My 10th season as a Football Manager (4th at Manchester United)

[Eaglesfan27]

15 minute mark: Long pass from Ferdinand to King at the edge of the box.. King shoots.. lower left corner.. Good save by the keeper.

18 minute mark: Cook shoots from 25 yards out.. the keeper parries it.. King gets the rebound.. shoots.. upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0. That is King's 5th goal of the year.


Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have about 21,000 fans here today.



49 minute mark: Volkan passes to Ali Yusef in the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL. 1-1 tie.

71 minute mark: Salva with a long pass to Schreurs.. he catches up to it.. right of the box.. quick pass to King in the middle of the box.. King shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper had no chance.. GOAL!!!! 2-1.

Godoy on for McFadden who is tired, Ortega on for Alfonso who is slightly hurt, and Parker on for Wood.

83 minute mark: Salva with a series of very good defensive plays.

89 minute mark: Yusef gets the ball in the box.. hard shot.. lower left corner.. Howard dives.. blocks it.


Game over. 2-1 win for us.

We outshot us 15-12 (10-5 on target)

King won MoM, 9 for form, 17 of 19 passes, 1 of 3 tackles, 1 of 9 headers, 2 interceptions, 3 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 2 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Alfonso stubbed his toe and is expected to miss about 5 days.

That win assured that we qualify for the 1st Knockout round of the CL.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 1, 2013 -

The board is very pleased with my performance as manager.


Arsenal's Salomon Kalou has won the EPL Player of the Month. Hatem Ben Arfa of Liverpool came in 2nd, and Thomas Hassing Skjaerbaek of Sunderland came in 3rd.


Leicester's Herve Remy has won the EPL Young Player of the Month. Sean Brady of Everton came in 2nd, and Antonio Ortega came in 3rd.


Sunderland's Martin Jol has won EPL Manager of the Month. Victor Munoz of Arsenal came in 2nd, and Mane of Chelsea came in 3rd.


Jeroen Schreurs' goal against Everton won goal of the month.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 2, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Aston Villa in an EPL game. They are in 8th place while we are in 2nd place. Aston Villa is suffering due to Luke Moore's injury. Jhon Jairo Mosquera is doing well as his replacement with 8 goals in 13 games. Mourad Meghni is the 2nd leading scorer with 3 goals. Jermaine Jenas is still a very good midfielder who has an all-around game. Stephane Dalmat is also playing well in the midfield. Dion Dickhoff has become a good centreback. Leo Franco is a keeper who can be dominating at times.


We are 4-5 favorites.


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


GK: Howard
DL: O'Shea
DC: Lucio
DC: Salva
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Ferdinand
S3: Godoy
S4: Ortega
S5: Marchetti

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Rooney gets a yellow card for a trip on Dalmat.

4 minute mark: Dalmat gets a yellow card for a trip on Fletcher.

13 minute mark: Schreurs steals it at midfield.. passes it to Rooney in the left side of the box.. he shoots.. over the bar.

20 minute mark: Rooney dribbles down the left side of the pitch.. he crosses it long to Schreurs.. the keeper comes over to Schreurs.. he passes it over the keeper to a wide open Downing.. Downing heads it in for the goal! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

33 minute mark: Meghni gets a yellow card for pushing Rooney.


Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have 42,000 fans here today.


54 minute mark: Jenas gets a yellow card for pulling Djemba's jersey.

66 minute mark: Ortega on for Schreurs and Godoy on for Rooney.

90 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left sideline.. long cross to Ortega.. he passes it into the right side of the box... Adriano shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.


Game over. 2-0 win.

We outshot them 14-11 (6-4 on target)

Downing won MoM, 10 for form, 31 of 34 passes, 4 of 5 tackles, 5 of 6 headers, 17 runs, and 1 goal.

Djemba had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 3, 2013 -

YES YES YES!!!! Lazio's Adriano has been granted a conditional work permit to come to Manchester United! I need to decide which young keeper I'm going to move, Harper or Taylor?


Adriano will arrive on January 1st, 2014. According to my scouts, the wonderkid keeper looks good enough to start against some weaker teams immediately.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 5, 2013 -

Downing, Djemba, and Fletcher were all named to the EPL Team of the Week.


Today we host Manchester City in the 4th round of the English League Cup. They are 5th in the EPL and they have a determined team. Striker Benjamin Lauth is having a career year with 10 goals in 14 starts. David Miller is providing solid support as a third striker with 5 goals, and Robert Earnshaw has 5 goals as the second striker. Damien Delaney is the anchor of a good defensive line. Libis Andres Arenas is playing very well in goal for this team. Rob Davis is playing the midfield well.


We are 4-6 favorites.

It's snowing! Holy cow. This will be one of my first sleet/snow games ever! It's in the low 20's today.


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Salva
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Rooney (will only play if we get into a deficit)
S3: Cook
S4: Godoy
S5: Lucio

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Downing tripped Davies.. yellow card for Downing.

14 minute mark: Djemba gets a yellow card for a handball.

17 minute mark: Long pass from Djemba to King in the right corner of the pitch.. he crosses to the center of the box.. Fletcher shoots.. the keeper blocks it.

23 minute mark: Davies bodychecks Downing.. yellow card for Davies.. Downing is hurt nad has to leave the game! I've used Cook on the left wing in some England U21 games with spectacular results.. I decide to try him there now.

26 minute mark: Djemba pushes Davies.. whistle.. Schreurs argues the call.. yellow card for Schreurs.

31 minute mark: Djemba pushes Davies.. I let out a sigh of relief as he only gets a warning.. I'm pulling Djemba very soon.

36 minute mark: I slide Cook into the middle of the pitch, and put Godoy in at left wing removing Djemba.

44 minute mark: Dave Piper gets a yellow card for tripping Schreurs.


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



48 minute mark: Grygera passes it down the right sideline.. Schreurs gets to it.. he crosses it short to King in the right side of the box.. King shoots.. the narrow angle.. into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

52 minute mark: Godoy dribbles down the left sideline.. past a defender.. crosses to Cook outside the box.. Cook curves it.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. tips it.. still into the net! GOAL!!!!! 2-0.

58 minute mark: Godoy takes it down the left sideline.. crosses long to Schreurs.. Schreurs with the short cross.. King by the near post.. he and the keeper jump for it.. he outjumps the keeper.. heads it.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 3-0.

73 minute mark: Salva and Marchetti are dominating their strikers.


Game over. 3-0 win

We outshot them 11-7 (6-5 on target)

Schreurs won MoM, 9 for form, 10 of 14 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 0 of 2 headers, 2 runs, and 2 assists.

Howard also had a 9 for form. King had an 8 for form with his 2 goals.


OOC: Darn, I'm on call and just was paged again. Hope to play some more later.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post match info:

Downing strained his knee and is expected to miss about 5 days. Fortunately, we don't have a game for at least a week (and that game may get postponed due to many international callups.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 9, 2013 -

International Round-up:

Salva played very well in Italy's 2-0 win ver Serbia in a friendly match.


Dalibor Stevanovic played very well with an assist and a goal for Slovenia in their 3-1 win over Bulgaria in a World Cup Qualifying match. If I'm correct, that win should advance Slovenia into the WC!


Mickael Schmidt had an assist for France in their 2-0 win over Switzerland in their WC Qualifying Playoff match.


Tim Howard played very well in the USA's 0-0 tie in a friendly match.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 13, 2013 -

Our EPL Match for today was postponed due to international call-ups. It will now be played January 8, 2014.

Now, I'm going to review my scouts 6 month report on who is progressing and regressing (again thanks to Frogman for his stat tracker)

[Eaglesfan27]

My scouts have listed the following players as the 5 most improved players:

1. Paul Kelly - He has had astonishing development according to our scouts. He has developed into a very good technical player. However, he still doesn't have the most important attributes for what I want in my midfielders. He isn't a top notch passer yet, nor does he have good teamwork.

2. Antonio Ortega - This right winger continues to develop at an excellent rate. It is hard to believe he is only 19. He has become a premier passer. He has excellent first touch, he is becoming a top notch dribbler, and he has BLAZING speed and acceleration. He could take over for Schreurs in a year. At the very least, he is a great rotation player now.

3. Bob Wright - He is developing nicely, albeit late in his career. He is becoming a good shooter. He has excellent physical skills, and his mental attributes are developing nicely. He might become a rotation player soon.

4. Mark Lambert - This young kid is developing nicely, but he is far from being a first team player.

5. Andy Ford - This young striker is continuing to develop technically on our reserve squad. However, his lack of footspeed means that he is unlikely to ever be a good player in the EPL.


5 most regressed players (over last 6 months):

1. Lucio - This centreback is finally starting to show his age. He is losing his footspeed, his acceleration, and his technical abilities. He is still good enough to start some this year, but this could be his last year.

2. Dalibor Stevanovic - He is starting to show signs of decline. Of course, I'm not using him much. He really is a very good passer and good defensive midfielder and I should use him some.

3. Damien Duff - He continues to lose physical abilities, and is now a shell of himself.

4. Cristian Chivu - This serious injury and the resulting time off has caused him to lose most of his speed, balance, acceleration. He also is starting to lose technical ability.

5. Eric Djemba Djemba - Djemba is starting to show decreased technical ability, decreased physical ability, and he may not be a top notch midfielder much longer.


Interestingly, they see no decline in Howard, but they see a slight decline in Rooney from the end of last year.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 15, 2013 -

Today we have the England U21 Championship Qualifying Playoff first leg against France. France is using a 3-3-2-1-1 with 8 guys back in the defensive zone.

GK: Craig James
DL: Paul Anderson
DC: Robert Morris
DC: Jamie Adams
DR: Martin Scott
ML: Jack Lee
MC: Michael Wood
MC: Paul Bennett
MR: Lee Roberts
SC: Tony Vaughn
SC: Mark Tucker

S1: Gary Baker
S2: Richard James
S3: John Hall
S4: Rob Morgan
S5: Craig Knight
S6: Jamie Cook
S7: James Gordon

[Eaglesfan27]

16 minute mark: Girard steals it from our defender.. shoots.. barely wide left.


25 minute mark: Wood passes to Tucker in the right side of the box.. Tucker shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!! 1-0.


Halftime: 1-0 lead. Lee Roberts is tired. I put Jamie Cook in for him.


58 minute mark: Cook dribbles down the right sideline.. past a defender.. crosses it to the near post.. Wood with a diving header.. into the upper right corner! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

72 minute mark: Lee crosses it from the left wing.. to Cook just outside the box.. Cook shoots.. powerful curving shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.


Game over. 3-0 win.

We each had 6 shots, we each had 3 shots on target.

Michael Wood won MoM, 9 for form, 24 of 29 passes, 6 of 9 tackles, 2 of 5 headers, 4 interceptions, 1 run, 1 assist, and 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 16, 2013 -

Today we host Manchester City in an EPL match. We are currently 1st in the EPL while they are in 5th. Their top players are the same as our last game.


We are 4-6 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Ferdinand
DC: Lucio
DC: Marchetti
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Djemba
MC: Godoy
MR: Ortega
SC: Rooney
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Parker
S3: Alfonso
S4: Smith
S5: Cahais

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: Downing throws it to King in the left side of the box.. King with a spin move.. completely fakes out the defender.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0. Very athletic goal.

6 minute mark: Lucio gets a yellow card for tripping Davies. I hate Davies.

32 minute mark: Downing dribbles past two defenders.. into the box.. he passes to Godoy who is just inside the box.. Godoy shoots.. from 18 yards out.. upper right corner.. Great strike from Godoy.. GOAL!!!! 2-0. Go Godoy!



Halftime: 2-0 lead for us. We have over 91,000 fans here today.



57 minute mark: Delaney gets a yellow card for tripping King.

62 minute mark: Alfonso on for Downing, and Parker on for Djemba.


Game over. 2-0 win for us

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

Andrew Davies won MoM, 8 for form, 22 of 33 passes, 10 of 15 tackles, 5 of 5 headers, 2 interceptions, 2 fouls drawn.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 19, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Club Brugge in an CL Group Match that is essentially meaningless for us. Club Brugge is a decent team with Rafael anchoring the defense. Dinei is a very good striker who leads the team with 11 goals. Thomas Buffel is a good midfielder. Peter Mollez is a decent keeper who can be tough at times.

We are 4-5 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio (Salva is off playing in Italy)
DC: Marchetti
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Cahais
S3: Alfonso
S4: Smith
S5: Brown
S6: Godoy
S7: Ortega


We have the England U21 Match at the same time, and I will be delegating that to my AM since I can't be in 2 places at once.

[Eaglesfan27]

29 minute mark: Hward with a long kick to McFadden just outside the box.. McFadden settles it.. dribbles between two defenders.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

38 minute mark: Fletcher passes to King in the right side of the box.. he crosses it quickly to McFadden.. he heads it.. wide of the net.


Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have about 30,000 fans here today.



46 minute mark: Grygera passes to Djemba about 25 yards out.. Djemba has an open shot.. shoots from 25 yards.. blistering banana shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0!

51 minute mark: Alfonso on for Downing and Smith on for King.

75 minute mark: Ortega on for Schreurs.

79 minute mark: Ortega takes a corner kick.. to the middle of the box.. Alfonso outjumps his man.. heads it.. towards the upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. it's past him! GOAL!!!! 3-0! That is Alfonso's 5th goal of the year.

89 minute mark: Howard stops a flurry of shots.



Game over. 3-0 win

We outshot them 16-7 (10-3 on target)

James McFadden wins MoM, 9 for form, 20 of 22 passes, 0 of 1 tackles, 3 of 8 headers, 8 runs, and 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post match info:

I've been informed the England U21 Team beat France 1-0 without me to win 4-0 on aggregate. Jack Lee scored the only goal on a penalty shot at the 33 minute mark.


James McFadden injured his neck and will miss about 5 days.

[Galaxy]

Great to hear the continue success. Will you consider leaving ManU if you keep winning, and get a new challenge?
I just completed my second season, after getting promoted from Conference regional divisions in year one. We finished four, and got the second promotion spot to the 2nd division. I got a feeling the jump will be great in talent level then the last promotion. Guessing a "good" player will be rated a "12" in this level? How long do you have wait before you start getting interest from other clubs for your services? Two promotions, when we were predicited to battle regulation both years, should get teams interested. Team USA will fare badly in the WC 2006 I believe, drawing Brazil and Spain in its group. Freddy Abu will likely cross the pond to Europe this year as his contract is nearing expiration (and is refusing new deals with DC), and will turn 18. Should be interesting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Great to hear the continue success. Will you consider leaving ManU if you keep winning, and get a new challenge?
I just completed my second season, after getting promoted from Conference regional divisions in year one. We finished four, and got the second promotion spot to the 2nd division. I got a feeling the jump will be great in talent level then the last promotion. Guessing a "good" player will be rated a "12" in this level? How long do you have wait before you start getting interest from other clubs for your services? Two promotions, when we were predicited to battle regulation both years, should get teams interested. Team USA will fare badly in the WC 2006 I believe, drawing Brazil and Spain in its group. Freddy Abu will likely cross the pond to Europe this year as his contract is nearing expiration (and is refusing new deals with DC), and will turn 18. Should be interesting.

Part of me wants to leave to try to work my way up, however, the much larger part of me wants to stay and see how the two Adrianos develop. I really want to see how I transition over the next few years as all of my older stars retire. So, overall I expect to stay at Manchester United until I either get fired or until the next version of the game is highly stable. Hopefully, people don't get too bored of reading of my continued exploits at Manchester United.

[Eaglesfan27]

Forgot to answer your other questions. Yes, a 12 is good in League Two in my opinion, particularly if it is in key attributes for the position.

I think I started getting attention from other clubs when I entered League Two, but it was mostly interest from clubs in League One.

Your international scene sounds interesting. Keep me updated.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov. 23, 2013 -

Cardiff (14th in EC) have asked to borrow Paul Kelly. Since I'm not utilizing him, I agree to let him go on loan.

Dortmund have sacked Seppo Eichkorn.

Barcelona has sacked Joan Laporta and there are rumors that Rafa Benitez will be hired to take over the team. Jose Mourinho is also being listed as a favorite.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 24, 2013 -

Today we travel to play Chelsea in a big EPL Match. Chelsea is in 2nd place 4 points behind us, so they can't catch us even if we lose this game, but I'd love to win this game and make the margin between us even bigger. Chelsea has been suffering with an injury to Adriano and he is out for this game. Wesley Sneijder is also out for this game. Also, Giacomo Santini and Vincenzo Guidetti are both injured and out for this game. They will be relying on Freddy Adu at striker, Diego and Arjen Robben at the attacking midfield spots, Joe Cole, Rafael van der Vaart, Sanli Tuncay at the midfield, and John Terry and Naldo will anchor the defensive line. Petr Cech will be in goal.


We are 5-4 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Salva
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Brown
S3: Alfonso
S4: King
S5: Ortega

[Eaglesfan27]

5 minute mark: Schreurs burns two men.. dribbles down the right sideline.. to the corner of the pitch.. crosses it.. nice curve.. to the near post.. Adriano with a diving header.. upper right corner... GOAL!!!! 1-0.

12 minute mark: Howard stops a 20 yard shot from Adu.

22 minute mark: Van der Vaart passes to Adu in the box.. Howard stops the shot.

23 minute mark: Howard stops a flurry of shots.

30 minute mark: Howard stops a long range shot from Aimar.


Halftime: 1-0 lead for us. They have over 42,000 fans here today.



61 minute mark: Schmidt has picked up a minor injury, so I put Brown in for him.

I also put Ortega in for Schreurs.


78 minute mark: Adu collides with Salva.. Salva is hurt and has to come off. I now have a problem. I have to put a non-defender in a defensive spot. I move Djemba to left back and slide Brown to centreback. I put on Alfonso in at the midfield spot.

80 minute mark: Howard stops a long range shot from Diego.

85 minute mark: Lucio with a series of excellent defensive plays on Adu.

87 minute mark: Fletcher passes to Rooney in the right side of the box.. Rooney shoots from 15 yards out.. upper left corner.... Cech tips it over the bar.



Game over. 1-0 win!!

We were outshot 19-9 (9-8 on target)

Howard wins MoM, 9 for form, with his 9 saves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Salva strained his ankle, and he will only miss about 5 days.

We are now in 1st place by 7 points



Nov. 25, 2013 -

Howard and Grygera were selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

Kelly accepted going to Cardiff on loan.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 27, 2013 -

Barcelona have hired Victor Munoz away from Arsenal. Arsenal will now be looking for a new manager.



Today we host Blackburn in the Quarter Final of the English League Cup. Blackburn is 12th in the EPL while we are in 1st. Blackburn is led by striker Paul Gallagher who has 6 goals. Jonathan Stead has 4 goals as well. Brett Emerton is a good right winger. Morten Gamst Pedersen is playing well at left wing. Antonio and Marvin Elliott anchor the defense. Samir Handanovic is a good keeper.


We are 4-7 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Downing
MC: Parker
MC: Cook
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Stevanovic (risky, considering I've rarely used him)
S3: Alfonso
S4: Godoy
S5: Ortega

[Eaglesfan27]

5 minute mark: Brown passes to King in the right side of the box.. King shoots from 20 yards out.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

23 minute mark: Schreurs passes to Cook outside the box.. Cook shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper blocks it.. Downing gets the rebound.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

33 minute mark: Parker gets a yellow card for a trip on Stead.

41 minute mark: Downing dribbles into the left side of the box.. he passes it to Rooney in the center of the box.. Rooney shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper dives.. blocks it.



Halftime: 2-0 lead for us. We have over 83,000 fans here today.


48 minute mark: Cook gets a yellow card for a trip on Adam. Cook has a minor injury and he is limping a bit, I'm going to pull him now. I put Stevanovic on for him.

58 minute mark: Downing dribbles down the left sideline.. crosses to Rooney in the center of the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. the keeper dives.. blocks it.. King gets the rebound.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0! That is King's second goal of the game.

61 minute mark: Downing passes to Rooney in the left side of the box.. Rooney with a sharply angled shot.. curves.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0.

63 minute mark: Alfonso on for Parker who has a yellow card, and Ortega on for Schreurs who is tired.

70 minute mark: Rooney gets the ball.. dribbles down the right sideline.. crosses to King outside the box.. King shoots from 25 yards out.. it hits off a defender.. into the right side of the box.. the keeper dives.. it's past him! GOAL!!!! 5-0! King has his hattrick.


Game over. 5-0 win

We outshot them 12-6 (10-1 on target)

King wins MoM, 10 for form, 11 of 13 passes, 0 tackles, 0 of 9 headers, 1 intercetion, 5 runs, and 3 goals.

Rooney also had a 10 for form for his 2 assists and 1 goal.

Downing had a 9 for form.

[daedalus]

Nice win against Chelsea. That margin for error is nice.

I would like to see you stay at United. It will be interesting to see the transition to "your" own team. With the exception of Shrek, I think we are most of the way there already with much of the vanguards in the back getting to that "moving on" stage and their replacement mostly in the folds.

Oh, and I still enjoy reading.

[gi]

First Frog's and now yours. Finally read the entire dynasty and I'm all caught up. Looking forward to reading about continued success at Man U!

[Eaglesfan27]

Glad to hear that people are still enjoying reading about my work at Manchester United. I'm still greatly enjoying managing there, and I'm really looking forward to making the transition to essentially a new team except for Rooney who has a few more years in him. Most of the defenders are getting old except for the few new guys I've brought in, and I need to find one or two good right backs among other positions. If I don't, I'll have to transition to a 3-5-2. In any case, I think it will be interesting in future seasons. Sometimes, I feel like my writing is becoming stagnant. Mrs. Eaglesfan is home from work tonight, but I'm off for a 4 day weekend!!!! I have to study for my oral boards at least 8 hours each day, but that leaves plenty of time for FM

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info:

Downing has picked up an automatic one match ban for 5 yellow cards.


Nov 28, 2013 -

Newcastle has fired Steve Bruce. Gary Megson and Ernie Tippett are the leading candidates to be hired for the job.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 30, 2013 -

We had the least favorable draw for the English League Cup Semi-final. We will be traveling to play Liverpool. Fulham (EPL) and the Wolves (EC) will be playing in the other semi-final.



Today we host Sunderland in an EPL Match. We are in 1st while they are in 9th place. Their most talented player, midfielder Thomas Hassing Skjaerbaek is out injured for this game. Their leading scorer Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is also out injured. Finally, their top keeper, Luca Brunoni is injured. They will be relying on Chris Gibson in goal. He is a 20 year old with potential, but he is rather raw and should be easy to beat. Marco Streller is a decent striker but nothing special. Mathieu Flamini is just an average midfielder. Julio Arca is the best defender and he is a good left back.


We are 4-7 favorites.

It's raining, windy and temperatures are in the 40's.


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Alfonso
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Cahais
S3: Wood
S4: Cook
S5: Godoy

[Eaglesfan27]

OOC Note: I just realized my weekend is actually a 5 day weekend!!! I forgot Monday was Memorial Day


12 minute mark: Matt Grant tripped Alfonso in the box.. penalty awarded.. Grygera steps up... shoots.. upper left corner! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

17 minute mark: Schmidt throws it in from the left sideline.. Adriano heads it to Lucio just outside the box.. Lucio passes it to Schreurs just inside the right half of the box.. he shoots.. curving power shot.. upper right corner.. the young keeper dives.. it is past him! GOAL!!!! 2-0.

21 minute mark: Alfonso passes to Rooney left of the box.. Rooney dribbles between two defenders.. draws another defender over.. passes to his right.. Schreurs is open in the center of the box.. he shoots from 10 yards.. upper right corner.. it's past the keeper before he can even react! GOAL!!!! 3-0. That is Schreurs' 5th goal of the year.

42 minute mark: Alfonso crosses to Rooney.. he heads it.. into .. offside called, negating a goal.

44 minute mark: Schreurs passes into the box.. a defender heads it away.. Djemba gets it.. passes it into the box.. Adriano shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0.


Halftime: 4-0 lead. We have over 74,000 fans here today.
I put Godoy on for Rooney, resting him as he played a long game just 3 days ago.


52 minute mark: Lucio intercepts a keeper kick at midfield.. heads it towards the box.. it rolls into the box.. Godoy outraces two defenders to the ball.. dribbles around the keeper.. shoots.. lower left corner.. GOAL!!!! 5-0.

64 minute mark: Wood on for Fletcher and Cahais on for Lucio.

79 minute mark: Alfonso passes to Godoy in the left edge of the box.. Godoy crosses it towards the far post.. Adriano heads it.. good save by the keeper.

90 minute mark: Godoy takes the corner.. Gibson punches the ball clear of Adriano.. it sails to Cahais in the middle of the box.. he heads it.. into the upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 6-0! That is Cahais' first goal ever for us!

Game over. 6-0 win

We outshot them 19-2 (14-1 on target)

Alfonso wins MoM, 10 for form, 23 of 26 passes, 8 key passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 10 of 11 headers, 13 runs, 3 fouls drawn, and 1 assist.

Schreurs had a 9 for form with his 2 goals. Adriano had a 9 for form with his 1 goal.
Every other starter had an 8 and Godoy also had an 8.

[Eaglesfan27]

December 1, 2013 -

The board is delighted with my performance as manager.



Stewart Downing has won the EPL Player of the Month. Adriano came in 2nd. Wayne Rooney came in 3rd! I think this is the first time my guys have ever swept this award!



Aston Villa's Ville-pekka Luukkonen has won the EPL Young Player of the Month. Antonio Ortega came in 2nd, and Paul Anderson of Aston Villa came in 3rd.



I won Manager of the Month. Tony Colbert of Liverool came in 2nd, and Steve Coppell of Fulham came in 3rd.




Grygera, Schreurs, and Alfonso were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.


We will be traveling to play Sunderland in the 3rd round of the English FA Cup.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 4, 2013 -

Tottenham's Jesus is complaining that he isn't the starting Keeper, and he is demanding to be traded if he isn't going to be starting.


Today we host Lazio in an essentially meaningless CL group match. We have both qualified for the next round of the Champions League. Lazio's leading scorer is striker, Benjamin. Adriano has been their top centreback. Christian Daniel Ledesma is a very good midfielder who is a creative spark in the midfield. Espen Johnsen is a good keeper.


We are 4-5 favorites.

It's raining, windy, and temperatures are in the 50's.


GK: Taylor (I'm going to give him a start in this meaningless game.)
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Ferdinand
DR: Brown
ML: Alfonso
MC: Parker
MC: Cook
MR: Ortega
SC: McFadden
SC: King

S1: Howard
S2: Cahais
S3: Salva
S4: Smith
S5: Wood
S6: Godoy
S7: Adriano

[robbgmaier]

what are you still doing up.....? what am I still doing up?

[Eaglesfan27]

5 minute mark: Ortega beats two defenders down the right sideline.. crosses to Cook outside the middle of the box.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. a defender gets in front of it and saves a very likely goal.

19 minute mark: Ortega gets a yellow card for pushing Pengini.

21 minute mark: Parker gets a yellow card for tripping Lazzari.

24 minute mark: Cook steals it at midfield.. passes it long into the box.. King gets it.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper dives.. misses it.. GOAL!!!! 1-0!

35 minute mark: McFadden gets a yellow card for tripping Wolf.

39 minute mark: Cook gets a yellow card for pushing Crimi.

44 minute mark: My midfielders pass it back and forth probing the defense.. Parker passes to Alfonso left of the box.. Alfonso crosses it into the box.. Parker with a diving header.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0! Parker's first goal of the year.



Halftime: 2-0 lead.


61 minute mark: Smith on for McFadden and Wood on for Cook.

73 minute mark: Smith collided with Lombardi.. Smith is hurt and has to be carried off the pitch. I put Godoy on for Smith.

77 minute mark: Taylor stops a pair of long range shots.

83 minute mark: Taylor stops a long range shot from Crimi.



Game over. 2-0 win.

We outshot them 14-6 (9-3 on target)


Alfonso won MoM, 9 for form, 28 of 33 passes, 0 tackles, 8 of 9 headers, 11 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 1 assist.


Ortega also had a 9 for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by robbgmaier

what are you still doing up.....? what am I still doing up?

I'm off tomorrow

However, actually I am becoming very tired so I'm about to save and go to bed.

[daedalus]

It's time to bring Jesus in to mentor young Adriano!!!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by daedalus

It's time to bring Jesus in to mentor young Adriano!!!

If Howard wasn't on top of his game that might not be a bad idea. Then again, my scouts view Jesus and Chris Taylor as comparable players

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 7, 2013 -

England have been drawn in Group 10 of the European Championship Qualifying along with Greece, Austria, and Cyprus. We will start matches for this torunament in September of 2014.


Our U21 Team is in the same group against the same teams in the European U21 Championship Qualifying Match.



Today we travel to play Tottenham in an EPL Match. We are in 1st while Tottenham is in 8th. Jesus hasn't been starting in goal, instead they have been starting Paul Robinson who is a veteran highly skilled keeper. Ledley King and Kevin Hofland are an outstanding pair of centrebacks and they lead the tough defense which is responsible for most of the wins. This team hasn't scored many goals, but the defense keeps them winning. Daniel Omoya Braaten is the leading scorer with 7 goals and Carlton Cole has chipped in 6 goals.


We are 4-6 favorites.

It's raining, windy, and temperatures are in the 30's.



GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Marchetti
DC: Salva
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: King
S3: Ortega
S4: Godoy
S5: Cahais

[Eaglesfan27]

8 minute mark: Grygera with a long pass down the right sideline.. Schreurs catches up to it.. he crosses it short to Adriano in the right half of the box.. he blasts a shot.. into the crossbar... Ledley King clears the rebound.

30 minute mark: Djemba passes it into the box.. Adriano outraces the defenders.. gets to it.. shoots.. WAY over the bar.

40 minute mark: Ledley King is doing a very good job of guarding Rooney.



Halftime: 0-0 tie. They have over 36,000 fans here today.



46 minute mark: Djemba passes between two defenders into the right half of the box.. Adriano has it.. shoots.. upper left corner.. the keeper with a nice save.

55 minute mark: Howard witha brilliant save of a point blank shot from Cani.

61 minute mark: King on for Adriano who is tired and not having a good game. Ortega on for Schreurs who is just tired. I'm going to take a chance and open up the offense. I don't want to settle for a tie. I'll likely either win or lose this one.

66 minute mark: Downing with a long pass to the right side of the box.. Ortega gets to it.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. King gets the rebound.. shoots into the open left side of the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

68 minute mark: Downing with another long pass from midfield.. brilliant powerful pass.. Ortega gets it at the right corner of the box.. blasts a shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!!! 2-0! Ortega with a great strike.

I go back to more of a neutral stance with good defense, and a slower pace.

87 minute mark: Ortega with a perfect pass from deep in our own zone to halfway into the opponent's zone.. right to Rooney's feet.. he fakes out one defender.. dribbles past another defender.. Rooney gives a shoulder shake to the keeper.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0. Rooney's 15th goal of the year.



Game over. 3-0 win for us.

We outshot them 18-13 (8-5 on target)

Rooney wins MoM, 10 for form, 25 of 28 passes, 3 key passes, 0 tackles, 2 of 12 headers, 1 interception, 14 runs, 2 fouls drawn, and 1 goal.

Downing and Fletcher also had 10's for form. Ortega had a 9 for form. I can't believe Ortega is only 19.

Fletcher has played very well lately, and I'm going to praise him to the media.

[Eaglesfan27]

December 8, 2013 -

Wow. I didn't even know this could happen....

The Metro Stars are in the Club World Championship! They beat Julius Berger 2-0 in the first round.



Grygera, Fletcher, and Djemba were all selected to the EPL Team of the Week.

[Eaglesfan27]

December 9, 2013 -

Double Wow! I found out that Manchester United will be playing the Metro Stars in the Club World Championship Semi-Final! I didn't know we were even in this tournament!

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 12, 2013 -

Today we play the MetroStars in the Semi Final of the Club World Championship. The MetroStars are a relatively weak team with Madinho and Jonathan Cummins as their two leading scorers. Peter Woods is a good right fullback, and Tim Smith is an adequate keeper, but shouldn't be hard to score against. Jeff Simpson is a decent centreback.


We are 2-5 favorites.

It's sunny with temperatures in the mid 30's.


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Salva
DC: Lucio
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: King

S1: Taylor
S2: Wood
S3: Godoy
S4: Cook
S5: Cahais
S6: Alfonso
S7: Ortega

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Lucio gets a yellow card for a trip on Cummins.

11 minute mark: Schmidt passes to Downing in the left half of the box.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. good save by the keeper.

14 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. to the near post.. Lucio heads it.. into the crossbar.

18 minute mark: Fletcher passes to Rooney in the left side of the box.. Rooney shoots.. upper right corner.. good save by the keeper.

24 minute mark: Djemba steals a pass from the keeper.. shoots from 25 yards out.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

29 minute mark: Rooney steals a pass from the keeper.. dribbles into the box.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

35 minute mark: Djemba passes to Rooney in the box.. the keeper trips Rooney.. yellow card for the keeper.. whistle.. penalty shot awarded... Rooney steps up.. shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

40 minute mark: Downing passes to Fletcher in the left side of the box.. Fletcher shoots a sharply angled shot.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 4-0.

44 minute mark: Downing witha corner.. the keeper punches it away from King.. right to Lucio.. he shoots.. upper right corner.. GOAL!!! 5-0.


Halftime: 5-0 lead.


Cahais on for Lucio and Alfonso on for Downing.

49 minute mark: Schmidt passes it into the box for Schreurs.. he shoots.. upper left corner.. GOAL!!! 6-0.

54 minute mark: Schreurs with a dribble down the right sideline.. crosses to Fletcher who heads it to Rooney by the left post.. Rooney shoots.. GOAL!!!! 7-0. That is his hattrick. I'll put Godoy on for him now.

80 minute mark: Schreurs passes to King in the right corner of the box.. King plays it back to Schreurs.. he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. Godoy with the rebound.. he shoots.. GOAL!!!! 8-0. That is Godoy's 5th of the year.

82 minute mark: Godoy gets the ball left of the box.. passes to Djemba just outside the center of the box.. he shoots.. GOAL!!!! 9-0.


Game over. 9-0 win.

We outshot them 37-1! 23-1 on target.

Rooney won MoM, 10 for form, 5 of 7 passes, 1 of 3 headers, 2 interceptions, 5 runs, 1 foul drawn, and 3 goals.

Djhemba, Fletcher, and Salva all had 10's for form.

Alfonso, Schreurs, Schmidt, and Grygera all had 9's for form.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec. 13, 2013 -

I'm very happy with my 1st knockout round Champions League Draw. We will be playing Benfica which should be a relatively easy opponent for us.


Juventus (4th in Italian Serie A) has fired Pako Ayestaran today. Gianluca Atzori is rumored to be the top candidate to take the job over.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 15, 2013 -

Today we host Leeds who are currently 10th in the EPL. Leeds is being led by a very strong defense which starts with excellent play from their keeper Richard McDonald. Billy Jones and Zander Diamond are having career years with their strong defense. Steve Sidwell and Harmen Boven are playing solid all around games in the midfield. Gregory Maury is the leading scorer with 4 goals, and their offense shouldn't give us many problems.


We are 1-2 favorites.

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


GK: Howard
DL: Schmidt
DC: Lucio
DC: Salva
DR: Grygera
ML: Downing
MC: Fletcher
MC: Djemba
MR: Schreurs
SC: Rooney
SC: Adriano

S1: Taylor
S2: Brown
S3: McFadden
S4: King
S5: Marchetti

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: Downing with a corner kick.. to Adriano in the middle of the box.. he heads it.. Leighton Baines gets in the way.. heads it.. into the far corner of the goal! Own goal charged to Baines! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

7 minute mark: Rooney steals the ball from Diamond in the left side of the box.. he passes it to Adriano who is in the middle of the box.. Adriano shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

25 minute mark: Lucio starts the counter attack.. passes it to Adriano in the middle of the pitch.. he passes it to Rooney just outside the box... Rooney dribbles between two defenders.. fakes out the keeper.. shoots.. lower right corner.. GOAL!!!! 3-0.

43 minute mark: Schreurs dribbles past two defenders.. fakes out a third.. crosses it to Rooney in the center of the box.. he traps it.. shoots.. powerful shot.. over the bar.



Halftime: 3-0 lead. We have over 91,000 fans here today



55 minute mark: McFadden on for Rooney who I want to rest with yet another game in 3 days. Marchetti on for Lucio.


Game over. 3-0 win for us.

We outshot them 16-3 (11-1 on target)

Adriano won MoM, 9 for forms, 16 of 20 passes, 0 tackles, 7 of 9 headers, 1 interception, 3 runs, 2 fouls drawn, 2 assists, and 1 goal.