great talent in front of him, but he is also quite good in his own right. He has 16 clean sheets in 23 starts this year.

Charlton are even odd favorites

It's supposed to be raining with temperatures in the mid 40's.

I'm using the same lineup as last game. I'll be playing a very conservative tactic against this superior team.

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Rommerdahl gets a yellow card for pulling Elliott's jersey.

18 minute mark: Luke Young gets called for a hand ball just outside the box.. Jeffers argues the call.. yellow card for Jeffers.

25 minute mark: Rommerdahl crosses from the right wing.. Jeffers shoots.. Lunt is in the box.. deflects off him.. into the lower left corner of the goal.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

44 minute mark: elliott with a real strong dribble down the left sideline.. beats two defenders.. passes to Graham in the box.. Graham with a strong shot from 15 yards out.. goes for the lower right corner.. great save by the keeper.

45 minute mark: Tonge gets the ball from the keeper at midfield... Tonge passes to Matt Holland.. Holland passes to Jason Euell in the box.. Euell shoots from 15 yards.. Paddy waves at it as it sails over his shoulder into the back of the net.. GOAL. Down 2-0


Halftime: Down 2-0 with Charlton dominating us.

82 minute mark: Wall runs over Jeffers.. Jeffers is hurt and has to leave the pitch.

Game over. 2-0 loss.

We were outshot 10-6 (5-2 on goal)

Darren ward (and Wall) both had 8's for form.

Ward wins MoM with 24 of 32 passes, 5 of 5 tackles, 11 of 12 headers, 5 interceptions.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

My physio says that Elliott, Wright, and Baines all need rest. I wish I had some guys to play for them to give them that rest..

Jason Roberts strained his neck this game and will miss 5 days.

Birmingham's Dutch Striker Jens Janse has arrived to start his 3 month loan.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 26, 2008 -

Today we play Bolton the Quarter Final of the English League Cup. We are hosting Bolton who are currently 18th in the EPL. Bolton has a talented team led by left winger Ricardo Gardner who is a 30 year old legendary Jamaican Winger. He does everything well and is a true class player. Midfielder Kevin Nolan has no real weaknesses in his game. Centreback Nicky Hunt is strong and fast and is a very good defenisve player. Finish Keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is a great keeper who will be hard to beat even if we get past the defense.

Bolton are heavy 4-6 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy
DL: Baines
DC: Wall
DC: Ward
DR: Wright
ML: Elliott
MC: Kelly
MC: Lunt
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Janse (the new loan player)

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Patterson
S4: Edwards
S5: Harrold

[Eaglesfan27]

31 minute mark: We had been playing them remarkably even, but they earned a corner which Ceh hit for the far post.. Sonck heads it.. past Paddy.. GOAL. Down 1-0

38 minute mark: Teale trips Ceh injuring him.. He'll have to leave the game.

44 minute mark: elliott passes it to Kelly in the box.. Kelly with the hard shot towards the upper right corner.. great diving save by the keeper.

Halftime: Down 1-0. We have drawn an almost full house of 24,600 fans today.

67 minute mark: Lunt with a great through ball into the box.. Janse gets to it.. shoots for the upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. barely tips it over the bar.

70 minute mark: Elliott with a nice pass between two defenders to Kelly inside the box.. Kelly shoots.. over the keeper's shoulder.. it clangs off the crossbar.. the defense clears the rebound.

78 minute mark: Teale takes it strong down the right sideline.. he passes it across the pitch to Graham.. he shoots.. just over the bar.


Game over. 1-0 loss.

We each had 12 shots. We each had 5 shots on goal.

Jussi Jaaskelainen won MoM for them with his great keeping.

[SunDancer]

EF,
Nice...
Care to post the league standings?

Are you trying to get players for this year to help you compete? Will you consider rebuilding the team if performance isn't going well, beginning with the Bosman window in January?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

EF,
Nice...
Care to post the league standings?

Are you trying to get players for this year to help you compete? Will you consider rebuilding the team if performance isn't going well, beginning with the Bosman window in January?

I'm not playing any more tonight (nor have I been for the last few hours as I went out with some friends), but I'll post the league standings tomorrow.

I'm definitely doing anything I can to improve this team. I think the recent German midfielder and Italian Striker I have acquired will significantly boost the talent of the team. However, I think we need to continue to upgrade.

I'll also be looking at Bosman transfers, but obviously as I'm managing at a higher level of competition, I'll be more selective about who I pursue in this regard. I'm also looking at any loan players that become available such as the Dutch striker I recently borrowed for 3 months.

[Eaglesfan27]

Hmmm... speaking of which it seems that my post about my new acquisition never actually made it into this thread?

A few days ago we acquired a midfielder Rolfe (?) from FC Koln. This midfielder is an excellent passer, excellent defender, and was a steal at 280,000 dollars (valued at 1.75 million.) He will arrive on January 1st along with my new young Italian Striker from Brescia.

[SunDancer]

Now, just to clarify the new structure of England's soccer leagues from CM 03/04:

English Premier League (EPL-the top league like always)
Championship (formerly Division One)
League One (formerly Division Two)
League Two (formely Division Three)
English National Conference (English Conference)
English Regional Conference (newly added)

What was the purpose of the re-structuring?

Also, any of the other major leagues undergo any changes from CM 03/04?

Dola...do you find that the tatics are more important at the higher level of competition then in the English Conference leagues?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Now, just to clarify the new structure of England's soccer leagues from CM 03/04:

English Premier League (EPL-the top league like always)
Championship (formerly Division One)
League One (formerly Division Two)
League Two (formely Division Three)
English National Conference (English Conference)
English Regional Conference (newly added)

What was the purpose of the re-structuring?

Also, any of the other major leagues undergo any changes from CM 03/04?

Dola...do you find that the tatics are more important at the higher level of competition then in the English Conference leagues?

Add English National Conference North/South above the Regional Conference. Regional Leagues can't be played, but the Conference North and South can be played.

I have no idea what the purpose of the restructuring was, but I think it was partially a sponsorship thing as they have sponsor's names in the top leagues..

I don't know if any other major leagues underwent changes from CM 03/04, of course, the MLS (USA) being playable is a nice addition. It will be more fun after the next patch I think as their are many MLS specific issues being addressed in it. I plan on starting an MLS dynasty in the future (not sure if I will write it up or not.)

Yes, I think tactics are more important as you go up in levels. I could get by with focusing on adding good team speed at lower levels, which helped create goals. I think tactics are important on the lower levels, but I think the talent is so good at the higher levels that smart tactics become the key to success. I'm playing a vanilla 4-4-2 until I get to know this team a bit, but I plan on switching my tactics soon.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

82 minute mark: Wall runs over Jeffers.. Jeffers is hurt and has to leave the pitch.

Something extraordinarily familiar to every single Gooners.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Something extraordinarily familiar to every single Gooners.

Hehe

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Graham injured his foot and miss about 5 days, including our next game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Here are the standings at this point:

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 27, 2008 -

CRAP!! Leighton Baines "fractured his skull" according to team doctors during a training drill today. He is expected to miss at least 4 months and he leaves a huge hole at left fullback that I must fill immediately.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 29, 2008 -

Today we host Sheff. Wed. They are currently in 9th place while we are in 21st place. Sheffield's midfielder is their main strength with Chris Brunt being a creative, highly skilled left winger. Centreback Graeme Lee is a rock in the defense. Centreback Chris Doig is also very good. Striker Szilard Nemeth is their main scorer, but he is injured for this game. They will likely rely on striker Lee Peacock to pick up the scoring.

They are 5-4 favorites.

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

GK: Paddy Kenny
DL: Mark Patterson (I really don't like having to start him.)
MC: Wall
MC: Ward
MR: Wright
ML: Elliott
MC: Kelly
MC: Lunt
MR: Teale
SC: Roberts
SC: Jense

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Moreau
S4: Phillip Edwards
S5: Harrold

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Teale with a perfect through ball into the box.. Roberts gets to it.. fakes right.. goes left.. shoots for the open left corner.. wide left.

20 minute mark: Wall with a big play to bail out Patterson who totally let the right winger dominant him on a drive down the pitch..

37 minute mark: Brunt gets to a long pass in the box... he has an open shot.. shoots for the upper left corner.. PAddy dives.. great catch.. what a save!

46 minute mark: Brunt takes a free kick from left of the box.. nice kick.. good pass.. Peacock by the near post.. rises.. heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

Halftime: Down 1-0. Over 13,000 fans here tonight for us.

70 minute mark: Patterson with a decent defensive play.

84 minute mark: Patterson gets a yellow card for a trip on McVeigh.

Game over. 1-0 loss.

We were outshot 13-4 (5-0 on goal)

Gary Teale wins MoM with 20 of 25 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 2 of 4 headers, 5 interceptions, 7 runs, 1 foul drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info: Stuart Wall injured his thigh and will miss about a week.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 30, 2008 -

Sedan has agreed to sell Georges Ambourouet to me for 190,000 dollars. He is a good young left fullback who is fast and mentally tough from what my scouts say. I've contacted him and he wants a contract of 12,000/week. I've agreed to his offer despite it being high. Hopefully, we can get a deal signed very soon.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 1, 2008 -

Coventry City's Titus Bramble has won the English Championship Player of the Month. Darren Kenton of Wolverhamption came in 2nd, and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson of Coventry City came in 3rd.


Stuart Wall won young player of the month in the Championship. Anthony Grant of Coventry came in 2nd, and Lee Martin of Leicester came in 3rd.


Coventry's manager, Stan Ternent, has won the Manager of the Month. Micky Adams of Nottingham Forest came in 2nd, and Ernie Tippett of Millwall came in 3rd.


We had an unfortunate draw for the the third round of the English FA Cup. We will be hosting Aston Villa which are a very talented EPL team.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 1st, 2008 -

Chelsea have accepted 200,000 for Ben Hudell who is a young left fullback valued at over a million dollars. Hudell only wants 1,250/week and I'll gladly grant his request. Hopefully we can get him into town soon.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 4, 2008 -

Gabonese fullback Georges Ambourouet has agreed to sign a deal with us. We have applied to get a work permit for him. It will take until Dec. 18 for a decision to be made.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 5, 2008 -

Chelsea's Ben Hudell has agreed to come to our team. We have confirmed the deal and are hopeful he might arrive in time for tomorrow's game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 6, 2008 -

Ben Hudell has arrived 2 hours before game time. He will start for us immediately as I believe he is a significant upgrade from Mark Patterson.

Today we have a televised game against Stoke on their pitch. Stoke is currently 13th in the championship and they have a pacey attacking line led by the trio of Gifton Noel-Williams, Ade Akinbiyi, and Leon Knight who all start in their 4-3-3. Stoke's Antonio Soldevilla is a strong defender who helps make the formation work. Centreback Wayne Thomas is also very good. Midfielder James Chambers is good at distributing the ball. Keeper Neil Alexander is a 30 year keeper who is at the top of his game. He will be difficult to beat.

They are 5-4 favorites

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

GK: Paddy
DL: Hudell
DC: Wall (back from his injury)
DC: Ward
DR: Wright
ML: Elliott
MC: Kelly
MC: Lunt
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Roberts

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Moreau
S4: Janse (finally a sub worth using)
S5: Harrold

[Eaglesfan27]

According to the TV announcers:

Simon Francis will be the key performer for stoke while Gary Teale will be our key player. They are picking Stoke to win a close match.

Game start:

2 minute mark: Nice play by our new left fullback to deflect a cross.

10 minute mark: Paddy stops a long shot by Vernazza with ease.

17 minute mark: Tony Capaldi hits a long free kick from 30 yards out that he hits between cracks in the wall.. it curves into the upper right corner.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

20 minute mark: Hudell clears a corner.

22 minute mark: Francis with a sharp corner from the right wing.. gets it to Wolleaston in the box.. Wolleaston settles it.. blasts it towards the upper left corner.. Paddy dives.. it's past him.. GOAL. Down 2-0.

25 minute mark: Ward gets called for a trip on Knight in the penalty box... Knight takes the penalty shot.. powerful kick right over Paddy's right shoulder.. GOAL. Down 3-0.



Halftime: Down 3-0. Stoke has over 20,000 fans here tonight.


63 minute mark: Janse on for Graham.

Game over. 3-0 loss.

We were completed dominated. They dominated possession, and they outshot us 22-3 (10-0 on goal)

Leon Knight won MoM, 26 of 31 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 3 of 6 headers, 2 runs, 5 fouls drawn, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 9, 2008 -

Today we host Derby. Derby are currently 13th in the Championship. We are currently 22nd. Dery is led by midfielder Victor Salar who is a dynamic dribbler and creator. Keeper Matt Poom is 36, but doesn't seem to have lost any skills. He is a top notch keeper. The offense mostly relies on Leroy Lita to finish plays, and he is injured for this game. His 14 goals will be missing from their offense.

They are 6-4 favorites.

It's breezy with overcast skies. The temperatures will be in the high 30's.

GK: Paddy
DL: Hudell
DC: Wall
DC: Ward
DR: Wright
ML: Elliott
MC: Kelly
MC: Lunt
MR: Teale
SC: Graham
SC: Roberts

S1: Gerken
S2: Taylor
S3: Moreau
S4: Janse
S5: Harrold

We will be going with a much more aggressive offense today. I haven't done well with my defensive 4-4-2, so I'm going to a much aggressive offense from the 4-4-2.

[SunDancer]

Man, these European clubs got some weird, but cool, names.

Everytime you appear you TV, do you receive a fee, or is it done on the year, regardless of how many times you make the TV? If the later, does television apperances have any other effect expect the television money?

[Eaglesfan27]

12 minute mark: Kelly with a great through ball into the box.. Graham gets it.. fakes to his right.. dribbles left.. shoots to the left corner.. barely wide left.

21 minute mark: Lunt with a long shot.. barely wide right.

39 minute mark: Hudell with a solid defensive play.

Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have 12,800 fans here today. Our team is generally dominating time of possession.

54 minute mark: Teale with a shot from 25 yards out.. the keeper stops it.

57 minute mark: Jordi Lopez has a shot from 20 yards out.. Paddy stops it easily.

58 minute mark: Teale is tackled in the box by Marco.. whistle.. Penalty shot awarded! My AM recommends Roberts take the penalty shot.. he steps up.. blasts it into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

73 minute mark: Victor Salas gets a yellow card for a trip on Lunt.

75 minute mark: Janse on for Graham.

78 minute mark: Mario has it on the left corner of the pitch.. he crosses for the far post.. the keeper tries to cut off the angle, but Paddy misses it.. Tucker heads it.. into the goal. GOAL. 1-1.

90 minute mark: Kelly with a through pass into the box.. Teale gets it.. shoots.. just over the bar.

Game over. 1-1 tie.

We were outshot 12-6 (6-2 on goal)

Darren Ward wins MoM, 19 of 30 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 10 of 11 headers, 6 interceptions.