How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[vrabbit]

Quote: Originally Posted by southernmetalhead

Thanks to everyone who voted. There are 6 total votes, so I think that's about everybody. The winner is Krylya Sovetov Samara with 2 votes. Everyone else had 1. Update sometime today.

my vote won it! That club's name is just too awesome lol

[CityOfMillionaires]

Season 1
July-August 2016

Objectives:

Youth Development (Very Low): Sign at least one player younger than 20 years old,with potential greater than the average overall rating of players currently in the same position.

Brand Exposure (Very Low): Keep a streak of at least 85% attendance in 5 consecutive home games.

Financial (High): Reduce player wages by $11,000 per week.

Domestic Success (Very Low): EFL Championship: Finish Mid Table & The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.

Continental Success (Very Low): No Objectives

TRANSFER BUDGET: $3,000,000 and $25,000

Transfers Out:

Shaun Barker, 70 overall, 33 years old, center back, on loan to Fulham

We let Shaun Barker go to Fulham to help reduce the wage budget and make room for younger defending prospects.

Sam Hornby, 46 overall, 21 years old, goalkeeper, transfer to Finn Harps for $40,000

Sam was never going to get a chance at the club so it was an easy decision to let him go.

Transfers In:

Axel Tuanzebe
Overall: 68
Age: 18
Position: CB
Value: $1,400,000
Transfer Fee: $900,000
Wage: $25,000
Former Club: Manchester United

We brought in Axel Tuanzebe because we need to build for the future and almost all the defenders at the club are already past 30 or quite close. Axel is a fantastic athlete at only 18 years old and will continue to grow. He can be a mainstay in the back line for at least a decade if he reaches his potential.

Trent Alexander-Arnold
Overall: 67
Age: 17
Position: RB
Value: $975,000
Transfer Fee: $700,000
Wage: $25,500
Former Club: Liverpool

An other youngster from a Premier League club joined us this summer. Trent is a fullback that is quick and can contribute to the attack as well as in the defence which is what I want. We also only had one true right back in the squad so we solved that problem.


EFL Championship
Nott'm Forest 1 - 1 Burton Albion
O'Grady 69'
Osborn 86'

Not a bad first game against a good side. We gave up two points in the last few minutes, but a point away from home in our first ever game in the Championship against a good side is nothing to be ashamed of.

EFL Cup
Derby 1 (2) - (3) 1 Burton Albion
Palmer 12'
Weimann 55'

We played a weaker side for the midweek game, but squeezed past Derby in penalties after a closely contested game.

EFL Championship
Burton Albion 1 - 0 Bristol Rovers
O'Grady 19'

First win in the league after O'Grady's second goal of the season was enough to see us past Bristol Rovers. Sadly this game saw John Brayford tear his ACL and will be out at least 7 months.

EFL Championship
Burton Albion 0 - 4 Sheffield Wed
Hooper 5' 49'
Wallace 20'
Foresttieri 52'

We got smashed by a side that had lost all of their games so far this season. It was a weakened side that we put out for the midweek game, but I was still very disappointed in the performance.

EFL Championship
Blackburn Rovers 2 - 1 Burton
Forgot to Record scorers

EFL Cup
AFC Wimbledon 1 (5) - (4) 1 Burton Albion
Taylor 55'
Robinson 57' (OG)

A very disappointing loss to lower league opposition, but it just shows you cannot take anyone lightly. Matthew Palmer pulled his quad and is out 3 weeks.

EFL Championship
Burton 1 - 1 Derby
O'Grady 55'
Gerndt 87'

Though we were gonna get the win, but gave up a late goal to drop points we cannot let that happen anymore.

I sent youth scouts to England and Japan.

I hope you liked this I am still learning about how I want to format it and what not. Hopefully next time I can add some picture from the game and stuff.

[vrabbit]

Quote: Originally Posted by vrabbit

Newport County A.F.C. '19-'20 January Update Spoiler The Roster Spoiler Spoiler GK:Bill Hamid (75 OVR) GK: Eiichi Suzuki (67 OVR)* GK: Hayato Matsuki (66 OVR)* RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (79 OVR) RB: Moses Odubajo (72 OVR) RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (64 OVR)* CB: Sebastian Vegas (75 OVR) CB: Harry Maguire (75 OVR) CB: Luan (75 OVR) CB: Tafari Hunt (68 OVR)* CB: Bondz Laslie (67 OVR)* (on loan at Barnet) CB: Tom Maguire (59 OVR)* LB: Nicolai Fernandes (76 OVR)* LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR) LB: Gregorio Miranda (70 OVR)* LB: Jeff Cohen (59 OVR)* CDM: Rohan Ince (76 OVR) CDM: Hikaru Ichigawa (69 OVR)* CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (69 OVR)* CDM: Doke Boëtius (69 OVR)* CDM: Satoshi Kagome (61 OVR)* CM: Clark Gordon (78 OVR)* CM: Gary Woods (67 OVR)* CM: Daniel Seager (65 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient) CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (60 OVR)* RM: David Fox (71 OVR)* LM: Ben Potter (72 OVR)* CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR) CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)* CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (71 OVR)* (on loan at Wolves) CAM: Daniele Martella (67 OVR)* RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)* LW: Bondz Moore (76 OVR)* ST: Thierry Ambrose (78 OVR) ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (76 OVR) ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (72 OVR)* ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (70 OVR) (on loan from Juventus) ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (70 OVR) (on loan from Roma) ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)* * Academy Graduate. Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide) Hamid (75) Al Shahrani (79)/Maguire (75)/Vegas (75)/B-Williams (75) Ince (76) Potter (72) ------------------ Moore (76) Farfán (C, 80) Ambrose (78) ------- Saint-Maximin (76) ______________________________________ Transfer News Nicolas Gersbeck (ST, 70 OVR) returned to Roma at the end of his short-term loan. Sources indicate Newport County will attempt to acquire the German striker on a permanent basis. ______________________________________ League Match 20 Liverpool - Newport County (2-2) Saint-Maximin 6' (Ambrose) Lallana 25' Farfán 38' (Ince) Pogba 63' (pen) Sebastian Vegas committed a silly handball in the 61st minute and Paul Pogba scored on the resulting penalty kick to help The Reds salvage a point at Anfield in what has been a very tough season for Jürgen Klopp's squad. From Newport County's perspective they probably should had taken advantage of a Liverpool squad in poor form, although in all fairness this was an evenly played game. ______________________________________ Transfer News Bondz Laslie (CB, 67 OVR) returned from loan at Barnet. ______________________________________ F.A. Cup - Round 3 Ipswich Town - Newport County (2-2) Sandro 6' Giles 41' (Leya Iseka) Leya Iseka 45+' (Miller) Wells 74' Boëtius 24' Marccelino challenged his B-squad to help The Exiles advance from this game but Ipswich Town's resiliency pushes this match-up to a replay later this month. Aaron Leya Iseka, a loanee from Juventus hoping to convince the Newport County board to execute the purchase clause of the agreement, did all he could to help his side get the win but in the end it wasn't enough. ______________________________________ Transfer News Cristiano Dall'Oglio (CDM, 69 OVR) loaned on short-term to Wolverhampton. ______________________________________ League Match 21 Newport County - Watford (2-0) Moore 7' (Ambrose) Ince 37' (Ambrose) Thierry Ambrose showed once again he can affect a game through more than just scoring by completing a couple of assists to help The Exiles get back on the winning track in what was otherwise a tightly-contested game. League Match 22 Everton - Newport County (2-0) Deulofeu 28' Gibson 45+' Al Shahrani 26' (broken ankle, out 3 months) Double whammy here for The Exiles against against a desperate Everton squad trying to separate themselves from the relegation zone. The Toffees were aggressive from the get-go, especially on defense where they swarmed to ball constantly, and edged out Newport County in possession (56%) and shots (11, 6 on goal - vs 3/2 for Newport). To make matters worse for Marccelino's squad, Al Shahrani suffered his second significant injury of the season and he'll now be out for a significant portion of the remainder of the season. He has a shot to return to action towards mid-April. ______________________________________ Transfer News Hikaru Ichigawa (CDM, 69 OVR) sold to Montpellier Hérault SC for €3.25 million. Satoshi Kagome (CDM, 61 OVR) loaned on short-term to Northampton Town. Nicolas Gersbeck (ST, 70 OVR) acquired from Roma for €2.4 million. Allan Saint-Maximin (ST, 76 OVR) refused to negotiate a contract with SD Eibar and Newport County's deal with the club from La Liga to sell the French striker for €10 million fell through. ______________________________________ F.A. Cup - Round 3 replay Newport County - Ipswich Town (1-0) Boëtius 33' (Giles) Sears 8' Knudsen 84' Freddie Sears committed an inexplicable hard tackle from behind on David Fox eight minutes into leave his side with 10 men for the rest of the game and The Exiles' B-squad was able to make that edge count to beat Ipswich Town and move on in the F.A. Cup. After Ichigawa's (sold) and Dall'Oglio's (loaned) departures, 18-year old Doke Boëtius (Dutch academy graduate) has been tasked with backup CDM duties which include a starting role with this B-squad. He showed his promise with a nifty volley off a corner kick from Jack Giles to score what would prove to be the match-winning goal in the 33rd minute. League Match 23 Leicester City - Newport County (1-3) Odubajo 30' (Ince) Potter 56' (Odubajo) Kramarić 73' Giles 82' Ince 72' (sprained knee, out 3 weeks) Moses Odubajo was a force to be reckoned with in his return to the starting lineup (again filling in for the injured Al Shahrani) and the fullback h played a role in each of The Exiles' scores to lead Newport County to a bounce-back win in league play. In addition to opening up the scoring a third of the way in, then assisting Ben Potter 10 minutes into the second half, it was Odubajo's shot in the 82nd minute that was initially saved by Kasper Schmeichel then bounced across the box where Giles calmly put it away for the final score of the game. Odubajo was in excellent form while filling in for Al Shahrani earlier in the season and a repeat effort from him in the second half of the season would be big for Marccelino's squad. ______________________________________ Transfer News Ron Vlaar (CB, 80 OVR) acquired from AZ in a swap for Luan (CB, 75 OVR). Gary Woods (CM, 67 OVR) loaned on short-term to Dagenham. Kurt Zouma (CB, 83 OVR) signed to pre-contract (5 years, €120K wages). Will join Newport County at the end of the season. ______________________________________ F.A. Cup - Round 4 Newport County - Blackburn Rovers (2-2) Koita 10' Rhodes 17' Potter 28' (Binnom-Williams) Moore 36' (Farfán) Fernandes 90' ______________________________________ Transfer News Nicolai Fernandes (LB, 76 OVR) sold to Manchester Utd for €22.5 million. Elmir Nabiullin (LB, 76 OVR) acquired from Rubin Kazan for €7 million on deadline day. Yoshi Ishinomori (CM, 60 OVR) loaned on short-term to Exeter City on deadline day. Paul Pogba (CM, 88 OVR) signed to pre-contract (5 years, €230K wages). Will join Newport County at the end of the season. Barclays PL Top Scorers T1. Aubameyang (Manchester City) - 10 T1. Chadli (Spurs) - 10 T1. Fletcher (Sunderland) - 10 T1. Arfield (Burnley) - 10 Assists T1. Gordon (Newport County) - 7 T1. Kane (Spurs) - 7 2. Farfán (Newport County) - 6 Clean Sheets 1. Begović (Chelsea) - 9 2. Adrián (West Ham) - 8 3. Heaton (Burnley) - 7 Analysis: Strictly talking about results, it was sort of more of the same that we have seen from The Exiles this season - a couple of wins, a few draws, and a loss mixed in every now and then to keep them in check. Nevertheless, don't look now but Newport County sit in 7th place just 4 points away from 4th place Burnley (who are having a tremendous season as another team just promoted from last season). While only six teams in the league have given up more goals than Newport County, they have been able to find success through their scoring which is tied for second-best in the league with Tottenham (and only behind Manchester City). It was no surprise then to see Marccelino & Co. make a conscious effort to upgrade at the CB position. In a curious swap, the team acquired Ron Vlaar from AZ while scouting the Dutch club for their upcoming match-up in the Round of 32 of the UEL. From AZ's point of view, they liked the idea of bringing in a younger CB with some untapped potential that could step into the starting role being vacated by Vlaar. This, of course, makes the match-up between these two teams next month much more intriguing. But Newport County wasn't done there and then shocked the BPL by signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma to pre-contract for 5 seasons. Unlike, Vlaar, Zouma is very much in his prime and still has room for improvement which must be exciting for the club considering he instantly becomes the best defender on the roster. This marks the third consecutive season that The Exiles have signed a CB on pre-contract (Luan in '18, Maguire in '19). Marccelino also orchestrated a bit of a shakeup at CDM by bumping Boëtius to the backup role after the departures of Ichigawa and Dall'Oglio. Ichigawa was actually a target by several clubs and although Newport County did not intend to sale him they were very satisfied with the offer they received from Montpellier. Boëtius and Dall'Oglio had been listed for loan since the summer and following Ichigawa's sale the club was still willing to send one of them out on loan and keep the other for the rest of the season, and Dall'Oglio was the one to receive interest so that was that. Then there's the marquee signing of this window, the pre-contract agreement with French star Paul Pogba. The arrival of the all-around midfielder next season will give Marccelino several options with his lineup/formations next season. Pogba, reportedly unhappy with Livepool's struggles this season, was considering an offer from AC Milan when Newport County pitched the idea of remaining in the BPL with one of the hottest up-and-coming squads in the league in which he would be the leader, and the French star bought in right away. The only other surprising move was the club's sale of Nicolai Fernandes, an academy product from Denmark who is an exciting prospect. Valued at €7.5 million, Man U had offered €9 million to start negotiations. Newport County decided to set the price at three times the player value and Man U was so determined to acquire the young fullback that they agreed to the asking price right away. Luckily for The Exiles' board they were able to replace Fernandes with their immediate target in Elmir Nabiullin. In the academy front, Newport County has parted ways with one of their scouts in Daniel Espejord as the Norwegian hadn't been identifying the kind of talent the club desired. His role has yet to be filled and it's expected that with an improved budget the club may acquire a higher-caliber youth scout. Englishman Adam Adeyemi (3* EXP/2* JUD) and Finish scout Kimmo Räsänen(3*/2*) have assigned to Spain and Portugal respectively too look for pacey prospects. Here is the club's youth squad at the moment: ST - Liam Taylor (55 OVR, 81-87 POT): This 16-year old from England has officially been listed as the top prospect in the academy. He currently stands at 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago. RB - Willem Van Hout (62 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent nearly two full seasons in the academy and shown notable progress over that time, therefore he's likely to be promoted very soon. Van Hout doesn't possess the pace the team would like at the position but Marccelino is keeping more of an open mind when it comes to that after watching Fernandes play. RB - Márcio Souza (58 OVR, 79-85): 17-year old from Brazil who is an absolute CB prospect now standing at 6'5", 194lbs at the moment. He just needs to continue to work on his defensive game. CDM - Daniel Amaral (57 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil whose signing is starting to be recognized as Newport County is making a habit of pumping out exciting prospects at this position. For that same reason though, Amaral is unlikely to be rushed to promotion to the senior roster. ST - Sean Hugill (50 OVR, 77-83): This 17-year old from England is a very enticing prospect for the club who is developing well. His top traits are his aggression (81) and jumping (80) which coupled with his 6'5", 185lbs frame make him a potential nightmare for opposing defenses. RB - Miguel De Mesquites (54 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game. CAM - Eduard Cardenas (52 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He's still a very raw prospect so it'll be important for him to make the most out of his time left in the academy and he has been looking good so far. CF - Jordan Davies (46 OVR, 73-79): now a 16-year old from England described as physically strong and now measuring at 5'5", 154lvs. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position. * Recent addition February's Schedule 2/1: vs West Ham 2/5: at Blackburn Rovers (F.A. Cup replay) 2/9: vs Newcastle Utd 2/11: at Aston Villa 2/20: at AZ (Euro League) 2/23: vs Crystal Palace 2/27: vs AZ (Euro League) The Exiles are officially in the hunt for a spot into European competition through the league, therefore it'll be interesting to see how they manage the schedule this coming month during the six-day stretch in which they'll play three games. Tottenham and Sunderland will face each other for the Capital One Cup title and so long as both teams don't fall out of the top-5 this season in the BPL that will mean the 6th place team at the end of the season will qualify for the UEL next season. In UEL this season we'll have that Newport County - AZ match-up to look forward to with Vlaar and Luan facing their former clubs. Thanks for reading

Previous Update

Newport County A.F.C.

'19-'20 February Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK:Bill Hamid (75 OVR)
GK: Eiichi Suzuki (67 OVR)*
GK: Hayato Matsuki (67 OVR)*

RB: Yasir Al Shahrani (79 OVR)
RB: Moses Odubajo (73 OVR)
RB: Atsushi Nagatsuka (64 OVR)*
CB: Ron Vlaar (80 OVR)
CB: Harry Maguire (76 OVR)
CB: Sebastian Vegas (75 OVR)
CB: Tafari Hunt (68 OVR)*
CB: Bondz Laslie (67 OVR)*
CB: Tom Maguire (59 OVR)*
LB: Elmir Nabiullin (76 OVR)
LB: Jerome Binnom-Williams (75 OVR)
LB: Gregorio Miranda (71 OVR)*
LB: Jeff Cohen (59 OVR)*

CDM: Rohan Ince (77 OVR)
CDM: Cristiano Dall'Oglio (69 OVR)* (on loan at Wolves)
CDM: Doke Boëtius (69 OVR)*
CDM: Satoshi Kagome (61 OVR)* (on loan at Northampton)
CM: Clark Gordon (78 OVR)*
CM: Gary Woods (67 OVR)* (on loan at Dagenham)
CM: Daniel Seager (66 OVR)* (on loan at Leyton Orient)
CM: Yoshi Ishinomori (60 OVR)* (on loan at Exeter City)
RM: David Fox (71 OVR)*
LM: Ben Potter (73 OVR)*
CAM: Jefferson Farfán (80 OVR)
CAM: Konsta Salo (76 OVR)*
CAM: Andrea De Girolamo (71 OVR)* (on loan at Wolves)
CAM: Daniele Martella (68 OVR)*

RW: Jack Giles (72 OVR)*
LW: Bondz Moore (76 OVR)*
ST: Thierry Ambrose (79 OVR)
ST: Allan Saint-Maximin (76 OVR)
ST: Kjetil Ringdal Støvland (72 OVR)*
ST: Nicolas Gersbeck (71 OVR)
ST: Aaron Leya Iseka (70 OVR) (on loan from Juventus)
ST: Patrick Miller (69 OVR)*
* Academy Graduate.

Starting XI (4-4-2 Diamond Wide)

Hamid (75)

Odubajo (73)/Vlaar (80)/Vegas (75)/B-Williams (75)

Ince (77)

Potter (73) ------------------ Moore (76)

Farfán (C, 80)

Ambrose (79) ------- Saint-Maximin (76)
______________________________________

League Match 24
Newport County - West Ham (2-3)
Uth 16'
Ambrose 22' (Saint-Maximin)
Potter 32' (Vlaar)
Uth 41'
Uth 65'

Mark Uth's hat-trick led The Hammers to a road upset of The Exiles as West Ham United avenged their loss to Newport County back at London Stadium in late December. Uth was a man possessed, unforgiving with every shot he took including his game-winning header in the 65th minute which was tightly contested by Sebastian Vegas. This was a highly-entertaining game with West Ham taking 10 shots (6 on goal) while Newport County took 14 (8).

F.A. Cup - Round 4 replay
Blackburn Rovers - Newport County (3-3, 1-3 PKs)
Rhodes 31'
Koita 43'
Fox 51' (Boëtius)
Maguire 90++' (Fox)
Miller 114' (Ringdal Støvland)
Zungu 117'

With the way the schedule had played out Marccelino was going to have to go to his B-squad for a game around this time of the month and the youngsters got tabbed for this game which turned out to be one of the most exciting matches in Great Britain this season. At halftime it looked as if Blackburn would be able to take advantage of Newport County resting their core guys but David Fox's goal early in the second half kept the pressure on Rovers who then crumbled under pressure deep into stoppage time as a corner kick from Fox was poorly defended, allowing Harry Maguire (who had subbed in at CDM for Doke Boëtius) to calmly head in the equalizer and send the game to extra time.



In ET both times were understandably cautious and it wasn't until the second half that a team finally broke through when Kjetil Ringdal Støvland made the right play by making an extra pass to Patrick Miller who didn't miss with a finesse shot near the small box. When beat reporters were starting to write about The Exiles' exciting come-from-behind win, Bongani Zungu brought the home team back to life with a goal resulting from overall team grit and the match headed to a penalty shootout. It was then when Newport County's academy-graduate goalkeeper, Hayato Matsuki, flashed his promising skills with the mere presence of his 6'7", 196lbs frame as Rovers misfired on their first two shots (first high, then off the crossbar) then had their third shot (down the middle) saved by Matsuki. Marccelino had his best penalty-kicker on the pitch, Nicolas Gersbeck, kick third in the order and oddly enough he was the only one to miss for Newport County with a chance to wrap up the shootout at 3-0. After Blackburn Rovers finally scored on their next shot, Ringdal Støvland put an end to the exciting match to put The Exiles into the Round of 16.


The thrill of victory (front) and the agony of defeat (back).

League Match 25
Newport County - Newcastle Utd (3-0)
Saint-Maximin 10' (Farfán)
Potter 23' (Moore)
Saint-Maximin 35' (Moore).

In the days leading up to this game Newport County players and coaches did a great job of downplaying questions regarding their controversial loss to Newcastle early in the season (on a highly questionable PK awarded to them) but they made a LOUD statement on the pitch to solidify their positioning above their opponent on the standings. After turning down a move to La Liga in the winter transfer window, Allan Saint-Maximin is trying his best to show he is right where he belongs.

League Match 26
Aston Villa - Newport County (2-1)
Ambrose 27' (Farfán)
Westwood 67'
Kozák 90++'

Libor Kozák scored a back-breaking goal late at the end of the game and former Exiles' goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez showed out with his new club to help Aston Villa defend their turf in a narrow win. Martinez, Newport County's starting GK during the previous three seasons, bounced back from Ambrose's goal in the 27th minute to pitch a shoutout the rest of the way with a bit of help from his back line. It had to have been a good feeling for the Argentinian as he makes his case to be the full time starter for his new club.

F.A. Cup - Round of 16
Newport County - Crystal Palace (2-1)
Ince 34' (Potter)
Bolasie 49'
Moore 60' (Binnom-Williams)

No replays this time around for The Exiles as they had just enough to edge Crystal Palace on a snowy day at Rodney Parade. For a change it was the defense that helped seal the deal in this one as the visiting team was held to just two shots (both on target). With an increasingly busy schedule it was very important that Newport County kept yet another F.A. Cup replay from being added to their schedule.
______________________________________

The F.A. announced that the Burnley v. Newport County match originally scheduled for 3/1/20 was moved to 2/29/20.
______________________________________

Euro League - Round of 32, 1st leg
AZ - Newport County (1-1)
Henriksen 11'
Binnom-Williams 22' (Farfán)

Markus Henriksen scored for the third time in as many games but Jerome Binnom-Williams equalized the score before the first quarter of the game had taken place and The Exiles escaped AFAS Stadion with a draw but only one away goal to show for. By all accounts this was an evenly-played match and there's no clear favorite at this point. Newport County will have to hold AZ scoreless in the second leg to use their one away goal as an edge.

League Match 27
Newport County - Crystal Palace (4-1)
Boëtius 4' (Ringdal Støvland)
Gersbeck 31' (pen)
Diouf 40'
Salo 72' (Gersbeck)
Giles 90+' (Ringdal Støvland)

With the game at Burnley getting moved Marccelino had to turn to his B-squad for this game and they absolutely dominated Palace from beginning to end. The starting striker duo turned into facilitators as they each had at least one assist and Ringdal Støvland in particular was a load to deal with (he may have scored the second goal if he hadn't been fouled inside the box which turned into a PK for Nicolas Gersbeck). The Exiles have done a good job of getting their B-squad a lot of action this season and the extended playing time for that unit is starting to pay dividends with their performance.

Euro League - Round of 32, 2nd leg
Newport County - AZ (2-0, 3-1 agg)
Saint-Maximin 17' (Potter)
Saint-Maximin 71' (Farfán)

Saint-Maximin scored his second brace this month to lead The Exiles to solid victory over AZ and move on in the UEL. The French striker first scored on a contested header off a corner kick from Ben Potter in the 17th minute, then took a pass from Jefferson Farfán at the top of the box in the 71st minute and used the momentum from it to get past his former teammate Luan to fire a crossing shot to seal the deal for Newport County.


Saint-Maximin (5'8") willed himself to this airball to open up the scoring.


Saint-Maximin and Luan: teammates just over a month ago, opponents now.


League Match 28
Burnley - Newport County (3-4)
Ambrose 2' (Binnom-Williams)
Saint-Maximin 9' (Farfán)
Farfán 32' (pen)
Farfán 37' (Ince)
Grimes 41'
van Wolfswinkel 56'
Keane 90+'

With just one day of rest following their last game vs AZ you would had expected The Exiles to be exhausted but they instead came out roaring to jump out to four-goal lead in the first 37 minutes of the game. However, the exhaustion seemingly caught up to them thereafter and they ended up needing every bit of those four scores to escape with a road victory to separate themselves from Burnley in the standings.


Farfán nutmegs Tom Heaton as he scores his 2nd goal of the game to give his side a 4-0 lead.








Barclays PL
Top Scorers
1. Fletcher (Sunderland) - 13
2. Kane (Spurs) - 12
T3. Aubameyang (Manchester City) - 11
T3. Emnes (Manchester Utd) - 11
...
T4. Ambrose (Newport County) - 10
T4. Saint-Maximin (Newport County) - 10

Assists
1. Farfán (Newport County) - 9
2. Lanzini (West Ham) - 8
T3. Gordon (Newport County) - 7
T3. Kane (Spurs) - 7

Clean Sheets
1. Begović (Chelsea) - 9
T2. Adrián (West Ham) - 8
T2. Vorm (Spurs) - 8

Euro League
Top Scorers
1. Gutiérrez (Sporting CP) - 9
2. Bakambu (Sevilla FC) - 8
3. Emond (Standard Liège) - 7

Assists
T1. Banega (Sevilla FC) - 4
T1. Kasami (AS Saint-Étienne) - 4
T1. Insigne (Napoli) - 4
T1. Athanasiadis (PAOK) - 4
T1. Rudy (AS Saint-Étienne) - 4

Clean Sheets
1. Ruffier (AS Saint-Étienne) - 7
T2. Baumann (1899 Hoffenheim) - 5
T2. Rico (Sevilla FC) - 5

Analysis: three wins and two losses in league play isn't exactly a recipe for success but The Exiles managed to move up two spots in the standings into the top-5 so it's hard to be too critical of their performance in February. Newport County has done a great job in the marathon that is a full season in the BPL and they keep moving up the table as the season goes on, to the point they're now a threat to earn a spot into Champions League next season. Could they possibly pull that off in their first season in the top flight of the English Football League? In the UEL, Marccelino's squad had a real solid performances against AZ and deservedly moved on. Saint-Étienne will present a new set of challenges, most notably a formidable defense anchored by the CB duo of Loïc Perrin and Florentin Pogba (the brother of Paul, who will be joining Newport County next season) who have helped Stéphane Ruffier gather up the most clean sheets in the tournament. The defending F.A. Cup champions have also returned to the quarter finals of that competition this season where they will face West Brom, a team they had a lot of success against last season in the Championship.

The notable mention for this month goes to Allan Saint-Maximin who scored 5 goals and also had 1 assist. Much like the club, as the season has gone on Saint-Maximin has settled in and improved his form and (although in more games played) he's tied with his countryman Thierry Ambrose for the team lead in scoring in league play.

In academy news the first scouting reports from Adam Adeyemi (Spain) and Kimmo Räsänen (Portugal) did not result in any additions to the academy. The club also hired a new scout, Dennis Käck from Sweden, who has been asked to scout in his homeland. Here is the youth squad at the moment:

ST - Liam Taylor (56 OVR, 81-87 POT): This 16-year old from England has officially been listed as the top prospect in the academy. He currently stands at 5'7" and 154lbs yet is still young and physically strong, and projects as the best striker prospect in the academy since RS' promotion a couple of years ago.

RB - Willem Van Hout (62 OVR, 79-85): The 17-year old from Belgium has spent nearly two full seasons in the academy and shown notable progress over that time. The club has entered in talks with the youngster for promotion to the senior squad but the Belgian prospect reportedly will only agree to a 1-year deal to start off. The longer he holds that position, the more time will go by and the 1-year deal wouldn't start counting off until next season.

RB - Márcio Souza (59 OVR, 79-85): 17-year old from Brazil who is an absolute CB prospect now standing at 6'5", 194lbs at the moment. He just needs to continue to work on his defensive game.

CDM - Daniel Amaral (58 OVR), 78-84): 16-year old from Brazil who continues to develop well. The club hopes he'll commit to remain in the academy for at least another season as the depth chart at his position is pretty strong.

ST - Sean Hugill (52 OVR, 77-83): This prospect from England is a very enticing prospect for the club who is developing well. His top traits are his aggression (81) and jumping (81) which coupled with his 6'5", 185lbs frame make him a potential nightmare for opposing defenses. His stamina (74) and strength (73) are also notable. He recently turned 18 years old and may be getting promoted soon.

RB - Miguel De Mesquites (55 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil who is a fullback/centreback prospect as a result of his 6'2", 167lbs frame. He's still raw and needs to work consistently on his defensive game but may be promoted soon now that he's of adult age.

CAM - Eduard Cardenas (53 OVR, 75-81): 18-year old from Brazil described as a playmaker. He has had some development while in the academy and even though he's still very raw he's likely to be promoted soon due to his age, but he should understand he's far from getting playing time.

CF - Jordan Davies (47 OVR, 73-79): now a 16-year old from England described as physically strong and now measuring at 5'5", 154lbs. He may not be more than a backup in the future but the team was happy to add some local talent at the position.
* Recent addition

BREAKING NEWS

Spoiler

Marccelino accepts role as new Hungarian Manager

Giovanni Marccelino returns to international coaching by accepting to become the new manager for Hungary's national team. The Italian coach has been a hot name this season, receiving offers for international coaching since August. At the time he agreed to become the new Hungarian manager, Marccelino had offers on the table from Northern Ireland, Peru, Venezuela, and South Africa. Earlier in the season he also had offers from Canada and China. Sources indicate Marccelino was holding out for better offers and was persuaded enough by the Hungarian FF. Hungary just finished sneaking into the upcoming Euro Cup.



Marccelino reportedly signed a two-year deal with the second year being the manager's option. It'll be interesting to see if the also Newport County manager tries to help Hungary make a run towards a spot into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

March's Schedule
3/7: at Arsenal
3/10: at Manchester City
3/12: at AS Saint-Étienne (Euro League)
3/15: vs West Brom (F.A. Cup)
3/19: vs AS Saint-Étienne (Euro League)
3/21: at Sheffield Wed
3/24: at Finland (International Friendly)
3/28: vs Spain (International Friendly)

It's crunch time now for Marccelino. That B-squad riding a hot streak will have to make at least one appearance in March, possibly two, as a result of a lack of days off during a 5-game stretch in an 12-day period from the 10th to the 21st. The Exiles are contending in three prestigious competitions late into them, which is uncharted territory for the club so it'll be interesting to see how they approach it. When that dust settles, Marccelino will get to test his new role with the Hungarian NT by visiting his former international employer and then hosting an European powerhouse. Should be fun to watch.

Thanks for reading!

[southernmetalhead]

FC Krylya Sovetov Samara
Wings of the Soviets

FIFA 17 - July 2016
(Legendary)

A New Manager: Sergei Silkin



A 9th place finish in their first season back in the Russian top-division following relegation in 2014, was not enough to save the Krylya Sovetov Samara job for Belgian manager Franky Vercauteren. Replacing him after 2 seasons will be 55-year-old Sergei Silkin, a native of Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast, who last managed in 2012 for Dynamo Moscow. During that stint, Silkin compiled a record of 24-12-13 before ultimately being sacked. Krylya hope Silkin can continue to push forward a side that has struggled in recent years after a spell of success in the early 2000's that culminated with a 3rd place finish in 2004. Since then, Krylya has consistently hovered near the bottom of the RFPL table before finally being relegated with a 14th place league position in 2013-14. The Samara-based club only spent one season in the second-tier, winning the Russian National Football League in 2014-15 to make the jump right back up, however Chairman Vitaliy Shashkov was not convinced of the club's long-term sustainability under Vercauteren and decided to go with a more familiar name to Russian football fans. Now it's time to see if that decision pays off.

House Rules

- 6+5 Rule: Following league guidelines, the club must have 5 Russian-born or naturalized players on the pitch at all times

- Mandatory 15: The club must maintain a minimum of 15 Russian players in the squad at all times

Board Objectives

Youth
Short Term:
1. Sign 1 youth player to the senior team in the same season they were scouted. Play them in 10 matches either as part of the Starting XI or coming on as a sub.

2. Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy assigned to the midfielder position.

Medium Importance

Brand Exposure
Short Term:
1. Keep a streak of at least 85% attendance in 5 consecutive home matches.

*Note: Metallurg Stadion holds 33,001

Low Importance

Financial
Short Term:
1. Finish the season with a profit margin of €20 million.

High Importance

Domestic Success
Short Term:
1. Sogaz Russian Football Championship: Finish Mid Table

2. Rossiyskiy Kubok: Reach the Quarter Final

Long Term:
1. Within 2 seasons in Sogaz Russian Football Championship: Achieve a High Finish

Medium Importance

Continental Success
No Objectives

The Squad

Goalkeepers
GK Giorgi Loria, 73 Ovr, 30, Georgia

GK Maxim Pavlov, 56 Ovr, 27, Russia

GK Evgeniy Konyukhov, 69 Ovr, 29, Russia

GK Vitaliy Shilnikov, 56 Ovr, 18, Russia

Defenders
RB Ibragim Tsallagov, 71 Ovr, 25, Russia

RB Timofey Margasov, 68 Ovr, 24, Russia

CB Alexey Kontsedalov, 65 Ovr, 25, Russia

CB Nadson, 70 Ovr, 31, Brazil

CB Ivan Taranov, 70 Ovr, 30, Russia

CB Vladislav Masalskiy, 57 Ovr, 18, Russia

CB Sergey Bozhin, 59 Ovr, 21, Russia

CB Sheldon Bateau, 69 Ovr, 25, Trinidad & Tobago

CB Andrey Krasnov, 56 Ovr, 18, Russia

LB Dmitriy Yatchenko, 67 Ovr, 29, Russia

LB Milan Rodić, 67 Ovr, 25, Serbia

Midfielders
CDM Evgeniy Bashkirov, 65 Ovr, 24, Russia

CDM Vyacheslav Zinkov, 60 Ovr, 23, Russia

RM Alan Chochiev, 68 Ovr, 24, Russia

RM Sergey Tkachev, 72 Ovr, 27, Russia - on loan from CSKA Moscow

CM Nikolay Kiritsa, 53 Ovr, 19, Russia

CAM Cristian Pasquato, 72 Ovr, 26, Italy - on loan from Juventus

Forwards
ST Gianni Bruno, 68 Ovr, 24, Belgium

ST Ilya Vinzovich, 58 Ovr, 18, Russia

ST Jerry Mbakogu, 74 Ovr, 23, Nigeria - on loan from Carpi

ST Sergey Kornilenko, 68 Ovr, 33, Belarus

ST Berat Sadik, 67 Ovr, 29, Finland

ST Egor Golenkov, 57 Ovr, 16, Russia

LW Yohan Mollo, 74 Ovr, 26, France

Preferred XI
Formation: 4-4-2 (Holding)

[Simppu12]

SMH - I'm looking forward to your new Russian career! The squad doesn't look too great and it will be interesting to see how you manage to improve it. I was just wondering, is the Nantes career happening?

Rabbit - You're doing a great job with Newport and it's very impressive that you're pushing for a Europa League spot! Speaking of which, I feel like Saint-Etienne shouldn't cause you too much trouble. I'm seeing that Farfan has got quite a few assists in the league and I was wondering how he is doing for you. Are many of his stats decreasing? I'm also very excited to see how you manage with Hungary as I have some personal connections to that place. Also, I can't believe you are getting Pogba for free! That's one hell of a signing!

Twente: February began poorly for you but you were able to turn it around fast thanks to some goals by Olaitan who is starting to look like your key attacker at the moment. With some good results you could make it to the Champions League next season. That's when Sneijder will join your team and I won't lie, I'm excited to see that! Oh, and that Juanpi goal to beat Fiorentina was beautiful.

COM: Welcome to the thread, I hope you like it here! Burton are a good choice as they are a recently-promoted side, and so far you're doing fine with them. Shame about that loss in the cup, though. Tuanzebe looks like an amazing talent with very high potential and he can become very important for you. Also, I'd suggest adding the league table at the end. Rabbit would certainly like that

Terp - Come on, get the Newcastle career started already :P

Tex - Interesting choice to go with Grimsby. As you pointed out, your defence has been quite poor but luckily you've been able to win most of your matches and so far you're very close to that automatic promotion. How are your attackers doing? It seems like pretty much everyone is getting goals for you.

Gholdt - That's a fun idea to add an Irish club into the League 2, and you have been doing very well there so far! It's a shame that you were eliminated from both cups this early, but on the bright side, you can focus on the league now. Also, I absolutely love the signings of Cerny and Mor! Pepelu seems like a great purchase, too! Rabbit already had a go at you for missing a league table so I won't do the same :P

***

That should be everything. If I missed someone I'm very sorry.

[southernmetalhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Simppu12

SMH - I'm looking forward to your new Russian career! The squad doesn't look too great and it will be interesting to see how you manage to improve it. I was just wondering, is the Nantes career happening?

Thanks. Yes, Krylya is pretty bad. IRL they are 15th place out of 16. The problem is, the board wants 20 million in profit, so I can't exactly buy some good players.

Also, yes. I should get the Nantes career started soon. I can never stick to just 1 career.

[texasbum06]

Quote: Originally Posted by Simppu12

Tex - Interesting choice to go with Grimsby. As you pointed out, your defence has been quite poor but luckily you've been able to win most of your matches and so far you're very close to that automatic promotion. How are your attackers doing? It seems like pretty much everyone is getting goals for you.

Bogle and Vernon up front have actually been really solid for me so far. It seems like they have either scored or assisted almost every goal so far. Vernon has been a big surprise so far, and I was originally looking to replace him as soon as I could since he is old and slow, but with him leading my team in scoring so far it's hard to justify that. Still, I would really like someone with a bit more pace as far as the long term goes. It's been a while since I played with a formation that used two up front, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with how well I have been able to link up between the two. As I get some real wingers into the squad though I may start to experiment more with other formations that use just a lone striker.

[TerpHamm]

THE RAFALUTION

FIFA 17 (World Class)
July 2016

BOARD OBJECTIVES

Youth Development
MEDIUM
- Within 2 seasons, have at least 1 players from the Youth Academy signed in the first season play in at least 50% of the games in the next season

Brand Exposure
HIGH
- Sign 1 Crucial 1st team player(s) assigned to a midfielder or midfielder position
- Gain €15,000,000 earning from shirt sales within a season

Financial
MEDIUM
- Within 2 seasons, increase the club worth of your club by 20%

Domestic Success
CRITICAL
- EFL Championship: Win the League Title
- The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 16 Stage

Continental Success
LOW
- n/a

ROSTER

Active Roster

Spoiler

On Loan

Spoiler

TRANSFERS

IN
- Paul Georges-Ntep, 23 year old LM/LW, 80 overall for €24m from Stade Rennais
- Giannis Skondras, 26 year old utility defender, 72 OVR for €1.3m from PAOK
- Mohamed Larbi, 28 year old CAM, 73 OVR for €3.5m from Gaz Ajaccio

OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: (Brand Exposure) Sign 1 Crucial 1st team player(s) assigned to a midfielder or midfielder position

OUT
- Rob Elliot, 30 year old GK, 69 OVR for €800k to Derby County
- Cheick Tiote, 30 year old CDM/CM, 78 OVR for €5m to Liverpool

LOANED OUT
- Daniel Berlaser, 19 year old RM, 61 OVR for 1 yr to Sheffield United
- Freddie Woodman, 19 year old GK, 61 OVR for 1 yr to Doncaster
- Liam Gibson, 19 year old LB, 61 OVR for 1 yr to Walsall

PRESEASON
European International Cup

NUFC 2 - 2 Hull City
(SIMMED)

NUFC 1 - 2 Getafe
(SIMMED)

NUFC 0 - 1 Genoa
(SIMMED)

THOUGHTS

Objectives: No real qualms with the board objectives. With a starting roster that is probably good enough to stay up in the PL, I expected to have a goal to win the Championship, so not surprised at the importance placed there. The one that might be a bit tricky is promoting a youth player this year, and having to play him in at least 50% of matches next season. As I plan to be in the Premier League, that means he is going to have to be able to contribute fairly immediately.

Preseason: I simmed the preseason tournament and mixed up the lineups a bit in the process. Though I obviously could have used the additional budget, I was happy just to get through it without any injuries.

Transfer Market: Super happy to have already brought in a major piece in the form of Ntep. His pace is excellent and he will be manning the left side for (hopefully) years to come. Skondras and Larbi were brought in for added depth, as the roster is awfully thin due to so many players being on loan. I am planning to continue the international theme that Rafa has instituted IRL, so I will take players from just about anywhere so long as they fit what I am looking for. Still have quite a bit of the budget to work with for the rest of the window (€15m or so), so I will mostly look to continue to add some depth, hopefully in the form of some youngsters.