Sheffield Wednesday 2009-2010

Chief Rum · 05-29-2006, 04:33 AM

And so it begins...

I'll give an FM dynasty another shot, even though my time will be short. I will need to be less detailed here than usual if I am to do it all, but I'll see if I can make some headway with my day off (Memorial Day).

It is currently August 2009, the first full match day in the Premiership. I am Kieta Matthew (yes, I entered my name wrong when I loaded up my manager, sue me). I am hours away from a key match with Everton to kick off the season.

I better bring you up to speed first, though.

My FM game is a Huge Database, with as many leagues as I felt my computer could handle. This is with me being patient with long wait times between days and even hours. I have 32 nations and 47 leagues. Most countries are in Europe and have just their top leagues active. England, Spain, France, Italy and Germany are all extended to their third levels, with England going one further to League Two. Outside of Europe, I have Brazil (including to the second league), Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay selected from South America, and Mexico and the MLS in North America. I did not choose any Asian, Oceanic or African leagues.

I started in July, 2005, as manager of Danish relegation candidate Silkeborg. They were freshly new to the SAS Ligaen, and I didn't have a cluse about the club.

I was to fight to avoid relegation, but it was a tough fight. I struggled with the quality of my personnel, next to no transfer money, and a league with just twelve total members, of which four or five of them were relative heavyweights thanks to European money. It's not easy to stay up when the second teams of Brondby and FC Kobenhavn could beat you silly.

I made some key acquisitions, but going into the winter break, I was still very much in danger of relegation. I picked up a new formation and some of my new pickups really began to contribute (particularly former Galaxy striker Alan Gordon), and I ran away from the bottom at the end, finishing 13 points clear of the drop (but still just ninth out of 12 teams).

I started having tactical issues at the start of 2006-07, despite a stronger staff, and I wasn't far off my finishing spot when I hit the Danish league winter break again (about ninth). So when struggling Championship squad Sheffield Wednesday offered me their manager's spot in January, 2007, I jumped at the chance.

I continued to have tactical issues with my new team, and proceeded to lead the Owls from just outside of the promotion playoffs (7th) to 17th in four months, well away from the drop, but a scary fall, nonetheless. Fortunately, the board came in expecting to drop, so the fact that I obliterated the progress of my predecessor didn't phase them at all.

I actually sought help here at FOFC to solve my tactical issues, and was pointed to some very helpful threads at sigames.com. From there, I devised a system that I am still using now, a relatively simple 4-4-2 formation that doesn't employ any tricks or is a super-tactic, but merely gets out of the players what their abilities bring to the pitch.

I have always been biased toward speedy, physical and smart players, and immediately started bringing them into the fold to improve the Owls. Several of these acquisitions, strikers Henrik Pedersen and Ricardo Vaz Te from Bolton, central mid David Dunn from Birmingham, centrebacl Martin laursen from Aston Villa, and Dutch league acquisitions winger Ronaldo Doneboom and centre-back Eric Addo became key starters for me. I also acquired veteran former Uruguayan international goalkeeper Adrian Berbia from Penarol in his homeland (he is also part Spanish).

The result was a high octane offense, although the defense was still just average. I scored 95 goals in 46 matches, leading the Championship by 16 scores, and I won the league and promotion to the EPL in 2007-08 by one point over recent relegatee Bolton. Bolton and Norwich joined me in the EPL for the 2008-09 season.

I went to Italy with my new found Premiership riches and brought over former Italian international mid Simone Perrotta from Roma and Eritrean forward Henok Goitom (Udinese), and I banked defensive improvement on Pool's Djimi Traore, who had fallen out of favor in Anfield. And at the transfer deadline I brought over Mexican international forward mid Juan Pablo Garcia (now with Chivas USA) against my AM's advice.

The sheer quality of competition in the EPL was brutal. It was very hard for me to make headway. Although I generally stayed out of the relegation zone, I would drop into it for a week or two three or four times in the first five months. But players started getting healthy, and some of my latest acquisitions started making names for themselves in the second half of the 2008-09 season.

The best of those acquisitions was winger James Morrison, formerly of Boro, but by way of Championship Reading, centreback Curtis Davies from West Brom (one of the better young defenders in England, IMO), and forgotten French target man Toifilou Maoulida.

I made a push for the midtable, and going into the last two weeks of the season, even had a chance at ninth place and a European spot. Unfortunately, Newcastle turned it on, and I was passed by Crystal Palace as well, dropping me to 11th (47 points in 38 matches). I also got to the semis in the Carling, and the quarters in the FA, although I felt I was jobbed in both tourneys (Newcastle in the first, Pool in the second).

So now I am at the start of the 2009-10 season. I seem to be picked for a midtable finish again, and I am setting my sights on Europe, and with any luck a free and clear UEFA spot at the least. Champions League might be a little much--Pool, Chelsea, Arsenal (defending champs) and Man Utd are just head and shoulders over everyone.

My biggest acquisitions of this past transfer season have been along the sidelines (fullback and wing), where I have picked up Danish international left winger Johan Absalonsen (he used to bedevil me at Silkeborg) and Arsenal's surplus to requirement Belgian winger-forward Jonathon Blondel; former French international right back Bernard Mendy (Bundesliga's Duisberg) and left back/sweeper Andrea Briotta from Serie B side Avelino. I wrapped up my transfer season with a big ticket pick up from recently-relegated Birmingham--I signed away former Gunner D-mid Mathieu Flamini for $10 M. I have been struggling to get a guy I liked for that spot for years now, and I am hoping he's the one.

So, there, now you're all caught up. You will meet the team soon.

Chief Rum · 05-29-2006, 05:48 AM

Worldwide, a lot has happened of course since 2005.

At Germany 2006, Holland beat its habit of caving in big tourneys by beating Spain, 2-0, in the finals, with the goals coming from Robben and RVN. In fact, Spain getting this far is also a shock, given their past.

Heavyweights fell much earlier in Germany than usual. The unlikely semifinal losers were the Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Among major powers not already mentioned, only Italy got to the quarters. Brazil shickingly lost in the second round to Ireland, and that round also claimed England and host Germany. Mexico, the U.S. and Argentina didn't even get out of their groups. And, France did not wake up enough from its real life malaise to earn a spot to Germany.

In Euro 2008, hosted by Austria and Switzerland, Spain got to the final again, only to lose to its Iberian rival, Portugal, in a tight 1-0 match. The lone goal was scored by Maniche, and starting up front for Portugal was none other than Sheffield Wednesday's own Ricardo Vaz Te. He's pretty much our premier international player (and highest valued at around $15 M).

Defending world champs Holland reverted to form and didn't escape the first round. Neither did England or Germany 2006 semifinalist Czech Republic. France, Italy and Germany all fell in the quarters, allowing surprising Russia and Turkey to join Spain and Portugal in the semis.

Current Top 10 FIFA Rankings

1. Brazil
2. Holland
3. Spain
4. Germany
5. Argentina
6. U.S.A.
7. England
8. Mexico
9. Italy
10. Portugal

All regions are currently heavily involved in qualifying for South Africa 2010. I will get more into that as we get closer to wrapping those qualifiers up.

In the Champions League, Milan beat Betis to win the 2008-09 cup. Real Madrid's 2007-08 win over Inter broke an amazing streak of three straight Liverpool crowns in Europe. Pool also got to the semis in 2008-09. Fortunately, it ended there. Milan lost twice to Pool in that stretch, so their win this past season has to be a particular relief.

Top 10 European clubs, by coefficients...

1. Liverpool
2. Milan
3. Mn Utd
4. Inter
5. Chelsea
6. Arsenal
7. Real Madrid
8. Barcelona
9. Schalke
10. Juventus

As you can tell, the EPL has even distanced itself from La Liga and Serie A to become the premier league in the world. The Bundesliga is well behind the top three, but even further ahead of Ligue One and Eredivisie, which are roughly comparable.

The top valued players in the world are...

1. FC Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE, Juventus)...$68 M
2. FC Robinho (BRA, Real Madrid)...$65 M
3. ST Adriano (BRA, Inter)...$65 M
4. ST Fernando Torres (ESP, Ath. Madrid)...$60 M
5. AM/FC Samuel Eto'o (CMR, Barcelona)...$56 M
6. AM C Kaka (BRA, Milan)...$55 M
7. AM RL/FC Wayne Rooney (ENG, Man Utd)...$54 M
8. ST Alberto Gilardino (ITA, Milan)...$53 M
9. AM RL Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Barcelona)...$51 M
10. AM L/FC Antonio Cassano (ITA, Roma)...$45 M

and the best five non-forwards...

1. DC/MRC Michael Essien (GHA, Milan)
2. MC Francesc Fabregas (ESP. Arsenal)
3. DM Javier Mascherano (ARG, Milan)
4. DM Xabi Alonso (ESP, Liverpool)
5. DC John Terry (ENG, Chelsea)

and the best regens (19 and under) so far...

1. ST Vladimir Andreev (UKR, Sampdoria)
2. DC Jairo Ortiz (COL, Milan)
3. ST Massimiliano Martini (SUI, Osasuna)
4. ST Andrea Lancia (ESP, Osasuna)
5. ST Steve Worthington (SCO, Newcastle...I already hate this guy)

Looks like Osasuna has a bright future.

Chief Rum · 05-29-2006, 03:26 PM

Here's a look at my first team, back to front.

GOALKEEPER

Andria Berbia (37 GA in 31 M, 9 clean, 7.10) was actually named to the Premier Division Select last year as the best goalkeeper in the EPL. Only three teams that stayed up had a worse defense than us (55 GA in 38 M), but much of that was my backup keeper Callum Reidford, whom was sent down to the reserves.

Berbia has good skills, but he's 31, and I actually have guys with better ratings now. But he will start for now.

Key Reserves: In July, Kenneth Vermeer was signed away from Rangers, where he started and did very well. The Dutchman is the future, and will spell Berbia a lot. He's out for August, though with a dislocated jaw. Jonas Tanghe was bought for cheap last year from amateur Belgian squad Deinze, and did a well in a couple of emergency starts last season. He is serving as backup right now in Vermeer's stead.

CENTREBACK

Curtis Davies (7.30 in 10 M) was one of my key acquisitions last January, for $5.5 M from West Brom. He's my style of DC, fast enough for the quick strikers of the EPL, tall enough for the target men, and strong enough for the English game. The Sierra Leone defender is just 24, and was dominating the EPL for West Brom when he was 20.

Djimi Traore (2 A, 7.12 in 33 M) was my answer to defensive problems last season, having bought him from Pool for $1.4 M. He did well, but we still had problems because of his partner, since replaced with Davies. Since Traore is from Mali, I have an all-African centreback pair. Traore is even more dominant physically than Davies and has more offensive ability, as he can slide to the left back spot, but he makes poorer decisions.

Key Reserves: Eric Addo was one of the players I felt didn't do such a good job at the back, although starting fell to Martin Laursen, whom has been shipped away on loan to Norwich, a move I hope they make permanent. Addo had a 6.67 in 9 M, and he might be a better fit as a DM. He's passable as a backup here. Veteran Martin Albrechtsen was brought in July from Ipswich in the Championship, but I only really did that to get rid of a player in an exchange. He's decent at all backline spots, but definitely not a starter. I'm currently in negotiations on a transfer for PSV's surplus defender Tim Bakens to help this spot.

FULLBACK

RFB Frank Simek (3 A, 6.86 in 36 M) is a horse of a player, and an American to boot. In fact, when he got his first cap a year ago, he credited me with developing his game to get him there. Fact is, though, the Premiership game is a little too fast for him. It will be hard for me to move him out, but I may have to.

LFB Steve Hammell (2 G, 2 A, 7.00 in 32 M) is a lightning quick Scottish wingback who actually sees time now and then with the national team. Like Simek, he was in place when I took over the Owls, and has performed well. Still, I worry that he is a little too offensive, and not defensive enough. I have madfe a couple attempts to move him to left wing, but it hasn't taken.

Key Reserves: I took steps to get quality backups at these spots in the recent transfer season, signing away Bernard Mendy and Andrea Briotti on frees from Duisberg (Bundesliga) and Avelino (Serie B), respectively. Mendy is very fast and strong, and a technically terrific defender. He's also a better offensive player than Simek. He will see a lot of time, and likely split with Simek. Briotti brings to the pitch what Hammell doesn't--he's tall and strong and a fine defender. He's not as fast as Hammell, though, nor as great an offensive player. I plan to use him particularly against very good wingers.

DEFENSIVE MID

Nick Montgomery (2 A, 7.17 in 23 M) is another leftover starter from the Championship days, but he has made the transition well to the EPL. The Scotsman has a lot of my favorite qualities in a DMC, as he's mean and strong, and sound defensively. He also is smart, has all of the mental qualities you like (determined, works hard, etc.) and is a good passer.

Key Reserves: Mathieu Flamini was my big ticket acquisition this past transfer season, for $10 M from Birmingham. That means Montgomery is looking over his shoulder. Flamini is faster and taller than Montgomery, and doesn't give up much elsewhere to him. You will see Flamini in the lineup a lot; he had a 7.33 in 15 M for Birmingham in the EPL last season.

ATTACKING MID

Juan Pablo Garcia (10 G, 6 A, 7.30 in 30 M) was my swing and homerun last year in new faces. I got him from Antwerp last August against my AM's wishes, and what did he do? Earn a spot on the Premier Division Select squad with Berbia. This vet Mexican international does everything with the ball technically well, and as a forward, he has striker finishing skills. He's also fast, if not super-fast.

Key Reserves: This is one of my tough spots, because I have some terrific options here. I still have David Dunn, who does everything I ask. In 28 M (half of them as subs), he 3 G, 4 A and a 6.79. He was the starter in the Championship, whom Garcia replaced in my top 11. I just don't think I can ride Dunn to Champions League glories, but he's a terrific backup. Danish forward mid Martin Christensen is a bit of a shock, because in my annual review of my squad, he actually rates better than even Garcia now. He was on my reserves squad last year. So he's first team now, and he will get a shot--but only against the lighter squads at first. He needs to prove himself (just 22 y.o.). A wildcard is Henok Goitom, whom I brought in on a free from Udiense last July. Goitom was fantastic for us (7 G, 6 A, 7.14 in 28 M), but he's pretty much outrated at all three of his main positions (left winger, fast striker, forward mid). He played all three positions at times last year, with his best play probably coming on left wing. He will be a key backup, I am sure, for his versatility. He's injured for the next week or two.

WINGER

RWG James Morrison (1 G, 2 A, 7.40 in 10 M) has all the skills in the world for my system. He's a winger with flair, lightning fast, and he can do anything with the ball. He can score like a striker, and even defends well. So why he did so miserrable for Boro, and didn't jump out at Reading in the Championship, I will never know. I bought him from Reading in January for $3.5 M, and as you can see from his stats, he has been exactly what I was looking for from what had been a lackluster spot for me to then.

LWG Ross Wallace (1 G, 3 A, 6.78 in 9 M) is a surprise nod here, much like Christensen in the middle. Wallace has been with the Owls since I came here, and I have used him as a useful reserve, particularly when injuries pile up. But I never really saw him as a Premiership starter, and I'm not sure I do now either. But I am giving him his shot. He will have to make the most of it, because I have some high quality backups itching to give it a go.

Key Reserves: I am giving Jani Virtanen, a 21-year-old Finn kid, a shot at Morrison's primary backup spot. Virtanen is very fast and capable, and actually rates almost equal to Morrison. But he hasn't shown it on the pitch for me at any level above my reserves squad. We'll see what he does with it. I also have Ronaldo Denneboom here, another player in the mold of Goitom with versatility, speed and offensive ability (5 G, 5 A, 6.92 in 28 M). Denneboom dominated as my RW int he Championship, but he gets hurt way too easy, and hasn't been that same spark in the EPL, leading to the signing of Morrison. Denneboom can start on the right, in the middle, and up front. My high quality backups on the left include two big free transfers in July. Jonathon Blondel gets first shot if Wallace fails. He's not as fast as Wallace, but he's a smart player with all the technical abilities. One big issue--he has been in the EPL for years now with Arsenal and Portsmouth, and has never shown he was a top level player (but neither did Morrison). My other big transfer was Johan Absalonsen. He isn't as technically great as Blondel, and he has some failings next to Wallace, too, but he still looks like a player. And unlike either of them, he did well in a loan with Man City two seasons ago. He has been very good in Denmark, for what that's worth. I also have Goitom here for both sides, and he started on the left wing. He could certainly see a lot of time here.

STRIKER

FST Ricardo Vaz Te (22 G, 4 A, 7.26 in 34 M) is the face of Sheffield Wednesday, and far and away its premier player. And he's just 22. He already has 15 caps for Portugal (5 G), and is a regular first teamer there. Last year, he shook off a scoreless first eight matches fraught with injury to finish tied for third in the EPL in goals scored. In our promotion year, he dominated the Championship, with 30 G and 9 A. And I got him on a free from Bolton! My only concerns with him is he picks up a lot of nagging injuries, and basically, that Sheffield may end up being too small for him. I resigned him to a contract last year specifically to add in a $40 M minimum fee release clause, and now I wonder if I aimed too low.

TMST Toifilou Maoulida (4 G, 4 A, 7.07 in 15 M) became the answer to a long-standing problem for me last January--who do I pair with Vaz Te? I have had maddening problems getting consistent play out of this spot ever since taking over the Owls. Players would step up for a while, but no one would sustain it. So when I got the veteran French target man Toifilou Maoulida (I call him "Tofu" in my head) from Monaco, it was a big relief to see him really take the spot and make it his own. He's as fast as a fast striker, but he's tall and powerful. He's a smart player with a nose for the ball, and he fit right in. When we added him, our offense (second in the EPL with 65 G) took off and nearly earned us a spot in Europe. Also, not reflected in the stats above, he was dominant in cup play.

Key Reserves: After a review of numerous options up front, I decided that young rising Finnish star Juha Ojala was my best backup at both striker spots. He certainly rates well enough as both a target man and fast striker. And he's just 18. I turned down millions from Pool for him last summer, just after I got him from Finnish side MyPa. But he hasn't done much for em yet in spot starts, even though he was terrific in reserves and solid on a loan with Ipswich in the Championship last year. So this is his chance. When I sent my scouts out to look for talent, my top scout said 23-year-old Icelandic striker Kjartan Henry Finnbogason was destined for great things. That's enough for me. He doesn't rate as well as my top three, but he's another multi-talented striker, and this year, he, too, gets a shot at backing up my top guys. I also still have Henrik Pedersen, a veteran Danish international whom I signed away on a free from Bolton in the same year I got Vaz Te. Pedersen is your classic cagey, target man vet. I have listed him, because he's 34 and too slow for the EPL, IMO, but he's som strong in the air, I couldn't help but keep him around on the first team. Denneboom and Goitom, and maybe even Blondel and Absalonsen will see time as backups up front, if I don't like what I am seeing here.

daedalus · 05-31-2006, 05:59 AM

Yay! Looking forward to following this dynasty.

When 'Boro comes looking for you, will you be moving on or will you be staying?

Chief Rum · 05-31-2006, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedalus

Yay! Looking forward to following this dynasty.

When 'Boro comes looking for you, will you be moving on or will you be staying?

Actually Boro canned their boss this past offseason, and I was mentioned as a possible replacement (not the main guy, but one of the other three likely possibilities), so the opportunity was there if I wanted to take a crack at it. I like where the Owls are at right now (and they finished higher than Boro last season), so I stayed in Sheffield.

But in the future, who knows?

Chief Rum · 05-31-2006, 07:29 PM

August 2009

August 8--Sheffield Wednesday at Everton

This is a huge first match for me, because while I will acknowledge I am not on the level of an Arsenal or Chelsea, I hope I have ascended to the level of the Evertons and Newcastles of the league, the second tier powers.

But beating anyone in this league on the road is not easy.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

I went with players I felt I could count on in a big match like this, so Wallace is the only one who is different from my regular lineup in the last half of 2008-09.

I struck first. In the 4th minute, Wallace put the ball into the box from the left, and Garcia headed it short of the net to Tofu. Maoulida put the shot just inside the near post, past an approaching Jan Lastuvka. They answered back quickly, though, on a Tim Cahill header of a Stein Huysegems cross in the 11th minute. We went ahead again in style in the 33rd minute, when Vaz Te made Kevin Kilbane look foolish on his way into the box. Lastuvka fended off Vaz Te's shot, but Morrison got the rebound and put it in. We put it away when Garcia got free on a run toward the box. Lastuvka rushed out on him and deflected the ball, but it fell to Vaz Te and an easy open net score. We got two more scores from David Dunn, and Sheffield Wednesday slaughtered Everton 5-1!. Morrison picked up the MoM from among several deserving candidates.

Unfortunately Garcia picked up a bad groin strain in the second half. Although Dunn was fantastic in replacing him, Garcia will miss 2-4 weeks, and that will hurt.

There is a week before our home opener against Blackburn. We succeed in signing away DC Tim Bakens, a heady, tall and powerful 26-year-old Dutchman who was being phased out at PSV, for just $350K. He seems to be a good choice as a solid backup for Davies and Traore at the back.

Simek is picked for the U.S. squad in a qualifier against Mexico on August 12. Although he was put on the sideline, his number didn't get called.

I also decided to send away Virtanen on a 5 month loan to Championship side Walsall. I didn't seek to loan him out, but when they offered, I thought it was another good chance for him to show me he deserved the starting time his stats suggest. With Denneboom and Dunn (at least) to back up Morrison, I'm not too concerned about the right side.

August 15--Blackburn at Sheffield Wednesday

The Rovers flirted with relegation along with us, so I come into this one believing we need to win this if we're the squad we think we are.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Flamini - Dunn - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

After Dunn's strong showing at Goodison, I gave him the start at Garcia's spot. This is also the first match for Blondel, Flamini and Mendy in an Owls' kit.

This one started brutal and defensive, as neither side mounted a serious challenge in the first half. With 30 minutes left, I relieved a fatigued Vaz Te with Denneboom, and it paid immediate dividends. Denneboom was in the right place near the right post when the ball fell to him out of a challenge in the middle of the box. He blasted it past a charging Brad Friedel (yes, still there, still playing, still starting) for the first goal of the match. We didn't put it away, though, until Christensen, on for Dunn, scored in the 86th minute. Sheffield Wednesday takes it 2-0.

It wasn't a pretty win, but we'll certainly take it.

The rest of the day didn't go so well for us. In some post match training, Dunn pulled his Achilles, and the injury will put him down until likely November. After the great start for him, this is awful news. Also, reserve defender Jean-Christophe Cesto demands first team play. Since he's just not ready, I refuse and he demands a transfer. This will happen at big clubs.

Goitom has resumed full training at least, which is very good news (he is an option at the forward mid spot, which is crippled with injury right now).

We don't have to wait too long for our next match this time, with a mid-week trip to Molineux.

August 19--Sheff Wednesday at Wolves

The Wolves are a tougher matchup then their reputation suggests, as they finished 6th last season and in Europe. So this is no easy matchup.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Christensen - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Christensen finally gets his start, the one his ratings (and injuries to Garcia and Dunn) earned him. At the back, Briotti and Bakens are playing in their first match for us.

This one went south from the start. In the 15th minute, Morrison held back Joleon LeScott on an indirect freekick and the Wolves got the penalty call. Giovanny Hernandez put it in the right corner for a 1-0 lead. Magnus Myklebust then scored one of those amazing curling shots from well beyond the box to put them up 2-0 in the 35th minute, and that was just a couple minutes after another Myklebust netter was disallowed. I turned up the pressure, switching to a forward, closing down attack I call “Hi-Press”. We got one back just before half when Vaz Te anticipated a wide cross into the box from Wallace and put it in the goal. We pulled level in the 54th minute, when a Vaz Te pass to Tofu somehow curled just inside the far post, before it even reached the Frenchman, for an unlikely score. We were back in it! It looked like it was headed for a draw until we got hooked on the indirect freekick again! ARGH! Denneboom tripped up Luis Boa Morte in the box, and they got another penalty in the 80th minute. On top of that, Denneboom was issued a red for the professional foul. Disaster! Or so I thought...Myklebust blasted it to the right, but Berbia read the move and blocked it back out. Briotti got to it first and sent it off to safety. A few minutes later, despite being a man down, we pressed back on the other side, and Absalonsen freed himself on a cross and knocked the ball in for the go ahead! A tremendous winner for the Owls! Sheff Wednesday take an inspiring 3-2 win away from the Wolves. The Wolves were probably the better team, and it took a MoM from Berbia to keep them out for more than two.

The win puts us at the top of the league table three matches in, with Man Utd and Leeds sharing our spot.

After the match, we ship Cesto off to nonleague Aldershot, so that headache is gone (and was happy to get as much as $475K for him). We rejected loan offers for Christensen from League One Oldham and Peterborough—with Garcia and Dunn out, we can’t afford to move him even if we wanted to.

Milan beat Man Utd, which won the UEFA Cup last year, in the Super Cup.

The draw for the Carling Cup Second Round was held, and we got a poor draw, a road trip to Birmingham and the just relegated Blues. That’s a tough matchup, although I am confident we can win it. We will play on September 16, and I later find out the match is selected for TV.

Our final match before the international break is coming, and it’s against surprising Leeds. They finished lower than us last year.

August 23—Leeds United at Sheff Wednesday

I don’t think any pundits had this match marked down as a pairing of the two top squads in the league, but like us, the Whites don’t have a defeat yet. They barely fought off relegation, and only one team that didn’t drop was behind them (Boro).

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Flamini - Christensen - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Other than dealing with the midfield injuries, we have a pretty well tested veteran squad out on the pitch today, and the Owls’ fans pack Hillsborough almost to capacity (39782 in stands that hold 39814). It should be noted Leeds is also not all that far from Sheffield. Although Blackburn and the Manchester squads are more likely rivals, and we’re more likely linked with the northeast squads (Boro, Toon, Sunderland when they’re up), this is still a matchup with punch. Our main rival is Sheffield United, but we left those poor bastards in the Championship.

This match had much of the same gritty feel as the Blackburn match. Neither team seemed able to get anything going. Through sixty minutes, only six shots had been registered, and just three of them were on goal (with our only shot on goal from a Vaz te breakaway that he oddly kicked right at Federico Vilar…out of position on a rush out--Vilar “saved” it from going to a goal kick to the right of the goal). On top of that, I had to replace Wallace with a knock in the 42nd minute, and Traore picked up a playable knock after I had made all my subs (including removing a very fatigued Christensen). Vaz Te just seemed off today. He put another right at the keeper in the 63rd minute, just a few ticks after he blasted the ball over a wide open net. Leeds finally broke the malaise with another of those long curlers from defender Kristian Bak Nielsen in the 76th minute. They always seem to beat Berbia to his right. And with the match the way it was, that had the look of a winner. But Vaz Te finally showed up in response, moving into the box for a closeup blast. He put it at Vilar again, but this time hit it so hard, it bounded off of the Leeds keeper and into the net to pull us level. We then struck again in the 83rd minute, as Tofu took a nice setup pass from Montgomery just outside of the box, and threaded a nice shot through traffic into the right corner of the goal. I should have known this match wouldn’t end like that, though. Leeds skipper and winger Jakub Blaszczykowski found room to run into the box, after they drew a hobbled Traore out of the way, and put a nice shot past Berbia on the far side to knot it up in the 85th minute. Leeds forces the draw from Sheff Wednesday 2-2

So the matter of which team goes to the top will wait another day. Surprisingly, Vaz Te gets the MoM. Man Utd coulda jumped us the next day, but lost an understandably tough road match against Pool, 1-0. So we enter the break on top of the EPL with Leeds.

Montgomery’s all around performance the past week earned him a spot on the Premier Division Team of the Week, and apparently he also impressed the Whites, as they made the odd football offer of a straight change of Montgomery for a decent-looking right back of about the same age. I didn’t need a right back, though, so I turned them down.

Traore has bruised ribs and will be out from four days to two weeks, but that probably won’t matter with the break. Mendy picked up a head-bruise in a postmatch training challenge. I really need to stop the squad from doing anything after matches, it seems. He will be out at most a week.

While no matches are played in the last week of August, there is a lot of action, as this is the end of the transfer season. Bakens was our last real get, so we weren’t in for anyone (and only had $4 M to spend anyway; I expect to get a lot more from the board in winter). We receive no offers but the one for Montgomery, but we do loan out last year’s backup goalkeeper Reidford to Hibernian in the SPL, and listed Reserve striker Stokes to Peterborough, both for five months.

In good training news, our new backup goalkeeper and netminder of the future Vermeer resumes training from his dislocated jaw, and Garcia gets back on the pitch from his groin strain at the end of the month.

The writers dismiss my attempt to earn August’s top boss award, and give the Manager of the Month award to former Boro boss Steve McClaren, currently heading the Whites. So that sucked. I was second. No Owls featured elsewhere in the monthly awards. The Wolves’ Myklebust was second on the goal of the month list with his curling shot against us.

Chief Rum · 05-31-2006, 10:55 PM

Transfer & Internationals Round Up

Transfer Season

With the end of August comes the end of the transfer season. Our biggest move, as noted, was the signing of Flamini from Birmingham for $10 M. That is a sizable and significant transfer, but, of course, on the scale of the Premiership, it rates as average probably. Here is a look at the most significant transfers in and out of the EPL and around the world:

In England...

ST Chris Gayle (Liverpool to Chelsea for $60 M)
DL Maxwell (Ajax to Chelsea for $30 M)
DM Sulley Ali Muntari (Leverkusen to Chelsea for $26 M)
DM Angelo Palombo (Porto to Chelsea for $19.5 M)
DRC Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht to Chelsea for $16 M)
Luca Gambino (Milan to Chelsea for $15.75 M)
AMC Maurizio Arena (Napoli to Wolves for $12.75 M)
ST Rocco Franchini (Barcelona to Arsenal for $11.75 M)
ST Davide Petrucci (Milan to Liverpool for $10.75 M)
DM Mathieu Flamini (Birmingham to Sheff Wed for $10 M)

As you can see, Chelsea hasn't changed one bit, with the six biggest bids in England in July and August. I was absolutely floored by the $60 M offer for Gayle. He's a terrific looking young talent, but he's 21, and hasn't even featured on England's national team yet. And Pool didn't even spend that money--they might make some serious bids in the winter window. Chelsea was very concerned with their defense, as only Gayle is an offensive player. Maxwell and Palombo were probably the big ticket gets at the back, as those five are two DMs, two FBs and a GK. Petrucci might be the next Gayle, so Pool is just getting ready to cash in with Chelsea again in three years.

The biggest transfers out involved Man City ST Robin Van Persie and disgruntled Boro WGR Stewart Downing, both bought by Valencia for $14 M apiece. Obviously, a lot more money goes out of England than in in the transfer market.

Around the world (not counting England)...

MR Andoni Iraola (Athletic to Real Madrid for $51 M)
ST Gabriele Gatti (Betis to Real Madrid for $25.5 M)
FC Mirko Vucinic (Lecce to Ajax for $25 M)
FC Diego (Atletico Paranaense to Marseille for $24 M)
ST Roman Tkachenko (Barcelona to Villareal for $23.5 M)
FC Cesar Delgado (Atletico Madrid to Stuttgart for $23 M)
ST Bruno Pozzi (Juventus to Milan for $21.5 M)
ST Johan Vonlanthen (Koln to FC Bayern for $20.5 M)

Obviously, in this last transfer season, only Real Madrid comes even close to spending on Chelsea's level, and they're not real close at all. Gayle was far and away the biggest transfer money spent. And mind you, Chelsea hasn't won the EPL since 2006 (Arsenal is on a three-year run).

Internationals & World Cup

ASIA

The final group stage has been completed in Asia, and all four automatic spots have been handed out. Those teams are Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and South Korea. The Uzbeks are a bit of a shock, but the others are regulars from Asia. Australia and North Korea will play a home-and-home playoff in October to determine which team will face the fourth place squad from CONCACAF for one other spot.

No Owls play with the Asian national teams.

OCEANIA

This region has lost a lot of oomph with Australia's move to Asia, but the region still gets a shot at a World Cup spot.

New Zealand wrapped up a playoff spot by beating Vanuatu 5-2 on Aug. 29 and Sep. 5. New Zealand will meet the fifth place South American squad in another playoff in November for the final spot.

No Owls play with Oceania national teams.

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil clinched earlier this year, and Argentina joined their rivals by beating Ecuador 3-0 on Sep. 5. The last two spots, and the playoff spot, though, are still very much in contention.

Bolivia is third with 25 points, but they are only six points up on eighth place Peru, and just two points out of not even being in the playoff. That’s how close it is. Colombia is right behind Bolivia with 24 points, and Paraguay and Uruguay have 23 points apiece, with Paraguay getting the nod on goal differential for the playoff spot. Venezuela has 21 points, and Peru 19.

There was only round this break for South American squads, but it was still a critical matchday. Colombia shellacked Bolovia 4-1 to move into a playoff spot, and Paraguay and Uruguay drew, 2-2, failing to take advantage of the other.

There are no Owls players on South American national teams.

AFRICA

Eric Addo’s Ghana lost to Mali, Dkimi Traore’s national team, 2-1, although Traore wasn’t called for this match. That would be a key match, as Ghana leads Group 1, with Mali just two points back. Addo was on the squad, but was not subbed on. Only the group winners advance to the Cup. Only one match remains for African qualifying.

As it turns out, only Group 1 remains to be decided.

Morocco long ago walked away with the Group 2 spot, and Senegal’s 3-1 win over Ethiopia on Sep. 5 in Group 3 clinched their trip to South Africa, staying ahead of Nigeria. Algeria only drew, 1-1, with Rwanda, but any point would clinch them the Group 4, so they are going south as well.

Qualifying spots in Africa are particularly at a premium because South Africa automatically receives one of Africa’s five bids as host of the tournament.

NORTH AMERICA

With two wins and a draw in August and early September, the United States has clinched its spot in South Africa 2010. Mexico, leading the final six-team group in CONCACAF qualifying, had already nabbed its spot. With two matches to go, Canada sits in third, and Costa Rica is in the playoff spot (which would play the winner of the Australia-North Korea playoff for a spot in South Africa). But only six points separate the bottom four squads, so Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala still have a chance.

Simek was brought on as a sub at halftime of the Aug. 29 match against TNT and did so well, he earned MoM honors (although he didn't get on the scoresheet). He did not play in the U.S.'s other two matches.

Garcia was called up to Mexico's squad in June and seems to be a regular reserve for the team, but his injury in August kept him from being called up for any of Mexico's three matches.

EUROPE

Two major tournaments are in progress in Europe, with both the Cup qualifying as well as UEFA U-21 championship qualifying. Sheff Wed players featured heavily in both.

Scotland-- Montgomery, Hammell (called up as an injury replacement)
Iceland-- Finnbogason
Portugal-- Vaz Te
Finland-- Ojala
Denmark-- Laursen (currently on loan with Norwich)

Switzerland U-21-- DM Kevin Gomez
Ireland U-21-- ST Anthony Stokes
Northern Ireland U-21-- ST Kevin Thompson
Wales U-21-- GK Steve Wright

Europe's group stage will wrap up in October, with playoffs in November.

Group 1

Austria is the surprise leader here after two wins over bottom feeders Hungary and Azerbaijan. They are just one point up on Italy, though, which is traditionally underachieving. Lithuania and Denmark are also still alive, within four points of the lead.

Laursen played well in a draw against Italy and a win over Hungary.

Group 2

France and Serbia Montenegro are one-two here, and France is a virtual lock to at least get a playoff. Only Switzerland still has a chance to catch either squad.

Group 3

Spain leads this group, but this is a logjam. Six points separate the top five squads. Russia and Ireland are within three points of Spain.

Group 4

This is one of the better groups, with England leading the way with 18 points. Northern rival Scotland is right behind them, though, with 17 points, and Bulgaria and Greece are also still in the mix. Scotland had a chance to actually pass England, but could only draw at home against Greece on Sep. 2.

Montgomey played in both matches. He scored in Scotland's 3-0 win over Cyprus and played very well, but he was less than stellar against Greece. Hammell was never placed on the squad.

Group 5

Defending World Cup champ Holland has already easily clinched its spot to South Africa, 10 points up on second. But four other teams are still in the fight for the playoff spot, with Norway leading the way with 12 points.

Group 6

Germany had a chance to seal its trip to South Africa, but could only draw with Iceland, 2-2. Still, the Huns are six points up--it would take a miracle for them to miss out. The real fight is for the playoff spot. Israel leads the way with 14 points, but Romania (13) and Iceland (12) are both in range.

Finnbogason featured prominently in the Germany game, starting and scoring Iceland's first goal. He came on as a sub in Iceland's 1-1 draw with Israel on Aug. 29, and also did well (although he didn't score). They were his first caps.

Group 7

Czech Republic leads this group but hasn't put it away, with Bosnia just two points back. Belgium is also in reach, three points back of Bosnia.

Group 8

Turkey and Portugal are even on top of this group, but the Turks have a match in hand on the European champs. Neither side was able to capitalize on a grudge match on Sep. 2, drawing 1-1. Armenia and Slovenia are only two and three points back of the leaders, and they also have a match in hand on Portugal.

Vaz Te started in both matches for Portugal, and scored in the 3-0 win over Albania. But he did not play well against Turkey, and that was the key match.

Group 9

Croatia leads this group, and Sweden is fairly clear in second, although neither team has clinched. It would be very unlikely for them not to advance, though.

Finland, with 5 points from 6 matches, has not played well, but Ojala started and scored twice in a 3-0 drubbing of Wales. He was on the squad for the Croatia game, but not called onto the pitch.

Chief Rum · 06-03-2006, 12:22 AM

September 2009

September 5—Sheff Wed at Newcastle

At the beginning of the season, I said I hoped I was at least on the level of Everton and Newcastle, representing the EPL’s second tier. Well, having stunned Everton at Goodison, today I get to visit another vaunted English pitch in St. James. And to add a little flavor to it, the men of Toon are, with Boro, my likely rivals in this current league.

So this game is a big one.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Garcia is back and close enough to full health to get the start. I decide to go with the more defensive Briotti and the physically more capable Mendy at the fullback spots.

Wallace might as well have not walked on the pitch. He pulled his hamstring just 5 minutes in, and I had to replace him with Blondel. Both keepers were tested with some close up shots early. Shay Given had to stop an up close Vaz Te shot. Berbia turned away a deep-in header by Carlton Cole. Despite some free-flowing ball movement, though, shots were limited through most of the first half. I noted partway through that Newcastle had chosen to start two 17-year-olds on its backline today. While they are talented kids, I thought that might be a mistake, and that proved to be the case in the 36th minute. Garcia won control of a goal kick header near midfield, and when he stepped forward, both centrebacks—including one of the teenagers—stepped forward to mark him. That freed Vaz Te on a run, which Garcia put forward for him perfectly. Vaz Te showed his scoring skill, drawing Given out as he ran into the right end of the box and waiting until the vet goal keeper committed to either side. Vaz Te blasted the ball just inside the post for the 1-0 lead. After that, the Magpies seemed to specialize in creating chances, but not putting the ball on goal. But if you put on enough pressure, some are bound to reach the keeper. Berbia was on his game. The only mistake he made was following Cole off his line, but fortunately, Cole didn’t see and moved it up the line to Albert Luque instead of trying to turn it back toward a Newcastle player near the open goal. Later on, James Milner also missed a good look at an open net. Despite all of that, Sheff Wed held on for the 1-0 win over Newcastle! Berbia received a well-earned MoM.

It wasn’t a pretty game, but we’ll take this huge win for us. We were outshot 22-12, but both sides put up the same on goal (7). In addition to Wallace, we also lost Morrison in the 50th minute, and Denneboom, Morrison’s replacement, picked up a knock I didn’t find out about until after the match. Morrison came through okay, but Wallace’s hamstring will likely cost him the rest of September, and Denneboom hurt his heel, knocking him out for 1-2 weeks. Our depth along the wing will certainly take a hit here.

This was just the start of a vicious month of injuries, though. Addo strained his wrist lifting weights in training, and he will certainly be out the rest of September, and maybe a whole month.

It turns out we didn’t lose much in losing Wallace, though, as Blondel earned a spot on the Team of the Week with Berbia.

In other news, Richard Wood, a Reserve centreback, complained about his first team play (or lack thereof). As with his backline partner Cesto, Wood isn’t ready for EPL play and may never be. I refuse to be forced to pick him, and Wood apologizes a day later.

September 12—Middlesbrough at Sheff Wed

This is another potential regional rival and, of course, my own connections to Boro make this a particularly compelling matchup. That said, it’s a home match against the lowest team in the league last year to not earn the drop—and that was with Downing (since shipped to Valencia). I would be disappointed in the extreme if we don’t walk in this one.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Flamini - Christensen - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

Absaolnsen and Vermeer are getting their first starts for us here, but short of the injured players, this isn’t far off from our regular lineup.

For the Owls, this match started off like any manager’s dream. Vaz Te powered a Hammell swinging cross from deep into the net in the 2nd minute, and then ran onto a Tofu pass in the 6th minute, eluding a defender to loft a soft one over the rushing out Scott Carson for a quick 2-0 lead. And then Chris Riggott brought Vaz Te down on a breakaway in the 11th minute, and was sent off for the professional foul. It seemed this would be easy as I thought. Well, not so much. My boys let up a bit after that, I think, because the Boro put on decent pressure despite being a man down, and then in the 44th minute, Yakubu jumped on an awful misplay by Hammell, and then Vermeer made the equally bad decision to rush out to intercept the striker. Yakubu got his shot off at an open net, and we went into the half just up one goal. I will admit, I was not particularly friendly that halftime. We played a much stronger defensive match in the second match, and in the 78th minute, Ojala, who came on to replace Tofu who picked up a knock (of course), was dragged down in the box by Tony McMahon on the break. Ojala was my choice to take the kick, and he bagged it to put this one away. [b]Owls defeat Boro, 3-1.[.b] Traore was MoM.

We have now won five of six, and only the Leeds draw broke that record. Teams in European play are dropping behind in matches played, so abit of an unfair advantage for us right now, but we have the league lead six rounds in!

Simek would earn a spot on the Team of the Week for his play.

Tofu did escape the match without injury, but my training woes continued. Mendy hurt his wrist in the same way as Addo, lifting weights, although not so severely. He will miss 1-2 weeks. This is starting to get ridiculous.

We had only a short wait for our next match, a Carling Cup second round road tie with Birmingham. It is also the first of four straight televised matches for the Owls.

September 16—Sheff Wed at Birmingham

I approached this match with a little trepidation. Birmingham was a tough matchup for me. They had just been relegated, so their talent level wasn’t far off the EPL level. We were playing them at St. Andrews. And last year, we couldn’t seem to figure them out. Despite the fact that the only team they seemed able to stay ahead of last year was Southampton, we continually underperformed against them. It was frustrating. So I was definitely worried.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Unlike many managers, both in real life and amongst FM players, I take domestic cup play very seriously. I want to win everything, so I usually start most of my top squad, as with my league matches. I did choose to rest Traore in favor of Bakens, although I had Traore on the sub list.

This is the definitely a team I dislike. It’s against teams like this where I have Berbia making the best save of his day—against his own player! He barely turned aside an accidental header from Davies so on spot I wanted to search Davies’ traveling bags for betting slips. Emile Heskey acted like he was ten years younger and actually good with his runs to the sideline. To get our first goal in the 21st minute, Tofu had to do this amazing shot that just caught the far post on a breakaway, and the Blues equalized just three minutes later when Steed Malbranque suddenly found himself wide open in front of Berbia with the ball on his foot. He scored it with ease, and I saw that Bakens was the one marking him. Very crappy moment. Then in the 29th minute, Berbia had to go off with a knock! Un-flappinfrickinfreakinbelievable. >

I replaced him with Vermeer. We turned things more our way, finally, in the 33rd minute when Vaz Te used a terrific straight double pass from Montgomery-to-Tofu-To-Vaz Te to set up another run and “just inside the post”-er for the 2-1 lead. At that point, lead be-damned, we were being outshot 9-3. We pretty much put it away when Tofu put in a Morrison shot rebound three minutes later. Sheff Wed wins over Birmingham 3-1, and advances in the Carling Cup.

Tofu’s two scores earned him the MoM. I told you he was money in cup play.

The Blues outshot us by a good bit (16-9), but we actually had more on goal (5-4). We made our chances count. Berbia was fine, but Morrison had to go off later (again), and this time he wasn’t so lucky, twisting his ankle. He will miss two weeks to a month.

Around the league, Leeds, Derby and Norwich all fell in Carling Cup play, although at least Leeds and Derby had the decency to fall to other EPL squads. Norwich lost (at home!) to Preston from the Championship. A few days later, we drew another road match for the third round, and will play at League Two’s Grimsby Town.

Like Cesto and Wood, Reserve winger Lloyd Dyer wants first team action. Rinse and repeat. He later apologizes.

Now on a roll (injuries notwithstanding), I am looking to stay focused for the road match to Forest, and to not look ahead at the huge showdown at Hillsbrough against Man U at the end of the month.

September 21—Sheff Wed at Nottm Forest

Forest and I go way back. We both promoted last year, and we both managed to stay up. They fought with us tooth and nail in the Championship, despite the fact we were really good at that level. They dogged us all season, and only fell off at the end, allowing Bolton to slip past them for the automatic promotion spot. They had to win it in the playoff, and of course, they did. Then last year, we continued to struggle with them in our league matches. Simply put, I can’t stand playing Forest.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Flamini - Garcia - Cristiano
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

I continued to rotate Absalonsen and Blondel in Wallace’s absence, and also Flamini with Montgomery in the middle. But I had to seek first team help from the Reserves with all these injuries. I beought up right winger Cristiano, a speedy and versatily player but with lesser mental ability for the game; Trond-Erik Bertelsen, a left back who is better as a left winger; Bjorn Westerblad, a young mid who has complained about playing time; and popular vet defender Grame Lee. I’m not sure any of them are better than average Premiership players, but I don’t have a choice. Cristiano even starts in this one for the injured Morrison (and now am I regretting that Virtanen loan? Well, who woulda guessed Morrison, Dunn and Denneboom would all be out at once?)

I knew right from the start how this one would go, although I held out hope for overcoming a slow start. James Beattie hit one of those long-distance curlers into the corner of the net (to the right, of course, jeez, Berbia…) to take the 1-0 lead in the 6th minute. I hate it when I play functionally good defense, and I am undone by a crafty, fortunate long shot (and especially crazy curlers from the far side of either end of the box). But that’s the way it went. Simone Pellegrini scored another one like that, only this time a straight on curver (upper right corner again), but from a distance. That came in the 36th minute. I pressed the whole way left, and the stats ended up fairly equal, but our team was just in the tank. Sheff Wed fall to Forest, 2-0.

We fall from the ranks of the undefeated, although we’re still on top of the league coming out of the round (only tied with the Red Devils now, our next opponent). Gawd, I hate playing Forest. Strangely enough, it’s the first game perhaps this season where no one picked up a knock, had to leave the match, or ended up hurt after the match.

That didn’t stop our luck in training, though. Berbia caught a shot awkwardly in training the next day, and broke a finger. And that little break turns out to be trumped only by Dunn’s Achilles heel injury in August. Berbia will be out until at least November, and maybe December! Groan…I bring up Jonas Tanghe to serve as backup to Vermeer, suddenly thrust into starting days before Man U visit Hillsbrough.

I also lost Pedersen to a chest injury in this one (one to four weeks), but then I never run him out onto the pitch anyway. Denneboom at least seems to be returning to fitness at least, and so is Mendy. So I am looking stronger now on the right than I did before.

Man U’s coach is Steve Bruce, and I forgot that I complimented him last year. He considers us friends. So he complimented me. I said likewise, and fuzzy feelings abound. I got five comments from the players, and most were positive (glad to see coach diverting attention, glad to see coach getting deserved notice), although Vaz Te wasn’t sure I should be praising other teams.

September 27—Man Utd at Sheff Wed

So the big match arrives. I’m not in the same league as these guys, talent-wise, but we’re still tied (now third and fourth, as Chelsea and Arsenal leaped us in earlier round matches), and I’m at home. Plus, I have played Man Utd good in the past, beating them once last year (at Old Trafford, weird).

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Denneboom
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Vermeer

Man Utd at this point in time is a mix of the old and the new. Van Der Sar is in net. Defoe is up front. Obi Mikel is not a Blue. Rooney plays both up front and on the side. Rio and Neville still wear the red. And they’re all still good.

They started off the way you expect, scoring in the 5th minute and making it look easy. Defoe slipped in close to the left post, frustratingly alone, and headed in a Mikael Silvestre pass for the first lead. I switched to the Hi-Press right away, because that formation has been strangely successful in comebacks against big talent sides. It produced some nice chances for Vaz Te and Garcia, but no dice. So it was funny when Vaz Te turned a short Blondel pass from just outside the box into a terrific curling shot that just rocketed past the left post in the 28th minute. Van der Sar could barely move. It was a brilliant shot, and the sort of thing I bitched at Forest for doing. Regardless, we tied it up. I was dodging bullets after that, with Vermeer turning away a nice curving shot from Rooney, and Davies coming back to remove the ball from Defoe on a breakaway in the latter minutes of the first half. So that’s what makes what happened just before half time so frustrating. Mikel unleashes a soft floating freekick into the box, and Traore trails Rooney—part way! The guy just stops in the middle of the box, while Rooney keeps on, practically standing on the goal line. The ball falls perfectly to him and he heads it into the corner for the 2-1 lead. GHAR! (Silver prize on this play goes to Vermeer, who coulda closed on Rooney and intercepted it, but instead felt that guarding the far post, well away from Rooney and, well, anyone else in red, was the way to go about it). I would go on to describe the second half, how close we got, how even overall we played with this worldclass squad, but you just knew after that second score how this would end. Sheff Wed fall, 2-1, to Man Utd.

Briotti and Blondel, of course, suffered knocks, and Briotti turned out to be a twisted knee that will sit him for 2-4 weeks. Join the crowded trainer’s room, Mr. Briotti, won’t you please?

And that’s how we enter the second international break. With a two-match losing streak, and a hsot of injuries.

To recap, among starters, Wallace, Berbia and Morrison are hurt, and major backups Dunn, Briotti and Addo are also out. And we have lost Pedersen, too, but who gives a f---. And we just got back Mendy and Denneboom.

Did I miss anyone?

Chief Rum · 06-04-2006, 03:19 AM

Despite losing the last two matches, we're still in very good shape at fourht in the league (and in a CHampions League spot, which is terrific). Of course, we're just at the end of September, so nothing to get excited about yet. But I'm certainly satisfied with things so far.

Here are the standings as of the end of September, going into the next international break:

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Arsenal        |       | 7     | 6     | 1     | 0     | 16    | 3     | +13   | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd        |       | 8     | 6     | 1     | 1     | 13    | 5     | +8    | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Chelsea        |       | 7     | 5     | 1     | 1     | 15    | 6     | +9    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 8     | 5     | 1     | 2     | 17    | 10    | +7    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 8     | 4     | 3     | 1     | 11    | 8     | +3    | 15    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 8     | 3     | 4     | 1     | 13    | 9     | +4    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Bolton         |       | 8     | 4     | 1     | 3     | 13    | 10    | +3    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Leeds          |       | 7     | 4     | 1     | 2     | 12    | 10    | +2    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Wigan          |       | 7     | 4     | 0     | 3     | 8     | 6     | +2    | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Newcastle      |       | 8     | 3     | 1     | 4     | 12    | 13    | -1    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 8     | 2     | 4     | 2     | 10    | 12    | -2    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Derby          |       | 8     | 3     | 1     | 4     | 9     | 11    | -2    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 9     | 3     | 1     | 5     | 8     | 10    | -2    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 8     | 3     | 1     | 4     | 7     | 10    | -3    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Man City       |       | 8     | 2     | 2     | 4     | 9     | 13    | -4    | 8     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 9     | 2     | 2     | 5     | 8     | 15    | -7    | 8     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 9     | 1     | 3     | 5     | 9     | 14    | -5    | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Wolves         |       | 8     | 2     | 0     | 6     | 8     | 16    | -8    | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Everton        |       | 5     | 1     | 1     | 3     | 5     | 11    | -6    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Norwich        |       | 8     | 0     | 1     | 7     | 5     | 16    | -11   | 1     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 06-04-2006, 06:24 AM

Internationals Round Up

This is a very critical stretch of international matches, as this will finally begin to show how the field will be composed. After this round, there are no more group play--it's all playoffs to figure the final spots.

ASIA

As previously noted, Uzbekistan, Iran, South Korea and Saudi Arabia have already clinched their spots by finishing in the top two spots of Asia's final two-group phase.

The third place squad in each group met each other to earn a spot in a playoff for one final spot. The winner of the two-leg playoff will meet the winner of the Oceania winner in a final playoff for one spot to South Africa 2010.

Australia, freshly added to the region, and North Korea met on October 23 and October 29 to play out this leg. Australia took a 2-1 win at home in the first leg, and then fought off North Korea on the road, 1-1. The Aussies won, 3-2 aggregate.

Australia will play Oceania winner New Zealand, an old and familiar rival, in November for the spot.

No Sheff Wed players played in this region.

SOUTH AMERICA

Going into the final two rounds, only six points separate the third through eighth place squads. Bolivia is third, and followed by Colombia. Uruguay and Paraguay are next, with Paraguay holding the playoff spot on goal differential. Peru and Venezuela make up the back end of the contenders.

With Uruguay drawing Brazil and Bolivia Argentina in the Oct. 10 round, the two premier powers of the region, the first round was a dynamite opportunity for Colombia and Paraguay to solidify their positions, since they faced off with bottom dwellers, Chile and Ecuador. Colombia took advantage, winning 2-0, but Paraguay could only draw against Ecuador, 1-1. As expected, both Bolivia and Uruguay lost, so Colombia moved past Bolivia into third with 27 points, and Paraguay's one point moved them clear of Uruguay for the playoff spot.

Peru beat Venezuela, 3-2, essentially eliminating Venezuela, but keeping Peru's hopes alive.

Colombia and Bolivia's leading spots become a little more tenuous with matches against Argentina and Brazil in the Oct. 14 round. That means a chance for Uruguay and Paraguay, who are playing Venezuela and Peru, respectively. Neither team takes advantage, though, both forcing 2-2 draws. For Uruguay this is disastrous, as they needed the win to get past Paraguay and catch Bolivia. For Paraguay, though, it turned even better when Bolivia lost to Brazil at home 3-0. Paraguay's one point moved them into a tie with Bolivia on poiints, and then ahead on goal differential.

So Paraguay grabbed the fourth automatic spot, along with Colombia, and Bolivia will have to play the CONCACAF region's fourth place squad to get to South Africa.

Once again, no Sheff Wed had no players playing in this region.

AFRICA

With Morocco, Senegal and Algeria already locking in their spots by winning their groups, and South Africa getting a spot as host, only the Group 1 spot remains to be contested.

Mali comes in two points behind Ghana for that spot, and have called up Owls defender Djimi Traore for their match against Sudan on Oct. 10. Odds are slim, with Ghana drawing small fish Malawi (although Sudan is actually at the bottom of the group). Mali needs Ghana to lose at home to Malawi, since they won't win a tie with Ghana, too far down on goal differential as they are.

Traore starts for Mali at left back, and plays well (7 rat) in a 3-0 win. Unfortunately for Mali, Ghana also wins easily, beating Malawi 3-0 as well. So Ghana earns the spot, and Traore will sit at home and watch the tourney with most of the rest of his Owls' squadmates.

NORTH AMERICA

With Mexico and the U.S. clinching their spots already, the only thing that really matters to Owl fans is the performance of Garcia for Mexico and Simek for the U.S. Both were called up for these last two rounds.

The last automatic spot and the playoff spot are still very much in the air for the other four teams, Canada, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobaggo and Guatemala.

In the first round on Oct. 3, Canada was obliterated, 5-0, by Mexico and lost out on a chance to clinch the automatic spot. Costa Rica did better, earning a 1-1 draw against the U.S.A. to get within two of Canada. Guatemala edged TnT, 2-1, to leapfrog them into fifth, just a point behind Costa Rica and its playoff spot position.

Garcia started in the midfield for Mexico and played well, scoring a goal and earning a 9 rating. Simek was brought on as an injury replacement for Michael Parkhurst of Celtic, but he didn't do well, earning just a 6 rating.

In the second and final round on Oct. 7, Costa Rica would need to beat Mexico on the road, and have Canada draw or lose to TnT at home. Canada did draw with the island nation, 2-2, but Costa Rica couldn't cope with Mexico, and lost 4-1. Canada clinched the automatic spot.

Costa Rica's loss meant Guatemala had a chance to get the playoff spot if they beat the U.S., but they fell 2-0 at home, allowing COsta Rica to back into a playoff spot and a battle against South America's Bolivia for the final bid to South Africa.

Garcia started in the midfield again for Mexico and put up a 7 rating. Simek was a sub again for the U.S. and played better, also with a 7 rating.

EUROPE

Group 1

Austria goes into the final two rounds in first with 17 points, and powerful Italy one point behind. Lithuania is at 15, and Denmark 14, so this is definitely a group with some volatility.

Needing to go into surprising Lithuania on Oct. 3 to pull out a key win, Austria did well, earning a strong 3-0 result. Italy needed a win over Hungary to keep pace, but only drew 1-1. That in essence clinched the automatic spot for Austria, as they were +5 better than Italy in goal differential going into the final round. Denmark disappointingly only drew 1-1 with weakling Azerbaijan, although it did move them into a tie with Lithuania and in reach of Italy and the playoff spot.

In the final Oct. 7 round, Austria held even with Italy, 2-2, in the matchup of the round, clinching the group's automatic bid. Denmark pasted Lithuania, 3-0, to catch Italy, but lost out by virtue of the results between the two sides, which Italy held 3-2.

Group 2

Mighty France led this group, but Serbia & Montenegro was just two points off of the mark. Switzerland, with 13 points, was three back of S&M and five off of France. The Oct. 3 match saw the Serbs hold draw at in a scoreless match with France, but little San Marino earned fans in both countries when they stunned Switzerland, 1-0, on the road. That clinched the top two spots for France and Serbia & Montenegro. Who would get the automatic, though, was still to be decided.

France beat Slovakia, 2-0, on Oct. 7, making Serbia & Montenegro's 1-1 draw to San Marino meaningless. France gets to South Africa, while the Serbs will have to sweat out a playoff.

Tofu was called up for France and on the squad for both rounds, but he was not brought on in either match.

Group 3

Only six points separated group topper Spain from fifth place Latvia at 10 points. Russia was second with 14, two points off of the mark, Ireland had 13, and Estonia had 12.

Spain was hosting miniscule Andorra in the Oct. 3 round, so they seemed likely to clinch at least a playoff by days end. Taking the opportunity to heart, the Spaniards squashed little Andorra, 10-0. Very cruel. In the big match of the round, Russia beat Ireland, 2-0, on the road. That win, as it turned out, clinched the top two spots for Spain and Russia.

Russia could still catch Spain if they beat Andorra on the road in the Oct. 7 round, and if Spain falls on the road to Latvia, but Spain did not oblige. They beat the Latvians, 4-0, to clinch the automatic spot. Russia beat Andorra, 2-0, and although those points didn't matter (Andorra was a last place squad, and the second palce standings only count the top five squad results), Russia did earn the one automatic spot among second-place finishers.

So both Spain and Russia are going to South Africa automatically.

No Sheff Wed players played in this group, although it's interesting to note that former Owl Glenn Whalen was called up to Ireland, if not used.

Group 4

England led this group by a point over bitter rival Scotland going into the final rounds. Bulgaria was third with 14 points, just three behind Scotland, and Greece had 12.

Bulgaria had a terrific chance against Scotland with a home match on Oct. 3. Scotland took it to Bulgaria, though, and beat them soundly, 4-0. Montgomery started in the middle and scored a penalty shot and an impressive 8 rating. The win, combined with England's expected 6-0 thrashing of Cyprus, earned both of the U.K. countries spots in at least the playoff.

Scotland could still get the automatic spot if they could beat England at home on Oct. 7, though. Montgomery and Hammell (who was an unused sub in the Bulgaria match) were both in uniform for this one, but started on the sideline. Montgomery came on in the second half and earned a 7 rating, but the Scots did not do well, falling to the English, 2-0 at home. It had to be all horribly familiar for Montgomery and Hammell, as they watched Defoe and Rooney score for England. If you will recall, it was a goal from each of those players that did the Owls in in their last match before the break, against Man U.

England gets the automatic spot, and Scotland gets the playoff spot.

Group 5

Holland had already clinched going into the final rounds, but the second spot was still very much up for grabs. Norway held it at 12 points, but Georgia, Poland and Moldova all had 10 points and two matches to make up ground.

The key Oct. 3 match saw Norway travel to Georgia and beat the home squad, 2-1. When Poland fell in a tough 1-0 road loss to the Dutch, and Moldova inexplicably lost to Northern Ireland, 3-0, Norway had the playoff spot locked away, and making the Oct. 7 meaningless.

Kevin Thompson was called up for Northern Ireland and was a sub for both matches, but did not get on the pitch for either of them.

Group 6

Germany already had at least a playoff spot clinched, and it would have taken an extraordinary set of circumstances for them not to earn the automatic spot, with six points up on second place Israel. Not so easy for Israel, though, just a point up on Romania and two on Iceland.

Germany won a tough, 1-0, decision from Romania on the road to clinch their automatic spot in the Oct. 3 round. Isreal beat a group doormat in Kazakhstan, 2-1, while Iceland kept pace with them by beating the other small timer, Luxembourg, 2-0. Israel's win eliminated Romania.

Iceland needed a win over Romania to get the playoff spot. With Isreal going to Germany, there seemed to be a strong opportunity for the Icelanders to make this happen. Sure enough, Israel fell to Germany hard, 3-0. After leading most of the match, Iceland allowed a late equaliser from Romania, and their heartbroken fans despaired as the match ended in a 3-3 draw. Iceland just missed out, and Israel goes to the playoff.

Sheff Wed's Finnbogason is quickly earning his name as an international star for Iceland. He started both final round matches. He scored one of Iceland's goals in the Luxembourg match, and then tallied twice in the first 16 minutes to get Iceland off to a roaring start in the key Romania match. He put up an 8 rating in both rounds.

Iceland may not be going to South Africa, but it's not Finnbogason's fault.

Group 7

The Czech Republic led the way here with 19 points, and Bosnia was second with 17. Belgium was still in range at 14, and Ukraine could technically still catch Bosnia for a playoff spot, although that was unlikely.

The top three teams faced the bottom three for the Oct. 3 round, which makes for a lack of key matches in this one. By virtue of points for the Czech Republic, and by their better record against Belgium for Bosnia, the top two teams for this group were clinched in the first of these rounds.

The automatic spot between the Czechs and Bosnians, however, was still to be contested, and the two sides were set to meet in Bosnia on Oct. 7, winner take all (and a draw to the Czechs). Bosnia held off the Czech Republic, 2-1, in a terrific match for the smaller country. They leaped over the Czechs for the automatic spot, and the Czech Republic will have to go to the playoff.

No Owls' players were in this one.

Group 8

In this five country group, Turkey and Portugal were tied with 11 points each, but Turkey had a match in hand on Portugal. Armenia, 2 points behind, and Slovenia, 3, were also still very much in the mix, and both with two matches to go.

Portugal beat Armenia in its last match of qualifying, 2-1, to get to 14 points. Slovenia stunned Turkey, 2-0, which put them in a tie with the Turks for second. And the win also gave Slovenia the tiebreaker with the Turks, since they had them on results between the two teams (they drew in 2008 in Turkey).

Portugal had the three point lead, but was by no means safe going into the last round, one in which they would not play. Both Turkey and Slovenia had the tiebreaker on them, and a win by either team would move them to a playoff spot. A win by both teams would eliminate Portugal all together.

Fortunately for the Portuguese, both teams drew 1-1, Slovenia on the road with Albania, and Turkey at home to Armenia. So Portugal got the automatic spot, while Slovenia got the playoff spot on the tiebreaker with Turkey.

Vaz Te started in the Armenia match, as usual, and put up a respectable 7 rating, although he did not figure in the scoring.

Group 9

Croatia had already clinched at least a playoff spot and had 17 points coming in. Sweden still could catch Croatia for the automatic spot, because they had a match in hand on the Croatians, but it would take a good two matches, as they were four points back with 13. All other squads were eliminated, so Sweden was also assured of at least a playoff spot.

In the Oct. 3 round, Croatia drew with Macedonia, 2-2, while Sweden beat Scandinavian rival Finland, 3-2, to move within two of the leader.

Sweden needed to beat Wales on the road to pass Croatia for the final spot. They weren't up to the task, though, falling 2-1. Croatia got the automatic spot without playing, while Sweden settled for the playoff.

Ojala was selected for both of Finland's matches. He came on as a sub against Sweden, and then started against Macedonia. Strangely enough, he scored in both matches on penalties. He also put up a 7 rating in both matches. Like Finnbogason in Iceland, Ojala is quickly making a name for himself in his country.

Steve Wright was called up by Wales, but not selected for the match against Sweden.

Second Place Playoff Matchups

With group play finished for Europe, the playoffs are set. They will be held in two home-and-home legs on Nov. 7 and Nov. 11.

Scotland vs Norway
Sweden vs Israel
Czech Republic vs Italy
Slovenia vs Serbia & Montenegro

Other Sheff Wed International News

Several Owls prospects also saw time with their international youth teams during this break.

Kevin Gomez was called up to Switzerland's U-21, and loaned out Jani Virtanen to Finland's U-21 squad. Reserve mid Ari Salo joined Virtanen with Finland U-21 in the second round, and another Reserve mid, Gareth Day, was called up to Wales U-21. U-18 goalkeeper Patrik Sandberg was brought up to Sweden's U-19 squad, and one of the Owls' best prospects, mid Marc Garrido, was called up to France's U-19 team. Garrido will be huge--we loaned him out to Parma for the year after signing him on a free, and he's not just over there with a Serie A squad, he's seeing major time! (and doing decently well, too)

Chief Rum · 06-04-2006, 05:03 PM

October 2009

Tle long international break bit into a good deal of this month. But there is still plenty of time for some Sheff Wed action.

While our first match of the month wasn't until Oct. 11, we did have some other news. Wallace returned to training on Oct. 1, which was great news because we lost his replacement Blondel to a twisted ankle just two days later. The Belgian winger will miss two weeks to a month.

Our bad streak of injuries continued (and remember how many we already had hurting coming into this month). A month ago, Addo strained his wrist lifting weights in training. So what does he do after he returns to full training on Oct. 6? Why he re-strains his wrist lifting weights of course!

He will be out 1-2 weeks.

And then Mr. Walking Wounded, Denneboom, bruised his head in a challenge in training and will be out 4 days to a week. I have mentioned his fragility before, and this is the second nagging injury he has picked up.

OCTOBER 11--Sheff Wed at Wigan Athletic

Wigan is a recent promotee, but they have started off the season well above expectations, and sit solidly at midtable for the moment. They have gone back and forth with the EPL a couple times in the past few years, so they have some solid talent. Still, I think this is one of those matches we need to win to show our stuff. And besides, we have a two-match losing streak to break.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Christensen
DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

Traore is off with Mali, so we put Bakens in his place for this one. I end up settling with Christensen on the right side, since everyone is hurt over there, and I didn't like how Cristiano performed when I gave him the start. I thought about moving Mendy forward to the mid spot, but decided to stick with this, even though Christensen is more of a center mid than a winger.

The game was rolling pretty good, with both sides getting chances. In the 7th minute, Vaz Te picked off a dumb pass from goalkeeper Mikel Cano and came in alone on him. But Cano anticipated the inside the post shot, and deflected it. On the other end, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake jumped out for an Oleg Husyev cross in the 13th minute and scored it, but the officials waved it off for offsides. Things got a little crazy toward the end of the half. In the 34th minute, defender John Kennedy came in with a hard tackle on Vaz Te, and shook our best player up, to the point where I would soon have to substitute him out for Ojala. But it was also bad for Kennedy, because that earned him his second yellow and an early bath. And then in extra time before the half, Ebanks-Blake ended up on a run up the middle after coming onto a nice pass from fellow striker Johan Stevens. Bakens was a step behind, and had to resort to tripping Ebanks-Blake to prevent the one-on-one. That earned Bakens a red for the professional, of course, and now each side had 10 men on the pitch. Fortunately, Wigan didn't get a score off of the freekick, as it was about as close as you could get to the box without being inside. Vermeer turned away a Jonathon Greening curver. We finally broke through in the 64th minute, when Tofu slipped throught he defense and onto a Garcia pass. Cano came ouyt to meet him, and he dropped it down to Ojala, who evaded his defneder and put it into the open net. Our relief didn't last long, though. I have to admit this was a pretty play. In the 67th minute, winger Mohamed Zidan had the ball on the left wing and sent an outward-in cross, which is opposite from what you usually see, and the cross swerved nicely in toward the far right post. Ebanks-Blake jumped ahead of the defenders and put it in the net for the equaliser. Although each team had more chances, that would prove to be it. Sheff Wed draw with Wigan, 1-1 Davies got a MoM for his dominant play at the back.

All in all, this was a pretty even match. I'm disappointed to not get the win, but happy to break the losing streak. Vaz Te didn't suffer any injury for after the match, so he is fine. Bakens, of course, is now out for the Tottenham match, but we will have Traore back then.

The day after the match, Montgomery, a key player, hurt his wrist lifting weights. I need to stop the squad from doing that too much, it seems. Montgomery will miss 1-2 weeks, and that's a shame because Flamini hasn't really lit the world on fire as his backup.

I get Pedersen back in full training, for what that's worth.

I rejected another loan offer for Christensen, this time from League One's Notts County, for obvious reasons.

OCTOBER 18--Tottenham Hotspur at Sheff Wedp

As with Everton and Newcastle, I consider this to be one of those matches that shows the quality of my squad. The Spurs are a solid squad as usual, and are in Europe (in fact, this match was delayed three days because its original place interfered with a Spurs' group phase match in the UEFA Cup).

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Flamini - Garcia - Mendy
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

With Montgomery out, I go with Flamini, and I decide to start Mendy on the right, as he played well there after replacing Christensen in the Wigan match.

We didn't get off to a good start. In the 15th minute, the Spurs had the ball in the box, and we were trying to remove it. Winger Sidney Govou moved it up fromt he left end of the box to midfielder Andy Reid, near the center circle. His marker, Garcia, let Reid slip to his right and blast a shot into the right side of the net. Not sure Vermeer even saw it. We got it back in the 26th minute, though. It was an amazing goal. Tofu passed it up to Vaz Te on the run, as he was being marked by midfielder Tom Huddlestone. Vaz Te drove to the left end of the box, danced back around the hard-charging Huddlestone, worked his way up the line and into traffic, and then hit a curving shot into the far end of the net for the tie. That would be our only shot on goal in the first half, although the Spurs were having trouble getting shots period. We moved ahead in the 55th minute, after Tofu ran into a nice pass from Wallace (whom had just dispossessed Govou on the run). Tofu headed into the box wide, and then hit one of those curlers into the far side of the net that look so great. In fact, it was so great, it would end up as the league's goal of the month in two weeks. We had control, and it seemed a likely win for us. Fate (or FM) would change that, though. In the dwindling minutes of the match, a well-marked Jermaine Jenas shot a long ball from well outside the box, and Vermeer was perfectly placed to receive it. Well, it got to him, and then just diverted straioght past him and into the goal.

Only explanantion I have is the ball was quite catchable, and Vermeer just missed it. With Berbia, we win this match. Owls draw with Spurs, 2-2.. We won the shots and possession battle, so we had reason to feel a little underwhelmed after this one.

Some good news after the match: Morrison, Addo and Briotti are ready to resume training. In particular, getting Morrison back is a tremendous lift for us.

We don't have long before our next match, as we resume Carling Cup play.

OCTOBER 21--Sheff Wed at Grimsby Town

Grimsby Town is League Two, so that is well below us. This "should" be a breeze, even with me starting a much lesser unit. I know that goes against my usual philosophy in cup play, but we're just coming off of the Spur match, and we go to Anfield in three days. I need to conserve some energy for my best players sometime. I do put some on the bench just in case.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Finnbogason - Ojala
MF Goitom - Flamini - Christensen - Cristiano
DF Bertelsen - Lee - Bakens - Albrechtsen
GK Tanghe

As you can see, only Flamini and maybe Christensen see some regular time on the starting pitch.

I got an immediate fear that I might have erred too far when striker Jermaine Palmer got up and headed in a shot in the 13th minute. I need not have worried, though. Three minutes later, Flamini and Cristiano combined to free up the ball at midfield, and Cristiano went on a run up the right flank. Ojala freed himself from his marker, and Cristiano put the ball on spot perfectly. Ojala's shot went far side inside the post, and we had tied it. It stayed that way until the 35th minute, when Goitom and Finnbogason played a back and forth pass play on the run into the left end of the box. Goitom then moved a short cross up to the other side, and Ojala stepped forward for the easy finish and his second goal of the match. Three minutes later, Goitom beat his man in the air for a short goalkick header, and moved it onto Finnbogason. The Icelander showed he had picked up at least one trick from Vaz Te when he drew the keeper out past the post, and then slipped a shot just inside the post for the score. We added penalty scores in the second half from Flamini and Denneboom, and walked away with the easy win. Sheff Wed dominates Grimsby Town, 5-1, to advance in the Carling Cup 3rd Round. Goitom scored an amazing 10 rating to earn the MoM. I really do need to find more time for him on the pitch.

In other Carling Cup matches, Spurs, Bolton and Palace all lose, although they at least lost to Premiership squads. We discover a few days later that we will meet League One Oldham in the Carling Cup fourth round, so another good draw, although playing on the road again is annoying. The match is picked for television and will happen on November 24.

Disaster strikes in post-match training, though. Vaz Te is, yes, lifting weights, when he lets one slip a bit and hurt his shoulder. He will miss at least a week, and possibly a month.

Ouch, we just can't escape the injury bug, and this one really hurts.

I make some changes to the squad, recognizing some of the returnees and new injuries we have picked up. I sent Westerblad (who never ended up in a match), Bertelsen, Lee and Cristiano back down to the Reserves, and send down Pedersen as well, since I'm not using him. I bring up Czech holding mid Petr Vorisek, who played well for us last year and is dominating the Reserves, but lost out in a ratings war with Montgomery and Flamini, and striker Rocco Sacco, an Italian teenager who might have more talent than Ojala and Finnbogason, but hasn't yet really shown it in the EPL (just the Reserves, where he dominates, too). Montgomery resumes training just before the Pool match.

It is time to load for the match at Anfield.

OCTOBER 24--Sheff Wed at Liverpool

As with Man Utd, this is not a match I necessarily expect to win or even contend in. Pool is just too good, and especially at Anfield. I have to stop my younger lads from saving grass clippings in their bags to show the kids at home.

ST Maoulida - Ojala
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Vermeer

Ojala gets first crack at Vaz Te's spot. We also see the return of Montgomery, Morrison and Briotti to the pitch after their injuries.

Pool has the usual assortment of stars present. Djibril Cisse still is the man up front. Xabi Alonso still mans the middle. Steven Gerrard starts on the right, surprisingly, allowing Brazilian superstar Julio Baptista to start in the middle (he's usually up front next to Cisse). Jacques Faty is the man at centreback, and young Chris Rowe is a terrific fullback. Spanish international Jose Manuel Reina is still in net for Pool. So my work is cut out for me.

Frankly, we are dominated from the get-go. We are physically outclassed. Ojala and Morrison were so fatigued I had to replace them at the half. Davies picked up a knock early in the match, and I had no choice but to leave him in (he's a gamer). Tofu picked up a knoack in the second half, forcing me to put Goitom on for him. We only had one shot on goal in the first half. Pool had almost 10. And, yet, we were only down one, courtesy of a Gerrard score in the 42nd minute. Pool had some good chances, but just couldn't seem to put it on goal much. And when they did, Vermeer was generally up to the task. At the start of the second half, we got a break when Faty committed the professional on Tofu, and was sent off. It didn't make much of a difference for us, though, in our offense, as they still handled us. And since they had the score, we were the ones in trouble. I moved us to Hi-Press, but with little luck. I thought I was done. So I was completely unprepared for what happened in the 86th minute. Mendy ran down a long, errant cross from Pool deep in the right corner of our own half of the net--in other words well away from goal. And yet, across half of a pitch or more, he and Goitom set up a beautiful play. Mendy launched a long pass out into the middle of the other half, and Goitom timed it perfectly, breaking free from Jamie Carragher to run onto the ball. Reina came out to meet him, and crafty Goitom lofted the ball over the keeper and into the open net for the amazing equaliser! Wow, we drew Pool! Sheff Wed pull off amazing draw, 1-1, at Liverpool. Mendy's great assist and fine defensive play gave him the MoM.

We haven't won in five matches, but we haven't lost in three either. I can't be unhappy about this result. We are thoroughly dominated, and only ended up with 3 shots, 2 on goal, and just 43% possession. Pool had 17 shots! I'll bet they're bitter. I would be. I guess this makes up for the late score against Spurs.

Not all good news, though. Davies weathered his injury okay, but Tofu's knock was a bruised thigh in a collision, and he will miss 5 days to 2 weeks. After all of these injuries, I'm not sure what else to say anymore.

OCTOBER 31--Crystal Palace at Sheff Wed

Short-manned as we are, we still must play our matches. Palace comes to town on Halloween. They were picked for midtable, even top half, before the season, but they are at the bottom right now, and thoroughly in relegation danger. If there is a time to break our five match league winless streak, this is it.

ST Finnbogason - Ojala
MF Wallace - Vorisek - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

With Tofu and Vaz Te out, I have to go with the youth corps up front, and start Finnbogason and Ojala. I also give Vorisek his first chance back on the pitch. Otherwise, it's msotly the same guys.

Not surprisingly, the first half wasn't over before both Finnbogason and Ojala had picked up knocks. What's up with this? I kept them both on, but I hate doing that, because it increases the risk of extending whatever injury they have to beyond the match. Both sides got some chances in the first half, but theirs seemed to come a lot closer, thanks to Andy Johnson. A scary striker as always, Johnson just missed a goal when Vermeer leaped out and pushed away a curving long kick, and then the goalkeeper was on the mark when Johnson picked off a Hammell error and blasted a shot right on goal. Toward the end of the half, Johnson picked Davies clean at midfield, and had a whole wide pitch to go forward with. Davies moved him off to the right of the box, though, and Johnson's kick ended in the side netting. We had just one shot on goal in the first half. In the 54th minute, we finally got past Espen Johnson with some terrific passing. Wallace sent a pass to Morrison right down the edge of the box. Morrison quickly turned it forward to Ojala, who put it into the right corner of the net so fast, Johnson didn't even move. We didn't put it away, though, for quite a while, and Johnson and Palace still put up a couple other close shots. We survived that, though, and in the 89th minute, Garcia freed himself from a defender in the box to receive a Deneboom pass, and he put it into the far corner for his long-awaited first goal of the season. Considering he scored 10 for us last year in league play, it's been a long wait. Sheff Wed break their winless streak, defeating Palace, 2-0. Garcia got the MoM.

It is strange how a series of draws can be turned around in a second. On one hand, we had a five-match winless streak prior to Palace. After we beat Place, we suddenly had a four-match unbeaten streak. Palace was our first league win since Boro in early September, but we haven't lost since Man U before the last international break.

Of course, we don't escape Palace unscathed, as Ojala picked up a bruised head in the match. Still, it matters little, as another international break is coming, and we don't play until a road match at Villa on Nov. 14. Ojala and probably some others should be back by then, God willing.

Other than Tofu's goal of the month, we get no awards for October.

Chief Rum · 06-04-2006, 05:23 PM

This table from the morning of Nov. 1 makes us look better than we really are. The Palace match was an early game for the Nov. 1 round of league play. So most teams haven't played as many matches as us.

Still, to go almost two months without a win, and still be in third, that's pretty amazing. Once the Nov. 1 matches are played, we drop to 5th, and that's still not bad.

Now if only we could heal up a bit.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Man Utd        |       | 10    | 7     | 2     | 1     | 16    | 7     | +9    | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Chelsea        |       | 9     | 7     | 1     | 1     | 20    | 6     | +14   | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 12    | 6     | 4     | 2     | 23    | 14    | +9    | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Arsenal        |       | 9     | 6     | 3     | 0     | 17    | 4     | +13   | 21    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Bolton         |       | 11    | 6     | 2     | 3     | 18    | 13    | +5    | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 11    | 4     | 5     | 2     | 17    | 14    | +3    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 10    | 4     | 5     | 1     | 13    | 10    | +3    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Leeds          |       | 11    | 5     | 2     | 4     | 18    | 17    | +1    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 11    | 5     | 1     | 5     | 18    | 16    | +2    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Wigan          |       | 10    | 5     | 1     | 4     | 10    | 10    | 0     | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Derby          |       | 12    | 4     | 3     | 5     | 15    | 17    | -2    | 15    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 12    | 4     | 2     | 6     | 12    | 17    | -5    | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 12    | 3     | 3     | 6     | 12    | 18    | -6    | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Wolves         |       | 12    | 4     | 0     | 8     | 15    | 22    | -7    | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 12    | 2     | 6     | 4     | 11    | 18    | -7    | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 11    | 3     | 2     | 6     | 11    | 14    | -3    | 11    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Norwich        |       | 11    | 3     | 1     | 7     | 9     | 16    | -7    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Everton        |       | 8     | 2     | 2     | 4     | 11    | 17    | -6    | 8     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Man City       |       | 10    | 2     | 2     | 6     | 10    | 16    | -6    | 8     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 12    | 1     | 3     | 8     | 10    | 20    | -10   | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |                |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 06-04-2006, 11:54 PM

Internationals Round Up

This isn't quite the lengthy update as the past round ups, since the only international play of note in this break is the European playoffs, being held Nov. 7 and Nov. 11.

There are a lot of freindlies played at this time, and some European Championship qualifying for the kids, too, but that's about it.

European Playoff

First Round

Czech Republic 0, Italy 2
Scotland 2, Norway 1
Slovenia 2, Serbia & Montenegro 2
Sweden 3, Israel 0

Italy got a huge win on the road over the Czechs. Scotland got off to a good start in winning, 2-1, at home, but one goal leads going on the road aren't comfortable leads in playoffs. Slovenia and S&M fought to the draw, and puts the Serbs at an advantage going to their home. Sweden likely put Israel out of reach by pasting them at home.

Montgomery didn't score, but he played well against Norway, putting up a 7 rating. Vorisek came on for the Czechs as a sub, but he only played 10 minutes plus extra time.

Second Round

Italy 0, Czech Republic 0 Italy wins, 2-0
Norway 0, Scotland 2 Scotland wins, 4-1
Serbia & Montenegro 1, Slovenia 1 Serbia & Montenegro wins, 3-3 on away goals
Israel 1, Sweden 1 Sweden wins, 4-1

Italy didn't impress at home, but they did enough. Scotland did impress on the road, walking away with the World Cup spot. S&M didn't win it as easily as they should have, but they get through on away goals. As expected, Sweden had built too big a lead for Israel to come back, and the Scandinavian nation is through to South Africa.

As in the first leg, Montgomery started and put up a 7 rating, but did not get on the scoresheet. Vorisek got the start in this one, and played well, also putting up a 7 rating. It wasn't enough to help the Czech Republic, though.

The only two spots left to be determined for South Africa 2010 are the playoffs between North and South America, and Asia and Oceania. Those are two-leg playoffs as well, and will be played on Nov. 28 and Dec. 2.

Sheff Wed International Call Ups

In addition to Montgomery and Vorisek, Finnbogason (ICE), Garcia (MEX), Wright (WAL), Absalonsen (DEN), and, later on, Simek (USA) were called up for friendlies. All of them saw action except for Wright, who was not brought on by Wales.

In U-21 and U-19 action, Sheff Wed youngsters Day (WAL U-21), Garrido (FRA U-21), Gomez (SUI U-21) and Thompson (NIR U-21) were all called up and saw time for their international youth squads.

Chief Rum · 06-10-2006, 01:02 AM

November 2009

The long international break (we went from the Palace match on Oct 31 all the way to Aston Villa on Nov 14) finally allowed some of our squadders to get healthy.

Tofu was out for just over a week with his bruised thigh, and missed the Palace match, but he was back in training by Nov 2. Much more significant injuried players, however, got back into training shortly after him. Berbia resumed training on Nov 4, which is a relief. He was terrific when he broke his finger in training in late September. Also back on the practice pitch on Nov 4 was winger Blondel and midfielder Dunn. Blondel twisted his ankle in early October and missed the whole month. Dunn scored two goals in our first match of the season--and hurt his Achilles in the second match against Blackburn. He has been out ever since. He will help our constanly hit areas of the forward mid and right winger spots.

The great thing for all of these players is not just getting healthy, but also getting almost two weeks in training before the Villa match. That allowed them plenty of time to get back into form.

NOVEMBER 14-- Sheff Wed at Aston Villa

The Villans are historically one of the better squads in the EPL, and amongs the group of Everton, Tottenham, Man City and Newcastle that I would normally consider in the league's second tier. Villa has not been so good, though, this year, in 13th place. At least they're not down in relegation territory (like Man City, surprise).

This should be a tough road match for us.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Ojala
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Vaz Te is still recovering from his shoulder injury in training last month, so Ojala gets the start at the fast striker spot. Briotti gets a spot start in place of Hammell at left back, but otherwise this is our basic starting lineup.

We started off just right in the 2nd minute. After we freed up the ball from Villa on our side of the pitch, Tofu moved it forward to Ojala, who was being ridden by Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma. Ojala was a step ahead and to the right of Bouma, which gave him just enough room to put a terrific cross-box pass to Wallace, who snuck around the defense to come onto the ball, and blasted it into the net. Aston Villa got it back, though, in the 10th minute. El-Hadji Diouf, on loan from Charlton, headed in a sharp cross from the left by star Czech striker Milan Baros. We dodged a couple other bullets besides that, too, with the official waving off another Diouf score for an offsides, and Baros missing a wide open net on a break by inches. Tofu knocked one in off the left post, as well, but it was waved off, too. In the 27th minute, Garcia beat Christian Obodo in the air for a header off of a corner, but Robert Green was right there for the save. He couldn't recover, though, when Garcia jumped ont he rebound and put it into the left corner for the lead. But this was never a match where either side was too far apart. Just before half, Berbia made a brilliant save on a Baros shot, but he had to concede the corner. On the following play, winger Gamit Pedersen headed the ball across the goal to centreback skipper Andy Webster, who rose on top of Goitom to score the equaliser. We went into the half very disappointed, and being outplayed (13 shots to 6, although both sides had 6 on goal, and Villa has 57% possession). I lit into them pretty good at the half. The message got through, and we played much better in the second half. But we couldn't solve Green and the Aston Villa defense. Goitom had a couple chances fall short, and Ojala put a shot in right at Green on one play. I had settled for the draw as we entered extra time. Foolish of me, of course. There was three minutes set for extra time, and we were into the fourth minute. I was expecting the three toots at any time, when Wallace took a pass from Absalonsen and run up the edge of the box. He slipped a pass into the box for Goitom and a point-blank shot, but Goitom again hit it right at Green. The ball blasted off toward just outside the right post--and a wide open Mendy! He knocked into the open net, a mere handful of seconds before the end. Sheff Wed runs off the pitch with an exhilarating 3-2 win!.

Wallace got the MoM. Garcia had to leave the match in the first half for a knock, but he escaped it without injury (Goitom was the one who came on for him). We dominated the second half, putting up 11 shots, 6 on goal, and allowing the Villans just three off-shots.

I had to be pleased about this turn of events, as our schedule is pretty easy until a match against Chelsea in early December. It's a great chance for us to make a run. On top of that, Vaz Te resumed training after the match.

My squadders won't make it easy, though. In the days leading up to a home match with Derby, I get complaints from both Wallace and Flamini about playing time. Wallace's complaint is just ridiculous. He has played in 9 of 13 league matches, and would have appeared in more were it not for his hamstring pull in September. Flamini hasn't playted as well as his pricetag would suggest, and Montgomery has been fantastic this year. But I still did pay what I did ($10 M), and the other option, Vorisek, wants over $3M per year to sign an extension past this year. That's just galling. So I need to keep Flamini happy. So I promise them both a chance in the first team over the coming weeks.

Speaking of contracts, I am just more than a month off from the Bosman point, so I begin making offers where I feel necessary. Key young holding mid Kevin Gomez rejects my first offer, which included a huge salary raise, to get a more important role than prospect. I promise him a rotation spot, but I'm not sure he's good enough for that. I am keeping him happy for now, because I may seek to sell him off in the summer. Key targets Traore and Montgomery both signed extensions, with Montgomery getting a raise to $900K (and still a bargain). Traore re-upped at the same level, $1.7 M.

Unfortunately, Wallace's stupid little tiff has put him at not being interested in an extension. So I may have to wait him out until he gets "happy" again to resign him. The fact he's unhappy with his playing time is just so stupid.

NOVEMBER 21--Derby at Sheff Wed

Derby is a new squad to the Premiership, but they're making a good go of it, in the middle of the table. Still, a home match against a recent promotee should understandably be a win for us if we play it right.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Flamini - Garcia - Mendy
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Vaz Te returns to the lineup, which makes us much more dangerous offensively. As you might expect, Flamini gets the start, and of course, Wallace was going to start anyway. Mendy's late goal and fine play against Aston Villa earns him a start while I give Morrison a rest there.

Our squad seems to like getting off to slow starts, as we once again played very poor in the first half. We only kept Derby out of the net by virtue of strong play by Berbia. Thank God he is back--he sent off three different pont-blank shots from striker Nathan Whitehead, and also stopped a close one from midfielder Damien Delaney, and a terrific curving free kick from winger Mark van den Boogaart (after which he made another leap to make one of his stops on Whitehead, who had jumped on the rebound). On the other side, we got little going. Lee Camp stopped a good chance by Vaz Te early, and made a brilliant save on a wide curver toward the far post from Tofu on the left, but we really didn't play so well. We were outshot on our own pitch by Derby in the first half. The halftime talk again was not pleasant. I hoped it would have the same effect. Our defense tightened up considerably, but the offense remained dead in the water. Finally, in the 65th minute, sub Finnbogason jumped up with fellow striker Kevin Bowler for a lofted header along the box perimeter. Bowler pushed Finnbogason, and the ref pointed to the spot! And who gets sent to do the deed? Steve Hammell? Actually, he was our second best penalty kicker on the pitch (Flamini rates better by a couple points), and he isn't good. Sure enough, when he went for the ball, he kicked it right at Camp in the middle of the net. A blind man could have made that save--and sitting down. I should have known that would be an indicator of how this one would go. Sheff Wed dissapoint in a 0-0 home draw to Derby

I hate underachieving results, and this definitely fits the bill. At least we didn't lose, nor did anyone get hurt. With a Carling Cup match against small-timers Oldham coming up, at least we have a chance to quickly get back on a winning track.

NOVEMBER 24--Sheff Wed at Oldham

Like I said, a quick turnaround. Since the match was moved to TV, we're even playing ahead of the normal schedule for the Carling Cup fourth round. I had no idea how long it would take for this round to be completed, though. With a number of big teams involved in Europe as well, lots of delays take place in this round. We are in the first match. The last match of the fourth round of this cup isn't played until Dec 9, two weeks from now!

Oldham is League One, so this should be an easy one. I certainly hope so.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Ojala
MF Goitom - Addo - Christensen - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

Expecting an easy match, I start some backups in spots. Almost the entire midfield is replaced (Morrison is back, though, after sitting the Derby match for a blow), and I have Vermeer in net, and Ojala on again for Vaz Te.

Starting Ojala looked brilliant in the early going. After Tofu was pushed in the box on a corner in the 14th minute, Ojala was elected to kick from the spot. He is MUCH better than Hammell in this regard, and proves it by blasting his shot into the left side of the net for the 1-0 lead. Ojala wasn't done. In the 34th minute, Morrison ran onto a Davies pass toward the box, and sought out Ojala with a high kick, as the Finnish striker evaded his defender. Alas, Morrison's pass drifted overlong, forcing Oldham keeper Sean Murdoch to leap up to the far post to deflect it out. That was a bad mistake, of course, because Ojala was sitting ready and put in an easy score for the two-goal lead. We went into halftime dominating, with 13 shots to just 4, and the lead. I tend to remove my top regulars at this point, because I think it's in the bag. I took off Morrison and Tofu at the half, and Wallace was only on because Goitom got hurt in the 33rd minute. So I grew concerned when midfielder Richie Wellens slipped a ridiculously easy and open long shot past Vermeer, who must have been sleeping, to get Oldham within one in the 58th minute. I had seen crazier things happen in these matches. Fortunately, Ojala wasn't going to let that happen. Just three minutes later, he ended up on the receiving end of a string of headers from Addo and Dunn and finished the shot for his hat trick! That put it away for go. Sheff Wed walk into the Carling Cup Quarterfinals, beating Oldham, 3-1

Ojala scores the perfect 10, and, of course, the MoM. Goitom does pick up some time off for his injury, a gashed leg that will seem off the pitch for likely a week.

The next day, Wolves and Forest sent Wigan and Blackburn home in this round, but several other matches remain to be played in this competition, as I noted.

We wrap up the month with another home match, this time against Norwich, but we won't have Berbia's services. Once again, the fragile if talented keeper hurts himself in training, straining his back, and putting himself out for 3 weeks to a month. We will return once again to the sometimes unsteady Vermeer in net. We are much better defensively when Berbia is back there, and I continue to be concerned about Vermeer not quite getting the hang of things since his arrival. His ratings are top notch, and he looks like a terrific keeper on paper, but that hasn't really shown itself on the pitch. Nonetheless, we will go with him.

Although the Carling Cup 4th round has a ways to go, the draw is made for the quarterfinal. We will play either lower league Luton Town or relegation candidate Man City on the road (yes...again) on Dec 16. Shortly before the Norwich month on the last day of the month, we also are drawn into the FA Cup, which brings on Premiership squads in the third round. We have better luck here with the locales than in the Carling Cup and draw a home match. But it's against Derby, whom we struggled against--at home--just a week or more ago. Hopefully, the team will be more in form when that match comes down--a long ways away at this point.

NOVEMBER 30--Norwich at Sheff Wed

Norwich is a Jekyll & Hyde type for us. Like Bolton, they promoted with us two years ago, and managed to stay up. Unlike Bolton, whom had just dropped prior to that, I did not have much respect for Norwich's overall talent, and was always stunned when they played with us. That said, we are clearly making advances in this league, while Norwich is on the fringe of relegation. This should be a win for us. If we just play them like they are a relegation battler, that is, and not like apparent Owl-beaters Norwich. I have a record of just 1-1-3 (that's three losses in five!) against these blokes, but we did get that one win in the last match last April, 3-1.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

I decided to give Tanghe the start in net for this one, as he did well in his one start earlier this season. That's more just a lack of confidence in Vermeer at the moment, although I figure in the end to stick with Vermeer. I also give Simek a spell with Mendy, but otherwise, this is the usual lineup.

This was a frustrating match from the start, which is par for the course against Norwich, which tends to batten down the hatches against good offensive teams and slow them down. SOme 3-4 shots total were taken by the 30 minute mark, and we had just a 5-3 shot lead at halftime. Norwich keeper Steven Martin turned away Vaz Te twice up close, while they didn't even get a shot on goal against Tanghe. It was clear we were the better squad, but as is the case against these guys, we are struggling to break through. Norwich still hadn't managed to get even a second half shot off when Traore pushed midfielder Miroslav Matusovic just outside of the box in the 59th minute. By then, we had six shots on goal which had failed to get oast Martin. So what does Norwich do? Score a weak curving freekick into the right corner of the net by their skipper, holding mid, Pawel Golanski. Tanghe seemed to react slowly to it, but I couldn't blame him. This is exactly the kind of crap that happens against Norwich. That was their first shot on goal, and they lead 1-0. I put it on HiPress to try to get past this. And what happens? In the 68th minute, Denneboom makes an incredibly stupid move, handballing in the box on an attempted clear out. GRRRR...Matusovic blasts the penalty to the left of Tanghe for the 2-0 lead. The last 20-plus minutes pf play feature a flurry of Sheff Wed activity. Tofu gets turned away close up twice. A Wallace shot in the box is caught. Denneboom fires close in extra time, Martin deflects it, and the winger jumps on his own rebound and fires an even better shot--right back at Martin, who this time clutches it. We even got a score--a goal on a break by Tofu in the 85th minute that was, of course, called back for offsides (I thought it was BS but I looked at the tape after the match, and have to admit it was a good call). Anyway, we were already dominating prior to that, and in the last quarter of the match, we put 8 out of 8 shots on goal, and none of them got past Martin. We go down in flames against Norwich in front of our fans, 2-0..

What an awful match. Norwich had six total shots, and only three on net. We put 14 out of 15 on goal, and most from very close. And we come away with nothing, and they not only get the win, they score twice! For the first time this year, I drop the "Embarrassing" label on my team's performance. I am mad and I want them to know it.

We finish the month in terrible fashion, and we have now pulled just one point from this "easy" stretch of two home matches against bottom half sides. I have to seriously doubt are status as contenders at the moment. And things don't look up--we play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in nine days.

Chief Rum · 06-10-2006, 02:59 AM

Considering the month we had, we are fortunate to still be in fourth place as of Dec 1. The big problem I see is that the matches we didn't win were wins we were supposed to win. So that means we need to get points from matches we aren't supposed to to stay where we are.

Also, looking at the other contenders, I am noticing we still are behind them in matches played, which is particularly true of Arsenal. They will eventually play those matches, and they will likely win them. That means we need to start winning a lot more to build a buffer in anticipation of this. That will be very difficult.

Still, my personal goal this season was to reach Europe, no matter what competition it is. And we are well ahead of the game in that respect.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Chelsea        |       | 14    | 10    | 3     | 1     | 30    |  9    | +21   | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd        |       | 14    | 9     | 3     | 2     | 24    | 10    | +14   | 30    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 11    | 8     | 3     | 0     | 21    | 4     | +17   | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 15    | 7     | 5     | 3     | 26    | 18    | +8    | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Bolton         |       | 14    | 7     | 3     | 4     | 22    | 16    | +6    | 24    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Leeds          |       | 15    | 7     | 2     | 6     | 27    | 24    | +3    | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 12    | 5     | 5     | 2     | 15    | 13    | +2    | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 14    | 5     | 5     | 4     | 18    | 18    | 0     | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Wigan          |       | 13    | 6     | 2     | 5     | 13    | 13    | 0     | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Newcastle      |       | 14    | 6     | 1     | 7     | 21    | 21    | 0     | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 15    | 5     | 4     | 6     | 17    | 20    | -3    | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 15    | 4     | 6     | 5     | 16    | 23    | -7    | 18    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Derby          |       | 15    | 4     | 5     | 6     | 17    | 21    | -4    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Norwich        |       | 14    | 5     | 1     | 8     | 14    | 18    | -4    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 15    | 4     | 4     | 7     | 14    | 18    | -4    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 15    | 3     | 4     | 8     | 14    | 24    | -10   | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wolves         |       | 15    | 4     | 1     | 10    | 15    | 26    | -11   | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Everton        |       | 12    | 3     | 3     | 6     | 14    | 25    | -11   | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Man City       |       | 13    | 2     | 4     | 7     | 11    | 18    | -7    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 15    | 1     | 6     | 8     | 13    | 23    | -10   | 9     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 06-11-2006, 05:24 AM

International Wrap Up & Club Competitions

Final World Cup Spots

In late November and early December, the final two spots for South Africa 2010 were handed out.

The winner of the third-place playoff, Australia, met Oceania champ New Zealand for one spot, while Costa Rica, the fourth place squad in CONCACAF, met Bolivia, the fifth place squad of CONMEBOL, for the other, in a two-leg playoff.

Australia and New Zealand are old foes from the Oceania region. The Aussies travelled to New Zealand on Nov 28, and managed to draw their rivals, 2-2. With two away goals and an even score, Australia looked in good shape coming home for the second leg on Dec 2. The New Zealanders didn't cooperate, though, and had the match 2-2 late, which would have forced extra time, and should it have come to it, penalties. Australia managed to get one last goal, though, to win 3-2 that day, and 5-4 on aggregate.

Costa Rica started at home, and took a 2-1 decision from the Bolivians on Nov 28. On the other end, Bolivia proved to be a match, scoring a 2-1 decision at home, so this one went the New Zealand-Australia match didn't--extra time and penalties. Costa Rica won out in the shootout.

Australia and Costa Rica grab the last two spots to South Africa.

Here are the top seeds for South Africa:

Brazil (South America), Holland (Europe), Spain (Europe), England (Europe), Germany (Europe), Mexico (CONCACAF), Argentina (South America), Portugal (Europe)

Remaining teams, by continent (in alphabetical order):

EUROPE: Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, France, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Serbia & Montenegro, Sweden
SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Paraguay
AFRICA: Algeria, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa (host)
CONCACAF: Canada, Costa Rica, United States
ASIA: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

FIFA Confederations Cup

The worldwide club competition was also played in December.

The six clubs entered were Champions League winner AC Milan (Italy), Copa Libertadores champion Corinthians (Brazil), Asian champion Antlers (Japan), CONCACAF Champions Cup winner Los Angeles Galaxy (USA), and African Champions League winner Sundown (South Africa), and Oceania champion Auckland City (New Zealand).

The Galaxy edged out Antlers, 1-1, on penalties in the first round, while Sundowns beat Auckland City, 2-1. Antlers would beat Auckland City, 2-0, for fifth place in the competition.

In the semifinal, AC Milan had a surprising struggle with the Galaxy before winning through, 1-0. Corinthians wasn't so lucky, falling to Sundowns, 2-0. Corinthians beat the Galaxy for third place.

AC Milan dominated the final with Sundown. Star striker Alberto Gilardino scored twice to overcome an early 1-0 deficit, and Eddie Gaven finished the South African squad off with one last late score. AC Milan wins the FIFA Confederations Cup, 3-1.

Champions League

GROUP A: Barcelona (Spain) won this group handily, but Lyon (France) had to earn the second spot over Celtic (Scotland) by results, as the Scottish side by all rights had the better play in the group outside of its Lyon matches (a draw and a loss). Celtic goes to the UEFA Cup, and Galatasaray (Turkey) goes home.

GROUP B: Inter (Italy) won all six matches, and allowed only two goals in this one. Werder Bremen (Germany) won through with an awful six points, just ahead of CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Deportivo (Spain).

GROUP C: Like Inter in Group B, Porto (Portugal) swept through all six of its matches to get max points. Liverpool (England) came out looking at least a little better than Werder Bremen did in Inter's group. Lazio (Italy) earned the UEFA Cup spot over Shakhtar (Ukraine) by virtue of a less poor goal differential.

GROUP D: Chelsea (England) took five wins and a draw from this group to win through. Ajax (Holland) wasn't so dominant (even GD), but finished second nonetheless. AEK (Greece) goes to the UEFA Cup, while AA Gent (Belgium) licks its wounds from having earned just one measly point.

GROUP E: Rangers (Scotland) lost just once in this group to take a very tough group. Marseille (France) finished off a surprising duo. Why? Because they relegated defending champion AC Milan to third place and out of the competition prior to the knockout stage. PSV (Holland) rounded out an impressive group, and the Dutch side probably deserved better than to be drawn into this one.

GROUP F: CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) won a close battle with Benfica (Portugal) for the top spot (on GD), but both sides are moving on to the knockout stage. Surprising Salzburg (Austria) goes to the UEFA, while Fenerbahce (Turkey) joins its Turkish league rivals Galatasaray on the trip home.

GROUP G: Arsenal (England) did not lose in this group, and was a draw away from a sweep. FC Bayern (Germany) lost only to Arsenal in this group to also advance. Neither Partizan (Serbia & Montenegro) nor Nice (France) really deserved to move on anywhere with three points apiece, but someone had to, so Partizan goes to the UEFA on GD.

GROUP H: Real Madrid (Spain) led the way in the other standout group in the Champions League group stage. Leverkusen (Germany) finished in second. Together, they sent superpower Juventus (Italy) to the UEFA Cup, and Anderlecht (Belgium) home.

Knockout round matchups:

Benfica (POR) vs Barcelona (ESP)
Lyon (FRA) vs CSKA Sofia (BUL)
FC Bayern (GER) vs Inter (ITA)
Werder Bremen (GER) vs Chelsea (ENG)
Ajax (NED) vs Porto (POR)
Liverpool (ENG) vs Rangers (SCO)
Marseille (FRA) vs Real Madrid (ESP)
Leverkusen (GER) vs Arsenal (ENG)

There are some terrific and intriguing matchups here. The best is probably the matchup of German and Italian superpowers, FC Bayern and Inter. Porto will be tested to prove its group results were no fluke against Ajax. And who will win out in Pool and Rangers? The club that has won three of the past five CL cups, or the side that nearly swept through a group of death?

UEFA Cup

Here are the first round knockout matchups for the UEFA Cup:

Real Sociedad (ESP) vs Tottenham (ENG)
Sampdoria (ITA) vs Villarreal (ESP)
Brescia (ITA) vs Monaco (FRA)
Red Star (SCG) vs Man City (ENG)
AaB (DEN) vs Man Utd (ENG)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Nantes (FRA)
Aue (GER) vs Dinamo Kiev (UKR)
FC National (ROM) vs Bordeaux (FRA)
Maritomo (POR) vs Salzburg (AUT)
Rapid Wien (AUT) vs Milan (ITA)
Sporting CP (POR) vs AEK (GRE)
Club Brugge (BEL) vs Celtic (SCO)
Valencia (ESP) vs Lazio (ITA)
Betis (ESP) vs Juventus (ITA)
Schalke (GER) vs CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Roma (ITA) vs Partizan (SCG)

You would have to think Milan is the favorite here, but there are a number of strong possibilities that are usually in the CL knockout stage at this point. Among them are fellow Italian powers Juventus and Roma, Spain's Valencia and Betis, multiple UEFA Cup champ Schalke from Germany, and, of course, England world power Man Utd.

If you are looking for a Cinderella, try Nantes, which fought its way to the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup.

Chief Rum · 06-12-2006, 12:34 AM

December 2009

This is a critical month for us, both in regards to the events taking place here, and in context with how we have been doing. We have five scheduled league matches this month, including a visit to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea, and a home date against Arsenal to wrap up the first half of our season. We also have a match against "second tier" league opponents Man City and Everton, and we have our quarterfinal Carling Cup matchup, too. On top of that, we don't get to the first match until nine days in, meaning we are squeezing six matches into 21 days (and our FA Cup matchup with Derby is just a couple days into January, too).

The context of this month is that we are coming in with poor form, having just one point from what should have been two easy home dates. And although the Palace and Aston Villa wins were nice, we aren't that far removed from a six-match league winless streak in late September and October. So we are far from a proven squad. We also have played more matches than the other contenders, meaning we don't have as many opportunities to stay with them.

And also, this is December. The Bosman date is approaching, and so is the winter transfer winder in January. Player movement rumor and speculation will be all over the place.

One player I wanted to get wrapped up (besides Wallace) was still unsigned, but I forgot about him because he was out on loan. Jani Virtanen, with Walsall in the Championship, could be a key part of our future, so I offer him what he asked for, $50K per year for a three-year deal. It seemed a little low to me, but it was what he asked for.

Despite that, I wasn't too shocked when he turned it down. Like he figured out himself that he was selling himself short. I raised my offer significantly, offering $350K per year to 2013, with a $150K bonus. This one the Finnish winger found acceptable.

In the Carling Cup, we have our spot finalized for the quarters, but several matches remained to be played for various reasons (usually delays for international play). The most critical to us is the Dec 2 matchup between Luton Town (L1) and Man City. Shockingly, Luton beat the Manchester side and gave us yet another lower league opponent, our fourth straight in the competition. We will play Luton on Dec 16.

Three matches remained in the fourht round, and all involved big squads. Man Utd beat Aston Villa on the same day as Luton-Man City. A couple days later, Chelsea beat Everton to advance. And finally, on Dec 9, just a week before the quarterfinals, Arsenal beat Bewcastle to move on.

We had matters of our own to attend, though, by then. We were due into London and Stamford Bridge that day.

DECEMBER 9--Sheff Wed at Chelsea

Given our recent form, our issue in the net with Berbia sidelined, and the fact Chelsea is, well, Chelsea, richest of the league's Great Four, this was a match I go into expecting us to lose. When I came into this season, it was with the expectation to draw nothing from visits to the four powerful sides of the Premiership (which is why losing at home to Norwich and drawing Derby was so awful, because I needed those points).

Nevertheless, I will march my squad at there and see what we can do.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Vermeer

The lineup is the usual, although I start Briotti (the better defender) and Mendy (faster than Simek) at the fullback spots to try to counter Chelsea's powerful, physical attack. The wingers they will defend are the sort of worldclass players you would expect to have there: Arjen Robben on the left and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right. Didier Drogba, the 2007 Footballer of the Year, remains one of the premier strikers in the world, and he's up front. The rest of the lineup is filled with stars, with Frank Lampard in the middle, Maxwell at fullback, John Terry manning the center, and Petr Cech forming his usual formidable wall in front of the net, and names like Carlos Tevez, William Gallas and Tomas Rosicky coming off the bench! And to make things worse, Chelsea hadn't lost since playing Arsenal...in August. And that's in any competition, international or domestic.

Starting Mendy was a godsend, as he came in hard on Robben in the 4th minute and shook him up hard enough to send him off. Tevez came on to replace the Dutch winger. And then Vaz Te showed that playing matches at the high international level have left him unimpressed with top club play, even Chelsea. In the 6th minute, Morrison slipped a pass down to Mendy from the sideline and Vaz Te moved forward from defender Pablo to jump on Medy's low pass into the box, and fire his patented inside the post shot before Cech could close. Chelsea came right back, though. Right back Paulo Ferreira fed Wright-Phillips along the right line, and the winger ran to the deep right goal line before sending in a sharp curler in on the right post. Drogba beat Davies in the air and headed it into the net to level up. Despite that score, the first third of the match was all us. We outshot Chelsea 7-2, and two shots each by Vaz Te and Garcia, and another by TOfu were all brilliant chances that didn't quite get by Cech or fell on target. The Blues seemed to wake up when Drogba slipped up onto a Traore mistake in front of the box and almost beat Vermeer into the lower right corner (our keeper had to make an amazing save to stop it) in the 32nd minute. A couple minutes later, Drogba took the ball on a run to the left end and send a far-swinging cross into the right side of the box, where Tevez had moved behind Mendy. Tevez came onto the ball perfectly and slipped it inside the post for the 2-1 lead. We didn't get a shot off the rest of the half, but Chelsea put up nine in 20 minutes (although no more scores just yet). Just a goal down, I still held hope, but Chelsea literally had the clamps on. We didn't get a shot that earned a highlight until Tofu broke in on Cech in the 69th minute (the keeper deflected it, and it was cleared out harmlessly). In the 75th minute, two of Chelsea's big midfield acquisitions of the summer transfer season combined to seemingly stick a dagger in our hearts. Sulley Ali Muntari sent a curving kick toward the right post. Angelo Palombo slipped in unmarked almost right on the line, and headed it past Vermeer for the 3-1 lead. The match had turned ugly. We were down two goals, and getting blitzed, giving up 17 shots to 10 (and 13 on goal!), and we had only gotten three shots off period in a half's worth of play. I also had to take off Vaz Te, Morrison and Wallace for fatigue. Not exactly an ideal spot for comeback, eh? That's certainly what I thought. We were dead in the water. But we still had 15 minutes plus extra time to play. The first twelve went off with little action. But then in the 88th minute, Blondel slipped past his defender on the left side, and sent a long kick right at the goal. Tofu came up under it and put inside the post to get us within one. Still too little, too late, though...or was it? In the second minute of extra time, Goitom freed up the ball from Maxwell, and a couple passes later found the ball on Ojala on a run to the right side of the box. After taking it to the line, Ojala moved the ball back to Blondel in the back end of the box amidst traffic, and the winger blasted it into the right end of the net for the amazing equaliser! As the game said, the stewards could barely keep the Owls' fans back. And we almost scored again a minute later when Garcia fed Ojala on a run into the box, but Cech, showing his quality, rushed out on Ojala and kicked out the ball shortly before the striker could put it into the open net. But I won't be greedy. Sheff Wed walk out Stamford Bridge with our biggest "draw" ever and a huge morale boost, 3-3, with Chelsea!

Chelsea still hasn't lost since the Gunners on the opening weekend, but I think we really showed something here. Tofu gets the MoM.

Little time to breathe, though--we host Man City three days later.

DECEMBER 12--Man City vs Sheff Wed

I am not sure what to make of Manchester City. They are in that second tier I mentioned, and not just from days past. They qualified for the UEFA Cup last year. And they're still in it now, and have reached the knockout stage. But they are dead last in the EPL--that's right, last! They are in serious relegation trouble. So I don't really know what sort of team to expect here.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Mendy
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Tanghe

I like what Mendy is bringing to the squad, so I stick him back in the lineup, this time in place of Morrison. I decide to get Bakens back in the lineup, and move Traore to left back, where he players naturally. And I give Tanghe the start in net.

The decision to start Bakens paid dividends in the first half. Bakens jumped on a ball toward the box and lofted a long pass onto Vaz te on the run in the 23rd minute, all the way on the other side of the pitch. Vaz Te had a step on his defenders, and worked his way to the right of the goal. Chris Kirkland rushed out to stop him, but Vaz Te danced by him and put the ball in the net for the 1-0 lead. Man City then helped us on our next goal. Fullback Leighton Baines sent a back pass to Sylvain Distin, but the pass was a little off, allowing Vaz Te to jump on it and took into the box on the run. As with his first score, Vaz Te maneuvered to the right of Kirkland and put the shot in the net for his second goal of the match. We went into halftime with a two goal lead, and Man City hadn't even managed to get a shot off yet. Midfielder Pavel Sedlacek gave City a glimmer of hope in the 50th minute, taking a Baines kick into the box and kicking into the far left side of the net to get them within one. It proved to be shortlived, though. In the 55th minute, Tofu beat both defender Richard Dunne and Kirkland deep in the box for a long Mendy pass and powered it into the net. Finnbogason added another one shortly after coming on, and we walked in this one. Sheff Wed gets its first league victory in almost a month, beating City, 4-1.

Bakens had a terrific match, and earned MoM honors. He would also later be placed on the EPL TofW. Perhaps inspired by our showing in London, the fans packed Hillsbrough for this one, too, and we set a club record with our 39,808 fans today.

Club form seems to be on its way up, but of course, December is not an easy time for players on the fringe. Reserve defender Tommy Spurr demanded first team time, but I knew he wasn't good enough and had already decided to let him walk. So I told him I pick the team (he would later apologize). It didn't matter, as I transfer-listed him the day of the City match, and every other non-youth player with an expiring contract except for Wallace, whom I still hope to resign.

A few days later I would add Reserves defender Richard Wood to the list, who complained again about his playing time. That's enough of that.

When I made those lists, I saw some immediate speculation. Irish side Cork City was the first of four clubs to inquiry about the services of Reserves keeper Wayne Hennessey. Hennessey is a nice player, but he's simply surplus to a strong position for me, talent-wise. So I start accepting offers for him in the $400K-500K range, and eventually receive offers from Livingston (SPL), Rotherham (Champ), and Barnsley (L1) as well.

Championship side Preston is rumored to be interested in our Reserve midfielder Simone Perrotta, who certainly is too good a player to be a reserve on a normal time. I say I would be interested in moving him, a decision Perrotta himself likes since he feels his time is done at Hillsbrough. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, no offer for now is forthcoming from Preston.

But the real saga of the second half of the month is the speculation surrounding our first striker off the bench, the young Juha Ojala. Ojala has been making a name for himself with Finland, has dominated cup play for us, and been solid in spells of Vaz Te when the latter was hurt. He's just 19, and already worth $12.25 M, second only to Vaz Te. Despite all this, he hasn't always impressed me in league play, and he has low determination, which is a big no-no for me. I have pretty much always intended to sell him at some point.

The day after the Man City match, media speculation was ripe with rumors that Everton would make a run at Ojala. I will only sell him at the right price (although that price is definitely more than his current value). On top of Everton, I notice that Pool, Chelsea and Man Utd are all also interested. Wow!

A few days later, a reporter approached me and stated that Ojala is one of the best young players of his generation. Could I stop big clubs from approaching him? I decided I had to be careful to not upset Ojala in case I keep him, and say that I hope Ojala doesn't go anywhere, and that I want him to stay.

More on that later, because we still have a match to play on the pitch...

DECEMBER 16--Sheff Wed at Luton Town

League One side Luton Town should be impressed to have gotten as far as the Carling Cup quarterfinals, but I don't expect it to go further than that. I should count myself fortunate to get four straight lower-league sides in the Carling Cup, even if they were all on the road.

If I win today, I return to the semifinals. Last year, that was as far as I get, losing a frustrating playoff with Newcastle.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Ojala
MF Wallace - Flamini - Christensen - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Bakens - Simek
GK Vermeer

I start a mix of starters and backups for this one, including giving Bakens another start after his great play against Man City.

We struck fast and early. In the 12th minute, Flamini dispossessed midfielder Kevin Nicholls deep in the defensive zone, and Christensen jumped on the loose ball. He swung a half-volley to the other side of the pitch, where Tofu had raced ahead of the defense. The striker lofted his shot over hard-charging keeper Rhys Evans for our first goal. Flamini and Tofu weren't done. Three minutes later, Flamini again stole the ball from Luton in the defensive end, and he sent it onto Ojala on the run. Ojala went almost to the right goal line before firing a blast at Evans. The keeper deflected it, but Tofu slipped in beside the defense and put the rebound into a wide open net. Tofu completed a hat trick in the 37th minute, when he headed in a Wallace cross from the left post. That was pretty much it there. We removed key players and coasted the rest of the way. Sheff Wed ease into Carling Cup semifinals, beating Luton, 3-3.

Tofu got MoM and a big 10 rating, of course. We only allowed one shot on goal to Luton in the whole match.

In the other matches, Boro shocked Arsenal as the surprise of the round. They advance to the semifinals as well. Chelsea almost went down, too, needing extra time to beat Wolves. Man Utd had an easier time with Nottm Forest.

I was hoping to draw Boro for the semifinal, but no such luck. I will play Man Utd in the semifinal, which is a two-leg playoff. We start at Old Trafford on Jan 6 before playing the return at Hillsbrough on Jan 20.

I took the Ojala transfer situation to another level after the Luton Town match. The striker was dejected by my comments, as he apparently is very interested in moving to a big club (guess I'm not big enough). Everton and Pool were scared off, too, as only Chelsea and Man Utd were the only clubs still interested.

Fearing I may have gone too far in my response, I decided it was time to offer the striker around. On Dec 19, I offered Ojala around for $25 M and 10%of any future sale. It was more than double what he was worth, but I was hoping it would draw moneybags from some big club. The interest in Ojala amps again, with Pool weighing back in, and joined by Tottenham and, surprise, Real Madrid!

With the Carling Cup in the rearview mirror for now, I had a tuneup with Bolton before the big match against Arsenal.

DECEMBER 21--Sheff Wed at Bolton

Bolton has been a tough match for me going back to Championship days. So I shouldn't be looking past them to the Arsenal match, especially when I have to play them at Reebok. It's hard not to a little, though. Hopefully my team is able to put this out of their minds.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Vermeer

Outside of Vermeer still having to be in for the injured Berbia, its back to the regular lineup again.

As with Luton and Man City, we jumped out to a quick lead, and turned it into an avalanche. In the 13th minute, Davies headed an air ball out over the Bolton defense, and Tofu was the first to it. He rushed into the box and blasted a shot At keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Jaaskelainen rejected the shot, but it fell to the feet of Vaz Te, who put it in for the easy score. Bolton barely had time to catch their breath when we went on another mad rush on the box two minutes later. Vaz Te ran down a Simek pass along the left side of the pitch, and slipped it up to Tofu in the box. After losing control at first, the French striker got it back and blasted a close shot at Jaaskelainen from a sharp angle. Once again, the keeper couldn't control it, and the ball bounded out toward the right side of the box. Garcia jumped on it and blasted it into the net for the 2-0 lead. And then Tofu got rolling. In the 21st minute, he slipped by Jonathon Spector to come onto a Wallace pass into the box and put it in to the left of Jaaskelainen. And then in the 27th minute, he added another one off of a nice cross goalmouth pass from Morrison, which left Jaaskelainen out of position. It turns out we couldn't breathe easy despite the four goal lead. Striker Kevin Davies scored twice in two minutes in the second half to get Bolton within two. Denneboom added a goal, though, in the 70th minute to put it away. Davies completed his hat trick in extra time, but it was far too late. Sheff Wed roll in a wild 5-3 scorefest over Bolton.

Tofu got his second straight 10 rating and MoM. Big kudos to the offense, which has now scored three or more goals in four straight matches. Not so much for the defense, though, where Hammell and Vermeer put up 5 ratings, and were largely responsible for Davies running amok. Vermeer continues to struggle, and Hammell hasn't been as impressive this year as in the past either.

Shortly after the Bolton match, I started to get feedback on my Ojala offers. Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham all turned down the offer, saying it didn't represent enough value for the money. Real Madrid made an offer, but at less than what I asked for ($21 M and 30% future sale). Chelsea was the only club to accept my offer as is. I accepted Chelsea's offer, and sent back the same to Real Madrid. Real Madrid came back a couple days later and turned down the offer. So it's Chelsea or bust now.

In other player news, I made a contract extension offer to Wallace, despite him being unhappy. It was well above what my AM suggested, but he was also treating Wallace as a backup. Unforutnately, Wallace is sticking to his guns, and turned the offer down.

Boro made an enquiry about Montgomery, asking me what I would take for him. In the summer, I would have moved him (and even offeref him around) to make room for Flamini. But Montgomery is having a fantastic season and Flamini has been a bit up and down (although he's playing better now). I tell Boro Montgomery is not available.

Berbia resumed training on Christmas. Hopefully, he will stay healthy for a little bit longer now.

At long last, I have nearly arrived at a game I had circled on the calendar for a while: Arsenal is coming to town.

But not before longtime Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger got his opinions out. He told media that his squad has high morale and fear nobody. All right, I am game for this. I tell him I am confident we won't have a problem with his team. I thought it funny that only one first team squadder, TOfu, had any comments on all of this, saying he felt he and I had similar characters following the exchange. Arsenal, however, was littered with responses, most based around the players' belief Wenger is unfairly targeted, and doesn't get the credit he deserves.

Should be an interesting game.

DECEMBER 26--Arsenal at Sheff Wed

The Gunners are the three time defending champs of the Premiership, and although they aren't on top right now, that's because they have played three less matches than everyone else (thanks to international obligations, it would seem).

I have every reason, though, to think I can come away with something in this one. For one thing, I am at home. I think I can play with anyone at Hillsbrough (except Norwich, grrr...), even the top squads. Second, and unknown to readers here, I shocked Arsenal late last year at Hillsbrough, 7-1! That's right--they already clinched as champs, but started most of their starters in the second to last match of the year. It was shocking, and was key to convincing me that I had the players to play with the big dogs. And finally, Arsenal is just getting hit with injuries right now. Among the missing are star midfielder Francesc Fabregas, goalkeeper German Lux, playmaking forward Valeri Bojinov, and star fullback Ashley Cole. Also, defender Sol Campbell picked up a red card in the previous match, and was serving his suspension. So the Gunners were quite undermanned coming into Hillsbrough on Boxing Day.

And they still have so much talent, we may be running and hiding. Sick, isn't it?

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Berbia is back in training, but he's at least a week off from seeing the pitch again, and Vermeer was awful against Bolton. So I gave the start to Tanghe. As I usually do, I put Briotti and Mendy in at fullback against the better teams. Otherwise, it is my regular lineup.

Arsenal may be missing all of those stars, but they still have the one that really matters: Thierry Henry. At 32, he's still the top striker in the league. Last year, he was dominating, scoring 32 goals in 37 matches in league. Winger Jose Antonio Reyes, midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb, and defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are also still around, along with a bevy of new stars for the squad.

Just five minutes into the match, Arsenal had another player to worry about when holding mid Gilberto Silva landing awkwardly and hurt his heel. He had to be removed from the pitch. We wasted little sympathy on them. As with Chelsea, Vaz Te was licking his chops to play these guys. In the 12th minute, Vaz Te picked up a short Morrison cross in the middle of the box and blasted it at Jason Fletcher. The keeper blocked it but sent it back out. Vaz Te got to it before Toure and sent it slamming into the left end of the net. He wasn't done. In the 23rd minute, Morrison came about as close as you could come to a one-time pass in football, and moved a Tofu touch-to-touch pass right out to Vaz Te on the run, Toure desperately traling. Vaz Te went into the net, brought Fletcher out to the right with a move, and then switched back to the left to kick in the easy score and a 2-0 lead! That was just what scored. Fletcher also put over a great chance by Vaz Te earlier, and our first shot of the match was a Morrison long shot that clanged off of the left post. Montgomery hit the crossbar before the half, and we only allowed three shots (none on goal) to Arsenal in the first half. The only bad news was losing Morrison to a knock late in the half. Momentum reversed in the seocnd half, though, and there were times when I really wondered if we would hold on. Arsneal never quite got the ball on goal, though. Their best chance came in the 83rd minute. Winger Enrico de Battista found Henry on a run into the left end of the box. Tanghe closed to cut off Henry's options, and the striker unleashed right at him. The rebound somehow skipped by Garcia, and Hleb jumped on it. He had a wide (and I mean WIDE) open net, with Tanghe completely off his line and struggling to recover from Henry's shot. Hleb sent the ball toward the goal, and Lord, I have no idea how he did it, but someone lit a fire under Tanghe's ass, and he leaped back to the line and rescued the shot before it crossed the line, deflecting it up the goal (where it was sent off to safety by Denneboom). Frankly, it might have been the most incredible save I have ever seen in FM. When a goalkeeper has a game like that, you know it's over. Sheff Wed picks up the huge win over Arsenal, 2-0!

Tanghe got the MoM, and also earned himself a start in our final match of the month and year against Everton. The team is really on a roll now. We have won three league matches in a row, and four including the Carling Cup win. Was the turning point that comeback at Stamford Bridge? That was the last match we didn't win.

Morrison suffered a gashed arm in a late tackle, and he will be out three days to a week. Strangely enough, he still made the TotW (and Tanghe didn't).

We got some big time news after the Arsenal match: Ojala had come to terms with Chelsea! Wow! $25 M! The transfer will officially take place on Jan 1, when the winter window opens up. And we get a ton of cash for a terrific looking young player, and yet one who wasn't starting for us, and even had a couple issues we didn't like. We wish Ojala well, and start thinking of ways to spend the money we're getting in return.

It's usually around now that the poor performing managers in the Premiership start getting the ax, and that's no different this year. The Wolves' Glenn Hoddle was sacked two days after Christmas, which is no surprise, considering they are second to last and would be relegated if they remain so, while last year earning a spot in Europe. Former Deportivo boss Joaquin Caparros was hired away from Spain's second division side Eiche the next day.

With that, we go into our last match of the year, against Everton.

DECEMBER 29--Everton at Sheff Wed

With today's match against Everton, we have begun the second half of our season. We opened our season with a 5-1 thrashing of Everton at their park. At the time, I considered it a key win for our squad. But now Everton, amazingly enough, may get the drop the way they are playing. In fact, Everton boss Rafa Benitez got the announcement that the board was looking for a positive result from this match to save his job.

The way we're playing and being at home, this should be a win. But this is still a very dangerous squad.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Flamini - Garcia - Mendy
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek
GK Tanghe

It was time to get Flamini back into the lineup. Tanghe gets that promised start. And Mendy starts in place of the dinged up Morrison.

This match was surprisingly defensive from the get-go. Only four shots were taken in the first thirty minutes, two on each side. The Owls break the spell in the 31st minute in a way they generally don't: on a corner. Vaz Te, at the near post, headed in a corner from Wallace to give Sheff Wed the lead. Everton wouldn't fall so easy, though. One minute into the second half, striker Stein Huysegems took a break all the way to the right goal corner, and then sent a line hugging high cross into the box. Midfielder Mikel Arteta was ready near the far post, and headed the ball past Tanghe for the equaliser. It stayed that way until the 66th minute. Taking a pass from Mendy in the box, Vaz Te evaded Phil Neville and approached the net from the right post. Jan Lastuvka jumped out to stop him, and deflected the ball. Unfortunately for the Toffees, Garcia was the first on the ball, and easily kicked into goal with Lastuvka off his line. On the other side of the pitch, Everton wasn't getting a sniff, so when Vaz Te grew fatigued shortly after the go ahead goal, I replaced him with Ojala, in his final appearance in the Owl bue and white. In a fitting moment for Ojala and the fans, the young star striker scored on a breakaway in the 85th minute. Ojala would go out in a good way. And that capped what turned out to be a dominating match for us. Sheff Wed breeze through a 3-1 win over Everton.

Tanghe got another MoM, although I felt he wasn't really tested much. That said, can there be any doubt he has outplayed Vermeer? When Berbia returns to the pitch in the next few days, it won't be Tanghe that is sent to the Reserves, but Vermeer.

I gave Ojala a "Delighted" in the post-match talk to give him a lift on his way to London. Wallace did stub his toe in the match, and will miss four days to a week, so it was not all good news. But mostly.

Four league matches and counting, and we will leave December without ever having walked off the pitch as losers.

Not so good for Benitez, though. As expected, Everton fired the former Pool manager after the match. Such is life in top league coaching circles. I am mentioned as a possible replacement, actually, but I am not interested in Everton. At this point, it would take a true traditional powerhouse to woo me away from Sheff Wed (or a top international job).

The month and year wraps up with some player movement news. After much courting from his many suitors, Hennessey finally agrees to a deal with Cork City. The full value of the transfer is $425K, although most of it will come in monthly installments over the next two years.

And disgruntled Reserves defender Tommy Spurr has been targeted by Scotland side Hamilton. They offer $20K and 20% future sales for him, which I accept. I would move him for squat, so this is a bonus.

We wrap up the month in style, as Tofu nabs the EPL's Player of the Month award for December. Montgomery is third. I thought I should get Manager of the Month, but, alas, that bastard Jose Mourinho at Chelsea beat me out. I was second.

Chief Rum · 06-12-2006, 12:53 AM

Our strong December has really put us in a much stronger position to withstand a run at our current Champions League status. Chelsea still looks to be out of reach, and Man Utd is certainly not going to be an easy team to stay with. But we have put some space between us and Arsenal with their matches in hand, and we have also moved ahead a good ways from the pack behind Arsenal (which, in the end, may be even more critical).

The side is showing great form, we're in a good spot in league, and we have almost $30 M in the transfer kitty. Life is good. But can we keep it up?

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Chelsea        |       | 20    | 14    | 5     | 1     | 40    | 13    | +27   | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd        |       | 20    | 12    | 5     | 3     | 31    | 13    | +18   | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 20    | 11    | 6     | 3     | 43    | 26    | +17   | 39    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Arsenal        |       | 17    | 10    | 3     | 4     | 30    | 14    | +16   | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 20    | 8     | 7     | 5     | 30    | 23    | +7    | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Wigan          |       | 19    | 9     | 4     | 6     | 19    | 17    | +2    | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 18    | 8     | 6     | 4     | 28    | 17    | +11   | 30    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Blackburn      |       | 20    | 8     | 5     | 7     | 23    | 24    | -1    | 29    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Leeds          |       | 20    | 8     | 4     | 8     | 32    | 30    | +2    | 28    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Newcastle      |       | 20    | 8     | 3     | 9     | 29    | 29    | 0     | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Derby          |       | 20    | 7     | 6     | 7     | 20    | 24    | -4    | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Norwich        |       | 20    | 7     | 4     | 9     | 18    | 20    | -2    | 25    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Bolton         |       | 20    | 7     | 4     | 9     | 27    | 30    | -3    | 25    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 20    | 4     | 10    | 6     | 19    | 27    | -8    | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 20    | 4     | 7     | 9     | 16    | 26    | -10   | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 20    | 4     | 7     | 9     | 19    | 30    | -11   | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 20    | 4     | 6     | 10    | 22    | 29    | -7    | 18    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Everton        |       | 17    | 4     | 4     | 9     | 20    | 34    | -14   | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Wolves         |       | 20    | 4     | 2     | 14    | 17    | 39    | -22   | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Man City       |       | 19    | 3     | 4     | 12    | 13    | 31    | -18   | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 06-14-2006, 09:33 PM

South Africa 2010 Groupings

The eight groups for South Africa 2010 have been selected and announced. Here's a group-by-group look. The bolded team is the top seed in the group.

GROUP A

Australia
Colombia
Holland
Serbia & Montenegro

The defending champion Dutch get a good draw here. Australia struggled to get out of Asia qualifying, earning one of the tournament's last two spots. Colombia barely got in from a continent-wide free for all in CONMEBOL--only Brazil and Argentina came out of there looking strong as usual (although the Colombians did end up with a strong goal differential of +9). Serbia & Montenegro might be the best challenge for the Dutch, although they needed to win a playoff to get here.

GROUP B

Paraguay
Scotland
South Korea
Spain

Spain has some demons to exorcise, considering they reached the finals at Germany 2006 and Euro 2008, only to lose both matches. They are the clear favorite again here, and they were absolutely dominant in qualifying. Scotland is another European playoff winner, but they did well in a tough qualifying group, and could surprise. South Korea was underwhelming in Asian qualifying, and Paraguay, like Colombia, barely got into the tournament.

GROUP C

Argentina
Canada
Iran
Sweden

This is another group where there seems to be a sharp difference between the top two squads and the bottom two. Argentina is the top squad, and yet again, a primary contender for the Cup. Sweden was the best second-place European squad in qualifying, and by quite a stretch. On the other hand, Iran never lost in the final phase of qualifying, but drew in five of their six matches--not exactly a huge string of success. And Canada did very poorly in the final phase of qualifying in CONCACAF, in which no teams came close to a positive goal differential outside of Mexico and USA.

GROUP D

Germany
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal

Germany is still disappointed at not winning their Cup at home four years ago. They played very strong in qualifying, and look to be a contender again. After the Germans, this group is an intriguing one in that any of the other three squads seem likely to finish second. Russia scored a lot of wins in qualifying, but overall, their performance was lackluster. Senegal did well to beat out a group which included Nigeria, but they may be the weakest of the four African squads which qualified. Saudia Arabia did well in qualifying, and may be the best squad out of Asia, but it's difficult to say right now just what that means.

GROUP E

Algeria
Bosnia
Italy
Mexico

This could end up one of the toughest groups in the tournament. Mexico crushed all opposition in CONCACAF qualifying, failing to win just once in the final phase (a road draw with USA). Italy is a traditional power that is the highest ranked non-top seed in South Africa, although they underwhelemed in giving up their qualifying group to Austria. Bosnia won a solid qulaifying group, and appear to be stronger than their rep would suggest. Algeria, another generally lower-regarded side, was very solid in its group, which included Togo.

GROUP F

Brazil
Costa Rica
France
South Africa

It seems cruel that the host of the Cup should end up here. Brazil is everything it has always been, very powerful and the likely favorite--and motivated because they haven't won the hardware in eight years. They took apart CONMEBOL qualifying, winning it going away. France is another powerful squad which has not done well in recent tournaments. They are looking to re-establish their past success, and only allowed two goals in qualifying. Costa Rica is not on the same level, as those two, but they are probably the best squad from CONCACAF that is not one of the region's big two. South Africa is the lowest-ranked quad in the tournament, but they get the boost of playing at home, and their ranking is deceptively low because they haven't played in qualifying in four years.

GROUP G

Croatia
England
Morocco
Uzbekistan

England is always a threat to win the Cup, and they won through a very tough group to get here (and played very well throughout). Croatia also won its group, although you could argue second-place Sweden was the better squad. Morocco might be the best side out of Africa in this tournament. They did not lose in qualifying, earling the most points in African qualifying from a group which included Ivory Coast and Angola. Uzbekistan had the most wins in Asia's final qualifying phase, but they are a Cup rookie.

GROUP H

Austria
Ghana
Portugal
United States

There are a few candidates for the proverbial "Group of Death" label, but this might be it. Portugal is the defending Euro 2008 champion, although they eeked their way out of a less than stellar qualifying group. Austria is not a traditional European power, but they beat out Italy for the top spot in their grouping. Ghana had the second most points, and highest goal differential in Africa's qualifying. And the United States dominated CONCACAF play, and gave Mexico its only test in the final phase of qualifying.

Australia will play Holland in the tournament's opening match in FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on June 9.

The final will be played on July 11, at a site to be determined.

Chief Rum · 06-14-2006, 11:31 PM

Squad At Halfway Point

Here is a look at the squad as we go into January.

Code:

| Pkd    | Inf    | Name                      | Position     | Morale    | Form        | Con    | Apps   | Gls    | Av Rat | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Adrián Berbia             | GK           | Very Good | 9-7-6-7-7   | 89%    | 9      | -      | 7.33   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Jonas Tanghe              | GK           | Superb    | 9-7-8-8-8   | 99%    | 5      | -      | 7.60   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Andrea Briotti            | SW, D LC     | Superb    | 6-7-6-7-8   | 100%   | 8      | -      | 7.00   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Curtis Davies             | SW, D C      | Superb    | 7-7-7-8-6   | 99%    | 22     | -      | 7.14   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Tim Bakens                | D RC         | Superb    | 6-8-8-8-8   | 97%    | 7      | -      | 7.43   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Wnt    | Frank Simek               | D R          | Superb    | 7-7-8-7-7   | 100%   | 16     | -      | 7.19   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Djimi Traoré              | D LC         | Superb    | 7-8-7-8-7   | 99%    | 19     | -      | 7.05   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Bernard Mendy             | D/WB R, AM R | Superb    | 6-7-8-7-7   | 97%    | 11 (3) | 1      | 7.07   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Steven Hammell            | D/WB L       | Superb    | 6-6-8-5-7   | 99%    | 14     | -      | 6.71   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Unh    | Mathieu Flamini           | DM           | Superb    | 9-7-7-8-8   | 98%    | 9 (1)  | 1      | 7.20   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Nick Montgomery           | DM           | Superb    | 6-8-8-8-8   | 100%   | 13 (1) | -      | 7.43   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Lst    | David Dunn                | AM RC        | Poor      | 7-8-7-7-6   | 94%    | 1 (3)  | 2      | 7.00   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | James Morrison            | AM RC        | Superb    | 6-6-7-8-7   | 85%    | 16     | 1      | 6.81   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Jani Virtanen             | AM RC        | Very Good | 7-8-6-8-7   | 84%    | 22 (1) | 5      | 7.30   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Henok Goitom              | AM RLC, F C  | Very Good | 7-7-7-6-7   | 94%    | 2 (8)  | 1      | 7.10   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Romano Denneboom          | AM RL, ST    | Superb    | 7-7-6-8-6   | 91%    | 1 (10) | 3      | 6.73   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Toifilou Maoulida         | AM R, ST     | Superb    | 8-10-10-7-7 | 97%    | 22     | 12     | 7.64   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Jonathan Blondel          | AM LC        | Superb    | 7-6-7-7-6   | 90%    | 3 (7)  | 1      | 6.90   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Inj    | Ross Wallace              | AM L         | Superb    | 7-8-8-6-7   | 79%    | 17 (1) | 1      | 7.11   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Johan Absalonsen          | AM L, F C    | Superb    | 8-7-7-6-7   | 95%    | 2 (8)  | 1      | 6.90   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Ricardo Vaz Te            | AM L, F C    | Superb    | 7-8-8-8-7   | 97%    | 18     | 17     | 7.22   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Martin Christensen        | AM/F C       | Superb    | 7-7-7-7-7   | 97%    | 7 (6)  | 1      | 7.00   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Juan Pablo García         | AM/F C       | Superb    | 7-7-8-7-7   | 96%    | 17 (1) | 4      | 7.00   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Kjartan Henry Finnbogason | ST           | Superb    | 7-6-7-7-7   | 98%    | 2 (7)  | 2      | 6.78   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Rocco Sacco               | ST           | Very Good | 10-7-7-9-7  | 83%    | 0 (1)  | -      | 7.00   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

GOALKEEPERS

This has been a position in flux this season, thanks to Adrian Berbia (9 app, 10 GA, 7.33)'s difficult season of injuries. On two separate occasions, Berbia went down for a month, and the defense suffered when first choice backup Kenneth Vermeer (11 app, 14 GA, 6.73) was in. Vermeer has been sent to the Reserves, thanks to the strong play in the past couple months of Jonas Tanghe (5 app, 5 GA, 7.60).

FULLBACKS

Frank Simek (16 app, 3 A, 7.19) continues to be a solid defender at right back, proving he can be effective in the top league. He lacks some physical ability and offensive skills, though, which has opened the door for Bernard Mendy (14 app, 1 G, 4 A, 7.07). Mendy isn't as consistent defensively, but he makes things happen from his position. He also backs up the right wing spot.

Unlike Simek, Steven Hammell (14 app, 1 A, 6.71) has fallen off from his solid season last year, and been very inconsistent. He has always had some defensive deficiencies, but he made up for things offensively and with his terrific pace. That has not been the case this year, and we're keeping our eye out for alternatives. Andrea Briotti (8 app, 7.00) is similar to Simek, in that he is very solid defensively. He doesn't bring a lot to the pitch offensively, though.

CENTREBACKS

Usually more than three squadders are needed at this spot to protect against injuries, bur I can't complain about how my centrebacks have played. Curtis Davies (22 app, 7.14) has been every bit as solid and consistent as I need my top defender to be. He has also surprised with making well-placed passes to initiate the offense, although he doesn't have an assist yet. Djimi Traore (19 app, 7.05) hasn't been as good as last year, and has made a couple crucial errors in some losses this year. But he's still pretty effective as Davies' partner. He might end up at left back, as he is a solid defneder, who has the quickness and offensive ability to make an impact there. Tim Bakens (7 app, 1 A, 7.43) started off slow after we brought him in from Dutch power PSV in August, but has really turned into an excellent backup and insurance policy. He might even play his way into starting (with Traore shifting left), if we can get some depth for this position in the open window.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER

For all of the players we have played here, this position always comes back to one man: Nick Montgomery (13 app, 3 A, 7.46). The Scottish holding mid was solid last year, but not good enough to stop looking over his shoulder. This season, he has been invaluable, and even dominating in the middle. We have good cover here, too, with big summer signing Mathieu Flamini (10 app, 1 G, 7.20) on hand. Like Bakens, Flamini started slow, but he has been playing much better the past two months.

WINGERS

Neither side has been rock solid here, but there's still a lot to take from these positions. With a little more consistency and less injury concern, both positions would be very solid.

James Morrison (16 app, 1 G, 5 A, 6.81) can be brilliant at times, and disappear at others. He's still a young (23) player with a lot of potential, but with Mendy and some of the others on the roster, he has to be careful to maintain his form. The primary backup is Romano Denneboom (11 app, 3 G, 3 A, 6.73), but he too suffers from bouts of inconsistency. Both he and Morrison also have missed time from injury. A player to keep an eye on is young winger Jani Virtanen (23 app, 5 G, 7.30 at Walsall in Championship) who may be showing on his loan that he deserves a look when he comes back in a couple weeks.

On the left side, Ross Wallace (18 app, 1 G, 5 A, 7.11) has been a spark on offense, and very solid defensively, plus he has the consistency the players on the right side do not. The problem is he pciks up injuries too easy, and he is still complaining about his playing time, despite the fact he is a first team regular. Depth here is not a concern, as two offseason acquisitions have both made contributions at several positions. Jonathon Blondel (10 app, 1 G, 2 A, 6.90) has done everything asked of him, and been the consummate professional, but Johan Absalonsen (10 app, 1 G, 2 A, 6.90) has displayed abit more flair when he is on. Oddly enough, their key stats are the same at the moment.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER

Last year, Juan Pablo Garcia (18 app, 4 G, 2 A, 7.00) was a force for us, and earned a spot on the 2008-09 English Premier Division Select Team. He hasn't been as dynamic this season, and didn't score his first goal until almost November. Still, the offense seems to run more smoothly when he's on the pitch. Martin Christensen (13 app, 1 G, 1 A, 7.00) showed he had the skills to make the first team and see time. His play has shown he can be a consistent player here, too, although he lacks that offensive spark that Garcia gives. Transfer-listed David Dunn (4 app, 2 G, 2 A, 7.00) is nearing the far end of his career (he's 30), and his physical skills may be deteriorating a bit, but he continues to show why he has been a key player for the Owls for the past couple seasons. His stats were hurt by a heel injury which cost him most of the first three months of the season. Henok Goitom (10 app, 1 G, 4 A, 7.10) is also a solid option here, although like Dunn, Absalonsen and Denneboom, I tend to use him here, on the wings, and up front as a do-it-all backup.

FORWARDS

Ricardo Vaz Te (18 app, 17 G, 1 A, 7.22) hasn't let up since late in 2008, and has turned in a season and a half as one of the best strikers in the Premiership. His numbers would be even better if he didnt miss almost a month in the fall when he hurt his shoulder. The guy who has made it click all year, though, for the offense is Toifilou "Tofu" Maoulida (22 app, 12 G, 9 app, 7.64). The veteran French striker has been durable and very consisent. He has also been the club's top playmaker, and particularly dangerous when teams attempt to overplay toward Vaz Te.

Losing Juha Ojala to Chelsea in a $25 M transfer hurts our quality depth here, although even with Ojala, this was a squad with relatively unproven depth at the forward spots. The first option with Ojala gone now is Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (9 app, 2 G, 6.78), but he hasn't stepped it up like he needs to. Young Italian striker Rocco Sacco (1 app, 7.00) has been brought up from the Reserves, but he has yet to show he has Ojala's touch, even though he rates similarly to him.

I am likely to look for a third option in the transfer market here, although I also use Gotiom, Denneboom, and Absalonsen here.

TRANSFER TARGETS

There is nothing much to report here, except that it is obvious we could use another solid option up front, and some depth at the back. The sale of Ojala has given us almost $30 M in the transfer kitty, and I am considering options at the moment.

Chief Rum · 06-20-2006, 10:08 PM

Sheesh! Almost a week since I posted. Well, that's what you get when you're playing 43 leagues or whatever, and you're going through the busiest transfer month of the year (January).

I completed that month, and nine matches with it, wow, and there's lots to go over.

So I'll start with our transfer battles, before I get to the day to day...

Chief Rum · 06-21-2006, 02:14 AM

Mid-Season Transfer Window, January 2010

It's hard to work in both transfer bits and a busy match schedule, so I am splitting it up.

Our Plans

Thanks to the Ojala transfer, we have almost $30 M at our disposal. That's the most money I have ever had to spend in a FM game (or CM for that matter). I don't tend to go for the whole "I'm gonna play Chelsea or Real Madrid" thing, so big transfer money is different for me.

Of course, $30 M isn't really that much among the true powerhouses, but I think it's more than a fair amount for a medium-sized top league squad in one of the Big Leagues.

Here's how I would rank our needs:

1) Veteran reserve striker
2) Reserve centreback
3) Top left back
4) A right-side player, either fullback or winger
5) Dynamic playmaking forward-mid

That probably is a good representation of our needs. Finnbogason, Sacco and company don't scare anyone, except me if Vaz Te or Tofu go down. Not only do I need depth now at the back, if I move Traore to the left side, I will be as shallow as the kiddie end of the pool. For various reasons, I am less than excited about either fullback spot, although left is more of a concern. On the left, I don't have a consistent offensive option who is solid on defense. And on the right, Simek is too slow, and Mendy not as defensive inclined as I need. Further hurting issues on the right side has been Morrison's subpar year. His injuries and inconsistency lead me to wonder if he's the answer there. And finally in the middle, while I think Garcia is terrific, he hasn't been as good this year as last year, and he's 28. It might be time to look to the future.

JANUARY 1

I offer young Southampton DC Jack Wilson a Bosman deal. The 20-year old looks like a solid prospect who could be a backup at least in the near future. Aston Villa is also after him.

JANUARY 2

I make my first transfer offers of the open window. I offer little money $110,000 for Fiorentina's MC Stillian Petrov and $10 M for Atletico Paranaense's AMC Dagoberto. Petrov is a veteran Bulgarian international who, at 30, is ont he downside of his career. I offered him primarily for his leadership skills, which my squad lacks. Dagoberto is a 24-year-old Brazilian who has been a scoring dynamo in Brazil, but who seems a better fit at forward mid for me.

I also made enquiries into a number of players, both up front and at the back.

Reserves defender Tommy Spurr agrees to a deal with Scottish side Hamilton, and I get $20,000.

JANUARY 3

Aston Villa are offering $950,000 and a 30% future sales stake for U-18 GK Patrik Sandberg. With Tanghe playing well and super-prospect Steve Wright on board, I don't see a reasont o resist that offer. I accept.

My Dagoberto bid is rejected, but Fiorentina accepts the offer for Petrov. I offer him what he wants ($900K thru 2011, $220K bonus).

Some of my enquiries come back with pricetags, but no one I am interested in at the prices they are offering. I decide to offer $10 M for Birmingham ST Collins John, who looks like a fantastic young talent, amd $8 M apiece for DC Robert Huth of FC Bayern and DLC James McEveley of Blackburn. Huth and Blackburn are both still young, but immense talents.

Reserves holding mid Petr Vorisek accepts a Bosman offer from Saudi side Al Ittihad. He will move on July 1.

JANUARY 4

The offer for John is accepted, which actually surprises me. I offer him what he wants ($3.1 M thru 2013, $1.2 M bonus).

Both the Huth and McEveley bids are rejected. I didn't expect to get Huth, so I move on from him. I bid $10 M for McEveley, and offer $8 M for DC Per Mortesacker, a solid German defender from Stuttgart.

JANUARY 5

Sandberg accepts Aston Villa's offer, and I get a surprise addition of almost $1 M to my transfer kitty.

The McEveley and Mortesacker bids are turned down. I offer $11 M and 20% future sale for McEveley. He's that good, and just 24.

JANUARY 6

I was disappointed to learn today that Petrov has rejected my contract offer, since I offered him what he wants. As a potential Bosman free agent, his demands are viewable, so I note he has raised his request. I make a new $110,000 bid to Fiorentina for him.

After Blackburn rejects my thrid bid for McEveley, I decide to amp up the pressure. I declare my interest in the defender publically.

This has an undesired consequence as Tim Bakens believes I am trying to replace him. I tell him I am just seeking depth.

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes says McEveley isn't going anywhere.

Speaking of unsettled players, I offer around winger Ross Wallace to other clubs. He seems hellbent on leaving, so I might as well see if I can get anything for him. I'm not expecting it, though--he's already Bosman-eligible and drawing interest from Premiership squads Wolves and Norwich, and Scottish side Aberdeen.

JANUARY 7

We disappointingly lose out on John. He decides to accept the offer from Newcastle, and turns us down. Damn! That would have been a nice signing.

I turn to my consolation prize, and offer $10 M and 10% future sale for ST Roman Bednar of Rangers. Bednar is just 26, and making waves in the SPL. He also sees time with the Czech Republic national team.

The McEveley soap opera continues. Bakens apologizes for his comments and says he trusts me to make the right decisions. McEveley comes out and says it would take something special for him to leave Blackburn, a club he loves. Stubbornly, I offer $12 M and 30% future sale for McEveley, and I think that's as how as I will go.

Expecting Blackburn to turn me down, I also offer $9 M and 20% future sale for Mortesacker, and an even $6M for Porto SC Ricardo Costa. a more veteran defender whom I think I can get cheaper.

Finally, Fiorentina accepts my offer again for Petrov, and I offer him at his new terms ($1.6 M thru 2011, $220K bonus).

JANUARY 8

All of my bids are rejected. I re-up an offer for Bednar at $10.5 and 20% future sale, which is what Rangers wanted when I first enquired about him last week. I offer $8 M and 10% future sale for Costa.

I have given up on McEveley for now, and I don't think Mortesacker is worth more than I offered. I am getting a lot lower on my list of centreback targets.

Aberdeen, Wolves and Norwich all make Bosman offers to Wallace.

JANUARY 9

Rangers accepts my offer for Bednar. The striker wants $2.7 M thru 2013, and a $250K bonus, but he's also seeking a $14 M min fee release. That's way too low, so I counter with a higher bonus ($650K) and min fee release ($25 M).

Porto rejects my Costa offer, so I make a new bid, $9 M and 20% future sale. This is close to as how as I will go for a good, but older (28) defender.

I also find an attractive possibility in the Bosman market and offer Zaragoza's under-utilized Ivorian ST Aroune Kone. Kone is a physically blessed player who dominated Spain's Primera Division just two years ago, but for some reason has seen less play since then. He is just 26. He is looking for $3.6 M thru 2014, and an $825K bonus.

JANUARY 10

Petrov accepts the deal! We make our first new addition of the transfer season, at a bargain price of $110K. He will go right into the rotation at both central midfield spots.

I'm not the only one in on Kone. Blackburn offer him a Bosman deal today as well.

My latest Costa bid is rejected, so I decide to go one more, offering $10 M and 30% future sale.

Championship side West Brom want to loan ST Rocco Sacco for three months. With the Bednar move looking good, Sacco would likely go back to the Reserves, so I decide I want him to go therem where he can see better competition than on the second team.

JANUARY 11

We get another signing today when Bosman target defender Wilson agrees to sign with us in July. The young Southampton defender should be better coverage than we currently have on the backline, and with upside.

My quest for a defender now, though, isn't going so well. My last Costa bid is rejected, and I decide to move on to Wolfsburg's young (25) DC Matthew Langkamp. They actually offered him to me for $10 M when I originally enquired at the beginning of the month, but I wasn't sure I wanted him at that price. I make an $8 M and 10% future sale offer for him.

JANUARY 12

Lots going on this day.

First, the big news. We add our third straight signing, and our biggest one yet in Bednar. The Rangers striker, who can score with both pace and headers, signs on the dotted line and we get our first big ticket signing of the transfer season. Bednar will be first option up front after Vaz Te and Tofu.

Not so happy with this addition is Finnbogason, who figured to be third choice striker. He says he will not give up his first team spot easily. I tell him he isn't going to be removed from the first team, so don't be alarmed. His playing time will fall, though, until he proves he can play at the same level as the top three (I don't tell him that).

My offer for Langkamp is accepted, which was a little surprising. No arguments here, but I am disappointed to see him want so much ($3.8 M per year). I offer $3.4 M instead, along with a $600K bonus and a $20M min fee release.

There is some action on the loan front. Sacco accepts the offer from West Brom, and goes off for three months. And right winger Jani Virtanen returns from his loan to Championship club Walsall. Virtnanen played regularly there, and played well, but I think he played more up front than on the wing. He will go into the mix on the right side with Morrison and Mendy.

On the other wing, Wallace is finally set to move on. He signs a Bosman deal with Norwich. I still don't understand how a guy who plays all the time could be unhappy with his playing time. Oh well, this is why I have Blondel and Absalonsen. Wallace will still get some time, but I will generally go with those two and Goitom on that side now.

And, Norwich? Not one of my favorite teams. I wonder if I will come to intensely dislike Wallace?

JANUARY 13

Four days, four signings: Kone accepts our offer today over Blackburn. He won't be coming until July, but when he does, well, then Finnbogason has a right to be concerned.

JANUARY 14

Some more loan news.

Another Championship club, Stoke City, wants an Owl on loan, and have offered to take Wright off my hands for three months. Wright is not ready for Premiership play, IMO, so it seems like a good move. I accept the offer to loan the young U-18 keeper.

Reserves midfielder Gareth Day returns from a loan with the Championship's Tranmere. Unfortunately, he did not play well there, putting up a 6.36 rating while starting. He seems a long way off from this level.

JANUARY 15

I lost out on Langkamp, probably because he didn't like my contract offer. The Wolfsburg defender re-upped with his squad, and the transfer is off.

Outside of Bednar, I haven't really had much success with the big moves. I like the plan I settle on at this point, though. I offer $3 M and 20% future sale for Pool's disgruntled DC Carl Medjiani, a solid young player who looks like he could play at this level. And I offer $6 M and 20% future sale for right sider Jacob Blaszczykowski.

Both Medjiani and Blas interest me, because they both look like they could start for me, and yet, they are transfer-listed by their sides (although, admittedly, Blas is listed by request). I have offered them both at under their value, but just by a little.

If I can get them at those prices, that would satisfy my backline concerns at the moment (I would start Traore on the left, and start Bakens, with Medjiani backing up the center, and Blas would play at both right side spots). But most importantly, nabbing them at that amount still leaves me with $10 M more to spend on a midfielder or some other big time player.

And speaking of which, I find another intriguing one who is listed: Burlgarian ST Dimitar Berbatov with AC Milan. Berbatov has been one of the top strikers in the world for some time, and is an international teammate of the recently-signed Petrov. For whatever reason, Milan is seeking to move him and have listed him, and they are asking for only about $9.5-10 M. I offer $8.5 M, even though I don't need another striker. Sometimes you just go after them anyway.

Speaking of strikers, Birmingham, perhaps miffed they didn't get the money I was offering for John, asked if I would take Argentian ST Maxi Lopez for $10.5 M. Berbatov is good enough to bring into a crowded frontline, but not so much Lopez. I turn them down.

Finally, I get some excitement from Bakens, who is making noise about seeing more playing time. At the same time, I receive a straight up trade of LW Rafal Grzelak for him from Leeds. I am serious about starting Bakens, though--he has been playing too good to ignore back there anymore. So I turn them down, and I tell him to shut up (well, actually, I tell him he's getting more first team time).

JANUARY 16

Milan sends a $9.75 M negotiation for Berbatov, but that still may be too much for me to get the other players. So I counter with $9 M.

Leeds turns down my offer for Blas, so I offer a different sort of deal, dropping the transfer monies to $5 M, but going to 30% future sale and including former Italian international and Reserves midfielder Simone Perrotta.

Pool counters on Medjiani with a $4.2 M offer, with $2.4 M of it deferred over six months. I counter with $2.5 M straight, $1.5 M more over six months, and a 10% future sale.

I also decide to get in the sweepstakes for a terrific looking Brazilian midfielder named Lucas. He is Dagoberto's squadmate at Atletico Paranaense and could be a big time signing, and just 22. I offer $9.5 M and 10% future sale.

JANUARY 17

The Berbatov sweepstakes is in full gear. Milan accepts my offer, along with offers from Tottenham, Everton, Leverkusen and Schalke. I offer Berbatov what he asks for ($4.1 M per year, and a tidy $1.7 M bonus).

Atletico Paranaense also accepted my offer for Lucas, but he was unfortunately not interested in signing with us. I pull out of the deal.

The Blas and Medjiani negotiations move on as they had before. Pool wants $2.9 M now, and $1 M over six months, while Leeds continues to turn down my overtures for Blas.

I decide to accept the Medjiani offer, and I make a new offer to Leeds for Blas ($6.5 M and 10% future sale).

JANUARY 18

Pool officially accepts my bid, but Medjiani doesn't want to go? What? I guess he would rather complain about playing time on Pool's Reserves side than actually play for us. That's disappointing. I offer him a big raise at $2 M and a $500K bonus anyway.

Leeds turns me down again. So now I offer $7 M.

I had previously offered Frank Simek around to clubs for $3.1 M, with Bolton being interested. They informed me today they would not be making an offer, saying they don't think he can improve their team. That's too bad, as I was hoping that moving him might free up soem more funds to make it easier to bring in these other targets.

League One side Swansea want my U-18 ST Gary Thomas on loan for three months, so I agree.

JANUARY 19

Everyone rests. Haha, first day of the month nothing happens with transfers.

JANUARY 20

Another day, another Leeds rejection. Maybe they don't understand what happens when they transfer list someone. I offer $7.5 M now. We're close to their current asking price now, and I am wondering what is taking so long.

JANUARY 21

Nothing player related happened today, although I did offer recently retired former Senegalese international Khalilou Fadiga a job as a defensive coach.

JANUARY 22

After a week of mulling over offers, Berbatov finally comes to a decision. Unfortunately, he went with Schalke, turning down Leverkusen, Spurs, Everton and ourselves. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Leeds rejects my offer again, so I send an enquiry to find out just what they are looking for.

Medjiani shoots down my contract offer, so that deal is off. Stupid fuck.

JANUARY 23

Leeds tells me Blas is staying. What? Then why is he listed?

I decide he is probably being held against his will, and I declare my interest in him publically, hoping that might shake something loose.

Fadiga agrees to my offer and joins my coaching staff (which is already sizable).

I get a nice surprise when I receive $80K now, and $575K over the next two years, after Leicester City buys former Owl DL Richie Byrne from MK Dons for $3.1 M. I had a 20% interest in Byrne's next sale. Sweet.

JANUARY 24

No reaction yet from Leeds or Blas about my announcement. His profile says he is "proud of the club's league position", which doesn't seem so unhappy.

I decide to make an $8 M offer (which is Leeds' listed asking price at the moment). I have a little more to play with after Berbatov and Medjiani turned us down.

JANUARY 25

After the latest Blas offer, I go up to $9 M and 10% future sale. I also offer $10 M and 20% future sale for Dagoberto again, and put in a $5 M offer on a good-looking Serbian right back Dusan Basta, playing with Serbian top club Red Star.

JANUARY 26

The Blas, Basta and Dagoberto bids are all rejected. I enquire about Basta to see if Red Star has a price on the 25-year-old international.

Walsall ask to loan Virtanen again, this time for two months. Sorry, guys, it's time for Virtanen to see some time with us.

JANUARY 27

We're getting down to the nitty gritty now. There is less than a week left in the window, and I still have almost $20 M I can spend in transfer monies. Will I get to spend it?

Red Star says Basta isn't going anywhere, so I offer $8 M offer for him.

JANUARY 28

Red Star shoots me down, so I re-up with $10 M, a 30% future sale, and offer to arrange a friendly with Red Star.

I have had my eye on under-utilized but terrific WBR Glen Johnson, who has played with England. Chelsea's star-studded lineup leaves him on the sideline too often, though. They reject my enquiry, so I offer $12.5 M and 25% future sale.

Two loan players return in Reserve striker Anthony Stokes (League One Peterborough) and former first team keeper Callum Reidford (Scottish side Hibernian). Both did well on their loans, and were sad to leave. Neither figure into my longterm plans, so I would be interested if I could move them.

JANUARY 29

Basta is unhappy with his coach for turning down the offer from us. Brings a tear to my eye.

I make another enquiry, but they turn me down again. I decide to move on to concentrate on Johnson.

Chelsea is interested in moving Johnson, for the right price. They offer him to me for $8.5 M straight, and $9.75 M in six monthly installments. Wow, that's quite a price. He's almost worth it, though. I counter with $15 M. They come back with $17.25, and I go back with $16 M and 10% future sale. This one is going hot and heavy now. Can we swing this at the transfer deadline?

JANUARY 30

Chelsea accepts the offer! So I go to speak terms with Johnson and...he's not interested?!? Sonofa...I offer him a ton of money anyway ($4.3 M thru 2012, $1 M bonus, $30 M min fee release).

He comes back later in the day and turns me down. His agent says he sees the move as a step in the wrong direction. Ouch. I mope off back to Sheffield.

I did get a surprising offer later in the day. French Ligue 2 side Wasquehal made a $470K offer for Reserves holding mid Petit, a former regular I have been trying to move for a year. In fact, when I tried to offer him around a year ago, there was a rush to mutiny, as he is a popular player. That seems to have died off now, as he accepts the offer and leaves without a hitch.

I finish the second to last day of the window with a mad splurge of offers to a bunch of players, hoping to get some hits. I offer $10.5 M for Hertha BSC DC Alexander Madlung, $13.25 M for Tottenham's Irish star FB Stephen Kelly, and went back to the well for Blas ($11 M) and Dagoberto ($16 M).

I also withdrew an offer for Marseille's star forward mid Olivier Kapo, one of France's premier players. Or so I thought...

JANUARY 31

I got the surprise early on: a negotiation from Marseille on Kapo, despite the fact I withdrew my offer. Go figure. They ask for $17.25 M. That's a little rich, IMO, for a 29-year-old, so I counter with $16 M.

Marseille is quick to accept this early in the day, and I also get an acceptance from Atletico Paranaence on Dagoberto (finally!). Spurs turns down Kelly, though, and Hertha BSC on Madlung. No word from Leeds on Blas yet.

The clubs saying yes, though, continues to prove only one of the obstacles: Neither Dagoberto or Kapo are interested. I offer the 26-year-old Brazilian forward $5.25 M thru 2012, a $1 M bonus and $30 M min fee release--all of this constitutes the largest contract (per annum) that I have ever offered, and is my max at the moment. To Kapo, I offer $4.4 M thru 2012, $750K bonus and a $30 M min fee release.

Leeds comes back with a negotiation on Blas for the first time this month. It's about time! Then I see what they want--$4.8 M straight up, $14.75 M in 18 month payments, and Tim Bakens, whom they made an offer for two weeks ago. They have got to be kidding me. I reject the offer.

The hours are dwindling toward the deadline? Will Dagoberto or Kapo agree? No. They both snub me in the evening. Dagoberto imitates Johnson, saying it is a step in the wrong direction (yeah, moving to the best league in the world is backward...), while Kapo offers up no reason at all.

I go out with a whimper. I loan out my top U-18 defender Ryan Pickering to League One's Swansea for two months, and limp home with little to show for $30 M in transfer money (well, at least I still have $20 M of it).

Chief Rum · 06-21-2006, 11:04 PM

Transfer Recap

Here's an eyeball's look at what happened with Sheffield Wednesday in January 2010.

Transfers In

ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers)
DM/AMC Stilian Petrov ($110K, Fiorentina)
ST Arouna Kone (Bosman, Zaragoza)
DC Jack Wilson (Bosman, Southampton)

Bednar is the big pickup. At 26, the Czech international still has plenty of good seasons ahead of him. He gives us a strong backup to Vaz te and Tofu, and a solid replacement for Tofu if he starts to show his age. Petrov's skills aren't what they used to be, but he remains an intelligent, hard-working player with good physical skills. Best of all, he gives a tested leader, something this team doesn't really have. Kone and Wilson won't be here until July, but I am hoping for big things from both. Kone will join the first strikers up front to give us a top notch frontline rotation. Wilson gives us a young centreback to groom for the future.

Transfers Out

ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Chelsea)
GK Wayne Hennessey ($425K, Cork City)
GK Patrik Sandberg ($950K, Aston Villa)
DM Petit ($475K, Wasquehal)
DLC Tommy Spurr ($20K, Hamilton)

Ojala was the only first team member to move, and the fee we got from Chelsea for the young star in rising basically fueled what we did in the transfer season. In signing Bednar and Kone, we are also still well covered at striker for the forseeable future. Hennessey and Sandberg were both keepers with potential, but my staff consistently rates U-18 keep Steve Wright as a future star, and Berbia has been terrific when healthy. This was a position we could afford to move. Petit had outlived his usefuleness, and Spurr was never good enough to get first team action, so moving them out gives us something for nothing.

TRANSFERS AROUND THE LEAGUE & WORLD

England

ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Sheff Wed to Chelsea)
AMC Diego ($20 M, Liverpool to Valencia)
ST Collins Mbesuma ($12.25 M, Boro to Newcastle)
ST Joakim Holgersson ($11.75 M, Schalke to Liverpool)
ML Kjetil Simonsen ($10.75 M, Bologna to Arsenal)
ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers to Sheff Wed)
ST Collins John ($9.25 M, Birmingham to Newcastle)
AML Mark Gonzalez ($9 M, Valencia to Crystal Palace)
DM Dennis Stam ($8.25 M, PSV to Wigan)
DRC Drew Moor ($6.75 M, Stuttgart to Everton)
GK Davide Tettamanti ($5.5 M, Newcastle to Crystal Palace)
FC Bjarne K. Ingebretsen ($5.25 M, Portsmouth to Boro)
MC Loic Sandjak ($5 M, Wasquehal to Newcastle)
DL Joris Mathijsen ($5 M, Wigan to Aston Villa)
MRC Chris James ($5 M, Wigan to Kilmarnock)

As it turns out, Ojala was the biggest move in England in the open window, and the only move Chelsea made. But that won't likely have an immediate impact on their play, as Ojala is for the future. Following that theme, Pool and Arsenal both brought in teenage talents as well in Holgersson and Simonsen. With Man U relatively silent this period, Sheff Wed was the only Top Five squad to make a move for a high-priced vet in Bednar. The most active squad were the Toon, bringing in both John and Mbesuma to shake things up front. They also brought in a young talent in Sandjak, and shipped out formerly young talent in moving Italian keeper Tettamanti to Palace. Palace is one of several relegation-threatened squads which made moves to stave off the drop. They also added star left winger Mark Gonzalez. Everton brought on American defender Drew Moor to attempt to fight out of the cellar spot, and Boro bought a top young talent in Ingebretsen to keep them out of the drop zone.

World

ST Fred ($71 M, Lyon to Milan)
AMC Luis Antonio Valencia ($32 M, Villareal to Real Madrid)
FC Eddie Gaven ($31 M, Milan to Valencia)
AMC Joao Moutinho ($30.5 M, Real Madrid to Betis)
ST Davis De Zan ($26.5 M, Inter to Milan)
ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Sheff Wed to Chelsea)
AMC Diego ($20 M, Liverpool to Valencia)
DL Thiago ($18.75 M, Espanyol to Real Madrid)
DM Owen Hargreaves ($16.75 M, FC Bayern to Rostock)
DC Edinho ($15.5 M, Internacional to Atletico Paranaense)
DRC Sergio Ramos ($14.25 M, Real Madrid to Betis)
FC Eugeny Belousov ($12.75 M, Real Sociedad to Milan)
FC Jussie ($12.25 M, Lens to Lyon)
ST Collins Mbesuma ($12.25 M, Boro to Newcastle)
ST Joakim Holgersson ($11.75 M, Schalke to Liverpool)
DM Arouca ($11.5 M, Sao Paulo to Marseille)
ST Erwin Albeiro Carrillo ($11 M, Valencia to Espanyol)
ML Kjetil Simonsen ($10.75 M, Bologna to Arsenal)
ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers to Sheff Wed)
FC Vagner Love ($10.5 M, CSKA Moscow to Genoa)
FC Toro ($10.25 M, Palmeiras to Sevilla)
FC Kleber ($10.25 M, Dinamo Kiev to Nice)
DM Emanuel Sarki ($10.25 M, Deportivo to Barcelona)

Well, it's clear what the big move was. With Chelsea holding back most of its immense wealth this time around, Milan went nuts and gave the biggest transfer offer ever to Lyon for Fred, perhaps the next big Brazilian superstar striker. They also brought in De Zan and Belousov, but those are moves for the future. The Serie A was largely silent, with Milan already building a strong lead in league. Not so much for the Primera Division, though, which may have been the busiest top league in the world. Real Madrid and Valencia made the big moves. Valencia (the player) and Thiago will help out Real at both ends of the pitch, respectively. Gaven and Diego give Valencia (the club) some serious offensive punch. Real Madrid is locked into a battle with Barcelona for the leagues top spot, and Valencia is trying to get back into the Champion's League. Surprising third place Betis made big moves in adding Moutinho and Ramos, stating they will not let Real and Barca run away with it this year. The Bundesliga was even quieter than Serie A, and Ligue One clubs focused on bringing in medium-priced talent below the radar. This was definitely Spain's window (with a big chunk of Milan mixed in).

Chief Rum · 06-23-2006, 11:19 PM

January 2010

Not only is this the open window for transfers, it is also the busiest match schedule we play all season. We will play nine matches this month in league and cup play.

If you recall, just before the new year, Everton fired Rafa Benitez. On Jan 1, they hired Ralf Rangnick, the former Schalke and HSV boss.

We go right into our first FA Cup match of the season against fellow Premiership side Derby.

JANUARY 2--Derby at Sheff Wed

The last time we played Derby, we drew 0-0 at home in a very frustrating match. I am hoping for a better result here, in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Berbia returns to the lineup for the first time in a month. Blondel starts on the left side, as we start to play Wallace less there.

We start off right when Morrison gets a wide open look at the net, after keeper Lee Camp came off the line to rush out on a Vaz Te break. Derby tied it up in the 28th minute when James Sharpe headed in a cross from Clive Clarke, but Tofu put us back up one in the 31st minute when he collected a rebound off of a Vaz Te shot and put it in. Derby hurt themselves in first half extra time when a frustrated defender Adrian Manchester took a swing at Tofu during a stoppage in play. He was immediately carded and sent off. Despite being a man down, Derby still put some good pressure on, and we couldn't put it away until a Vaz te score in the 84th minute. Owls advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win over Derby.

Everton and Wolves became the first Premiership squads to fall in the FA. Both lost to other EPL sides (Blackburn and Bolton).

On Jan 4, we draw the winner of the Birmingham-Walsall tie for the FA Cup 4th round. We will be playing at home.

After the match, Hammell suffers a back strain in training and will likely miss the rest of January. I will cover for him with Traore and Briotti.

One of our scouts, Erik Larsen, 61, announces his retirement at the end of the season. He's not one of my better scouts.

Another match day arrives, and it's a cup match again--this time the key first leg of the Carling Cup against Man Utd Old Trafford.

JANUARY 6--Sheff Wed at Man Utd

Unlike against Arsenal, we don't have a good track record against the Red Devils. We're just hoping to keep this one close, so we'll have a chance at home. And maybe get a goal or two to protect us on the away goal tiebreaker.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

I give Traore a rest, and start Briotti in place of the injured Hammell, but this is pretty much the regular lineup (even Wallace). Man Utd's lineup isn't wjat it usually is, as they have a number of backups in. Not in the squad are names like Rooney, Defoe, and Van der Sar. But Ruud van Nistlerooy, John Obi Mikel, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville are in, so this is no snuff lineup. And they prove it right away. Winger Kieran Richardson headed in a Darren Fletcher cross for the first score in the 5th minute, and then three minutes later, some kid I don't know named Febien Brandy was first to a Berbia rebound off a Nistlerooy shot and put it in for the 2-0 lead. We tried to get back into this one with a press, but we couldn't make any of our decent chances stick. Sheff Wed falls, 2-0, to Man Utd.

This was an awful result for us, because it really puts us in a bad position to advance. Regardless, we need to beat one of the world's best sides by two goals in two weeks, and because we didn't score at all here, if they score just once, we will have to score four goals to advance. And what is the likelihood we can stop one of the top offenses in the Premiership? This was, BTW, our first loss of any kind since November.

Ouch...we also lost Mendy to a dead leg, and he will be sitting for a week.

In the other semifinal, Chelsea beat Boro, 3-1, at Riverside.

The European position awards were announced, but we weren't in the top three anywhere. Lots of Chelsea players, though, including more than one in a couple different position threesomes. I think FM's award mechanism is broke (but at least some unheard of Bulgarian keeper didn't win GK of the Year like in the old games--it was Real's Iker Casillas).

Nine matches in a month is a lot, so we don't have long to wait before we're back at it again.

JANUARY 9--Wolves at Sheff Wed

The Wolves have really struggled in league this year, but they made it to Europe off of last year's finish, so you know we can't take them lightly.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Flamini - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

A home match against a weaker opponent is a good time to give Flamini another start. It's also a good time to march out our experiment on the backline, with Traore sliding to the left, and Bakens starting in the middle.

Little did I know I was about to embark on one of the most annoying, stupid matches I have ever played in this game. The Wolves were playing this maddening possession game, and only taking poor long shots. We couldn't seem to put two passes in a row together or generate the quality of our usual chances, and when we did, we messed up on the finish. And the injuries! Blondel had to leave the pitch in the 8th minute, and Flamini in the 38th. Both of their replacements, Absalonsen and Christensen, got hurt, but had to stay on the pitch. And Garcia picked up a knock, too. With us so hurt, and both sides so inept, it was inevitable. Sheff Wed draws, 0-0, with Wolves in ugly match.

Considering how strong our offense was in December, this is shocking. We're now scoreless in two straight matches--and we haven't been all that close either.

After the match, we got the bad news on the injuries, starting with Flamini. The midfielder whom we had hopes to feature more in the first team hurt his hip and will be out until April. Absalonsen had a thigh strain, and will probably miss the rest of the month. Garcia bruised his hip, and will be out 1-2 weeks, while Chrsitensen will be out for a week with a bruised head.

In desperation, I turn to the Reserves again and bring up defender Eric Addo, holding mids Petr Vorisek and Simone Perrotta, midfielder Bjorn Westerblad and left wingback Trond Erik Bertlesen. Vorisek and Perrotta were sent back to the Reserves the next day, though, when we signed Petrov.

I got a bit of a surprise on Jan 10 when I was named as a possible candidate for the Hertha BSC job in the Bundesliga. The German power's manager Thomas Doll had resigned. I doubt I would leave England for Germany, though, unless Bayern was offering.

A day before our next match, on Jan 12, there was a lot of shifting on the roster. Bednar signed and joined the team, and I allowed Sacco to leave on loan. Virtanen returns from his loan in the Championship as well, so we're getting a little deeper again.

JANUARY 13--Sheff Wed at Blackburn

While recent results don't bode well for what our offense will produce, it's nice we aren't drawing too many big powers in league right now. Everton, then Wolves and now the Rovers are all struggling to avoid the drop (and Leeds is next; they're not much better). Can a match against Blackburn--even at Ewood--kickstart the offense and get us rolling again?

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Goitom - Virtanen
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Our squad today is a mix of injury replacements and new players. Goitom starts in place of the hurt Garcia, and I continue the Traore-Bakens experiment on the backline. Virtanen starts in his first match back, and new additions Bednar and Petrov are both on the sub list for the first time. Mendy is back from his dead leg, too.

I didn't need to wait long to get my answer on the offense. In the 8th minute, Vaz Te jumped on a long header from Davies and beat a charging Brad Friedel to the right to put us up early. In the 20th minute, Tofu ran onto a Goitom pass on the break and scored to the left of Friedel, and then Vaz Te added another on the break three minutes later. It was wide open after that. In the 78th minute, Vaz Te headed in a Traore cross to get a hat trick, and the offense is back! Sheff Wed dominate Blackburn, 4-0.

We tore them a new one here. Vaz Te got the max 10 rating, and Bakens earned a 10 himself on the backline. Looks like the experiment is working fine. Both Bednar and Petrov got on the pitch and played well (and Petrov quickly earned his first EPL yellow, lol).

Elsewhere in England, the third round replay of the FA Cup was played, and Walsall beat Birmingham to advance to play us a week and change from now in the 4th round.

Boro fell to Sunderland on penalties to be the only Premiership cup loser on the day.

Inter and Brazil striker Adriano was named European Footballer of the Year, edging out Arsenal's Henry and Real's Robinho. At least no one from Chelsea was featured.

In the days leading up to our match with the Whites, some interesting coaching news came down the wire. Villa canned Alan Curbishley, and the pundits all said I was the likely candidate to take over at Villa Park. Why I would want to go from a title contender to a squad on the brink of the drop, no one says. I decline to comment to the media about it.

And just before the Leeds match, Juventus fires Leonardo Alavarez after they are sitting just 7th in the Serie A. Now that's a job that interests me. I apply for it, although it is all with the intent of saving it prior to being offered, as a job to consider for another game (or another dynasty). Also, I am hoping it will raise my Ambition level, which is just 1. Apparently everyone thinks I don't want to advance to anything at all.

JANUARY 17--Sheff Wed at Leeds United

It's strange playing clubs whose players I am trying to raid. McEveley skippered Blackburn, and now I am facing Blaszczykowski (also as captain) with Leeds. Leeds is slightly better the other sides I have been playing in league, and this is on the road, so it won't be an easy match.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Petrov - Goitom - Mendy
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Taking our cue from the Blackburn match, we come out onto the pitch and start taking it to the Whites. It's clear we're much stronger, but Leeds keeper Federico Vilar proves tough to crack. We don't get past Vilar until the 33rd minute, when Davies, proving adept with his long passing, drops a nice pass onto Tofu in the right end of the penalty area. The striker blasts it inside the near post for the go ahead score. The lockdown starts over, though, and we struggle to put it in the net. And then disaster strikes in the form of our transfer target. Blaszczykowski starts a terrific cross into the area for Dean Ashton in the 66th minute, who puts it into the left side of the net for the equaliser. With our struggles to beat Vilar, this is proving to be far more difficult than expected. We amp up the pressure, and take nine shots in a little over 20 minutes. Most are on target, but Vilar stops them all. In extra time, Simek moves the ball forward to Morrison, who finds Tofu on a break into the right side of the box. Vilar charged out, but Tofu slipped the shot past him just as the keeper reached him. The ball goes into the net, and we pull off the late winner, 2-1, over Leeds!

That was a tough, exhilarating match, but we pulled it out. We outshot Leeds 19-6, but almost ended up with just a draw. The win turned out to be huge--we moved into second in the EPL! We're really starting to pull away from midtable now.

Goitom and Tofu were selected to the Team of the Week the next day, but not all the news was good. Our backline, already hurt by the loss of Hammell and our inability to bring any help back there into the squad, took two hits the day after the Leeds match. Bakens, who has been playing so well, bruised his thigh in training, and will miss 1-2 weeks. And Traore was called up by Mali for the COSAFA Cup, Africa's big international tournament.

And with those problems, we go into a huge match...the second leg of the Carling Cup against Man Utd.

JANUARY 20--Man Utd at Sheff Wed

I already went over this a bit. We can't let them score if we want to advance with a two goal win here (which would force extra time and penalties, if needed). If they do score, we have to win by three goals...against Manchester United. Even at home, that's tough. Adding to this is the importance of this Cup to me. I felt we were robbed last year, losing in the final minutes against Newcastle in a round I felt we were the better squad.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Goitom - Mendy
DF Briotti - Addo - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

Briotti and Addo are in as replacements on the backline, which is not good considering Addo is lacking match fitness. This isn't the squad I would normally start, but what choice do I have? Once again, Man Utd isn't starting its full complement of stars, but most of them are here. Rooney is hurt, and Steve Bruce switched out Nistlerooy for Defoe, but otherwise, it's the same side as two weeks ago.

If you paid any attention to my transfer moves, it was around this date I started pursuing right backs hard. That's because Simek didn't come to play in this one, and just looked outclassed. In the 11th minute, striker Febian Brandy got in close to Berbia and blasted a shot at him, got to the rebound, fired a second shot, and then midfielder Park Ji-Sung got to the second rebound and scored it for the devastating goal we couldn't allow--all with Simek just a few feet away and seemingly immobile. I was raging. We were down 3-0 in aggregate now, and needed four goals to advance. A third of the way into the match, we still hadn't even scored. I was despairing. Fortunately, my strikers weren't. In the 31st minute, Vaz Te worked himself free in the box and headed in a Wallace cross. Then in the 38th minute, Mendy sent an excellent cross in from deep to Tofu, who slipped away from his defender and put it into the right corner of the net. And then in injury time before the half, Goitom slid a sweet pass into the area for Tofu, who beat a challenge from Wes Brown and blasted the ball past keeper John Phillips into the left side of the net. It was 3-3 aggregate! We went into the half with a lot of momentum and hope. We could actually do this. But then Simek struck again. Simek was marking Defoe on a corner in the 51st minute, and the striker beat him to the ball and headed it in to move Man Utd up 4-3 aggregate. We now needed two goals! Dammit, Simek! The right back (and our captain today, too) was putting up an awful 4 rating, but I didn't have much in the way of options to replace him. Most of the second half ticked away, and we look dead. Morrison gives us new hope, though, in the final 15 minutes when he heads in a Blondel swinging cross to tie the round again, 4-4. We're still losing, though, and we can't break past Phillips as we go into injury time. Are we going to lose another heartbreaker in the Carling Cup semifinal? I thought we were done, but we were going down swinging. With seconds left in the match, Vaz Te went on a run through traffic on the right side of the area, and moved the ball down to Petrov along the touchline. Petrov turned and blasted it at the near post, but Phillps put the ball back out into the area. Vaz Te leaped out onto the ball before Rio Ferdinand could get to him, and fired it past a frozen Phillips for the amazing extra time round winner! OMFG, we won it! Sheff Wed wins a thriller, 5-4 on aggregate, over Man Utd, and goes on to the Carling Cup Final!

Wow...I was out of breath at the end of this one. Isn't FM just great?

Chelsea beat Boro, 2-0, at home to win the other semifinal, 5-1 aggregate. So we will meet Chelsea in a single match final at Wembley Stadium on Feb 21. Chelsea will be tough to beat, but I will give it my best shot.

Outside of the loss to Man Utd in the first leg of this semifinal, we haven't lost since falling to Norwich on Nov 30. That's 11 of 12 matches, and eight straight league matches.

We're not going to keep that up, though, if Simek plays like he did against Man Utd. He put up a 5, and was somewhat responsible for both goals they scored. His inconsistency and his lacking physical skills are becoming a problem at this level, and he's not providing enough offense to make up for it. But I don't have too many defenders as good as him who can handle the right side. This is a spot I will be watching carefully.

Barca striker Samuel Eto'o won the World Footballer of the Year, and Chelsea defender John Terry nabbed the World Player of the Year award.

The day of our match against Walsall, I hear from Juventus. They have turned down my application. They have not announced their new hire yet, though.

JANUARY 23--Walsall at Sheff Wed

We may have gotten some of our luck from the Carling Cup in drawing a lower league squad for the 4th round of the FA Cup. Of course, Walsall is no slouch, and is in the Championship. Still, we're at home and should be expected to win.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Finnbogason - Badnar
MF Goitom - Montgomery - Garcia - Mendy
DF Bertelsen - Addo - Davies - Simek
GK Tanghe

As you can see, I made some changes for this one. Finnbogason and Bednar get starts up front, and Bertelsen and Addo replace Traore (international) and Bakens (injury). Garcia returns from his minor injury. Tanghe gets his first start since Berbia came back from his injury.

I hate getting off to poor starts, especially against clubs we should handle easily, but that's what happens. In the 12th minute, fullback Frank Queudrue sent a long pass into the box for striker Andy Milne, who slipped inside of Davies. Milne missed the ball entirely--and the stupid thing bounded into the net as the missed interception apparently befuddled Tanghe. Sonofa... Queudrue gets a weird score, and we're down 1-0 early. As the half goes on, we're struggling to put up a consistent offense. Walsall keeper Phillip Callington put over a good header by Finn, and Bednar just completely flubbed a chance on a breakaway, but we had little else. Finn seemed poorly fit, too, and I subbed in Vaz Te (only had him there just in case) in the 39th minute. The move paid immediate dividends. Bertelsen sent a high cross into the box in the 44th minute, and Vaz Te slipped in through traffic and headed it into the left side of the net for the equaliser. That was all the fireworks, though. Neither side came particularly close in a boring second half. I was very disappointed in my offense. Owls draw with Walsall, 0-0, in the FA Cup.

We will have to play this one again, this time at their place. The match will take place on Feb 2. I will definitely be brining all the horses then. I was very troubled by Bednar's performance, as the striker seems out of sync with the offense right now. He drew five offsides, including a couple that would have been very good chances for us. We only needed one more goal. But I also have to take some blame--I should have taken Walsall more seriously.

Apparently, the 4th round of the FA Cup was tough on a lot of Premiership squads. Aston Villa lost to Norwich, and was the only EPL side to fall, but several top teams drew, and at home, too. Arsenal and Man Utd will both be playing road replays like us, and Chelsea and Newcastle were drawn on the road. We were all playing Championship sides, too. Weird.

The draw is held for the FA Cup 5th round, should we survive it. We would meet the winner of the Man Utd-Bristol City tie, so we could go up against the Red Devils in cup play again very soon.

Two days after the match, and Juventus announced their new manager: Sergio Buenos? Well, that's a shock. Buenos is a good manager, but he's a Mexican manager who was managing in Mexico. Of course, he's replacing another Mexican manager, so maybe this isn't so strange.

The day before our next match against Newcastle, I decide the return of Garcia has made Westerblad expendable, and Bertelsen isn't helping us much. I send them both down to the Reserves, and only Addo remains from the call ups I made two weeks ago.

JANUARY 27--Newcastle at Sheff Wed

The Toon are often hit and miss with how good they are, and that is true this year, as they sit in midtable. But this team still always seems to have top notch talent, and this year is no different. On top of that, we have always struggled against them. So what should be a win at home will probably be a struggle.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Addo - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Most of the starters are back. We return to Wallace and Morrison on the wings, and give Simek the night off with moving Mendy back. Addo works his third straight match in place of the hurt Bakens.

The type of score I gave up in the 21st minute is exactly the one I usually give up in those matches where I want to pull my hair out. Addo obstructed striker Carlton Cole just outside of the area, and the Magpies got an indirect freekick. Winger Albert Luque curved it over the wall and into the left corner of the net for the 1-0 lead. We got it back, though, in the 28th minute. Garcia found Vaz Te on a run into the box, and Tofu beat his defender to the rebound from keeper Shay Given to tie it up. In the 41st minute, Vaz Te scored a wonderful goal, dancing his way through the defense on a break and making fullback Derek Gallagher look silly before blasting it past a rushing Given. We seem to be in control. Our defense keeps Newcastle in fits the rest of the match, foiling some decent chances. Maddeningly enough, though, we blow it at the end. Fullback Wayne Bridge curled in a cross to midfielder Scott Parker in the 90th minute, seconds away from our victory, and Parker heads it past Berbia to draw the Toon level. Ugh...Newcastle draw Sheff Wed, 2-2, with a late score.

I hate playing these guys. At least we didn't lose.

We get Absalonsen and Hammell back over the next three days, and seem to be getting a little healthier again. Neither are ready in time for our final match of the month, though, just three days after the Newcastle match.

Bakens, however, is close enough to return, and I am figuring I need him back there. He will play.

JANUARY 30--Sheff Wed at Boro

Trips to Riverside are always fun for me, because of my passion for the Boro. But they are struggling in league and on the edge of relegation. Of course, no road match is so simple, and after struggles against Walsall and Newcastle, can we assume anything about our performance here?

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

This is probably the closest to a starting lineup we like as we have had in some time, but we're still missing Traore, and you would hardly call us settled along either touchline.

We have allowed our opponents to jump ahead in every match since our domination of Blackburn two weeks ago. Sure, we haven't lost any of them, but this is very frustrating. That would continue today. In the 30th minute, new Boro transfer Bjarne K. Ingrebretsen puts in a shot from the right of the post after the ball just fell to him in an advantageous position. The ball played pingpong among our defenders and the Boro attackers, and Berbia made a brilliant save leading up to that. It was just dumb luck to end as it did. No luck on the next one in the 38th minute: striker Jose Pinto (yes, Joe Freakin' Bean) beat Bakens in the air for a Michael Young cross and headed it in for a 2-0 lead. Ouch. Much of the rest of the match was just awful, as we pressed and pressed, but just couldn't seem to solve Boro keeper Gabor Kiraly. We were dominating the match everywhere but the score. Finally, in the 71st minute, Tofu headed in a terrific pass from Morrison to get us within one. But we needed two, and the minutes dwindled. In injury time, though, we would get another chance. Montgomery had the ball outside of the area and drew the attention of midfielder Andrea Motta. That allowed Montgomery to slip the ball into the area for Tofu, who blasted it left-footed just inside the right post for the comebacker! Sheff Wed pulls this one out of their collective ass and draw Boro, 2-2, on the road.

The stats indicate we deserved better than we got here, but results are all that matter. We have lost just once in 15 matches, and are on a ten match league unbeaten streak. But I would have to say we are playing rather poor, and have been fortunate. The second draw drops us from second to fifht in the standings, where draws alone aren't going to make it happen.

Of course, we don't get any awards from the league for January.

Chief Rum · 06-23-2006, 11:25 PM

As I mentioned, the draw with Boro actually dropped us all the way from automatic Champions League to the UEFA Cup. A view of the table at this point clearly shows how things are shaping. There are five standout clubs in this league, and it will take a very good run from a midtable squad to get into this mix. So I will start following the every round results of Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool along with ours to show how things stand as we jovkey for those critical Champions League spots.

Five squads, four CL spots. Should be intriguing. But we're going to have to step it up if we expect to stay with this crowd.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Chelsea        |       | 24    | 17    | 5     | 2     | 49    | 17    | +32   | 56    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 24    | 15    | 4     | 5     | 44    | 20    | +24   | 49    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man Utd        |       | 25    | 14    | 7     | 4     | 35    | 15    | +20   | 49    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 24    | 14    | 6     | 4     | 41    | 17    | +24   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 25    | 13    | 9     | 3     | 53    | 31    | +22   | 48    |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 25    | 10    | 7     | 8     | 36    | 30    | +6    | 37    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Wigan          |       | 25    | 10    | 6     | 9     | 28    | 27    | +1    | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Norwich        |       | 25    | 10    | 5     | 10    | 26    | 26    | 0     | 35    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Derby          |       | 25    | 9     | 8     | 8     | 31    | 32    | -1    | 35    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Newcastle      |       | 25    | 9     | 5     | 11    | 36    | 37    | -1    | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 25    | 9     | 5     | 11    | 27    | 33    | -6    | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton         |       | 25    | 8     | 7     | 10    | 33    | 36    | -3    | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Leeds          |       | 25    | 8     | 6     | 11    | 36    | 38    | -2    | 30    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 24    | 5     | 11    | 8     | 27    | 37    | -10   | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 25    | 6     | 8     | 11    | 22    | 36    | -14   | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 25    | 5     | 9     | 11    | 27    | 34    | -7    | 24    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 25    | 4     | 9     | 12    | 19    | 36    | -17   | 21    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Wolves         |       | 25    | 5     | 5     | 15    | 19    | 42    | -23   | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Man City       |       | 25    | 4     | 7     | 14    | 20    | 42    | -22   | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Everton        |       | 23    | 4     | 7     | 12    | 27    | 50    | -23   | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 06-28-2006, 01:40 AM

February 2010

I have gotten through the ringer of December and January fairly well off, although the recent drop to fifth is rather disappointing.

Now we get to the tough home stretch. Can we keep it up? Clinch a spot in Europe? Maybe even the Champions League?

FEBRUARY 3--Sheff Wed at Walsall

Our draw to Walsall in the first match of our 4th round FA Cup tie with them was very disappointing. We will need to play much better here if we expect to advance.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Absalonsen is starting on the left wing today, and Briotti is in for Traore, away on international duty with Mali, but otherwise, Walsall is getting our starters.

It started as a very defensive match, with only four shots total through the first 20 minutes. Tofu capitalized on an error by former Boro wingback Frank Queudrue, though, in the 19th minute. He intercepted a backpass from Queudrue intended for centreback Anthony Gerrard, skipped past Gerrard, and then blasted the ball into the right end of the net, past a charging Phillip Calington in net. Walsall would benefit on an odd play, though, in the 41st minute. Midfielder Damien Francis had the ball outside of the box and attempted to pass it up to striker Andy Milne. Garcia and Davies were crowding Francis, and somehow, his pass deflected off of Davies and rolled by an oddly unreactive Berbia and into the goal for the tie. It was turning out to be a tough match, as we fought inconsistency and injuries--both Absalonsen and Morrison struggled through first half knocks. We got ahead again int he 52nd minute on a nice pass play. Garcia found Absalonsen on the run down the left flank, and the winger put a nice low cross into the box for Vaz Te, who easily knocked it home in the left corner to regain the lead. Walsall would fail to get an actual shot on goal the whole match. Sheff Wed escape with the 2-1 win over Walsall, 3-2 on aggregate.

We picked up two more injuries in the second half, with Berbia and Briotti getting knocks. The Berbia injury ended up hurting. He bruised his ribs in an accidental challenge, and will be out anywhere from four days to two weeks. I bring Vermeer back up to back up Tanghe.

We also lose Davies. The defender tripped striker Dean May in the 81st minute, and picked up his fifth yellow of the season. That earns him a sit for our next match, courtesy of the FA.

We were set to meet either Man Utd or Bristol City in the FA Cup 5th round, and nicely for us, Bristol City pulled the major upset. We play them at their place on Feb 13. Other Premiership clubs biting the dust this round were Bolton and Palace, losing to Man City and Wigan, respectively.

Pool beat Boro in Premiership play and leap past Arsenal and Man Utd into second.

Mali loses out in the COSAFA Cup the next day, and we get Traore back. That's a relief, as Davies' suspension was hurting our backline.

We are set to meet Forest on Feb 7, and if you recall, we have a bit of a history with them and their manager, Gary Megson. So I am surprised when he praises my abilities in the lead up to the game. I tell him I believe he can save Forest from relegation (hey, I'll be nice if you will).

Our match with Forest is a TV match the day after the regular round, so the other title contenders get a go at it first. The Gunners regained second by beating Wolves. Pool and Man Utd both fell, though, to weaker opponents in Norwich and Derby, which gives us an apportunity to make up ground in the Forest match.

FEBRUARY 7--Nottm Forest at Sheff Wed

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Addo - Bakens - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Tanghe is in net for the injured Berbia, and Addo repalces the suspended Davies. Traore is back at left back, and Blondel gets his turn in the left wing rotation.

Like the Walsall match, this one started very slow--and once again, we capitalized on a key defensive error from our opponents (in the 20th minute this time). Centreback Brian King had the ball at the back and attempted to move it up to fellow defender Paulo Monteiro. Unfortunately for King, Vaz Te jumped forward onto the past and went through on goal. Stuart Taylor came out to meet Vaz Te, but the striker just chipped the ball over the keeper for the first goal. Then in the 30th minute, winger Kim brandt tugged at Tofu's shirt a little too hard just as he entered the far left of the box. It was a very poorly timed and stupid foul, as the ref signalled to the spot. Montgomery stepped up and put it in the left side of the net for the two goal lead. Our defense locked down after that, allowing Forest just two shots on goal. Owls take it to Forest, 2-0.

The win jumps us past Man Utd into fourth, and just a point out of second.

A couple more Premiership matches impacts the race in the follwoing days. Chelsea draws with Boro a day after our win over Forest, but they are a bit of a distance ahead of our pack, so they aren't close enought o be concerned with at the moment. The Gunners blow a chance to push up their lead in second when they fall badly to Everton.

Our 5th round FA Cup visit to Bristol City is coming up, but it is now I am also starting to eye young prospects on Bosman. In years past, I have lifted many young talents, including Ojala, Sacco and Garrido, in this manner (which is a good thing, because I am still working with the board to get us a youth academy). I make an offer for Everton midfielder John-Paul Kissock, a nice looking offensive central mid, and start scouting for others. To help with the scouting, I offer a job to unemployed Czech scout Vaclav Kadlev.

FEBRUARY 13--Sheff Wed at Bristol City

Three weeks ago, I marched out a somewhat subpar squad to an FA Cup match with Walsall and the result was a draw and a tough replay. I believe that was an abberation, though, and we can take Bristol City with a lighter side. Cross your fingers.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Bednar
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Virtanen
DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Bednar starts up front, although I have Vaz Te on the bench and ready to go if needed. Wallace and Virtanen get the starts on the wing. Davies returns from suspension, and former fullback starters Hammell and Simek make appearances. Tanghe is still in net while Berbia nurses his latest knock.

It turns out I was right. We aren't touch-and-go as we were with Walsall, and start taking it to Bristol City from the kick off. In the 7th minute, we got our first score off of a corner, which is so rare for us. Montgomery went into heavy traffic and beat defender James Collins in the air for a Virtanen cross. The high header slipped over keeper Allan McGregor for the 1-0 lead. We didn't wait long to get another one. Just a minute later, Bednar slipped in on a Bristol City backpass at midfield and found Tofu slipping the seams on a break to the goal. The defense managed to maneuver the striker into a run off to the right, but then Tofu turned and blasted a shot across the mouth of the goal that just caught the inside of the far post. Two goals up! It was pretty much downhill from there for Bristol City. Bednar added his first ever goal as an Owl in the second half. Sheff Wed roll over Bristol City, 3-0.

We have advanced to the 6th round of the FA Cup. We find out two days after the Bristol City match that we will play either Sunderland or Blackburn next month. They have to replay their tie in the 5th round.

Arsenal was shocked by Championship squad Coventry in the 5th round. Forest and Norwich also lost (although they lost to Chelsea and Pool, so not unexpected).

Now that we have taken care of our advancement in the FA Cup, we return to a week of lead up to the Carling Cup final. On Feb 21, we will meet powerful Chelsea in our first major competition final. We stunned Man Utd to get this far, and I don't intend to falter now that I am here. A win at Wembley earns us an automatic seed in next season's UEFA Cup.

Absalonsen, though, doesn't entirely have his head in the game. He complains about a lack of first team playing...sigh. I tell him he will see some (after all, he and Blondel are probably going to see a lot of time on the left side), and that seems to mollify him.

Kadlec and Kissock sign three days after the Bristol City match. I leave Kadlec unassigned, so he can pursue scouting some fo the young targets we have selected as possible Bosman transfers. Kissock will join our squad (probably the Reserves) in July.

While we play three of four matches in cup competitions, the Premiership rumbles on. The day before our showdown with the Blues, Arsenal beats Leeds to extend their second place position, while Pool draws with Palace. Since we're not playing EPL matches, though, we can't make a move on Pool yet.

FEBRUARY 21--Sheff Wed vs Chelsea--CARLING CUP FINAL

This is my first major cup final in FM2006, so I was susprised at all the lead up. There was a stroy about how Tofu is the competition's leading scorer (7 goals). I knew he was doing good, but I didn't know that. And a Sheff Wed old player came out and said Petr Cech was the key to concentrate on for us if we want to beat Chelsea. No arguments there--Cech is a heck of a player. I am approached to comment on Cech, and I say that he's a terrific player, but I think our attack can cause him problems.

And on to Wenbley...

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

With Berbia back at full fitness again, we march out our regular lineup for this one, with Absalonsen on the left, and the new Traore-Bakens-Davies-Mendy backline all playing together for the first time.

Chelsea bring the horses, too--other than injuries to Joe Cole and Arjen Robben, their stars are largely in the lineup. John Terry is strangely absent (he appears fit). Still, Cech is in net, and William Gallas and our former transfer target Glen Johnson are on the backline. Superstar midfielders Tomas Rosicky and Frank Lampard are in the lineup, Shaun-Wright Phillips is on the right side, and Carlos Tevez is up front.

It's a full house on a wet day in London. Almost 90,000 will watch us on a normal, rainy February England day. We are ready from the start. Just a minute in, Bakens clears out a good shot by Tevez, and Montgomery wins the ball from Rosicky in the middle of the pitch. He finds Vaz Te making space from Gallas on the run. Cech makes the mistake of coming off of his line, and that just encourages Vaz Te to attempt the chip. It works, and the ball falls into the far end of the net for the 1-0 break out! In the 34th minute, Chelsea really seemed to miss Terry. Vaz Te played a give-and-go with Mendy and ran into the area to the right of the goal. He blasted a shot on Cech, who turned it away. Morrison jumped on it and hit it for the far side, but again, Cech shows how good he is and pushes it away. Third time is the charm--Tofu gets to it first and puts it into the open left side of the net. Where was Chelsea's defense? We're up 2-0! Of course, Chelsea gets back into it in typical worldclass fashion. In the 37th minute, Rosicky shot a curving kick at the right goal from beyond the area, and it twisted past the leaping Berbia to get the Blues within one. That's just the beginning, though. In the 42nd minute, Tofu slipped inside the shoddy Chelsea defense and headed in a terrific deep pass from Absalonsen, a shot Cech was powerless to defend. We're back up two goals again...for a couple minutes anyway! Rosicky strikes again in the waning seconds of extra time in the first half. Hitting a curling freekick from the far right, just inside the near post. Sonofa...we go into the break with a one goal lead after a wild first half. The second was just absolute intensity, as Chelsea tried to come back on us. Both sides took four shots on goal, and between us both, the squads took 14 more shots. Just watching us try to fight off some of the world's best was intense, and everything FM is about. And, strangely enough, despite the first half goal glut, not a single shot actually gets past the goal line in the second half. Sheff Wed wins the Carling Cup! 3-2 victors over mighty Chelsea!

Wow, I am at my personal pinnacle now (upt o now, I should say). I have won my first Cup! My reputation raises to Continental, which is terrific. The match ends all even on shots, so not only did we beat Chelsea, it was no fluke--we matched them shot for shot, and most of their best players, too. I couldn't be prouder of my squad.

The aftermath is huge, of course. The fans are dancing. The board is happy. Another Owl past great comes out and congratulates me in the media. It is the club's first Carling Cup (or any cup) since 1991, and we take home $1.9 M for the win, too.

It figures I would get a downer at the same time. Big time Bosman signee Zaragoza striker Kone breaks his foot in a match in Spain, and it looks like he may not be ready for the start of the EPL season. He could eb a quick healer, though, and be rounding into fitness for our friendly fixture. So it's up in the air at the moment.

In other club news, Finnish side TPS offers a Bosman contract to Reserves defender Martin Albrechtsen, and he accepts. Good luck in July, Martin (he will be jumping into an active league schedule actually--Finland's league fixture runs from spring to fall).

We're barely coming down from our Carling Cup high when our next match arrives--a return visit to Old Trafford, where we lost to Man Utd, 2-0, just after the new year.

FEBRUARY 24--Sheff Wed at Man Utd

This is an absolutely huge match. It's a head-to-head against one of the key squads we are fighting for a Champions League spot. And they are worldclass. And at home.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

We're starting our regulars again, even if they are still recovering a bit from the emotional match at Wembley. Man Utd has its stars back, and we're facing a lineup with Jermaine Defoe and RVN up front, and Wayne Rooney on the right wing (that's their solution to the wealth of worldclass forwards they have). Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre are on the backline, and John Obi-Mikel is in the middle.

Right from the beginning, we seemed to be struggling with the talent Man Utd was putting on the pitch. In just the 8th minute, Van Nistlerooy broke into the box and received a pass from Darren Fletcher, and put it inside the near post, expertly evading both Bakens and Davies. That put them up a goal, and then the defenses on both sides clamped down. Across the whole course of the match, only 12 shots were taken in almost all of the match, and only two were on goal. In the 89th minute, we had just five shots, and keeper John Phillips hadn't even been tested once. But then defender Karl Svannson fell asleep when he shouldn't have, and Bednar broke past him just as the clock started to turn toward extra time. Davies won the ball on a challenge from Defoe and put it forward onto the Czech striker on the run. With the defense trailing, Bednar stepped to his right and then fired at the left post, faking out Phillips. The ball hit the inside of the net, and we had our amazing equaliser! And it would be the only shot on goal we would manage this day. Sheff Wed escape Man Utd and Old Trafford with a 1-1 draw.

We were dominated in this one, largely, and the Red Devils deserved better. But we'll take it. Bednar picked a great time to get his first league goal for us. Way to time it, Roman. We stay ahead of Man Utd, who are in 5th, and move into a tie with Pool, but down on goal differential.

Chelsea beat Forest to extend their league lead. I think it's unlikely anyone will catch them unless they fall apart (extremely unlikely).

The replay 5th round of the FA Cup is also played today, and Blackburn beats Sunderland to be our next opponent. We will play them in the 6th round on Mar 17 at Ewood Park. The big loss in the FA Cup is Pool today, who fall to Wigan.

The month ends with another round of league matches, but we're the TV game (and in March). So we sit by and watch as the other contenders give it a go. Pool has been playing poorly, and draw with Villa. That gives us a terrific opportunity to leap past them for third in our next match. Arsenal falls to Newcastle, and Chelsea beats Man Utd, so that is an all around win for us. We can make up ground on the Gunners, and move away from Man Utd, too.

Things are looking good at the moment. Can we keep it up?

tanglewood · 06-28-2006, 02:33 AM

Congrats on the cup win. This is a really nice dynasty to follow.

Chief Rum · 07-01-2006, 01:57 AM

Hey, thanks tanglewood. Yeah, it was pretty sweet, especially coming off of the amazing win in the semis over Man Utd.

I'm hoping to put up some more for the dynasty in the next day or so. I might even reach the World Cup (2010, that is).

Thanks for reading.

Chief Rum · 07-01-2006, 06:00 PM

International Club Play & The COSAFA Cup

The knockout stages of the Champions League and UEFA Cup start up again in February, and a major continetnal competition takes place in Africa in late January and early February. Here's a look at them.

COSAFA CUP

This is an interesting competition because they still choose to play it even in World Cup years, and because World Cup qualifying also doubles to qualify for this competition in Africa.

It's a good chance to get a look at the African World Cup entrants leading up to South Africa 2010. The strange twist is that the World Cup host, South Africa, will not participate in this year's COSAFA Cup, because they did not need to participate in World Cup qualifying (and so did not "qualify" for this cup).

The top four teams from each of the four WC qualifier groups are entered into the pool and re-drawn into four new groups for the COSAFA Cup, being held this year in Morocco. Here are the groups, with South Africa 2010 squads in bold.

GROUP A: Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Republic of Congo

Ghana is one of the best squads on the continent, but Ivory Coast is also very dangerous.

GROUP B: Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Morocco

As a WC qualifier and the host, Morocco is certainly the favorite here. Mali, including Sheff Wed's Djimi Traore, might be the best squad in Africa not going to South Africa in June.

GROUP C: Algeria, Angola, Liberia, Nigeria

This has the look of the Group of Death. Algeria is the WC entrant here, and it might be the third best squad in the group. Angola was dominating, but lost out in a tough group with Morocco in qualifying, while Nigeria is one of Africa's traditional powers.

GROUP D: Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia

Senegal is rightfully the top squad here, but Tunisia has as much talent, and Togo did well in qualifying. The questions are, will Tunisia show up, and will Togo continue to play above its head?

GROUP STAGE
Jan 25-Feb 4

ROUND ONE

Ethiopia 2, Ivory Coast 0
Ghana 2, Republic of Congo 1

Ghana starts off right, while Ethiopia pulls off the surprising upset.

Morocco 2, Mali 0
Gabon 2, Guinea 0

Morocco wins the battle of marquee squads, while Gabon wins the match it needs to stay in contention for a spot in the knockout stage.

Nigeria 3, Liberia 1
Algeria 2, Angola 1

Nigeria blasts Liberia as expected. Algeria shows their qualifying run was no fluke by edging Angola.

Zambia 1, Tunisia 0
Togo 2, Senegal 0

This group goes topsy-turvy. Zambia pulls off the upset of the round over Tunisia (who didn't show up after all), and Togo continued to play strong in beating Senegal.

ROUND TWO

Ivory Coast 2, Republic of Congo 0
Ghana 2, Ethiopia 0

Ivory Coast gets a must-win by beating Congo, and Ghana wins control of the group by defeating the upstart Ethiopians. No one is through yet, though.

Morocco 2, Gabon 1
Mali 2, Guinea 1

Morocco moves on top of the group by beating the other Round One winner in Gabon, and Mali get back into it by beating Guinea.

Algeria 2, Nigeria 1
Liberia 2, Angola 1

Algeria is certainly showing quality play here, above normal expectations. Nigeria will be cheered by Liberia's upset over Angola, because they will likely advance over the little country. Angola is just playing awful in this tournament.

Senegal 2, Zambia 1
Togo 0, Tunisia 0

This group is still very much up in the air. Senegal edged out the surprising Zambians, but got the win they needed. Togo's draw with Tunisia allows them to go on top of the group, but only by a point.

ROUND THREE

Ghana 1, Ivory Coast 1
Ethiopia 1, Republic of Congo 1

Ghana wins the group, while the round of draws keeps Ivory Coast and Ethiopia in a dead heat for the second spot. After several tiebreakers, Ethiopia advances by virtue of defeating the Ivorians in Round One.

Gabon 1, Mali 1
Morocco 3, Guinea 1

No shock here with Morocco. The hosts sweep their group stage matches and win through on top of the group. Surprising Gabon wins through over Mali on goal differential, sending Traore home early back to the Owls.

Liberia 1, Algeria 1
Nigeria 2, Angola 0

Liberia surprises Algeria in holding them to a draw, but the result wins Algeria through on top of the group. It wasn't enough for Liberia to pull on the slipper, though--Nigeria's completion of the Angolan nightmare put them up on goal differential and a spot in the next round.

Senegal 2, Tunisia 2
Togo 2, Zambia 2

Lots of scoring, but all for naught in this one, as everyone draws. That maintains the status quo, going on, which happened to be the most shocking group results yet. Togo wins out on top, and stunning Zambia advances, while traditional power Tunisia and South Africa 2010 qualifier Senegal go home.

QUARTERFINALS
Feb 7-8

Gabon vs Ghana
Morocco vs Ethiopia
Algeria vs Zambia
Togo vs Nigeria

Ghana and Morocco should win through. Ethiopia might have challenged Ghana, but beating the hosts and only squad to win all three matches in the group stage is a little much. Algeria should breeze past Zambia, while the Togo-Nigeria showdown is the top match of the round.

Ghana 3, Gabon 1
Morocco 2, Ethiopia 0
Algeria 2, Zambia 1 (extra time)
Nigeria 3, Togo 1

Ghana and Morocco both rolled in this one, as expected. Algeria won as expected as well, but they were certainly tested, needing extra time to finally put away Zambia. Nigeria burst Togo's bublle and dominated their match.

SEMIFINALS
Feb 11

Ghana vs Nigeria
Morocco vs Algeria

You couldn't ask for much better matchups here. Ghana and Nigeria are two heavyweights on the Dark Continent, and both feature worldclass talent. Morocco has been the most dominant squad, and Algeria one of the most consistently surprising. They will battle in the North African end of this round.

Nigeria 4, Ghana 1
Morocco 2, Ghana 0

Nigeria didn't wake up in time to qualify for South Africa, but they certainly have showed up here. It's hard to beat any squad this bad, much less Ghana (who, BTW, is indeed going to South Africa in June). Morocco seems unstoppable, beating Algeria, 2-0, to reach the final.

Third Round Playoff, Feb 13: Algeria 2 (pen), Ghana 2

Algeria edges out Ghana on penalty kicks in an exciting playoff for third place.

FINAL
Feb 14, 2010

Morocco vs Nigeria

Both World Cup squads, these two nations should make for a fine matchup. Nigeria has been the most individually dominating, while Morocco has yet to lose in this tournament. It would take extra time to determine the winner here, as the score was 1-1 going into extra time. It eventually would go to Nigeria on penalty kicks. Nigeria defeats host Morocco, 1-1 on penalties, to win the COSAFA Cup!

UEFA CUP

First Knockout Round

Tottenham (ENG) 3, Real Sociedad (ESP) 1
Villarreal (ESP) 1, Sampdoria (ITA) 1 (pen)
Monaco (FRA) 2, Brescia (ITA) 0
Man City (ENG) 4, Red Star (SCG) 3
Man Utd (ENG) 4, AaB (DEN) 0
Nantes (FRA) 5, FC Midtjylland (DEN) 2
Aue (GER) 4, Dinamo Kiev (UKR) 3
Bordeaux (FRA) 5, FC National (ROM) 1
Salzburg (AUT) 3, Maritomo (POR) 2
Milan (ITA) 4, Rapid Wien (AUT) 1
AEK (GRE) 2, Sporting CP (POR) 0
Club Brugge (BEL) 4, Celtic (SCO) 3
Lazio (ITA) 3, Valencia (ESP) 0
Juventus (ITA) 4, Betis (ESP) 3
Schalke (GER) 4, CSKA Moscow (RUS) 2
Roma (ITA) 3, Partizan (SCG) 1

Not too many surprises in the UEFA Cup's first knockout round, held in mid-February. Only three squads made it from leagues other than the Big Five, and they advanced by beating other teams from outside of those leagues. The round did not lack for marquee matchups, though. Betis's big January signings didn't help them against Juventus, who edged them out. Lazio beat Spanish power Valencia in another showdown. Three English squads advanced, including Manchester rivals, the powerful Man Utd and the relegation battler Man City.

Second Knockout Round

Tottenham (ENG) vs Aau (GER)
Nantes (FRA) vs Man Utd (ENG)
Club Brugge (BEL) vs Man City (ENG)
Schalke (GER) vs Villareal (ESP)
Bordeaux (FRA) vs Roma (ITA)
Salzburg (AUT) vs Milan (ITA)
AEK (GRE) vs Lazio (ITA)
Monaco (FRA) vs Juventus (ITA)

The standout matchup, held in early March, is between superpower Juventus, and French title contender Monaco. Most of these matchups don't look so well matched, though, with Milan getting Salzburg, Lazio taking on AEK, and Man Utd against Nantes. Struggling CIty gets a decent chance in drawing Club Brugge, and Spurs and Schalke get good draws with Aau and Villareal, respectively, as both squads are midtable at best in their leagues this season.

Tottenham (ENG) 2, Aau (GER) 0
Man Utd (ENG) 2, Nantes (FRA) 0
Club Brugge (BEL) 5, Man City (ENG) 4
Villareal (ESP) 5, Schalke (GER) 4
Roma (ITA) 2, Bordeaux (FRA) 0
Milan (ITA) 4, Salzburg (AUT) 0
Lazio (ITA) 3, AEK (GRE) 1
Monaco (FRA) 3, Juventus (ITA) 2

Big congratulations to Monaco in edging out might Juventus. You have to consider them a serious threat for the UEFA Cup right now. The most exciting matchups appeared to be Club Brugge and Man City, and Villareal over Schalke. The surprising underdogs in City fall in a tough one to the Belgian side, which is itself now a very surprising member of the competition's quarterfinals. Schalke won this competition just three years ago, but Villareal surprised them and edged them out here. Spurs and Man Utd both advance in workmanlike fashion. The Italian squads advance as expected

QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS

Roma (ITA) vs Tottenham (ENG)
Monaco (FRA) vs Milan (ITA)
Club Brugge (BEL) vs Lazio (ITA)
Villareal (ESP) vs Man Utd (ENG)

Beat one Italian superpower, Monaco? Okay, here's another. Monaco-Milan is deserving of Champions League quarterfinal play, much less here. Spurs have a tough matchup with Roma. Lazio draws upstart Club Brugge, and Man Utd should be favored against Villareal.

Champions League

First Knockout Round

Benfica (POR) 3, Barcelona (ESP) 2
Lyon (FRA) 5, CSKA Sofia (BUL) 0
Inter (ITA) 2, FC Bayern (GER) 0
Chelsea (ENG) 5, Werder Bremen (GER) 1
Ajax (NED) 5, Porto (POR) 2
Liverpool (ENG) 4, Rangers (SCO) 3
Marseille (FRA) 2, Real Madrid (ESP) 0
Arsenal (ENG) 2, Leverkusen (GER) 1

Barca and the Galacticos both fall in the first knockout round? Wow, what huge upsets, and their opponents aren't the normal world beaters either (Benfica and Marseille). As in the UEFA Cup, three English squads advance, although only Chelsea did it easily (playing as they were midtable Bundesliga squad Wereder Bremen). Recent three-time consecutive champs Pool had a fight with Rangers to advance, and Arsenal had to slip by Leverkusen. The best matchup found superpowers Inter and Bayern locked in, with the Italian squad advancing (it was a bad round for German clubs).

QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS

Benfica (POR) vs Lyon (FRA)
Chelsea (ENG) vs Inter (ITA)
Liverpool (ENG) vs Ajax (NED)
Marseille (FRA) vs Arsenal (ENG)

The big matchup is between Inter and big bucks Chelsea, the England leader. Benfica and Lyon are two surprising quarterfinalists that will ensure one of them advance to the semis. Pool and Ajax will be an interesting matchup as well. Will the French fans boo Henry when he and the Gunners travel to Marseille?

Chief Rum · 07-02-2006, 02:36 AM

As you can see, there hasn't been much separation yet from second through fifth. We do have a match in hand on the others, which is nice. A win in that match puts us even with Arsenal in second. But the other three squads are true superpowers--I will need to play terrific ball to keep the pace.

Down the table a bit, it is still very crowded around the final European places, and it's also still possible that the FA Cup spot will go to a squad outside of the current group, which would make one less spot available.

At the bottom, there's a small break between City, Forest, and Wolves and the rest of the table, so we may be looking at our relegation clubs there. Still, there's quite a ways to go, and only six points currently separate last place from safe from the drop.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Chelsea        |       | 27    | 19    | 6     | 2     | 54    | 19    | +35   | 63    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 28    | 17    | 4     | 7     | 51    | 27    | +24   | 55    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Liverpool      |       | 28    | 15    | 8     | 5     | 48    | 21    | +27   | 53    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 27    | 14    | 10    | 3     | 56    | 32    | +24   | 52    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 28    | 14    | 8     | 6     | 37    | 21    | +16   | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 28    | 12    | 7     | 9     | 42    | 35    | +7    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 28    | 12    | 5     | 11    | 41    | 38    | +3    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Derby          |       | 28    | 11    | 8     | 9     | 37    | 36    | +1    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Wigan          |       | 27    | 11    | 7     | 9     | 30    | 28    | +2    | 40    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Norwich        |       | 28    | 11    | 7     | 10    | 30    | 29    | +1    | 40    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 28    | 10    | 6     | 12    | 31    | 36    | -5    | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton         |       | 28    | 8     | 9     | 11    | 36    | 40    | -4    | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Leeds          |       | 28    | 8     | 8     | 12    | 38    | 42    | -4    | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 28    | 6     | 13    | 9     | 34    | 46    | -12   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Everton        |       | 27    | 7     | 8     | 12    | 36    | 54    | -18   | 29    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 28    | 6     | 10    | 12    | 24    | 39    | -15   | 28    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 28    | 5     | 11    | 12    | 31    | 39    | -8    | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Man City       |       | 28    | 5     | 7     | 16    | 23    | 46    | -23   | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 28    | 4     | 9     | 15    | 19    | 41    | -22   | 21    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Wolves         |       | 28    | 5     | 5     | 18    | 20    | 49    | -29   | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 07-02-2006, 05:59 AM

March 2010

The homestretch has begun. And we have a match right away, as we have a TV match to wrap up the round that was started on Feb 28.

MARCH 1--Wigan at Sheff Wed

Wigan is one of those squads at the fringe of contending for a European slot, so they are no slouch. Also, we have had issues with them in the past. But we're at home, so we should beat them.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Petrov - Garcia - Virtanen
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

After key matches against Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final and then Man Utd, I haven't been giving my backups the time they need, so I march some out for this one. Absalonsen is in the left wing rotation, and Simek is a past starter, so not much difference there. But I do go with Virtanen on the right, Petrov at holding mid and Briotti at left back.

We put pressure on from the start. In the 2nd minute, Tofu hit the crossbar on a cross. In the 25th minute, Wigan keeper Migel Cano turned away a point blank shot from Vaz Te. The first half ended with six shots on goal for us, and only one shot period for Wigan. But we couldn't solve Cano. We had some chances in the second half, too. Cano had to make some great saves, particularly on a hard corner shot from Vaz Te in the 78th minute. But this was his night. Sheff Wed finish with a frustrating draw to Wigan, 0-0.

We took 13 shots, and put 8 of them on goal. Wigan was lifeless on offense, taking just three shots. Cano was Man of the Match, and we only had a point to show for a strong performance.

Although our next match isn't on TV, we are once again playing after the main round. So before we meet Spurs on the road on Mar 7, Pool and Arsenal both won to move three points further up from us. Chelsea lost, so the pack is a little tighter, but they still have a good lead.

As we're preparing for the trip to White Hart Lane, the news comes down that Josef Hicksersberger has been sacked by Roma. Once again, a significant job has opened up, so I apply for it. Once again, though, this is much more for establishing my ambitions, rather than actually taking the Roma job. My assumption is that, like the Juventus job, this one will go to a hgiher profile boss.

MARCH 7--Sheff Wed at Tottenham

The Spurs are on the outside looking in to the Champions League picture, but they are one of the clubs who at least have a sight of us at the top. This will be a tough road match.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

No backups for this one. We need the points, and I don't know I will get them out of this venue without sending my top squad.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to matter much. In the 7th minute, winger Andy Reid headed in a terrific pass from fellow winger Diego Biseswar, despite the fact that Mendy was on him, and Berbia rushed out to meet him. Fact is, Berbia shouldn't have left his line, and we were down a goal. Ten minutes later, Spurs got another one when our defense did a poor job of marking striker Dean Hudson on a break, allowing him a lot of space in the area to shoot the ball inside the left post. We have come up from two goals down before, though, and I got hope in the 24th minute. Much like our handling of Hudson, Vaz Te was poorly marked on a break, and Morrison found him open on a run toward the box. The striker put the ball inside the near post before Paul Robinson could close the hole, and we were within one. But that was shortlived. In the 30th minute, Berbia made a brilliant save on a Robbie Keane shot, only to have Hudson get to the rebound and score his second of the day with ease. It was that sort of day--we actually outshot Spurs and looked the stronger side, but we made too many mistakes and didn't capitalize on our chances. A late Tofu score was largely meaningless. Sheff Wed falls, 3-2, to Spurs on the road.

We lose our unbeaten streak today, which stretched 13 league matches, all the way back to our loss to Norwich in November. I am proud of the streak, but certainly disappointed to lose it here. For the second match in a row, we outperformed the opponent, but did not get the win.

It gets worse, too, as Man Utd beats rival Man City to catch us with 53 points (although we are still ahead on goal differential).

Reserves fullback and former first team part timer Bertelsen complains about his playing time a couple days after the Spurs match. I tell him he is a backup and to be patient. He doesn't take well to this, and requests to be listed, which I do. None of this surprises me--Bertelsen just isn't as good as my other options at left wing, and he has defensive troubles at this level at left back.

All of this is background as my squad approaches another critically important match--Pool is coming to Hillsborough.

MARCH 13--Liverpool at Sheff Wed

Certainly if we're looking to start another streak and get our good vibes back, a visit from Pool is the last thing we need. But we should be a match for anyone on our pitch. I would hope.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Pool has the usual assortment of stars in their side, so they came to play. We struck first, though. In the 14th minute, Pool made a key mistake, pulling its defense forward on a backpass to Morrison, and allowing Vaz Te to break through toward the goal. Vaz Te skipped by fullback Chris Rowe and dropped a chip right over keeper Jose Manuel Reina to put us up, 1-0. Visiting Pool fans barely had time to cry in their beers before Garcia headed in another one off of yet another Morrison cross. This is the kinda start I like. But as great teams do, Pool has another level they can go to, and at this point, that's what they did. They pressured us the rest of the half. In the 42nd minute, Berbia turned away close shots from Djibril Cisse and Joakim Holgersson before an open rebound finally fell back to Holgersson for the easy score. Still, if I could escape to the half up a goal...but they are too lethal. Superstar mid Steven Gerrard crossed into Cisse near the box, and the striker put it into the net inside the near post for the equaliser. The second half was brutal. We kept turning away scoring chance after scoring chance, and offered little of our own. Berbia turned in a MoM performance to even keep us in this one. We escape our own field with a 2-2 draw to Pool.

The Reds put 14 shots on goal, double our total, and 19 overall. They also dominated possession. We were clearly second fiddle on the pitch, and haven't been dominated that badly in some time. I know they are good, but we should have played better. And no matter how things played out, losing a two goal lead at home is very disappointing. With the draw, we both hold position in the table, with Pool in third and us fourth (but now a point ahead of Man Utd).

Arsenal shellacks Forest the next day to move a little further ahead in second place, and Man Utd draws back even with us when they draw with Bolton.

At the end of the week, Berbia gets a nod in the Team of the Week, but there is little else for me to take consolation from. I would have to say we're on a run of bad form now, especially in the clutch. We need to get back to making our chances count.

We will have to do it without Petrov for a short bit, though, as he bumps his noggin in training, and will miss about a week.

On Mar 16, I get the surprise of the game so far...

Roma chairman Franco Sensi offers me the top job at one of the world's top powers! Wow! I guess that Continental rep is really coming into play now.

I sadly turn down the offer, but you should have seen the numbers being thrown at me. $2.7 M per year is on the table for me personally, a $59 M salary budget would be in place, and--get this--$88 M in transfer funds. Oh yeah, and the squad includes some guys you might recognize--you know, Totti, Mancini, Cassona, De Rossi, Mexes, etc. Okay, I admit it--I saved it to come back to later.

But for now, this is a Sheff Wed dynasty. Sensi says he is disappointed, but respects my decision.

After that bit of excitement, I return to the more mundane daily activities of running the Owls. I offer Bosmans to two young players, Spurs defender/midfielder Michael Quinn, and Levante's striker Jose Garces (called "the next Raul Tamudo").

In the final leadup to our FA Cup match with Blackburn, Cristiano faisl to show up for training. I give him an official warning for unprofessional behavior, and he apologizes and promises to work to improve his behavior.

MARCH 17--Sheff Wed at Blackburn

Playing a Premiership side in the FA Cup is never a treat, but at least the Rovers are a struggling relegation battler, not far outside the drop zone. The quality of opponent, and the fact this isn't another critical league match, gives us a diamond opportunity to get our form back.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

We are still struggling at the kickoff, though, unfortunately. In the 14th minute, winger Ricardo Quaresma sends a tight and high cross down along the goal line into the box, where striker Nery Castillo heads it over Simek and into the left side of the net for the first goal. Why do I play Simek again? We don't even get a shot off until the 21st minute, although Vaz Te makes it count. He scores a nice shot inside the far post after receiving a nice long pass from Garcia on the run. That ties it up. But the stage is set--it's like we're still playing Pool. The Rovers continue to apply the pressure, and in first half extra time, mdifielder Daniel Jensen slips a pass into the area for fellow central mid Michael Green for a point blank shot. Berbia deflects this away, but striker Olivier Karekezi puts it away for the go ahead goal. We go into the half down a goal and being outshot 12-2 (and 7-2 on goal). These are the Rovers, right? We switch up to the more intense press in the second half, and we limit Blackburn to one shot on goal. But we can't seem to solve the Blackburn defense, and our woes in March continue. Sheff Wed falls in ugly fashion, 2-1, to Blackburn, and are out of the FA Cup.

I always try to get as far as I can in these competitions, so I am very disappointed to be out of the FA Cup in the quarters, and against Blackburn, too. We are outplayed almost tot he same scale as against Pool. No doubt about it now--we are playing our worst ball of the season at the moment. I use my Angry speech after this one.

Bad loss gets bad news, too, as Montgomery gets kicked in the face on a late tackle, and suffers injuries that will put him out 1-2 weeks. Considering Petrov is also hurt, and Flamini is just getting back into training after missing the past two-plus months to his hip injury, this is an awful development.

One side note and a good one. Vaz Te's goal gives him 31 total in first team matches this year, setting a new club record. Congrats, Ricardo.

In other FA Cup matches, Chelsea and Newcastle advance with wins over Wigan and Spurs, respectibely. They join the Rovers and shocking League One upstart Doncaster in the FA Cup semis. A draw a couple days later pits Chelsea against the midget squad, while Toon will meet Blackburn.

When it rains, it pours. Quinn turns down my offer, and resigns with the Spurs. No word on Garces yet.

MARCH 20--Sheff Wed at Crystal Palace

No rest for us right now. Three days after the Blackburn match, we travel to Selhurst Park to take on Palace, trying to distance themselves from the drop.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Goitom - Garcia - Dunn - Cristiano
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek
GK Berbia

I change up the midfield quite a bit, thanks to this being our third match in a week, and hurt by injuries. Garcia gets the surprise start at holding mid, a position he is unused to. I put Goitom on the left in the hopes to jumpstart the offense, along with bringing up Cristiano to play on the right. Dunn rounds out a new midfield. We'll see how they do.

Awfully hard to feel good about anything when you lose one of your best players five minutes in: Tofu picks up an injury and has to be subbed. I put in Bednar. Vaz Te doesn't seem to notice in the early going. In the 10th minute, he is on the receiving end of a terrific pass play between Garcia and Bednar, and finishes the score for the first lead. Palace gets it back in the 23rd minute, though, as Davies doesn't seem able to stick with striker Suazo on a break. Suazo runs into the box and slips it inside the near post before Berbia can get there, and we're tied. That seems to wake Palace up, and they amp up the pressure. In the 44th minute, Suazo goes on another break, and this time, it is Bakens he is giving the business to, before lofting a chip shot over the charging Berbia. the score is in easy, and we're down a goal. Uh oh...but we do get it back right away. Deep into extra time, defender Vangelis Moras held onto the ball too long on the backline, and Bednar stepped up and took it away from him. The striker went into the area, and blasted in a nice floating shot that Davide Tettamenti couldn't get to. We went into halftime all knotted up (although Vaz Te, too, had to leave the pitch for injury in the 45th minute). Palace then gave us an excellent chance in the 59th minute when fullback Stephen Warnock was carded a second time and sent off. A man advantage should be enough to secure that one more goal. Well, not when our side is playing the way it is, though. We make a foolish foul outside of the area in the 81st minute, and defender Ryan Smith puts in a freekick into the net for the shocking go-ahead goal (and one where Berbia hardly seemed to react). Embarassingly enough, we would actually go down to a squad that was a man down. Sheff Wed is really on a roll now--a bad one--losing to Palace, 3-2, on the road.

We are outshot on goal again by the defense, although it's much closer this time. Is there a magic elixir for this awful play? Perhaps the Carling Cup has cursed us? We haven't won since taking that chalice last month.

The postmatch news gets worse, as Tofu twisted his ankle, and will miss two weeks to a month. Vaz Te stubbed his toe, and will be out for a week. Kick the ball, Ricardo, not the grass. Our strike force is looking pretty thin at the moment.

The next day, Pool secure a huge win with a 2-1 result over Chelsea. There is clear separation now between us-Man Utd and Pool-Arsenal, and it will be tougher to get back to that lvel.

We have one more chance to turn it around this month, with a home match against Villa on Mar 27. But this hasn't just become a struggle on the pitch. Flamini, despite just returning to fitness within the past week, complains about his playing time. I tell him my plan to play him more, but it's stupid he is complaining in the first place. Then Berbia lands badly on his heel in a challenge in training, and will miss 1-2 weeks. This guy is more fragile than Ken Griffey Jr. Finally, Cristiano is absent from training again...grrr, I fine him a week's wages (he apologizes again).

As if to punctuate the crapitude of the moment, Roma also announces their hire at this time, bringing on another Mexican coach like Juventus did. Talk about reminding me what I missed out on.

The only good news we signed prospect striker Garces to a Bosman deal.

MARCH 27--Aston Villa at Sheff Wed

Racked by injuries, we send out what looks like a second unit to take on the Villans, whom have been underachieving this season.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Bednar - Goitom
MF Blondel - Petrov - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Blondel came to play today. In the 3rd minute, he leaped on a weird ball from Goitom that deflected off of Villa mid Christian Obodo in the area. Blondel beat his defender to it and blasted a shot inside the far post for the quick first strike. Then, in the 58th minute, Blondel added another on a penalty kick. He was also the one fouled on the play, by defender Andy Webster. At this point, we hadn't even allowed a shot on goal to Aston Villa. Tanghe gave the Villans a hope with a foolish move in the 73rd minute, not controlling the ball on a backpass well enough, and allowing striker Milan baros sneak on, snipe it and send it home. But it was too little, too late. We get our win. Sheff Wed beat Aston Villa, 2-1, at home.

We weren't as dominant as I had hoped we would be, but I will certainly take this, especially with so many players out. Cristiano gets a facial cut in the match and will miss 1-2 weeks, but, honestly, he doesn't really bring much to the table. So we probably won't miss him so much.

In other EPL matches on the day, both Arsenal and Pool win, keeping them both well ahead of us. Two days later, Man Utd fall to Everton and Chelsea just draws with Palace. We're still ahead of the Red Devils, but they have two matches in hand on us.

On the same day we beat Aston Villa, Barca fired Michael Laudrup as manager. This move was no doubt strongly motivated by the superpower's early removal from the Champions League. I apply for it, of course.

Speaking of manager jobs, chairman Dave Allen finally makes me an offer on a new contract, as mine comes to an end in June. He offers me a four year extension at $2.2 M, which is four times what I am getting now. He also sets the payroll budget at $51 M with some $30 M for transfer funds, although I know this will change as we get more or less money.

I agree to the extension, much to Allen's delight, and also to Blondel, who tells the media he believes I am capable of great things. Thanks!

Those great things don't come in March, though, it seems. We don't get a sniff at any awards (nor should we), although Palace's Suazo gets a nod for the third goal of the month for his running chip shot on the break against us.

There's a little over a month left to go. That's how long we have to show we're not chokers.

Chief Rum · 07-03-2006, 02:01 AM

As I noted, Arsenal and Pool have moved ahead of us and Man Utd by a bit, and at this point, have to be considered unliekly to be caught by either of us at this point. They will of course be caught in an intriguing position themselves, as the second place spot earns an automatic entry into the Champiuons League's group stage.

Even more interesting, though, is that Chelsea's bad run of form has actually brought them close enough to the Gunners and Reds that they could be in for a title fight.

Down with us and Man Utd, we are fighting for that last Champions League spot. I currently have it by a win, and by goal differential after that, but Man Utd has a match in hand. We need to right the ship to keep this spot.

Further down the table, Norwich, the suddenly hot Blackburn, Bolton and even Leeds all have a chance to move up and catch Newcastle or Derby for those final InterToto and UEFA spots.

At the bottom, Forest, Wolves and City are now solid favorites for the drop, as they are six points from Aston Villa and safety. It will be difficult for any of them, particularly given their general form, to overcome that deficit. But there are still a number of matches remaining to be played.

When this month ends, every club in the Premiership will have played exactly 37 league matches, with one final round on May 2 to complete the season.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Chelsea        |       | 31    | 20    | 7     | 4     | 58    | 23    | +35   | 67    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 31    | 20    | 4     | 7     | 62    | 30    | +32   | 64    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Liverpool      |       | 32    | 18    | 9     | 5     | 57    | 25    | +32   | 63    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 32    | 15    | 12    | 5     | 64    | 41    | +23   | 57    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 31    | 15    | 9     | 7     | 40    | 23    | +17   | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 32    | 13    | 8     | 11    | 45    | 42    | +3    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Wigan          |       | 32    | 13    | 8     | 11    | 33    | 34    | -1    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 32    | 13    | 6     | 13    | 47    | 45    | +2    | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Derby          |       | 32    | 12    | 9     | 11    | 43    | 42    | +1    | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Norwich        |       | 32    | 11    | 10    | 11    | 35    | 35    | 0     | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 32    | 12    | 6     | 14    | 36    | 42    | -6    | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton         |       | 32    | 10    | 11    | 11    | 42    | 41    | +1    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Leeds          |       | 32    | 10    | 9     | 13    | 47    | 50    | -3    | 39    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Everton        |       | 31    | 9     | 9     | 13    | 43    | 59    | -16   | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 32    | 7     | 13    | 12    | 37    | 54    | -17   | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 32    | 7     | 12    | 13    | 36    | 43    | -7    | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 32    | 7     | 11    | 14    | 27    | 45    | -18   | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Nottm Forest   |       | 32    | 5     | 11    | 16    | 26    | 48    | -22   | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Wolves         |       | 32    | 6     | 8     | 18    | 26    | 53    | -27   | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Man City       |       | 32    | 5     | 8     | 19    | 24    | 53    | -29   | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 07-04-2006, 02:31 AM

UEFA Cup & Champions League Quarters & Semis

We're down to the final matches in the two major European club competitions.

EUFA Cup

QUARTERFINALS

Roma (ITA) vs Tottenham (ENG)

In the first leg, Spurs shot themselves in the foot when Darren Bent put in an own goal in the 49th minute. That proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win in the leg for Roma. In the second leg in London, Roma put all doubts away early, scoring two goals in the first ten minutes. Oddly enough, Brazilian striker Mancini scored a penalty kick in each leg. Roma wins 2-1.

Roma beats Tottenham, 4-2 agg

Monaco (FRA) vs AC Milan (ITA)

The first leg in Monaco was a tight defensive affair. The home side could only manage one shot on goal. Milan didn't do much better, but striker Bruno Pozzi scored in the 42nd minute to move them ahead, 1-0. Strangely enough, Monaco was as strong defensively on the road in Italy as Milan was in France, allowing just one shot on goal. They also had a great chance to force extra time when striker Porcellis scored int he 71st minute. Unfortunately, Milan's one shot on goal, by striker Luca Esposito in the 72nd minute, got into the net for the 1-1 draw.

Milan beats Monaco, 2-1 agg

Club Brugge (BEL) vs Lazio (ITA)

Club Brugge jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first leg in Belgium, but Lazio scored twice, including an 88th minute strike from forward Alex Frei, to tie it up. That would prove to be the opportunity slipping through Club Brugge's hands, as striker Javier Portillo scored a hat trick for Lazio in the return.

Lazio beats Club Brugge, 5-3 agg

Villareal (ESP) vs Man Utd (ENG)

Well, at least an Italian club is guaranteed not to win this one. Strikers Jermaine Defoe and Ruud van Nistlerooy both scored in the first five minutes of the first leg in Spain, and RVN added another before the half was over. Villareal kept Man Utd out of the net in the return at Old Trafford, but they never solved the Red Devil defense.

Man Utd beats Villareal, 3-0 agg

SEMIFINALS

Man Utd (ENG) vs Lazio (ITA)

The Red Devils had to be frustrated after the first leg at home. They crushed Lazio on the pitch, with 20 shots to just one off-target shot from the Italian side, and yet Lazio keeper Stipe Pletikosa was impervious, forcing the 0-0 decision. Going home didn't improve Lazio's offense, though, and Defoe figured out Pletikosa, scoring twice in a 3-0 return victory.

Man Utd advances to the UEFA Cup final with 3-0 agg win over Lazio

Roma (ITA) vs AC Milan (ITA)

Nice matchup for the UEFA semis. Milan's superstar striker Andriy Shevchenko scored early in the Roma leg, and Milan almost made it stand. Roma tied it up, though, in extra time off of a midfielder Alberto Aquilani penalty kick. Milan took care of business in the return, getting two goals from Alberto Gilardino.

Milan moves on to the UEFA Cup final with a 4-1 agg win over Roma

I wonder if I could have done better for Roma.

The UEFA Cup Final between Man Utd and AC Milan will be played at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway on May 5th.

Champions League

QUARTERFINALS

Benfica (POR) vs Lyon (FRA)

Lyon striker Sylvain Guichard scored in the 47th minute, but Benfica forward Emerson immediately struck back in the 49th minute, and then midfielder Daniel Carvalho put them ahead in the 81st minute. Carvalho also scored in the 27th minute of the return leg, and Benfica looked to be on its way to the semis. American forward Landon Donovan, though, answered right back for Lyon, and then his replacement, Stanislav Chalenko, eeked in another score in injury time in the second half to force extra time. This one went to penalties, where Lyon edged out Benfica, 4-3, finshing them off on a kick by defender Sylvain Monsoreau.

Lyon beats Benfica, 3-3 (4-3 pen) agg

Chelsea (ENG) vs Inter (ITA)

Didier Drogba scored twice in the first leg before Adriano got Inter back within one. Still, Chelsea was on its way to a loss after Obafemi Martins scored in the 45th minute. Defender Pablo put across the match equaliser and tie winner, though, in the 85th minute to push the Blues ahead.

Chelsea beats Inter, 3-2 agg

Liverpool (ENG) vs Ajax (NED)

The first leg at Anfield was a wild one. Djibril Cisse put the home squad up in just the 6th minute, but midfielder Haris Beslija tied it up in the 13th minute, and then striker Mirko Vucinic scored a penalty in the 33rd minute to give the Dutch side the lead. Pool came right back in the second half, with a 46th minute score from forward Julio Baptista, and then the go ahead score on Cisse's second goal in the 60th minute. Oddly enough, neither side could manage a goal in the return leg, and Pool only put two shots on goal. Ajax needed just one goal to advance on away goals, but couldn't get any of its 15 shots past Jose Manuel Reina.

Liverpool beats Ajax, 3-2 agg

Marseille (FRA) vs Arsenal (ENG)

Marseille striker Lerato Chabangu scored twice in the first half in the first leg in France, and to give the French side a 2-1 lead to take to London. Chabangu scored again in the 9th minute of the second leg, and winger Roberto Santini scored in the 22nd minute in response to a goal from Arsneal striker Thierry Henry. With that many goals in the away leg, Marseille had the Gunners' backs to the wall, as Arsenal will need to score three goals to advance. But that's why Arsenal is Arsenal. Henry scored again in the 28th minute, midfielder Kjetil Simonsen scored just before the half, and then star midfielder Francesc Fabregas scored the tie winner in the 49th minute to cap an amazing comeback.

Arsenal beats Marseille, 5-4 agg

SEMIFINALS

Lyon (FRA) vs Chelsea (ENG)

Lyon only got one shot on goal in the first leg at home, but Guichard made it count, scoring their lone goal in the 28th minute. That matched one by winger Arjen Robben in the 24th minute. In the return, Chelsea's defense remained as strong as ever, and strikers Carlos Tevez and Chris Gayle both scored to finish Lyon off.

Chelsea advances to the Champions League final with a 3-1 agg win over Lyon

Arsenal (ENG) vs Liverpool (ENG)

In the first leg at Emirates Stadium, Liverpool didn't have an answer for Henry. The French superstar striker scored a hat trick, and gave the Gunners a 3-1 lead on the way to Anfield. Henry wasn't done--he scored two more in the return, and Arsenal rolled over Pool.

Arsenal advance to the Champions League final with a 6-2 agg win over Liverpool

The Champions League final between Chelsea and Arsenal will be played at Stadion FK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro on May 12th.

Chief Rum · 07-04-2006, 06:00 PM

April 2010

The final month of the season (plus two). We have been playing poorly, but we still have the advantage over Man Utd in the race for the final Champions League spot. Can we turn things around and hold them off?

Now that I have my contract taking over, I turn to my staff and rehire much of coaching staff and my best scout. There are others to consider as well, but I won't decide on them until June.

Barca ends up hiring Spanish manager Jose Maria Amorrortu, the former Real Sociedad boss.

We go into the Derby match with new hope coming off of the win against Villa.

APRIL 3--Sheff Wed at Derby

Derby has given us some troubles at times, so this is one of those middle-table squads I would rather not face at the moment, especially on the road. But you do what you have to.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Bednar - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Bednar and Tanghe are in for the injured Tofu and Berbia.

We struck quick and early. In the 15th minute, Bednar had the ball at midfield and toyed with it there, drawing Derby's defenders in. That popped out Vaz Te along the left side. Bednar found him on the run with a long pass. Vaz Te had just a step on defender Kirk Broadfoot and blasted a shot across the goal mouth. His terrific kick caught the far post and went into the net for the first score. Bednar wanted a piece of the action, too. Two mintues later, Morrison jumped on a ball that come out of some action in the area, and put a high pass into the box. Bednar stepped out from his marker, fullback Gary Moore, and blasted Morrison's pass into the goal for the two goal lead. We added a third in the 41st minute, when Vaz te found Blondel with a nice swinging pass to the other side of the area. Blondel was wide open and easily put in the score. Although the shot difference didn't end up so large, we made the most of our chances and put in a terrific match. Sheff Wed beats Derby, 4-1

There were two huge positives to take from this match, as Morrison and Blondel both put up 10's on the wings. Their inconsistency and that of their squadmates there has been a thorn in our side this season, but they have both been playing better. They could be making a push for regular time there next season. They end up on the Team of the Week, along with Mendy and Tanghe.

Of course, we also won the match, which is the biggest positive of all. But Bednar picked up a knock in the first half and I ended up removing him. He bruised his thigh from a late tackle and will be out a week or two. That's awful news, because we are already missing Tofu. I bring up Reserves Anthony Stokes and Kevin Thompson, but they wouldn't have been my first choices. Sacco is still out on loan, and Drew Talbot and Hjalmar are all currently hurt as well.

In other Premiership action, all five top teams win, so no ground is made up by anyone. We are still up on Man Utd by three poiints and goal differential, and they still have a match in hand on us.

We only have a tight two days before our next match against Norwich, but the injuries make the time pass slow. And Absalonsen doesn't help. He complains about first team time again. I'm getting a bit sick of it. I tell him if he trains hard, he can make the first team, but the reality is I am almost certain to move him in the offseason.

APRIL 5--Sheff Wed at Norwich

Like Derby, Norwich ranks as one of those midtable squads we have huge problems with, and this goes back to Championship days. We can never quite seem to beat them. I am hoping the Derby match is an indication this will be different, injuries notwithstanding.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Finnbogason - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Traore- Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Tanghe

Finnbogason gets the first chance to fill the Tofu-Bednar spot, although it has been his inconsistency that has led me to question my depth here. At least we still have Vaz Te. Blondel and Morrison get another chance to show Derby wasn't a fluke, and Tanghe is in the net again for the oft-injured Berbia.

We were playing really tough defense from the get-go, and didn't allow a show to Norwich in the first 26 minutes. In the 27th minute, though, Garcia brought down winger Wayne Routledge on the run outside of the area. Winger Miroslav Matusovic set up for a long freekick. When he kicked it, it seemed almost lazy as it slowly curved into the goal. Unfortunately, Tanghe was even lazier. I don't have a clue what he thought he was doing. He inched his way toward getting to the ball, but of course, he was far too slow. The ball goes inside the right post and we're down a goal. We got it back right away, though, when Traore relieved Matusovic of the ball along the left touchline. He moved it forward to Finnbogason on a run, and the Icelander dropped the ball to Vaz Te, who circled in for an open shot at the net. What happened next, though, was eerily familiar. Routledge was brought down outside of the area again in the 34th minute (by Mendy this time). This time, midfielder Patryk Rachwal stepped up for the freekick. Surely this time we could stop the kick? Rachwal went the opposite way from Matusovic, kicking a faster kick toward the far right post. Tanghe also moved faster. It still wasn't fats enough. Sonofa...two freekick scores! I have to think Berbia would get to one of those. This is maddening. And despite being the better time ont he pitch in many other ways, that would be the decider. Sheff Wed plays poorly when it counts and loses to a crappy Norwich side, 2-1

We outshot Norwich, 12-6, and had a 7-5 shots on goal advantage. But this time has a hex on us. Remember, they were the last team to beat us (back in November) before we went on that winter-long unbeaten streak. Injuries really have me upset right now. If I have Berbia and Tofu in, we porbably win this. Injuries have hurt me all year, and is the single reason I have yet to re-up any of my physios.

Vaz Te revealed to the media that I lit into the squad after the Norwich match. Good.

Berbia resumes full training right after the match, of course. Nice timing. And speaking of timing, Traore jumps into the training room after the match and hurts his chest lifting weights. He will miss 1-4 weeks. What the HELL was he doing training on match day? And why did SI remove the option to not have the team train on matchdays? Grrr...I have had way too many of those.

In other Premiership matches, we get awful news, as Man Utd beats Wolves. They are now even with us at 4th with a match in hand. We still have the goal differential won, but that only matters if we're even. Arsenal beats Pool in the match of the day, and is starting to put a little distance between them in its chase of Chelsea. The Blues beat Derby to stay up on Arsenal.

In the lower regions, Birmigham wins back promotion to the Premiership, and Watford will also move up. The third promotee will be determined in the Championship playoffs next month.

I'm not looking forward to this next match: Chelsea comes to town.

APRIL 10--Chelsea at Sheff Wed

Yes, we drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and yes, we beat them in the Carling Cup. But we're still definitely outclassed with these guys on the pitch. And with our form being what it is, I can't see this ending well, even at home.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Goitom - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti- Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Berbia is back, which is good. Briotti gets the start for the hurt Traore, and Goitom gets the next chance at the spot next to Vaz Te.

We're getting dominated from the get-go, which I had strongly suspected would happen. Chelsea doesn't score right away, but they are applying the pressure. Still, when a score happens it comes in odd fashion. In the 38th minute, defender William Gallas collectes a midline clear out and puts a long pass onto winger Arjen Robben on a run down the right flank. Robben runs into the right side of the area against resistance and chooses to move the ball off to Didier Drogba just on the central edge of the area, and heavily marked by Montgomery. Drogba unleashes a shot but it strikes Montgomery, shoots off softly at an odd angle toward the goal, and rolls into the goal before Berbia can get to it. And that weird shot ends up being the only goal Chelsea scores on us. Of course, we can't get anything going at all, with only one shot on goal. Chelsea dominates Sheff Wed, but only get a 1-0 win.

Adding injury to insult, Cristiano picks up a knock in the second half, not that his loss would change the outcome for nay of our matches at this point.

Arsenal was the only other top five squad in action today. They draw with Palace, so that gives Pool a little bit of hope. Chelsea moves a couple more points ahead of the Gunners.

Pool does take advantage the next day, beating Everton to move a little closer to Arsenal, and the day after that, Man Utd defeats Leeds. They have now moved ahead of us, dropping us into fifth and outside of the Champions League. They also still have a match in hand on us.

Cristiano, who escaped his knock with no lasting effects, has again missed trianing. I fine him two weeks wages, which he accepts. It seems obvious I will have to move the winger in the offseason (not that there is really a reason on the pitch to keep him at this point).

The one bit of good news we get at this point is that our U-18 squad has clinched the Group 3 championship. So congrats to our kids. Unfortunately, most of them won't be staying wiht us, as I have determined that almost all of them aren't talented enough to ever rwach the Premiership level, or at least not the standards that I set.

On Apr 14, Sacco returned from his loan with West Brom. He did okay, but didn't score as much as I would have liked. He also was hurt for a month down there, and was just rounding into fitness when he returned to us. Bednar is also almost back, so I send Stokes and Thompson back down to the Reserves.

U-18 keeper and goalkeeper of the future Steve Wright also returns from loan with Stoke. He didn't dominate there as I had hoped he would, but he did well.

With the season nearing an end, I am starting to eye potential targets again, and around the middle of the month, I make a Bosman offer for Dundee Utd's Scottish international right back Mark Wilson. He's fast, and solid in both ends of the pitch, even if he's no world beater. He seems like a good choice to work into my fullback rotation, certainly better than Simek. He wants a lot ($2.9 M per year), so I offer hima little less with a yearly increase and a bigger bonus. Three days later, he accepts my offer. He will join us on July 1.

Arsenal beats Aston Villa to move back a little closer to Chelsea. Chelsea just can't put these guys away. Of course, there is a reason the Gunners are the three-time defending champs of the Premiership.

Chelsea is involved in FA Cup semis right now. Both matches are played at Wembley on Apr 17-18. On the first match day, Newcastle edged Blackburn, 2-1, to move on to the final. Chelsea had little problem with small-timers Doncaster, beating them 2-0 on Apr 18, in what was probably the Doncaster squadders' moments of their lives. So Chelsea still has a chance at the double (and imagine if they had won the Carling Cup).

On the same day, in Italy, AC Milan clinches the Serie A title, becoming the first of the major five leagues to win the silverware. It is Milan's third in a row, fourth in five and fifth in seven. Clearly, they are the class of Italy right now.

APRIL 19--Sheff Wed at Man City

We return to match action against one of the teams likely to drop. City hasn't "clinched" relegation yet, but they are close. So their backs are to the wall. That said, we are a much better squad and dominated them in December. This is pretty much a must win for us if we have any hope to catch Man Utd for the Champions League spot.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Bednar - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

With Traore out, I choose to go with Hammell at left back to generate more offense. Bednar is back, and I gladly stick him back in the lineup. He's not at Tofu's level, but he's a lot better than my other options.

We're barely letting them even see the goal in the first 20 minutes, but we have been the champions of finding ways to give other clubs chances anyway. In the 20th minute, winger Damien Duff has the ball to the right of the area and tries to cross it into the box. It bounces off of Mendy, though, and rolls past Garcia, who should have gotten to it, to end up with midfielder Paevl Sedlacek. Sedlacek moves it up to his central mid partner Stephen Ireland, and the midfielder unleashes a long kick from outside of the area. The ball curves just inside the left post just before Berbia reaches it, and we're down 1-0. Morrison and Blondel again showed some great play to get us back even in the 33rd minute. Morrison dribbled past Duff along the right touch and sent a long, high pass toward the area from deep. Blondel was on it first, and he immediately moved it down to Bednar in the area. Bednar, freeing himself from defender Sylvain Distin, blasted the ball into the right end of the net for the tie match. That was as far as either side would go in a very defensive match. Sheff Wed draws with Man City, 1-1, in a match we needed to win.

We're within two points of Man Utd, but they now have two matches in hand on us. This is awful.

We do finally get some great news on Apr 21. Tofu is back! The striker resumes training from his injury a month ago, and he might be available for our final two matches, against Bolton and the big finale versus Arsenal. I hope he can round himself into fitness quickly.

A day before we meet Bolton, Chelsea beats Man City, and Pool falls to Wolves. The loss to Chelsea seals City's doom, and they are relegated to the Championship. Forest also loses and gets the drop. Wolves' win, however, keep them safe at the moment, and they still have a chance to avoid the drop.

APRIL 25--Bolton at Sheff Wed

Bolton has moved up from being a relegation battler to the edge of European competition, and they have never been an easy match for us anyway. Still, we're at home, and this is the most critical match of the year. If there is any day for my squad to show up, this needs to be the one.

Lineup (left to right):

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison
DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

Tofu isn't quite back at full health, but he is close enough. And we don't really have a choice, what with the importance of this match. Briotti gets the start at left back.

Through the first 25 minutes, once again, we are playing very strongly on defense. Bolton has just two shots, neither on goal. We have put three right on keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, and he has denied us. We have had a lot of trouble historically beating this keeper, and that seems to be the case today as well. But we're not even letting Bolton take a shot at Berbia--until the 27th minute. Striker Juan Fernando Arango is racing down the left side of the pitch when he gets a ball from midfielder Michele Ciriaco. Striker Kevin Davies, another pest for us, has just a step on Bakens as they go into the area. He takes the pass from Arango and just slips a shot acorss the goal mouth. Bakens just had to step toward the net to stop it. Berbia just had to step out. A fan could have jumped out of the fifth row and made the save. But no one did, and the ball rolled inside the right post for the first frustrating goal. We put the pressure on and try to solve Jaaskelainen, taking another four shots, with one on goal, through the rest of the half. None our successful. Bolton doesn't get a single shot off after the Davies goal, and they have three on the day--but they're ahead, 1-0. A minute into the second half, Berbia takes a backpass and makes the odd decision to try to get the ball to Montgomery near midfield. He leads him too far, though, and Bolton regains possession. This sets up a passing play game that results in a long deep pass from fullback Nicky Hunt into the box and midfielder Kevin Nolan, whom has just slipped in front of Davies. He heads the pass on over Berbia's head and into the left corner of the net for the 2-0 lead! ARGH! Two shots on goal, two goals! I am just livid. At this point, almost my entire backline and my keeper is posting '5' ratings, with only Briotti at left back edging up to a 6. Little changes the rest of the way. We end up with seven shots on goal, and can't solve Jaaskelainen. Botlon takes three total shots on goal, and score two of them. Mendy, Bakens and Briotti end up with 5 ratings, and Bakens a 6. Berbia gets a 7, but I don't know how--he didn't deserve it. In the most critical match of the year, Sheff Wed falls apart and loses abysmally, 2-0, to Bolton.

I tell my team they just aren't good enough. That's my first time using that one. I hope it's effective. I tell the players with '5' ratings they were an embarrassment. I don't know what else to do. I feel like fining everyone. I swear, this whole time is a bunch of gutless, spineless wonders. How do you not show up for this? At this point in the game, I actually say I'm not going to start any player who appeared in this match in the final against Arsenal. At this point, I am assuming I will have no chance at the Champions League spot, because Man Utd has four matches to get the two points it needs.

They get one of those points while we're losing to Bolton. They draw with Boro, and move up three points on us, with two matches in hand. They also draw even with us in goal differential, so we no longer have that little wildcard to play with.

Man Utd has three matches six days, but we won't play again until May 2, the final matchday of the season (and at Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, of all places).

Also on Apr 25, Ajax wins the Eredivisie, winning one of the key league soutside of the Big Five. They have a terrific young keeper named Maarten Stekelenburg that I notice when Serie A squad Brescia put in a $8.75 M bid for him. A terrific (and injury-resistant) keeper is a target of mine for the offseason, so I put in an enquiry. Before the month is out, Ajax rejects my enquiry and Brescia's bid. Still, I might go back to that iin the next month or two.

Waiting for our fate to be decided is never easy on a squad, and it was a tense week of training. Traore is back healthy, and it looks like he will be available for Arsenal, but Morrison kicks a ball badly in training, and suffered a thigh strain which will put him out for 1-4 weeks. Well, if I follow through on my plan to sit every player from the Bolton match, he wasn't going to London with us anyway.

Striker Hjalmar and versatile forward mid Denneboom both complain about their first team time. I tell Hjalmar I will pick the team how I see fit, and Denneboom that he is a backup and should be patient. Fact is, Hjalmar probably doesn't have what it takes to play for a strong squad in the Premiership, and Denneboom has proven himself to be much less effective and game-changing in the top flight than he was in the Championship. They both end up apologizing, but I will probably be doing a lot of purging this offseason.

And while this is all going on, we watch Man Utd start to wrap up its fixture.

On Apr 28, Man Utd falls to Newcastle, so we still have a chance. It also puts them behind us in goal differential. It's looking more likely we will have something to play for--they meet Arsenal next. Pool loses to Blackburn, but they have pretty much solidified their spot in third anyway. Chelsea beats Norwich to stay ahead of Arsenal.

On Apr 30, we're all rooted to the tellies for this one. Arsenal, needing a win to pace Chelsea, go into Old Trafford to play a squad equally needing a win, and they beat them. We still have a chance! The final round will have us just three points off from Man Utd, and we're up on goal differential, by an insurmountable amount if we are to move up to fourth.

And, of course, this means I will have to go back on my prmoise. The starters will play against Arsenal on May 2.

Chelsea beats Everton, too, and clinches the Premiership. Nice try, Gunners.

Chief Rum · 07-04-2006, 06:24 PM

As you can see, it has come down to the final round on May 2. If we beat Arsenal, and Man Utd loses to Forest, also on the road, we will move into fourth and nab that last Champions League spot. Any other result in either match, and we go to the UEFA Cup, a spot we already had clinched via the Carling Cup win anyway.

Now, playing for the UEFA Cup is certainly no poor prize. It is a tremendous achievement. Still, every manager dreams of taking his team to the Champions League.

Pool cannot catch Arsenal, so Arsenal and league champ Chelsea get the automatic spots to the Champions League.

Newcastle could catch us on points, but we will be fifth on goal differential if that happens. The Magpies have also already clinched a UEFA Cup spot next year.

Wigan and Bolton can both catch Spurs for the final UEFA Cup spot, so their matches will be critical. There is a big difference between the UEFA Cup and the InterToto Cup, which is mostly run while squads are getting their fitness back together. Wigan and Bolton currently hold the two InterToto Cup spots, but Norwich and Blackburn could still catch them for the final European spots.

Last year, I was where Norwich was, and just fell short of Europe (I finished 11th).

Technically, the Wolves aren't relegated yet, but they are so far behind Palace in goal differential, it's pretty much said and done. Still, interestingly enough, Wolves host Palace in the final round. Too bad their GD's aren't closer--that would be one heck of a match, with the winner staying up, and the loser getting the drop.

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | Chelsea        |       | 37    | 26    | 7     | 4     | 71    | 27    | +44   | 85    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 37    | 25    | 5     | 7     | 78    | 35    | +43   | 80    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Liverpool      |       | 37    | 20    | 9     | 8     | 64    | 33    | +31   | 69    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 37    | 18    | 10    | 9     | 49    | 31    | +18   | 64    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 37    | 16    | 13    | 8     | 70    | 48    | +22   | 61    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 37    | 17    | 7     | 13    | 55    | 47    | +8    | 58    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 37    | 15    | 8     | 14    | 53    | 50    | +3    | 53    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Wigan          |       | 37    | 14    | 9     | 14    | 36    | 40    | -4    | 51    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Bolton         |       | 37    | 13    | 11    | 13    | 48    | 46    | +2    | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Norwich        |       | 37    | 12    | 12    | 13    | 38    | 40    | -2    | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 37    | 13    | 8     | 16    | 41    | 49    | -8    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Derby          |       | 37    | 12    | 9     | 16    | 45    | 56    | -11   | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Everton        |       | 37    | 12    | 9     | 16    | 52    | 69    | -17   | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Leeds          |       | 37    | 11    | 11    | 15    | 51    | 56    | -5    | 44    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 37    | 9     | 15    | 13    | 45    | 59    | -14   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 37    | 9     | 12    | 16    | 34    | 52    | -18   | 39    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 37    | 7     | 14    | 16    | 41    | 53    | -12   | 35    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Wolves         |       | 37    | 8     | 8     | 21    | 33    | 62    | -29   | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Nottm Forest   |       | 37    | 6     | 13    | 18    | 30    | 55    | -25   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Man City       |       | 37    | 7     | 10    | 20    | 31    | 57    | -26   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 07-04-2006, 07:58 PM

End of 2010 Season

Here we go, the final two days of the 2009-2010 season. It doesn't happen without drama--Cristiano complains about playing time. T tell him he's a backup, ahd he tells me he wants out. So he's listed, and good riddance.

In one other note, Nantes wins the Ligue 1 Orange in France, their first league championship since 2001. In fact, they haven't even finished top three since that 2001 title. They broke Marseille's two-title streak.

The day we play Arsenal, Sporting CP wins Portugal's Liga, another of the major leagues that aren't quite up there with the big leagues.

MAY 2--Sheff Wed at Arsenal

It's on! We march into Emirates Stadium with the slimmest of hopes; can we make it happen? Last year, we embarrassed Arsenal here,a nd they were on their way to winning the Premiership. In December, we beat them 2-0 at Hillsborough. So what Bolton, Noriwch, etc. are to us, we apparently are to Arsenal. This is definitely not an easy match for them, and I am proud to say it. And our backs are to the wall.

ST Maoulida - Vaz Te
MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Goitom
DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy
GK Berbia

The regulars are back in the lineup, despite my vow from a week ago. This match is too important. The tough spot to pick was at right wing. With Morrison hurt, and my belief I can't start Simek at right back (thus I need Mendy there), I need to pick from Denneboom, Virtanen, Dunn and Cristiano. Dunn is too slow for Arsenal, Denneboom and Cristiano both recently complained about playing time and aren't good enough, and Virtanen is too young and inconsistent. So I go with "None of the above" and put Goitom on the right. He is actually listed as a right winger as well as his other spots, but he is very much a left footed player, which is way I never normally play him here. Oh well, sometimes your hand is forced--I don't doubt he'll play passably well there. Traore returns from injury and goes to left back.

I don't think the Gunners are missing anyone major. Thierry Henry is there, along with Francesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio Reyes, Gilberto Silva, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure, German Lux--the usual assortment.

Vaz Te has been wonderful for us all year, and he gets too great chances in the first couple minutes. Lux stops one, and Vaz Te is whistled offside for the other. In the 7th minute, Davies had to make a terrific open field tackle to free up the ball from Henry on a break. Two minutes later, Cesc sent an impressive longkick on the run that Berbia barely got to (in fact, he hit it up into the cross bar with his outstretched fingertips). This is the way was going. Very wide open on both sides. Three minutes after the Cesc kick, Lux had to make almost an exact imitation of that save to stop a Blondel freekick from finding the net. In the 14th minute, Garcia got the ball to Vaz Te right in front of Lux, but the keeper was on the mark, and deflected it (the ball was cleared). Arsenal responded two minutes later when Campbell headed a Reyes freekick from the right side, just missing the upper right corner of the post. In the 29th minute, Davies found Goitom on a run into the area, and Lux was forced to make another point blank save. Our best chance came in the 38th minute. Tofu put the ball into the middle of the box from the left end of the area. Vaz Te, heavily marked by Campbell and Gael Clichy, got to the ball and turned and blasted it on net. Lux had charged out, and pretty much took the full brunt of the shot. Tofu got the rebound, but his shot went wide left. When the half rolled around, 16 shots had been taken, an even eight for both squads, and seven were on target (five for us)--and yet Lux and Berbia seemed impervious. It was still 0-0. I couldn't help watching the scoreboard. Man Utd is up, 2-1, at the half to Forest. Come on, Forest, come back!

The second half starts much the same as the first, with a lot of pressure for us. Finally, in the 51st minute, Goitom frees himself up on the right flank, and puts in a pass toward the box for Vaz Te. The striker kicks it right at the charging Lux again, and the ball rebounds to the middle of the area. Garcia leaps on it and blasts it into the left side of the net for the first goal! We have the lead! Arsenal applied all sorts of pressure, though, and in the 58th minute, they equalised on an amazing goal. Henry tried to move a ball up into the box for fellow striker Valeri Bojinov, but Bakens got to it first and sent out straight out of the area. Silva got to it first, and saw that Berbia had come off of his line a good ways following Bakens' clear. The Brazilian midfielder launched a long range chip shot, and sonofagun if that thing didn't float down into the net, just out of Berbia's reach. It's all tied up again.

The next ten minutes are ours. As the clock worked up to the 61st minute, Lux ran out of his area to meet a challenge from Bednar, whom had come on for Tofu. It was an oddly aggressive move for the keeper, and he and Bednar pretty much dazed each other, as the ball bounced on to the middle of the pitch, in front of an open net. It was a race to the ball after that. Vaz Te just beat Campbell and Fabricio Coloccini to the ball and put the ball in the net for the weird goal and 2-1 lead. We added another in the 69th minute when Bednar headed in a tight Blondel cross off of a freekick from the left side of the area. With 20 minutes to go, we seem to be in control. I check the scoreboard. Still, 2-1 Man Utd, in the second half now.

Arsenal won't go away now, and it figures that we owe them a weird goal anyway. Berbia comes off of his line in the 73rd minute to get to a long clear out. The Gunners are charging toward him, but it should be an easy catch to make. Somehow, though, the ball jumps over him, and he misses it. It's free in the area behind him! He leaps back to try to get to it, but winger Rocco Franchini is racing by him at the same time. Franchini gets to it first and scores it easily into the open net. Wow, what a way to give up a goal. The Gunners are within one. But we only need to win by one, and we foil them and their press for the next 17 minutes. Their best chance comes a minute into injury time. Two straight Blondel fouls have led to two freekicks. On the secodn one, Henry goes for the upper right corner. Berbia gets to it just barely and the ball bounds off to the right end of the area. Winger Daniel Arrieta gets to it first, as Berbia scrambles to intercept him. The winger drops a pass across the goalmouth to a wide open Silva and...he kicks it in for the score! Tragedy! Arsenal have drawn even in the waning seconds! And that's how it ends. Arsenal draws, 3-3, with Sheff Wed, and we will play in the UEFA Cup next year.

Man Utd would end up beating Forest, 2-1, so we didn't have a chance anyway. But it was a heck of a meaningless match, if you ask me. 35 total shots, 21 on goal. Six goals, three for each side. All the drama you would want. I thought the squad played great, and I told them so. I did tell Mendy he was disappointing, because he was marking Silva on both of the midfielder's goals. But then this shouldn't surprise me--Mendy is not really a right back, but a more natural right winger. His skills are offense, not defense. It was a poor situation for all of us.

Tofu and Blondel pick up knocks, but neither is hurt at the end of the match. Not that it would matter--they have all offseason to reecover.

Season Wrap Up

We finish the season in fifth place, with 62 points from 38 matches. That earns us a handsome check from the Barclays Premiership for $18.25 M. I'm sure club chairman Dave Allen is thrilled.

Tottenham beats Newcastle, 3-0, to ensure that Spurs are in line for the final UEFA Cup spot. Since Newcastle and Chelsea, the FA Cup finalists, are both already set for the UEFA Cup or better, this shouldn't change short of a huge UEFA league coefficients shift (unlikely; England ranks on top of the world right now, they have sent both teams to the Champions League final, and Man Utd is in the UEFA Cup final).

Wigan wins and Bolton loses, but they both stay in their InterToto Cup spots, because Norwich chokes away its opportunity by drawing with Man City, and Blackburn loses to Aston Villa.

Down at the bottom, Wolves beat Palace, 3-1, but they still go down on goal differential.

Wolves join Man City and Forest for the drop. They are replaced by Birmingham and Watford, and one as yet to be determined club.

2009-10 BARCLAY PREMIERSHIP FINAL TABLE

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | Chelsea        |       | 38    | 27    | 7     | 4     | 73    | 27    | +46   | 88    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 38    | 25    | 6     | 7     | 81    | 38    | +43   | 81    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Liverpool      |       | 38    | 20    | 9     | 9     | 64    | 37    | +27   | 69    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 38    | 19    | 10    | 9     | 51    | 32    | +19   | 67    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Sheff Wed      |       | 38    | 16    | 14    | 8     | 73    | 51    | +22   | 62    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 38    | 17    | 7     | 14    | 55    | 50    | +5    | 58    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 38    | 16    | 8     | 14    | 56    | 50    | +6    | 56    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Wigan          |       | 38    | 15    | 9     | 14    | 38    | 40    | -2    | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Bolton         |       | 38    | 13    | 11    | 14    | 48    | 48    | 0     | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Norwich        |       | 38    | 12    | 13    | 13    | 38    | 40    | -2    | 49    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Everton        |       | 38    | 13    | 9     | 16    | 57    | 70    | -13   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Leeds          |       | 38    | 12    | 11    | 15    | 55    | 56    | -1    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Blackburn      |       | 38    | 13    | 8     | 17    | 42    | 51    | -9    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Derby          |       | 38    | 12    | 9     | 17    | 46    | 61    | -15   | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 38    | 9     | 15    | 14    | 45    | 61    | -16   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Aston Villa    |       | 38    | 10    | 12    | 16    | 36    | 53    | -17   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 38    | 7     | 14    | 17    | 42    | 56    | -14   | 35    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | R     | Wolves         |       | 38    | 9     | 8     | 21    | 36    | 63    | -27   | 35    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Man City       |       | 38    | 7     | 11    | 20    | 31    | 57    | -26   | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Nottm Forest   |       | 38    | 6     | 13    | 19    | 31    | 57    | -26   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Chief Rum · 07-04-2006, 10:38 PM

I am thinking about revising my training schedules for next year, dropping them a bit, and picking spots to remove my starters. I know that playing your players too much can lead to falls in form in the second half of the season. The strange thing is that I ran my squad this year much as I have done in the past, and in fact, we always played our best in March and April. I have gotten used to a strong run of form to end the season, and that didn't happen this year. Part of that was injuries, but did I just play my guys too much? Putting aside the questions on why this year was different than past seasons, I think I will try to work in my depth more, and cut down my training a blip or two across the board in-season. I will also look into finding physios with better injury success, because injuries certainly had an impact this year, too.

Here's a look at how my starters performed in league play after the Carling Cup, in bold. Season stats follow, unbolded:

ST Vaz Te (7.09, 6 G, 2 A in 11 M; 7.24, 27 G, 4 A in 34 M)
ST Tofu (6.67, 1 G in 6 M; 7.34, 14 G, 9 A in 32 M)
LW Blondel (7.11, 3 G, 2 A in 9 M; 7.00, 4 G, 4 A in 23 M)
RW Morrison (7.00, 0 G, 5 A in 9 M; 6.81, 1 G, 10 A in 27 M)
AM Garcia (6.75, 2 G, 0 A in 12 M; 6.88, 6 G, 2 A in 33 M)
DM Montgomery (6.89, 0 G, 0 A in 9 M; 7.23, 1 G, 5 A in 26 M)
LB Traore (7.13 in 8 M; 7.10 in 30 M)
RB Mendy (6.50, 1 G in 12 M; 6.87, 2 G, 4 A in 31 M)
DC Davies (6.58 in 12 M; 6.89 in 37 M)
DC Bakens (6.83 in 12 M; 7.00 in 20 M)
GK Berbia (7.11 in 9 M; 7.23 in 23 M)

It's not across the board, so it's hard to pinpoint here. Morrison and Blondel both played better, which I even noted as I followed the games. But neither played as many as 30 matches in league for the whole year. Traore also improved slightly, but also barely broke 30 matches for the year. Vaz Te and Berbia didn't drop much. Tofu and most of the defensive positions suffered the biggest drops. This might indicate I should play more rotations at the back (I do tend to stick to the same backline because their fitness doesn't go down as fast), and also give more days off to players 30 and older (Tofu is my oldest regular outfield player).

Anyway, food for thought as I enter move toward the offseason.

Chief Rum · 07-05-2006, 02:09 AM

Champions League & UEFA Cup Finals, And The English Season Wrap

UEFA Cup Final
May 5 at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway

AC Milan (ITA) vs Man Utd (ENG)

Man Utd came out strong in this one. In the 8th minute, Wayne Rooney, playing at winger, sent a high cross toward the far end of the area. Winger Kieran Richardson collected the ball at the edge of the area and blasted it toward the far right corner. Milan keeper Francisco Guillermo Ochoa was ready and deflected the hard shot to his left. Ruud Van Nistlerooy reache dthe ball first, though, and shot it past Ochoa for the first score. The Red Devils contniued to press, and in the 17th minute, they had another chance to pad their score. Rio Ferdinand sent a long pass toward the right end of the area for Nistlerooy. The Dutch striker headed the pass down to striker Jermaine Defoe, who was just a step off from Milan defender Jairo Ortiz. Defoe quickly moved the pass on in a shot toward the left side of the net. Ochoa barely moved as the ball sailed in for Man Utd's second score. Milan wasn't having much like getting shots on goal in this one. In the 66th minute, trhey finally solved the Man Utd defense. Striker Andriy Shevchenko dribbled past fullback Gary Neville toward the left side of the area, and then slipped the ball toward the outside edge and winger Massimo Ambrosini. Ambrosini kicked the ball right at keeper Fernando, but he was unable to stop the hard shot. Milan was back within one! It was the last shot on goal they would get, though.

Manchester United wins the UEFA Cup with a 2-1 victory over AC Milan.

Champions League Final
May 12 at Stadion FK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro

Arsenal (ENG) vs Chelsea (ENG)

In a strange twist, two squads with grounds just miles from each other both hop on planes to fly to the Balkans to play each other for Europe's grandest club trophy. These two squads are already devleoping quite a rivalry. Arsenal has lost its league titles to Chelsea this season, and isn't interested in having Chelsea also take the Champions League. The Gunners didn't help themselves early on, though. Chelsea fullback Paulo Ferreira found winger Shaun Wright-Phillips on the run toward the goal. Arsenal defender Sol Campbell tried to keep pace with the speedy winger, but wound up up-ending Wright-Phillips with a tackle just short of the area. Referee Carlos Megia Davila gave Campbell the red for the professional foul, and Arsenal will have to play the rest of the match a man down. They still did a pretty good job of keeping Chelsea from getting good shots. But it's hard to keep a team that powerful quiet for long. In the 45th minute, Chelsea won a corner. Arjen Robben sent the corner kick in tight along the line, close the mouth of the goal. Gunners fullback Kolo Toureattempted to clear it, but used hios hand. Davila pointed ot the spot! Midfielder Frank Lampard stepped to take it. He blasted the shot to the left end of the net. Keeper German Lux jumped to stop it, but was too slow to reach it. Chelsea was up 1-0. It would prove to be too difficult for the Gunners to generate offense against a worldclass defense and with a man disadvantage, as they would get just one shot on goal all match.

Chelsea defeats Arsenal, 1-0, to win the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

England sweeps the major European club competitions.

English Season Wrap

FA Cup
May 8 at Webley Stadium in London, England

Newcastle vs Chelsea

Chelsea put on the pressure from the start. In the 8th minute, striker Carlos Tevez broke free on a break, forcing Newcastle keeper Shay Given to charge out to stop him. Tevez got his shot off, but he hit the near side of the net for the goal kick. Lampard also came close on a header just a minute later. The Magpies almost got one themselves when Petr Cech had to make a great save on a close up shot by striker Collins Mbesuma in the 11th minute. In the 26th minute, Given turned away a sharp corner shot from Robben, and five minutes later, Cech forced a header from striker Ignacio Gonzalez Perez over the crossbar. Still, the two sides went into halftime without a goal. Chelsea finally broke through in the 49th minute. Wright-Phillips received a pass on the run along the right flank, and cut into the right side of the area. He crossed the ball across the goalmouth, and striker Chris Gayle headed it into the goal for the 1-0 lead. Fullback Wayne Bridge almost pulled Newcastle back even in the 56th minute, but Cech turned aside his curving freekick attempt. Cech also stopped a shot from Mbesuma from up close. As the minutes waned, the Magpies looked like they would never solve Chelsea's defense. In the 78th minute, Bridge tried to pass into the area from the edge, and his pass ricocheted off of striker Didier Drogba and fell into a crowd of players in front Cech. Midfielder Joachim Alsaker got control of the ball and blasted it past Cech before the keeper could react. Newcastle equalised! This one ends up going to extra time. Chelsea had strong chances in both extra periods, with Given stopping a Drogba in the 99th minute, and turning away a Gayle header in the 112th minute. This one semeed likely to go to penalties, but Chelsea would get one mroe shot at it in the 120th minute, just seconds before the whistle. And it came off of a key mistake by talented, young Newcastle defender Espen Moen. Fullback Glen Johnson sent a wide cross into the area, and Moen reached it first. It slipped away from him, though, and Drogba was ready to pounce. He blasted the shot into the left side of the net and Chelsea ran off the Wembley pitch the victors!

Chelsea beats Newcastle, 2-1 in extra time to win the FA Cup and do the domestic double.

English Championship Playoffs

With Birmingham and Watford already up to the Premiership, the third through sixth place Championship squads meet in the playoffs to determine the third new member of the league.

Ipswich, Cardiff, Tranmere and Rotherham are the four contenders, finishing in that order, and none of them have spent much time in the Premiership recently (incidentally, recent Premiership squads Sunderland and West Brom have actually been relegated this year to League One).

Ipswich beat Rotherham, 3-1, in one semifinal, while Cardiff needed penalties to edge out Tranmere, 2-2.

In the final at Wembley on May 16, Cardiff just slipped by Ipswich, 1-0, win the final Premiership spot.

Cardiff, a Welsh squad in the English leagues, will join the Premiership with Birmingham and Watford next year.

English League Awards

The English annual awards were announced on May 5.

Drogba was named the the Players' Player of the Year, edging out Carlton Cole of Newcastle and Djibril Cisse of Liverpool.

Arsenal striker Valeri Bojinov wins the Footballer of the Year award, which was last year by our own Juan Pablo Garcia. Toifilou Maoulida, aka Tofu, almost won it for us this year, finishing second. Everton midfielder Tim Cahill finished third.

Personally, I fell just short of the Premiership Manager of the Year award, finishing second behind Chelsea's Jose Mourinho. Come on, I did twice as much as he did with our respective talent bases (and financial backing)! Arsneal's Arsene Wenger was third.

We didn't get anyone on the Young Player of the Year list, although that doesn't surprise me. Everton striker Andrew Tomlinson won the award, with Man City midfielder Pavel Sedlacek in second, and striker David Robertson of Spurs in third.

Arsenal's Thierry Henry led the league in scoring with 32 goals, but we got Ricardo Vaz Te on the lists in second with 27. Our nemesis on Bolton, Kevin Davies, finished third with 26.

The one award Sheff Wed won outright went to Tofu, who got credit for the goal of the year on his fantastic curling cross shot against Tottenham in October. I had actually forgotten about that goal.

Finally, we got two members onto the English Players' Premier Division Select squad, the team of the year. Both Tofu and Nick Montgomery got ont he team as subs. Here is the full team:

GK Lee Camp (Derby)
DR Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea)
DL Maxwell (Chelsea)
DC Fabricio Coloccini (Arsenal)
DC Ledley King (Tottenham)
RW Luis Garcia (Liverpool)
LW Arjen Robben (Chelsea)
MC Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
MC Belozoglu Emre (Newcastle)
ST Carlton Cole (Newcastle)
ST Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
SUB GK Espen Johnson (Crystal Palace)
SUB DC John Kennedy (Wigan)
SUB DM Nick Montgomery (Sheff Wed)
SUB MC Tim Cahill (Everton)
SUB ST Toifilou Maoulida (Sheff Wed)

This officially brings the season to a close. We dismiss the Owls players to vacation on May 9, and expect them back on June 28. And we know that some of them won't be coming back at all.

Chief Rum · 07-06-2006, 01:29 AM

Squad At End Of Season

Here is a look at the remaining squad players whom have appeared in more than a couple matches for us this season.

Code:

| Pkd    | Inf    | Name                      | Position     | Morale | Form       | Con    | Apps   | Gls    | Av Rat | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Kenneth Vermeer           | GK           | Good   | 7-6-7-8-7  | 96%    | 10 (1) | -      | 6.73   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Adrián Berbia             | GK           | Good   | 7-7-8-7-8  | 97%    | 29     | -      | 7.14   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Jonas Tanghe              | GK           | Okay   | 5-7-6-9-7  | 94%    | 11     | -      | 7.45   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Andrea Briotti            | SW, D LC     | Okay   | 7-7-6-6-5  | 95%    | 16     | -      | 6.75   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Curtis Davies             | SW, D C      | Okay   | 7-7-7-6-6  | 98%    | 47     | -      | 7.00   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Tim Bakens                | D RC         | Good   | 6-7-7-5-7  | 98%    | 29     | -      | 7.21   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Frank Simek               | D R          | Okay   | 5-7-8-7-6  | 95%    | 23     | -      | 7.00   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Djimi Traoré              | D LC         | Okay   | 7-7-8-7-7  | 96%    | 34     | -      | 7.12   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Eric Addo                 | D C, DM      | Poor   | 6-8-7-7-7  | 95%    | 5      | -      | 7.40   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Bernard Mendy             | D/WB R, AM R | Okay   | 6-7-7-5-5  | 98%    | 33 (5) | 2      | 6.95   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Steven Hammell            | D/WB L       | Okay   | 5-7-8-7-6  | 95%    | 17     | -      | 6.76   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Trond Erik Bertelsen      | D/WB/M L     | Okay   | 7-7-6-8-7  | 96%    | 2 (3)  | -      | 7.20   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Nick Montgomery           | DM           | Okay   | 7-7-7-6-7  | 98%    | 34 (1) | 2      | 7.29   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Mathieu Flamini           | DM           | Okay   | 8-7-7-6-7  | 95%    | 10 (4) | 1      | 7.07   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Stilian Petrov            | DM, AM C     | Okay   | 6-7-7-7-7  | 95%    | 3 (9)  | -      | 6.83   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | David Dunn                | AM RC        | Poor   | 7-6-7-6-6  | 94%    | 2 (5)  | 2      | 6.71   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Jani Virtanen             | AM RC        | Okay   | 7-6-6-7-7  | 94%    | 3 (2)  | -      | 6.60   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | James Morrison            | AM RC        | Okay   | 10-6-6-7-6 | 96%    | 34 (2) | 3      | 6.92   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Henok Goitom              | AM RLC, F C  | Good   | 7-6-7-7-7  | 97%    | 10 (20)| 1      | 6.97   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Cristiano                 | AM RC, F C   | Poor   | 7-7-7-6-6  | 94%    | 3 (2)  | -      | 6.80   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Toifilou Maoulida         | AM R, ST     | Okay   | 7-7-6-6-7  | 95%    | 42     | 26     | 7.52   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Romano Denneboom          | AM RL, ST    | Okay   | 7-6-6-6-6  | 95%    | 1 (18) | 3      | 6.58   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Jonathan Blondel          | AM LC        | Okay   | 6-6-7-6-8  | 98%    | 17 (13)| 4      | 7.00   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Ross Wallace              | AM L         | Okay   | 7-7-7-8-7  | 95%    | 23 (2) | 1      | 7.08   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Johan Absalonsen          | AM L, F C    | Poor   | 7-6-7-6-6  | 95%    | 6 (13) | 1      | 6.74   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Ricardo Vaz Te            | AM L, F C    | Okay   | 8-7-6-6-8  | 98%    | 41 (1) | 35     | 7.33   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Martin Christensen        | AM/F C       | Okay   | 7-7-7-6-6  | 94%    | 7 (8)  | 1      | 6.87   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Juan Pablo García         | AM/F C       | Okay   | 7-7-5-6-7  | 98%    | 40 (1) | 6      | 6.90   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Roman Bednar              | ST           | Okay   | 7-8-7-7-7  | 96%    | 5 (9)  | 6      | 7.21   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Vac    | Kjartan Henry Finnbogason | ST           | Okay   | 7-7-6-7-7  | 95%    | 4 (11) | 2      | 6.73   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

GOALKEEPERS

If Adrian Berbia (29 apps, 41 GA, 7.14) could stay healthy, I would feel a little better about this position. Even so, he wasn't as solid this year as he was last year, and at 32, he may be getting a touch too far on the old side (although keepers can remain effective well into their 30s). He missed nearly three months with assorted injuries this year. Adding to the problems were the inconsistencies of the backups. Kenneth Vermeer (11 apps, 14 GA, 6.73) wasthe young talent expected to backup and even challenge Berbia, but he did not play well consistently. Enter Joans Tanghe (11 apps, 10 GA, 7.45), who was signed last season to be an emergency backup. Tanghe won the backup spot from Vermeer in December, and has at times been our most brilliant keeper. He didn't prove to be a difference maker, though, when Berbia went down during our bad stretch in March and April.

FULLBACKS

Bernard Mendy (38 apps, 2 G, 5 A, 6.95) took over the right back spot about halfway through the season, but in the end, he largely proved he shouldn't be on the backline on a legit defensive squad. Mendy is a smart and versatile player on the offensive end, and he is very quick, but he needs to play more at right wing. He replaced longtime starter Frank Simek (23 apps, 3 A, 7.00), who was too slow and devoid of offensive ability to remain in the role. Simek is useful as a pure defensive stopper against decent wings, but he was lost against the tremendous athletes the Premiership puts along the touchlines.

As with right back, this position has also been in flux, although Djimi Traore (34 apps, 1 A, 7.12) was solid in the role after sliding over in February. Traore started as one of our centrebacks, but the ineffectiveness of previous starters forced us to make the move. Trore himself never seemed to really settle on, as his participation in the COSAFA Cup, and then an injury late in the season interrupted his play there. He also didn't provide much offense from the position, even though he was very capable defensively. He replaced Steven Hammell (17 apps, 1 A, 6.76), who is tremendous physically and was expected to be strong on offense, but he didn't have the expected impact there. Andrea Briotti (16 apps, 6.75) was brought in as the defrensive counterpoint to Hammell, and he did decently in that role. But at this level you need more than decent to make Europe. Trond Erik Bertelsen (5 apps, 1 A, 7.20) got a couple starts at left back, and is faster and a better offensive player than even Hammell. He leaves much to be desired defensively, though, and I mostly had him around for left wing support.

CENTREBACKS

One of the nice revelations of this season was the emergence of Tim Bakens (29 apps, 1 A, 7.21) as a viable starting option at the back. Bakens was dominating at times, so much so that I ended up moving Traore to left back to make way for him. Bakens, like much of the defense, wore down a lot toward the end of the year, so I may have to watch his appearances a little more closely. Curtis Davies (47 apps, 3 A, 7.00) was one of our buys from last season that turned out to be everything we were looking for. Not only was he our horse on the backline, he even showed surprising touch on passes on the break. He, too, did worse at the back end of the season, and we will need to be more careful with our starters. Eric Addo (5 apps, 7.40) was used as a spot starter at times after Traore moved to left back, and did well.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS

This was one of our strongest positions, with starter Nick Montgomery (35 apps, 2 G, 6 A, 7.29) earning a spot on the Premier Division Select squad. Sadly, he, too, played worse in the second half of the season, blunting what had been a brilliant first half. Although Mathieu Flamini (14 apps, 1 G, 7.07) spent a little too much time complaining about his time on the pitch, and another three months shelved with a hip injury, he was by and large a better-than-effective reserve for Montgomery. We also brought in veteran Stilian Petrov (12 apps, 1 G, 6.83) in the open window, and he was very useful at both central mid spots, and as a leader on the squad.

WINGERS

There were no two positions that caused me more issues than the spots on either side of my tactic.

James Morrison (36 apps, 3 G, 13 A, 6.92) started the year as the man on the right, and ended it that way. In between was some injury issues, some complaints about playing time, a bout of inconsistency, and then a strong finish. I really still don't know just what to make of Morrison, but he ended up the most effective playmaker on the squad. Morrison was fortunate SImek played so poor at right back, because Mendy was all set to take his spot in the winter. Mendy had to go back to right back to support that spot, though. The primary backup was [b]Romano Denneboom[/b[ (19 apps, 3 G, 4 A, 6.58), but the versatile forward ended up as one of the lowest rated players on the squad. I am convinced he can't play consistently well at this level. I also remain unconvinced on the future of young Jani Virtanen (5 apps, 2 A, 6.60) who probably deserves more of a chance, but he never really wows me when he's on the pitch. Cristiano (5 apps, 1 A, 6.80) has dug his own grave with me with his actions and attitude and probably won't be brought back. Like Denneboom, I am pretty sure Cristiano does not have the needed ability to play at this level.

The starter in August was Ross Wallace (25 apps, 1 G, 6 A, 7.08) and he played very well. The problem is he is a huge head case and complained about his time starting even when he was in the lineup nearly every match he was healthy. He signed a Bosman with Norwich in January, and I have played him rarely ever since. This gave close window acquisition Jonathon Blondel (30 apps, 4 G, 5 A, 7.00) the opportunity to play himself into the starting spot, and the Belgian winger did very well down the stretch. He might have been our most effective player in the last two months of the season. One of Blondel's primary contenders here was Johan Absalonsen (19 apps, 1 G, 4 A, 6.74), who showed flashes, but also was maddeningly inconsistent. He also complained about his playing time, which is always a bad choice with me. I am as yet undecided what I will end up doing with him. Another player who saw a lot of time here was my super-sub Henok Goitom (30 apps, 1 G, 6 A, 6.97). Although Goitom also spent a lot of time in the central midfield and up front, he has always played well on the left wing, and was a capable backup when called upon.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Juan Pablo Garcia (41 apps, 6 G, 4 A, 6.90) wasn't as effective as last year, and I fear I may have run him down as the season went on. He still had some good moments, and was generally effective, but he didn't provide the wow factor he did last year. Still, he was far and away my best choice here, as I never felt much confidence in anyone else here except perhaps Goitom. Youngster Martin Christensen (15 apps, 1 G, 1 A, 6.87) just didn't generate the sort of offense he needs to in which to stay in this spot. David Dunn (7 apps, 2 G, 2 A, 6.71) was Garcia's primary backup last year, but a serious injury to his ankle in August, and relegation to the Reserves for much of the year limited Dunn's impact this season. As an older player, it appears his best years are behind him.

FORWARDS

We were among the best offensive squads in the Premiership, and this position os why.

The Supporters' 2008-09 Player of the Year Ricardo Vaz Te (42 apps, 35 G, 5 A, 7.33) is undoubtedly a rising superstar. He finished second in the Premiership in goals scored, and was always a threat to score. His partner, Toifilou "Tofu" Maoulida (42 apps, 26 G, 11 A, 7.52) was the squad's best player this year, and earned a spot on the Premier Division Select squad with Montgomery. Tofu's injury in March, and his fall in effectiveness down the stretch might have been our number one reason for falling apart late in the season. Open window transfer Roman Bednar (14 apps, 6 G, 4 A, 7.21) started slowly, but really started to work his way into the offense in the final matches of the season. He looks likely to be a key member of the offense next year. The fourth striker Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (15 apps, 2 G, 1 A, 6.73) never showed he was worthy to be elevated to the three-spot, which became even more obvious when Tofu and Vaz Te were hurt in the second half of the season. He may never be the player we need him to be at a position where we need depth.

Chief Rum · 07-07-2006, 12:25 AM

Close Window Transfer Plans & Targets

Before we get into the offseason (and the World Cup), I thought it would be a good time to set the table for the club and the next three months of potential player moves. When I signed my extension last month, transfer funds were returned to $29 M (they were about $19 M after the Ojala exit to Chelsea, and the Bednar move in the open window). It's uncertain what we will receive when the board re-assesses things in June, but I expect the club balance to be very well off. That may contribute to another good bump in funds and a payroll budget raise (at $51 M per year right now, and we're at about $49 M with some $9 M expected to come off the books in July).

I will take a look at players currently on the roster and on their way in at each position group who may have an impact next year, and give an idea of what we may need.

2009-10 Starter
2009-10 Reserves/U-18 Player
Already signed to come in next season; value reflected is current value with 2009-10 squad; value will probably improve with move to Sheff Wed and better contract

Info key (Age, Salary thru Year, Current Value)

GOALKEEPERS

Adrian Berbia (32, 850K thru 2011, $3.5 M)
Jonas Tanghe (24, $65K thru 2012, $2.4 M)
Kenneth Vermeer (24, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.1 M)
Callum Reidford (23, $35K thru 2011, $825K)
Steve Wright (20, $625K thru 2012, $2.8 M)

Among the 17 Premiership squads remaining, we finished tied for 10th in goals allowed. While it is true, we are an offensive squad first, we need to do a lot better here. Berbia gets hurt too often and his contract is up next year. Vermeer and Reidford have each been less than stellar in replacing Berbia. Tanghe has performed the best, and Wright is the superstar of the future, if you believe my coaches. But Wright isn't ready and Tanghe hasn't proven it over the long haul. We may need to splash some cash here to bring in someone to be a holdover until Wright is ready. Vermeer and Reidford may be moved.

FULLBACKS

Bernard Mendy (R) (28, $2.4 M thru 2012, $5.75 M)
Djimi Traore (L) (30, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.2 M)
Andrea Briotti (L) (24, $1.5 M thru 2013, $3.2 M)
Frank Simek (R) (25, $1.5 M thru 2012, $2.6 M)
Steve Hammell (L) (28, $725K thru 2012, $3.6 M)
Trond Erik Bertelsen (L) (26, $650K thru 2011, $2.7 M)
Mark Wilson (R) (26, $2.7 M thru 2014, $700K)

The defensive issues weren't just a problem in the net, and our centrebacks are largely pretty good. So that means that a lot of defensive problems probably came out of the inconsistency of the players at these positions. Also, we did not get much offense at all from these players. Wilson from Dundee could be the answer at right back. He's smart, pretty fast, and solid in both ends. He looks like the most complete player we have had there. If Mendy and Simek remain with the club, this might be an area where we make no further move. But if Simek is moved (quite possible), and Mendy is projected to play more at right wing, we may need another option here. At left back, Traore is solid defensively, and Briotti is young and also solid at the back end. But neither provide much offense at all, and the options that do, Hammell and Bertelsen, are both very poor defensively. We may need to target a more versatile player here, which would allow us to also move Traore into a backup role at left back and centreback, vastly improving his value to us. Hammell might be moved, and Bertelsen probably will.

CENTREBACKS

Curtis Davies (25, $2.3 M thru 2012, $4.7 M)
Tim Bakens (27, $800K thru 2012, $3.5 M)
Djimi Traore (30, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.2 M)
Richard Wood (24, $100K thru 2011, $1 M)
Jens-Kristian Sorensen (23, $55K thru 2012, $1.1 M)
Jack Wilson (20, $925K thru 2014, $230K)

This is an area that could use a little depth. Davies and Bakens are terrific starters, and if we get a left back, Traore will be a very good third centreback. Still, four solid options at least are needed. Wilson, currently with Southampton, could be the fourth in a pinch, but it might be better to get a solid veteran to be that backup instead, allowing Wilson to develop more with the Reserves. Sorensen has some quality skills, but his low Determination (5) is a big no-no for defenders for me. Wood just isn't talented enough for a first team at this level. So a new left back could certainly impact things here. The likely option will be to find a crafty veteran as a backup, because that will be cheapest.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Juan Pablo Garcia (AM) (28, $2 M thru 2012, $9.75 M)
Nick Montgomery (DM) (28, $900K thru 2012, $4.2 M)
Mathieu Flamini (DM) (26, $2.2 M thru 2012, $6.5 M)
Stilian Petrov (DM) (30, $1.6 M thru 2011, $3.5 M)
Henok Goitom (AM) (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M)
Martin Christensen (AM) (22, $65K thru 2011, $2 M)
Kevin Gomez (DM) (19, $800K thru 2012, $7 M)
Gareth Day (AM) (19, $80K thru 2013, $4.7 M)
Ari Salo (AM) (19, $65K thru 2012, $2.1 M)
Marc Garrido (AM) (18, $500K thru 2012, $8.5 M)
John-Paul Kissock (AM) (19, forgot to note deal; it's a prospect type deal, $1.1 M)

Holding mid might be the one position on this squad we don't have any concerns whatsoever. Montgomery is coming off of his best season. Flamini is a very good, younger backup. Petrov is an intelligent vet who can still play at a high level. And Gomez is a very good kid we may have to move, because he's going to be upset going back to the Reserves next season. Forward mid is a bit iffier. Garcia's play fell off this season, and he wasn't quite the spark he was last year. Plus, he's 28. If I can find a tremendous playmaker at a good price, I might go for it. Depth is not very high quality here, although there are a lot of options. The best is probably Garrido, who has been impressive starting for midtable Serie A squad Parma while on loan there. I have been looking forward to his return all year. He's a future star, and next year might be his breakout year. Goitom is another dependable option, as usual. Everton reserve Kissock is a solid looking young player, but he's going to have to wait for Garrido to fail to get a chance (and I don't think that's going to happen). The other kids, including Christesen, have some skills, but they are mostly not ready for this challenge. So we'll keep our eye out for a top playmaker, but we're prepared to go with Garcia and Garrido and see what happens if no good options (read: at a decent price) make themselves available.

WINGERS

James Morrison (R) (24, $1.2 M thru 2012, $6.25 M)
Jonathon Blondel (L) (26, $2 M thru 2012, $6.75 M)
Bernard Mendy (R) (28, $2.4 M thru 2012, $5.75 M)
Henok Goitom (L) (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M)
Romano Denneboom (R) (29, $1.9 M thru 2012, $4.4 M)
Jani Virtanen (R) (22, $350K thru 2013, $2.4 M)
Johan Absalonsen (L) (24, $2 M thru 2011, $5.75 M)
Cristiano (R) (23, $1.2 M thru 2011, $4 M)
Trond Erik Bertelsen (L) (26, $650K thru 2011, $2.7 M)

This is an area we might focus on with transfers, because while we have players with some hope to be difference makers, there isn't too much consistent, proven talent here. And if there's one area where you can target a star or two and change the whole approach of a squad, it's at winger. Morrison and Blondel made strong challenges to be in the top eleven with their play down the stretch. The options are iffy after that. On the right, Mendy could also be very good here, but he might be needed at right back. Denneboom and Cristiano have played poorly and had bad attitudes, and Virtanen, with all of his talent, hasn't shown he can challenge Morrison. Goitom is another option on the left, but you don't want to pigeonhole your most versatile attacker with one position. Absalonsaen has been inconsisent and has recently been a poor sport in the clubhouse. He and Bertelsen might be moved, along with several of the right wingers. That means we could use impact talent on both sides, and if we make these moves, depth as well.

FORWARDS

Ricardo Vaz Te (23, $2.3 M thru 2011, $15.25 M)
Toifilou Maoulida (31, $1.1 M thru 2011, $7 M)
Roman Bednar (27, $2.7 M thru 2013, $10.5 M)
Henok Goitom (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M)
Romano Denneboom (29, $1.9 M thru 2012, $4.4 M)
Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (23, $1.1 M thru 2012, $5.5 M)
Rocco Sacco (19, $40K thru 2011, $5.75 M)
Drew Talbot (23, $600K thru 2012, $3.8 M)
Hjalmar (24, $275K thru 2012, $3.3 M)
Kevin Thompson (19, $775K thru 2012, $7.75 M)
Arouna Kone (26, $3.6 M thru 2014, $7.25 M)
Jose Garces (18, $210K thru 2014, $1.3 M)

Obviously, this is a deep position, but there still are questions. Much of this list is comprised of young players of questionable ability to play at this level, including Finnbogason and Sacco, both of whom havebeen tried to an extent and not done that well. Bednar gives us a nice third option, behind the big guys, but a sweep of injuries through thise area late in the year really hurt us. That's one reason I am glad we have Kone coming in, as he is a solid fourht option. Of course, he is also hurt right now and might not be ready for the start of the season. So this is again a position where we might look to make a splash, but only if we find something we want at our price. And with strikers, that can be vey difficult.

Chief Rum · 07-09-2006, 02:43 AM

From May 2010 Up To The Cup

The window isn't open yet, but we have $29 M to play with. We can make offers now that will be followed when we can make transfers again. And players who previously weren't considering us for Bosman transfers are now more open to the possibility. Here's a hit-by-hit of what we did in May.

May 2 On the same day we played Arsenal in our last match, we also discovered that Man City left back Leighton Baines would now listen to us for a Bosman offer. We offer him $3.3 M per year through 2013 with a $600K bonus.

May 5 Interest in Baines has shot up sharply. Bundesliga club Werder Bremen have offered City $5 M for Baines, and Everton, Newcastle and Espanyol have all taken the Bosman route and offered him a contract. Seeing my competition, I increase my offer to $3.9 M per, and an $800K bonus.

May 8 City rejects Werder Bremen's Baines offer. They're nuts.

--I take a look around for quality youngsters to fill my Reserves, and find Denmark club AB's left back Allan Sondergaard and Primera Division squad Real Sociedad centreback Jose Luis Ballesteros. Both are teenagers, and look like they have some talent they can develop. It will cost me $625K to bring over Sondergaard, but that doesn't stop me from making the offer. Ballesteros is available on Bosman, so I offer him $725K thru 2013.

May 9 Squad break. The squad officially leaves Hillsborough for parts unknown for a couple months. I hope they continue to do some training on their own.

--Barcelona has retained the Primera Division. This is their second straight Spanish title, which broke a three-peat by Real Madrid.

May 10 I return to some old targets for transfer. I offer $3.6 M to Liverpool for DC Carl Medjani, in the hopes the defender will have changed his mind and decided he's willing to move to us. I offer $7 M for Portsmouth LW Mike Zonneveld, a player I attempted to get when I first promoted to the Premiership. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get the transfer funds to work well enough for me there. Zonneveld has the ratings and ability of a Premiership player, but has been languishing in the Championship the past two seasons. Finally, I offer $10.75 M for Ajax superstar Nigel de Jong. De Jong is a versatile player with the ability to play many positions. He is one of the top talents in the world.

--Baines agrees to a deal with us, much to my satisfaction. He has some similarity in ability to our other fullback Bosman signee, Mark Wilson. He's a smart player with good defensive stats, a fine physical player and a guy who can generate a lot of offense from that position.

May 11 Both Sondergaard and Ballesterso agree to deals with us. They will move over in July. That will help us a lot at the Reserves level, and with our depth, although neither is quite ready for a regular role in the Premiership.

May 12 Portsmouth agree to our offer for Zonneveld, and we offer the winger the deal he was looking for, at $1.9 per year thru 2012, with a $500K bonus.

May 13 Ajax rejects our interest in de Jong. No real surprise. I make an enquiry.

May 14 Pool accepts our offer for Medjani. We offer him $1.2 M thru 2013, and a $425K bonus. Pretty good price for a decent backup centreback, if you ask me.

May 15 Former goalkeeper Thomas Myhre retires and is seeking employment as a staffer now. Myhre used to start for the Owls when I came on at Hillsborough, but I chose to move him out in favor of Berbia. He is a very good Goalkeeping coach, and very solid all around, so I offer him a job.

--League One squad Gillingham make a Bosman offer to Reserves fullback Jan Frederiksen. That's fine, he and many of the players on the Reserves are very much surplus to requirement.

--Surprise, surprise! Bochum wins the Bundesliga. I never would have guessed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

--Championship club Walsall offer a contract to David Dunn. He should be playing somewhere instead of sitting with me, so this should be a good move for him.

May 16 The mob fires must be alighting in Manchester. City cans Kurt Jara (understandably, since they earned the drop), and then Man Utd upstaged their in-city rival by firing Steve Bruce! This despite the fact Bruce led them to a Champions League spot, and the UEFA Cup. I intend to apply for the job, but forget.

--Zonneveld agrees to a deal with us, and we will bring him over in July. I have already done quite well in my dealings on the left.

--Myrhre accepts our deal, and I confirm. But then I discover I hired him as a scout! Ouch, he's much more pedestrian there. I will probably try to re-sign him as a coach in the next weeks.

--Walsall gets competition for Dunn. SPL squad Aberdeen have also made an offer.

--Morrison returns to training. Well, more accurately, he finishes healing up while on vacation. Well, that sure helps us now, don't it?

--Kevin Gomez is called up to Switzerland's U-19 squad for U-19 European Championship qualifying in late May-early June.

May 17 League Two squad Chester offer a Bosman deal to Henrik Pedersen. Please accept it, Henrik.

May 18 I guess Medjani won't end up a stick in the wall after all. He agrees to the deal with us, and will move over in July. The backline is looking a lot stronger with Wilson, Baines and Medjani coming.

--Frederiksen agrees to the deal from Gillingham, which satisfies his request to transfer. Nonleague side Forest Green will try to do the same by offering Reserves defender Graeme Lee.

May 19 Dunn accepts the offer from Walsall, turning down Aberdeen. He will move in July.

--League Two squad Wrexham offer a contract to Reserves striker Henrich Bencik, and League One Peterborough have joined Chester with an offer for Pedersen's services.

--Dutch manager Stanley Mezzo is leaving Greece's Olympiakos for the Man Utd job. He came in as the favorite.

May 20 Lee accepted Forest Green's offer, and Bencik, too, a deal from Wrexham. We lose them in July.

May 22 Pedersen becomes the third Owl on his way out to accept a deal with his next club. He will move to Peterborough in July.

May 23 Reserve striker Stokes is called up to Ireland U-21 for the U-21 European Championships.

May 27 Scottish Premier League side Falkirk is targeting Addo to help them next season, and the media wants a response from me. I tell them I am willing to listen to offers (since he's listed, after all). That same day, League One squad Swansea offers Addo a deal.

May 28 Reading, also in League One, wants a shot at Addo, too, and offer him a deal.

May 29 Addo breaks his silence and tells the media he feels he needs to leave Hillsborough, as a player his age (30) needs to be playing first team soccer. We're all agreed then.

June 1 Italy (of all leagues) finishes on top of the Sporting Play table and receive an additional UEFA Cup spot for the 2010-11 season (bringing them to four). A draw will be held in a few days to determine two more lucky leagues to get this prize, from among 20. England is one of the leagues up for a spot.

--I make the offer to Myhre to upgrade him to a coach. I need him at a spot where he is above average, and he is decidely nothing special as a scout.

June 2 Addo decides to go with Swansea, rejecting Reading. He will move on July 1.

-- Former Man City boss Jara doesn't have to wait long, hooking up with Aston Villa. He might get them relegated, too, since they played pretty poorly this year. In all fairness, though, he was City's manager all these years and did well them (getting them to Europe just last year, in fact).

June 3 Myhre agrees to the switch. Good.

June 4 Greece & Ireland win the extra UEFA Cup spots in the draw. It will be the third team for both leagues, but really helps Ireland. Another team could really help them advance from the nether regions to get a higher coefficient next year.

-- Wright negotiates a new contract with us, which is the terms I quoted for him in the Goalkeepers section above. I just didn't feel it necessary to explain those terms weren't agreed to until now.

June 5 Thierry Henry wins the European Golden Boot, but I get a shock when I see that Vaz Te finishes second! Wow, very impressive Ricardo. Bolton's Kevin Davies finishes third, which I think illustrates just how far ahead this league is from even the other top leagues. England is clearly the best league in the world right now.

-- The official invites comes in. Tofu (France), Vaz Te (Portugal) and Garcia (Mexico) are called up for South Africa 2010. I am a little disappointed we didn't get more in, though. Montgomery (Scotland) and Simek (USA) have both played fairly regularly for their squads. Marc Wilson, coming in July, did make the Scotland squad, though, so we technically have a fourth in the world's most prestigious football event.

June 6 England beats Italy, 3-0, in the final of the U-21 European Championships. Soon to arrive at Hillsborough, DC Jack Wilson started at left back (oddly) and did decently well.

June 8 It is the eve of the World Cup, and everyone is afire for this tournament, as usual. But it's business as usual in Sheffield. Just relegated Man City has targeted Southampton's supremely talented young right winger/forward Theo Walcott (also an England U-21 starter) for $15.75 M. I wasn't planning on making an offer for him, because his Work Ethic is 9. I try to keep all of my main players at 10 or up for Work Ethic, Teamwork and Determination. But Walcott has some amazing stats in other areas. He's lightning fast, he dribbles with the ball on a string, has tremendous offensive awareness, can score like a forward, pass like a mid, and cross like a star. I deicde he's worth taking a chance on, and I make en enquiry for him with Southampton. They reject my enquiry straight off, so I makw a $13.5 M offer, with $3.5 deferred to 12 monthly payments, and a 15% future. That is good enough for the Saints, who accept. I still have my doubts about splashing this sort of cash for a player that goes against my basic requirements, but it turns out Walcott only wants $2 M per year in a three-year deal, with a $1 M bonus. That is shockingly low, IMO, for a player with this sort of known upside. I make the offer, but I don't improve on it, hoping the fact I am playing in the Premiership and Europe will convince Walcott to go with my offer over City's.

2010-11 Preseason Fixture

I usually let my AM take care of the preseason freindly fixtures, but they usually get us on tours to Zimbabwe or what not. Well, okay, we usually stay in Europe, but beating up on Bosnia's midtable squads aren't going to test us the way I like, nor generate any extra revenue. Our AM did get us a match with Man Utd last year, but bloody hell, a European competition for that club led them to excuse that friendly.

So I made some offers myself, trying tos et up games that would both interest me and possibly get us some live coverage. And here's what I ended up with:

July 6 vs FC Bayern
July 9 vs Inter
July 13 at Lyon (France tour)
July 16 at Marseille (France tour)
July 19 at Monaco (France tour)
July 22 at Nantes (France tour)
July 25 vs Basel
July 28 vs Real Madrid

Much, much better. I'm not done, though. I need to wait until the Premiership fixture is announced. When I know when that starts, though, I will probably schedule an easy home match against some League Two squad or lower to get my players feeling positive as we go into league play.

Franklinnoble · 07-11-2006, 02:40 PM

Ok... so, I read the introductory post... but I don't think I can plow through everything after that... will I miss much if I just pick up from here?

What does the name "Sheffield Wednesay" mean, anyway? I don't quite get it...

tanglewood · 07-11-2006, 03:01 PM

It comes from the cricket team they were formed from which played on a Wednesday.

tanglewood · 07-11-2006, 03:02 PM

dola

From wikipedia:

Quote:

The Wednesday Football Club was known to many simply as The Wednesday until 1929, when sources suggest that the club was officially renamed Sheffield Wednesday under the stewardship of manager Bob Brown. Evidence however suggests that the name Sheffield Wednesday dates back as far as 1883: the former ground at Olive Grove had the name Sheffield Wednesday painted on the stand roof and indeed the winner's name on the FA Cup was inscribed as The Wednesday in both 1896 and 1907.

They are the only English League club with a day of the week in their name. The club derives its name from its predecessor, The Wednesday Cricket Club, whose meetings were held on Wednesday afternoons. Wednesday was traditionally the day that the local steel workers who formed the club took their half-day off to play sports. Links between football and cricket were severed in 1883 and the cricket club has not existed since the 1920s. The only other club in the UK with a day of the week in its name is Abergavenny Thursdays, which plays in a lower dvision of the Welsh leagues.

Wednesday's original nickname was "the Blades" - now the nickname of their long-term rivals, Sheffield United - until the start of the 20th century when a player presented them with an owl mascot to honour their stadium at Owlerton, adjacent to Hillsborough. Since then, the club has been known as "the Owls".

Franklinnoble · 07-11-2006, 03:25 PM

So, is "Wednesday" the mascot name? Or is it the Owls? I'm still a little confused...

Chief Rum · 07-11-2006, 09:56 PM

It's the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. That is the full name of the club, I believe. The Owls is the team name, just like the Raiders, Rams, etc.

Other EPL axamples. Arsenal == Gunners, Man Utd == Red Devils, Newcastle == Magpies, Liverpool == Reds, Middlesbrough== Boro, Tottenham Hotspur == Spurs, etc.

And, yes, you have to read everything (j/k reading what you want, of course).

Franklinnoble · 07-12-2006, 10:36 AM

I'm still a little confused. What's the "Wednesday" in the name for, if it's not a mascot, and it's not the name of the place they're from? I always thought "United" was the mascot for Manchester.

Bloody Europeans...

Chief Rum · 07-12-2006, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

I'm still a little confused. What's the "Wednesday" in the name for, if it's not a mascot, and it's not the name of the place they're from? I always thought "United" was the mascot for Manchester.

Bloody Europeans...

It's just part of the name. I think the first thing you need to do is break yourself out of the [City] [Team Name] format that is most common in U.S. sports. European football clubs aren't franchises in more or less unchanging leagues started up with a lot of money.They are usually much older, started when getting a group of guys together to play for something was easier, and just got bigger as the supporter base grew, and the money involved "got real". For instance, most major English clubs date back to the 1800s, and have played on several levels of English league football.

Take your example of Manchester United. That is just the name of the club. It's like you and me starting a club and calling it Two-Thirds, Twizzler or California Cool. It's a business name, not related to any specific location, and as you know, companies can be called just about anything.

It has been common in England for clubs to pick the cities they are based in as part of their name, which makes sense, considering they are trying to build support in those cities for their club. So Manchester United picked its name because it is based in Manchester and wants Manchester residents to follow the club. Same thing for Manchester City. Remember, these are the actual business names of the clubs.

Now, football is like any other sport, and teams have mascots & team names there as well. It's a lot easier to say "Go Red Devils" than "Go Manchester United Football Club" for instance. So clubs will usually have picked out a team name as well.

It might be best for you to remember that the Red Devils are the squad name which plays under the control of Manchester United. So they are the Red Devils of the Manchester United Football Club. And it is the Gunners of the Arsenal Football Club; the Spurs of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club; etc.

And for Sheffield Wednesday, they are the Owls of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Don't get thrown by the "Wednesday", which of course is a day of the week to you. It's just a part of the club/business name (and has its roots in the club history, as tanglewood posted). An American example is the restaurant I have a second job at: TGIFriday's or Thank God It's Fridays restaurant. "Friday" is just a part of the name.

BTW, United is actually more commonly used than Red Devils for Man Utd, because fans will call the team whatever they damn well please (And United rolls off the tongue easier than Red Devils). Just like Gunners isn't used as often as the easier to say Arsenal. But with the Spurs, no one wants to say all of Tottenham Hotspur, or any full part of it, so "Spurs" is much easier to say. And teams have unofficial nicknames, too, that have just grown to be used by many, such as "Toon" for Newcastle, "Barca" for FC Barcelona, "Los Galacticos" for Real Madrid, "Wimbledon" for MK Dons (this last is a joke, you can look that story up).

I hope that explains things a little better.

Chief Rum · 07-13-2006, 12:24 AM

World Cup South Africa 2010 Preview

Group A

Australia

Coach: Zeljko Kalac (AUS)
Region/How Qualified: Asia (won third place Asia playoff & beat Oceania champ New Zealand in inter-regional playoff)
FIFA Rank: 23
Germany 2006: Finished 4th in Group F (Germany, Iran, Argentina)
Top Player: MC Tim Cahill (Everton). The Aussies will need his playmaking ability.
Key Player: The GK. The choice is Brad Jones (Scunthorpe) or Michael Petkovic (Sivasspor). Jones has top league experience, Petkovic is the better player.
Young Player To Watch: DC Trent McClenahan (Southampton). This very talented 25-year-old needs to give this backline some youthful quality.

Coach Note: Kalac actually played for the Aussies at Germany 2006. He is very unproven as a coach and largely seen as a move to drawn in the fans. It remains to be seen if he has what it takes to compete at this level.

Keys To Play: There are some playmakers on this squad in Cahill, MC Mark Bresciano (Parma) and MR Ahmad Elrich (Germinal Beerschot), and a group of scorers with some ability in Milo Sterjovski (Neuchatel Xamax) and Scott McDonald (Cardiff). But this squad will be hurt by the injury to regular frontline starter Jason Culima (Rostock) and a defense with questionable quality outside of DR Lucas Niell (Blackburn) and McClanahan. Culima might be back for the knockout stages, if they make it that far.

Colombia

Coach: Pedro Enrique Sarmiento (COL)
Region/How Qualified: South America (3rd in SAM Qualifying)
FIFA Rank: 29
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: Carlos Andres Alvarez (Parma). Alvarez is a tremendous talent, but he will miss the opening Serbia & Montenegro match with a suspension.
Key Player: Libis Andres Arenas (Real Madrid). The pundits say Arenas is one of the best-skilled keepers in the world. But he sits behind superstar Iker Casillas in Madrid. Does he play enough to be in form for this tournament?
Young Player To Watch: Juan Camilo Arboleda (Rostock). It is tempting to say young star Jairo Ortiz (Milan), but Oritz is already somewhat proven, and playing at a position with some strength. Arboleda is in a key winger position on a squad with a need for playmakers.

Coach Note: Sarmiento was fired as the coach of one of Colombia’s top clubs in Medellin before taking the Colombia job in 2007. He successfully got them qualified for South Africa 2010 after the proud football nation did not qualify for Germany.

Keys To Play: Like many South American squads, the Colombian national side has a lot of technical skills, and a few real standout talents. But unlike top continental super teams like Brazil and Argentina, the depth isn’t here, and the physical ability is a lot more lacking. Also, this squad is very young, with very few players over 30, and several players 26 and under expected to play major roles. The back should be solid, with Ortiz and Andres Felipe Gonzalez (Monaco) in front of Arenas. But the loss of Alavarez for a match, puts a lot of pressure on the other striker, Edixon Perea (Bordeaux) and on a midfield with questionable offensive skills.

Holland

Coach: Huub Stevens (NED)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 5)
FIFA Rank: 2
Germany 2006: Won the Cup, beating Spain 2-0.
Top Player: Arjen Robben (Chelsea). The worldclass winger returns to try to bring another Cup home to the Dutch.
Key Player: Ruud Van Nistlerooy (Man Utd). Will the veteran striker be able to play at the level he once did to give this squad some offense?
Young Player To Watch: None (or maybe Sergio van Dijk of Sparta). This is a veteran and tested squad with no real greenhorns (unless van Dijk gets the call in net).

Coach Note: The former Roda JC coach has announced he will retire at the end of the World Cup. What a way to end a coaching career, as the leader of the defending World Cup holders? Stevens has been in charge since late 2008, and led the squad to a dominating run through qualifying, winning nine of ten matches.

Keys To Play: This is still one of the best squads in the world, and they proved that in qualifying. But an interesting decision by the Stevens for his keeper, and some of the age on this squad gives room for a little bit of doubt as to whether they can repeat. Stevens chose to leave off longtime keeper Edwin van der Sar (Man Utd), whom he deemed to old, despite being in net throughout qualifying. Instead, he went with the daunting youth of van Dijk or the international inexperience of Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax, 2 caps), which he won’t yet say. And the age and fall off in quality of RVN leaves one to wonder if he will be able to provide enough scoring for a squad which doesn’t have many other quality options. After fellow striker Dirk Kuyt (Feyenoord), the best forward is Robin van Persie (Valencia), and he’s slotted for the left wing. Still, with Robben and van Persie in the midfield, the amazing Wesley Sneijer (Juventus) in the middle, Maxwell (Chelsea) at left back and a wealth of defensive talent and depth, this squad is a lock for the second round.

Serbia & Montenegro

Coach: Vladimir Vermezovic (SCG)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (2nd in Group 2, Beat Slovenia, 3-3 on away goals in playoff)
FIFA Rank: 16
Germany 2006: Lost in quarterfinals to Holland, 2-1.
Top Player: ST Mirko Vucinic (Ajax). Vucinic dominated the Serie A with Lecce before becoming the scoring face of Ajax. He is the offense for this team.
Key Player: Vucinic. Vermezovic plays only one forward up front, and that is Vucinic. You don’t get a bigger spotlight than that.
Young Player To Watch: AMC Darko Peric (Brescia). Peric has a lot of talent, and has played well in the Serie A. He is in a good position to be the one who sets up Vucinic.

Coach Note: Vermezovic has done some good things in the three-plus years he has headed this squad, but few national sides are satisfied with moral victories. In Euro 2008 qulaifying, he led the Serbs to just a shade out in the toughest grouping. Then he finished second in France’s group in Cup qualifying. But he is not the coach which led the Serbs to the quarters in Germany, he did not qualify for Euro 2008, and he had to barely scrape by lightly-regarded Slovenia to get to South Africa.

Keys To Play: Like Stevens with Holland, Vermezovic chose to turn his back on his qualifying keeper, the veteran Dragoslav Jeric (Ankaraspor), to go with Vladimir Stojkovic (Red Star) in net. But unlike with van der Sar, this is probably long overdue. Stojkovic is the better keeper at this point. Unfortunately, that’s not going to help the Serbs, who don’t look strong at all in central defense or in the central midfield. Vucinic could start for most national sides in the world, and AMC Dejan Stankovic (Inter) is still a top notch player, but too many of the others here are either too young and inexperienced, too talent-poor, or playing in subpar leagues to be the difference.

Group B

Paraguay

Coach: Victor Genes (PAR)
Region/How Qualified: South America (4th in SAM qualifying)
FIFA Rank: 42
Germany 2006: Finished 4th in Group B (Holland, Ireland, South Korea)
Top Player: ST Roque Santa Cruz (FC Bayern). Santa Cruz is in the prime of his career, and coming off his most dominant turn in Germany. Paraguya’s hopes rest with him.
Key Player: Santa Cruz. Like Vucinic with Serbia & Montenegro, Santa Cruz has to be performing for this team to advance.
Young Player To Watch: Aldo Andres Jara (Lazio). Jara might be the most talented forward on the team, yes, including Santa Cruz. Genes is loyal to his regulars, though, and it’s unknown if Jara will see the pitch in South Africa.

Coach Note: Genes is a relative unknown and pundits suspect he may be in over his head. Genes was hired away from little Paraguayan club 12 de Octubre at the beginning of the qualifying. Genes barely managed to get this side into shape to qualify, but, then again, he did get them qualified.

Keys To Play: Sadly, Paraguay is lacking in key talent in far too many areas to be considered a serious threat here. Even Santa Cruz is inconsistent over the course of his career, and his partner up front, Nelson Valdez (Stuttgart) is merely a decent player. Edgar Barreto (Paris-SG) is a dangerous playmaker in the midfield, but there are few other creative talents on this squad, and the backline is not top class enough to hold at this level.

Scotland

Coach: Robert Maaskant (NED)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (2nd in Group 4, Beat Norway, 4-1, in playoff)
FIFA Rank: 12
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: Darren Fletcher (Man Utd). Fletcher may not be a scary athletic pacer, but he’s a smart midfielder who can control the tempo on the pitch.
Key Player: Andy Webster (Aston Villa). With relative youths Kirk Broadfoot (Derby) and John Kennedy (Wigan) vying for the other spot, the seasoned Webster will be the central figure in the defense.
Young Player To Watch: ML Lee Wallace (Aston Villa). Normally a left wingback, young Wallace has made a creative mark at Maaskant’s left wing spot. He has yet to show this quality in the Premiership, though, and it remains to be seen if he can bring it to that level in South Africa.

Coach Note: Maaskant may not be a favorite amongst the Scottish fans, considering he is not Scottish, nor does he have an impressive resume of success. Still, he led Scotland to an impressive show in Euro 2008 qualifying before falling, and his side played well throughout World Cup qualifying. Before that, he got Dutch club Willem II relegated from the Eredivisie, and was let go after failing to get them back up again. So which coach is he?

Keys To Play: There is a lot to like about Scotland, but leaving steady midfielders like Barry Ferguson (Rangers) and Nick Montgomery (Sheff Wed) home may come to bite Maaskant in the tookus. With questions about Broadfoot-Kennedy at one centreback spot, the last thing Scotland needs is a lightly-proven midfield. Ferguson and Montgomery, grouped with Fletcher, formed a formidable and experienced middle. Webster is solid at the back, though, and Craig Gordon (Tottenham) and Mark Wilson (Dundee Utd) and James McEveley (Blackburn) are terrific at other key defensive spots. Craig Beattie (Celtic) is a tall and dangerous player as the lone striker, but can Wallace and Fletcher and Scott Brown (Aston Villa) get him the ball enough?

South Korea

Coach: Han Jong-Duk (KOR)
Region/How Qualified: Asia (2nd in Group B)
FIFA Rank: 46
Germany 2006: Finished 3rd in Group B (Holland, Ireland, Paraguay)
Top Player: MR Park Ji-Sung (Man Utd). Ji Sung is well-tested on the international level, and can be very creative. They need his talents in a midfield that lacks a little talent next to some of the other squads at the Cup.
Key Player: ST Park Joo-Young (Roma). Joo-Young is a proven scoring talent for South Korea, but he hasn’t shown it yet at the club level in the Serie A. He is still this squad’s best hope for getting the ball in the net.
Young Player To Watch: ST Cho Sung-Won (Cruz Azul). Sung Won doesn’t have Joo-Young’s experience with the national team, but he is actually older. He has also been very successful with South Korea so far (12 goals in 16 caps).

Coach Note: Jong-Duk did not get this squad to any Asia Cups the past two rounds, and he has no club experience at all. The South Korea job, which he received in December 2006, was his first following his playing career. Qualifying for South Africa was his first real success as a coach, and relative to the talent in his region, he was expected to win through. So he is a complete unknown at this stage.

Keys To Play: Ji Sung can create plays, and Joo-Young and Sung-Won can be a dangerous pair of forwards up front. And the squad is littered with tested South Korean players, whom have played in each of the last two World Cups. They are also very good physically, and can keep pace with most anyone. But the defense is largely coming from the Korean leagues, and doesn’t look to be too strong. There is just too little defensive talent and midfield quality to make a strong run.

Spain

Coach: Cesar Ferrando (ESP)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 3)
FIFA Rank: 3
Germany 2006: Lost to Holland, 2-1, in final
Top Player: MC Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal). He’s one of the top playmakers in the world, and at 23, is just beginning to tap his immense talent.
Key Player: Whoever replaces Raul. Ferrando has raised the ire of Spanish fans by leaving off Raul (Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid’s second division squad). Between Real Madrid and Spain, Raul is not getting the send out as an aging star player that most such players deserve, and whoever takes his place at the central forward mid spot will feel the brunt of the spotlight.
Young Player To Watch: DR Sergio Ramos. Picking a young player to watch for on this squad is very difficult, because the players expected to see the pitch, while often fairly young, are all long-tested at this level. This might be the one European squad that truly rivals Brazil and Argentina for all around talent.

Coach Note: Although Ferrando doesn’t bring much of a club reputation to the job (he was coaching second league Albacete when he was tabbed as Spain’s coach in 2006), he has done enough with Spain to justify his hiring. Spain lost a World Cup final to Holland, in which they played much superior to the Dutch, and going with Ferrando to salvage the squad from that bitter disappointment was very risky. Ferrando, though, took the squad to another final, losing to Portugal in the Euro 2008 final, and then led them to top of their group in Cup qualifying.

Keys To Play: This side has fallen just short in Germany and at Euro 2008, and they are thirsty to finally take that next step. With the young but skilled players they have, Spain has the ability to dominate the European scene for the next decade. They have their veterans in the right places, with superstar keeper Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) in net, and all-around defender deluxe Carlos Puyol (Barcelona) in front of him. Fabregas and Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) might be the best central mid in the international world. And striker Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid) is a world class scorer up front. This squad will go as far as it wants to go.

Group C

Argentina

Coach: Marcelo Bielsa (ARG)
Region/How Qualified: South America (2nd in SAM qualifying)
FIFA Rank: 7
Germany 2006: Finished 3rd in Group F (Germany, Iran, Australia)
Top Player: ST Carlos Tevez (Chelsea). No one questions his talent. The issue is if we will shine in this Cup, or if he will disappear surrounded by such talent, as he sometimes does at Chelsea.
Key Player: MR Maxi Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid). Wingers in Bielsa’s 3-4-3 system have a lot of responsibility to guard the touchline and play goal line to goal line.
Young Player To Watch: Tevez. This is not a young team, and they did not bring many unproven players with them. Among the projected top eleven, only winger Mario Santana (28 caps) has less than 30 caps, and that just barely. None are younger than Tevez’s 26. Even the subs are tested veterans.

Coach Note: Bielsa is a very skilled coach, and has made few mistakes with this Argentina squad through the qualifiers. He didn’t allow the side to rest on their talent, and made sure they made their mark in qualifying. Still, it’s unknown how he will handle things at this level of play. He has only been a manager for a year at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina prior to taking the national job in August, 2007.

Keys To Play: Argentina has as much talent as any squad in the world, even Brazil, if not the depth. The core of the Argentina defense is actually in the midfield where Javier Mascherano (Milan) and Christian Ledesma (Lecce). They will help a three-man backline that is a risky play against the frontlines you see in the Cup. Of course, the rest of the world will have to also deal with Argentina’s wealth of playmakers. Santana and Rodriguez are speedy and skilled with the ball on the sides. Javier Saviola (Barcelona) is a world class forward playing at one wing forward, and Cesar Delgado (Stuttgart) may be the best striker in the Bundesliga now. And then there is Tevez at the center of the attack.

Canada

Coach: Gabriel Santos (CAN)
Region/How Qualified: CONCACAF (3rd in Third Phase Group)
FIFA Rank: 33
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: ST Jonathan de Guzman (Feyenoord). The lightning quick de Guzman is clearly the best player on this squad, at least from an offensive standpoint. He will need to be huge for Canada to have any chance of advancing.
Key Player: DL Michael Klukowski (Club Brugge). Klukowski is the top defender in Santos’s three-man defense in front of the goal, and truth be told, he is the only one of a quality to even approach this level of play.
Young Player To Watch: MC Jacob Lensky (Celtic). Lensky is the playmaker in the middle, and is a passer deluxe who can pretty much do anything he wants with the ball. His issue is motivation and coming to play every day.

Coach Note: Santos is the most unknown national team coach in the world. He has never coached anywhere but Canada, which in and of itself gives him a degree of anonymity. He hasn’t even been the coach through qualifying for long—he was hired last July. He did successfully guide the Canadians throught he remainder of their qualifying schedule. He plays a very defensive and cautious 5-3-2 scheme, which is probably smart given the kind of offenses he will be facing.

Keys To Play: This is the best squad Canada has ever fielded, but it is still going to be hard-pressed to do anything in South Africa. Outside of Klukowski, the defense is very questionable. Lansky, for all his skills, is a mixed bag in the middle. De Guzman and Iain Hume (Leicester) can be dangerous up front if they get the ball, and opponents will have to watch for that.

Iran

Coach: Branko Ivankovic (CRO)
Region/How Qualified: Asia (1st in Group B)
FIFA Rank: 21
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Czech Republic, 2-2 on penalties
Top Player: ST Ali Karimi (FC Bayern). The veteran forward has been the face of Iran soccer for several years now, but Ivankovic has actually taken to bringing off the bench the past year. Karimi needs to see the pitch more for this squad to have a chance.
Key Player: DC Jalal Kameli Mofrad (Al Ahli). There is some quality speed and playmaking ability on this squad, so Iran will have a decent chance at producing some offense. But the defense is the key for this squad, and Mofrad is the most capable defender of dealing with world class forwards.
Young Player To Watch: MR Hadi Hosaini (FC Kobenhavn). Hosaini is one of Ivankovic’s first subs and a terrific player with the ball on the right side. It remains to be seen if he can do it at this level, though.

Coach Note: Ivankovic returns for another go around with Iran in the World Cup. He surprised the pundits by leading them to the second round in Germany, and they put up a terrific test to the Czech Republic before falling there. Then they finished third in the 2007 AFC Asia Cup, and finished on top of qualifying for this Cup. Can Ivankovic do it again?

Keys To Play: The presence of Karimi and two forwards from the Serie A in Hasan Bagheri (Lecce) and Mehrdad Oladi (Vicenza) give Iran some goal-scoring punch, although none of them, including Karimi, would likely see the pitch on a high end European national side. Mehrzad Madanchi (Lens) and Javad Kazemian (Persepolis) can get them the ball from the midfield, too. But the defense, which veteran and tested, is slow a foot, and too many of these players don’t see top competition enough. They won’t beat themselves, but a quality national side should win through over them.

Sweden

Coach: Tom Prahl (SWE)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (2nd in Group 9, Beat Israel, 4-1, in playoff)
FIFA Rank: 15
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: ST Zlatan Ibrahimovich (Juventus). Ibrahimovich has been a world class striker for a decade and is still one of the top players in the world.
Key Player: MR Tobias Eriksson (Ascoli). Ibrahimovich can’t do anything if he doesn’t get the ball. That responsibility will probably fall to Eriksson along the right side.
Young Player To Watch: DC Karl Svensson (Man Utd). Svensson is just 26, but will likely be the heart of Sweden’s backline. He is already a veteran of international play, but this is his chance to break out as a player on his own right.

Coach Note: The veteran Prahl was only Sweden’s coach through the last few months of qualifying, but he did get hem to continue their strong play and win them through a playoff with Israel to get here. Prahl has had a solid, if unspectacular, coaching career in the Swedish leagues, most recently for Malmo FF and Helsingborgs.

Keys To Play: Ibrahimovich can score against any team, and frontline partner Kjalle Ljungberg (Crystal Palace) is also dangerous. With Eriksson and speedy Panos Dimitriadis (Empoli) causing havoc along the touchlines, this should be an amped up attack. They will have to be careful to not outpace their defense, though. Fortunately, keeper Andreas Isaksson (Saint-Etienne) has a long history in Sweden’s net and he won’t cave to the pressure. One potential issue is the first match suspension against midfielder Dusan Djuric (Austria Wien). He will miss the Iran match because of two yellows, and that hurts Sweden in their weakest area, the central midfield.

Group D

Germany

Coach: Felix Magath (GER)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 6)
FIFA Rank: 5
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Cameroon, 0-0 on penalties.
Top Player: MC Michael Ballack (FC Bayern). At 33, Ballack is still the best player on this team, and one of the top footballers in the world. This will be his last chance at the Cup, so he will try to make the most of it.
Key Player: ST Lukas Podolski (Inter). Magath’s interesting decision to leave Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke) at home puts the onus on Podolski to perform, as the lone truly-tested forward on this squad.
Young Player To Watch: DC Lukas Sinkiewicz (Koln). Sinkiewicz is already a veteran starter on the backline, but now he will be the youngest player on a very talented backline. Opposing teams will likely try to exploit him first.

Coach Note: Magath is a coach of some reknown, but he also has some black marks on his record, which will make for an interesting mix for the bitter Germans. Magath took high profile jobs with FC Bayern and Leverkusen and did well in both posts, but fell short of expectations and was sacked from both. Meanwhile, German fans nearly tore the country apart when Germany fell on penalties to Cameroon on the second round of their own Cup in 2006. And then Germany lost out on penalties to Spain in the quarters of Euro 2008. Magath will either be a savior seeking redemption or a lamb for the slaughter.

Keys To Play: Magath’s decision to leave Kuranyi at home has caused much angst among German fans, who fear that Podolski and Mike Hanke (FC Nantes) won’t be enough to finish off goals against top competition. The coach has also drawn criticism for how he handles his midfield as a tremendous group that includes Ballack, Sebastien Deisler (FC Bayern), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern) and Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen) continues to get shifted around Magath’s diamond formation. This may cause problems creating chances. Still, the defense could be stifling, with Sinkiewicz pairing with Robert Huth (Leverkusen) in the central defense, tremendous playmaking by Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern) on the left, and veteran steadiness in the form of Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC) on the right.

Russia

Coach: Alexandr Starkov (LVA)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (2nd in Group 3, qualified automatically as top 2nd-place squad in qualifying)
FIFA Rank: 31
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: MR Andrey Arshavin (Man Utd). Arshavin is the veteran playmaker on a team of players who are very good with the ball.
Key Player: GK Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow). Akinfeev might be lesser known because he toils in Russia’s Prem’er Liga, but world class players know who he is. He is the defensive stalwart in Russia’s lineup, a world class keeper at just 24. And they will need him behind a defensive line with some questions on it.
Young Player To Watch: MC Alexandr Sergeev (Siena). Sergeev might not be ready for this level, but Russia can use his passing talents from the midfield, as well as his tremendous speed. If Starkov puts him in, expect the youngster to have a breakout tournament if he can get past the meaner world class holding mids out there.

Coach Note: Starkov has to get a lot of credit for how well Russia has been playing since he took over in May, 2007. Russia has always had some talent, but making it work at the international level has been a task for most. Starkov, though, took Russia to the Euro 2008 semis, and then played very strongly in qualifying. All of a sudden, this is a team to keep an eye on.

Keys To Play: With Arshavin on the right and Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow) on the left, and Sergeev and Dinijar Bilyaletdinov (Leverkusen) in the middle, this midfield can move the ball forward and create plays. If the squad can get through the foot injury to Alexandr Kerzhakov (Saint-Etienne—he might be ready for the first match), they can score some goals. But Akinfeev is the lone hope at the back end, where it’s likely teams will exploit a less than stellar backline.

Saudi Arabia

Coach: Gabriel Calderon (ARG)
Region/How Qualified: Asia (2nd in Group A)
FIFA Rank: 48
Germany 2006: Finished 4th in Group C (England, Ecuador, Poland)
Top Player: ST Saad Al-Harthi (Charlton). Al-Harthi is a top notch striker, although I still don’t know how the game let him out of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis don’t allow their players to leave the Saudi national league.
Key Player: MC Abdul Latif Al-Ghannam (Al Milal). Al-Ghannam is good creative playmaker in the middle. The Saudis will need him at the top his game to create scoring opportunities.
Young Player To Watch: ST Ahmed Al-Sawileh (Al Milal). Al-Sawileh could be the next frontline scorer for the Saudis, as Al-Harthi’s partner.

Coach Note: This is Calderon’s second Cup with Saudi Arabia, but he hasn’t shown yet that he is the coach to lead this team to new peaks of success. They did poorly at Germany, and then failed to qualify for the 2007 Asia AFC Cup. He did guide them through Asian Cup qualifying to get them to South Africa.

Keys To Play: It’s hard to get a read on this team because almost the entire roster plays in the Saudi national league. Going on ratings alone, this squad has some decent players, but across the board, their talent level is just barely enough o even consider challenging for a second round spot.

Senegal

Coach: Jean-Francois Domergue (FRA)
Region/How Qualified: Africa (Won Group 3)
FIFA Rank: 20
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: ST Babacar Gueye (Metz). Gueye is a tremendous talent who can make things happen up front. Unfortunately, he looks to be the only player on the team who resembles a threat to score.
Key Player: DC Habib Beye (Marseille). Beye is the centerpiece of the defense, and has the physical ability and skill to stay with the top strikers. He will need to have the tournament of his life, though, to also pick up for his teammates on the backline, who aren’t as skilled.
Young Player To Watch: MC Guirane N’Daw (Sochaux). N’Daw isn’t that young, at 26, but he does very little international experience (6 caps). He will be expected to keep the central midfield together, a job which normally would have gone to the veteran Papa Bouba Diop (Lyon), but he will miss this tournament with fractured ribs.

Coach Note: Domergue, the longtime Montpelier coach, has had mixed success in his first year as Senegal’s coach. He completed their qualifying run and made sure they qualified for South Africa. But he also failed to get to the knockout stages of the COSAFA Cup earlier this year. His Montpelier career was similarly a mixed bag. He got the French club promoted to the Ligue 1 Orange in 2005-06, but three straight fights against relegation led to his sacking in February last year.

Keys To Play: This is an experienced international squad for the most part, and knows what it can do on the international level. The problem is that there are just too many spots being filled by players who aren’t likely to be able to play at this level. Gueye will be hard-pressed to hold up for fellow striker Papa Waigo (Cesena), and Beye’s partners on the backline, Souleymane Diawara (Sochaux) and Ibrahima Gueye (Albacete), aren’t physically capable enough to handle world class forwards. Winger Demba Toure (Amiens) and forward mid Moussa N’Diaye (Toulouse) have some creative ability, and will do what they can to move the ball forward to Gueye. But the defensive issues and lack of overall talent will likely harpoon this team’s chances.

Group E

Algeria

Coach: Meziane Ighil (ALG)
Region/How Qualified: Africa (Won Group 4)
FIFA Rank: 19
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: MR Karim Ziani (Amiens). Ziani is fast and skilled with the ball, and a team leader as well. He gives Algeria a dangerous player to account for on the right side.
Key Player: Ziani. There are issues up front and in the middle, talent-wise, so Ziani is going to have to do a lot of the offensive legwork himself.
Young Player To Watch: DR Mourad Benhamida (Lyon). Benhamida is a solid offensive option who can play either fullback position. With some of the talent issues up front, Algeria may need help from its backline to generate goals.

Coach Note: Ighil has been the coach of Algeria since qualifying for Germany 2006, so he has built this squad up from contending for Cup qualifying to winning through with ease, and then finishing third in the COSAFA Cup. He doesn’t have experience coaching elsewhere, but he seems to be doing more than what he has been given with this team.

Keys To Play: Algeria is an odd squad with some quality players along the touchlines in Ziani, DL Anthar Yahia (Nice), ML Nadir Belhadj (Grenoble) and AML Salim Arrache (Strasbourg), but a lack of it in the middle spots. In fact, there aren’t enough spots for the quality players on the side, while the middle is a struggle. In particular, strikers Abdelmalek Cherrad (Bastia) and Mansour Boutabout (Brest) don’t seem to have the skills to score on the best defenses, although they have been very effective in international play in Africa. How Algeria overcomes these issues will determine how far it goes.

Bosnia

Coach: Blas Sliskovic (BIH)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 7)
FIFA Rank: 26
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: MC Zvjezdan Misimovic (Bochum). This is a young team, so Misimovic actually qualifies as a graybeard, despite being just 28. While he doesn’t have top end pace, Misimovic has fantastic skills with the ball, and controls the offense from his middle spot.
Key Player: GK Kenan Hasagic (G. Antepspor). Hasagic is a veteran netminder who still has fine reflexes and abilities, but he will be sorely tested because the defense in front of him is no world beater.
Young Player To Watch: ST Zlatko Junuzovic (GAK). Junuzovic is just one of a threesome of good young forwards, but he gets the nod because he has been the most successful in international play so far (8 goals in 10 caps).

Coach Note: Bosnia’s sudden success in Cup qualifying came out of nowhere, and it’s uncertain if this is just Sliskovic’s system finally kicking in, or if it’s just been a good run for the team. The coach also headed the squad in 2005 and 2007, when it failed to qualify for Germany 2006 or Euro 2008. Sliskovic is well-regarded—but is he good enough to get this team into the second round?

Keys To Play: There is a lot of offensive potential on this squad. Misimovic is a terrific playmaker in the middle, and veteran forward Nenad Stojanovic (Genk) remains as a fine combination of creative and scoring skill. Stojanovic is the old man next to Junuzovic, Emra Tahiri (Aue) and Mustafa Kucukovic (HSV), all of whom are pressing for a regular spot up front. Misimovic is not alone in the middle either, where Dragan Blatnjak (Hajduk) and Haris Beslija (Ajax) are also both accomkplished at controlling the ball and moving it forward. The problem is on defense. Despite playing a 5-3-2 that puts a lot of players in front of the net, the defensive quality does not match the offensive skill.

Italy

Coach: Marco Tardelli (ITA)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (2nd in Group 1, Beat Czech Republic, 2-0, in playoff)
FIFA Rank: 9
Germany 2006: Lost in Quarterfinal to Czech Republic, 1-0
Top Player: MC Andrea Pirlo (Barcelona). Pirlo is perhaps the best passer in the world, and the key to Italy’s offense.
Key Player: DC Andrea Coda (Palermo). Why is Coda important? He’s the only defender Tardelli took on the team who has been seeing regular time with Italy in the past year. Players like Daniele Bonera (Inter), Mattia Marchese (Lazio), and Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus) were oddly left home.
Young Player To Watch: GK Gianluca Curci (Roma). At least with Curci, he has been playing with this team, instead of Italian great Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus). Curci is a terrific young player, but that’s a lot of pressure in the form of Buffon on the sideline. Can he stand up to it?

Coach Note: Tardelli is a well-respected coach who used to be the manager at Inter. He took the Italy job in November, 2006. His squad disappointed a little at Euro 2008, bowing out against Turkey, 2-1, in the quarterfinals, but his youth squads, the U-19 team in 2008, and the U-21 squad just last week, both reached the finals of their respective European Championships tournaments. Tardelli runs an atypical 5-3-2, with a flat back five, which makes them very strong defensively, but may be causing offensive problems; they scored just 13 goals in 10 qualifying matches.

Keys To Play: Judging by his choices for this team, Tardelli is either the best thing or worst thing for this team. His choices for the first team in qualifying got Italy to South Africa, but barely, having to win a playoff. And his choices two years ago got Itsly booted out of Euro 2008 by the quarters (mostly the old guard). Now he brings a mix of guys from the old guard (DC Alessandro Nesta of Milan, MC Daniele de Rossi of Roma), the qualifying run (Coda, Gurci) and guys who have hardly played before (DM Angel Palombo of Chelsea, WBR Adriano of Atalanta). Adriano is particularly interesting, as he is a supremely skilled defender who has always professed loyalty to his Brazilian heritage, only to switch to Italy when Brazil did not give him a spot on their national team. The key to this team is the defense, which will attempt to mix and match all of this odd talent into a five-man backline. The offense will be fine with the tremendous passing skills of Pirlo and Alberto Aquilani (Roma), and the amazing pace and skill of forwards Alberto Gilardino (Milan) and Antonio Cassano (Roma).

Mexico

Coach: Victor Manuel Vucetich (MEX)
Region/How Qualified: CONCACAF (1st in Third Phase Group)
FIFA Rank: 6
Germany 2006: Finished 3rd in Group D (Spain, Serbia & Montenegro, Morocco)
Top Player: DC Rafael Marquez (Barcelona). There may be challengers to Marquez as the best player on this team, but until he falls away, he will still be the guy here. He is the center of Mexico’s tough defense.
Key Player: Alberto Medina (Nantes). Medina is lightning quick and the premier playmaker on this team. With Vucetich deciding to leave other playmakers like MC Gerardo Torrado (Betis) and ML Sixto Peralta (Morelia) home, Medina’s role in the offense has become critical.
Young Player To Watch: ML Antonio Diaz (Celta). It looks like the young and talented Diaz will be starting in place of Peralta on the left wing. He will need to play older than his 19 years to prove this was a good decision.

Coach Note: Vucetich has a lot to prove. The former Monterrey coach did not distinguish himself in his club days, and he also led this team to third place in the 2009 Gold Cup—not a satisfactory performance for Mexican fans in the regional cup competition. But his squad did dominate as expected in qualifying, failing to win just once in ten matches (draw with the U.S.A.). Vucetich brings a very talented squad to South Africa.

Keys To Play: Mexico brings one of the most talented teams to the Cup, regardless of continent of origin. Led by Marquez and longtime keeper Oswaldo Sanchez (Chivas), the defense is packed with skilled vets with tons of experience. Medina and Juan Pablo Garcia (Sheff Wed) can make things happen in the middle, and a group of talented forwards like Aldo de Nigris (Tigres), Rafael Marquez (Morelia, not the same as the defender) and Kikin Fonseca (Cruz Azul). This is a dangerous squad that will jump on any team that takes them lightly.

Group F

Brazil

Coach: Leandro Avila (BRA)
Region/How Qualified: South America (1st in SAM qualifying)
FIFA Rank: 1
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Ireland, 3-1
Top Player: ST Adriano (Inter). The current “Great Brazilian Striker” is trying to fend off Robinho (Real Madrid) and Fred (Milan) for that honor. Regardless, whoever stars up front will be very, very good.
Key Player: DM Lucas (Real Sociedad). Avila made the intriguing decision to leave veteran holding mid Gilberto Silva (Arsenal) at home, so that means young Lucas must be ready to fill those huge shoes. He certainly has the talent, but is he ready to be at the center of the tactic for the world’s most incredibly-gifted squad?
Young Player To Watch: Lucas. Fred is also an option here, although given he isn’t projected to start and is 26, it makes more sense to go with Lucas. This will be his tournament to shine as the architect in the middle.

Coach Note: Avila is all of 39 years old, but he is already a well-respected name in coaching circles. The former Vasco manager resigned to take the Brazil job in January, 2008, and hasn’t looked back. In the past two years, he won the 2009 Gold Cup and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and dominated SAM qualifying for South Africa. Of course, with this talent, you should do that, and that’s always the tricky part for Brazil coaches.

Keys To Play: How bitter must Brazil be after being shocked by Ireland in the second round four years ago? This is just a scary team to have to face with this sort of talent and motivation. Still, this is a newer generation of Brazilian stars. Ronaldo, Dida, Roberto Carlos, they are all retired now. Silva wasn’t invited. Ronaldhino (Barcelona) was, but he has never tapped his immense potential here, and may not see the pitch much. But one remaining holdover, Lucio (FC Bayern) and a new backline star in DR Rafinha (Schalke) ensure that the defense will remain stalwart, and no squad in the world can match Adriano-Robinho-Fred. And world class playmaker Kaka (Milan) is still around to feed them the ball.

Costa Rica

Coach: Alexandre Guimares (CRC)
Region/How Qualified: CONCACAF (4th in Third Group Phase & Beat Bolivia, 3-3 on penalties, in inter-regional playoff)
FIFA Rank: 36
Germany 2006: Lost in the second round to the Ukraine, 2-0
Top Player: WBR Gilberto Martinez (Brescia). Martinez is speedy and smart. He can play at both ends of the pitch, and is the most dangerous player Costa Rica has.
Key Player: ST Winston Parks (Torpedo Moscow). Parks has been very good in international play, and he plays the kind of strong heading game to make a difference here. Costa Rica doesn’t have the same level of offensive talent as most other squads, so he will need to be on his game for them to advance.
Young Player To Watch: DC Carlos Castro (Charleroi). Castro is a rising star on Costa Rica’s backline. He is already the most talented defender on the squad, despite being just 21. He is a smart player who always knows exactly where he needs to be, and he has the pace to keep up with most strikers.

Coach Note: Guimares has led Costa Rica to two straight World Cups, and those are respectable results for any nation from this region that isn’t Mexico or the USA. That said, they barely eeked in, nabbing fourth place in qualifying and just edging Bolivia in the playoff. Also, the squad’s quarterfinal loss in the 2009 Gold Cup was a slight disappointment as well.

Keys To Play: With Castro in the middle of the defense and flanked by decent veteran partners in Danny Fonseca (Le Mans) and Gonzalo Segarea (Club Brugge), the defense should be decent. This is also helped by the squad’s use of a 5-3-2 tactic. That said, this won’t help the offense. Parks is one of three or four strikers with some ability, but none of them are worldbeaters. The midfield has some solid talent with Luis Daniel Vallejos (Emmen) and Daniel Rodriguez (Illichivets), but neither of them have the talent to stick with the world’s top middles.

France

Coach: Philippe Hinschberger (FRA)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 2)
FIFA Rank: 10
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: DM Patrick Vieira (Juventus). For all of his 33 years, Vieira is still the most talented player on this squad. He doesn’t have (quite) the amazing offensive ability and creativity of retired superstar Zinedane Zidane, but he’s better than almost every other midfielder in the world. And there isn’t a better holding mid in the world in his own end.
Key Player: ST Thierry Henry (Arsenal). For all the youth elsewhere in France’s attack, old man Henry is still the world class striker this squad depends on. If there’s an issue to bug France, it is offense, so Henry having the tournament of his life is absolutely critical.
Young Player To Watch: ST Jeremy Menez (Sochaux). Menez could be the next great striker for France, although he needs to translate his ability better from the training room to the pitch. When Henry steps down, it will be Menez next to Djibril Cisse (Liverpool).

Coach Note: After France failed to qualify for Germany 2006 and only reached the quarters of Euro 2008, the football federation turned to a rising talent in the French coaching ranks in Hinschberger. He took the France job in July, 2008, after taking former Championnat National squad Niort up two levels to the Ligue 1 Orange in two years, and then keeping them up. The team didn’t dominate in qualifying under Hinschberger as some think they should, drawing four of their ten matches. Still, they didn’t lose at all and allowed just two goals in the ten matches to win the group.

Keys To Play: France is a team that is designed to go far. They look stout in the back end, especially with Hinschberger’s atypical 4-2-2-2 tactic which packs the back with everyone but the forwards.. Despite a lack of international experience, keeper Sebastien Frey (Inter) has been terrific in net. It helps that there is some veteran quality in front of him as Philippe Mexes (Roma), Mikael Silvestre (Man Utd) and Sebastien Squillaci (Monaco). They would be even stronger here if long time fullback Willy Sagnol (FC Bayern) didn’t have to miss the tournament with a back strain. The offense looks more problematic. While Henry and Cisse are one of the best scoring duos up front, they appear to be shackled a bit in this offense. Also, while forward mids Etienne Didot (Stuttgart) and Florent Malouda (Chievo) are very good creatively, Hinschberger decided to leave other youthful central mids home like Jeremy Toulalan (Nantes) and Lionel Mathis (Auxerre). Indeed, it is actually a bit of a mystery just who Hinschberger plans to start at the central mid spot next to Vieira. France will be an interesting squad to watch. They are equally capable of winning it all or crashing out in the group stage.

South Africa

Coach: Stuart Baxter (SCO)
Region/How Qualified: Africa (Automatic entry as tournament host)
FIFA Rank: 78
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: MR Tyrone Arendse (Vicenza). South Africa doesn’t have the top to bottom offensive talent that some other sides do, so Arendse’s abilities, tested in the Serie A, will be vital to creating scoring chances.
Key Player: Whoever starts at GK. South Africa was looking very good at this spot until Moeneeb Josephs (Paris-SG) broke his finger. He will now miss the tournament, and the squad’s key defensive position will have to be handled by most likely Rowen Fernandez (Kaizer Chiefs).
Young Player To Watch: ML Daine Klate (Neuchatel Xamax). With Arendse likely to draw a lot of attention on the other side, Klate has an opportunity to make a name for himself on the other side. He has the talent and pace to do it.

Coach Note: Baxter has run South Africa for the past five years, but hasn’t had too much success. He just missed qualifying them for Germany 2006. He also qualified for both the 2006 and 2008 COSAFA Cups, but the team lost out in the group stage in the first, and in the quarters in the second. This is not the makings of a powerhouse squad in Africa, although South Africa is traditionally one of the continents stronger national sides. Not helping matters, though, was the lack of international competition the past two years. While being the host of the World Cup brings tremendous advantages, it also means the side didn’t play in qualifying or the 2010 COSAFA Cup. So no one is quite sure what level of squad Baxter is bringing to this Cup.

Keys To Play: This is a question mark of a team. Every area seems to have a question. Is this really the lowest-rated squad in the Cup? Or is that ranking deflated from them having to miss out on international competition for two years? Is this a good offense with Arendse and Klate creating opportunities? Or will this offense falter because even the most tested striker Benni McCarthy (Genoa) might not have enough help up front to make a difference? Is Baxter banking on a strong performance from decent passing midfielder Sipho Nunens (Amiens)? Or will he regret leaving Benedict Vilakazi (Duisberg), a speedy forward mid playmaker, at home? Finally, will the Josephs injury become exposed as a key, or will a veteran defense led by DL Thabiso Rammile (Empoli) and DC Siboniso Gaxa (Valencia) be good enough to keep most chances away from Fernandez? And finally, can home field advantage make a difference for this squad in an awful draw with Brazil and France?

Group G

Croatia

Coach: Zlatko Kranjcar (CRO)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 9)
FIFA Rank: 18
Germany 2006: Finished 3rd in Group A (Brazil, Ghana, Honduras)
Top Player: MC Nikola Safaric (Chievo). This was a tough call, as there are a number of similarly-skilled players on this squad. I picked Safaric because of the level of his league, and how well he has played.
Key Player: AMC Niko Kranjcar (Mallorca). Kranjcar, the coach’s son, has terrific skills, but he hasn’t really displayed that yet in league play. The forward depth is iffy, so Kranjcar may need to be both a playmaker and a finisher for this squad to do well offensively—and it did not do well scoring in qualifying at all (13 goals in 8 matches).
Young Player To Watch: AMC Luka Modric (Club Brugge). Modric is the choice here, because, frankly, there isn’t much youth on this squad. Even seeing out several of the old guard from previous tournaments, this is still a squad with the bulk of its roster in the 28 and up range.

Coach Note: Kranjcar has managed the Croatian national team since Euro 2004, and he has had mixed success. Getting a squad like Croatia to two straight World Cups is significant, even if he didn’t get them out of the group stage at Germany 2006. He also qualified the squad to Euro 2008 (also lost in the group stage), and the U-19 squad that year actually won the Euro 2008 U-19 championship. So Kranjcar is building a tradition of expectations here—but he needs to take this team to another level to move beyond the current have-nots in Europe.

Keys To Play: Croatia has some interesting talent on hand, but it’s difficult to get a handle on just what the team is capable of. While players like Safaric, Modric and Kranjcar can create offense, they aren’t particularly special at it. And likely forward starters Bosko Balaban (AA Gent) and Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen) are solid, but aren’t going to scare anyone. The worst news for this team is that the backbone of their defense, keeper Stipe Pletikosa (Lazio), is suspended for the Morocco match, and the defense in front of him is too slow and lacking in skill. If they can worthy the first match without Pletikosa, and get some better offense going, though, this team can be dangerous.

England

Coach: Alan Pardew (ENG)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 4)
FIFA Rank: 4
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Serbia & Montenegro, 3-2
Top Player: AMR/FC Wayne Rooney (Man Utd). Rooney is still the most talented player on the squad, despite being just 24—and he’s still being played out of position. Rooney, a natural striker, is seen by both his national manager and club coach as best suited for right wing with their squads. He does well wherever he plays.
Key Player: MC Steven Gerrard (Liverpool). Gerrard is still the heart-and-soul of this squad, and yet it’s uncertain how much he will play. Pardew has taken to shuffling his central midfield a lot. He likes to play Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), a natural fullback, at holding mid, has rotated Gerrard, Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Michael Carrick (Tottenham) at the other spot—and he didn’t bring Carrick to South Africa at all. Huh?
Young Player To Watch: ST Darren Bent (Tottenham). Pardew has also seemingly taken to starting Bent up front over Michael Owen (Schalke). Although Bent has played well, he will have to be much better than his talent would indicate to prove he deserves this responsibility. With Rooney on the right, and Owen on the bench, that’s a lot of pressure on a younger forward.

Coach Note: Pardew got the England job shortly after the proud country’s ignomious fall in the second round of Germany 2006. He has shown a flair for leading the youth teams, winning an U-19 championship (2007), an U-21 championship (2010, just a few days ago), and the semis of another U-19 championship. But can he lead the big boys? Pardew got the side qualified for Euro 2008, but did not get out of the group stage. The team did do very well in Cup qualifying, though, putting up a +21 goal differential in 10 matches.

Keys To Play: Despite the wealth of offense in the qualifying run, England has and continues to be a squad built around its defense, and the perhaps the best pair of centrebacks in the world in John Terry (Chelsea) and Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd). Ahley Cole (Arsenal) is also a world class player at left back, and keeper Paul Robinson (Tottenham) is a proven veteran. The trick will be making sure that Pardew’s front six shuffles don’t harpoon the offense. Jermaine Defoe (Man Utd) is a terrific talent, as is Rooney, but with the issues in the central midfield and a younger player in Kieran Richardson on the left wing, as well as Bent up front, will this squad generate the offense it needs to against the top squads in the world? This is one of the most talented teams in the world, but I am not sure it is being managed right for a run in South Africa.

Morocco

Coach: M’hamed Fakhir (MOR)
Region/How Qualified: Africa (Won Group 2)
FIFA Rank: 11
Germany 2006: Finished 4th in Group D (Spain, Serbia & Montenegro, Mexico)
Top Player: MR Jaouad Zairi (Sochaux). Zairi is very fast and has terrific control of the ball. He is key to the offense, and one of the guys who can match up with most of the rest of the wingers at the Cup.
Key Player: ST Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux). Chamakh is a good, young striker with fine speed and is a tremendous target man. If he and Zairi work their magic right, Morocco will be very dangerous on the break and on crosses.
Young Player To Watch: ML Mbark Boussoufa (Excelsior). It is too easy for teams to focus on Zairi. Morocco needs Boussoufa to step it up and force opponents to respect both wingers. That will only make the offense that much more dangerous.

Coach Note: Fakhir has only been on the job a little over two years, but he has quickly made his mark, taking Morocco into this Cup as the highest ranked African nation in the FIFA rankings. Morocco dominated their qualifying group to get here, and finished as a close runner up to Nigeria in the COSAFA Cup in January. Before he took the Morocco job, he was a successful coach at Moroccan club FAR Rabat. His squad has a legitimate chance of reaching the second round in this tournament.

Keys To Play: With Zairi, Chamakh and MC Marouane Zemmama (Neuchatel Xamax) around, Morocco should be able to generate some offense. Even with potential issues on the right side and at the other forward spot, this squad can get a goal or two. The issue is on defense. There are few impact players on the backline, and most will leave something to be desired against the top forwards in the world. Morocco will have to outscore their opponents to advance.

Uzbekistan

Coach: Josep Guardiola (ESP)
Region/How Qualified: Asia (Won Group A)
FIFA Rank: 39
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: DL Vitaly Denisov (CSKA Moscow). Denisov really stands out on this side, as he has a lot of skills most of his countrymen simply don’t possess. He has the ball on a string and tremendous pace. He’s also a solid defender.
Key Player: ST Alexandr Geynrih (Torpedo Moscow). With everyone playing the back of the tactic, there will be a lot of pressure on Geynrih to produce some offense. Geynrih has good speed and ball control ability, although he wouldn’t be one of the better forwards on most of the other national sides in South Africa. He’s the best the Uzbeks have, though, and has already had a lot of success in international play.
Young Player To Watch: MC Muzaffar Umurzoqov (Ajaccio). Umurzoqov is a creative midfielder who is one of the few players on this team that might be able to generate some offense from the midfield. He isn’t on the level of most of the other midfielders at this level, but he can make a difference for this squad.

Coach Note: Guardiola, a former Spanish international, has been running the Uzbek squad since December, 2007. Just getting them to the Cup is a level of success this squad has not come close to achieving before. That said, Asia is not populated with many well-respected sides, and Guardiola has yet to test his club outside of qualifying. Even playing a cautious 4-5-1, the Uzbeks have to be considered at a huge disadvantage and possibly the least talented squad in South Africa.

Keys To Play: It would be nice if we could say Cinderella will grace the Uzbeks with a slipper, but they just don’t have the talent. It’s amazing they even made it through Asia qualifying. There is a player or two here that can be solid players, but you need more than that at a World Cup. It could get ugly.

Group H

Austria

Coach: Santiago Canizares (ESP)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 1)
FIFA Rank: 30
Germany 2006: Did not qualify
Top Player: FC Wolfgang Mair (Salzburg). Mair is a terrific dribbler and passer, with skills as both a playmaker and a finisher. He also has good pace, and is a leader on the team.
Key Player: Mair. Between injuries and some interesting roster decisions by Canizares, Mair might be the one proven, healthy player Austria has, especially on offense.
Young Player To Watch: ST Kevin Martischnegg (Osnabruck). This young 20-year-old striker just got his first cap, but he already has some worldclass abilities in how he can control the ball and take a shot. The question is, will his lack of quickness limit him, and can he overcome a reputation for not giving it his all?

Coach Note: Former Spanish and Valencia international keeper Canizares was hired almost straight off of his retirement from football in 2008, taking over Austria after the squad failed to get out of the group stage of Euro 2008, despite sharing host responsibilities with Switzerland. Canizares was an unexpected hire, as inexperienced as he was coaching, and added further doubt among his critics when he introduced the 4-2-4 as his tactic of choice for Austria. Lo and behold, though, the team has seemingly taken to it. They won their qualifying group—which included powerful Italy and respectable Denmark—with a +13 goal differential in 10 matches, and displayed quality at both ends of the pitch.

Keys To Play: Austria has been brutally hurt by injury and flu going into this Cup, a factor which will likely cripple the side on the offensive side. In their own end, they might even be better, because a strained knee has taken regular keeper Helge Payer (Rapid Wien) off of the team—which may in fact open the way for a trio of better, younger keepers who don’t seem to have Canizares’ support in normal circumstances. The defense skipped most of the injury issues, and is a deep crew, so Austria should be able to reproduce the form that saw it allow just seven goals in 10 qualifying matches. Offense is another matter. One of the two key midfielders in the center of the tactic, Thomas Prager (Heerenveen) might miss the first two matches with a concussion, and there aren’t any proven alternatives. Up front, Canizares left his best qualifying scorer, Roman Wallner (Bochum) at home, after Wallner suffered a hamstring pull that could shelve him for the group stage, and Sandro Zakany (Salzburg) is arriving to the Cup late because of flu symptoms. If Mair and fellow wing-forward Andreas Ivanschitz (Rapid Wien) do their thing, and Martischnegg plays beyond his years, offense may not be that much of an issue, but that’s a lot of ifs.

Ghana

Coach: Mohammed Mensah (GHA)
Region/How Qualified: Africa (Won Group 1)
FIFA Rank: 32
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Holland, 4-0
Top Player: DC/MC Michael Essien (Milan). Essien is a worldclass player, and maybe the best midfielder to come out of Africa in a long time. He often plays on the backline with Ghana, where he is very effective. Only problem—he has to miss the critical U.S.A. match with a suspension.
Key Player: ST Matthew Amoah (Rangers). No matter how successful a squad is in qualifying, generating offense will be a concern in the 4-5-1. And all of the pressure for that falls on the striker, in this case, Amoah. He has done well and has fine talent, but will he continue to do so against better quality defenses?
Young Player To Watch: GK Joseph Asante (Kotoko). Asante hasn’t always been first choice keeper until the COSAFA Cup, and he may be a little too green right now for this level. Ghana’s defense looks solid elsewhere, so Asante is the real wildcard.

Coach Note: Mensah has been on the job since shortly after Germany 2006, and has had some decent success with one of Africa’s top national powers in Ghana. He runs a 4-5-1 that keeps most of the squad in the back half of the pitch, but the squad still did very well producing offense in qualifying (24 goals in 10 matches). Mensah led the squad to the semifinals of this year’s COSAFA Cup, although he had less success in 2008 (didn’t get out of the group stage). Mensah is a bit of a mystery, but he has had enough good results to keep an eye on this squad.

Keys To Play: Mensah has some tremendous talent to fall back on, particularly in the midfield. Why he would leave perhaps his second best player, DM Sulley Ali Muntari (Chelsea) home, though, is difficult to fathom. Muntari and Essien would form one of the best midfields in the world, if Muntari were here, and Essien was in the midfield. But this is also where Ghana is strongest—they also have veteran holding mid Stephen Appiah (Fenerbahce) and Godwin Antwi (Liverpool). Appiah plays the key defensive midfield role in the middle of the tactic. On the back end, Essien is joined by the crafty Samuel Kuffour (Roma), playing in his last Cup, as well as Christian Gyan (Levante). The interesting positions to watch will be on the wings, which are being handled by younger players in Michael Helegbe (Cerro Porteno) and Kwabena Agouda (Luzern) with speed and some ability, but also a lot of inexperience. Ghana is a true wildcard itself in this Cup, because it’s uncertain just how this whole mix will mesh.

Portugal

Coach: Rui Oliveira (POR)
Region/How Qualified: Europe (Won Group 8)
FIFA Rank: 8
Germany 2006: Lost in second round to Italy, 1-0
Top Player: AMRL Cristiano Ronaldo (Barcelona). Ronaldo’s amazing ability with the ball and tremendous speed are well-known qualities in the world football community. He is one of the top wingers in the world.
Key Player: AMC Jaoa Moutinho (Betis). Oliveira made the decision to leave the veteran Deco (Barcelona) off the squad, and Maniche retired from international football this year. So he has put his eggs in the basket that is Moutinho, hoping that the young player is ready to be the next in a long line of dynamic and exciting midfielders for Portugal.
Young Player To Watch: ST Ricardo Vaz Te (Sheff Wed). Vaz Te is just starting to burst on the international scene after dominating the Premiership. He was on the pitch for Portugal’s Euro championship two years ago at just 21. Talent and performance aren’t an issue for Vaz Te—it’s the wishy-washy Oliveira, who seems to have troubles picking which of his young stars to start up front.

Coach Note: Since taking over the Portugal job shortly after Germany 2006, Oliveira has had some amazing success with the talented, but sometimes misfiring Portuguese. His biggest triumph and one which not only established his reputation, but also sets up Portugal as a possible title contender was the squad’s surprising Euro 2008 championship, including beating rival Spain in the final. He also took the team to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semis. The questions start with the team’s qualifying run, though. While they did win through to the Cup, Portugal was never deemed to be very impressive, winning a weak group by just a shade.

Keys To Play: As with teams like Mexico and Spain, talent is not an issue here. It’s whether the Portugal squad that is the reigning European champion will show up, or if the squad will get lost a little in a transition from old stars to new. With Maniche and Deco out, and keeper Ricardo (Sporting CP) left at home in favor of Moreira (Benfica), the old guard is largely not present here. One that does remain is star defender Jorge Andrade (Marseille), who hasn’t lost much at all at 32. He leads a deep and talented backline which also includes Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea) and Ricardo Carvalho (Inter). Experience on defense counts for a lot, and that’s where Portugal has a wealth of it. With Ronaldo drawing tons of interest at one wing, there is a good opportunity for players like Ricardo Quaresma (Blackburn) and Simao (Benfica) to be a spark on the other side. Up front, Helder Postiga (Dresden) is a terrific and tested talent who has some amazing skills, and he is a lock at one spot. Vaz Te, along with Miguel (Marseille) and Hugo Almeida (Bolton), will be part of the rotation at the other—and they are all very capable.

United States

Coach: Claudio Reyna (USA)
Region/How Qualified: CONCACAF (2ns in Third Phase Group)
FIFA Rank: 13
Germany 2006: Finished 3rd in Group G (Ukraine, Portugal, Nigeria)
Top Player: AMC/FC Eddie Gaven (Valencia). Wherever Gaven is playing for this squad, stuff just happens. He has played at forward, midfield, and wingback, but his best spot is the midfield. He has tremendous ball skills and creativity and defends as well as the coach once did.
Key Player: St Eddie Johnson (Sochaux). Johnson is super fast and tall, and can dominate a match, as he does often in the Ligue 1 Orange. He has been just as strong in international play, but most of his matches have come against eh weak sisters of the CONCACAF. How will he do with a worldclass defender on him?
Young Player To Watch: AMLC/FC Freddy Adu (Parma). The young but long-touted star of American soccer has been playing very well in the Serie A, and is just magical with the ball. Reyna hasn’t taken to him yet, though, and often uses him as a super sub instead of at a key midfield spot. Will Adu get the chance to shine in South Africa?

Coach Note: Reyna is well known in American circles. The longtime American skipper and Premiership star was hired not long after his retirement, in January, 2008. It’s unclear if he may be in over his head, though, as he has had no other coaching experience. The United States played very well at times during qualifying, but you would think they would be clearly dominant in a region with only one other real power in Mexico. They also had a disappointing quarterfinal exit in the 2009 Gold Cup, but then they had the bad luck to run into Brazil there—no shame in losing to that squad, for sure.

Keys To Play: The United States must be sick of getting Portugal in the group stage. This is the third straight Cup it has happened. This group is very similar in fact to the 2006 group that did the Americans in. Ghana and Nigeria have a lot of similarities in talent, and the unheralded Austria is not unlike surprise 2006 group winner Ukraine. Portugal, of course, is Portugal, only now they are toting along the European championship. For the U.S., there is just too much offensive talent in Adu, Gaven, Johnson, Damarcus Beasley (Sporting CP), Landon Donovan (Lyon) and Danny Szetela (Brann) to not score some goals. The questions are on defense. There isn’t a holding mid like Reyna was in his playing days on this squad, and the “wingbacks” are really just wingers, which does nothing for the three-man defense. Jonathon Spector (Bolton), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard) and Drew Moor (Everton) are solid, but at this stage, not that special. And Tim Howard (Everton) in net isn’t going to remind everyone of past greats in net like Keller and Freidel. Not helping matters—Spector will miss the Ghana match with a suspension.

Franklinnoble · 07-13-2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

It's just part of the name. I think the first thing you need to do is break yourself out of the [City] [Team Name] format that is most common in U.S. sports. European football clubs aren't franchises in more or less unchanging leagues started up with a lot of money.They are usually much older, started when getting a group of guys together to play for something was easier, and just got bigger as the supporter base grew, and the money involved "got real". For instance, most major English clubs date back to the 1800s, and have played on several levels of English league football.

Take your example of Manchester United. That is just the name of the club. It's like you and me starting a club and calling it Two-Thirds, Twizzler or California Cool. It's a business name, not related to any specific location, and as you know, companies can be called just about anything.

It has been common in England for clubs to pick the cities they are based in as part of their name, which makes sense, considering they are trying to build support in those cities for their club. So Manchester United picked its name because it is based in Manchester and wants Manchester residents to follow the club. Same thing for Manchester City. Remember, these are the actual business names of the clubs.

Now, football is like any other sport, and teams have mascots & team names there as well. It's a lot easier to say "Go Red Devils" than "Go Manchester United Football Club" for instance. So clubs will usually have picked out a team name as well.

It might be best for you to remember that the Red Devils are the squad name which plays under the control of Manchester United. So they are the Red Devils of the Manchester United Football Club. And it is the Gunners of the Arsenal Football Club; the Spurs of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club; etc.

And for Sheffield Wednesday, they are the Owls of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Don't get thrown by the "Wednesday", which of course is a day of the week to you. It's just a part of the club/business name (and has its roots in the club history, as tanglewood posted). An American example is the restaurant I have a second job at: TGIFriday's or Thank God It's Fridays restaurant. "Friday" is just a part of the name.

BTW, United is actually more commonly used than Red Devils for Man Utd, because fans will call the team whatever they damn well please (And United rolls off the tongue easier than Red Devils). Just like Gunners isn't used as often as the easier to say Arsenal. But with the Spurs, no one wants to say all of Tottenham Hotspur, or any full part of it, so "Spurs" is much easier to say. And teams have unofficial nicknames, too, that have just grown to be used by many, such as "Toon" for Newcastle, "Barca" for FC Barcelona, "Los Galacticos" for Real Madrid, "Wimbledon" for MK Dons (this last is a joke, you can look that story up).

I hope that explains things a little better.

Yeah, well... there are baseball teams that old in the USA, without the silly names... so, uh, my ignorance is all the fault of the backward Europeans... yeah...

05-29-2006, 05:48 AM	#2
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Worldwide, a lot has happened of course since 2005. At Germany 2006, Holland beat its habit of caving in big tourneys by beating Spain, 2-0, in the finals, with the goals coming from Robben and RVN. In fact, Spain getting this far is also a shock, given their past. Heavyweights fell much earlier in Germany than usual. The unlikely semifinal losers were the Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Among major powers not already mentioned, only Italy got to the quarters. Brazil shickingly lost in the second round to Ireland, and that round also claimed England and host Germany. Mexico, the U.S. and Argentina didn't even get out of their groups. And, France did not wake up enough from its real life malaise to earn a spot to Germany. In Euro 2008, hosted by Austria and Switzerland, Spain got to the final again, only to lose to its Iberian rival, Portugal, in a tight 1-0 match. The lone goal was scored by Maniche, and starting up front for Portugal was none other than Sheffield Wednesday's own Ricardo Vaz Te. He's pretty much our premier international player (and highest valued at around $15 M). Defending world champs Holland reverted to form and didn't escape the first round. Neither did England or Germany 2006 semifinalist Czech Republic. France, Italy and Germany all fell in the quarters, allowing surprising Russia and Turkey to join Spain and Portugal in the semis. Current Top 10 FIFA Rankings 1. Brazil 2. Holland 3. Spain 4. Germany 5. Argentina 6. U.S.A. 7. England 8. Mexico 9. Italy 10. Portugal All regions are currently heavily involved in qualifying for South Africa 2010. I will get more into that as we get closer to wrapping those qualifiers up. In the Champions League, Milan beat Betis to win the 2008-09 cup. Real Madrid's 2007-08 win over Inter broke an amazing streak of three straight Liverpool crowns in Europe. Pool also got to the semis in 2008-09. Fortunately, it ended there. Milan lost twice to Pool in that stretch, so their win this past season has to be a particular relief. Top 10 European clubs, by coefficients... 1. Liverpool 2. Milan 3. Mn Utd 4. Inter 5. Chelsea 6. Arsenal 7. Real Madrid 8. Barcelona 9. Schalke 10. Juventus As you can tell, the EPL has even distanced itself from La Liga and Serie A to become the premier league in the world. The Bundesliga is well behind the top three, but even further ahead of Ligue One and Eredivisie, which are roughly comparable. The top valued players in the world are... 1. FC Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE, Juventus)...$68 M 2. FC Robinho (BRA, Real Madrid)...$65 M 3. ST Adriano (BRA, Inter)...$65 M 4. ST Fernando Torres (ESP, Ath. Madrid)...$60 M 5. AM/FC Samuel Eto'o (CMR, Barcelona)...$56 M 6. AM C Kaka (BRA, Milan)...$55 M 7. AM RL/FC Wayne Rooney (ENG, Man Utd)...$54 M 8. ST Alberto Gilardino (ITA, Milan)...$53 M 9. AM RL Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Barcelona)...$51 M 10. AM L/FC Antonio Cassano (ITA, Roma)...$45 M and the best five non-forwards... 1. DC/MRC Michael Essien (GHA, Milan) 2. MC Francesc Fabregas (ESP. Arsenal) 3. DM Javier Mascherano (ARG, Milan) 4. DM Xabi Alonso (ESP, Liverpool) 5. DC John Terry (ENG, Chelsea) and the best regens (19 and under) so far... 1. ST Vladimir Andreev (UKR, Sampdoria) 2. DC Jairo Ortiz (COL, Milan) 3. ST Massimiliano Martini (SUI, Osasuna) 4. ST Andrea Lancia (ESP, Osasuna) 5. ST Steve Worthington (SCO, Newcastle...I already hate this guy) Looks like Osasuna has a bright future. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

05-29-2006, 03:26 PM	#3
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Here's a look at my first team, back to front. GOALKEEPER Andria Berbia (37 GA in 31 M, 9 clean, 7.10) was actually named to the Premier Division Select last year as the best goalkeeper in the EPL. Only three teams that stayed up had a worse defense than us (55 GA in 38 M), but much of that was my backup keeper Callum Reidford, whom was sent down to the reserves. Berbia has good skills, but he's 31, and I actually have guys with better ratings now. But he will start for now. Key Reserves: In July, Kenneth Vermeer was signed away from Rangers, where he started and did very well. The Dutchman is the future, and will spell Berbia a lot. He's out for August, though with a dislocated jaw. Jonas Tanghe was bought for cheap last year from amateur Belgian squad Deinze, and did a well in a couple of emergency starts last season. He is serving as backup right now in Vermeer's stead. CENTREBACK Curtis Davies (7.30 in 10 M) was one of my key acquisitions last January, for $5.5 M from West Brom. He's my style of DC, fast enough for the quick strikers of the EPL, tall enough for the target men, and strong enough for the English game. The Sierra Leone defender is just 24, and was dominating the EPL for West Brom when he was 20. Djimi Traore (2 A, 7.12 in 33 M) was my answer to defensive problems last season, having bought him from Pool for $1.4 M. He did well, but we still had problems because of his partner, since replaced with Davies. Since Traore is from Mali, I have an all-African centreback pair. Traore is even more dominant physically than Davies and has more offensive ability, as he can slide to the left back spot, but he makes poorer decisions. Key Reserves: Eric Addo was one of the players I felt didn't do such a good job at the back, although starting fell to Martin Laursen, whom has been shipped away on loan to Norwich, a move I hope they make permanent. Addo had a 6.67 in 9 M, and he might be a better fit as a DM. He's passable as a backup here. Veteran Martin Albrechtsen was brought in July from Ipswich in the Championship, but I only really did that to get rid of a player in an exchange. He's decent at all backline spots, but definitely not a starter. I'm currently in negotiations on a transfer for PSV's surplus defender Tim Bakens to help this spot. FULLBACK RFB Frank Simek (3 A, 6.86 in 36 M) is a horse of a player, and an American to boot. In fact, when he got his first cap a year ago, he credited me with developing his game to get him there. Fact is, though, the Premiership game is a little too fast for him. It will be hard for me to move him out, but I may have to. LFB Steve Hammell (2 G, 2 A, 7.00 in 32 M) is a lightning quick Scottish wingback who actually sees time now and then with the national team. Like Simek, he was in place when I took over the Owls, and has performed well. Still, I worry that he is a little too offensive, and not defensive enough. I have madfe a couple attempts to move him to left wing, but it hasn't taken. Key Reserves: I took steps to get quality backups at these spots in the recent transfer season, signing away Bernard Mendy and Andrea Briotti on frees from Duisberg (Bundesliga) and Avelino (Serie B), respectively. Mendy is very fast and strong, and a technically terrific defender. He's also a better offensive player than Simek. He will see a lot of time, and likely split with Simek. Briotti brings to the pitch what Hammell doesn't--he's tall and strong and a fine defender. He's not as fast as Hammell, though, nor as great an offensive player. I plan to use him particularly against very good wingers. DEFENSIVE MID Nick Montgomery (2 A, 7.17 in 23 M) is another leftover starter from the Championship days, but he has made the transition well to the EPL. The Scotsman has a lot of my favorite qualities in a DMC, as he's mean and strong, and sound defensively. He also is smart, has all of the mental qualities you like (determined, works hard, etc.) and is a good passer. Key Reserves: Mathieu Flamini was my big ticket acquisition this past transfer season, for $10 M from Birmingham. That means Montgomery is looking over his shoulder. Flamini is faster and taller than Montgomery, and doesn't give up much elsewhere to him. You will see Flamini in the lineup a lot; he had a 7.33 in 15 M for Birmingham in the EPL last season. ATTACKING MID Juan Pablo Garcia (10 G, 6 A, 7.30 in 30 M) was my swing and homerun last year in new faces. I got him from Antwerp last August against my AM's wishes, and what did he do? Earn a spot on the Premier Division Select squad with Berbia. This vet Mexican international does everything with the ball technically well, and as a forward, he has striker finishing skills. He's also fast, if not super-fast. Key Reserves: This is one of my tough spots, because I have some terrific options here. I still have David Dunn, who does everything I ask. In 28 M (half of them as subs), he 3 G, 4 A and a 6.79. He was the starter in the Championship, whom Garcia replaced in my top 11. I just don't think I can ride Dunn to Champions League glories, but he's a terrific backup. Danish forward mid Martin Christensen is a bit of a shock, because in my annual review of my squad, he actually rates better than even Garcia now. He was on my reserves squad last year. So he's first team now, and he will get a shot--but only against the lighter squads at first. He needs to prove himself (just 22 y.o.). A wildcard is Henok Goitom, whom I brought in on a free from Udiense last July. Goitom was fantastic for us (7 G, 6 A, 7.14 in 28 M), but he's pretty much outrated at all three of his main positions (left winger, fast striker, forward mid). He played all three positions at times last year, with his best play probably coming on left wing. He will be a key backup, I am sure, for his versatility. He's injured for the next week or two. WINGER RWG James Morrison (1 G, 2 A, 7.40 in 10 M) has all the skills in the world for my system. He's a winger with flair, lightning fast, and he can do anything with the ball. He can score like a striker, and even defends well. So why he did so miserrable for Boro, and didn't jump out at Reading in the Championship, I will never know. I bought him from Reading in January for $3.5 M, and as you can see from his stats, he has been exactly what I was looking for from what had been a lackluster spot for me to then. LWG Ross Wallace (1 G, 3 A, 6.78 in 9 M) is a surprise nod here, much like Christensen in the middle. Wallace has been with the Owls since I came here, and I have used him as a useful reserve, particularly when injuries pile up. But I never really saw him as a Premiership starter, and I'm not sure I do now either. But I am giving him his shot. He will have to make the most of it, because I have some high quality backups itching to give it a go. Key Reserves: I am giving Jani Virtanen, a 21-year-old Finn kid, a shot at Morrison's primary backup spot. Virtanen is very fast and capable, and actually rates almost equal to Morrison. But he hasn't shown it on the pitch for me at any level above my reserves squad. We'll see what he does with it. I also have Ronaldo Denneboom here, another player in the mold of Goitom with versatility, speed and offensive ability (5 G, 5 A, 6.92 in 28 M). Denneboom dominated as my RW int he Championship, but he gets hurt way too easy, and hasn't been that same spark in the EPL, leading to the signing of Morrison. Denneboom can start on the right, in the middle, and up front. My high quality backups on the left include two big free transfers in July. Jonathon Blondel gets first shot if Wallace fails. He's not as fast as Wallace, but he's a smart player with all the technical abilities. One big issue--he has been in the EPL for years now with Arsenal and Portsmouth, and has never shown he was a top level player (but neither did Morrison). My other big transfer was Johan Absalonsen. He isn't as technically great as Blondel, and he has some failings next to Wallace, too, but he still looks like a player. And unlike either of them, he did well in a loan with Man City two seasons ago. He has been very good in Denmark, for what that's worth. I also have Goitom here for both sides, and he started on the left wing. He could certainly see a lot of time here. STRIKER FST Ricardo Vaz Te (22 G, 4 A, 7.26 in 34 M) is the face of Sheffield Wednesday, and far and away its premier player. And he's just 22. He already has 15 caps for Portugal (5 G), and is a regular first teamer there. Last year, he shook off a scoreless first eight matches fraught with injury to finish tied for third in the EPL in goals scored. In our promotion year, he dominated the Championship, with 30 G and 9 A. And I got him on a free from Bolton! My only concerns with him is he picks up a lot of nagging injuries, and basically, that Sheffield may end up being too small for him. I resigned him to a contract last year specifically to add in a $40 M minimum fee release clause, and now I wonder if I aimed too low. TMST Toifilou Maoulida (4 G, 4 A, 7.07 in 15 M) became the answer to a long-standing problem for me last January--who do I pair with Vaz Te? I have had maddening problems getting consistent play out of this spot ever since taking over the Owls. Players would step up for a while, but no one would sustain it. So when I got the veteran French target man Toifilou Maoulida (I call him "Tofu" in my head) from Monaco, it was a big relief to see him really take the spot and make it his own. He's as fast as a fast striker, but he's tall and powerful. He's a smart player with a nose for the ball, and he fit right in. When we added him, our offense (second in the EPL with 65 G) took off and nearly earned us a spot in Europe. Also, not reflected in the stats above, he was dominant in cup play. Key Reserves: After a review of numerous options up front, I decided that young rising Finnish star Juha Ojala was my best backup at both striker spots. He certainly rates well enough as both a target man and fast striker. And he's just 18. I turned down millions from Pool for him last summer, just after I got him from Finnish side MyPa. But he hasn't done much for em yet in spot starts, even though he was terrific in reserves and solid on a loan with Ipswich in the Championship last year. So this is his chance. When I sent my scouts out to look for talent, my top scout said 23-year-old Icelandic striker Kjartan Henry Finnbogason was destined for great things. That's enough for me. He doesn't rate as well as my top three, but he's another multi-talented striker, and this year, he, too, gets a shot at backing up my top guys. I also still have Henrik Pedersen, a veteran Danish international whom I signed away on a free from Bolton in the same year I got Vaz Te. Pedersen is your classic cagey, target man vet. I have listed him, because he's 34 and too slow for the EPL, IMO, but he's som strong in the air, I couldn't help but keep him around on the first team. Denneboom and Goitom, and maybe even Blondel and Absalonsen will see time as backups up front, if I don't like what I am seeing here. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 05-29-2006 at 03:36 PM.

05-31-2006, 07:29 PM	#6
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	August 2009 August 8--Sheffield Wednesday at Everton This is a huge first match for me, because while I will acknowledge I am not on the level of an Arsenal or Chelsea, I hope I have ascended to the level of the Evertons and Newcastles of the league, the second tier powers. But beating anyone in this league on the road is not easy. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Berbia I went with players I felt I could count on in a big match like this, so Wallace is the only one who is different from my regular lineup in the last half of 2008-09. I struck first. In the 4th minute, Wallace put the ball into the box from the left, and Garcia headed it short of the net to Tofu. Maoulida put the shot just inside the near post, past an approaching Jan Lastuvka. They answered back quickly, though, on a Tim Cahill header of a Stein Huysegems cross in the 11th minute. We went ahead again in style in the 33rd minute, when Vaz Te made Kevin Kilbane look foolish on his way into the box. Lastuvka fended off Vaz Te's shot, but Morrison got the rebound and put it in. We put it away when Garcia got free on a run toward the box. Lastuvka rushed out on him and deflected the ball, but it fell to Vaz Te and an easy open net score. We got two more scores from David Dunn, and Sheffield Wednesday slaughtered Everton 5-1!. Morrison picked up the MoM from among several deserving candidates. Unfortunately Garcia picked up a bad groin strain in the second half. Although Dunn was fantastic in replacing him, Garcia will miss 2-4 weeks, and that will hurt. There is a week before our home opener against Blackburn. We succeed in signing away DC Tim Bakens, a heady, tall and powerful 26-year-old Dutchman who was being phased out at PSV, for just $350K. He seems to be a good choice as a solid backup for Davies and Traore at the back. Simek is picked for the U.S. squad in a qualifier against Mexico on August 12. Although he was put on the sideline, his number didn't get called. I also decided to send away Virtanen on a 5 month loan to Championship side Walsall. I didn't seek to loan him out, but when they offered, I thought it was another good chance for him to show me he deserved the starting time his stats suggest. With Denneboom and Dunn (at least) to back up Morrison, I'm not too concerned about the right side. August 15--Blackburn at Sheffield Wednesday The Rovers flirted with relegation along with us, so I come into this one believing we need to win this if we're the squad we think we are. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Flamini - Dunn - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia After Dunn's strong showing at Goodison, I gave him the start at Garcia's spot. This is also the first match for Blondel, Flamini and Mendy in an Owls' kit. This one started brutal and defensive, as neither side mounted a serious challenge in the first half. With 30 minutes left, I relieved a fatigued Vaz Te with Denneboom, and it paid immediate dividends. Denneboom was in the right place near the right post when the ball fell to him out of a challenge in the middle of the box. He blasted it past a charging Brad Friedel (yes, still there, still playing, still starting) for the first goal of the match. We didn't put it away, though, until Christensen, on for Dunn, scored in the 86th minute. Sheffield Wednesday takes it 2-0. It wasn't a pretty win, but we'll certainly take it. The rest of the day didn't go so well for us. In some post match training, Dunn pulled his Achilles, and the injury will put him down until likely November. After the great start for him, this is awful news. Also, reserve defender Jean-Christophe Cesto demands first team play. Since he's just not ready, I refuse and he demands a transfer. This will happen at big clubs. Goitom has resumed full training at least, which is very good news (he is an option at the forward mid spot, which is crippled with injury right now). We don't have to wait too long for our next match this time, with a mid-week trip to Molineux. August 19--Sheff Wednesday at Wolves The Wolves are a tougher matchup then their reputation suggests, as they finished 6th last season and in Europe. So this is no easy matchup. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Christensen - Morrison DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Berbia Christensen finally gets his start, the one his ratings (and injuries to Garcia and Dunn) earned him. At the back, Briotti and Bakens are playing in their first match for us. This one went south from the start. In the 15th minute, Morrison held back Joleon LeScott on an indirect freekick and the Wolves got the penalty call. Giovanny Hernandez put it in the right corner for a 1-0 lead. Magnus Myklebust then scored one of those amazing curling shots from well beyond the box to put them up 2-0 in the 35th minute, and that was just a couple minutes after another Myklebust netter was disallowed. I turned up the pressure, switching to a forward, closing down attack I call “Hi-Press”. We got one back just before half when Vaz Te anticipated a wide cross into the box from Wallace and put it in the goal. We pulled level in the 54th minute, when a Vaz Te pass to Tofu somehow curled just inside the far post, before it even reached the Frenchman, for an unlikely score. We were back in it! It looked like it was headed for a draw until we got hooked on the indirect freekick again! ARGH! Denneboom tripped up Luis Boa Morte in the box, and they got another penalty in the 80th minute. On top of that, Denneboom was issued a red for the professional foul. Disaster! Or so I thought...Myklebust blasted it to the right, but Berbia read the move and blocked it back out. Briotti got to it first and sent it off to safety. A few minutes later, despite being a man down, we pressed back on the other side, and Absalonsen freed himself on a cross and knocked the ball in for the go ahead! A tremendous winner for the Owls! Sheff Wednesday take an inspiring 3-2 win away from the Wolves. The Wolves were probably the better team, and it took a MoM from Berbia to keep them out for more than two. The win puts us at the top of the league table three matches in, with Man Utd and Leeds sharing our spot. After the match, we ship Cesto off to nonleague Aldershot, so that headache is gone (and was happy to get as much as $475K for him). We rejected loan offers for Christensen from League One Oldham and Peterborough—with Garcia and Dunn out, we can’t afford to move him even if we wanted to. Milan beat Man Utd, which won the UEFA Cup last year, in the Super Cup. The draw for the Carling Cup Second Round was held, and we got a poor draw, a road trip to Birmingham and the just relegated Blues. That’s a tough matchup, although I am confident we can win it. We will play on September 16, and I later find out the match is selected for TV. Our final match before the international break is coming, and it’s against surprising Leeds. They finished lower than us last year. August 23—Leeds United at Sheff Wednesday I don’t think any pundits had this match marked down as a pairing of the two top squads in the league, but like us, the Whites don’t have a defeat yet. They barely fought off relegation, and only one team that didn’t drop was behind them (Boro). Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Flamini - Christensen - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Berbia Other than dealing with the midfield injuries, we have a pretty well tested veteran squad out on the pitch today, and the Owls’ fans pack Hillsborough almost to capacity (39782 in stands that hold 39814). It should be noted Leeds is also not all that far from Sheffield. Although Blackburn and the Manchester squads are more likely rivals, and we’re more likely linked with the northeast squads (Boro, Toon, Sunderland when they’re up), this is still a matchup with punch. Our main rival is Sheffield United, but we left those poor bastards in the Championship. This match had much of the same gritty feel as the Blackburn match. Neither team seemed able to get anything going. Through sixty minutes, only six shots had been registered, and just three of them were on goal (with our only shot on goal from a Vaz te breakaway that he oddly kicked right at Federico Vilar…out of position on a rush out--Vilar “saved” it from going to a goal kick to the right of the goal). On top of that, I had to replace Wallace with a knock in the 42nd minute, and Traore picked up a playable knock after I had made all my subs (including removing a very fatigued Christensen). Vaz Te just seemed off today. He put another right at the keeper in the 63rd minute, just a few ticks after he blasted the ball over a wide open net. Leeds finally broke the malaise with another of those long curlers from defender Kristian Bak Nielsen in the 76th minute. They always seem to beat Berbia to his right. And with the match the way it was, that had the look of a winner. But Vaz Te finally showed up in response, moving into the box for a closeup blast. He put it at Vilar again, but this time hit it so hard, it bounded off of the Leeds keeper and into the net to pull us level. We then struck again in the 83rd minute, as Tofu took a nice setup pass from Montgomery just outside of the box, and threaded a nice shot through traffic into the right corner of the goal. I should have known this match wouldn’t end like that, though. Leeds skipper and winger Jakub Blaszczykowski found room to run into the box, after they drew a hobbled Traore out of the way, and put a nice shot past Berbia on the far side to knot it up in the 85th minute. Leeds forces the draw from Sheff Wednesday 2-2 So the matter of which team goes to the top will wait another day. Surprisingly, Vaz Te gets the MoM. Man Utd coulda jumped us the next day, but lost an understandably tough road match against Pool, 1-0. So we enter the break on top of the EPL with Leeds. Montgomery’s all around performance the past week earned him a spot on the Premier Division Team of the Week, and apparently he also impressed the Whites, as they made the odd football offer of a straight change of Montgomery for a decent-looking right back of about the same age. I didn’t need a right back, though, so I turned them down. Traore has bruised ribs and will be out from four days to two weeks, but that probably won’t matter with the break. Mendy picked up a head-bruise in a postmatch training challenge. I really need to stop the squad from doing anything after matches, it seems. He will be out at most a week. While no matches are played in the last week of August, there is a lot of action, as this is the end of the transfer season. Bakens was our last real get, so we weren’t in for anyone (and only had $4 M to spend anyway; I expect to get a lot more from the board in winter). We receive no offers but the one for Montgomery, but we do loan out last year’s backup goalkeeper Reidford to Hibernian in the SPL, and listed Reserve striker Stokes to Peterborough, both for five months. In good training news, our new backup goalkeeper and netminder of the future Vermeer resumes training from his dislocated jaw, and Garcia gets back on the pitch from his groin strain at the end of the month. The writers dismiss my attempt to earn August’s top boss award, and give the Manager of the Month award to former Boro boss Steve McClaren, currently heading the Whites. So that sucked. I was second. No Owls featured elsewhere in the monthly awards. The Wolves’ Myklebust was second on the goal of the month list with his curling shot against us. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 05-31-2006 at 07:44 PM.

05-31-2006, 10:55 PM	#7
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Transfer & Internationals Round Up Transfer Season With the end of August comes the end of the transfer season. Our biggest move, as noted, was the signing of Flamini from Birmingham for $10 M. That is a sizable and significant transfer, but, of course, on the scale of the Premiership, it rates as average probably. Here is a look at the most significant transfers in and out of the EPL and around the world: In England... ST Chris Gayle (Liverpool to Chelsea for $60 M) DL Maxwell (Ajax to Chelsea for $30 M) DM Sulley Ali Muntari (Leverkusen to Chelsea for $26 M) DM Angelo Palombo (Porto to Chelsea for $19.5 M) DRC Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht to Chelsea for $16 M) Luca Gambino (Milan to Chelsea for $15.75 M) AMC Maurizio Arena (Napoli to Wolves for $12.75 M) ST Rocco Franchini (Barcelona to Arsenal for $11.75 M) ST Davide Petrucci (Milan to Liverpool for $10.75 M) DM Mathieu Flamini (Birmingham to Sheff Wed for $10 M) As you can see, Chelsea hasn't changed one bit, with the six biggest bids in England in July and August. I was absolutely floored by the $60 M offer for Gayle. He's a terrific looking young talent, but he's 21, and hasn't even featured on England's national team yet. And Pool didn't even spend that money--they might make some serious bids in the winter window. Chelsea was very concerned with their defense, as only Gayle is an offensive player. Maxwell and Palombo were probably the big ticket gets at the back, as those five are two DMs, two FBs and a GK. Petrucci might be the next Gayle, so Pool is just getting ready to cash in with Chelsea again in three years. The biggest transfers out involved Man City ST Robin Van Persie and disgruntled Boro WGR Stewart Downing, both bought by Valencia for $14 M apiece. Obviously, a lot more money goes out of England than in in the transfer market. Around the world (not counting England)... MR Andoni Iraola (Athletic to Real Madrid for $51 M) ST Gabriele Gatti (Betis to Real Madrid for $25.5 M) FC Mirko Vucinic (Lecce to Ajax for $25 M) FC Diego (Atletico Paranaense to Marseille for $24 M) ST Roman Tkachenko (Barcelona to Villareal for $23.5 M) FC Cesar Delgado (Atletico Madrid to Stuttgart for $23 M) ST Bruno Pozzi (Juventus to Milan for $21.5 M) ST Johan Vonlanthen (Koln to FC Bayern for $20.5 M) Obviously, in this last transfer season, only Real Madrid comes even close to spending on Chelsea's level, and they're not real close at all. Gayle was far and away the biggest transfer money spent. And mind you, Chelsea hasn't won the EPL since 2006 (Arsenal is on a three-year run). Internationals & World Cup ASIA The final group stage has been completed in Asia, and all four automatic spots have been handed out. Those teams are Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and South Korea. The Uzbeks are a bit of a shock, but the others are regulars from Asia. Australia and North Korea will play a home-and-home playoff in October to determine which team will face the fourth place squad from CONCACAF for one other spot. No Owls play with the Asian national teams. OCEANIA This region has lost a lot of oomph with Australia's move to Asia, but the region still gets a shot at a World Cup spot. New Zealand wrapped up a playoff spot by beating Vanuatu 5-2 on Aug. 29 and Sep. 5. New Zealand will meet the fifth place South American squad in another playoff in November for the final spot. No Owls play with Oceania national teams. SOUTH AMERICA Brazil clinched earlier this year, and Argentina joined their rivals by beating Ecuador 3-0 on Sep. 5. The last two spots, and the playoff spot, though, are still very much in contention. Bolivia is third with 25 points, but they are only six points up on eighth place Peru, and just two points out of not even being in the playoff. That’s how close it is. Colombia is right behind Bolivia with 24 points, and Paraguay and Uruguay have 23 points apiece, with Paraguay getting the nod on goal differential for the playoff spot. Venezuela has 21 points, and Peru 19. There was only round this break for South American squads, but it was still a critical matchday. Colombia shellacked Bolovia 4-1 to move into a playoff spot, and Paraguay and Uruguay drew, 2-2, failing to take advantage of the other. There are no Owls players on South American national teams. AFRICA Eric Addo’s Ghana lost to Mali, Dkimi Traore’s national team, 2-1, although Traore wasn’t called for this match. That would be a key match, as Ghana leads Group 1, with Mali just two points back. Addo was on the squad, but was not subbed on. Only the group winners advance to the Cup. Only one match remains for African qualifying. As it turns out, only Group 1 remains to be decided. Morocco long ago walked away with the Group 2 spot, and Senegal’s 3-1 win over Ethiopia on Sep. 5 in Group 3 clinched their trip to South Africa, staying ahead of Nigeria. Algeria only drew, 1-1, with Rwanda, but any point would clinch them the Group 4, so they are going south as well. Qualifying spots in Africa are particularly at a premium because South Africa automatically receives one of Africa’s five bids as host of the tournament. NORTH AMERICA With two wins and a draw in August and early September, the United States has clinched its spot in South Africa 2010. Mexico, leading the final six-team group in CONCACAF qualifying, had already nabbed its spot. With two matches to go, Canada sits in third, and Costa Rica is in the playoff spot (which would play the winner of the Australia-North Korea playoff for a spot in South Africa). But only six points separate the bottom four squads, so Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala still have a chance. Simek was brought on as a sub at halftime of the Aug. 29 match against TNT and did so well, he earned MoM honors (although he didn't get on the scoresheet). He did not play in the U.S.'s other two matches. Garcia was called up to Mexico's squad in June and seems to be a regular reserve for the team, but his injury in August kept him from being called up for any of Mexico's three matches. EUROPE Two major tournaments are in progress in Europe, with both the Cup qualifying as well as UEFA U-21 championship qualifying. Sheff Wed players featured heavily in both. Scotland-- Montgomery, Hammell (called up as an injury replacement) Iceland-- Finnbogason Portugal-- Vaz Te Finland-- Ojala Denmark-- Laursen (currently on loan with Norwich) Switzerland U-21-- DM Kevin Gomez Ireland U-21-- ST Anthony Stokes Northern Ireland U-21-- ST Kevin Thompson Wales U-21-- GK Steve Wright Europe's group stage will wrap up in October, with playoffs in November. Group 1 Austria is the surprise leader here after two wins over bottom feeders Hungary and Azerbaijan. They are just one point up on Italy, though, which is traditionally underachieving. Lithuania and Denmark are also still alive, within four points of the lead. Laursen played well in a draw against Italy and a win over Hungary. Group 2 France and Serbia Montenegro are one-two here, and France is a virtual lock to at least get a playoff. Only Switzerland still has a chance to catch either squad. Group 3 Spain leads this group, but this is a logjam. Six points separate the top five squads. Russia and Ireland are within three points of Spain. Group 4 This is one of the better groups, with England leading the way with 18 points. Northern rival Scotland is right behind them, though, with 17 points, and Bulgaria and Greece are also still in the mix. Scotland had a chance to actually pass England, but could only draw at home against Greece on Sep. 2. Montgomey played in both matches. He scored in Scotland's 3-0 win over Cyprus and played very well, but he was less than stellar against Greece. Hammell was never placed on the squad. Group 5 Defending World Cup champ Holland has already easily clinched its spot to South Africa, 10 points up on second. But four other teams are still in the fight for the playoff spot, with Norway leading the way with 12 points. Group 6 Germany had a chance to seal its trip to South Africa, but could only draw with Iceland, 2-2. Still, the Huns are six points up--it would take a miracle for them to miss out. The real fight is for the playoff spot. Israel leads the way with 14 points, but Romania (13) and Iceland (12) are both in range. Finnbogason featured prominently in the Germany game, starting and scoring Iceland's first goal. He came on as a sub in Iceland's 1-1 draw with Israel on Aug. 29, and also did well (although he didn't score). They were his first caps. Group 7 Czech Republic leads this group but hasn't put it away, with Bosnia just two points back. Belgium is also in reach, three points back of Bosnia. Group 8 Turkey and Portugal are even on top of this group, but the Turks have a match in hand on the European champs. Neither side was able to capitalize on a grudge match on Sep. 2, drawing 1-1. Armenia and Slovenia are only two and three points back of the leaders, and they also have a match in hand on Portugal. Vaz Te started in both matches for Portugal, and scored in the 3-0 win over Albania. But he did not play well against Turkey, and that was the key match. Group 9 Croatia leads this group, and Sweden is fairly clear in second, although neither team has clinched. It would be very unlikely for them not to advance, though. Finland, with 5 points from 6 matches, has not played well, but Ojala started and scored twice in a 3-0 drubbing of Wales. He was on the squad for the Croatia game, but not called onto the pitch. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-03-2006, 12:22 AM	#8
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	September 2009 September 5—Sheff Wed at Newcastle At the beginning of the season, I said I hoped I was at least on the level of Everton and Newcastle, representing the EPL’s second tier. Well, having stunned Everton at Goodison, today I get to visit another vaunted English pitch in St. James. And to add a little flavor to it, the men of Toon are, with Boro, my likely rivals in this current league. So this game is a big one. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia Garcia is back and close enough to full health to get the start. I decide to go with the more defensive Briotti and the physically more capable Mendy at the fullback spots. Wallace might as well have not walked on the pitch. He pulled his hamstring just 5 minutes in, and I had to replace him with Blondel. Both keepers were tested with some close up shots early. Shay Given had to stop an up close Vaz Te shot. Berbia turned away a deep-in header by Carlton Cole. Despite some free-flowing ball movement, though, shots were limited through most of the first half. I noted partway through that Newcastle had chosen to start two 17-year-olds on its backline today. While they are talented kids, I thought that might be a mistake, and that proved to be the case in the 36th minute. Garcia won control of a goal kick header near midfield, and when he stepped forward, both centrebacks—including one of the teenagers—stepped forward to mark him. That freed Vaz Te on a run, which Garcia put forward for him perfectly. Vaz Te showed his scoring skill, drawing Given out as he ran into the right end of the box and waiting until the vet goal keeper committed to either side. Vaz Te blasted the ball just inside the post for the 1-0 lead. After that, the Magpies seemed to specialize in creating chances, but not putting the ball on goal. But if you put on enough pressure, some are bound to reach the keeper. Berbia was on his game. The only mistake he made was following Cole off his line, but fortunately, Cole didn’t see and moved it up the line to Albert Luque instead of trying to turn it back toward a Newcastle player near the open goal. Later on, James Milner also missed a good look at an open net. Despite all of that, Sheff Wed held on for the 1-0 win over Newcastle! Berbia received a well-earned MoM. It wasn’t a pretty game, but we’ll take this huge win for us. We were outshot 22-12, but both sides put up the same on goal (7). In addition to Wallace, we also lost Morrison in the 50th minute, and Denneboom, Morrison’s replacement, picked up a knock I didn’t find out about until after the match. Morrison came through okay, but Wallace’s hamstring will likely cost him the rest of September, and Denneboom hurt his heel, knocking him out for 1-2 weeks. Our depth along the wing will certainly take a hit here. This was just the start of a vicious month of injuries, though. Addo strained his wrist lifting weights in training, and he will certainly be out the rest of September, and maybe a whole month. It turns out we didn’t lose much in losing Wallace, though, as Blondel earned a spot on the Team of the Week with Berbia. In other news, Richard Wood, a Reserve centreback, complained about his first team play (or lack thereof). As with his backline partner Cesto, Wood isn’t ready for EPL play and may never be. I refuse to be forced to pick him, and Wood apologizes a day later. September 12—Middlesbrough at Sheff Wed This is another potential regional rival and, of course, my own connections to Boro make this a particularly compelling matchup. That said, it’s a home match against the lowest team in the league last year to not earn the drop—and that was with Downing (since shipped to Valencia). I would be disappointed in the extreme if we don’t walk in this one. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Flamini - Christensen - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Vermeer Absaolnsen and Vermeer are getting their first starts for us here, but short of the injured players, this isn’t far off from our regular lineup. For the Owls, this match started off like any manager’s dream. Vaz Te powered a Hammell swinging cross from deep into the net in the 2nd minute, and then ran onto a Tofu pass in the 6th minute, eluding a defender to loft a soft one over the rushing out Scott Carson for a quick 2-0 lead. And then Chris Riggott brought Vaz Te down on a breakaway in the 11th minute, and was sent off for the professional foul. It seemed this would be easy as I thought. Well, not so much. My boys let up a bit after that, I think, because the Boro put on decent pressure despite being a man down, and then in the 44th minute, Yakubu jumped on an awful misplay by Hammell, and then Vermeer made the equally bad decision to rush out to intercept the striker. Yakubu got his shot off at an open net, and we went into the half just up one goal. I will admit, I was not particularly friendly that halftime. We played a much stronger defensive match in the second match, and in the 78th minute, Ojala, who came on to replace Tofu who picked up a knock (of course), was dragged down in the box by Tony McMahon on the break. Ojala was my choice to take the kick, and he bagged it to put this one away. [b]Owls defeat Boro, 3-1.[.b] Traore was MoM. We have now won five of six, and only the Leeds draw broke that record. Teams in European play are dropping behind in matches played, so abit of an unfair advantage for us right now, but we have the league lead six rounds in! Simek would earn a spot on the Team of the Week for his play. Tofu did escape the match without injury, but my training woes continued. Mendy hurt his wrist in the same way as Addo, lifting weights, although not so severely. He will miss 1-2 weeks. This is starting to get ridiculous. We had only a short wait for our next match, a Carling Cup second round road tie with Birmingham. It is also the first of four straight televised matches for the Owls. September 16—Sheff Wed at Birmingham I approached this match with a little trepidation. Birmingham was a tough matchup for me. They had just been relegated, so their talent level wasn’t far off the EPL level. We were playing them at St. Andrews. And last year, we couldn’t seem to figure them out. Despite the fact that the only team they seemed able to stay ahead of last year was Southampton, we continually underperformed against them. It was frustrating. So I was definitely worried. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Berbia Unlike many managers, both in real life and amongst FM players, I take domestic cup play very seriously. I want to win everything, so I usually start most of my top squad, as with my league matches. I did choose to rest Traore in favor of Bakens, although I had Traore on the sub list. This is the definitely a team I dislike. It’s against teams like this where I have Berbia making the best save of his day—against his own player! He barely turned aside an accidental header from Davies so on spot I wanted to search Davies’ traveling bags for betting slips. Emile Heskey acted like he was ten years younger and actually good with his runs to the sideline. To get our first goal in the 21st minute, Tofu had to do this amazing shot that just caught the far post on a breakaway, and the Blues equalized just three minutes later when Steed Malbranque suddenly found himself wide open in front of Berbia with the ball on his foot. He scored it with ease, and I saw that Bakens was the one marking him. Very crappy moment. Then in the 29th minute, Berbia had to go off with a knock! Un-flappinfrickinfreakinbelievable. > I replaced him with Vermeer. We turned things more our way, finally, in the 33rd minute when Vaz Te used a terrific straight double pass from Montgomery-to-Tofu-To-Vaz Te to set up another run and “just inside the post”-er for the 2-1 lead. At that point, lead be-damned, we were being outshot 9-3. We pretty much put it away when Tofu put in a Morrison shot rebound three minutes later. Sheff Wed wins over Birmingham 3-1, and advances in the Carling Cup. Tofu’s two scores earned him the MoM. I told you he was money in cup play. The Blues outshot us by a good bit (16-9), but we actually had more on goal (5-4). We made our chances count. Berbia was fine, but Morrison had to go off later (again), and this time he wasn’t so lucky, twisting his ankle. He will miss two weeks to a month. Around the league, Leeds, Derby and Norwich all fell in Carling Cup play, although at least Leeds and Derby had the decency to fall to other EPL squads. Norwich lost (at home!) to Preston from the Championship. A few days later, we drew another road match for the third round, and will play at League Two’s Grimsby Town. Like Cesto and Wood, Reserve winger Lloyd Dyer wants first team action. Rinse and repeat. He later apologizes. Now on a roll (injuries notwithstanding), I am looking to stay focused for the road match to Forest, and to not look ahead at the huge showdown at Hillsbrough against Man U at the end of the month. September 21—Sheff Wed at Nottm Forest Forest and I go way back. We both promoted last year, and we both managed to stay up. They fought with us tooth and nail in the Championship, despite the fact we were really good at that level. They dogged us all season, and only fell off at the end, allowing Bolton to slip past them for the automatic promotion spot. They had to win it in the playoff, and of course, they did. Then last year, we continued to struggle with them in our league matches. Simply put, I can’t stand playing Forest. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Flamini - Garcia - Cristiano DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Berbia I continued to rotate Absalonsen and Blondel in Wallace’s absence, and also Flamini with Montgomery in the middle. But I had to seek first team help from the Reserves with all these injuries. I beought up right winger Cristiano, a speedy and versatily player but with lesser mental ability for the game; Trond-Erik Bertelsen, a left back who is better as a left winger; Bjorn Westerblad, a young mid who has complained about playing time; and popular vet defender Grame Lee. I’m not sure any of them are better than average Premiership players, but I don’t have a choice. Cristiano even starts in this one for the injured Morrison (and now am I regretting that Virtanen loan? Well, who woulda guessed Morrison, Dunn and Denneboom would all be out at once?) I knew right from the start how this one would go, although I held out hope for overcoming a slow start. James Beattie hit one of those long-distance curlers into the corner of the net (to the right, of course, jeez, Berbia…) to take the 1-0 lead in the 6th minute. I hate it when I play functionally good defense, and I am undone by a crafty, fortunate long shot (and especially crazy curlers from the far side of either end of the box). But that’s the way it went. Simone Pellegrini scored another one like that, only this time a straight on curver (upper right corner again), but from a distance. That came in the 36th minute. I pressed the whole way left, and the stats ended up fairly equal, but our team was just in the tank. Sheff Wed fall to Forest, 2-0. We fall from the ranks of the undefeated, although we’re still on top of the league coming out of the round (only tied with the Red Devils now, our next opponent). Gawd, I hate playing Forest. Strangely enough, it’s the first game perhaps this season where no one picked up a knock, had to leave the match, or ended up hurt after the match. That didn’t stop our luck in training, though. Berbia caught a shot awkwardly in training the next day, and broke a finger. And that little break turns out to be trumped only by Dunn’s Achilles heel injury in August. Berbia will be out until at least November, and maybe December! Groan…I bring up Jonas Tanghe to serve as backup to Vermeer, suddenly thrust into starting days before Man U visit Hillsbrough. I also lost Pedersen to a chest injury in this one (one to four weeks), but then I never run him out onto the pitch anyway. Denneboom at least seems to be returning to fitness at least, and so is Mendy. So I am looking stronger now on the right than I did before. Man U’s coach is Steve Bruce, and I forgot that I complimented him last year. He considers us friends. So he complimented me. I said likewise, and fuzzy feelings abound. I got five comments from the players, and most were positive (glad to see coach diverting attention, glad to see coach getting deserved notice), although Vaz Te wasn’t sure I should be praising other teams. September 27—Man Utd at Sheff Wed So the big match arrives. I’m not in the same league as these guys, talent-wise, but we’re still tied (now third and fourth, as Chelsea and Arsenal leaped us in earlier round matches), and I’m at home. Plus, I have played Man Utd good in the past, beating them once last year (at Old Trafford, weird). Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Denneboom DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy GK Vermeer Man Utd at this point in time is a mix of the old and the new. Van Der Sar is in net. Defoe is up front. Obi Mikel is not a Blue. Rooney plays both up front and on the side. Rio and Neville still wear the red. And they’re all still good. They started off the way you expect, scoring in the 5th minute and making it look easy. Defoe slipped in close to the left post, frustratingly alone, and headed in a Mikael Silvestre pass for the first lead. I switched to the Hi-Press right away, because that formation has been strangely successful in comebacks against big talent sides. It produced some nice chances for Vaz Te and Garcia, but no dice. So it was funny when Vaz Te turned a short Blondel pass from just outside the box into a terrific curling shot that just rocketed past the left post in the 28th minute. Van der Sar could barely move. It was a brilliant shot, and the sort of thing I bitched at Forest for doing. Regardless, we tied it up. I was dodging bullets after that, with Vermeer turning away a nice curving shot from Rooney, and Davies coming back to remove the ball from Defoe on a breakaway in the latter minutes of the first half. So that’s what makes what happened just before half time so frustrating. Mikel unleashes a soft floating freekick into the box, and Traore trails Rooney—part way! The guy just stops in the middle of the box, while Rooney keeps on, practically standing on the goal line. The ball falls perfectly to him and he heads it into the corner for the 2-1 lead. GHAR! (Silver prize on this play goes to Vermeer, who coulda closed on Rooney and intercepted it, but instead felt that guarding the far post, well away from Rooney and, well, anyone else in red, was the way to go about it). I would go on to describe the second half, how close we got, how even overall we played with this worldclass squad, but you just knew after that second score how this would end. Sheff Wed fall, 2-1, to Man Utd. Briotti and Blondel, of course, suffered knocks, and Briotti turned out to be a twisted knee that will sit him for 2-4 weeks. Join the crowded trainer’s room, Mr. Briotti, won’t you please? And that’s how we enter the second international break. With a two-match losing streak, and a hsot of injuries. To recap, among starters, Wallace, Berbia and Morrison are hurt, and major backups Dunn, Briotti and Addo are also out. And we have lost Pedersen, too, but who gives a f---. And we just got back Mendy and Denneboom. Did I miss anyone? __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

05-31-2006, 05:59 AM	#4
daedalus Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000	Yay! Looking forward to following this dynasty. When 'Boro comes looking for you, will you be moving on or will you be staying?

06-04-2006, 06:24 AM	#10
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Internationals Round Up This is a very critical stretch of international matches, as this will finally begin to show how the field will be composed. After this round, there are no more group play--it's all playoffs to figure the final spots. ASIA As previously noted, Uzbekistan, Iran, South Korea and Saudi Arabia have already clinched their spots by finishing in the top two spots of Asia's final two-group phase. The third place squad in each group met each other to earn a spot in a playoff for one final spot. The winner of the two-leg playoff will meet the winner of the Oceania winner in a final playoff for one spot to South Africa 2010. Australia, freshly added to the region, and North Korea met on October 23 and October 29 to play out this leg. Australia took a 2-1 win at home in the first leg, and then fought off North Korea on the road, 1-1. The Aussies won, 3-2 aggregate. Australia will play Oceania winner New Zealand, an old and familiar rival, in November for the spot. No Sheff Wed players played in this region. SOUTH AMERICA Going into the final two rounds, only six points separate the third through eighth place squads. Bolivia is third, and followed by Colombia. Uruguay and Paraguay are next, with Paraguay holding the playoff spot on goal differential. Peru and Venezuela make up the back end of the contenders. With Uruguay drawing Brazil and Bolivia Argentina in the Oct. 10 round, the two premier powers of the region, the first round was a dynamite opportunity for Colombia and Paraguay to solidify their positions, since they faced off with bottom dwellers, Chile and Ecuador. Colombia took advantage, winning 2-0, but Paraguay could only draw against Ecuador, 1-1. As expected, both Bolivia and Uruguay lost, so Colombia moved past Bolivia into third with 27 points, and Paraguay's one point moved them clear of Uruguay for the playoff spot. Peru beat Venezuela, 3-2, essentially eliminating Venezuela, but keeping Peru's hopes alive. Colombia and Bolivia's leading spots become a little more tenuous with matches against Argentina and Brazil in the Oct. 14 round. That means a chance for Uruguay and Paraguay, who are playing Venezuela and Peru, respectively. Neither team takes advantage, though, both forcing 2-2 draws. For Uruguay this is disastrous, as they needed the win to get past Paraguay and catch Bolivia. For Paraguay, though, it turned even better when Bolivia lost to Brazil at home 3-0. Paraguay's one point moved them into a tie with Bolivia on poiints, and then ahead on goal differential. So Paraguay grabbed the fourth automatic spot, along with Colombia, and Bolivia will have to play the CONCACAF region's fourth place squad to get to South Africa. Once again, no Sheff Wed had no players playing in this region. AFRICA With Morocco, Senegal and Algeria already locking in their spots by winning their groups, and South Africa getting a spot as host, only the Group 1 spot remains to be contested. Mali comes in two points behind Ghana for that spot, and have called up Owls defender Djimi Traore for their match against Sudan on Oct. 10. Odds are slim, with Ghana drawing small fish Malawi (although Sudan is actually at the bottom of the group). Mali needs Ghana to lose at home to Malawi, since they won't win a tie with Ghana, too far down on goal differential as they are. Traore starts for Mali at left back, and plays well (7 rat) in a 3-0 win. Unfortunately for Mali, Ghana also wins easily, beating Malawi 3-0 as well. So Ghana earns the spot, and Traore will sit at home and watch the tourney with most of the rest of his Owls' squadmates. NORTH AMERICA With Mexico and the U.S. clinching their spots already, the only thing that really matters to Owl fans is the performance of Garcia for Mexico and Simek for the U.S. Both were called up for these last two rounds. The last automatic spot and the playoff spot are still very much in the air for the other four teams, Canada, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobaggo and Guatemala. In the first round on Oct. 3, Canada was obliterated, 5-0, by Mexico and lost out on a chance to clinch the automatic spot. Costa Rica did better, earning a 1-1 draw against the U.S.A. to get within two of Canada. Guatemala edged TnT, 2-1, to leapfrog them into fifth, just a point behind Costa Rica and its playoff spot position. Garcia started in the midfield for Mexico and played well, scoring a goal and earning a 9 rating. Simek was brought on as an injury replacement for Michael Parkhurst of Celtic, but he didn't do well, earning just a 6 rating. In the second and final round on Oct. 7, Costa Rica would need to beat Mexico on the road, and have Canada draw or lose to TnT at home. Canada did draw with the island nation, 2-2, but Costa Rica couldn't cope with Mexico, and lost 4-1. Canada clinched the automatic spot. Costa Rica's loss meant Guatemala had a chance to get the playoff spot if they beat the U.S., but they fell 2-0 at home, allowing COsta Rica to back into a playoff spot and a battle against South America's Bolivia for the final bid to South Africa. Garcia started in the midfield again for Mexico and put up a 7 rating. Simek was a sub again for the U.S. and played better, also with a 7 rating. EUROPE Group 1 Austria goes into the final two rounds in first with 17 points, and powerful Italy one point behind. Lithuania is at 15, and Denmark 14, so this is definitely a group with some volatility. Needing to go into surprising Lithuania on Oct. 3 to pull out a key win, Austria did well, earning a strong 3-0 result. Italy needed a win over Hungary to keep pace, but only drew 1-1. That in essence clinched the automatic spot for Austria, as they were +5 better than Italy in goal differential going into the final round. Denmark disappointingly only drew 1-1 with weakling Azerbaijan, although it did move them into a tie with Lithuania and in reach of Italy and the playoff spot. In the final Oct. 7 round, Austria held even with Italy, 2-2, in the matchup of the round, clinching the group's automatic bid. Denmark pasted Lithuania, 3-0, to catch Italy, but lost out by virtue of the results between the two sides, which Italy held 3-2. Group 2 Mighty France led this group, but Serbia & Montenegro was just two points off of the mark. Switzerland, with 13 points, was three back of S&M and five off of France. The Oct. 3 match saw the Serbs hold draw at in a scoreless match with France, but little San Marino earned fans in both countries when they stunned Switzerland, 1-0, on the road. That clinched the top two spots for France and Serbia & Montenegro. Who would get the automatic, though, was still to be decided. France beat Slovakia, 2-0, on Oct. 7, making Serbia & Montenegro's 1-1 draw to San Marino meaningless. France gets to South Africa, while the Serbs will have to sweat out a playoff. Tofu was called up for France and on the squad for both rounds, but he was not brought on in either match. Group 3 Only six points separated group topper Spain from fifth place Latvia at 10 points. Russia was second with 14, two points off of the mark, Ireland had 13, and Estonia had 12. Spain was hosting miniscule Andorra in the Oct. 3 round, so they seemed likely to clinch at least a playoff by days end. Taking the opportunity to heart, the Spaniards squashed little Andorra, 10-0. Very cruel. In the big match of the round, Russia beat Ireland, 2-0, on the road. That win, as it turned out, clinched the top two spots for Spain and Russia. Russia could still catch Spain if they beat Andorra on the road in the Oct. 7 round, and if Spain falls on the road to Latvia, but Spain did not oblige. They beat the Latvians, 4-0, to clinch the automatic spot. Russia beat Andorra, 2-0, and although those points didn't matter (Andorra was a last place squad, and the second palce standings only count the top five squad results), Russia did earn the one automatic spot among second-place finishers. So both Spain and Russia are going to South Africa automatically. No Sheff Wed players played in this group, although it's interesting to note that former Owl Glenn Whalen was called up to Ireland, if not used. Group 4 England led this group by a point over bitter rival Scotland going into the final rounds. Bulgaria was third with 14 points, just three behind Scotland, and Greece had 12. Bulgaria had a terrific chance against Scotland with a home match on Oct. 3. Scotland took it to Bulgaria, though, and beat them soundly, 4-0. Montgomery started in the middle and scored a penalty shot and an impressive 8 rating. The win, combined with England's expected 6-0 thrashing of Cyprus, earned both of the U.K. countries spots in at least the playoff. Scotland could still get the automatic spot if they could beat England at home on Oct. 7, though. Montgomery and Hammell (who was an unused sub in the Bulgaria match) were both in uniform for this one, but started on the sideline. Montgomery came on in the second half and earned a 7 rating, but the Scots did not do well, falling to the English, 2-0 at home. It had to be all horribly familiar for Montgomery and Hammell, as they watched Defoe and Rooney score for England. If you will recall, it was a goal from each of those players that did the Owls in in their last match before the break, against Man U. England gets the automatic spot, and Scotland gets the playoff spot. Group 5 Holland had already clinched going into the final rounds, but the second spot was still very much up for grabs. Norway held it at 12 points, but Georgia, Poland and Moldova all had 10 points and two matches to make up ground. The key Oct. 3 match saw Norway travel to Georgia and beat the home squad, 2-1. When Poland fell in a tough 1-0 road loss to the Dutch, and Moldova inexplicably lost to Northern Ireland, 3-0, Norway had the playoff spot locked away, and making the Oct. 7 meaningless. Kevin Thompson was called up for Northern Ireland and was a sub for both matches, but did not get on the pitch for either of them. Group 6 Germany already had at least a playoff spot clinched, and it would have taken an extraordinary set of circumstances for them not to earn the automatic spot, with six points up on second place Israel. Not so easy for Israel, though, just a point up on Romania and two on Iceland. Germany won a tough, 1-0, decision from Romania on the road to clinch their automatic spot in the Oct. 3 round. Isreal beat a group doormat in Kazakhstan, 2-1, while Iceland kept pace with them by beating the other small timer, Luxembourg, 2-0. Israel's win eliminated Romania. Iceland needed a win over Romania to get the playoff spot. With Isreal going to Germany, there seemed to be a strong opportunity for the Icelanders to make this happen. Sure enough, Israel fell to Germany hard, 3-0. After leading most of the match, Iceland allowed a late equaliser from Romania, and their heartbroken fans despaired as the match ended in a 3-3 draw. Iceland just missed out, and Israel goes to the playoff. Sheff Wed's Finnbogason is quickly earning his name as an international star for Iceland. He started both final round matches. He scored one of Iceland's goals in the Luxembourg match, and then tallied twice in the first 16 minutes to get Iceland off to a roaring start in the key Romania match. He put up an 8 rating in both rounds. Iceland may not be going to South Africa, but it's not Finnbogason's fault. Group 7 The Czech Republic led the way here with 19 points, and Bosnia was second with 17. Belgium was still in range at 14, and Ukraine could technically still catch Bosnia for a playoff spot, although that was unlikely. The top three teams faced the bottom three for the Oct. 3 round, which makes for a lack of key matches in this one. By virtue of points for the Czech Republic, and by their better record against Belgium for Bosnia, the top two teams for this group were clinched in the first of these rounds. The automatic spot between the Czechs and Bosnians, however, was still to be contested, and the two sides were set to meet in Bosnia on Oct. 7, winner take all (and a draw to the Czechs). Bosnia held off the Czech Republic, 2-1, in a terrific match for the smaller country. They leaped over the Czechs for the automatic spot, and the Czech Republic will have to go to the playoff. No Owls' players were in this one. Group 8 In this five country group, Turkey and Portugal were tied with 11 points each, but Turkey had a match in hand on Portugal. Armenia, 2 points behind, and Slovenia, 3, were also still very much in the mix, and both with two matches to go. Portugal beat Armenia in its last match of qualifying, 2-1, to get to 14 points. Slovenia stunned Turkey, 2-0, which put them in a tie with the Turks for second. And the win also gave Slovenia the tiebreaker with the Turks, since they had them on results between the two teams (they drew in 2008 in Turkey). Portugal had the three point lead, but was by no means safe going into the last round, one in which they would not play. Both Turkey and Slovenia had the tiebreaker on them, and a win by either team would move them to a playoff spot. A win by both teams would eliminate Portugal all together. Fortunately for the Portuguese, both teams drew 1-1, Slovenia on the road with Albania, and Turkey at home to Armenia. So Portugal got the automatic spot, while Slovenia got the playoff spot on the tiebreaker with Turkey. Vaz Te started in the Armenia match, as usual, and put up a respectable 7 rating, although he did not figure in the scoring. Group 9 Croatia had already clinched at least a playoff spot and had 17 points coming in. Sweden still could catch Croatia for the automatic spot, because they had a match in hand on the Croatians, but it would take a good two matches, as they were four points back with 13. All other squads were eliminated, so Sweden was also assured of at least a playoff spot. In the Oct. 3 round, Croatia drew with Macedonia, 2-2, while Sweden beat Scandinavian rival Finland, 3-2, to move within two of the leader. Sweden needed to beat Wales on the road to pass Croatia for the final spot. They weren't up to the task, though, falling 2-1. Croatia got the automatic spot without playing, while Sweden settled for the playoff. Ojala was selected for both of Finland's matches. He came on as a sub against Sweden, and then started against Macedonia. Strangely enough, he scored in both matches on penalties. He also put up a 7 rating in both matches. Like Finnbogason in Iceland, Ojala is quickly making a name for himself in his country. Steve Wright was called up by Wales, but not selected for the match against Sweden. Second Place Playoff Matchups With group play finished for Europe, the playoffs are set. They will be held in two home-and-home legs on Nov. 7 and Nov. 11. Scotland vs Norway Sweden vs Israel Czech Republic vs Italy Slovenia vs Serbia & Montenegro Other Sheff Wed International News Several Owls prospects also saw time with their international youth teams during this break. Kevin Gomez was called up to Switzerland's U-21, and loaned out Jani Virtanen to Finland's U-21 squad. Reserve mid Ari Salo joined Virtanen with Finland U-21 in the second round, and another Reserve mid, Gareth Day, was called up to Wales U-21. U-18 goalkeeper Patrik Sandberg was brought up to Sweden's U-19 squad, and one of the Owls' best prospects, mid Marc Garrido, was called up to France's U-19 team. Garrido will be huge--we loaned him out to Parma for the year after signing him on a free, and he's not just over there with a Serie A squad, he's seeing major time! (and doing decently well, too) __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-04-2006 at 06:38 AM.

06-04-2006, 05:03 PM	#11
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	October 2009 Tle long international break bit into a good deal of this month. But there is still plenty of time for some Sheff Wed action. While our first match of the month wasn't until Oct. 11, we did have some other news. Wallace returned to training on Oct. 1, which was great news because we lost his replacement Blondel to a twisted ankle just two days later. The Belgian winger will miss two weeks to a month. Our bad streak of injuries continued (and remember how many we already had hurting coming into this month). A month ago, Addo strained his wrist lifting weights in training. So what does he do after he returns to full training on Oct. 6? Why he re-strains his wrist lifting weights of course! He will be out 1-2 weeks. And then Mr. Walking Wounded, Denneboom, bruised his head in a challenge in training and will be out 4 days to a week. I have mentioned his fragility before, and this is the second nagging injury he has picked up. OCTOBER 11--Sheff Wed at Wigan Athletic Wigan is a recent promotee, but they have started off the season well above expectations, and sit solidly at midtable for the moment. They have gone back and forth with the EPL a couple times in the past few years, so they have some solid talent. Still, I think this is one of those matches we need to win to show our stuff. And besides, we have a two-match losing streak to break. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Christensen DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Vermeer Traore is off with Mali, so we put Bakens in his place for this one. I end up settling with Christensen on the right side, since everyone is hurt over there, and I didn't like how Cristiano performed when I gave him the start. I thought about moving Mendy forward to the mid spot, but decided to stick with this, even though Christensen is more of a center mid than a winger. The game was rolling pretty good, with both sides getting chances. In the 7th minute, Vaz Te picked off a dumb pass from goalkeeper Mikel Cano and came in alone on him. But Cano anticipated the inside the post shot, and deflected it. On the other end, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake jumped out for an Oleg Husyev cross in the 13th minute and scored it, but the officials waved it off for offsides. Things got a little crazy toward the end of the half. In the 34th minute, defender John Kennedy came in with a hard tackle on Vaz Te, and shook our best player up, to the point where I would soon have to substitute him out for Ojala. But it was also bad for Kennedy, because that earned him his second yellow and an early bath. And then in extra time before the half, Ebanks-Blake ended up on a run up the middle after coming onto a nice pass from fellow striker Johan Stevens. Bakens was a step behind, and had to resort to tripping Ebanks-Blake to prevent the one-on-one. That earned Bakens a red for the professional, of course, and now each side had 10 men on the pitch. Fortunately, Wigan didn't get a score off of the freekick, as it was about as close as you could get to the box without being inside. Vermeer turned away a Jonathon Greening curver. We finally broke through in the 64th minute, when Tofu slipped throught he defense and onto a Garcia pass. Cano came ouyt to meet him, and he dropped it down to Ojala, who evaded his defneder and put it into the open net. Our relief didn't last long, though. I have to admit this was a pretty play. In the 67th minute, winger Mohamed Zidan had the ball on the left wing and sent an outward-in cross, which is opposite from what you usually see, and the cross swerved nicely in toward the far right post. Ebanks-Blake jumped ahead of the defenders and put it in the net for the equaliser. Although each team had more chances, that would prove to be it. Sheff Wed draw with Wigan, 1-1 Davies got a MoM for his dominant play at the back. All in all, this was a pretty even match. I'm disappointed to not get the win, but happy to break the losing streak. Vaz Te didn't suffer any injury for after the match, so he is fine. Bakens, of course, is now out for the Tottenham match, but we will have Traore back then. The day after the match, Montgomery, a key player, hurt his wrist lifting weights. I need to stop the squad from doing that too much, it seems. Montgomery will miss 1-2 weeks, and that's a shame because Flamini hasn't really lit the world on fire as his backup. I get Pedersen back in full training, for what that's worth. I rejected another loan offer for Christensen, this time from League One's Notts County, for obvious reasons. OCTOBER 18--Tottenham Hotspur at Sheff Wedp As with Everton and Newcastle, I consider this to be one of those matches that shows the quality of my squad. The Spurs are a solid squad as usual, and are in Europe (in fact, this match was delayed three days because its original place interfered with a Spurs' group phase match in the UEFA Cup). Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Flamini - Garcia - Mendy DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Vermeer With Montgomery out, I go with Flamini, and I decide to start Mendy on the right, as he played well there after replacing Christensen in the Wigan match. We didn't get off to a good start. In the 15th minute, the Spurs had the ball in the box, and we were trying to remove it. Winger Sidney Govou moved it up fromt he left end of the box to midfielder Andy Reid, near the center circle. His marker, Garcia, let Reid slip to his right and blast a shot into the right side of the net. Not sure Vermeer even saw it. We got it back in the 26th minute, though. It was an amazing goal. Tofu passed it up to Vaz Te on the run, as he was being marked by midfielder Tom Huddlestone. Vaz Te drove to the left end of the box, danced back around the hard-charging Huddlestone, worked his way up the line and into traffic, and then hit a curving shot into the far end of the net for the tie. That would be our only shot on goal in the first half, although the Spurs were having trouble getting shots period. We moved ahead in the 55th minute, after Tofu ran into a nice pass from Wallace (whom had just dispossessed Govou on the run). Tofu headed into the box wide, and then hit one of those curlers into the far side of the net that look so great. In fact, it was so great, it would end up as the league's goal of the month in two weeks. We had control, and it seemed a likely win for us. Fate (or FM) would change that, though. In the dwindling minutes of the match, a well-marked Jermaine Jenas shot a long ball from well outside the box, and Vermeer was perfectly placed to receive it. Well, it got to him, and then just diverted straioght past him and into the goal. Only explanantion I have is the ball was quite catchable, and Vermeer just missed it. With Berbia, we win this match. Owls draw with Spurs, 2-2.. We won the shots and possession battle, so we had reason to feel a little underwhelmed after this one. Some good news after the match: Morrison, Addo and Briotti are ready to resume training. In particular, getting Morrison back is a tremendous lift for us. We don't have long before our next match, as we resume Carling Cup play. OCTOBER 21--Sheff Wed at Grimsby Town Grimsby Town is League Two, so that is well below us. This "should" be a breeze, even with me starting a much lesser unit. I know that goes against my usual philosophy in cup play, but we're just coming off of the Spur match, and we go to Anfield in three days. I need to conserve some energy for my best players sometime. I do put some on the bench just in case. Lineup (left to right): ST Finnbogason - Ojala MF Goitom - Flamini - Christensen - Cristiano DF Bertelsen - Lee - Bakens - Albrechtsen GK Tanghe As you can see, only Flamini and maybe Christensen see some regular time on the starting pitch. I got an immediate fear that I might have erred too far when striker Jermaine Palmer got up and headed in a shot in the 13th minute. I need not have worried, though. Three minutes later, Flamini and Cristiano combined to free up the ball at midfield, and Cristiano went on a run up the right flank. Ojala freed himself from his marker, and Cristiano put the ball on spot perfectly. Ojala's shot went far side inside the post, and we had tied it. It stayed that way until the 35th minute, when Goitom and Finnbogason played a back and forth pass play on the run into the left end of the box. Goitom then moved a short cross up to the other side, and Ojala stepped forward for the easy finish and his second goal of the match. Three minutes later, Goitom beat his man in the air for a short goalkick header, and moved it onto Finnbogason. The Icelander showed he had picked up at least one trick from Vaz Te when he drew the keeper out past the post, and then slipped a shot just inside the post for the score. We added penalty scores in the second half from Flamini and Denneboom, and walked away with the easy win. Sheff Wed dominates Grimsby Town, 5-1, to advance in the Carling Cup 3rd Round. Goitom scored an amazing 10 rating to earn the MoM. I really do need to find more time for him on the pitch. In other Carling Cup matches, Spurs, Bolton and Palace all lose, although they at least lost to Premiership squads. We discover a few days later that we will meet League One Oldham in the Carling Cup fourth round, so another good draw, although playing on the road again is annoying. The match is picked for television and will happen on November 24. Disaster strikes in post-match training, though. Vaz Te is, yes, lifting weights, when he lets one slip a bit and hurt his shoulder. He will miss at least a week, and possibly a month. Ouch, we just can't escape the injury bug, and this one really hurts. I make some changes to the squad, recognizing some of the returnees and new injuries we have picked up. I sent Westerblad (who never ended up in a match), Bertelsen, Lee and Cristiano back down to the Reserves, and send down Pedersen as well, since I'm not using him. I bring up Czech holding mid Petr Vorisek, who played well for us last year and is dominating the Reserves, but lost out in a ratings war with Montgomery and Flamini, and striker Rocco Sacco, an Italian teenager who might have more talent than Ojala and Finnbogason, but hasn't yet really shown it in the EPL (just the Reserves, where he dominates, too). Montgomery resumes training just before the Pool match. It is time to load for the match at Anfield. OCTOBER 24--Sheff Wed at Liverpool As with Man Utd, this is not a match I necessarily expect to win or even contend in. Pool is just too good, and especially at Anfield. I have to stop my younger lads from saving grass clippings in their bags to show the kids at home. ST Maoulida - Ojala MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Mendy GK Vermeer Ojala gets first crack at Vaz Te's spot. We also see the return of Montgomery, Morrison and Briotti to the pitch after their injuries. Pool has the usual assortment of stars present. Djibril Cisse still is the man up front. Xabi Alonso still mans the middle. Steven Gerrard starts on the right, surprisingly, allowing Brazilian superstar Julio Baptista to start in the middle (he's usually up front next to Cisse). Jacques Faty is the man at centreback, and young Chris Rowe is a terrific fullback. Spanish international Jose Manuel Reina is still in net for Pool. So my work is cut out for me. Frankly, we are dominated from the get-go. We are physically outclassed. Ojala and Morrison were so fatigued I had to replace them at the half. Davies picked up a knock early in the match, and I had no choice but to leave him in (he's a gamer). Tofu picked up a knoack in the second half, forcing me to put Goitom on for him. We only had one shot on goal in the first half. Pool had almost 10. And, yet, we were only down one, courtesy of a Gerrard score in the 42nd minute. Pool had some good chances, but just couldn't seem to put it on goal much. And when they did, Vermeer was generally up to the task. At the start of the second half, we got a break when Faty committed the professional on Tofu, and was sent off. It didn't make much of a difference for us, though, in our offense, as they still handled us. And since they had the score, we were the ones in trouble. I moved us to Hi-Press, but with little luck. I thought I was done. So I was completely unprepared for what happened in the 86th minute. Mendy ran down a long, errant cross from Pool deep in the right corner of our own half of the net--in other words well away from goal. And yet, across half of a pitch or more, he and Goitom set up a beautiful play. Mendy launched a long pass out into the middle of the other half, and Goitom timed it perfectly, breaking free from Jamie Carragher to run onto the ball. Reina came out to meet him, and crafty Goitom lofted the ball over the keeper and into the open net for the amazing equaliser! Wow, we drew Pool! Sheff Wed pull off amazing draw, 1-1, at Liverpool. Mendy's great assist and fine defensive play gave him the MoM. We haven't won in five matches, but we haven't lost in three either. I can't be unhappy about this result. We are thoroughly dominated, and only ended up with 3 shots, 2 on goal, and just 43% possession. Pool had 17 shots! I'll bet they're bitter. I would be. I guess this makes up for the late score against Spurs. Not all good news, though. Davies weathered his injury okay, but Tofu's knock was a bruised thigh in a collision, and he will miss 5 days to 2 weeks. After all of these injuries, I'm not sure what else to say anymore. OCTOBER 31--Crystal Palace at Sheff Wed Short-manned as we are, we still must play our matches. Palace comes to town on Halloween. They were picked for midtable, even top half, before the season, but they are at the bottom right now, and thoroughly in relegation danger. If there is a time to break our five match league winless streak, this is it. ST Finnbogason - Ojala MF Wallace - Vorisek - Garcia - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Vermeer With Tofu and Vaz Te out, I have to go with the youth corps up front, and start Finnbogason and Ojala. I also give Vorisek his first chance back on the pitch. Otherwise, it's msotly the same guys. Not surprisingly, the first half wasn't over before both Finnbogason and Ojala had picked up knocks. What's up with this? I kept them both on, but I hate doing that, because it increases the risk of extending whatever injury they have to beyond the match. Both sides got some chances in the first half, but theirs seemed to come a lot closer, thanks to Andy Johnson. A scary striker as always, Johnson just missed a goal when Vermeer leaped out and pushed away a curving long kick, and then the goalkeeper was on the mark when Johnson picked off a Hammell error and blasted a shot right on goal. Toward the end of the half, Johnson picked Davies clean at midfield, and had a whole wide pitch to go forward with. Davies moved him off to the right of the box, though, and Johnson's kick ended in the side netting. We had just one shot on goal in the first half. In the 54th minute, we finally got past Espen Johnson with some terrific passing. Wallace sent a pass to Morrison right down the edge of the box. Morrison quickly turned it forward to Ojala, who put it into the right corner of the net so fast, Johnson didn't even move. We didn't put it away, though, for quite a while, and Johnson and Palace still put up a couple other close shots. We survived that, though, and in the 89th minute, Garcia freed himself from a defender in the box to receive a Deneboom pass, and he put it into the far corner for his long-awaited first goal of the season. Considering he scored 10 for us last year in league play, it's been a long wait. Sheff Wed break their winless streak, defeating Palace, 2-0. Garcia got the MoM. It is strange how a series of draws can be turned around in a second. On one hand, we had a five-match winless streak prior to Palace. After we beat Place, we suddenly had a four-match unbeaten streak. Palace was our first league win since Boro in early September, but we haven't lost since Man U before the last international break. Of course, we don't escape Palace unscathed, as Ojala picked up a bruised head in the match. Still, it matters little, as another international break is coming, and we don't play until a road match at Villa on Nov. 14. Ojala and probably some others should be back by then, God willing. Other than Tofu's goal of the month, we get no awards for October. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-04-2006 at 05:18 PM.

06-04-2006, 11:54 PM	#13
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Internationals Round Up This isn't quite the lengthy update as the past round ups, since the only international play of note in this break is the European playoffs, being held Nov. 7 and Nov. 11. There are a lot of freindlies played at this time, and some European Championship qualifying for the kids, too, but that's about it. European Playoff First Round Czech Republic 0, Italy 2 Scotland 2, Norway 1 Slovenia 2, Serbia & Montenegro 2 Sweden 3, Israel 0 Italy got a huge win on the road over the Czechs. Scotland got off to a good start in winning, 2-1, at home, but one goal leads going on the road aren't comfortable leads in playoffs. Slovenia and S&M fought to the draw, and puts the Serbs at an advantage going to their home. Sweden likely put Israel out of reach by pasting them at home. Montgomery didn't score, but he played well against Norway, putting up a 7 rating. Vorisek came on for the Czechs as a sub, but he only played 10 minutes plus extra time. Second Round Italy 0, Czech Republic 0 Italy wins, 2-0 Norway 0, Scotland 2 Scotland wins, 4-1 Serbia & Montenegro 1, Slovenia 1 Serbia & Montenegro wins, 3-3 on away goals Israel 1, Sweden 1 Sweden wins, 4-1 Italy didn't impress at home, but they did enough. Scotland did impress on the road, walking away with the World Cup spot. S&M didn't win it as easily as they should have, but they get through on away goals. As expected, Sweden had built too big a lead for Israel to come back, and the Scandinavian nation is through to South Africa. As in the first leg, Montgomery started and put up a 7 rating, but did not get on the scoresheet. Vorisek got the start in this one, and played well, also putting up a 7 rating. It wasn't enough to help the Czech Republic, though. The only two spots left to be determined for South Africa 2010 are the playoffs between North and South America, and Asia and Oceania. Those are two-leg playoffs as well, and will be played on Nov. 28 and Dec. 2. Sheff Wed International Call Ups In addition to Montgomery and Vorisek, Finnbogason (ICE), Garcia (MEX), Wright (WAL), Absalonsen (DEN), and, later on, Simek (USA) were called up for friendlies. All of them saw action except for Wright, who was not brought on by Wales. In U-21 and U-19 action, Sheff Wed youngsters Day (WAL U-21), Garrido (FRA U-21), Gomez (SUI U-21) and Thompson (NIR U-21) were all called up and saw time for their international youth squads. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-10-2006 at 01:04 AM.

06-10-2006, 01:02 AM	#14
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	November 2009 The long international break (we went from the Palace match on Oct 31 all the way to Aston Villa on Nov 14) finally allowed some of our squadders to get healthy. Tofu was out for just over a week with his bruised thigh, and missed the Palace match, but he was back in training by Nov 2. Much more significant injuried players, however, got back into training shortly after him. Berbia resumed training on Nov 4, which is a relief. He was terrific when he broke his finger in training in late September. Also back on the practice pitch on Nov 4 was winger Blondel and midfielder Dunn. Blondel twisted his ankle in early October and missed the whole month. Dunn scored two goals in our first match of the season--and hurt his Achilles in the second match against Blackburn. He has been out ever since. He will help our constanly hit areas of the forward mid and right winger spots. The great thing for all of these players is not just getting healthy, but also getting almost two weeks in training before the Villa match. That allowed them plenty of time to get back into form. NOVEMBER 14-- Sheff Wed at Aston Villa The Villans are historically one of the better squads in the EPL, and amongs the group of Everton, Tottenham, Man City and Newcastle that I would normally consider in the league's second tier. Villa has not been so good, though, this year, in 13th place. At least they're not down in relegation territory (like Man City, surprise). This should be a tough road match for us. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Ojala MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Briotti - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Berbia Vaz Te is still recovering from his shoulder injury in training last month, so Ojala gets the start at the fast striker spot. Briotti gets a spot start in place of Hammell at left back, but otherwise this is our basic starting lineup. We started off just right in the 2nd minute. After we freed up the ball from Villa on our side of the pitch, Tofu moved it forward to Ojala, who was being ridden by Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma. Ojala was a step ahead and to the right of Bouma, which gave him just enough room to put a terrific cross-box pass to Wallace, who snuck around the defense to come onto the ball, and blasted it into the net. Aston Villa got it back, though, in the 10th minute. El-Hadji Diouf, on loan from Charlton, headed in a sharp cross from the left by star Czech striker Milan Baros. We dodged a couple other bullets besides that, too, with the official waving off another Diouf score for an offsides, and Baros missing a wide open net on a break by inches. Tofu knocked one in off the left post, as well, but it was waved off, too. In the 27th minute, Garcia beat Christian Obodo in the air for a header off of a corner, but Robert Green was right there for the save. He couldn't recover, though, when Garcia jumped ont he rebound and put it into the left corner for the lead. But this was never a match where either side was too far apart. Just before half, Berbia made a brilliant save on a Baros shot, but he had to concede the corner. On the following play, winger Gamit Pedersen headed the ball across the goal to centreback skipper Andy Webster, who rose on top of Goitom to score the equaliser. We went into the half very disappointed, and being outplayed (13 shots to 6, although both sides had 6 on goal, and Villa has 57% possession). I lit into them pretty good at the half. The message got through, and we played much better in the second half. But we couldn't solve Green and the Aston Villa defense. Goitom had a couple chances fall short, and Ojala put a shot in right at Green on one play. I had settled for the draw as we entered extra time. Foolish of me, of course. There was three minutes set for extra time, and we were into the fourth minute. I was expecting the three toots at any time, when Wallace took a pass from Absalonsen and run up the edge of the box. He slipped a pass into the box for Goitom and a point-blank shot, but Goitom again hit it right at Green. The ball blasted off toward just outside the right post--and a wide open Mendy! He knocked into the open net, a mere handful of seconds before the end. Sheff Wed runs off the pitch with an exhilarating 3-2 win!. Wallace got the MoM. Garcia had to leave the match in the first half for a knock, but he escaped it without injury (Goitom was the one who came on for him). We dominated the second half, putting up 11 shots, 6 on goal, and allowing the Villans just three off-shots. I had to be pleased about this turn of events, as our schedule is pretty easy until a match against Chelsea in early December. It's a great chance for us to make a run. On top of that, Vaz Te resumed training after the match. My squadders won't make it easy, though. In the days leading up to a home match with Derby, I get complaints from both Wallace and Flamini about playing time. Wallace's complaint is just ridiculous. He has played in 9 of 13 league matches, and would have appeared in more were it not for his hamstring pull in September. Flamini hasn't playted as well as his pricetag would suggest, and Montgomery has been fantastic this year. But I still did pay what I did ($10 M), and the other option, Vorisek, wants over $3M per year to sign an extension past this year. That's just galling. So I need to keep Flamini happy. So I promise them both a chance in the first team over the coming weeks. Speaking of contracts, I am just more than a month off from the Bosman point, so I begin making offers where I feel necessary. Key young holding mid Kevin Gomez rejects my first offer, which included a huge salary raise, to get a more important role than prospect. I promise him a rotation spot, but I'm not sure he's good enough for that. I am keeping him happy for now, because I may seek to sell him off in the summer. Key targets Traore and Montgomery both signed extensions, with Montgomery getting a raise to $900K (and still a bargain). Traore re-upped at the same level, $1.7 M. Unfortunately, Wallace's stupid little tiff has put him at not being interested in an extension. So I may have to wait him out until he gets "happy" again to resign him. The fact he's unhappy with his playing time is just so stupid. NOVEMBER 21--Derby at Sheff Wed Derby is a new squad to the Premiership, but they're making a good go of it, in the middle of the table. Still, a home match against a recent promotee should understandably be a win for us if we play it right. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Flamini - Garcia - Mendy DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Simek GK Berbia Vaz Te returns to the lineup, which makes us much more dangerous offensively. As you might expect, Flamini gets the start, and of course, Wallace was going to start anyway. Mendy's late goal and fine play against Aston Villa earns him a start while I give Morrison a rest there. Our squad seems to like getting off to slow starts, as we once again played very poor in the first half. We only kept Derby out of the net by virtue of strong play by Berbia. Thank God he is back--he sent off three different pont-blank shots from striker Nathan Whitehead, and also stopped a close one from midfielder Damien Delaney, and a terrific curving free kick from winger Mark van den Boogaart (after which he made another leap to make one of his stops on Whitehead, who had jumped on the rebound). On the other side, we got little going. Lee Camp stopped a good chance by Vaz Te early, and made a brilliant save on a wide curver toward the far post from Tofu on the left, but we really didn't play so well. We were outshot on our own pitch by Derby in the first half. The halftime talk again was not pleasant. I hoped it would have the same effect. Our defense tightened up considerably, but the offense remained dead in the water. Finally, in the 65th minute, sub Finnbogason jumped up with fellow striker Kevin Bowler for a lofted header along the box perimeter. Bowler pushed Finnbogason, and the ref pointed to the spot! And who gets sent to do the deed? Steve Hammell? Actually, he was our second best penalty kicker on the pitch (Flamini rates better by a couple points), and he isn't good. Sure enough, when he went for the ball, he kicked it right at Camp in the middle of the net. A blind man could have made that save--and sitting down. I should have known that would be an indicator of how this one would go. Sheff Wed dissapoint in a 0-0 home draw to Derby I hate underachieving results, and this definitely fits the bill. At least we didn't lose, nor did anyone get hurt. With a Carling Cup match against small-timers Oldham coming up, at least we have a chance to quickly get back on a winning track. NOVEMBER 24--Sheff Wed at Oldham Like I said, a quick turnaround. Since the match was moved to TV, we're even playing ahead of the normal schedule for the Carling Cup fourth round. I had no idea how long it would take for this round to be completed, though. With a number of big teams involved in Europe as well, lots of delays take place in this round. We are in the first match. The last match of the fourth round of this cup isn't played until Dec 9, two weeks from now! Oldham is League One, so this should be an easy one. I certainly hope so. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Ojala MF Goitom - Addo - Christensen - Morrison DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Vermeer Expecting an easy match, I start some backups in spots. Almost the entire midfield is replaced (Morrison is back, though, after sitting the Derby match for a blow), and I have Vermeer in net, and Ojala on again for Vaz Te. Starting Ojala looked brilliant in the early going. After Tofu was pushed in the box on a corner in the 14th minute, Ojala was elected to kick from the spot. He is MUCH better than Hammell in this regard, and proves it by blasting his shot into the left side of the net for the 1-0 lead. Ojala wasn't done. In the 34th minute, Morrison ran onto a Davies pass toward the box, and sought out Ojala with a high kick, as the Finnish striker evaded his defender. Alas, Morrison's pass drifted overlong, forcing Oldham keeper Sean Murdoch to leap up to the far post to deflect it out. That was a bad mistake, of course, because Ojala was sitting ready and put in an easy score for the two-goal lead. We went into halftime dominating, with 13 shots to just 4, and the lead. I tend to remove my top regulars at this point, because I think it's in the bag. I took off Morrison and Tofu at the half, and Wallace was only on because Goitom got hurt in the 33rd minute. So I grew concerned when midfielder Richie Wellens slipped a ridiculously easy and open long shot past Vermeer, who must have been sleeping, to get Oldham within one in the 58th minute. I had seen crazier things happen in these matches. Fortunately, Ojala wasn't going to let that happen. Just three minutes later, he ended up on the receiving end of a string of headers from Addo and Dunn and finished the shot for his hat trick! That put it away for go. Sheff Wed walk into the Carling Cup Quarterfinals, beating Oldham, 3-1 Ojala scores the perfect 10, and, of course, the MoM. Goitom does pick up some time off for his injury, a gashed leg that will seem off the pitch for likely a week. The next day, Wolves and Forest sent Wigan and Blackburn home in this round, but several other matches remain to be played in this competition, as I noted. We wrap up the month with another home match, this time against Norwich, but we won't have Berbia's services. Once again, the fragile if talented keeper hurts himself in training, straining his back, and putting himself out for 3 weeks to a month. We will return once again to the sometimes unsteady Vermeer in net. We are much better defensively when Berbia is back there, and I continue to be concerned about Vermeer not quite getting the hang of things since his arrival. His ratings are top notch, and he looks like a terrific keeper on paper, but that hasn't really shown itself on the pitch. Nonetheless, we will go with him. Although the Carling Cup 4th round has a ways to go, the draw is made for the quarterfinal. We will play either lower league Luton Town or relegation candidate Man City on the road (yes...again) on Dec 16. Shortly before the Norwich month on the last day of the month, we also are drawn into the FA Cup, which brings on Premiership squads in the third round. We have better luck here with the locales than in the Carling Cup and draw a home match. But it's against Derby, whom we struggled against--at home--just a week or more ago. Hopefully, the team will be more in form when that match comes down--a long ways away at this point. NOVEMBER 30--Norwich at Sheff Wed Norwich is a Jekyll & Hyde type for us. Like Bolton, they promoted with us two years ago, and managed to stay up. Unlike Bolton, whom had just dropped prior to that, I did not have much respect for Norwich's overall talent, and was always stunned when they played with us. That said, we are clearly making advances in this league, while Norwich is on the fringe of relegation. This should be a win for us. If we just play them like they are a relegation battler, that is, and not like apparent Owl-beaters Norwich. I have a record of just 1-1-3 (that's three losses in five!) against these blokes, but we did get that one win in the last match last April, 3-1. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Hammell - Traore - Davies - Mendy GK Tanghe I decided to give Tanghe the start in net for this one, as he did well in his one start earlier this season. That's more just a lack of confidence in Vermeer at the moment, although I figure in the end to stick with Vermeer. I also give Simek a spell with Mendy, but otherwise, this is the usual lineup. This was a frustrating match from the start, which is par for the course against Norwich, which tends to batten down the hatches against good offensive teams and slow them down. SOme 3-4 shots total were taken by the 30 minute mark, and we had just a 5-3 shot lead at halftime. Norwich keeper Steven Martin turned away Vaz Te twice up close, while they didn't even get a shot on goal against Tanghe. It was clear we were the better squad, but as is the case against these guys, we are struggling to break through. Norwich still hadn't managed to get even a second half shot off when Traore pushed midfielder Miroslav Matusovic just outside of the box in the 59th minute. By then, we had six shots on goal which had failed to get oast Martin. So what does Norwich do? Score a weak curving freekick into the right corner of the net by their skipper, holding mid, Pawel Golanski. Tanghe seemed to react slowly to it, but I couldn't blame him. This is exactly the kind of crap that happens against Norwich. That was their first shot on goal, and they lead 1-0. I put it on HiPress to try to get past this. And what happens? In the 68th minute, Denneboom makes an incredibly stupid move, handballing in the box on an attempted clear out. GRRRR...Matusovic blasts the penalty to the left of Tanghe for the 2-0 lead. The last 20-plus minutes pf play feature a flurry of Sheff Wed activity. Tofu gets turned away close up twice. A Wallace shot in the box is caught. Denneboom fires close in extra time, Martin deflects it, and the winger jumps on his own rebound and fires an even better shot--right back at Martin, who this time clutches it. We even got a score--a goal on a break by Tofu in the 85th minute that was, of course, called back for offsides (I thought it was BS but I looked at the tape after the match, and have to admit it was a good call). Anyway, we were already dominating prior to that, and in the last quarter of the match, we put 8 out of 8 shots on goal, and none of them got past Martin. We go down in flames against Norwich in front of our fans, 2-0.. What an awful match. Norwich had six total shots, and only three on net. We put 14 out of 15 on goal, and most from very close. And we come away with nothing, and they not only get the win, they score twice! For the first time this year, I drop the "Embarrassing" label on my team's performance. I am mad and I want them to know it. We finish the month in terrible fashion, and we have now pulled just one point from this "easy" stretch of two home matches against bottom half sides. I have to seriously doubt are status as contenders at the moment. And things don't look up--we play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in nine days. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-10-2006 at 01:18 AM.

06-11-2006, 05:24 AM	#16
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	International Wrap Up & Club Competitions Final World Cup Spots In late November and early December, the final two spots for South Africa 2010 were handed out. The winner of the third-place playoff, Australia, met Oceania champ New Zealand for one spot, while Costa Rica, the fourth place squad in CONCACAF, met Bolivia, the fifth place squad of CONMEBOL, for the other, in a two-leg playoff. Australia and New Zealand are old foes from the Oceania region. The Aussies travelled to New Zealand on Nov 28, and managed to draw their rivals, 2-2. With two away goals and an even score, Australia looked in good shape coming home for the second leg on Dec 2. The New Zealanders didn't cooperate, though, and had the match 2-2 late, which would have forced extra time, and should it have come to it, penalties. Australia managed to get one last goal, though, to win 3-2 that day, and 5-4 on aggregate. Costa Rica started at home, and took a 2-1 decision from the Bolivians on Nov 28. On the other end, Bolivia proved to be a match, scoring a 2-1 decision at home, so this one went the New Zealand-Australia match didn't--extra time and penalties. Costa Rica won out in the shootout. Australia and Costa Rica grab the last two spots to South Africa. Here are the top seeds for South Africa: Brazil (South America), Holland (Europe), Spain (Europe), England (Europe), Germany (Europe), Mexico (CONCACAF), Argentina (South America), Portugal (Europe) Remaining teams, by continent (in alphabetical order): EUROPE: Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, France, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Serbia & Montenegro, Sweden SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Paraguay AFRICA: Algeria, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa (host) CONCACAF: Canada, Costa Rica, United States ASIA: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan FIFA Confederations Cup The worldwide club competition was also played in December. The six clubs entered were Champions League winner AC Milan (Italy), Copa Libertadores champion Corinthians (Brazil), Asian champion Antlers (Japan), CONCACAF Champions Cup winner Los Angeles Galaxy (USA), and African Champions League winner Sundown (South Africa), and Oceania champion Auckland City (New Zealand). The Galaxy edged out Antlers, 1-1, on penalties in the first round, while Sundowns beat Auckland City, 2-1. Antlers would beat Auckland City, 2-0, for fifth place in the competition. In the semifinal, AC Milan had a surprising struggle with the Galaxy before winning through, 1-0. Corinthians wasn't so lucky, falling to Sundowns, 2-0. Corinthians beat the Galaxy for third place. AC Milan dominated the final with Sundown. Star striker Alberto Gilardino scored twice to overcome an early 1-0 deficit, and Eddie Gaven finished the South African squad off with one last late score. AC Milan wins the FIFA Confederations Cup, 3-1. Champions League GROUP A: Barcelona (Spain) won this group handily, but Lyon (France) had to earn the second spot over Celtic (Scotland) by results, as the Scottish side by all rights had the better play in the group outside of its Lyon matches (a draw and a loss). Celtic goes to the UEFA Cup, and Galatasaray (Turkey) goes home. GROUP B: Inter (Italy) won all six matches, and allowed only two goals in this one. Werder Bremen (Germany) won through with an awful six points, just ahead of CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Deportivo (Spain). GROUP C: Like Inter in Group B, Porto (Portugal) swept through all six of its matches to get max points. Liverpool (England) came out looking at least a little better than Werder Bremen did in Inter's group. Lazio (Italy) earned the UEFA Cup spot over Shakhtar (Ukraine) by virtue of a less poor goal differential. GROUP D: Chelsea (England) took five wins and a draw from this group to win through. Ajax (Holland) wasn't so dominant (even GD), but finished second nonetheless. AEK (Greece) goes to the UEFA Cup, while AA Gent (Belgium) licks its wounds from having earned just one measly point. GROUP E: Rangers (Scotland) lost just once in this group to take a very tough group. Marseille (France) finished off a surprising duo. Why? Because they relegated defending champion AC Milan to third place and out of the competition prior to the knockout stage. PSV (Holland) rounded out an impressive group, and the Dutch side probably deserved better than to be drawn into this one. GROUP F: CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) won a close battle with Benfica (Portugal) for the top spot (on GD), but both sides are moving on to the knockout stage. Surprising Salzburg (Austria) goes to the UEFA, while Fenerbahce (Turkey) joins its Turkish league rivals Galatasaray on the trip home. GROUP G: Arsenal (England) did not lose in this group, and was a draw away from a sweep. FC Bayern (Germany) lost only to Arsenal in this group to also advance. Neither Partizan (Serbia & Montenegro) nor Nice (France) really deserved to move on anywhere with three points apiece, but someone had to, so Partizan goes to the UEFA on GD. GROUP H: Real Madrid (Spain) led the way in the other standout group in the Champions League group stage. Leverkusen (Germany) finished in second. Together, they sent superpower Juventus (Italy) to the UEFA Cup, and Anderlecht (Belgium) home. Knockout round matchups: Benfica (POR) vs Barcelona (ESP) Lyon (FRA) vs CSKA Sofia (BUL) FC Bayern (GER) vs Inter (ITA) Werder Bremen (GER) vs Chelsea (ENG) Ajax (NED) vs Porto (POR) Liverpool (ENG) vs Rangers (SCO) Marseille (FRA) vs Real Madrid (ESP) Leverkusen (GER) vs Arsenal (ENG) There are some terrific and intriguing matchups here. The best is probably the matchup of German and Italian superpowers, FC Bayern and Inter. Porto will be tested to prove its group results were no fluke against Ajax. And who will win out in Pool and Rangers? The club that has won three of the past five CL cups, or the side that nearly swept through a group of death? UEFA Cup Here are the first round knockout matchups for the UEFA Cup: Real Sociedad (ESP) vs Tottenham (ENG) Sampdoria (ITA) vs Villarreal (ESP) Brescia (ITA) vs Monaco (FRA) Red Star (SCG) vs Man City (ENG) AaB (DEN) vs Man Utd (ENG) FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Nantes (FRA) Aue (GER) vs Dinamo Kiev (UKR) FC National (ROM) vs Bordeaux (FRA) Maritomo (POR) vs Salzburg (AUT) Rapid Wien (AUT) vs Milan (ITA) Sporting CP (POR) vs AEK (GRE) Club Brugge (BEL) vs Celtic (SCO) Valencia (ESP) vs Lazio (ITA) Betis (ESP) vs Juventus (ITA) Schalke (GER) vs CSKA Moscow (RUS) Roma (ITA) vs Partizan (SCG) You would have to think Milan is the favorite here, but there are a number of strong possibilities that are usually in the CL knockout stage at this point. Among them are fellow Italian powers Juventus and Roma, Spain's Valencia and Betis, multiple UEFA Cup champ Schalke from Germany, and, of course, England world power Man Utd. If you are looking for a Cinderella, try Nantes, which fought its way to the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-14-2006, 09:33 PM	#19
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	South Africa 2010 Groupings The eight groups for South Africa 2010 have been selected and announced. Here's a group-by-group look. The bolded team is the top seed in the group. GROUP A Australia Colombia Holland Serbia & Montenegro The defending champion Dutch get a good draw here. Australia struggled to get out of Asia qualifying, earning one of the tournament's last two spots. Colombia barely got in from a continent-wide free for all in CONMEBOL--only Brazil and Argentina came out of there looking strong as usual (although the Colombians did end up with a strong goal differential of +9). Serbia & Montenegro might be the best challenge for the Dutch, although they needed to win a playoff to get here. GROUP B Paraguay Scotland South Korea Spain Spain has some demons to exorcise, considering they reached the finals at Germany 2006 and Euro 2008, only to lose both matches. They are the clear favorite again here, and they were absolutely dominant in qualifying. Scotland is another European playoff winner, but they did well in a tough qualifying group, and could surprise. South Korea was underwhelming in Asian qualifying, and Paraguay, like Colombia, barely got into the tournament. GROUP C Argentina Canada Iran Sweden This is another group where there seems to be a sharp difference between the top two squads and the bottom two. Argentina is the top squad, and yet again, a primary contender for the Cup. Sweden was the best second-place European squad in qualifying, and by quite a stretch. On the other hand, Iran never lost in the final phase of qualifying, but drew in five of their six matches--not exactly a huge string of success. And Canada did very poorly in the final phase of qualifying in CONCACAF, in which no teams came close to a positive goal differential outside of Mexico and USA. GROUP D Germany Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Germany is still disappointed at not winning their Cup at home four years ago. They played very strong in qualifying, and look to be a contender again. After the Germans, this group is an intriguing one in that any of the other three squads seem likely to finish second. Russia scored a lot of wins in qualifying, but overall, their performance was lackluster. Senegal did well to beat out a group which included Nigeria, but they may be the weakest of the four African squads which qualified. Saudia Arabia did well in qualifying, and may be the best squad out of Asia, but it's difficult to say right now just what that means. GROUP E Algeria Bosnia Italy Mexico This could end up one of the toughest groups in the tournament. Mexico crushed all opposition in CONCACAF qualifying, failing to win just once in the final phase (a road draw with USA). Italy is a traditional power that is the highest ranked non-top seed in South Africa, although they underwhelemed in giving up their qualifying group to Austria. Bosnia won a solid qulaifying group, and appear to be stronger than their rep would suggest. Algeria, another generally lower-regarded side, was very solid in its group, which included Togo. GROUP F Brazil Costa Rica France South Africa It seems cruel that the host of the Cup should end up here. Brazil is everything it has always been, very powerful and the likely favorite--and motivated because they haven't won the hardware in eight years. They took apart CONMEBOL qualifying, winning it going away. France is another powerful squad which has not done well in recent tournaments. They are looking to re-establish their past success, and only allowed two goals in qualifying. Costa Rica is not on the same level, as those two, but they are probably the best squad from CONCACAF that is not one of the region's big two. South Africa is the lowest-ranked quad in the tournament, but they get the boost of playing at home, and their ranking is deceptively low because they haven't played in qualifying in four years. GROUP G Croatia England Morocco Uzbekistan England is always a threat to win the Cup, and they won through a very tough group to get here (and played very well throughout). Croatia also won its group, although you could argue second-place Sweden was the better squad. Morocco might be the best side out of Africa in this tournament. They did not lose in qualifying, earling the most points in African qualifying from a group which included Ivory Coast and Angola. Uzbekistan had the most wins in Asia's final qualifying phase, but they are a Cup rookie. GROUP H Austria Ghana Portugal United States There are a few candidates for the proverbial "Group of Death" label, but this might be it. Portugal is the defending Euro 2008 champion, although they eeked their way out of a less than stellar qualifying group. Austria is not a traditional European power, but they beat out Italy for the top spot in their grouping. Ghana had the second most points, and highest goal differential in Africa's qualifying. And the United States dominated CONCACAF play, and gave Mexico its only test in the final phase of qualifying. Australia will play Holland in the tournament's opening match in FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on June 9. The final will be played on July 11, at a site to be determined. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-14-2006, 11:31 PM	#20
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Squad At Halfway Point Here is a look at the squad as we go into January. Code: \| Pkd \| Inf \| Name \| Position \| Morale \| Form \| Con \| Apps \| Gls \| Av Rat \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Adrián Berbia \| GK \| Very Good \| 9-7-6-7-7 \| 89% \| 9 \| - \| 7.33 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Jonas Tanghe \| GK \| Superb \| 9-7-8-8-8 \| 99% \| 5 \| - \| 7.60 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Andrea Briotti \| SW, D LC \| Superb \| 6-7-6-7-8 \| 100% \| 8 \| - \| 7.00 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Curtis Davies \| SW, D C \| Superb \| 7-7-7-8-6 \| 99% \| 22 \| - \| 7.14 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Tim Bakens \| D RC \| Superb \| 6-8-8-8-8 \| 97% \| 7 \| - \| 7.43 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Wnt \| Frank Simek \| D R \| Superb \| 7-7-8-7-7 \| 100% \| 16 \| - \| 7.19 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Djimi Traoré \| D LC \| Superb \| 7-8-7-8-7 \| 99% \| 19 \| - \| 7.05 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Bernard Mendy \| D/WB R, AM R \| Superb \| 6-7-8-7-7 \| 97% \| 11 (3) \| 1 \| 7.07 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Steven Hammell \| D/WB L \| Superb \| 6-6-8-5-7 \| 99% \| 14 \| - \| 6.71 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Unh \| Mathieu Flamini \| DM \| Superb \| 9-7-7-8-8 \| 98% \| 9 (1) \| 1 \| 7.20 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Nick Montgomery \| DM \| Superb \| 6-8-8-8-8 \| 100% \| 13 (1) \| - \| 7.43 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Lst \| David Dunn \| AM RC \| Poor \| 7-8-7-7-6 \| 94% \| 1 (3) \| 2 \| 7.00 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| James Morrison \| AM RC \| Superb \| 6-6-7-8-7 \| 85% \| 16 \| 1 \| 6.81 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Jani Virtanen \| AM RC \| Very Good \| 7-8-6-8-7 \| 84% \| 22 (1) \| 5 \| 7.30 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Henok Goitom \| AM RLC, F C \| Very Good \| 7-7-7-6-7 \| 94% \| 2 (8) \| 1 \| 7.10 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Romano Denneboom \| AM RL, ST \| Superb \| 7-7-6-8-6 \| 91% \| 1 (10) \| 3 \| 6.73 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Toifilou Maoulida \| AM R, ST \| Superb \| 8-10-10-7-7 \| 97% \| 22 \| 12 \| 7.64 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Jonathan Blondel \| AM LC \| Superb \| 7-6-7-7-6 \| 90% \| 3 (7) \| 1 \| 6.90 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Inj \| Ross Wallace \| AM L \| Superb \| 7-8-8-6-7 \| 79% \| 17 (1) \| 1 \| 7.11 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Johan Absalonsen \| AM L, F C \| Superb \| 8-7-7-6-7 \| 95% \| 2 (8) \| 1 \| 6.90 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Ricardo Vaz Te \| AM L, F C \| Superb \| 7-8-8-8-7 \| 97% \| 18 \| 17 \| 7.22 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Martin Christensen \| AM/F C \| Superb \| 7-7-7-7-7 \| 97% \| 7 (6) \| 1 \| 7.00 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Juan Pablo García \| AM/F C \| Superb \| 7-7-8-7-7 \| 96% \| 17 (1) \| 4 \| 7.00 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Kjartan Henry Finnbogason \| ST \| Superb \| 7-6-7-7-7 \| 98% \| 2 (7) \| 2 \| 6.78 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| \| Rocco Sacco \| ST \| Very Good \| 10-7-7-9-7 \| 83% \| 0 (1) \| - \| 7.00 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| GOALKEEPERS This has been a position in flux this season, thanks to Adrian Berbia (9 app, 10 GA, 7.33)'s difficult season of injuries. On two separate occasions, Berbia went down for a month, and the defense suffered when first choice backup Kenneth Vermeer (11 app, 14 GA, 6.73) was in. Vermeer has been sent to the Reserves, thanks to the strong play in the past couple months of Jonas Tanghe (5 app, 5 GA, 7.60). FULLBACKS Frank Simek (16 app, 3 A, 7.19) continues to be a solid defender at right back, proving he can be effective in the top league. He lacks some physical ability and offensive skills, though, which has opened the door for Bernard Mendy (14 app, 1 G, 4 A, 7.07). Mendy isn't as consistent defensively, but he makes things happen from his position. He also backs up the right wing spot. Unlike Simek, Steven Hammell (14 app, 1 A, 6.71) has fallen off from his solid season last year, and been very inconsistent. He has always had some defensive deficiencies, but he made up for things offensively and with his terrific pace. That has not been the case this year, and we're keeping our eye out for alternatives. Andrea Briotti (8 app, 7.00) is similar to Simek, in that he is very solid defensively. He doesn't bring a lot to the pitch offensively, though. CENTREBACKS Usually more than three squadders are needed at this spot to protect against injuries, bur I can't complain about how my centrebacks have played. Curtis Davies (22 app, 7.14) has been every bit as solid and consistent as I need my top defender to be. He has also surprised with making well-placed passes to initiate the offense, although he doesn't have an assist yet. Djimi Traore (19 app, 7.05) hasn't been as good as last year, and has made a couple crucial errors in some losses this year. But he's still pretty effective as Davies' partner. He might end up at left back, as he is a solid defneder, who has the quickness and offensive ability to make an impact there. Tim Bakens (7 app, 1 A, 7.43) started off slow after we brought him in from Dutch power PSV in August, but has really turned into an excellent backup and insurance policy. He might even play his way into starting (with Traore shifting left), if we can get some depth for this position in the open window. DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER For all of the players we have played here, this position always comes back to one man: Nick Montgomery (13 app, 3 A, 7.46). The Scottish holding mid was solid last year, but not good enough to stop looking over his shoulder. This season, he has been invaluable, and even dominating in the middle. We have good cover here, too, with big summer signing Mathieu Flamini (10 app, 1 G, 7.20) on hand. Like Bakens, Flamini started slow, but he has been playing much better the past two months. WINGERS Neither side has been rock solid here, but there's still a lot to take from these positions. With a little more consistency and less injury concern, both positions would be very solid. James Morrison (16 app, 1 G, 5 A, 6.81) can be brilliant at times, and disappear at others. He's still a young (23) player with a lot of potential, but with Mendy and some of the others on the roster, he has to be careful to maintain his form. The primary backup is Romano Denneboom (11 app, 3 G, 3 A, 6.73), but he too suffers from bouts of inconsistency. Both he and Morrison also have missed time from injury. A player to keep an eye on is young winger Jani Virtanen (23 app, 5 G, 7.30 at Walsall in Championship) who may be showing on his loan that he deserves a look when he comes back in a couple weeks. On the left side, Ross Wallace (18 app, 1 G, 5 A, 7.11) has been a spark on offense, and very solid defensively, plus he has the consistency the players on the right side do not. The problem is he pciks up injuries too easy, and he is still complaining about his playing time, despite the fact he is a first team regular. Depth here is not a concern, as two offseason acquisitions have both made contributions at several positions. Jonathon Blondel (10 app, 1 G, 2 A, 6.90) has done everything asked of him, and been the consummate professional, but Johan Absalonsen (10 app, 1 G, 2 A, 6.90) has displayed abit more flair when he is on. Oddly enough, their key stats are the same at the moment. ATTACKING MIDFIELDER Last year, Juan Pablo Garcia (18 app, 4 G, 2 A, 7.00) was a force for us, and earned a spot on the 2008-09 English Premier Division Select Team. He hasn't been as dynamic this season, and didn't score his first goal until almost November. Still, the offense seems to run more smoothly when he's on the pitch. Martin Christensen (13 app, 1 G, 1 A, 7.00) showed he had the skills to make the first team and see time. His play has shown he can be a consistent player here, too, although he lacks that offensive spark that Garcia gives. Transfer-listed David Dunn (4 app, 2 G, 2 A, 7.00) is nearing the far end of his career (he's 30), and his physical skills may be deteriorating a bit, but he continues to show why he has been a key player for the Owls for the past couple seasons. His stats were hurt by a heel injury which cost him most of the first three months of the season. Henok Goitom (10 app, 1 G, 4 A, 7.10) is also a solid option here, although like Dunn, Absalonsen and Denneboom, I tend to use him here, on the wings, and up front as a do-it-all backup. FORWARDS Ricardo Vaz Te (18 app, 17 G, 1 A, 7.22) hasn't let up since late in 2008, and has turned in a season and a half as one of the best strikers in the Premiership. His numbers would be even better if he didnt miss almost a month in the fall when he hurt his shoulder. The guy who has made it click all year, though, for the offense is Toifilou "Tofu" Maoulida (22 app, 12 G, 9 app, 7.64). The veteran French striker has been durable and very consisent. He has also been the club's top playmaker, and particularly dangerous when teams attempt to overplay toward Vaz Te. Losing Juha Ojala to Chelsea in a $25 M transfer hurts our quality depth here, although even with Ojala, this was a squad with relatively unproven depth at the forward spots. The first option with Ojala gone now is Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (9 app, 2 G, 6.78), but he hasn't stepped it up like he needs to. Young Italian striker Rocco Sacco (1 app, 7.00) has been brought up from the Reserves, but he has yet to show he has Ojala's touch, even though he rates similarly to him. I am likely to look for a third option in the transfer market here, although I also use Gotiom, Denneboom, and Absalonsen here. TRANSFER TARGETS There is nothing much to report here, except that it is obvious we could use another solid option up front, and some depth at the back. The sale of Ojala has given us almost $30 M in the transfer kitty, and I am considering options at the moment. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-14-2006 at 11:38 PM.

06-20-2006, 10:08 PM	#21
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Sheesh! Almost a week since I posted. Well, that's what you get when you're playing 43 leagues or whatever, and you're going through the busiest transfer month of the year (January). I completed that month, and nine matches with it, wow, and there's lots to go over. So I'll start with our transfer battles, before I get to the day to day... __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-21-2006, 11:04 PM	#23
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Transfer Recap Here's an eyeball's look at what happened with Sheffield Wednesday in January 2010. Transfers In ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers) DM/AMC Stilian Petrov ($110K, Fiorentina) ST Arouna Kone (Bosman, Zaragoza) DC Jack Wilson (Bosman, Southampton) Bednar is the big pickup. At 26, the Czech international still has plenty of good seasons ahead of him. He gives us a strong backup to Vaz te and Tofu, and a solid replacement for Tofu if he starts to show his age. Petrov's skills aren't what they used to be, but he remains an intelligent, hard-working player with good physical skills. Best of all, he gives a tested leader, something this team doesn't really have. Kone and Wilson won't be here until July, but I am hoping for big things from both. Kone will join the first strikers up front to give us a top notch frontline rotation. Wilson gives us a young centreback to groom for the future. Transfers Out ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Chelsea) GK Wayne Hennessey ($425K, Cork City) GK Patrik Sandberg ($950K, Aston Villa) DM Petit ($475K, Wasquehal) DLC Tommy Spurr ($20K, Hamilton) Ojala was the only first team member to move, and the fee we got from Chelsea for the young star in rising basically fueled what we did in the transfer season. In signing Bednar and Kone, we are also still well covered at striker for the forseeable future. Hennessey and Sandberg were both keepers with potential, but my staff consistently rates U-18 keep Steve Wright as a future star, and Berbia has been terrific when healthy. This was a position we could afford to move. Petit had outlived his usefuleness, and Spurr was never good enough to get first team action, so moving them out gives us something for nothing. TRANSFERS AROUND THE LEAGUE & WORLD England ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Sheff Wed to Chelsea) AMC Diego ($20 M, Liverpool to Valencia) ST Collins Mbesuma ($12.25 M, Boro to Newcastle) ST Joakim Holgersson ($11.75 M, Schalke to Liverpool) ML Kjetil Simonsen ($10.75 M, Bologna to Arsenal) ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers to Sheff Wed) ST Collins John ($9.25 M, Birmingham to Newcastle) AML Mark Gonzalez ($9 M, Valencia to Crystal Palace) DM Dennis Stam ($8.25 M, PSV to Wigan) DRC Drew Moor ($6.75 M, Stuttgart to Everton) GK Davide Tettamanti ($5.5 M, Newcastle to Crystal Palace) FC Bjarne K. Ingebretsen ($5.25 M, Portsmouth to Boro) MC Loic Sandjak ($5 M, Wasquehal to Newcastle) DL Joris Mathijsen ($5 M, Wigan to Aston Villa) MRC Chris James ($5 M, Wigan to Kilmarnock) As it turns out, Ojala was the biggest move in England in the open window, and the only move Chelsea made. But that won't likely have an immediate impact on their play, as Ojala is for the future. Following that theme, Pool and Arsenal both brought in teenage talents as well in Holgersson and Simonsen. With Man U relatively silent this period, Sheff Wed was the only Top Five squad to make a move for a high-priced vet in Bednar. The most active squad were the Toon, bringing in both John and Mbesuma to shake things up front. They also brought in a young talent in Sandjak, and shipped out formerly young talent in moving Italian keeper Tettamanti to Palace. Palace is one of several relegation-threatened squads which made moves to stave off the drop. They also added star left winger Mark Gonzalez. Everton brought on American defender Drew Moor to attempt to fight out of the cellar spot, and Boro bought a top young talent in Ingebretsen to keep them out of the drop zone. World ST Fred ($71 M, Lyon to Milan) AMC Luis Antonio Valencia ($32 M, Villareal to Real Madrid) FC Eddie Gaven ($31 M, Milan to Valencia) AMC Joao Moutinho ($30.5 M, Real Madrid to Betis) ST Davis De Zan ($26.5 M, Inter to Milan) ST Juha Ojala ($25 M, Sheff Wed to Chelsea) AMC Diego ($20 M, Liverpool to Valencia) DL Thiago ($18.75 M, Espanyol to Real Madrid) DM Owen Hargreaves ($16.75 M, FC Bayern to Rostock) DC Edinho ($15.5 M, Internacional to Atletico Paranaense) DRC Sergio Ramos ($14.25 M, Real Madrid to Betis) FC Eugeny Belousov ($12.75 M, Real Sociedad to Milan) FC Jussie ($12.25 M, Lens to Lyon) ST Collins Mbesuma ($12.25 M, Boro to Newcastle) ST Joakim Holgersson ($11.75 M, Schalke to Liverpool) DM Arouca ($11.5 M, Sao Paulo to Marseille) ST Erwin Albeiro Carrillo ($11 M, Valencia to Espanyol) ML Kjetil Simonsen ($10.75 M, Bologna to Arsenal) ST Roman Bednar ($10.5 M, Rangers to Sheff Wed) FC Vagner Love ($10.5 M, CSKA Moscow to Genoa) FC Toro ($10.25 M, Palmeiras to Sevilla) FC Kleber ($10.25 M, Dinamo Kiev to Nice) DM Emanuel Sarki ($10.25 M, Deportivo to Barcelona) Well, it's clear what the big move was. With Chelsea holding back most of its immense wealth this time around, Milan went nuts and gave the biggest transfer offer ever to Lyon for Fred, perhaps the next big Brazilian superstar striker. They also brought in De Zan and Belousov, but those are moves for the future. The Serie A was largely silent, with Milan already building a strong lead in league. Not so much for the Primera Division, though, which may have been the busiest top league in the world. Real Madrid and Valencia made the big moves. Valencia (the player) and Thiago will help out Real at both ends of the pitch, respectively. Gaven and Diego give Valencia (the club) some serious offensive punch. Real Madrid is locked into a battle with Barcelona for the leagues top spot, and Valencia is trying to get back into the Champion's League. Surprising third place Betis made big moves in adding Moutinho and Ramos, stating they will not let Real and Barca run away with it this year. The Bundesliga was even quieter than Serie A, and Ligue One clubs focused on bringing in medium-priced talent below the radar. This was definitely Spain's window (with a big chunk of Milan mixed in). __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 06-21-2006 at 11:06 PM.

06-28-2006, 01:40 AM	#26
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	February 2010 I have gotten through the ringer of December and January fairly well off, although the recent drop to fifth is rather disappointing. Now we get to the tough home stretch. Can we keep it up? Clinch a spot in Europe? Maybe even the Champions League? FEBRUARY 3--Sheff Wed at Walsall Our draw to Walsall in the first match of our 4th round FA Cup tie with them was very disappointing. We will need to play much better here if we expect to advance. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia Absalonsen is starting on the left wing today, and Briotti is in for Traore, away on international duty with Mali, but otherwise, Walsall is getting our starters. It started as a very defensive match, with only four shots total through the first 20 minutes. Tofu capitalized on an error by former Boro wingback Frank Queudrue, though, in the 19th minute. He intercepted a backpass from Queudrue intended for centreback Anthony Gerrard, skipped past Gerrard, and then blasted the ball into the right end of the net, past a charging Phillip Calington in net. Walsall would benefit on an odd play, though, in the 41st minute. Midfielder Damien Francis had the ball outside of the box and attempted to pass it up to striker Andy Milne. Garcia and Davies were crowding Francis, and somehow, his pass deflected off of Davies and rolled by an oddly unreactive Berbia and into the goal for the tie. It was turning out to be a tough match, as we fought inconsistency and injuries--both Absalonsen and Morrison struggled through first half knocks. We got ahead again int he 52nd minute on a nice pass play. Garcia found Absalonsen on the run down the left flank, and the winger put a nice low cross into the box for Vaz Te, who easily knocked it home in the left corner to regain the lead. Walsall would fail to get an actual shot on goal the whole match. Sheff Wed escape with the 2-1 win over Walsall, 3-2 on aggregate. We picked up two more injuries in the second half, with Berbia and Briotti getting knocks. The Berbia injury ended up hurting. He bruised his ribs in an accidental challenge, and will be out anywhere from four days to two weeks. I bring Vermeer back up to back up Tanghe. We also lose Davies. The defender tripped striker Dean May in the 81st minute, and picked up his fifth yellow of the season. That earns him a sit for our next match, courtesy of the FA. We were set to meet either Man Utd or Bristol City in the FA Cup 5th round, and nicely for us, Bristol City pulled the major upset. We play them at their place on Feb 13. Other Premiership clubs biting the dust this round were Bolton and Palace, losing to Man City and Wigan, respectively. Pool beat Boro in Premiership play and leap past Arsenal and Man Utd into second. Mali loses out in the COSAFA Cup the next day, and we get Traore back. That's a relief, as Davies' suspension was hurting our backline. We are set to meet Forest on Feb 7, and if you recall, we have a bit of a history with them and their manager, Gary Megson. So I am surprised when he praises my abilities in the lead up to the game. I tell him I believe he can save Forest from relegation (hey, I'll be nice if you will). Our match with Forest is a TV match the day after the regular round, so the other title contenders get a go at it first. The Gunners regained second by beating Wolves. Pool and Man Utd both fell, though, to weaker opponents in Norwich and Derby, which gives us an apportunity to make up ground in the Forest match. FEBRUARY 7--Nottm Forest at Sheff Wed Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Addo - Bakens - Mendy GK Tanghe Tanghe is in net for the injured Berbia, and Addo repalces the suspended Davies. Traore is back at left back, and Blondel gets his turn in the left wing rotation. Like the Walsall match, this one started very slow--and once again, we capitalized on a key defensive error from our opponents (in the 20th minute this time). Centreback Brian King had the ball at the back and attempted to move it up to fellow defender Paulo Monteiro. Unfortunately for King, Vaz Te jumped forward onto the past and went through on goal. Stuart Taylor came out to meet Vaz Te, but the striker just chipped the ball over the keeper for the first goal. Then in the 30th minute, winger Kim brandt tugged at Tofu's shirt a little too hard just as he entered the far left of the box. It was a very poorly timed and stupid foul, as the ref signalled to the spot. Montgomery stepped up and put it in the left side of the net for the two goal lead. Our defense locked down after that, allowing Forest just two shots on goal. Owls take it to Forest, 2-0. The win jumps us past Man Utd into fourth, and just a point out of second. A couple more Premiership matches impacts the race in the follwoing days. Chelsea draws with Boro a day after our win over Forest, but they are a bit of a distance ahead of our pack, so they aren't close enought o be concerned with at the moment. The Gunners blow a chance to push up their lead in second when they fall badly to Everton. Our 5th round FA Cup visit to Bristol City is coming up, but it is now I am also starting to eye young prospects on Bosman. In years past, I have lifted many young talents, including Ojala, Sacco and Garrido, in this manner (which is a good thing, because I am still working with the board to get us a youth academy). I make an offer for Everton midfielder John-Paul Kissock, a nice looking offensive central mid, and start scouting for others. To help with the scouting, I offer a job to unemployed Czech scout Vaclav Kadlev. FEBRUARY 13--Sheff Wed at Bristol City Three weeks ago, I marched out a somewhat subpar squad to an FA Cup match with Walsall and the result was a draw and a tough replay. I believe that was an abberation, though, and we can take Bristol City with a lighter side. Cross your fingers. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Bednar MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Virtanen DF Hammell - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Tanghe Bednar starts up front, although I have Vaz Te on the bench and ready to go if needed. Wallace and Virtanen get the starts on the wing. Davies returns from suspension, and former fullback starters Hammell and Simek make appearances. Tanghe is still in net while Berbia nurses his latest knock. It turns out I was right. We aren't touch-and-go as we were with Walsall, and start taking it to Bristol City from the kick off. In the 7th minute, we got our first score off of a corner, which is so rare for us. Montgomery went into heavy traffic and beat defender James Collins in the air for a Virtanen cross. The high header slipped over keeper Allan McGregor for the 1-0 lead. We didn't wait long to get another one. Just a minute later, Bednar slipped in on a Bristol City backpass at midfield and found Tofu slipping the seams on a break to the goal. The defense managed to maneuver the striker into a run off to the right, but then Tofu turned and blasted a shot across the mouth of the goal that just caught the inside of the far post. Two goals up! It was pretty much downhill from there for Bristol City. Bednar added his first ever goal as an Owl in the second half. Sheff Wed roll over Bristol City, 3-0. We have advanced to the 6th round of the FA Cup. We find out two days after the Bristol City match that we will play either Sunderland or Blackburn next month. They have to replay their tie in the 5th round. Arsenal was shocked by Championship squad Coventry in the 5th round. Forest and Norwich also lost (although they lost to Chelsea and Pool, so not unexpected). Now that we have taken care of our advancement in the FA Cup, we return to a week of lead up to the Carling Cup final. On Feb 21, we will meet powerful Chelsea in our first major competition final. We stunned Man Utd to get this far, and I don't intend to falter now that I am here. A win at Wembley earns us an automatic seed in next season's UEFA Cup. Absalonsen, though, doesn't entirely have his head in the game. He complains about a lack of first team playing...sigh. I tell him he will see some (after all, he and Blondel are probably going to see a lot of time on the left side), and that seems to mollify him. Kadlec and Kissock sign three days after the Bristol City match. I leave Kadlec unassigned, so he can pursue scouting some fo the young targets we have selected as possible Bosman transfers. Kissock will join our squad (probably the Reserves) in July. While we play three of four matches in cup competitions, the Premiership rumbles on. The day before our showdown with the Blues, Arsenal beats Leeds to extend their second place position, while Pool draws with Palace. Since we're not playing EPL matches, though, we can't make a move on Pool yet. FEBRUARY 21--Sheff Wed vs Chelsea--CARLING CUP FINAL This is my first major cup final in FM2006, so I was susprised at all the lead up. There was a stroy about how Tofu is the competition's leading scorer (7 goals). I knew he was doing good, but I didn't know that. And a Sheff Wed old player came out and said Petr Cech was the key to concentrate on for us if we want to beat Chelsea. No arguments there--Cech is a heck of a player. I am approached to comment on Cech, and I say that he's a terrific player, but I think our attack can cause him problems. And on to Wenbley... Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia With Berbia back at full fitness again, we march out our regular lineup for this one, with Absalonsen on the left, and the new Traore-Bakens-Davies-Mendy backline all playing together for the first time. Chelsea bring the horses, too--other than injuries to Joe Cole and Arjen Robben, their stars are largely in the lineup. John Terry is strangely absent (he appears fit). Still, Cech is in net, and William Gallas and our former transfer target Glen Johnson are on the backline. Superstar midfielders Tomas Rosicky and Frank Lampard are in the lineup, Shaun-Wright Phillips is on the right side, and Carlos Tevez is up front. It's a full house on a wet day in London. Almost 90,000 will watch us on a normal, rainy February England day. We are ready from the start. Just a minute in, Bakens clears out a good shot by Tevez, and Montgomery wins the ball from Rosicky in the middle of the pitch. He finds Vaz Te making space from Gallas on the run. Cech makes the mistake of coming off of his line, and that just encourages Vaz Te to attempt the chip. It works, and the ball falls into the far end of the net for the 1-0 break out! In the 34th minute, Chelsea really seemed to miss Terry. Vaz Te played a give-and-go with Mendy and ran into the area to the right of the goal. He blasted a shot on Cech, who turned it away. Morrison jumped on it and hit it for the far side, but again, Cech shows how good he is and pushes it away. Third time is the charm--Tofu gets to it first and puts it into the open left side of the net. Where was Chelsea's defense? We're up 2-0! Of course, Chelsea gets back into it in typical worldclass fashion. In the 37th minute, Rosicky shot a curving kick at the right goal from beyond the area, and it twisted past the leaping Berbia to get the Blues within one. That's just the beginning, though. In the 42nd minute, Tofu slipped inside the shoddy Chelsea defense and headed in a terrific deep pass from Absalonsen, a shot Cech was powerless to defend. We're back up two goals again...for a couple minutes anyway! Rosicky strikes again in the waning seconds of extra time in the first half. Hitting a curling freekick from the far right, just inside the near post. Sonofa...we go into the break with a one goal lead after a wild first half. The second was just absolute intensity, as Chelsea tried to come back on us. Both sides took four shots on goal, and between us both, the squads took 14 more shots. Just watching us try to fight off some of the world's best was intense, and everything FM is about. And, strangely enough, despite the first half goal glut, not a single shot actually gets past the goal line in the second half. Sheff Wed wins the Carling Cup! 3-2 victors over mighty Chelsea! Wow, I am at my personal pinnacle now (upt o now, I should say). I have won my first Cup! My reputation raises to Continental, which is terrific. The match ends all even on shots, so not only did we beat Chelsea, it was no fluke--we matched them shot for shot, and most of their best players, too. I couldn't be prouder of my squad. The aftermath is huge, of course. The fans are dancing. The board is happy. Another Owl past great comes out and congratulates me in the media. It is the club's first Carling Cup (or any cup) since 1991, and we take home $1.9 M for the win, too. It figures I would get a downer at the same time. Big time Bosman signee Zaragoza striker Kone breaks his foot in a match in Spain, and it looks like he may not be ready for the start of the EPL season. He could eb a quick healer, though, and be rounding into fitness for our friendly fixture. So it's up in the air at the moment. In other club news, Finnish side TPS offers a Bosman contract to Reserves defender Martin Albrechtsen, and he accepts. Good luck in July, Martin (he will be jumping into an active league schedule actually--Finland's league fixture runs from spring to fall). We're barely coming down from our Carling Cup high when our next match arrives--a return visit to Old Trafford, where we lost to Man Utd, 2-0, just after the new year. FEBRUARY 24--Sheff Wed at Man Utd This is an absolutely huge match. It's a head-to-head against one of the key squads we are fighting for a Champions League spot. And they are worldclass. And at home. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia We're starting our regulars again, even if they are still recovering a bit from the emotional match at Wembley. Man Utd has its stars back, and we're facing a lineup with Jermaine Defoe and RVN up front, and Wayne Rooney on the right wing (that's their solution to the wealth of worldclass forwards they have). Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre are on the backline, and John Obi-Mikel is in the middle. Right from the beginning, we seemed to be struggling with the talent Man Utd was putting on the pitch. In just the 8th minute, Van Nistlerooy broke into the box and received a pass from Darren Fletcher, and put it inside the near post, expertly evading both Bakens and Davies. That put them up a goal, and then the defenses on both sides clamped down. Across the whole course of the match, only 12 shots were taken in almost all of the match, and only two were on goal. In the 89th minute, we had just five shots, and keeper John Phillips hadn't even been tested once. But then defender Karl Svannson fell asleep when he shouldn't have, and Bednar broke past him just as the clock started to turn toward extra time. Davies won the ball on a challenge from Defoe and put it forward onto the Czech striker on the run. With the defense trailing, Bednar stepped to his right and then fired at the left post, faking out Phillips. The ball hit the inside of the net, and we had our amazing equaliser! And it would be the only shot on goal we would manage this day. Sheff Wed escape Man Utd and Old Trafford with a 1-1 draw. We were dominated in this one, largely, and the Red Devils deserved better. But we'll take it. Bednar picked a great time to get his first league goal for us. Way to time it, Roman. We stay ahead of Man Utd, who are in 5th, and move into a tie with Pool, but down on goal differential. Chelsea beat Forest to extend their league lead. I think it's unlikely anyone will catch them unless they fall apart (extremely unlikely). The replay 5th round of the FA Cup is also played today, and Blackburn beats Sunderland to be our next opponent. We will play them in the 6th round on Mar 17 at Ewood Park. The big loss in the FA Cup is Pool today, who fall to Wigan. The month ends with another round of league matches, but we're the TV game (and in March). So we sit by and watch as the other contenders give it a go. Pool has been playing poorly, and draw with Villa. That gives us a terrific opportunity to leap past them for third in our next match. Arsenal falls to Newcastle, and Chelsea beats Man Utd, so that is an all around win for us. We can make up ground on the Gunners, and move away from Man Utd, too. Things are looking good at the moment. Can we keep it up? __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-28-2006, 02:33 AM	#27
tanglewood College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2004	Congrats on the cup win. This is a really nice dynasty to follow.

07-01-2006, 01:57 AM	#28
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Hey, thanks tanglewood. Yeah, it was pretty sweet, especially coming off of the amazing win in the semis over Man Utd. I'm hoping to put up some more for the dynasty in the next day or so. I might even reach the World Cup (2010, that is). Thanks for reading. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-01-2006, 06:00 PM	#29
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	International Club Play & The COSAFA Cup The knockout stages of the Champions League and UEFA Cup start up again in February, and a major continetnal competition takes place in Africa in late January and early February. Here's a look at them. COSAFA CUP This is an interesting competition because they still choose to play it even in World Cup years, and because World Cup qualifying also doubles to qualify for this competition in Africa. It's a good chance to get a look at the African World Cup entrants leading up to South Africa 2010. The strange twist is that the World Cup host, South Africa, will not participate in this year's COSAFA Cup, because they did not need to participate in World Cup qualifying (and so did not "qualify" for this cup). The top four teams from each of the four WC qualifier groups are entered into the pool and re-drawn into four new groups for the COSAFA Cup, being held this year in Morocco. Here are the groups, with South Africa 2010 squads in bold. GROUP A: Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Republic of Congo Ghana is one of the best squads on the continent, but Ivory Coast is also very dangerous. GROUP B: Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Morocco As a WC qualifier and the host, Morocco is certainly the favorite here. Mali, including Sheff Wed's Djimi Traore, might be the best squad in Africa not going to South Africa in June. GROUP C: Algeria, Angola, Liberia, Nigeria This has the look of the Group of Death. Algeria is the WC entrant here, and it might be the third best squad in the group. Angola was dominating, but lost out in a tough group with Morocco in qualifying, while Nigeria is one of Africa's traditional powers. GROUP D: Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia Senegal is rightfully the top squad here, but Tunisia has as much talent, and Togo did well in qualifying. The questions are, will Tunisia show up, and will Togo continue to play above its head? GROUP STAGE Jan 25-Feb 4 ROUND ONE Ethiopia 2, Ivory Coast 0 Ghana 2, Republic of Congo 1 Ghana starts off right, while Ethiopia pulls off the surprising upset. Morocco 2, Mali 0 Gabon 2, Guinea 0 Morocco wins the battle of marquee squads, while Gabon wins the match it needs to stay in contention for a spot in the knockout stage. Nigeria 3, Liberia 1 Algeria 2, Angola 1 Nigeria blasts Liberia as expected. Algeria shows their qualifying run was no fluke by edging Angola. Zambia 1, Tunisia 0 Togo 2, Senegal 0 This group goes topsy-turvy. Zambia pulls off the upset of the round over Tunisia (who didn't show up after all), and Togo continued to play strong in beating Senegal. ROUND TWO Ivory Coast 2, Republic of Congo 0 Ghana 2, Ethiopia 0 Ivory Coast gets a must-win by beating Congo, and Ghana wins control of the group by defeating the upstart Ethiopians. No one is through yet, though. Morocco 2, Gabon 1 Mali 2, Guinea 1 Morocco moves on top of the group by beating the other Round One winner in Gabon, and Mali get back into it by beating Guinea. Algeria 2, Nigeria 1 Liberia 2, Angola 1 Algeria is certainly showing quality play here, above normal expectations. Nigeria will be cheered by Liberia's upset over Angola, because they will likely advance over the little country. Angola is just playing awful in this tournament. Senegal 2, Zambia 1 Togo 0, Tunisia 0 This group is still very much up in the air. Senegal edged out the surprising Zambians, but got the win they needed. Togo's draw with Tunisia allows them to go on top of the group, but only by a point. ROUND THREE Ghana 1, Ivory Coast 1 Ethiopia 1, Republic of Congo 1 Ghana wins the group, while the round of draws keeps Ivory Coast and Ethiopia in a dead heat for the second spot. After several tiebreakers, Ethiopia advances by virtue of defeating the Ivorians in Round One. Gabon 1, Mali 1 Morocco 3, Guinea 1 No shock here with Morocco. The hosts sweep their group stage matches and win through on top of the group. Surprising Gabon wins through over Mali on goal differential, sending Traore home early back to the Owls. Liberia 1, Algeria 1 Nigeria 2, Angola 0 Liberia surprises Algeria in holding them to a draw, but the result wins Algeria through on top of the group. It wasn't enough for Liberia to pull on the slipper, though--Nigeria's completion of the Angolan nightmare put them up on goal differential and a spot in the next round. Senegal 2, Tunisia 2 Togo 2, Zambia 2 Lots of scoring, but all for naught in this one, as everyone draws. That maintains the status quo, going on, which happened to be the most shocking group results yet. Togo wins out on top, and stunning Zambia advances, while traditional power Tunisia and South Africa 2010 qualifier Senegal go home. QUARTERFINALS Feb 7-8 Gabon vs Ghana Morocco vs Ethiopia Algeria vs Zambia Togo vs Nigeria Ghana and Morocco should win through. Ethiopia might have challenged Ghana, but beating the hosts and only squad to win all three matches in the group stage is a little much. Algeria should breeze past Zambia, while the Togo-Nigeria showdown is the top match of the round. Ghana 3, Gabon 1 Morocco 2, Ethiopia 0 Algeria 2, Zambia 1 (extra time) Nigeria 3, Togo 1 Ghana and Morocco both rolled in this one, as expected. Algeria won as expected as well, but they were certainly tested, needing extra time to finally put away Zambia. Nigeria burst Togo's bublle and dominated their match. SEMIFINALS Feb 11 Ghana vs Nigeria Morocco vs Algeria You couldn't ask for much better matchups here. Ghana and Nigeria are two heavyweights on the Dark Continent, and both feature worldclass talent. Morocco has been the most dominant squad, and Algeria one of the most consistently surprising. They will battle in the North African end of this round. Nigeria 4, Ghana 1 Morocco 2, Ghana 0 Nigeria didn't wake up in time to qualify for South Africa, but they certainly have showed up here. It's hard to beat any squad this bad, much less Ghana (who, BTW, is indeed going to South Africa in June). Morocco seems unstoppable, beating Algeria, 2-0, to reach the final. Third Round Playoff, Feb 13: Algeria 2 (pen), Ghana 2 Algeria edges out Ghana on penalty kicks in an exciting playoff for third place. FINAL Feb 14, 2010 Morocco vs Nigeria Both World Cup squads, these two nations should make for a fine matchup. Nigeria has been the most individually dominating, while Morocco has yet to lose in this tournament. It would take extra time to determine the winner here, as the score was 1-1 going into extra time. It eventually would go to Nigeria on penalty kicks. Nigeria defeats host Morocco, 1-1 on penalties, to win the COSAFA Cup! UEFA CUP First Knockout Round Tottenham (ENG) 3, Real Sociedad (ESP) 1 Villarreal (ESP) 1, Sampdoria (ITA) 1 (pen) Monaco (FRA) 2, Brescia (ITA) 0 Man City (ENG) 4, Red Star (SCG) 3 Man Utd (ENG) 4, AaB (DEN) 0 Nantes (FRA) 5, FC Midtjylland (DEN) 2 Aue (GER) 4, Dinamo Kiev (UKR) 3 Bordeaux (FRA) 5, FC National (ROM) 1 Salzburg (AUT) 3, Maritomo (POR) 2 Milan (ITA) 4, Rapid Wien (AUT) 1 AEK (GRE) 2, Sporting CP (POR) 0 Club Brugge (BEL) 4, Celtic (SCO) 3 Lazio (ITA) 3, Valencia (ESP) 0 Juventus (ITA) 4, Betis (ESP) 3 Schalke (GER) 4, CSKA Moscow (RUS) 2 Roma (ITA) 3, Partizan (SCG) 1 Not too many surprises in the UEFA Cup's first knockout round, held in mid-February. Only three squads made it from leagues other than the Big Five, and they advanced by beating other teams from outside of those leagues. The round did not lack for marquee matchups, though. Betis's big January signings didn't help them against Juventus, who edged them out. Lazio beat Spanish power Valencia in another showdown. Three English squads advanced, including Manchester rivals, the powerful Man Utd and the relegation battler Man City. Second Knockout Round Tottenham (ENG) vs Aau (GER) Nantes (FRA) vs Man Utd (ENG) Club Brugge (BEL) vs Man City (ENG) Schalke (GER) vs Villareal (ESP) Bordeaux (FRA) vs Roma (ITA) Salzburg (AUT) vs Milan (ITA) AEK (GRE) vs Lazio (ITA) Monaco (FRA) vs Juventus (ITA) The standout matchup, held in early March, is between superpower Juventus, and French title contender Monaco. Most of these matchups don't look so well matched, though, with Milan getting Salzburg, Lazio taking on AEK, and Man Utd against Nantes. Struggling CIty gets a decent chance in drawing Club Brugge, and Spurs and Schalke get good draws with Aau and Villareal, respectively, as both squads are midtable at best in their leagues this season. Tottenham (ENG) 2, Aau (GER) 0 Man Utd (ENG) 2, Nantes (FRA) 0 Club Brugge (BEL) 5, Man City (ENG) 4 Villareal (ESP) 5, Schalke (GER) 4 Roma (ITA) 2, Bordeaux (FRA) 0 Milan (ITA) 4, Salzburg (AUT) 0 Lazio (ITA) 3, AEK (GRE) 1 Monaco (FRA) 3, Juventus (ITA) 2 Big congratulations to Monaco in edging out might Juventus. You have to consider them a serious threat for the UEFA Cup right now. The most exciting matchups appeared to be Club Brugge and Man City, and Villareal over Schalke. The surprising underdogs in City fall in a tough one to the Belgian side, which is itself now a very surprising member of the competition's quarterfinals. Schalke won this competition just three years ago, but Villareal surprised them and edged them out here. Spurs and Man Utd both advance in workmanlike fashion. The Italian squads advance as expected QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS Roma (ITA) vs Tottenham (ENG) Monaco (FRA) vs Milan (ITA) Club Brugge (BEL) vs Lazio (ITA) Villareal (ESP) vs Man Utd (ENG) Beat one Italian superpower, Monaco? Okay, here's another. Monaco-Milan is deserving of Champions League quarterfinal play, much less here. Spurs have a tough matchup with Roma. Lazio draws upstart Club Brugge, and Man Utd should be favored against Villareal. Champions League First Knockout Round Benfica (POR) 3, Barcelona (ESP) 2 Lyon (FRA) 5, CSKA Sofia (BUL) 0 Inter (ITA) 2, FC Bayern (GER) 0 Chelsea (ENG) 5, Werder Bremen (GER) 1 Ajax (NED) 5, Porto (POR) 2 Liverpool (ENG) 4, Rangers (SCO) 3 Marseille (FRA) 2, Real Madrid (ESP) 0 Arsenal (ENG) 2, Leverkusen (GER) 1 Barca and the Galacticos both fall in the first knockout round? Wow, what huge upsets, and their opponents aren't the normal world beaters either (Benfica and Marseille). As in the UEFA Cup, three English squads advance, although only Chelsea did it easily (playing as they were midtable Bundesliga squad Wereder Bremen). Recent three-time consecutive champs Pool had a fight with Rangers to advance, and Arsenal had to slip by Leverkusen. The best matchup found superpowers Inter and Bayern locked in, with the Italian squad advancing (it was a bad round for German clubs). QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS Benfica (POR) vs Lyon (FRA) Chelsea (ENG) vs Inter (ITA) Liverpool (ENG) vs Ajax (NED) Marseille (FRA) vs Arsenal (ENG) The big matchup is between Inter and big bucks Chelsea, the England leader. Benfica and Lyon are two surprising quarterfinalists that will ensure one of them advance to the semis. Pool and Ajax will be an interesting matchup as well. Will the French fans boo Henry when he and the Gunners travel to Marseille? __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-02-2006, 05:59 AM	#31
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	March 2010 The homestretch has begun. And we have a match right away, as we have a TV match to wrap up the round that was started on Feb 28. MARCH 1--Wigan at Sheff Wed Wigan is one of those squads at the fringe of contending for a European slot, so they are no slouch. Also, we have had issues with them in the past. But we're at home, so we should beat them. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Petrov - Garcia - Virtanen DF Briotti - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Berbia After key matches against Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final and then Man Utd, I haven't been giving my backups the time they need, so I march some out for this one. Absalonsen is in the left wing rotation, and Simek is a past starter, so not much difference there. But I do go with Virtanen on the right, Petrov at holding mid and Briotti at left back. We put pressure on from the start. In the 2nd minute, Tofu hit the crossbar on a cross. In the 25th minute, Wigan keeper Migel Cano turned away a point blank shot from Vaz Te. The first half ended with six shots on goal for us, and only one shot period for Wigan. But we couldn't solve Cano. We had some chances in the second half, too. Cano had to make some great saves, particularly on a hard corner shot from Vaz Te in the 78th minute. But this was his night. Sheff Wed finish with a frustrating draw to Wigan, 0-0. We took 13 shots, and put 8 of them on goal. Wigan was lifeless on offense, taking just three shots. Cano was Man of the Match, and we only had a point to show for a strong performance. Although our next match isn't on TV, we are once again playing after the main round. So before we meet Spurs on the road on Mar 7, Pool and Arsenal both won to move three points further up from us. Chelsea lost, so the pack is a little tighter, but they still have a good lead. As we're preparing for the trip to White Hart Lane, the news comes down that Josef Hicksersberger has been sacked by Roma. Once again, a significant job has opened up, so I apply for it. Once again, though, this is much more for establishing my ambitions, rather than actually taking the Roma job. My assumption is that, like the Juventus job, this one will go to a hgiher profile boss. MARCH 7--Sheff Wed at Tottenham The Spurs are on the outside looking in to the Champions League picture, but they are one of the clubs who at least have a sight of us at the top. This will be a tough road match. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia No backups for this one. We need the points, and I don't know I will get them out of this venue without sending my top squad. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to matter much. In the 7th minute, winger Andy Reid headed in a terrific pass from fellow winger Diego Biseswar, despite the fact that Mendy was on him, and Berbia rushed out to meet him. Fact is, Berbia shouldn't have left his line, and we were down a goal. Ten minutes later, Spurs got another one when our defense did a poor job of marking striker Dean Hudson on a break, allowing him a lot of space in the area to shoot the ball inside the left post. We have come up from two goals down before, though, and I got hope in the 24th minute. Much like our handling of Hudson, Vaz Te was poorly marked on a break, and Morrison found him open on a run toward the box. The striker put the ball inside the near post before Paul Robinson could close the hole, and we were within one. But that was shortlived. In the 30th minute, Berbia made a brilliant save on a Robbie Keane shot, only to have Hudson get to the rebound and score his second of the day with ease. It was that sort of day--we actually outshot Spurs and looked the stronger side, but we made too many mistakes and didn't capitalize on our chances. A late Tofu score was largely meaningless. Sheff Wed falls, 3-2, to Spurs on the road. We lose our unbeaten streak today, which stretched 13 league matches, all the way back to our loss to Norwich in November. I am proud of the streak, but certainly disappointed to lose it here. For the second match in a row, we outperformed the opponent, but did not get the win. It gets worse, too, as Man Utd beats rival Man City to catch us with 53 points (although we are still ahead on goal differential). Reserves fullback and former first team part timer Bertelsen complains about his playing time a couple days after the Spurs match. I tell him he is a backup and to be patient. He doesn't take well to this, and requests to be listed, which I do. None of this surprises me--Bertelsen just isn't as good as my other options at left wing, and he has defensive troubles at this level at left back. All of this is background as my squad approaches another critically important match--Pool is coming to Hillsborough. MARCH 13--Liverpool at Sheff Wed Certainly if we're looking to start another streak and get our good vibes back, a visit from Pool is the last thing we need. But we should be a match for anyone on our pitch. I would hope. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Wallace - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia Pool has the usual assortment of stars in their side, so they came to play. We struck first, though. In the 14th minute, Pool made a key mistake, pulling its defense forward on a backpass to Morrison, and allowing Vaz Te to break through toward the goal. Vaz Te skipped by fullback Chris Rowe and dropped a chip right over keeper Jose Manuel Reina to put us up, 1-0. Visiting Pool fans barely had time to cry in their beers before Garcia headed in another one off of yet another Morrison cross. This is the kinda start I like. But as great teams do, Pool has another level they can go to, and at this point, that's what they did. They pressured us the rest of the half. In the 42nd minute, Berbia turned away close shots from Djibril Cisse and Joakim Holgersson before an open rebound finally fell back to Holgersson for the easy score. Still, if I could escape to the half up a goal...but they are too lethal. Superstar mid Steven Gerrard crossed into Cisse near the box, and the striker put it into the net inside the near post for the equaliser. The second half was brutal. We kept turning away scoring chance after scoring chance, and offered little of our own. Berbia turned in a MoM performance to even keep us in this one. We escape our own field with a 2-2 draw to Pool. The Reds put 14 shots on goal, double our total, and 19 overall. They also dominated possession. We were clearly second fiddle on the pitch, and haven't been dominated that badly in some time. I know they are good, but we should have played better. And no matter how things played out, losing a two goal lead at home is very disappointing. With the draw, we both hold position in the table, with Pool in third and us fourth (but now a point ahead of Man Utd). Arsenal shellacks Forest the next day to move a little further ahead in second place, and Man Utd draws back even with us when they draw with Bolton. At the end of the week, Berbia gets a nod in the Team of the Week, but there is little else for me to take consolation from. I would have to say we're on a run of bad form now, especially in the clutch. We need to get back to making our chances count. We will have to do it without Petrov for a short bit, though, as he bumps his noggin in training, and will miss about a week. On Mar 16, I get the surprise of the game so far... Roma chairman Franco Sensi offers me the top job at one of the world's top powers! Wow! I guess that Continental rep is really coming into play now. I sadly turn down the offer, but you should have seen the numbers being thrown at me. $2.7 M per year is on the table for me personally, a $59 M salary budget would be in place, and--get this--$88 M in transfer funds. Oh yeah, and the squad includes some guys you might recognize--you know, Totti, Mancini, Cassona, De Rossi, Mexes, etc. Okay, I admit it--I saved it to come back to later. But for now, this is a Sheff Wed dynasty. Sensi says he is disappointed, but respects my decision. After that bit of excitement, I return to the more mundane daily activities of running the Owls. I offer Bosmans to two young players, Spurs defender/midfielder Michael Quinn, and Levante's striker Jose Garces (called "the next Raul Tamudo"). In the final leadup to our FA Cup match with Blackburn, Cristiano faisl to show up for training. I give him an official warning for unprofessional behavior, and he apologizes and promises to work to improve his behavior. MARCH 17--Sheff Wed at Blackburn Playing a Premiership side in the FA Cup is never a treat, but at least the Rovers are a struggling relegation battler, not far outside the drop zone. The quality of opponent, and the fact this isn't another critical league match, gives us a diamond opportunity to get our form back. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Absalonsen - Montgomery - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Berbia We are still struggling at the kickoff, though, unfortunately. In the 14th minute, winger Ricardo Quaresma sends a tight and high cross down along the goal line into the box, where striker Nery Castillo heads it over Simek and into the left side of the net for the first goal. Why do I play Simek again? We don't even get a shot off until the 21st minute, although Vaz Te makes it count. He scores a nice shot inside the far post after receiving a nice long pass from Garcia on the run. That ties it up. But the stage is set--it's like we're still playing Pool. The Rovers continue to apply the pressure, and in first half extra time, mdifielder Daniel Jensen slips a pass into the area for fellow central mid Michael Green for a point blank shot. Berbia deflects this away, but striker Olivier Karekezi puts it away for the go ahead goal. We go into the half down a goal and being outshot 12-2 (and 7-2 on goal). These are the Rovers, right? We switch up to the more intense press in the second half, and we limit Blackburn to one shot on goal. But we can't seem to solve the Blackburn defense, and our woes in March continue. Sheff Wed falls in ugly fashion, 2-1, to Blackburn, and are out of the FA Cup. I always try to get as far as I can in these competitions, so I am very disappointed to be out of the FA Cup in the quarters, and against Blackburn, too. We are outplayed almost tot he same scale as against Pool. No doubt about it now--we are playing our worst ball of the season at the moment. I use my Angry speech after this one. Bad loss gets bad news, too, as Montgomery gets kicked in the face on a late tackle, and suffers injuries that will put him out 1-2 weeks. Considering Petrov is also hurt, and Flamini is just getting back into training after missing the past two-plus months to his hip injury, this is an awful development. One side note and a good one. Vaz Te's goal gives him 31 total in first team matches this year, setting a new club record. Congrats, Ricardo. In other FA Cup matches, Chelsea and Newcastle advance with wins over Wigan and Spurs, respectibely. They join the Rovers and shocking League One upstart Doncaster in the FA Cup semis. A draw a couple days later pits Chelsea against the midget squad, while Toon will meet Blackburn. When it rains, it pours. Quinn turns down my offer, and resigns with the Spurs. No word on Garces yet. MARCH 20--Sheff Wed at Crystal Palace No rest for us right now. Three days after the Blackburn match, we travel to Selhurst Park to take on Palace, trying to distance themselves from the drop. Lineup (left to right): ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Goitom - Garcia - Dunn - Cristiano DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Simek GK Berbia I change up the midfield quite a bit, thanks to this being our third match in a week, and hurt by injuries. Garcia gets the surprise start at holding mid, a position he is unused to. I put Goitom on the left in the hopes to jumpstart the offense, along with bringing up Cristiano to play on the right. Dunn rounds out a new midfield. We'll see how they do. Awfully hard to feel good about anything when you lose one of your best players five minutes in: Tofu picks up an injury and has to be subbed. I put in Bednar. Vaz Te doesn't seem to notice in the early going. In the 10th minute, he is on the receiving end of a terrific pass play between Garcia and Bednar, and finishes the score for the first lead. Palace gets it back in the 23rd minute, though, as Davies doesn't seem able to stick with striker Suazo on a break. Suazo runs into the box and slips it inside the near post before Berbia can get there, and we're tied. That seems to wake Palace up, and they amp up the pressure. In the 44th minute, Suazo goes on another break, and this time, it is Bakens he is giving the business to, before lofting a chip shot over the charging Berbia. the score is in easy, and we're down a goal. Uh oh...but we do get it back right away. Deep into extra time, defender Vangelis Moras held onto the ball too long on the backline, and Bednar stepped up and took it away from him. The striker went into the area, and blasted in a nice floating shot that Davide Tettamenti couldn't get to. We went into halftime all knotted up (although Vaz Te, too, had to leave the pitch for injury in the 45th minute). Palace then gave us an excellent chance in the 59th minute when fullback Stephen Warnock was carded a second time and sent off. A man advantage should be enough to secure that one more goal. Well, not when our side is playing the way it is, though. We make a foolish foul outside of the area in the 81st minute, and defender Ryan Smith puts in a freekick into the net for the shocking go-ahead goal (and one where Berbia hardly seemed to react). Embarassingly enough, we would actually go down to a squad that was a man down. Sheff Wed is really on a roll now--a bad one--losing to Palace, 3-2, on the road. We are outshot on goal again by the defense, although it's much closer this time. Is there a magic elixir for this awful play? Perhaps the Carling Cup has cursed us? We haven't won since taking that chalice last month. The postmatch news gets worse, as Tofu twisted his ankle, and will miss two weeks to a month. Vaz Te stubbed his toe, and will be out for a week. Kick the ball, Ricardo, not the grass. Our strike force is looking pretty thin at the moment. The next day, Pool secure a huge win with a 2-1 result over Chelsea. There is clear separation now between us-Man Utd and Pool-Arsenal, and it will be tougher to get back to that lvel. We have one more chance to turn it around this month, with a home match against Villa on Mar 27. But this hasn't just become a struggle on the pitch. Flamini, despite just returning to fitness within the past week, complains about his playing time. I tell him my plan to play him more, but it's stupid he is complaining in the first place. Then Berbia lands badly on his heel in a challenge in training, and will miss 1-2 weeks. This guy is more fragile than Ken Griffey Jr. Finally, Cristiano is absent from training again...grrr, I fine him a week's wages (he apologizes again). As if to punctuate the crapitude of the moment, Roma also announces their hire at this time, bringing on another Mexican coach like Juventus did. Talk about reminding me what I missed out on. The only good news we signed prospect striker Garces to a Bosman deal. MARCH 27--Aston Villa at Sheff Wed Racked by injuries, we send out what looks like a second unit to take on the Villans, whom have been underachieving this season. Lineup (left to right): ST Bednar - Goitom MF Blondel - Petrov - Garcia - Morrison DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Tanghe Blondel came to play today. In the 3rd minute, he leaped on a weird ball from Goitom that deflected off of Villa mid Christian Obodo in the area. Blondel beat his defender to it and blasted a shot inside the far post for the quick first strike. Then, in the 58th minute, Blondel added another on a penalty kick. He was also the one fouled on the play, by defender Andy Webster. At this point, we hadn't even allowed a shot on goal to Aston Villa. Tanghe gave the Villans a hope with a foolish move in the 73rd minute, not controlling the ball on a backpass well enough, and allowing striker Milan baros sneak on, snipe it and send it home. But it was too little, too late. We get our win. Sheff Wed beat Aston Villa, 2-1, at home. We weren't as dominant as I had hoped we would be, but I will certainly take this, especially with so many players out. Cristiano gets a facial cut in the match and will miss 1-2 weeks, but, honestly, he doesn't really bring much to the table. So we probably won't miss him so much. In other EPL matches on the day, both Arsenal and Pool win, keeping them both well ahead of us. Two days later, Man Utd fall to Everton and Chelsea just draws with Palace. We're still ahead of the Red Devils, but they have two matches in hand on us. On the same day we beat Aston Villa, Barca fired Michael Laudrup as manager. This move was no doubt strongly motivated by the superpower's early removal from the Champions League. I apply for it, of course. Speaking of manager jobs, chairman Dave Allen finally makes me an offer on a new contract, as mine comes to an end in June. He offers me a four year extension at $2.2 M, which is four times what I am getting now. He also sets the payroll budget at $51 M with some $30 M for transfer funds, although I know this will change as we get more or less money. I agree to the extension, much to Allen's delight, and also to Blondel, who tells the media he believes I am capable of great things. Thanks! Those great things don't come in March, though, it seems. We don't get a sniff at any awards (nor should we), although Palace's Suazo gets a nod for the third goal of the month for his running chip shot on the break against us. There's a little over a month left to go. That's how long we have to show we're not chokers. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-04-2006, 02:31 AM	#33
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	UEFA Cup & Champions League Quarters & Semis We're down to the final matches in the two major European club competitions. EUFA Cup QUARTERFINALS Roma (ITA) vs Tottenham (ENG) In the first leg, Spurs shot themselves in the foot when Darren Bent put in an own goal in the 49th minute. That proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win in the leg for Roma. In the second leg in London, Roma put all doubts away early, scoring two goals in the first ten minutes. Oddly enough, Brazilian striker Mancini scored a penalty kick in each leg. Roma wins 2-1. Roma beats Tottenham, 4-2 agg Monaco (FRA) vs AC Milan (ITA) The first leg in Monaco was a tight defensive affair. The home side could only manage one shot on goal. Milan didn't do much better, but striker Bruno Pozzi scored in the 42nd minute to move them ahead, 1-0. Strangely enough, Monaco was as strong defensively on the road in Italy as Milan was in France, allowing just one shot on goal. They also had a great chance to force extra time when striker Porcellis scored int he 71st minute. Unfortunately, Milan's one shot on goal, by striker Luca Esposito in the 72nd minute, got into the net for the 1-1 draw. Milan beats Monaco, 2-1 agg Club Brugge (BEL) vs Lazio (ITA) Club Brugge jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first leg in Belgium, but Lazio scored twice, including an 88th minute strike from forward Alex Frei, to tie it up. That would prove to be the opportunity slipping through Club Brugge's hands, as striker Javier Portillo scored a hat trick for Lazio in the return. Lazio beats Club Brugge, 5-3 agg Villareal (ESP) vs Man Utd (ENG) Well, at least an Italian club is guaranteed not to win this one. Strikers Jermaine Defoe and Ruud van Nistlerooy both scored in the first five minutes of the first leg in Spain, and RVN added another before the half was over. Villareal kept Man Utd out of the net in the return at Old Trafford, but they never solved the Red Devil defense. Man Utd beats Villareal, 3-0 agg SEMIFINALS Man Utd (ENG) vs Lazio (ITA) The Red Devils had to be frustrated after the first leg at home. They crushed Lazio on the pitch, with 20 shots to just one off-target shot from the Italian side, and yet Lazio keeper Stipe Pletikosa was impervious, forcing the 0-0 decision. Going home didn't improve Lazio's offense, though, and Defoe figured out Pletikosa, scoring twice in a 3-0 return victory. Man Utd advances to the UEFA Cup final with 3-0 agg win over Lazio Roma (ITA) vs AC Milan (ITA) Nice matchup for the UEFA semis. Milan's superstar striker Andriy Shevchenko scored early in the Roma leg, and Milan almost made it stand. Roma tied it up, though, in extra time off of a midfielder Alberto Aquilani penalty kick. Milan took care of business in the return, getting two goals from Alberto Gilardino. Milan moves on to the UEFA Cup final with a 4-1 agg win over Roma I wonder if I could have done better for Roma. The UEFA Cup Final between Man Utd and AC Milan will be played at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway on May 5th. Champions League QUARTERFINALS Benfica (POR) vs Lyon (FRA) Lyon striker Sylvain Guichard scored in the 47th minute, but Benfica forward Emerson immediately struck back in the 49th minute, and then midfielder Daniel Carvalho put them ahead in the 81st minute. Carvalho also scored in the 27th minute of the return leg, and Benfica looked to be on its way to the semis. American forward Landon Donovan, though, answered right back for Lyon, and then his replacement, Stanislav Chalenko, eeked in another score in injury time in the second half to force extra time. This one went to penalties, where Lyon edged out Benfica, 4-3, finshing them off on a kick by defender Sylvain Monsoreau. Lyon beats Benfica, 3-3 (4-3 pen) agg Chelsea (ENG) vs Inter (ITA) Didier Drogba scored twice in the first leg before Adriano got Inter back within one. Still, Chelsea was on its way to a loss after Obafemi Martins scored in the 45th minute. Defender Pablo put across the match equaliser and tie winner, though, in the 85th minute to push the Blues ahead. Chelsea beats Inter, 3-2 agg Liverpool (ENG) vs Ajax (NED) The first leg at Anfield was a wild one. Djibril Cisse put the home squad up in just the 6th minute, but midfielder Haris Beslija tied it up in the 13th minute, and then striker Mirko Vucinic scored a penalty in the 33rd minute to give the Dutch side the lead. Pool came right back in the second half, with a 46th minute score from forward Julio Baptista, and then the go ahead score on Cisse's second goal in the 60th minute. Oddly enough, neither side could manage a goal in the return leg, and Pool only put two shots on goal. Ajax needed just one goal to advance on away goals, but couldn't get any of its 15 shots past Jose Manuel Reina. Liverpool beats Ajax, 3-2 agg Marseille (FRA) vs Arsenal (ENG) Marseille striker Lerato Chabangu scored twice in the first half in the first leg in France, and to give the French side a 2-1 lead to take to London. Chabangu scored again in the 9th minute of the second leg, and winger Roberto Santini scored in the 22nd minute in response to a goal from Arsneal striker Thierry Henry. With that many goals in the away leg, Marseille had the Gunners' backs to the wall, as Arsenal will need to score three goals to advance. But that's why Arsenal is Arsenal. Henry scored again in the 28th minute, midfielder Kjetil Simonsen scored just before the half, and then star midfielder Francesc Fabregas scored the tie winner in the 49th minute to cap an amazing comeback. Arsenal beats Marseille, 5-4 agg SEMIFINALS Lyon (FRA) vs Chelsea (ENG) Lyon only got one shot on goal in the first leg at home, but Guichard made it count, scoring their lone goal in the 28th minute. That matched one by winger Arjen Robben in the 24th minute. In the return, Chelsea's defense remained as strong as ever, and strikers Carlos Tevez and Chris Gayle both scored to finish Lyon off. Chelsea advances to the Champions League final with a 3-1 agg win over Lyon Arsenal (ENG) vs Liverpool (ENG) In the first leg at Emirates Stadium, Liverpool didn't have an answer for Henry. The French superstar striker scored a hat trick, and gave the Gunners a 3-1 lead on the way to Anfield. Henry wasn't done--he scored two more in the return, and Arsenal rolled over Pool. Arsenal advance to the Champions League final with a 6-2 agg win over Liverpool The Champions League final between Chelsea and Arsenal will be played at Stadion FK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro on May 12th. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-04-2006, 07:58 PM	#36
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	End of 2010 Season Here we go, the final two days of the 2009-2010 season. It doesn't happen without drama--Cristiano complains about playing time. T tell him he's a backup, ahd he tells me he wants out. So he's listed, and good riddance. In one other note, Nantes wins the Ligue 1 Orange in France, their first league championship since 2001. In fact, they haven't even finished top three since that 2001 title. They broke Marseille's two-title streak. The day we play Arsenal, Sporting CP wins Portugal's Liga, another of the major leagues that aren't quite up there with the big leagues. MAY 2--Sheff Wed at Arsenal It's on! We march into Emirates Stadium with the slimmest of hopes; can we make it happen? Last year, we embarrassed Arsenal here,a nd they were on their way to winning the Premiership. In December, we beat them 2-0 at Hillsborough. So what Bolton, Noriwch, etc. are to us, we apparently are to Arsenal. This is definitely not an easy match for them, and I am proud to say it. And our backs are to the wall. ST Maoulida - Vaz Te MF Blondel - Montgomery - Garcia - Goitom DF Traore - Bakens - Davies - Mendy GK Berbia The regulars are back in the lineup, despite my vow from a week ago. This match is too important. The tough spot to pick was at right wing. With Morrison hurt, and my belief I can't start Simek at right back (thus I need Mendy there), I need to pick from Denneboom, Virtanen, Dunn and Cristiano. Dunn is too slow for Arsenal, Denneboom and Cristiano both recently complained about playing time and aren't good enough, and Virtanen is too young and inconsistent. So I go with "None of the above" and put Goitom on the right. He is actually listed as a right winger as well as his other spots, but he is very much a left footed player, which is way I never normally play him here. Oh well, sometimes your hand is forced--I don't doubt he'll play passably well there. Traore returns from injury and goes to left back. I don't think the Gunners are missing anyone major. Thierry Henry is there, along with Francesc Fabregas, Jose Antonio Reyes, Gilberto Silva, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure, German Lux--the usual assortment. Vaz Te has been wonderful for us all year, and he gets too great chances in the first couple minutes. Lux stops one, and Vaz Te is whistled offside for the other. In the 7th minute, Davies had to make a terrific open field tackle to free up the ball from Henry on a break. Two minutes later, Cesc sent an impressive longkick on the run that Berbia barely got to (in fact, he hit it up into the cross bar with his outstretched fingertips). This is the way was going. Very wide open on both sides. Three minutes after the Cesc kick, Lux had to make almost an exact imitation of that save to stop a Blondel freekick from finding the net. In the 14th minute, Garcia got the ball to Vaz Te right in front of Lux, but the keeper was on the mark, and deflected it (the ball was cleared). Arsenal responded two minutes later when Campbell headed a Reyes freekick from the right side, just missing the upper right corner of the post. In the 29th minute, Davies found Goitom on a run into the area, and Lux was forced to make another point blank save. Our best chance came in the 38th minute. Tofu put the ball into the middle of the box from the left end of the area. Vaz Te, heavily marked by Campbell and Gael Clichy, got to the ball and turned and blasted it on net. Lux had charged out, and pretty much took the full brunt of the shot. Tofu got the rebound, but his shot went wide left. When the half rolled around, 16 shots had been taken, an even eight for both squads, and seven were on target (five for us)--and yet Lux and Berbia seemed impervious. It was still 0-0. I couldn't help watching the scoreboard. Man Utd is up, 2-1, at the half to Forest. Come on, Forest, come back! The second half starts much the same as the first, with a lot of pressure for us. Finally, in the 51st minute, Goitom frees himself up on the right flank, and puts in a pass toward the box for Vaz Te. The striker kicks it right at the charging Lux again, and the ball rebounds to the middle of the area. Garcia leaps on it and blasts it into the left side of the net for the first goal! We have the lead! Arsenal applied all sorts of pressure, though, and in the 58th minute, they equalised on an amazing goal. Henry tried to move a ball up into the box for fellow striker Valeri Bojinov, but Bakens got to it first and sent out straight out of the area. Silva got to it first, and saw that Berbia had come off of his line a good ways following Bakens' clear. The Brazilian midfielder launched a long range chip shot, and sonofagun if that thing didn't float down into the net, just out of Berbia's reach. It's all tied up again. The next ten minutes are ours. As the clock worked up to the 61st minute, Lux ran out of his area to meet a challenge from Bednar, whom had come on for Tofu. It was an oddly aggressive move for the keeper, and he and Bednar pretty much dazed each other, as the ball bounced on to the middle of the pitch, in front of an open net. It was a race to the ball after that. Vaz Te just beat Campbell and Fabricio Coloccini to the ball and put the ball in the net for the weird goal and 2-1 lead. We added another in the 69th minute when Bednar headed in a tight Blondel cross off of a freekick from the left side of the area. With 20 minutes to go, we seem to be in control. I check the scoreboard. Still, 2-1 Man Utd, in the second half now. Arsenal won't go away now, and it figures that we owe them a weird goal anyway. Berbia comes off of his line in the 73rd minute to get to a long clear out. The Gunners are charging toward him, but it should be an easy catch to make. Somehow, though, the ball jumps over him, and he misses it. It's free in the area behind him! He leaps back to try to get to it, but winger Rocco Franchini is racing by him at the same time. Franchini gets to it first and scores it easily into the open net. Wow, what a way to give up a goal. The Gunners are within one. But we only need to win by one, and we foil them and their press for the next 17 minutes. Their best chance comes a minute into injury time. Two straight Blondel fouls have led to two freekicks. On the secodn one, Henry goes for the upper right corner. Berbia gets to it just barely and the ball bounds off to the right end of the area. Winger Daniel Arrieta gets to it first, as Berbia scrambles to intercept him. The winger drops a pass across the goalmouth to a wide open Silva and...he kicks it in for the score! Tragedy! Arsenal have drawn even in the waning seconds! And that's how it ends. Arsenal draws, 3-3, with Sheff Wed, and we will play in the UEFA Cup next year. Man Utd would end up beating Forest, 2-1, so we didn't have a chance anyway. But it was a heck of a meaningless match, if you ask me. 35 total shots, 21 on goal. Six goals, three for each side. All the drama you would want. I thought the squad played great, and I told them so. I did tell Mendy he was disappointing, because he was marking Silva on both of the midfielder's goals. But then this shouldn't surprise me--Mendy is not really a right back, but a more natural right winger. His skills are offense, not defense. It was a poor situation for all of us. Tofu and Blondel pick up knocks, but neither is hurt at the end of the match. Not that it would matter--they have all offseason to reecover. Season Wrap Up We finish the season in fifth place, with 62 points from 38 matches. That earns us a handsome check from the Barclays Premiership for $18.25 M. I'm sure club chairman Dave Allen is thrilled. Tottenham beats Newcastle, 3-0, to ensure that Spurs are in line for the final UEFA Cup spot. Since Newcastle and Chelsea, the FA Cup finalists, are both already set for the UEFA Cup or better, this shouldn't change short of a huge UEFA league coefficients shift (unlikely; England ranks on top of the world right now, they have sent both teams to the Champions League final, and Man Utd is in the UEFA Cup final). Wigan wins and Bolton loses, but they both stay in their InterToto Cup spots, because Norwich chokes away its opportunity by drawing with Man City, and Blackburn loses to Aston Villa. Down at the bottom, Wolves beat Palace, 3-1, but they still go down on goal differential. Wolves join Man City and Forest for the drop. They are replaced by Birmingham and Watford, and one as yet to be determined club. 2009-10 BARCLAY PREMIERSHIP FINAL TABLE Code: \| Pos \| Inf \| Team \| \| Pld \| Won \| Drn \| Lst \| For \| Ag \| G.D. \| Pts \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 1st \| C \| Chelsea \| \| 38 \| 27 \| 7 \| 4 \| 73 \| 27 \| +46 \| 88 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 2nd \| \| Arsenal \| \| 38 \| 25 \| 6 \| 7 \| 81 \| 38 \| +43 \| 81 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 3rd \| \| Liverpool \| \| 38 \| 20 \| 9 \| 9 \| 64 \| 37 \| +27 \| 69 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 4th \| \| Man Utd \| \| 38 \| 19 \| 10 \| 9 \| 51 \| 32 \| +19 \| 67 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 5th \| \| Sheff Wed \| \| 38 \| 16 \| 14 \| 8 \| 73 \| 51 \| +22 \| 62 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 6th \| \| Newcastle \| \| 38 \| 17 \| 7 \| 14 \| 55 \| 50 \| +5 \| 58 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 7th \| \| Tottenham \| \| 38 \| 16 \| 8 \| 14 \| 56 \| 50 \| +6 \| 56 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 8th \| \| Wigan \| \| 38 \| 15 \| 9 \| 14 \| 38 \| 40 \| -2 \| 54 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 9th \| \| Bolton \| \| 38 \| 13 \| 11 \| 14 \| 48 \| 48 \| 0 \| 50 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 10th \| \| Norwich \| \| 38 \| 12 \| 13 \| 13 \| 38 \| 40 \| -2 \| 49 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 11th \| \| Everton \| \| 38 \| 13 \| 9 \| 16 \| 57 \| 70 \| -13 \| 48 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 12th \| \| Leeds \| \| 38 \| 12 \| 11 \| 15 \| 55 \| 56 \| -1 \| 47 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 13th \| \| Blackburn \| \| 38 \| 13 \| 8 \| 17 \| 42 \| 51 \| -9 \| 47 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 14th \| \| Derby \| \| 38 \| 12 \| 9 \| 17 \| 46 \| 61 \| -15 \| 45 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 15th \| \| Middlesbrough \| \| 38 \| 9 \| 15 \| 14 \| 45 \| 61 \| -16 \| 42 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 16th \| \| Aston Villa \| \| 38 \| 10 \| 12 \| 16 \| 36 \| 53 \| -17 \| 42 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 17th \| \| Crystal Palace \| \| 38 \| 7 \| 14 \| 17 \| 42 \| 56 \| -14 \| 35 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 18th \| R \| Wolves \| \| 38 \| 9 \| 8 \| 21 \| 36 \| 63 \| -27 \| 35 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 19th \| R \| Man City \| \| 38 \| 7 \| 11 \| 20 \| 31 \| 57 \| -26 \| 32 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| 20th \| R \| Nottm Forest \| \| 38 \| 6 \| 13 \| 19 \| 31 \| 57 \| -26 \| 31 \| \| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-04-2006, 10:38 PM	#37
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	I am thinking about revising my training schedules for next year, dropping them a bit, and picking spots to remove my starters. I know that playing your players too much can lead to falls in form in the second half of the season. The strange thing is that I ran my squad this year much as I have done in the past, and in fact, we always played our best in March and April. I have gotten used to a strong run of form to end the season, and that didn't happen this year. Part of that was injuries, but did I just play my guys too much? Putting aside the questions on why this year was different than past seasons, I think I will try to work in my depth more, and cut down my training a blip or two across the board in-season. I will also look into finding physios with better injury success, because injuries certainly had an impact this year, too. Here's a look at how my starters performed in league play after the Carling Cup, in bold. Season stats follow, unbolded: ST Vaz Te (7.09, 6 G, 2 A in 11 M; 7.24, 27 G, 4 A in 34 M) ST Tofu (6.67, 1 G in 6 M; 7.34, 14 G, 9 A in 32 M) LW Blondel (7.11, 3 G, 2 A in 9 M; 7.00, 4 G, 4 A in 23 M) RW Morrison (7.00, 0 G, 5 A in 9 M; 6.81, 1 G, 10 A in 27 M) AM Garcia (6.75, 2 G, 0 A in 12 M; 6.88, 6 G, 2 A in 33 M) DM Montgomery (6.89, 0 G, 0 A in 9 M; 7.23, 1 G, 5 A in 26 M) LB Traore (7.13 in 8 M; 7.10 in 30 M) RB Mendy (6.50, 1 G in 12 M; 6.87, 2 G, 4 A in 31 M) DC Davies (6.58 in 12 M; 6.89 in 37 M) DC Bakens (6.83 in 12 M; 7.00 in 20 M) GK Berbia (7.11 in 9 M; 7.23 in 23 M) It's not across the board, so it's hard to pinpoint here. Morrison and Blondel both played better, which I even noted as I followed the games. But neither played as many as 30 matches in league for the whole year. Traore also improved slightly, but also barely broke 30 matches for the year. Vaz Te and Berbia didn't drop much. Tofu and most of the defensive positions suffered the biggest drops. This might indicate I should play more rotations at the back (I do tend to stick to the same backline because their fitness doesn't go down as fast), and also give more days off to players 30 and older (Tofu is my oldest regular outfield player). Anyway, food for thought as I enter move toward the offseason. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-05-2006, 02:09 AM	#38
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Champions League & UEFA Cup Finals, And The English Season Wrap UEFA Cup Final May 5 at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Norway AC Milan (ITA) vs Man Utd (ENG) Man Utd came out strong in this one. In the 8th minute, Wayne Rooney, playing at winger, sent a high cross toward the far end of the area. Winger Kieran Richardson collected the ball at the edge of the area and blasted it toward the far right corner. Milan keeper Francisco Guillermo Ochoa was ready and deflected the hard shot to his left. Ruud Van Nistlerooy reache dthe ball first, though, and shot it past Ochoa for the first score. The Red Devils contniued to press, and in the 17th minute, they had another chance to pad their score. Rio Ferdinand sent a long pass toward the right end of the area for Nistlerooy. The Dutch striker headed the pass down to striker Jermaine Defoe, who was just a step off from Milan defender Jairo Ortiz. Defoe quickly moved the pass on in a shot toward the left side of the net. Ochoa barely moved as the ball sailed in for Man Utd's second score. Milan wasn't having much like getting shots on goal in this one. In the 66th minute, trhey finally solved the Man Utd defense. Striker Andriy Shevchenko dribbled past fullback Gary Neville toward the left side of the area, and then slipped the ball toward the outside edge and winger Massimo Ambrosini. Ambrosini kicked the ball right at keeper Fernando, but he was unable to stop the hard shot. Milan was back within one! It was the last shot on goal they would get, though. Manchester United wins the UEFA Cup with a 2-1 victory over AC Milan. Champions League Final May 12 at Stadion FK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro Arsenal (ENG) vs Chelsea (ENG) In a strange twist, two squads with grounds just miles from each other both hop on planes to fly to the Balkans to play each other for Europe's grandest club trophy. These two squads are already devleoping quite a rivalry. Arsenal has lost its league titles to Chelsea this season, and isn't interested in having Chelsea also take the Champions League. The Gunners didn't help themselves early on, though. Chelsea fullback Paulo Ferreira found winger Shaun Wright-Phillips on the run toward the goal. Arsenal defender Sol Campbell tried to keep pace with the speedy winger, but wound up up-ending Wright-Phillips with a tackle just short of the area. Referee Carlos Megia Davila gave Campbell the red for the professional foul, and Arsenal will have to play the rest of the match a man down. They still did a pretty good job of keeping Chelsea from getting good shots. But it's hard to keep a team that powerful quiet for long. In the 45th minute, Chelsea won a corner. Arjen Robben sent the corner kick in tight along the line, close the mouth of the goal. Gunners fullback Kolo Toureattempted to clear it, but used hios hand. Davila pointed ot the spot! Midfielder Frank Lampard stepped to take it. He blasted the shot to the left end of the net. Keeper German Lux jumped to stop it, but was too slow to reach it. Chelsea was up 1-0. It would prove to be too difficult for the Gunners to generate offense against a worldclass defense and with a man disadvantage, as they would get just one shot on goal all match. Chelsea defeats Arsenal, 1-0, to win the UEFA Champions League Trophy. England sweeps the major European club competitions. English Season Wrap FA Cup May 8 at Webley Stadium in London, England Newcastle vs Chelsea Chelsea put on the pressure from the start. In the 8th minute, striker Carlos Tevez broke free on a break, forcing Newcastle keeper Shay Given to charge out to stop him. Tevez got his shot off, but he hit the near side of the net for the goal kick. Lampard also came close on a header just a minute later. The Magpies almost got one themselves when Petr Cech had to make a great save on a close up shot by striker Collins Mbesuma in the 11th minute. In the 26th minute, Given turned away a sharp corner shot from Robben, and five minutes later, Cech forced a header from striker Ignacio Gonzalez Perez over the crossbar. Still, the two sides went into halftime without a goal. Chelsea finally broke through in the 49th minute. Wright-Phillips received a pass on the run along the right flank, and cut into the right side of the area. He crossed the ball across the goalmouth, and striker Chris Gayle headed it into the goal for the 1-0 lead. Fullback Wayne Bridge almost pulled Newcastle back even in the 56th minute, but Cech turned aside his curving freekick attempt. Cech also stopped a shot from Mbesuma from up close. As the minutes waned, the Magpies looked like they would never solve Chelsea's defense. In the 78th minute, Bridge tried to pass into the area from the edge, and his pass ricocheted off of striker Didier Drogba and fell into a crowd of players in front Cech. Midfielder Joachim Alsaker got control of the ball and blasted it past Cech before the keeper could react. Newcastle equalised! This one ends up going to extra time. Chelsea had strong chances in both extra periods, with Given stopping a Drogba in the 99th minute, and turning away a Gayle header in the 112th minute. This one semeed likely to go to penalties, but Chelsea would get one mroe shot at it in the 120th minute, just seconds before the whistle. And it came off of a key mistake by talented, young Newcastle defender Espen Moen. Fullback Glen Johnson sent a wide cross into the area, and Moen reached it first. It slipped away from him, though, and Drogba was ready to pounce. He blasted the shot into the left side of the net and Chelsea ran off the Wembley pitch the victors! Chelsea beats Newcastle, 2-1 in extra time to win the FA Cup and do the domestic double. English Championship Playoffs With Birmingham and Watford already up to the Premiership, the third through sixth place Championship squads meet in the playoffs to determine the third new member of the league. Ipswich, Cardiff, Tranmere and Rotherham are the four contenders, finishing in that order, and none of them have spent much time in the Premiership recently (incidentally, recent Premiership squads Sunderland and West Brom have actually been relegated this year to League One). Ipswich beat Rotherham, 3-1, in one semifinal, while Cardiff needed penalties to edge out Tranmere, 2-2. In the final at Wembley on May 16, Cardiff just slipped by Ipswich, 1-0, win the final Premiership spot. Cardiff, a Welsh squad in the English leagues, will join the Premiership with Birmingham and Watford next year. English League Awards The English annual awards were announced on May 5. Drogba was named the the Players' Player of the Year, edging out Carlton Cole of Newcastle and Djibril Cisse of Liverpool. Arsenal striker Valeri Bojinov wins the Footballer of the Year award, which was last year by our own Juan Pablo Garcia. Toifilou Maoulida, aka Tofu, almost won it for us this year, finishing second. Everton midfielder Tim Cahill finished third. Personally, I fell just short of the Premiership Manager of the Year award, finishing second behind Chelsea's Jose Mourinho. Come on, I did twice as much as he did with our respective talent bases (and financial backing)! Arsneal's Arsene Wenger was third. We didn't get anyone on the Young Player of the Year list, although that doesn't surprise me. Everton striker Andrew Tomlinson won the award, with Man City midfielder Pavel Sedlacek in second, and striker David Robertson of Spurs in third. Arsenal's Thierry Henry led the league in scoring with 32 goals, but we got Ricardo Vaz Te on the lists in second with 27. Our nemesis on Bolton, Kevin Davies, finished third with 26. The one award Sheff Wed won outright went to Tofu, who got credit for the goal of the year on his fantastic curling cross shot against Tottenham in October. I had actually forgotten about that goal. Finally, we got two members onto the English Players' Premier Division Select squad, the team of the year. Both Tofu and Nick Montgomery got ont he team as subs. Here is the full team: GK Lee Camp (Derby) DR Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea) DL Maxwell (Chelsea) DC Fabricio Coloccini (Arsenal) DC Ledley King (Tottenham) RW Luis Garcia (Liverpool) LW Arjen Robben (Chelsea) MC Frank Lampard (Chelsea) MC Belozoglu Emre (Newcastle) ST Carlton Cole (Newcastle) ST Didier Drogba (Chelsea) SUB GK Espen Johnson (Crystal Palace) SUB DC John Kennedy (Wigan) SUB DM Nick Montgomery (Sheff Wed) SUB MC Tim Cahill (Everton) SUB ST Toifilou Maoulida (Sheff Wed) This officially brings the season to a close. We dismiss the Owls players to vacation on May 9, and expect them back on June 28. And we know that some of them won't be coming back at all. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-06-2006, 01:29 AM	#39
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Squad At End Of Season Here is a look at the remaining squad players whom have appeared in more than a couple matches for us this season. Code: \| Pkd \| Inf \| Name \| Position \| Morale \| Form \| Con \| Apps \| Gls \| Av Rat \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Kenneth Vermeer \| GK \| Good \| 7-6-7-8-7 \| 96% \| 10 (1) \| - \| 6.73 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Adrián Berbia \| GK \| Good \| 7-7-8-7-8 \| 97% \| 29 \| - \| 7.14 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Jonas Tanghe \| GK \| Okay \| 5-7-6-9-7 \| 94% \| 11 \| - \| 7.45 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Andrea Briotti \| SW, D LC \| Okay \| 7-7-6-6-5 \| 95% \| 16 \| - \| 6.75 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Curtis Davies \| SW, D C \| Okay \| 7-7-7-6-6 \| 98% \| 47 \| - \| 7.00 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Tim Bakens \| D RC \| Good \| 6-7-7-5-7 \| 98% \| 29 \| - \| 7.21 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Frank Simek \| D R \| Okay \| 5-7-8-7-6 \| 95% \| 23 \| - \| 7.00 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Djimi Traoré \| D LC \| Okay \| 7-7-8-7-7 \| 96% \| 34 \| - \| 7.12 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Eric Addo \| D C, DM \| Poor \| 6-8-7-7-7 \| 95% \| 5 \| - \| 7.40 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Bernard Mendy \| D/WB R, AM R \| Okay \| 6-7-7-5-5 \| 98% \| 33 (5) \| 2 \| 6.95 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Steven Hammell \| D/WB L \| Okay \| 5-7-8-7-6 \| 95% \| 17 \| - \| 6.76 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Trond Erik Bertelsen \| D/WB/M L \| Okay \| 7-7-6-8-7 \| 96% \| 2 (3) \| - \| 7.20 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Nick Montgomery \| DM \| Okay \| 7-7-7-6-7 \| 98% \| 34 (1) \| 2 \| 7.29 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Mathieu Flamini \| DM \| Okay \| 8-7-7-6-7 \| 95% \| 10 (4) \| 1 \| 7.07 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Stilian Petrov \| DM, AM C \| Okay \| 6-7-7-7-7 \| 95% \| 3 (9) \| - \| 6.83 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| David Dunn \| AM RC \| Poor \| 7-6-7-6-6 \| 94% \| 2 (5) \| 2 \| 6.71 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Jani Virtanen \| AM RC \| Okay \| 7-6-6-7-7 \| 94% \| 3 (2) \| - \| 6.60 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| James Morrison \| AM RC \| Okay \| 10-6-6-7-6 \| 96% \| 34 (2) \| 3 \| 6.92 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Henok Goitom \| AM RLC, F C \| Good \| 7-6-7-7-7 \| 97% \| 10 (20)\| 1 \| 6.97 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Cristiano \| AM RC, F C \| Poor \| 7-7-7-6-6 \| 94% \| 3 (2) \| - \| 6.80 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Toifilou Maoulida \| AM R, ST \| Okay \| 7-7-6-6-7 \| 95% \| 42 \| 26 \| 7.52 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Romano Denneboom \| AM RL, ST \| Okay \| 7-6-6-6-6 \| 95% \| 1 (18) \| 3 \| 6.58 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Jonathan Blondel \| AM LC \| Okay \| 6-6-7-6-8 \| 98% \| 17 (13)\| 4 \| 7.00 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Ross Wallace \| AM L \| Okay \| 7-7-7-8-7 \| 95% \| 23 (2) \| 1 \| 7.08 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Johan Absalonsen \| AM L, F C \| Poor \| 7-6-7-6-6 \| 95% \| 6 (13) \| 1 \| 6.74 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Ricardo Vaz Te \| AM L, F C \| Okay \| 8-7-6-6-8 \| 98% \| 41 (1) \| 35 \| 7.33 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Martin Christensen \| AM/F C \| Okay \| 7-7-7-6-6 \| 94% \| 7 (8) \| 1 \| 6.87 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Juan Pablo García \| AM/F C \| Okay \| 7-7-5-6-7 \| 98% \| 40 (1) \| 6 \| 6.90 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Roman Bednar \| ST \| Okay \| 7-8-7-7-7 \| 96% \| 5 (9) \| 6 \| 7.21 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| \| - \| Vac \| Kjartan Henry Finnbogason \| ST \| Okay \| 7-7-6-7-7 \| 95% \| 4 (11) \| 2 \| 6.73 \| \| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\| GOALKEEPERS If Adrian Berbia (29 apps, 41 GA, 7.14) could stay healthy, I would feel a little better about this position. Even so, he wasn't as solid this year as he was last year, and at 32, he may be getting a touch too far on the old side (although keepers can remain effective well into their 30s). He missed nearly three months with assorted injuries this year. Adding to the problems were the inconsistencies of the backups. Kenneth Vermeer (11 apps, 14 GA, 6.73) wasthe young talent expected to backup and even challenge Berbia, but he did not play well consistently. Enter Joans Tanghe (11 apps, 10 GA, 7.45), who was signed last season to be an emergency backup. Tanghe won the backup spot from Vermeer in December, and has at times been our most brilliant keeper. He didn't prove to be a difference maker, though, when Berbia went down during our bad stretch in March and April. FULLBACKS Bernard Mendy (38 apps, 2 G, 5 A, 6.95) took over the right back spot about halfway through the season, but in the end, he largely proved he shouldn't be on the backline on a legit defensive squad. Mendy is a smart and versatile player on the offensive end, and he is very quick, but he needs to play more at right wing. He replaced longtime starter Frank Simek (23 apps, 3 A, 7.00), who was too slow and devoid of offensive ability to remain in the role. Simek is useful as a pure defensive stopper against decent wings, but he was lost against the tremendous athletes the Premiership puts along the touchlines. As with right back, this position has also been in flux, although Djimi Traore (34 apps, 1 A, 7.12) was solid in the role after sliding over in February. Traore started as one of our centrebacks, but the ineffectiveness of previous starters forced us to make the move. Trore himself never seemed to really settle on, as his participation in the COSAFA Cup, and then an injury late in the season interrupted his play there. He also didn't provide much offense from the position, even though he was very capable defensively. He replaced Steven Hammell (17 apps, 1 A, 6.76), who is tremendous physically and was expected to be strong on offense, but he didn't have the expected impact there. Andrea Briotti (16 apps, 6.75) was brought in as the defrensive counterpoint to Hammell, and he did decently in that role. But at this level you need more than decent to make Europe. Trond Erik Bertelsen (5 apps, 1 A, 7.20) got a couple starts at left back, and is faster and a better offensive player than even Hammell. He leaves much to be desired defensively, though, and I mostly had him around for left wing support. CENTREBACKS One of the nice revelations of this season was the emergence of Tim Bakens (29 apps, 1 A, 7.21) as a viable starting option at the back. Bakens was dominating at times, so much so that I ended up moving Traore to left back to make way for him. Bakens, like much of the defense, wore down a lot toward the end of the year, so I may have to watch his appearances a little more closely. Curtis Davies (47 apps, 3 A, 7.00) was one of our buys from last season that turned out to be everything we were looking for. Not only was he our horse on the backline, he even showed surprising touch on passes on the break. He, too, did worse at the back end of the season, and we will need to be more careful with our starters. Eric Addo (5 apps, 7.40) was used as a spot starter at times after Traore moved to left back, and did well. DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS This was one of our strongest positions, with starter Nick Montgomery (35 apps, 2 G, 6 A, 7.29) earning a spot on the Premier Division Select squad. Sadly, he, too, played worse in the second half of the season, blunting what had been a brilliant first half. Although Mathieu Flamini (14 apps, 1 G, 7.07) spent a little too much time complaining about his time on the pitch, and another three months shelved with a hip injury, he was by and large a better-than-effective reserve for Montgomery. We also brought in veteran Stilian Petrov (12 apps, 1 G, 6.83) in the open window, and he was very useful at both central mid spots, and as a leader on the squad. WINGERS There were no two positions that caused me more issues than the spots on either side of my tactic. James Morrison (36 apps, 3 G, 13 A, 6.92) started the year as the man on the right, and ended it that way. In between was some injury issues, some complaints about playing time, a bout of inconsistency, and then a strong finish. I really still don't know just what to make of Morrison, but he ended up the most effective playmaker on the squad. Morrison was fortunate SImek played so poor at right back, because Mendy was all set to take his spot in the winter. Mendy had to go back to right back to support that spot, though. The primary backup was [b]Romano Denneboom[/b[ (19 apps, 3 G, 4 A, 6.58), but the versatile forward ended up as one of the lowest rated players on the squad. I am convinced he can't play consistently well at this level. I also remain unconvinced on the future of young Jani Virtanen (5 apps, 2 A, 6.60) who probably deserves more of a chance, but he never really wows me when he's on the pitch. Cristiano (5 apps, 1 A, 6.80) has dug his own grave with me with his actions and attitude and probably won't be brought back. Like Denneboom, I am pretty sure Cristiano does not have the needed ability to play at this level. The starter in August was Ross Wallace (25 apps, 1 G, 6 A, 7.08) and he played very well. The problem is he is a huge head case and complained about his time starting even when he was in the lineup nearly every match he was healthy. He signed a Bosman with Norwich in January, and I have played him rarely ever since. This gave close window acquisition Jonathon Blondel (30 apps, 4 G, 5 A, 7.00) the opportunity to play himself into the starting spot, and the Belgian winger did very well down the stretch. He might have been our most effective player in the last two months of the season. One of Blondel's primary contenders here was Johan Absalonsen (19 apps, 1 G, 4 A, 6.74), who showed flashes, but also was maddeningly inconsistent. He also complained about his playing time, which is always a bad choice with me. I am as yet undecided what I will end up doing with him. Another player who saw a lot of time here was my super-sub Henok Goitom (30 apps, 1 G, 6 A, 6.97). Although Goitom also spent a lot of time in the central midfield and up front, he has always played well on the left wing, and was a capable backup when called upon. ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS Juan Pablo Garcia (41 apps, 6 G, 4 A, 6.90) wasn't as effective as last year, and I fear I may have run him down as the season went on. He still had some good moments, and was generally effective, but he didn't provide the wow factor he did last year. Still, he was far and away my best choice here, as I never felt much confidence in anyone else here except perhaps Goitom. Youngster Martin Christensen (15 apps, 1 G, 1 A, 6.87) just didn't generate the sort of offense he needs to in which to stay in this spot. David Dunn (7 apps, 2 G, 2 A, 6.71) was Garcia's primary backup last year, but a serious injury to his ankle in August, and relegation to the Reserves for much of the year limited Dunn's impact this season. As an older player, it appears his best years are behind him. FORWARDS We were among the best offensive squads in the Premiership, and this position os why. The Supporters' 2008-09 Player of the Year Ricardo Vaz Te (42 apps, 35 G, 5 A, 7.33) is undoubtedly a rising superstar. He finished second in the Premiership in goals scored, and was always a threat to score. His partner, Toifilou "Tofu" Maoulida (42 apps, 26 G, 11 A, 7.52) was the squad's best player this year, and earned a spot on the Premier Division Select squad with Montgomery. Tofu's injury in March, and his fall in effectiveness down the stretch might have been our number one reason for falling apart late in the season. Open window transfer Roman Bednar (14 apps, 6 G, 4 A, 7.21) started slowly, but really started to work his way into the offense in the final matches of the season. He looks likely to be a key member of the offense next year. The fourth striker Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (15 apps, 2 G, 1 A, 6.73) never showed he was worthy to be elevated to the three-spot, which became even more obvious when Tofu and Vaz Te were hurt in the second half of the season. He may never be the player we need him to be at a position where we need depth. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-07-2006, 12:25 AM	#40
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Close Window Transfer Plans & Targets Before we get into the offseason (and the World Cup), I thought it would be a good time to set the table for the club and the next three months of potential player moves. When I signed my extension last month, transfer funds were returned to $29 M (they were about $19 M after the Ojala exit to Chelsea, and the Bednar move in the open window). It's uncertain what we will receive when the board re-assesses things in June, but I expect the club balance to be very well off. That may contribute to another good bump in funds and a payroll budget raise (at $51 M per year right now, and we're at about $49 M with some $9 M expected to come off the books in July). I will take a look at players currently on the roster and on their way in at each position group who may have an impact next year, and give an idea of what we may need. 2009-10 Starter 2009-10 Reserves/U-18 Player Already signed to come in next season; value reflected is current value with 2009-10 squad; value will probably improve with move to Sheff Wed and better contract Info key (Age, Salary thru Year, Current Value) GOALKEEPERS Adrian Berbia (32, 850K thru 2011, $3.5 M) Jonas Tanghe (24, $65K thru 2012, $2.4 M) Kenneth Vermeer (24, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.1 M) Callum Reidford (23, $35K thru 2011, $825K) Steve Wright (20, $625K thru 2012, $2.8 M) Among the 17 Premiership squads remaining, we finished tied for 10th in goals allowed. While it is true, we are an offensive squad first, we need to do a lot better here. Berbia gets hurt too often and his contract is up next year. Vermeer and Reidford have each been less than stellar in replacing Berbia. Tanghe has performed the best, and Wright is the superstar of the future, if you believe my coaches. But Wright isn't ready and Tanghe hasn't proven it over the long haul. We may need to splash some cash here to bring in someone to be a holdover until Wright is ready. Vermeer and Reidford may be moved. FULLBACKS Bernard Mendy (R) (28, $2.4 M thru 2012, $5.75 M) Djimi Traore (L) (30, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.2 M) Andrea Briotti (L) (24, $1.5 M thru 2013, $3.2 M) Frank Simek (R) (25, $1.5 M thru 2012, $2.6 M) Steve Hammell (L) (28, $725K thru 2012, $3.6 M) Trond Erik Bertelsen (L) (26, $650K thru 2011, $2.7 M) Mark Wilson (R) (26, $2.7 M thru 2014, $700K) The defensive issues weren't just a problem in the net, and our centrebacks are largely pretty good. So that means that a lot of defensive problems probably came out of the inconsistency of the players at these positions. Also, we did not get much offense at all from these players. Wilson from Dundee could be the answer at right back. He's smart, pretty fast, and solid in both ends. He looks like the most complete player we have had there. If Mendy and Simek remain with the club, this might be an area where we make no further move. But if Simek is moved (quite possible), and Mendy is projected to play more at right wing, we may need another option here. At left back, Traore is solid defensively, and Briotti is young and also solid at the back end. But neither provide much offense at all, and the options that do, Hammell and Bertelsen, are both very poor defensively. We may need to target a more versatile player here, which would allow us to also move Traore into a backup role at left back and centreback, vastly improving his value to us. Hammell might be moved, and Bertelsen probably will. CENTREBACKS Curtis Davies (25, $2.3 M thru 2012, $4.7 M) Tim Bakens (27, $800K thru 2012, $3.5 M) Djimi Traore (30, $1.7 M thru 2011, $3.2 M) Richard Wood (24, $100K thru 2011, $1 M) Jens-Kristian Sorensen (23, $55K thru 2012, $1.1 M) Jack Wilson (20, $925K thru 2014, $230K) This is an area that could use a little depth. Davies and Bakens are terrific starters, and if we get a left back, Traore will be a very good third centreback. Still, four solid options at least are needed. Wilson, currently with Southampton, could be the fourth in a pinch, but it might be better to get a solid veteran to be that backup instead, allowing Wilson to develop more with the Reserves. Sorensen has some quality skills, but his low Determination (5) is a big no-no for defenders for me. Wood just isn't talented enough for a first team at this level. So a new left back could certainly impact things here. The likely option will be to find a crafty veteran as a backup, because that will be cheapest. CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS Juan Pablo Garcia (AM) (28, $2 M thru 2012, $9.75 M) Nick Montgomery (DM) (28, $900K thru 2012, $4.2 M) Mathieu Flamini (DM) (26, $2.2 M thru 2012, $6.5 M) Stilian Petrov (DM) (30, $1.6 M thru 2011, $3.5 M) Henok Goitom (AM) (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M) Martin Christensen (AM) (22, $65K thru 2011, $2 M) Kevin Gomez (DM) (19, $800K thru 2012, $7 M) Gareth Day (AM) (19, $80K thru 2013, $4.7 M) Ari Salo (AM) (19, $65K thru 2012, $2.1 M) Marc Garrido (AM) (18, $500K thru 2012, $8.5 M) John-Paul Kissock (AM) (19, forgot to note deal; it's a prospect type deal, $1.1 M) Holding mid might be the one position on this squad we don't have any concerns whatsoever. Montgomery is coming off of his best season. Flamini is a very good, younger backup. Petrov is an intelligent vet who can still play at a high level. And Gomez is a very good kid we may have to move, because he's going to be upset going back to the Reserves next season. Forward mid is a bit iffier. Garcia's play fell off this season, and he wasn't quite the spark he was last year. Plus, he's 28. If I can find a tremendous playmaker at a good price, I might go for it. Depth is not very high quality here, although there are a lot of options. The best is probably Garrido, who has been impressive starting for midtable Serie A squad Parma while on loan there. I have been looking forward to his return all year. He's a future star, and next year might be his breakout year. Goitom is another dependable option, as usual. Everton reserve Kissock is a solid looking young player, but he's going to have to wait for Garrido to fail to get a chance (and I don't think that's going to happen). The other kids, including Christesen, have some skills, but they are mostly not ready for this challenge. So we'll keep our eye out for a top playmaker, but we're prepared to go with Garcia and Garrido and see what happens if no good options (read: at a decent price) make themselves available. WINGERS James Morrison (R) (24, $1.2 M thru 2012, $6.25 M) Jonathon Blondel (L) (26, $2 M thru 2012, $6.75 M) Bernard Mendy (R) (28, $2.4 M thru 2012, $5.75 M) Henok Goitom (L) (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M) Romano Denneboom (R) (29, $1.9 M thru 2012, $4.4 M) Jani Virtanen (R) (22, $350K thru 2013, $2.4 M) Johan Absalonsen (L) (24, $2 M thru 2011, $5.75 M) Cristiano (R) (23, $1.2 M thru 2011, $4 M) Trond Erik Bertelsen (L) (26, $650K thru 2011, $2.7 M) This is an area we might focus on with transfers, because while we have players with some hope to be difference makers, there isn't too much consistent, proven talent here. And if there's one area where you can target a star or two and change the whole approach of a squad, it's at winger. Morrison and Blondel made strong challenges to be in the top eleven with their play down the stretch. The options are iffy after that. On the right, Mendy could also be very good here, but he might be needed at right back. Denneboom and Cristiano have played poorly and had bad attitudes, and Virtanen, with all of his talent, hasn't shown he can challenge Morrison. Goitom is another option on the left, but you don't want to pigeonhole your most versatile attacker with one position. Absalonsaen has been inconsisent and has recently been a poor sport in the clubhouse. He and Bertelsen might be moved, along with several of the right wingers. That means we could use impact talent on both sides, and if we make these moves, depth as well. FORWARDS Ricardo Vaz Te (23, $2.3 M thru 2011, $15.25 M) Toifilou Maoulida (31, $1.1 M thru 2011, $7 M) Roman Bednar (27, $2.7 M thru 2013, $10.5 M) Henok Goitom (25, $190K thru 2011, $7 M) Romano Denneboom (29, $1.9 M thru 2012, $4.4 M) Kjartan Henry Finnbogason (23, $1.1 M thru 2012, $5.5 M) Rocco Sacco (19, $40K thru 2011, $5.75 M) Drew Talbot (23, $600K thru 2012, $3.8 M) Hjalmar (24, $275K thru 2012, $3.3 M) Kevin Thompson (19, $775K thru 2012, $7.75 M) Arouna Kone (26, $3.6 M thru 2014, $7.25 M) Jose Garces (18, $210K thru 2014, $1.3 M) Obviously, this is a deep position, but there still are questions. Much of this list is comprised of young players of questionable ability to play at this level, including Finnbogason and Sacco, both of whom havebeen tried to an extent and not done that well. Bednar gives us a nice third option, behind the big guys, but a sweep of injuries through thise area late in the year really hurt us. That's one reason I am glad we have Kone coming in, as he is a solid fourht option. Of course, he is also hurt right now and might not be ready for the start of the season. So this is again a position where we might look to make a splash, but only if we find something we want at our price. And with strikers, that can be vey difficult. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready. Last edited by Chief Rum : 07-07-2006 at 12:31 AM.

07-09-2006, 02:43 AM	#41
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	From May 2010 Up To The Cup The window isn't open yet, but we have $29 M to play with. We can make offers now that will be followed when we can make transfers again. And players who previously weren't considering us for Bosman transfers are now more open to the possibility. Here's a hit-by-hit of what we did in May. May 2 On the same day we played Arsenal in our last match, we also discovered that Man City left back Leighton Baines would now listen to us for a Bosman offer. We offer him $3.3 M per year through 2013 with a $600K bonus. May 5 Interest in Baines has shot up sharply. Bundesliga club Werder Bremen have offered City $5 M for Baines, and Everton, Newcastle and Espanyol have all taken the Bosman route and offered him a contract. Seeing my competition, I increase my offer to $3.9 M per, and an $800K bonus. May 8 City rejects Werder Bremen's Baines offer. They're nuts. --I take a look around for quality youngsters to fill my Reserves, and find Denmark club AB's left back Allan Sondergaard and Primera Division squad Real Sociedad centreback Jose Luis Ballesteros. Both are teenagers, and look like they have some talent they can develop. It will cost me $625K to bring over Sondergaard, but that doesn't stop me from making the offer. Ballesteros is available on Bosman, so I offer him $725K thru 2013. May 9 Squad break. The squad officially leaves Hillsborough for parts unknown for a couple months. I hope they continue to do some training on their own. --Barcelona has retained the Primera Division. This is their second straight Spanish title, which broke a three-peat by Real Madrid. May 10 I return to some old targets for transfer. I offer $3.6 M to Liverpool for DC Carl Medjani, in the hopes the defender will have changed his mind and decided he's willing to move to us. I offer $7 M for Portsmouth LW Mike Zonneveld, a player I attempted to get when I first promoted to the Premiership. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get the transfer funds to work well enough for me there. Zonneveld has the ratings and ability of a Premiership player, but has been languishing in the Championship the past two seasons. Finally, I offer $10.75 M for Ajax superstar Nigel de Jong. De Jong is a versatile player with the ability to play many positions. He is one of the top talents in the world. --Baines agrees to a deal with us, much to my satisfaction. He has some similarity in ability to our other fullback Bosman signee, Mark Wilson. He's a smart player with good defensive stats, a fine physical player and a guy who can generate a lot of offense from that position. May 11 Both Sondergaard and Ballesterso agree to deals with us. They will move over in July. That will help us a lot at the Reserves level, and with our depth, although neither is quite ready for a regular role in the Premiership. May 12 Portsmouth agree to our offer for Zonneveld, and we offer the winger the deal he was looking for, at $1.9 per year thru 2012, with a $500K bonus. May 13 Ajax rejects our interest in de Jong. No real surprise. I make an enquiry. May 14 Pool accepts our offer for Medjani. We offer him $1.2 M thru 2013, and a $425K bonus. Pretty good price for a decent backup centreback, if you ask me. May 15 Former goalkeeper Thomas Myhre retires and is seeking employment as a staffer now. Myhre used to start for the Owls when I came on at Hillsborough, but I chose to move him out in favor of Berbia. He is a very good Goalkeeping coach, and very solid all around, so I offer him a job. --League One squad Gillingham make a Bosman offer to Reserves fullback Jan Frederiksen. That's fine, he and many of the players on the Reserves are very much surplus to requirement. --Surprise, surprise! Bochum wins the Bundesliga. I never would have guessed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. --Championship club Walsall offer a contract to David Dunn. He should be playing somewhere instead of sitting with me, so this should be a good move for him. May 16 The mob fires must be alighting in Manchester. City cans Kurt Jara (understandably, since they earned the drop), and then Man Utd upstaged their in-city rival by firing Steve Bruce! This despite the fact Bruce led them to a Champions League spot, and the UEFA Cup. I intend to apply for the job, but forget. --Zonneveld agrees to a deal with us, and we will bring him over in July. I have already done quite well in my dealings on the left. --Myrhre accepts our deal, and I confirm. But then I discover I hired him as a scout! Ouch, he's much more pedestrian there. I will probably try to re-sign him as a coach in the next weeks. --Walsall gets competition for Dunn. SPL squad Aberdeen have also made an offer. --Morrison returns to training. Well, more accurately, he finishes healing up while on vacation. Well, that sure helps us now, don't it? --Kevin Gomez is called up to Switzerland's U-19 squad for U-19 European Championship qualifying in late May-early June. May 17 League Two squad Chester offer a Bosman deal to Henrik Pedersen. Please accept it, Henrik. May 18 I guess Medjani won't end up a stick in the wall after all. He agrees to the deal with us, and will move over in July. The backline is looking a lot stronger with Wilson, Baines and Medjani coming. --Frederiksen agrees to the deal from Gillingham, which satisfies his request to transfer. Nonleague side Forest Green will try to do the same by offering Reserves defender Graeme Lee. May 19 Dunn accepts the offer from Walsall, turning down Aberdeen. He will move in July. --League Two squad Wrexham offer a contract to Reserves striker Henrich Bencik, and League One Peterborough have joined Chester with an offer for Pedersen's services. --Dutch manager Stanley Mezzo is leaving Greece's Olympiakos for the Man Utd job. He came in as the favorite. May 20 Lee accepted Forest Green's offer, and Bencik, too, a deal from Wrexham. We lose them in July. May 22 Pedersen becomes the third Owl on his way out to accept a deal with his next club. He will move to Peterborough in July. May 23 Reserve striker Stokes is called up to Ireland U-21 for the U-21 European Championships. May 27 Scottish Premier League side Falkirk is targeting Addo to help them next season, and the media wants a response from me. I tell them I am willing to listen to offers (since he's listed, after all). That same day, League One squad Swansea offers Addo a deal. May 28 Reading, also in League One, wants a shot at Addo, too, and offer him a deal. May 29 Addo breaks his silence and tells the media he feels he needs to leave Hillsborough, as a player his age (30) needs to be playing first team soccer. We're all agreed then. June 1 Italy (of all leagues) finishes on top of the Sporting Play table and receive an additional UEFA Cup spot for the 2010-11 season (bringing them to four). A draw will be held in a few days to determine two more lucky leagues to get this prize, from among 20. England is one of the leagues up for a spot. --I make the offer to Myhre to upgrade him to a coach. I need him at a spot where he is above average, and he is decidely nothing special as a scout. June 2 Addo decides to go with Swansea, rejecting Reading. He will move on July 1. -- Former Man City boss Jara doesn't have to wait long, hooking up with Aston Villa. He might get them relegated, too, since they played pretty poorly this year. In all fairness, though, he was City's manager all these years and did well them (getting them to Europe just last year, in fact). June 3 Myhre agrees to the switch. Good. June 4 Greece & Ireland win the extra UEFA Cup spots in the draw. It will be the third team for both leagues, but really helps Ireland. Another team could really help them advance from the nether regions to get a higher coefficient next year. -- Wright negotiates a new contract with us, which is the terms I quoted for him in the Goalkeepers section above. I just didn't feel it necessary to explain those terms weren't agreed to until now. June 5 Thierry Henry wins the European Golden Boot, but I get a shock when I see that Vaz Te finishes second! Wow, very impressive Ricardo. Bolton's Kevin Davies finishes third, which I think illustrates just how far ahead this league is from even the other top leagues. England is clearly the best league in the world right now. -- The official invites comes in. Tofu (France), Vaz Te (Portugal) and Garcia (Mexico) are called up for South Africa 2010. I am a little disappointed we didn't get more in, though. Montgomery (Scotland) and Simek (USA) have both played fairly regularly for their squads. Marc Wilson, coming in July, did make the Scotland squad, though, so we technically have a fourth in the world's most prestigious football event. June 6 England beats Italy, 3-0, in the final of the U-21 European Championships. Soon to arrive at Hillsborough, DC Jack Wilson started at left back (oddly) and did decently well. June 8 It is the eve of the World Cup, and everyone is afire for this tournament, as usual. But it's business as usual in Sheffield. Just relegated Man City has targeted Southampton's supremely talented young right winger/forward Theo Walcott (also an England U-21 starter) for $15.75 M. I wasn't planning on making an offer for him, because his Work Ethic is 9. I try to keep all of my main players at 10 or up for Work Ethic, Teamwork and Determination. But Walcott has some amazing stats in other areas. He's lightning fast, he dribbles with the ball on a string, has tremendous offensive awareness, can score like a forward, pass like a mid, and cross like a star. I deicde he's worth taking a chance on, and I make en enquiry for him with Southampton. They reject my enquiry straight off, so I makw a $13.5 M offer, with $3.5 deferred to 12 monthly payments, and a 15% future. That is good enough for the Saints, who accept. I still have my doubts about splashing this sort of cash for a player that goes against my basic requirements, but it turns out Walcott only wants $2 M per year in a three-year deal, with a $1 M bonus. That is shockingly low, IMO, for a player with this sort of known upside. I make the offer, but I don't improve on it, hoping the fact I am playing in the Premiership and Europe will convince Walcott to go with my offer over City's. 2010-11 Preseason Fixture I usually let my AM take care of the preseason freindly fixtures, but they usually get us on tours to Zimbabwe or what not. Well, okay, we usually stay in Europe, but beating up on Bosnia's midtable squads aren't going to test us the way I like, nor generate any extra revenue. Our AM did get us a match with Man Utd last year, but bloody hell, a European competition for that club led them to excuse that friendly. So I made some offers myself, trying tos et up games that would both interest me and possibly get us some live coverage. And here's what I ended up with: July 6 vs FC Bayern July 9 vs Inter July 13 at Lyon (France tour) July 16 at Marseille (France tour) July 19 at Monaco (France tour) July 22 at Nantes (France tour) July 25 vs Basel July 28 vs Real Madrid Much, much better. I'm not done, though. I need to wait until the Premiership fixture is announced. When I know when that starts, though, I will probably schedule an easy home match against some League Two squad or lower to get my players feeling positive as we go into league play. __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-11-2006, 02:40 PM	#42
Franklinnoble Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Placerville, CA	Ok... so, I read the introductory post... but I don't think I can plow through everything after that... will I miss much if I just pick up from here? What does the name "Sheffield Wednesay" mean, anyway? I don't quite get it...

07-11-2006, 03:01 PM	#43
tanglewood College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2004	It comes from the cricket team they were formed from which played on a Wednesday.

07-11-2006, 03:25 PM	#45
Franklinnoble Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Placerville, CA	So, is "Wednesday" the mascot name? Or is it the Owls? I'm still a little confused...

07-11-2006, 09:56 PM	#46
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	It's the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. That is the full name of the club, I believe. The Owls is the team name, just like the Raiders, Rams, etc. Other EPL axamples. Arsenal == Gunners, Man Utd == Red Devils, Newcastle == Magpies, Liverpool == Reds, Middlesbrough== Boro, Tottenham Hotspur == Spurs, etc. And, yes, you have to read everything (j/k reading what you want, of course). __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

07-12-2006, 10:36 AM	#47
Franklinnoble Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Placerville, CA	I'm still a little confused. What's the "Wednesday" in the name for, if it's not a mascot, and it's not the name of the place they're from? I always thought "United" was the mascot for Manchester. Bloody Europeans...

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