Manchester United: An ending and a beginning

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We only got 200,000 for the draw (as opposed to 400,000 for a win)

Jeroen Schreurs tore a groin muscle and will miss about 4 weeks. I'm going to need guys to step up and play the position some.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 6, 2011 -

Darren Fletcher has resumed full training today.


We host Arsenal at home today in a televised match. Will this help us sell out our new seats? Arsenal has had a winning streak and is now in 6th place. They are led by striker Lukas Podolski who has become the premier striker on their team. Thierry Henry is still a very good player, but he is mostly a sub now. In any case, he was hurt last week and will miss this match. Jose Antonio Reyes was also hurt in the past week and will miss this match. Javier Saviola is a very good striker who will be starting alongside Podolski. Right winger Salomon Kalou has been playing very well, but the word is that he wants to be traded. Centrebacks Joseph Yobo and Kolo Abib Toure are playing well. Keeper Manuel Almunia is showing his age, and isn't playing as well this year as he has in the past. They are still a very good team.

We are 6-4 favorites.

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

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

S1: Cahais
S2: Taylor
S3: Marino
S4: Neville
S5: King

Our Bank Balance before this match is 72,384,597. It will be interesting to see how much this match generates in income.

[Eaglesfan27]

4 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left side of the pitch.. crosses to Adriano in the box.. he heads it to Rooney.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

29 minute mark: Downing passes to rooney.. he heads it to Adriano.. he shoots.. over the bar.

45 minute mark: Almunia with a long range shot.. the keeper blocks it.



Halftime: 0-0 tie. We did IT!!! 91,269 fans are the announced attendance. This place is rocking. We just need to give them something to cheer about.


75 minute mark: Djemba has picked up an injury, I put King on for him.


They played turtle and completely shut down any good opportunities.

Game over. 0-0 tie.

We outshot them 7-3 (2-2 on target)

Downing won MoM, 10 for form, 17 of 21 passes, 3 of 6 tackles, 3 of 7 headers, 2 interceptions, 30 runs, 4 fouls drawn.

Chivu and Rooney both had an 8. The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Christopher Eagles bruised his thigh and will miss 3 days.

Eric Djemba bruised his ribs and will miss 3 days.


Our attendance of 91,269 was a new record for the club.

Our Bank Balance is now 75,877,758 dollars.

Assuming my math is correct, that match against Arsenal earned us over 3.5 million dollars in gate receipts and Tv revenue!

Even better news: The Wolves tied Chelsea 0-0! We remain in 1st place as a result.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 6, 2011 -

With Eagles and Schreurs injured, I'm going to have to use some creative tactics at right wing in our 4th round of the English League Cup.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 8, 2011 -

Downing was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Jose Luis Mendilibar has been hired from Recreativo to become the new manager at Arsenal. He is a well known, experienced 59 year old manager who will be a tough competitor.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 9, 2011 -

Today we travel to play Charlton. They are currently 17th in the EPL. We are currently 1st. They are led by a solid defense which starts with Andy Gibson in the middle of the defensive line. Midfielder Mohamed Sissoko is fast and creative. WE need to keep an eye on him. He is their leading scorer with 3 goals on the year. No one else on the team really worries me. Peter Enckelman has been benched, but Stephan Andersen has not been playing well in goal. It will be interesting to see who starts.

We are very heavy 2-5 favorites.

It's raining, it's windy, it's in the 30's.

GK: Hoard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Chivu
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Cook
MR: Mamam (I always forget that he has natural talent at right wing.)
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

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

[Eaglesfan27]

16 minute mark: Ross McCormack gets a yellow card for tripping McFadden.

29 minute mark: Stevanovic with a hard shot.. Smith tries to redirect it.. it goes wide right.

42 minute mark: Stevanovic passes to McFadden just outside the box.. he passes between two defenders to Smith.. he shoots.. greats save by the keeper.

43 minute mark: Mamam with a long pass into the box to McFadden.. he gets it.. fakes out a defender.. dribbles to his left.. around the keeper.. shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


Halftime: 1-0 lead. They have over 27,000 fans here today.


46 minute mark: Stevanovic passes it to Smith.. he dribbles towards the box.. passes it between two defenders to McFadden.. McFadden in the box.. dribbles to his left.. around the keeper.. fires it.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

48 minute mark: Chivu intercepts a long pass deep in our zone.. heads it to Downing.. Downing with a long pass to McFadden.. he dribbles from 30 yards out.. into the box.. he is beating a defender.. 15 yards out.. two defenders catching him from behind.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0. That is his hattrick!

62 minute mark: Cahais on for Chivu and Marino on for Smith. (McFadden is still looking good and frisky out there. He deserves a chance to score a 4th.)

68 minute mark: Ferdinand passes it long on a free kick from our own end.. into the box.. McFadden gets it.. in the box.. shoots immediately.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!!! 4-0! That is McFadden's 4th! That is his 10th goal of the year.

82 minute mark: Howard stops a 15 yard shot from Sissoko.


Game over. 4-0 win for us

We outshot them 12-10 (6-4 on target)

James McFadden wins MoM, 12 of 15 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 2 of 7 headers, 8 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 4 goals! What a game!

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We were awarded 130,000 dollars for that 4th round win the English League Cup.

I have to praise McFadden after that performance.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 11, 2011 -

Fans wrote the paper in thousands agreeing that McFadden is playing brilliantly and putting the world alight at Old Trafford.

Luton have requested to borrow Santi for 3 months. Santi is a 20 year old keeper who looks like he is developing nicely. I agree to loan him out.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 12, 2011 -

Today we had a fairly favorable draw for the English League Cup Quarterfinal. We will be hosting Southampton. They are currently 16th in the EPL and certainly should be easier than Liverpool or Fulham who are also alive still.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 12, 2011 -

Cristian Chivu was brilliant with a 9 for form in Romania's 3-0 win over Norway in a European Championship Qualifying Match.

Darren Fletcher had 2 assists for Scotland as they beat Singapore 5-0 in a friendly. James McFadden also played well and had 2 assists and a goal.

John O'Shea played well for Ireland in their 3-0 win over Albania in the European Championship Qualifying Match. Damien Duff also played well.

Dalibor Stevanovic played well for Slovenia in their 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in a friendly match.

Zdenek Grygera played well, but his Czech Republic team lost 2-0 to Nigeria in a friendly match.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 13, 2011 -

Matias Cahais played as a substitute for Argentina and the 23 year old centreback played well in their 2-0 win over Hungary in a friendly match.

Tim Howard was magnificient and had a 9 for form in the USA's 3-0 win over Finland in a friendly match.

Freddy Adu scored all 3 goals for the USA, and he did it all in the first 15 minutes of the match!

[Eaglesfan27]

November 14, 2011 -

Carlos Bocanegra suffered a compound leg fracture while training for the USA today. Fulham will miss him for at least 5 months and possibly 6 months.

Brentford have asked to borrow Santi.


Wigan have also asked to borrow Santi, our young keeper.

Jamie Cook had an assist for England's U21 team which won 6-0 against Russia's U21 in a friendly match.


Thankfully, officials moved our November 19th match against West Brom to December 14th due to all of our International Call-ups.

[Eaglesfan27]

Eric Djemba did well for Cameroon in thier 0-0 tie with France in a friendly match.

The United States beat St. Kitts & Nevis 4-0 in a friendly match, and Tim Howard played well.


Damien Duff had an assist in Ireland's 1-0 win over Albania in the European Championship Qualifying Match. John O'Shea also played well.


Cristian Chivu played well for Romania, but they lost to Norway 2-0 in European Championship Match.


Wayne Rooney had 2 goals for England in their 4-0 win over Russia in a friendly match. Downing had an assist in the match. Wes Brown played well in the match. Christopher Eagles did ok. raig King came on as a substitue and also did well.


Scotland beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in a friendly match. Darren Fletcher scored both goals for Scotland. James McFadden also played well in the match.


Slovenia beat Liechtenstein 2-0 in a friendly match. Dalibor Stevanovic played well in the match.


Zdenek Grygera did ok for the Czech Republic, but they lost to Turkey 1-0 in a friendly match.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 19, 2011 -

Mick Wadsworth has been sacked by Wigan. Wigan are currently 24th in the English Championship and they are floundering. Wellington Paulista is their main scorer with 3 goals. They are finally using Fabrice Begeorgi, but he only has 2 goals. Joao Paulo has 2 goals in limited action. Paddy Kenny is having a bad year in goal as age catches up to him.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 20, 2011 -

Excellent! Santi rejected offers from Luton and Brentford and has chosen to go to Wigan on Loan. Hopefully, he can help my old club.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 22, 2011 -

David Harper started for England's U21 Team in their match against Germany. He played well in their 1-1 tie. Barry Parker also played well in this match.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 23, 2011 -

Today we travel to play Fenerbahce in CL Group B play.

We are 4-5 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 50's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Duff
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Grygera
S2: Taylor
S3: Chivu
S4: Adriano
S5: king
S6: Mamam
S7: Downing

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Duff with a long pass into the box.. it is high and it sails over Smith's head.

8 minute mark: Stevanoic elbots Mustafa.. yellow card.

28 minute mark: Budak with a corner.. to Altintop in the far side of the box.. he heads it.. upper right corner.. past Howard.. GOAL. Down 1-0.

39 minute mark: Eagles dribbles down the right side of the pitch.. crosses.. McFadden heads it.. over the bar.



Halftime: Down 1-0. They have over 51,000 fans here today.



46 minute mark: McFadden steals it at midfield.. dribbles past two players.. suddenly shoots from 30 yards out.. curving.. curving.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-1. That was a great striker from long distance!

53 minute mark: Fatih bodychecks McFadden.. yellow card for Fatih. On the ensuing free kick.. Duff crosses from left of the box.. To Smith in the middle of the box.. he heads it.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-1.

57 minute mark: Ferdinand gets a yellow card for a trip on Altintop.

75 minute mark: King on for McFadden who is tired.

81 minute mark: Fletcher with a hard shot that Yildrim tries to deflect.. instead he deflects it into his own goal! Own GOAL!!!! 3-1.


Game over. 3-1 win.

We outshot them 14-9 (7-5 on target)

McFadden wins MoM, 10 for form, 16 of 19 passes, 4 of 4 tackles, 4 of 8 headers, 2 interceptions, 11 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 1 goal.

Smith also had a 10. Everyone else on the team had 8's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We were awarded 400,000 dollars for that win.

Rio Ferdinand suffered a calf strain and will miss about 2 weeks.

Matias Cahais played well for Argentina, but they lost to Colombia 2-1 in the World Cup Qualifying match.


That win qualified us from Group B in the CL. We and Juventus will be advancing from this group.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 26, 2011 -

Jeroen Schreurs has returned to full training.

Jimmy Murphy, a 19 year old left fullback, has gone to Tranmere for a loan period.

Giovanni Vavassori has been sacked by Roma.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 27, 2011 -

Today we host chelsea. Chelsea has a top notch team led by their strong midfield. Freddy Adu has been superb for Chelsea this year. He is the second leading scorer with 7 goals. Only the dynamic striker, Adriano has more goals with 9. Diego and Pablo Aimar are still big parts of the midfield. Their defense is good with Ricardo Carvalho being a potential weak link. Keeper Petr Cech still remains on top of his game. It will be a tough match today.

We are 5-4 favorites.

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

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu (easy choice with Ferdinand hurt.)
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Stevanovic (Djemba is still hurt.)
MC: Fletcher
MR: Eagles
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Grygera
S2: Taylor
S3: van Nistelrooy (veteran presence)
S4: Cook
S5: King

[Eaglesfan27]

9 minute mark: Lucio tackles Adu just outside the box.. clean tackle.

10 minute mark: Rooney with a brilliant dribble down the length of the pitch.. finally he is tackled by Naldo.

12 minute mark: My Adriano is tackled by Carvalho.. yellow card.

14 minute mark: My Adriano has his jersey pulled by Carvalho.. second yellow card.. he is ejected.

18 minute mark: Adu with a great dribble into the box... shoots.. upper right corner.. Howard saves it.

21 minute mark: Howard stops a long range shot from Adu.

27 minute mark: Fletcher gets a yellow card for tripping van der Vaart.

29 minute mark: Downing dribbles into the box.. Tuncay is pulling his jersey.. Whistle.. yellow card.. penalty shot awarded! Stevanovic steps up.. shoots.. right side of the net.. Cech dives.. saves it.

42 minute mark: Downing crosses to rooney in the box.. he heads it.. the keeper saves it.


Halftime: 0-0 tie. We have over 91,000 fans here today.


51 minute mark: Downing crosses to Eagles.. he shoots.. wide left.

52 minute mark: They sub on Joe Cole for Adu.

55 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. Adriano heads it back to Downing.. he passes to Fletcher in the middle of the box.. hard shot.. upper left corner.. Cech dives.. saves it.

68 minute mark: Sneijder gets a yellow card for pulling Downing's jersey.

76 minute mark: Cook on for Stevanovic who has picked up an injury.

91 minute mark: Downing dribbles past 3 guys.. dribbles into the box.. towards the left post.. draws the keeper over towards him.. passes around the keeper towards the far post.. Cook traps it.. shoots.. upper right corner.. easy finish for Cook.. great assist by Downing.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


Game over. 1-0 win for us

We outshot them 12-4 (3-2 on target)

Downing wins MoM, 10 for form, 15 of 18 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 0 of 1 headers, 14 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 1 big assist.

Howard, Chivu, and Rooney all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Eagles suffered a calf strain and will miss about 2 weeks.

Stevanovic sprained his anke and will miss about a week.

That win over Chelsea puts us 4 points ahead of them and reaffirms that we are the only team in the EPL to remain without a loss in the season.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

12 minute mark: My Adriano is tackled by Carvalho.. yellow card.

That reminded me of the Arsenal-Celta game last year where both teams featured Brazillian left-footed midfielders name Edu (Eduardo Cesar Daud Gaspar vs Luis Eduardo Schmidt). And they both scored in the game. That rocked.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 28, 2011 -

Downing was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Sheffield United and Bristol C have both asked to borrow Michael Wood for 3 months. I agree to both offers.

Ipswich has also made an offer to Borrow Wood and I agree.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 29, 2011 -

Wigan have hired 54 year old Olafur Johannesson to be their new manager. This manager is reportedly fairly talented. He was the manager at Fimleikafelag Hafnarfjar ar, an Icelandic team prior to coming to Wigan.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 30, 2011 -

Today we host Southampton. We are 1st in the EPL. Southampton is currently 16th in the EPL. Striker Robbin Kieft is the only guy on their team really scoring. Keeper Simon Jentzsch is doing well in goal. Bobby Convey is playing well in the midfield. Centreback Danny Higginbotham is trying to hold the defense together. Most of the team is unhappy, and this team is on the verge of mutiny.

We are 4-6 favorites.

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

GK: Hoard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Cook
MC: Fletcher
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

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

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles down the right sideline.. beats a defender.. crosses it to Fletcher in the middle of the box.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper saves it.

17 minute mark: Howard stops a long shot from Convey.

20 minute mark: Smith steals it from Higginbotham.. dribbles further into the box.. shoots.. the keeper saves it.

25 minute mark: Chivu passes it long to McFadden in the left corner of the pitch.. he crosses to Duff in the left side of the box.. Duff shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.


Halftime: 1-0 lead. We have over 78,000 fans here today.


60 minute mark: Cook with a long range shot from 25 yards out.. the keeper blocks it.. the rebound bounces to Smith.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

Schreurs has picked up an injury, I put Mamam on for him.

I also put Cahais on for Chivu.

77 minute mark: Cahais with a good tackle on Beattie.


Game over. 2-0 win for us.

We outshot them 16-5 (10-1 on target)

Damien Duff wins MoM, 10 for form, 32 of 39 passes, 0 tackles, 4 of 8 headers, 7 runs, 3 fouls drawn.

Schreurs, Cook, and McFadden all had 8's. The rest of the team had 7's except for Cahais who had a 6.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

That match was actually a League Cup Qtr Final. I really do need to keep better track of these things!

In any case, we won 360,000 dollars, and we are through to the semi-final.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 1, 2011 -

The board is delighted with my performance as manager.

Newcastle's Ricardo Oliveira has won the EPL Player of the Month. Jorge Pina of Southampton came in 2nd, and Anthony Le Tallec of Liverpool came in 3rd.

Sunderland's Charlie Wilson has won the EPL Young player of the Month. Giovanni Carotenuto of Newcastle came in 2nd, and Luke Clark of Everton came in 3rd.

Tottenham's Gary Megson has won EPL Manager of the Month. Kevin Keegan of Leicester came in 2nd, and Ian Holloway of Middlesbrough came in 3rd.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 2, 2011 -

Manchester City Boss Richard Money has told the press that he doesn't like me, and that he doesn't want Manchester United to win the EPL Title this season. He said that he hopes to beat us and put a dent in our title chances during Saturday's match.

I reply, "I don't like him. I hope his team underachieves this year."

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 3, 2011 -

Managerial Legend Tullio Gritta has been named the new manager at Roma.

We drew Birmingham in the English League Cup semi-final. We will be hosting them. Leicester and Watford will play in the other semi-final.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 3, 2011 -

Lucio has come into my office and told me that he is unhappy that I made "unprofessional comments to the media about Richard Money." He wishes I would conduct myself in a manner becoming a top notch manager. I let him know that I appreciate his input, and now let's go kick Manchester City's butt. He agrees.


Today we travel to play Manchester City. They are currently 10th in the EPl. We are currently 1st. They are led by a very strong defense. Centrebacks Sylvain Distin and Andrew Davies are playing as well as any duo in the league. Their keeper Thomas Van Putten has played well behind this very good defense. Their offense has been a weak point. Their top striker has 3 goals, and he is out injured. They will need striker Robert Earnshaw to pick up his game. He has been dreadful this year. They will also need midfielder Tim Borowski to play great if they are going to beat us.

We are 4-6 favorites.

It's raining with temperatures in the mid 50's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Cook
MC: Mamam
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Fletcher
S2: Taylor
S3: Marino
S4: Cahais
S5: King

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Downing with a corner.. to Adriano by the far post.. he heads it.. the keeper blocks it.. Rooney on the half-volley.. the keeper somehow blocks that!

4 minute mark: Rooney with a brilliant dribble around three defenders.. weaving into the box.. passes to Adriano on his left.. Adriano heads it.. over the bar.

13 minute mark: Borowski steals it from Mamam.. shoots.. long range shot.. Howard saves it.

21 minute mark: Lucio heads away a cross.. the header goes to Mamamat midfield.. he passes long to Rooney just outside the box.. Rooney dribbles between both centrebacks.. into the box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. it's past the keeper.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

23 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left sideline.. past two defenders.. crosses for the far post.. Adriano jumps.. heads it.. over the bar.

32 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney in the left side of the box.. he crosses it short to Adriano.. he heads it.. great save by the keeper.

39 minute mark: Earnshaw with a breakaway.. hard shot from 15 yards out.. Howard with a diving catch. Great save.

44 minute mark: Borowski passes to Burzanoic.. he passes to Earnshaw just outside the box.. hard long shot.. curving.. great fast curving shot.. Howard dives.. it is just out of his reach.. into the upper right corner. GOAL. 1-1.


Halftime: 1-1 tie. 48,000 fans here for them.


47 minute mark: Schreurs has picked up a minor injury. I put Marino on at right wing (worth a shot.)

50 minute mark: Downing has been tackled hard by Delaney.. he is hurt! I put Fletcher on at left wing.

57 minute mark: Fletcher passes into the box for Rooney.. he passes to Adriano.. hard shot.. the keeper blocks it.

60 minute mark: Rooney passes into the box for Adriano.. hard shot.. over the bar. Rough game for Adriano.

63 minute mark: Corner kick from Boufaher.. Silvestre tries to clear the corner.. he heads it.. backwards.. into the upper left corner of the goal! Own goal from Silvestre Down 2-1.

72 minute mark: Rooney gets the ball on the left wing.. dribbles down the left side of the pitch.. crosses.. To Adriano.. he heads it.. into the crossbar.. really rough game for Adriano, but he never gives up, so I leave him on the pitch.

74 minute mark Marino with a good dribble.. cross.. Rooney heads it.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

85 minute mark: Rooney passes it to Adriano in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper punches it over the bar.

88 minute mark: Earnshaw with a hard 20 yard shot.. Howard dives.. punches it over the bar.


Game over. 2-1 loss

They outshot us 20-16 (12-7 on target)

Thomas van Putten, their keeper, wins MoM with a 10 for form. Along with his saves, he completed 14 of 26 passes.


Howard had an 8. Adriano and Marino both had 6's. The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

That was our first loss of the year. Chelsea has not played their game yet, so I don't know if we will remain 4 points ahead of them, or if they will pull back to being just 1 point behind us. Either way, we will keep 1st place.

However, we take a blow besides the loss as Downing has a torn groin muscle and will miss about 4 weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 5, 2011 -

Lucio was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

We had an unlucky draw in the English FA Cup. We will be traveling to play Birmingham. There are so many League One, League 2, and English Championship teams left it is unfortuate that we drew an EPL team on their pitch. However, if we play well, I'm sure we can beat them.

[SunDancer]

Continue the success....

Adriano looks like he'll he the next great one. I love watching Brazilian players, though he isn't cut from the same cloth as his native peers in terms of flair and creativity (which brings me to thinking, why are Brazilian players so good at that?). Have you got a certain "attachment" to him?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

Continue the success....

Adriano looks like he'll he the next great one. I love watching Brazilian players, though he isn't cut from the same cloth as his native peers in terms of flair and creativity (which brings me to thinking, why are Brazilian players so good at that?). Have you got a certain "attachment" to him?

I'm definitely becoming attached to Adriano, and he will be one of my biggest stars in the future I think. I just need to be careful I don't wear him out at such a young age. However, he is one player who really has me excited about future years.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 6, 2011 -

Today we host Juventus in a fairly meaningless CL Group B Match. Juventus has a truly masterful side with skill at every position.

We have 7 guys injured: Downing, Eagles, Djemba, Stevanovic, Ferdinand, Grygera, and Taylor!

As a result, we are going to be challenged to win this game.

We are 6-4 favorites.

It's overcast with temperatures in the high 20's.

GK: Howard
DL: Silvestre
DC: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DR: Brown
ML: Alfonso (I want Duff to be fresh for our next game which is more important.)
MC: Cook
MC: Mamam
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: Smith

S1: Harper
S2: Fletcher
S3: O'Shea
S4: Duff
S5: King
S6: Saha
S7: Adriano

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Alfonso surprises with a strong dribble past his defender.. crosses to the near post.. Smith heads it.. great save by the keeper.

4 minute mark: McFadden gets a yellow card for a trip on Montolivo.

13 minute mark: Lucio gets a yellow card for a trip on Semler.

21 minute mark: Alfonso collides with a defender.. he is hurt and cannot come back. I decide to put Duff on for him.


22 minute mark: Schreurs crosses to MCFadden just outside the box.. he shoots.. hard curving shot.. it doesn't curve enough and is wide left.

35 minute mark: Brown passes long to Duff at midfield.. he dribbles down the pitch.. Duff dribbles around one defender.. dribbles it through the keeper.. shoots.. middle of the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0! Great goal by Duff, excellent pass by Brown.



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



58 minute mark: Lucio gets called for tripping Semler.. second yellow card for Lucio. He is ejected.

McFadden has a yellow card and is tired, so I pull him off the pitch for O'Shea.


67 minute mark: I put King on for Schreurs who is tired.

72 minute mark: King intercepts a pass from the keeper to a defender.. he passes it to Smith who has an open shot at net.. Smith quickly shoots.. middle of the goal! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

86 minute mark: Semler with a shot from 20 yards out.. Howard saves it.


Game over. 2-0 win for us

We outshot them 17-10 despite being a man down the last 32 minutes.

Duff won MoM, 9 for form, 14 of 18 passes, 2 of 2 tackles, 1 of 4 headers, 13 runs, 1 goal.

McFadden also had a 9. Howard had an 8. Cook only had a 6. The rest of the team had 7's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

We were awarded 400,000 dollars for that win.

Wes Brown suffered a groin strain. He will be out for about 2 weeks.

Alfonso bruised his shin and will miss about 5 days.

Our Gate Receipts of 6.2 million dollars were a new record high for the team! 6.2 Million!

[3ric]

Originally Posted by SunDancer

...in terms of flair and creativity (which brings me to thinking, why are Brazilian players so good at that?).

Brazilian soccer is all about "o jogo bonito", Portuguese for "the beautiful game", which means "a game in which prodigious individual skills outshine team tactics, where dribbles and flicks are preferred over physical challenges and long distance passes", to quote a book by Alex Bellos named "Futebol: the Brazilian way of life".

It's a way to express flair and creativity in the Brazilian culture, I guess.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 10, 2011 -

Today we host Everton in an EPL Match. They are currently in 14th while we are in 1st place. Everton is led by a strong midfield. Tim Cahill and Aaron Lennon lead that strong midfield. The defense is solid with Cristian Zaccardo at right fullback and Sean Brady at centreback leading the way. Richard Wright is still an effective keeper. Sergio Garcia is their leading striker with 4 goals.

We are 4-7 favorites.

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

GK: Howard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Chivu
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Duff
MC: Stevanovic
MC: Fletcher
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Silvestre
S2: Harper
S3: Saha
S4: Cahais
S5: King

[Eaglesfan27]

8 minute mark: Fletcher passes it into the box for Adriano.. hard shot.. the keeper blocks it. Good save by Wright.

9 minute mark: Lucio trips Anthony Gardner in the box.. whistle.. Penalty shot awarded.. Andy Reid steps up.. shoots.. lower right corner.. it is out of Howard's reach. GOAL. Down 1-0.

25 minute mark: Chivu is called for tripping Gardner.. Adriano argues the call.. yellow card for Adriano.

27 minute mark: Schreurs passes to Stevanovic outside the box.. hard shot.. curving.. Wright saves it.

33 minute mark: Stevanovic passes into the box for Rooney.. he shoots.. Wright saves it.

34 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles down the right side of the pitch.. he crosses long to Duff.. Duff immediately passes it to Rooney in the box.. he shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.



Halftime: 1-1 tie. We have over 75,000 fans here today.



59 minute mark: Schreurs passes it to Adriano in the box.. wide open.. hard shot.. barely wide left.

66 minute mark: Duff with a corner kick to the near post.. Adriano heads it.. just over the bar.

69 minute mark: King on for Stevanovic who is tired.

91 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles down the right sideline.. crosses to the middle of the box... Rooney heads it.. into the crossbar.. the defense clears it.


Game over. 1-1 tie. Very disappointing.

We outshot them 8-5 (5-1 on target)

Duff won MoM, 9 for form, 30 of 36 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 0 of 4 headers, 1 interception, 10 runs, 1 assist.

Rooney also had a 9. Schreurs had an 8. the rest of the team had 7's except for Howarad who had a 6.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

I'm not sure how this happened, but Chelsea had a tie when I wasn't looking. As a result, I remain one point ahead of them as we approach the half-way point in the season.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 11, 2011 -

Eric Djemba has resumed full training.

Damien Duff picked up a groin strain today and he will miss about two weeks. I now lack a premium left winger that is healthy.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 11, 2011 -

Theirry Froger has taken over as manager at Marseille. His names reminds me of my friend whose nickname is Frogman. It will be interesting to see what he does at Marseille.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 12, 2011 -

Wayne Rooney was selected to the EPL Team of the Week.