The spartak revival

Cheers fifa.Yeah domestically iam the only team capable of winning it I think.Zenit have gown downhill badly and are ageing.CSKA are an ageing squad also and who else is there?Not Krasnodar that's for certain.I have not long since got the odds for the league and ill upload them in the next update.Its one sided to say the least.

That iniesta goal knocked the stuffing out of us but the trip to the nou camp was always going to be a mammoth task.

Forgot upload this screen shot.Bit of a landslide.

After the disappointment of last seasons finish I decided I needed to strengthen the defence a bit.The Russians weren't playing anywhere near good enough in Europe and I needed a worthy partner to balanta.Fortunately gael Renaud is now deemed good enough for a cb spot so I only really needed to improve the fbs.

Here are the players I brought in.







Top 3 are very much for the future.Think the azeri lad might not make it but on a free I cant complain and the scouts rated him 3.5 star potential.Galeano I think could be good.Tranberg im very confidant about.Carvalho came for a bit of money but he has 4.5 star potential according to my chief scout.Jon Flanagan will be my 1st choice rb for sure.So much better than the Russian option.Then a player I tried getting 2 years back but he went to psg instead.I now have a choice of pairing him with balanta in defence or playing balanta at lb.Alternatively zouma,balanta and Renaud would make an awesome back 3 should I decide on that.



Daniel amartey was doing well but 26m for him was a steal on my part I think.especially as I got zouma for a similar price (after addons).I alos decided to let giovinco go.Hes 30 now and I want to give youth a chance.Rekik and promes weren't going to get into my team so I let them both go on a free.Then theres just the usual youth players loaned out.Gaston gallo in particular is a very good prospect but with him playing cm he wont get much playing time yet.

I mentioned before about the odds on the Russian premier league this season.



I cant recall being such overwhelming favourites or seeing such odds but im not complaining.Were this favoured for a reason.Just hope we start this season different to how we ended last season.



Hasn't started off so well.In 120 minutes we dominated CSKA all the way through but they held on.Lost the match on penalties after jon Flanagan missed the 10th spotkick.Not the game I had in mind in terms of the result but the performance was fine.

Superb season last time around, going unbeaten is a great fete in any league! Unlucky in the Cl too, barca just too strong

Im after going unbeaten again mate.My aim for champions league will be quarter finalsAnything more is a bonus.

Pretty decent transfers you have brought in the club I like the look of Carvalho

Some good signings SBR for a squad that's already just achieved an unbeaten season. I'm sure it's going to be another great season for Spartak.

Some decent signings to strengthen up! Good luck this season!

Carvalho is one im pretty excited about.He looks good for his age and can only get better.Very positive about another league win its just a matter of how far in the cup and champions league.



What a start.A 5-0 win in my first game of the season and 2 debutants on the score sheet.Balanta,huremovic,dzyuba,roberts and carvalho with the goals in a comprehensive win.Very happy after the super cup defeat to CSKA.

Anji away and though I scored in the 3rd minute I actually had to come from behind to win this.Cheryshev and zouma with the all important goals to make it 2 out of 2 in the league.Not as big a scoreline as the lokomotiv result but still a good one as anji are no ones fools.

Clashes with newly promoted teams haven't been all that great in the last year or so but this was something else.Carvalho impressed again on his first start with a goal inside 6 minutes.Last seasons superstar got himself a double and savitskiy,renaud and another senad hurmovicgot the rest in a quality victory.We could of had double that to be honest but I guess our lads were showing mercy.

Another great victory this time to zenit.A bore 0-0 at half time had me thinking that maybe we might just drop points as hulk,danny and oleg shatov all threatened but a lomabaerts own goal started us off.Patrick Roberts got one to carry on his impressive start before tielemans and cheryshev rounded up a stunning win.

Kuban struggled last year compared to usual and have improved this year so far but were no match here.Gaston gil romero and kombarov the unlikely scorers in this game to make it 5 wins in a row.



Personally I think its too early to think about another unbeaten season but we have started this season on fire.19 goals scored and 1 conceded in 5 matched is a start I wasn't expecting when I saw the fixtures but with the form were in theres no reason our unbeaten run cant last a little longer.



The champions league draw has given me a good group I think.I cant wait to play man united away in our first match to be honest.I don't fear them one bit and benfica and Anderlecht should both be beatable.The question with Anderlecht is do I play tielemans against his former club.Played him in both qualifying matches last season and both times they injured him.

Super start to the league season mate! Tough champions league group but you should ease through!

Brilliant start in the league Such a tough group you're in, I can see you finishing in top 2.

Great Start to Season mate tough Group but can see you Progressing

Superb start to the league season and I'm sure you'll be able to get out of that Champions League group as bar Manchester United, it doesn't seem overly tough although stranger things have happened in football before. I think this is the first time I've commented on this career but you've done an amazing job. KIU.

Thanks guys.Its been a good start so far.Welcome to the story shedender.Hope you enjoy it.

So with all them wins I sit top of the table and have a far superior goal difference which is always a good thing.If I can keep it up through September I would be in a commanding position to retain the league title.

So heres how the domestic fixtures went.



Our great run did continue.A very good opening game at torpedo Moscow kicked it off.Lucas boye impressed with 2 goals either side of half time.Patrick Roberts carried on his form with another goal with humam Tariq wrapping it up.

My goal difference continued to be impressive with a 6-1 home win against rubin Kazan.After the game at old Trafford earlier in the week I didn't have a full strength team as I like to keep players above 90% so this resultwas that bit more enjoyable.Gil romero,and Renaud scored in the first half with pavel savitskiy and arseny logashov scoring in the 2nd half.Artem dzyuba helped himself to a brace and this score was very good as I have struggled against these a bit in the past.

Away to sibir next and with last seasons defeat to Saturn I was wary about going out early to lower league opposition again but there was no trouble of that.Dorin rotariu scored from the spot just before kurt zouma got himself a goal.Cheryshev,pintinho and glushakov completed the scoring.

Krasnodar were 2nd going into the game so I did want 3 points from this to enhance my lead at the top.Dzyuba with another double and the ever impressive Patrick Roberts got the goals to cap a great win for us.



So with another perfect month been and gone we are now 7 points clear.The goal difference is looking better and better as we are dominating every match we play now.Imnot expecting another unbeaten season and certainly not to win them all but both are possible as the likes of romero,gil romero,balanta,zouma and Roberts are proving way too good for this competition.It seems no more of a challenge but I do want to with the champions league with spartak before my next challenge elsewhere.

Speaking of the champions league I got fair decent odds I think.



18-1 are what the bookies have given for me winning it.I thought I would of been around 30-1 to be honest.Given our form and squad theres no reason not to hope for another semi final but I do have a bit of a tricky group with man united and benfica in with us.

Just the one champions league game and it came from old Trafford.



This was a huge statement of intent from my lads.Im not going to lie we got very lucky.They had more of the chances and the better of the chances but we took ours.Well sort of.That pintinho goal was comical.From a corner the ball dropped in the 6 yard box and luke shaw swung a leg and the ball went in off the backside of pintinho.3 points from our toughest game is a great start and one im hoping to build on.

Great first game in the groups!

Epic win away from home

was a great defensive performance really.zouma and balanta at cb were immense

Another superb month and graet win at United!

Nice one dan.Always good getting one over on English opposition when im a foreign team.



Another perfect month in terms of results.The dynamo Moscow match was a bit shaky.We came from behind in yet another match through a penalty from kombarov and a denis cheryshev strike.Lucas boye scored in the 2nd half to ensure we kept the winning.

A routine victory away to krylja sovetov.Only Russians scored for me today for the first time in a while with goals from arseny logashov and artem dzyuba.

A crushing win against the army man.Patrick Roberts like so many times this season with a double and an assist.The rest of the goals came from dzyuba,savitskiy and pintinho.This was a great win.



So the spartak winning run domestically continues into the 4th month of the season.9 points separate us from zenit now.Cant see anyone catching us now to be honest.



This match did my head in big time.Twice we were 2 goals up first through goals from pavel savitskiy and Patrick Roberts but twice they came back.Gael Renaud got a goal 11 minutes from time to get the win.We didn't deserve the win I don't think but we got it and were now in a great position.One for the neutrals for sure but not for me.Too close for my liking.



Another disappointing performance but another game without defeat at least.Rotariu and cheryshev with the goals in this one.The good thing here was the other result in the group ended in a draw also so no one gains any ground on me.Another good thing is I get to play united at home still.

So another good month barring the champions league performances but another undefeated month.Im confidant about topping this group.

After Zenit flew last season they're nowhere near you this year!

My team have been amazing all season dan.I couldn't ask for much more really.

So our form continued through October but coming into November and the upcoming winter break I didn't want my lads to let their foot off the gas.



And my team didn't really disappoint.A good 5-1 win in the cup opened up the month as a superb hat trick from centre back gael Renaud and goals from lucas boye and martin odergaard sent us through passed luch.

Aniother win came at amkar.Lucas romero got us underway early on before Patrick Roberts and artem dzyuba got the others in a 301 win.

SKA Khabarovsk were my next opponents and we got passed these with ease.A dorin roatriu double along with kurt zouma and denis glushakov strikes sealed a good away win.

Ural away proved to be one of my biggest tests to date this season.Artem dzyuba with the solitary goal but ural caused me a lot of problems.

Rostov came to town next and a quality performace got us the 3 points here.Savitskiy,rotariu,boye and Tariq were all on the score sheet.

Then it came.After 51 matches without a defeat I was still supremely confidant and even wound up my opponent beforehand after I had won 7 and drawn 8 in my previous meetings against them.An n'doye double sealed our fate.Or the lax defending did but I don't want sound too stroppy.We weren't at the races throughout this game and our performance warranted this result.

Back to winning ways at Volga next.Roberts helped himself to a double before right back sergey parshivlyuk found himself in the forwards position and finished like one.A good response from our boys.



Despite that lokomotiv defeat we still find ourselves 12 clear going into the winter break.Zenit and Krasnodar bother drew that weekend so we didn't lose much but somewhere along the way they dropped more points.CSKA are having a poor season again.Cant believe at this stage in the season I nearly have double the points they have.By the end of the season im sure I will have double.

Before the champions league round up ill show you a couple of awards.



8 out of the 10 candidates for the managers select award came from my team.Its testament to how they have done this year really.It also meant I couldn't vote for the 3 I was entitled to.Just 2.Absolute domination from my lads.



And the winner for the 2nd year running was Patrick Roberts.No doubt the lad deserved it.Savitskiy and zouma rounded up the runners up as we again showed our dominance in anything to do with domestic football.



Another award retained for Patrick Roberts.He has been on fire this season even more so than last.Probably my best buy for spartak in terms of performances.Unfortunately there wasn't a clean sweep on this one as rondon of zenit got the runners up though balanta was there or thereabouts.

There was one more award for Roberts.No not the ballon d'or or world player of the year (For some reason im yet to have a player on the shortlist).



No it was the european golden boy award.Again he certainly deserves it for what he has done for me but also he has done well for England.He currently has 9 caps and 5 goals and im certain he will get a lot more of both.

Now for the champions league.Last time I updated I had just drew 2-2 in Belgium and sat top of the group with 7 points.



We did what we couldn't do in the reverse fixture and got a win.A hat trick from the impressive pedro carvalho secured this one.He could of scored it earlier than the 93rd minute but his penalty was terrible as he blazed well wide of the post.



For the 2nd season running we have done a double over English opposition in the group stages as we came from behind wo win here against man utd.Juan mata opened the scoring and it was poor from us through to 70 minutes.Then I decided to switch things about a bit and told them to show some passion.The response was instant as first humam Tariq equalised and then martin odergaard got us in front.A magnificent win. to send us through as group winners with a game to spare.



The last group game was at benfica and goals from tielemans and pintinho earned us a 2-2 draw.We were already through as winners so I wasn't too bothered about the result.

So who did we get in the next round?



I could of had a much harder team like real Madrid or man city so im thrilled with this one.Marseille wont be easy but im pretty confidant of getting through against these.I did only want to get to the quarters and surely we can achieve that at least.

Super to top that champions league group mate and a good draw I'd say!

Cheers dan.It was the double over united that did it.We were great.Im happy with Marseille.Not the hardest of teams.

So with the winter break over we can now get back to the football.It was a winter to remember for Roberts as he cleared up with 2 serperate awards and im hoping he can build on that and be the player he was before the winter break.

Just the one match in February in the champions league but before that I did make another 2 signings.




I could always do with good fbs and this Brazilian has 3.5 star potential so im hoping he can develop well.With begovic now 30 I decided I needed a top young gk.Already capable of doing a decent job and with 1.5 star potential more than begovic I had to snap him up.



A good away draw to set us for getting through.I am a bit gutted we couldn't close the game with all the chances I got between the 2 goals but I got an away goal and avoided defeat.Cant complain really.Renaud with his 7th of the season for us.He has been a good player this season.Already nearly as good as zouma.

Good draw away from home against OM Good signings as well

nice onr johno.getting a good little collection of regens now.if they all develop as i hope then ill have one of best teams around in 4-5 years.

Have you got any good Russian regens in your academy?

one or 2.i bought one from dinamo moscow.ill upload soon.

Unlucky on the defeat this season domestically SBR but that must be over 50 straight games in Russia without a league defeat? Big achievement. Great run in Europe so far too!

51 matches dp.im expecting it to run a little longer with me having marseille.

Good signings there and good Luck against Marseille