Saving Sunderland (Youth Project)

A bit of a break between matches here, as Saturday 17th is FA Cup day.
Despite 10 days passing, there isn't really anything happening to speak of.

I've dropped Borini as he's been disappointing in the last few games, plus Alexander-Arnold is now fit enough to start.

On the bench are; Mannone, Jones, McNair, Cattermole, Kluivert, Woodburn and Borini.

We have the better of the early play and eventually get a breakthrough after 25 mins. Khazri gets the ball on the edge of the box following a throw in, and slides a ball through to Alexander-Arnold who had made a great run, and slots it home.
The rest of the first half is much the same, we dominate, create a few chances, but can't finish any. Meanwhile, we contain Swansea to just one shot on goal, which Llorente put over.
Most of the wasted chances we created fell to Anichebe, so at halftime, I replace him with Woodburn.
Woodburn makes an immediate contribution. We have a corner after 47 mins, which Dozzell takes. Woodburn heads it on and Ndong volleys home to make it 2-0.
Woodburn gets a second assist after 58 mins, as he perfectly times a through ball for Defoe to finish.
Now we have a solid lead, I take off a tired Dozzell and bring on Cattermole.
As we go into the last 10 mins, I make a final sub, with Kluivert replacing Khazri.
He sets Defoe through to almost score a fourth in the closing moments, but we end at 3-0.




Some solid stats and our best performance for a while.

Middlesbrough (H) - 28/2/2018

QPR played the day after us, and also won 3-0. The gap now stands at 7 points, but we do have a game in hand.

A bunch of Bulgarian clubs have made loan offers for wantaway Jeremain Lens. I've accepted offers that have a mandatory £7.5m fee after 5 matches.

28th February, aside from being match day, is youth intake day!
There's a couple of promising candidates...
Andy Townsend (Not that one!)

If he develops well, I may need to tweak my usual formation. The other option would be to try and turn him into an AMC.

The other decent youth to come in is Emmanuel Ibrahim.

Unfortunately, he's also a winger!

Lens completed a loan move to Levski Sofia. He rejected the mandatory contract though, so the future fee became optional.

Just the one change for this match. Woodburn comes in after his game changing performance last time out.

On the bench are; Mannone, Jones, Lescott, Cattermole, Kluivert, Borini and Youan.

It takes us less than 3 minutes to take the lead. It's that man Woodburn curling one into the top corner from just outside the box.
Woodburn continues to cause problems, but our second goal comes from a less likely source, Jack Rodwell. He get's his head to an Alexander-Arnold cross after 18 mins.
On 27 minutes, it's 3-0. Boro really haven't turned up. A counter attack, mainly orchestrated by Ndong is finished off by Khazri.
It's almost 4-0 just a couple of minutes later. This time Khazri turns provider for Defoe, who scores but it's disallowed as he's offside.
We go in 3-0 up at half time.
The second half is much quieter than the first. And after 65 mins, there's been no more goals, so I switch the team up a bit. Bringing on Youan for Defoe and Kluivert for Khazri.
After 67 mins, Pickford concedes his first goal in ages. He doesn't deal with a looping ball into the box, and Bamford is left with a tap in.
We keep the ball well for the rest of the game, but don't do much with it. It ends 3-1.




Trent Alexander-Arnold picks up he second Player of the Match award in a row.
Back to just 4 points behind QPR.

Bristol City (A) - 3/3/2018

Lets quickly round up February...
Woodburn's goal in the last match was good enough for 3rd in goal of the month, while I finally win my first manager of the month award, with 3 wins and 2 draws from our 5 games.
We couldn't get anyone into the player of the month awards, but Joel Asoro, who we've loaned out to Fulham, came second in the young player category. He's scored 3 goals in 6 games since his loan move and seems to be benefiting from more play time.

This is how the top of the table looks at the beginning of March.


For the trip to Bristol, tiredness forces us to make a few changes.

On the bench are Mannone, Mathews, McNair, Wijndal, Rzepecki, Kluivert and Watmore.

It's a bit of a scrappy first half, with neither team creating any clear cut chances. Well, not until the 41st minute, when Khazri plays a little one two on the edge of the box with Woodburn. The return finds him in the box, in space, with only the keeper to beat, which he does with ease.
We go in at half time 1-0 up.
The second half continues much the same way. Most of our chances are from distance or being snatched at. After 55 mins, I pull Defoe, who hasn't seen much of the ball, and replace him with Watmore. He's been doing some training as a striker, so lets see how he does.
Pickford keeps us in the game with a couple of good saves shortly after. Sessegnon has the ball in the net after 63 mins, but Woodburn, who set him up, was offside.
Gibson can't last a whole match and is the next player subbed. Rzepecki comes on.
I'm forced to make a final change after 76 mins as Jones picks up a facial injury. Mathews is the replacement.
We create a few more chances, but nothing of real note, and see the game out 1-0.




After the match, we get good news that Jones will only be out for 3 days.
Elsewhere, QPR suffered a surprise home defeat to Cardiff, meaning we close the gap to just 1 point.

Leeds (H) - 7/3/2018

Nothing to report between games, except some of my youth candidates accepting contracts.

Still need to keep rotating to keep everyone fit. This time Khazri and Djilibodji drop out.

On the bench are Mannone, Mathews, Wijndal, Paterson, Dozzell, Anichebe and Youan.

We see most of the early ball as is usual at home, but some good goalkeeping stops us taking a lead.
After 30 mins, a bad challenge sees Cattermole pick up his second yellow card, and we need to play the remaining hour with 10 men. Irresponsible from the captain...
I hope to see through to half time, but just minutes later, Leeds take the lead through Antonsson, when Pickford fails to cover his near post.
We go in at halftime 1-0 down.
I need to strengthen the midfield, so sacrifice Woodburn for Dozzell. Defoe may be a bit isolated, but I'm hoping he can find the magic.
The second half is very quiet, and Defoe just can't get into the game, so I take a risk and replace him with Youan. Maybe he can show me what he's made of.
He still doesn't see much of the ball though, mainly as Kluivert seems to refuse to pass to him. We create no more real chances and the match ends in a 1-0 defeat.




After the match, I fine Cattermole a weeks wages. After all, it's his second red of the season. He's shocked by this and feels it's unfair and wants to speak about it.
I tell him that I feel he let himself and his team mates down. He still doesn't think the fine was fair, but he can understand where I'm coming from and won't take his complaint any further.

I decided to make some wholesale changes after the defeat to Leeds and I'm still determined to get a formation with width working. So after doing some research online, I found a few tactics I liked and have tried to pick out the best bits and combine them. What I've ended up with is an asymmetric 442, so let's give it a go. We line up like this...

On the bench are; Mannone, Mathews, Kirchoff, Wijndal, Rzepecki, Watmore and Anichebe.

We make some good chances in the first half. We aren't doing too bad seeing as this formation is new to the team. Woodburn and Alexander-Arnold are seeing quite a bit of the ball.
We can't score though and go in 0-0 at half time.
We have a scare after 55 mins as Wednesday hit the post. Thankfully, Kone is hand to make a clearance.
On the hour mark, with us still creating plenty of chances, I replace Alexander-Arnold with Watmore.
As expected, we finally concede a goal (afterall, I can't seem to win with any formation other than my default one). In the 80th minute, Djilibodji overhits a backpass, and Pickford is nowhere near it. Own goal, and 1-0 down.
I shout at my players, and replace Gibson with Kirchoff.
It almost works, as Westwood pulls off a couple of good saves. Meanwhile Woodburn spurns the best chance of the match. putting it high and wide with only the keeper to beat.
In the dying seconds, Westwood makes another great double save. If it wasn't for him, we'd have got at least a point from this match. But it ends 1-0.




I'm going to keep this formation, as we actually played quite well. I may switch to it when we have a lead so the players can get used to it before starting another match with it though.

Barnsley (A) - 17/3/2018

While we were losing our last match, QPR were losing too. So even though we couldn't take advantage, at least we didn't slip further behind.

We get some bad news on the Tuesday, as Pickford injures himself lifting weights in training. He could be out for up to 2 weeks, so will definitely miss the next match, possibly 2.

Back to the usual formation for this one. Alexander-Arnold and Woodburn both rested.

On the bench are; Mika, McNair, Kirchoff, Mathews, Paterson, Kluivert and Anichebe.

We get off to a good start, as Khazri hits the bar after 5 minutes. After that though, the game quietens down.
We have the best of the chances, but the strikers aren't having a good day, and at half time, it's still 0-0.
The second half starts brighter. We get a corner, just a minute in. Gibson takes it, finds Rodwell on the edge of the box in space, and he curls one into the top corner.
It takes another 10 minutes for us to score again. This time, Borini playing a simple ball for Defoe to run onto and he puts it away with ease.
With a 2 goal lead, I switch back to formation of the last game, replacing Borini with Kluivert, to play down the left, and moving Ndong out to the right.
It seems to have the same result though, as Barnsley score almost straight away...
We create chance after chance, but just don't take any of them. Even those in good positions get fluffed.
After 75 mins, Rodwell gets injured. I was considering subbing him anyway, as he spends far too long on the ball. Now I'm forced into it and replace him with Paterson.
Paterson almost scores with his first touch as he gets his head onto a cross from Jones, but it's straight at the keeper.
We don't have to wait too long for another goal. After 80 mins, Khazri plays a neat little one two with Defoe that leaves him through on goal. He makes no mistake and tucks it away for 3-1.
There's still time for Barnsley to score again as Mannone somehow lets a shot go through his fingers!
In the dying moments we create yet more unconverted chances. There were far too many in this match.




To only score 3 from 28 shots is quite poor. But a wins a win and as QPR draw at Wolves, it puts us top!

Congrats on getting to 1st place!

I have a question on your tactic, do you find having 2 BWMs to be effective in midfield? Though the only other role I can see would be CM-Su or BBM-Su for one of the central trio

I think having 2 BWMs help to regain possession quickly when it's lost, and that shows in the possession stats. Of course the more we have the ball, the less likely the opposition is to do something with it!

Bolton (H) - 4/4/2018

Bryan Oviedo played his 5th match for PSV and as part of the deal, concluded his £3m move. Of course he won't officially join permanently until 1st June.

Darron Gibson has picked up a sports hernia which will keep him out for up to 5 weeks.

As we had such a big break between games (partly because of FA Cup and partly due to international break), I arranged a friendly for 29th March against Midtjylland. Some of the team were on international duty, and I just let Sherwood look after the team. It was only to keep fitness levels up. We won it 1-0 with a goal from Ndong.

A few days after that match, Ndong strains his knee ligaments in training and he'll be out for 5-6 weeks.

We finally get to the match and we line up with an unfamiliar midfield, as Ndong and Gibson are both injured, while Rodwell isn't fit enough to start.

On the bench are; Mannone, McNair, Kirchoff, Rodwell, Watmore, Kluivert and Defoe.

Although we start the stronger side, it takes us almost 30 mins to score. Dozzell, takes it upon himself to take a free kick from the edge of the D and puts it perfectly in the top corner. I have Khazri set as free kick taker, so I'm unsure why Dozzell took it. But I'm glad he did!
We keep the ball well for the rest of the half and Borini and Woodburn both have chances. But neither of them take them and we go in at 1-0.
Early in the second half, Borini spurs yet more chances, so after 55 mins, I replace him with Defoe.
We struggle to create much, so with 15 mins Khazri, another underperforming player, is subbed for Kluivert.
It's a good change as he sets up Woodburn on 85 mins to make it 2-0 with a tap in.
A late change sees Rodwell get some game time at the expense of Dozzell and we see the game out 2-0.




With just 5 games to go, this is how the top of the table looks.

Fulham (H) - 7/4/2018

The midfield trio performed well last time out, but the attacking trio didn't. So let's mix things up a little.

On the bench are; Mannone, Jones, Badal, Rzepecki, Kirchoff, Rodwell and Anichebe. Badal has been training well, and it would be good to get him some game time if we can get a lead.

The first half starts quite even, with both goalkeepers called upon to make some saves. However, after 28 mins, we lose Paterson to a hamstring injury and need to replace him with Rzepecki.
We keep Button as the busier of the 2 keepers, but go in at half time 0-0.
Fulham hit the post with their first attack of the second half. Thankfully, Kone is on hand to tidy up the rebound. The worst player on the team today appears to be Defoe, so as we reach the hour mark, he makes way for Anichebe.
Late on, it looks like we might fail to hang on, as Pickford makes save after save. But then, just as the fans start to leave with us still at 0-0, the substitute makes good. It's not Anichebe though, it's Rzepecki. 20 yards out to the corner of the box, he takes aim and beats the keeper at his near post. A quite incredible goal from the youngster!
I said I'd bring Badal on if we had a lead, but there's no time for the sub to happen. we scrape it 1-0.




Elsewhere, QPR lost at home to Norwich, giving us a 4 point cushion at the top with 4 games to go. We also now just need 1 more point to guarantee us at least a play off spot.

Birmingham (A) - 14/4/2018

Paterson's hamstring injury will keep him out for a couple of weeks, so he'll definitely miss the trip to Birmingham.
Rumours are starting to circulate again with regards a takeover. I'm guessing promotion will help the cause there.

Lee Cattermole comes to speak to me about leaving to join a bigger club. I'm disappointed as he's club captain and we've almost secured promotion. I tell him he can go if a reasonable bid comes in. He's worth £6.75m, but as I don't want unhappy players in the squad, I tell him he can go for £7.5m which he's happy with.

After Rzepecki's good performance last time out, I've kept him as Paterson's replacement. All the strikers are struggling though. This time it's Woodburns turn.

On the bench are; Mannone, Wijndal, Badal, Kirchoff, Watmore, Rodwell and Khazri.

It takes us a while to find our feet. Our final ball is terrible and we keep losing it on the edge of their box. Meanwhile, Pickford needs to make a couple of saves to keep is level.
It continues that way for the whole of the first half. We only had 58% possession, which is poor for us, and we certainly didn't do anything with it. I make sure they know that I'm not impressed at half time.
We start the second half much better and take the lead on 48 mins. A through ball from Kluivert looks over hit, but Youan gets there ahead of the on loan Dragowski to turn it in.
Unfortunately, the lead doesn't last long. Birmingham hit us on a counter and Nsue is left in far too much space with only Pickford to beat, which he does.
Woodburn continues the disappointing form of our strikers, so after 65 mins, I replace him with Khazri, moving Kluivert up top.
Khazri sees a lot of the ball and after 72 mins gets his assist as he sets up Youan for his second of the game. I'm glad one of our strikers can score!
I take a risk after the goal and bring Badal on for his debut, replacing Djilibodji.
The games not over and there's still time for Youan to turn on the style. This time though, he's the provider as he chases and reaches a ball that looked dead and squares a ball to Kluivert bursting into the box to make it 3-1.
With 7 minutes to go, Alexander-Arnold is stretchered off. Wijndal isn't really a right back, but fills in as we see out the game.




Youan picks up a deserving player of the match award.
QPR keep the pressure on with a 1-0 win, but at least we now can't finish lower than 4th.

Nice winning run you have going there!

I guess I didn't think very deeply on the two BWMs, but it seems like it is a more forward thinking version of having 2 defensive midfielders

Brentford (A) - 21/4/2018

Alexander-Arnold's injury isn't too bad. It's only concussion and he'll be out for less than a week.

Apart from a couple of contract signings and Gibson resuming training, it's a quiet week.

A-A isn't quite fit enough to start, and seeing as none of my strikers (bar Youan) are playing well at the moment, so there's a slight formation tweak. Hopefully, not too risky!

On the bench are; Mannone, Badal, Wijndal, Kirchoff, Rodwell, Woodburn and Borini.

Things don't start well, as poor goalkeeping leaves Brentford with a tap in and we go 1-0 down after 26 mins.
We can't keep the ball. I don't think I can blame the formation, maybe the players are nervous about being so close to promotion, but almost every pass is going astray. Brentford almost score again after 38 mins, but it's disallowed for a foul on Pickford.
We make it through to half time. Not a single player has a rating above 7. I make my feelings clear and tell them to retain possession going forward.
We start the second half better. Keeping the ball and creating chances. Not taking any though! Just after the hour mark, Khazri picks up an injury, so I replace him with Woodburn rather than risking it getting worse.
Woodburn turns out to be a game changer. as he gets a low cross in for Youan to equalise after 7 mins.
Kluivert has been really poor today, even tho AML is supposedly his best position. With 15 to go, I move Sessegnon there and bring Wijndal on.
The last 10 mins is the best we've played all game, but we can't find a winner. News filters through that QPR are losing 5-1 at Derby though, so it's not all bad.




The point is actually enough to ensure promotion, as we are now 7 points clear of 3rd place Norwich with just 2 games to go. We are also now 5 points ahead of QPR, so just 1 more point needed to claim the title thanks to our superior goal difference.

Post match the board set our initial budgets for next season.£10.5m and a £1.1m wage budget (currently spending £690k). Although, with a takeover looming, I'm not reading too much into this.

Cardiff (H) - 28/4/2018

We finish our league campaign with 2 home games. I reckon the stadium should be rocking for our end of season party!

I've started looking ahead to the summer and a long term replacement for Jermain Defoe. Using the find similar players function, looking at U18s and reducing some of the stats a bit has produced some promising results, including a couple of English players at lower league clubs. More information once I've scouted them and they haven't been priced out of my range.

In the build up to the match, we have a team meeting, to remind everyone that a good result wins us the league. There's a few players that think I'm putting pressure on them,including Kluivert, Paterson and Rzepecki. There are senior players too; Mannone, O'Shea, Rodwell and Cattermole. I expect all four of them to move on in the summer, so no worries there.

I'm sticking with the same formation, but I've made a few tweaks to the instructions to hopefully help it work better.

On the bench are; Mannone, Badal, Wijndal, Paterson, Rzepecki, Watmore and Borini.

We start this game much better than the last and eventually get a breakthrough after 22 mins. Youan is forced wide but manages to get a cross in which is met by Kluivert arriving at the far post to turn it in.
Kluivert almost returns the favour minutes later, but a great save from Macey in the Cardiff goal keeps it out.
We have the ball in the back of the net again after 35 minutes as Woodburn scores from a great long ball into the box by Rodwell, but he's just offside and it's disallowed.
Cardiff equalise in stoppage time from a corner, after Pickford comes to claim and doesn't connect. We go in at 1-1.
The second half is much quieter. Apart from a couple of long range efforts, we aren't creating much. After 65 mins, I replace Woodburn with Watmore.
We make more chances, but Macey is saving everything. Looking at my next sub, Djilibodji is very tired, so is replaced by Badal.
A late final change sees Paterson come on for Dozzell, but we can't find that winner and it ends 1-1.




QPR win, so we can't officially be crowned champions, but we have a 20 goal cushion, so it's ours barring some miracle!

Cardiff (H) - 28/4/2018

We finish our league campaign with 2 home games. I reckon the stadium should be rocking for our end of season party!

I've started looking ahead to the summer and a long term replacement for Jermain Defoe. Using the find similar players function, looking at U18s and reducing some of the stats a bit has produced some promising results, including a couple of English players at lower league clubs. More information once I've scouted them and they haven't been priced out of my range.

In the build up to the match, we have a team meeting, to remind everyone that a good result wins us the league. There's a few players that think I'm putting pressure on them,including Kluivert, Paterson and Rzepecki. There are senior players too; Mannone, O'Shea, Rodwell and Cattermole. I expect all four of them to move on in the summer, so no worries there.

I'm sticking with the same formation, but I've made a few tweaks to the instructions to hopefully help it work better.

On the bench are; Mannone, Badal, Wijndal, Paterson, Rzepecki, Watmore and Borini.

We start this game much better than the last and eventually get a breakthrough after 22 mins. Youan is forced wide but manages to get a cross in which is met by Kluivert arriving at the far post to turn it in.
Kluivert almost returns the favour minutes later, but a great save from Macey in the Cardiff goal keeps it out.
We have the ball in the back of the net again after 35 minutes as Woodburn scores from a great long ball into the box by Rodwell, but he's just offside and it's disallowed.
Cardiff equalise in stoppage time from a corner, after Pickford comes to claim and doesn't connect. We go in at 1-1.
The second half is much quieter. Apart from a couple of long range efforts, we aren't creating much. After 65 mins, I replace Woodburn with Watmore.
We make more chances, but Macey is saving everything. Looking at my next sub, Djilibodji is very tired, so is replaced by Badal.
A late final change sees Paterson come on for Dozzell, but we can't find that winner and it ends 1-1.




QPR win, so we can't officially be crowned champions, but we have a 20 goal cushion, so it's ours barring some miracle!

Scunthorpe (H) - 6/5/2018

As we approach the final game, Woodburn strains his wrist and will miss the match.

As well as being the end of the season, we also hit the end of the month. Youan comes second in young player of the month, beaten by Asoro. I'm looking forward to having him back next season. I make it 2 second places in the manager award. I'm actually asked about Asoro in an interview, where I just say that I'm pleased with his progress.

On the injury front, Anichebe damages his achilles and will be out for 4 months. His contract is up in the summer, and I haven't been able to get him to sign a new one, so I'm not too bothered.

Jermain Defoe, Joleon Lescott and Steven Pienaar have decided to retire at the end of the season. I still think Defoe has another season in him, even if it's as an impact sub, so I ask him to reconsider.

I'm up for rotating the squad for the last match. After all, we're guaranteed the league barring a miracle and some fringe players should say goodbye. Meanwhile, Scunthorpe are already relegated,so it won't affect anyone.
We line up like this: Defoe starting in case he does decide to retire.

On the bench are; Pickford, Wijndal, Badal, McNair, Gibson, Khazri and Borini.

We take the lead after 21 mins (not much had happened before that). A free kick is swung in by Gooch and headed home by Buckley. It's his first, and possibly last goal for the club.
Just before half time, Scunthorpe equalise. With Kirchoff down nursing a knock, Madden finds space and puts one in the top corner from 25 yards. Mannone was nowhere near it.
I pull Kirchoff for Gibson at half time to avoid further injury.
After a quiet start to the second half, we pick up a more serious injury as Gooch is stretchered off after 63 mins. Khazri comes on.
A few mins later, Scunthorpe take the lead. A bad error from Mannone allows a ball to run loose and gifts Williams a tap in.
Both central defenders are tired, and to try and save conceding another goal, Badal replaces O'Shea.
In the dying seconds, Krusnell slides in late and gives away a penalty... Madden steps up to score his second and Scunthorpe's third. Game over.
Not the end to the season we wanted, but champions all the same




QPR only managed a draw, so actually ended up losing second place to Aston Villa.

Post match, I decide that I'd better ask for a new contract. The board haven't been forthcoming with an offer, and I don't think there's a better time to ask.
They agree that we'll discuss it soon.

End Of Season Round Up - 2017/2018

This is a long post, quite fragmented as a type things as they happen. It covers the period from our last match until the 1st June, at which point I'll start another post for pre-season.

Following on from the last post, the board keep their word to discuss a new contract. However, they aren't prepared to improve the training facilities, or set up an affiliate to help us pick up youngsters.
I agree to a 2 year contract (they won't give me more), with a £3.5k wage rise.

End of Season awards.

It's no surprise that Djilibodji won the award. He finished the league campaign with an average rating of 7.50.

Dozzell may need to curb his temper a bit as he becomes more of a first team regular.

For the end of season team meeting, I consider my comments carefully. Eventually, I state that we can finish mid-table next season with a couple of squad additions. Everybody seems happy with that!

I plan pre-season to last 5 weeks, so players will return on 9th July.

Rumours start swirling about another takeover offer, so once again, I'm under embargo. No signings coming in any time soon. Although, I'm building up quite a shortlist!

QPR's poor end to the season continues as they lose to Ipswich in the playoff semi-final.

Chelsea beat Man City after extra time in the FA Cup final.

I finally get my Continental B coaching licence.

Jermain Defoe decides that he will definitely retire!

Final League Table

Ipswich beat Middlesborough in the playoff final.

In the end of season awards, Kluivert picked up young player of the year, I won manager of the year and Sessegnon, Djilibodji and Ndong were all named in team of the year. Pickford was named as substitute goalkeeper.

I'll finish off this post by stating that Arsenal won the Premier League, while Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Brighton were relegated.

June 2018

I was writing this post and my laptop crashed and I lost everything I'd typed! This post should cover June, as once July starts I will go more in depth with my pre-season plans.

First up, our take over has been completed! Our new chairman is Alan Graves, who clears the clubs debt, pumps a bit of money into the transfer kitty and announces that he will improve the training facilities.

Shortly after, we announce the signing of Vincent Thill. I had agreed a deal for him which was blocked by our embargo. Once it was lifted, we went back in, but he ended up costing an extra £2m.

My scouts aren't sure about him, but he has great base stats (and a decent reputation IRL), so I'm happy to take the punt.

I have a chat with our new chairman, and talk him into improving the youth facilities as well as the training. Happy days.

On the 9th June, the domestic window opens, and I'm immediately met with a bid from Watford for Jordan Pickford. It's only £5.75m and seeing as he's valued at £6.75m, it's rejected without a second thought.

I've put some faith in my HoYD, and have let him make approaches for young players. I still have final say on confirmation though! He's come up with this little gem to join our ranks.

My coaches rate him higher than my scouts, with his rating rising to 3.5 stars once he arrived.

Liverpool want almost £40m for Woodburn, so he won't be making his stay permanent.

A training camp has been arranged in Switzerland for us, so I arrange 3 friendlies for the time we are there against; Hertha Berlin, Ingolstadt and Sion.

We have received a few loan offers for players, but I want to wait until my players return from holiday before fully assessing everyone and who I want to keep for the season ahead.

The review of last season is now in. Here's the breakdown for the top two divisions.

Khazri and Djilibodji doing the business.

With the season finalised, it's time to start the planning for next season and that begins with setting expectations...

Although I'm hoping to not be in a relegation fight, I'm happy with the budgets, so leave expectations on the lowest setting to give us some leeway.

For no apparent reason, our affiliation with Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko is ended. So I ask the board for a new feeder club, mainly for us to send players on loan.

It feels like things are going well, but then Djilibodji comes to see me. There's a host of clubs showing an interest in him and he wants to leave to play in the Champions League. He has a 12.5m release clause in his contract, so I tell him that he can leave if it's met. He's not impressed and wants me to offer him out. I don't want to lose him, but certainly can't offer him Champions League any time soon, so I accept that he'll be leaving. I just need to get what I can for him now.

Sessegnon, Dozzell, Woodburn and Paterson are all heading to the U19 European Championships at the end of July. They'll be accompanied by a couple of my best scouts!

Just as his contract's about to expire, Anichebe agrees to a new one. He's not amazing, but with Defoe retiring, it's useful to keep some experience around.
As we reach the end of the month, Pienaar retires. He's not good enough to become a coach here, but he'll pick up a job somewhere.
Jeremain Lens returns from his Bulgarian loan spell and withdraws his transfer request. The rest of the loan players return too, time to see if some of the will now get work permits!

Pre-Season 2017/18

This post will cover from 1st July until my first friendly on 15th July. After that, I will go back to posting on a game by game basis.

On 1st July, Thill arrives along with Josh Donaldson. The Scottish goalkeeper hasn't improved at all since we agreed to sign him in December, hopefully he will now he's here.
John O'Shea completes his move away from the club, joining Midtjylland on a free.

I receive news that Alerrandro and Romero are still unable to get work permits. Romero still needs to spend another year in Spain to gain citizenship, while Alerrandro still needs 566 days.

A number of well known players are released from their clubs. None of them under 18 though. Starting to wish I'd included free agents in the list of players I could sign when I started this challenge as I see; Remy, Chalobah, Atsu, McGeady, Ulloa, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Sagna, Angelino, Schweinsteiger, Lingard, Januzaj, J. Pereira, A.Pereira, Varela, Valdes, Krul, Haidara, Gomis and Behrami all released from their clubs!

While looking at transfer listed under 18s, I cam across Jayson Molumby at Brighton. He's only average, but he'll help bulk the squad out and only cost an initial £40k.


Another midfielder has come in on loan.

I tried signing him, but Benfica want over £50m for him! He'll have some company, as his portuguese team mate Alvaro will be joining him for the season.

The pair of them are currently at the U19 Euros, so will join up with the squad after.

The majority of the team have now reported back for pre-season, with only Anichebe carrying an injury.
I remind the players that we're aiming for mid-table. 15 of them now think I'm being too ambitious, while Carlos Badal thinks we should be aiming higher. 5 of them are unhappy with the number of new signings, while the rest are happy.

Kirchoff still wants to leave and I accept an offer from Koln which will easily reach at least £8m.

I arrange some friendlies, including a cup to be held in memory of Bradley Lowery. The teams invited are Zenit, RB Salzburg and Sparta Prague.

The board come back with their list of possible affiliates. Blyth, Port Vale and Crewe. Due to their excellent training facilities, Crewe is really the only option. Even though they are in League 2 and Port vale are in League 1.

Leicester make an offer for Corey Jordan, which I reject, but he gets upset about it. I'm not prepared to let him go for less than I bought him for, so he's going to have to get on with it.

Before our training camp gets under way, it's time to fully assess the squad. I'll dedicate a separate post for that.

Pre-Season Squad Report

A breakdown of what we have and what we need!

Goalkeepers
Pickford remains our best goalkeeper and still has room to improve, while Mannone at 30 years old, stays as second choice.
The four remaining keepers are all 21 or under, and it appears that the best currently is 19 yr old Michael Woud, although new signing Josh Donaldson has the best potential.
Stryjek is now 21 and not improving, so gets transfer listed, while Briggs is only 16, so will hopefully get a lot of U18 games this season.
Although I haven't loan listed Woud or Donaldson, I'm prepared to listen to offers if any come in.

Defenders - Left
Sessegnon is still the best left back at the club, but Wijndal is catching him up and should get some game time this season. Both still have plenty of room to improve though.
Dasilva still has plenty of potential, but I'm starting to wonder if he'll ever realise it. I consider sending him to Crewe, but he'd struggle to get in their team. Maybe playing some U23 football will do him some good. If a National League side is willing to make him a first team regular, he can go on loan.
Krusnell is also not developing as I'd like. Crewe are willing to give him first team football though, so he's off their until at least January.
The only other 2 players with DL as their best position, Hume and Taylor, aren't very good, nor do they have the potential to be. So they can be on their way.

Defenders - Right
I'm a bit short on right backs, hence having Alexander-Arnold on loan last season. Jones is currently the best at the club. As for second choice, there isn't much difference between Mathews and Love (who had a good season at Falkirk last year). At 23, Love still has room to improve, so I'm keeping hold of him and I'll let Mathews go. The only other DR at the club is 16 yr old Dean Mackey. He can hang around for the time being. I do need to look for another though!

Defenders - Central
My first choice pairing is obviously still Kone and Djilibodji, however, if Papy leaves, that place will be taken by on loan Alvaro.
Jordan and Badal then become the backup center backs. Hopefully some play time will cheer Jordan up.
21yr old Brotherton isn't going to make the grade, while of the remaining kids, only Tickell looks to have any promise. If Djilibodji does leave, I should probably look to bring someone else in.

Defensive Midfield - Central
Although I don't normally use a CDM, I do have some players for where this is their best position. And it's useful to have one or two just in case.
The three players that have this as their best position are; Cattermole, Kirchoff and McNair. Kirchoff is going and Cattermole wants to, so McNair can stick around. Especially seeing as he can fill in at center back.

Midfielders - Central
I usually play with a midfield three. My current first choice trio would be; Gibson, Ndong and Rodwell. Dozzell is pushing hard to make the first team.
After those 4, I have another group of 4, all of similar quality. Rzepecki, Paterson, Embleton and Molumby. Embleton doesn't look like he'll grow much more, so he can go, while I'm hoping to arrange a loan move for at least one of the others. They're too good for League 2, but hopefully a League 1 or Championship club will be interested.
Of the remaining players, there are three 16yr olds that I'll keep hold of, 18 yr old Mbunga Kimpioka, who's unlikely to improve and 21yr old Robson who just won't cut it. They are both free to leave.

Attacking Midfield - Left
I'm highly unlikely to use standard ML/MR so I'm just looking at the attacking versions. I have a few youths that can only play ML/MR put I'm training them to play AML/AMR.
The only real AMLs I have are Buffonge and 16yr old George Smith. Kluivert, Lens and Khazri can all play there, but are really rights or centrals.
I'll keep hold of Buffonge and try and give him some game time.

Attacking Midfield - Right
Kluivert is the best winger at the club, and although he's best on the right, if I play with 2 wingers, he'll probably end up on the left. This leaves Watmore as my best right sided option, with Lens challenging him for his place.
Buckley is now 28 and really needs to be moved on, while Molyneux (20) and Greenwood (21), are probably both too old now to make the grade. Proctor is 17 and full of potential, so I may consider loaning him out.

Attacking Midfield - Center
Khazri is clearly my best AMC at present, while Gooch and on loan Felix, fight it out as his back up. At 22, I'd expect Gooch to be better by now. If he can get a loan move to a Championship club, it may help him.
I'm unsure whether to keep Thill or loan him out. My coaches see him as League 1 standard, so I'll see if any decent offers come in.

Strikers
If I'm playing with two up front, then my first choice pair would be Borini and Anichebe. Romero is actually my next best, but still needs that work permit (or Spanish citizenship). This leaves my backup pairing as Asoro and Youan.
Of the remaining strikers, Alerrandro and Maja, still have a chance of making it and will be loaned out, while Nelson and Thompson are free to leave as they appear to lack any real potential.

Hertha Berlin (Friendly) - 15/7/2018

Krusnell agreed to join Crewe on loan.Hopefully he'll get plenty of play time this season.
Huddersfield made an offer for Kirchoff that meets our valuation. Let's see if he's prepared to go back to the Championship.

For the friendly against Hertha, I start with my strongest available team, but still trying to make this 4-3-3 work!

On the bench are; Donaldson, Woud, Jordan, Love, McNair, Rzepecki, Cattermole, Khazri, Thill, Buffonge, Youan.

We start brightly, creating a number of chances, but mainly from long range. The game is pretty much what you'd expect from the first pre-season match, and not too much happens until Pickford is stretchered off after 37 mins. Let's hope that's not serious! Donaldson comes on to replace him.
In stoppage time, Borini should put us in front, but the keeper makes a good save.
I make a couple of half time changes. Gibson and Kluiver, for Rzepecki and Buffonge.
We take the lead just a minute into the second half. Borini getting the assist for Ndong to score from close range.
A couple more subs on the hour mark. Borini and Ndong for Asoro and Cattermole.
We score a late second. A great crossfield ball from Watmore finds Buffonge, who beats his man and puts a lovely cross into the box for Asoro to turn home.
We then score an even later third. Rodwell squaring for Cattermole to tap in after a quick counter attack.
We end at 3-0. A good solid start to pre-season.




After the match, we find out that Pickford has broken his shoulder. A specialist should get him back with 3 weeks though.

Ingolstadt (N) (Friendly) - 18/7/2018

Jermain Defoe has finally retired. I'm not sure why he picked the 17th July to do it!. Winning the Championship last season at least means he goes out on a high.

We received a loan offer from Peterborough for Youan. Although first team Championship football would be good for him, we can't afford to let him go. Buckley could be on his way though as we accept a bid from Rangers. We've also had loan offers for Rzepecki, but nobody is prepared to give him first team football, so he may as well stay.
Jan Kirchoff has now completed his move to Koln for an initial £6.25m, hopefully reaching £9.75m eventually.
Rather annoyingly, no Spanish clubs are coming in to loan the two players needing work permits. Hopefully that changes soon.

With 6 players at the Under 19 Euros, we're limited to the changes we can make for this game. But we'll switch it up a little.

On the bench are; Donaldson, Woud, Jordan, Jones, Djilibodji, Gibson, Watmore, Buffonge, Thill, Kluivert and Youan.

We get off to a great start, scoring straight from kick off. Love plays a through ball for Asoro, who squares it for Borini to nod home.
Asoro and Borini link up well again for the second. A one two on the edge of the box leaves Asoro to score, beating the keeper at his near post.
The rest of the first half is quiet. We keep the ball well and never really look under any pressure at the back.
Two half time changes see Wijndal and Rzepecki replaced by Jones and Gibson.
We don't see quite so much of the ball early in the second half, as Ingolstadt try and get back in the game. After an hour, I make a couple more changes. Kone and Khazri replaced by Jordan and Thill.
Ingolstadt's pressure finally pays off against our make shift defence, and they pull one back on 64 mins.
We create a few late chances, but nothing of real note and we see the game out 2-1.

Sion (A) (Friendly) - 21/7/2018

Leicester have come back in for Corey Jordan. It's still nowhere near the £2m I paid for him though. The best I can get out of them is £1.9m plus £400k after 40 league games. He wants to discuss terms and kicked up a fuss after I last rejected an offer. Stoke and West Ham are also interested, so maybe I can withhold making a decision just yet...

We get a loan offer for Josh Donaldson from League 2 Hartlepool. Whether first team football in League 2 is better than playing U23, I'm not sure, but I let him go.

He doesn't leave before the Sion game though, so I let him play to give him a send off.

On the bench are; Mannone, Badal, Wijndal, Kone, Love, Cattermole, Gibson, Ndong, Thill, Watmore, Asoro and Borini.

We take the lead after 15 mins, Youan scoring from more than 20 yards when it looked like there was nothing on. We should be level less than a minute later, but they put the ball over when clean through on goal.
We force a couple of good saves from their keeper and it looks like we'll go in with a lead. But just before half time, a cross comes in that Donaldson doesn't deal with and it's 1-1.
Just one change at half time, Watmore replaces Kluivert.
Just before the hour mark Youan picks up a potential head injury. I don't want to rick him, so Borini comes on. At the same time, Gibson comes on for McNair and Badal for Djilibodji.
We waste a lot of chances in the second half and just before the end, Watmore takes a knock and is replaced by Asoro. We see the game out 1-1.

Wohlen (A) (Friendly) - 23/7/2018

Stoke came in with an offer for Jordan. After some negotiations, I got them up to a guaranteed £1.5m with a possible £500k in add ons. Its more than Leicester are prepared to offer, but still less than I'm willing to accept.
Elsewhere, Donaldson completes his loan move to Hartlepool, while Jack Paterson moves to Rangers on loan for the season.

As we are playing a supposedly weaker side in our final training camp game, I thought I'd try an attacking formation. Everyone seems to love 4-2-3-1 at the moment, and I've based mine around Klopp's Liverpool team.

On the bench are; Mannone, Djilibodji, Dasilva, Jones, Jordan, McNair, Gibson, Rodwell, Rzepecki, Khazri, Watmore and Asoro.

After an even start, we go behind. Kone loses his man and Woud doesn't position himself too well for the one on one that followed.
Just before half time, Borini is stretchered off. Asoro comes on.
I make a few tweaks at half time, to see if it helps us do something with all the possession that we have.
We finally equalise after 56 mins. A cross from Wijndal is cleared straight at Asoro, who turns and scores.
I see that as a good time to make some changes, so off go; Kluivert, Love and Badal. On come; Watmore, Jones and Jordan.
A poor pass from Watmore after 68 mins, leads to a counter attack and a goal, despite having 4 defenders against their two attackers.
Late on, Khazri and Djilibodji replace Thill and Kone. Then even later on, Cattermole picks up an injury and is replaced by Gibson.
We almost grab an equaliser with the last kick of the game, but it's not to be.




Borini strained his knee ligaments and will be out for 5-6 weeks, while Cattermole has a hip injury which will keep him sidelined for around 8 weeks.

Darlington (A) (Friendly) - 28/7/2018

While Leicester have been busy trying to poach one of my young defenders, I've gone and signed one of theirs. Welcome to Sunderland, Simranjit Thandi.

He's costing us over £3m but he's almost as good as Love already.

I miss out on adding a decent looking striker, as 16 year old Matthew Williamson, chooses to leave Luton for West Ham instead of us.

Offers still keep coming in for Corey Jordan. This time it's West Brom. But they won't go above £1m. I also get a random loan offer for Djilibodji from PSV. If he's leaving, it's for good money. Not on loan!
Jordan is getting fed up with me rejecting offers and hands in a transfer request. I reject it of course. I'm starting to think it could be a struggle keeping him.
I'm also starting to receive loan offers for Youan, but he's going nowhere.

England lost to Germany in the U19 Euros semi-final. So most of my players are now back. Just the 2 on loan from Benfica to go, as Portugal are also in the final.
I'm still trying to get everyone match fit, so I keep the same formation as last time (with a few tweaks).

On the bench are; Woud, Wijndal, Kone, Jordan, Sessegnon, Thandi, McNair, Dozzell, Ndong, Thill, Buffonge and Kluivert.

A strong start sees us take the lead inside 7 mins. Gibson hit the bar from just outside the box and Asoro pounced first to pick up the pieces.
We keep the pressure on, but their keeper makes save after save. Khazri does beat him after 28 mins, but is denied by the post.
A couple of minutes later, Khazri does score, turning in a cross from Watmore.
Watmore scores himself after 41 mins. This time, it's a cross from Love that Asoro heads against the post. it falls nicely for Watmore to slot home.
There's still time for a fourth before half time. It's Khazri again, this time from 25 yards out.
Right on half time, the ref gives a soft penalty and Khazri steps up to complete his hat-trick.
I make wholesale changes at the break. Off go, Djilibodji, Gibson, Khazri and Youan. On come, Jordan, Ndong, Thill and Kluivert.
It takes us a while to settle in the second half, and there's not much action before 60 mins, where I make another couple of changes. Thandi and Sessegnon replacing Love and Dasilva.
We don't score a 6th until the 80th minute. Ndong hitting into the top corner from even further out than Khazri did earlier in the game.
Thats it though, despite lots of possession and numerous chances, it ends 6-0.

Coventry (A) (Friendly) - 1/8/2018

Andre Dozzell, picked up the Under 19 Euros, Golden Ball. He was the only one of my players to make the Best XI, although Woodburn also made it after his loan spell with us. Germany won the tournament, so it's no surprise they filled most of the places. A few of them are 18 or younger, so I make sure i get full scout reports on them!

Denver Hume, who probably isn't ever going to make the grade, moves to Guiseley for 6 months.

One player my scouts found quite early at the Euros was Ferran Torres. He had a £1.2m release clause, so I snapped him up and he's now arrived.

He's clearly not first team quality yet, so may end up going out on loan.

Mannone and Kluivert both pick up small knocks in training. Neither will be out long, but they will both miss the next match.

We receive a loan offer from Walsall (now in the Championship), for Josh Maja. They tell me he will be a key player, so that's good enough for me. Meanwhile Molumby is heading to Dundalk until the end of the Irish season.

With a few injuries, it's a slightly unusual line up, with both Dozzell, and Thill playing further forward than normal.

On the bench are; Mannone, Sessegnon, Thandi, Jones, Love, McNair, Torres, Buffonge, Khazri, Watmore, Felix and Youan.

We take the lead after 17 mins. A delightful cross from Dozzell is headed home by Asoro.
We follow this up with a number of long range efforts throughout the first half, but although we test the keeper, we don't really look like scoring another. We lead by 1 at half time.
I don't actually make any changes at half time, opting to give everyone another 10 mins. Not much happens in that time though. Our first few changes see Thill, Gibson and Alvaro come off, with Youan, Felix and Love coming on. Kone switches to DC and Felix plays AMC, with Dozzell dropping back.
We keep creating chances, but we just can't take them. For the last 15 mins, I switch to 4-2-3-1, replacing Dozzell with Sessegnon, Djilibodji with Thandi, Rodwell with Khazri and Asoro with Torres.
The changes probably don't help the rhythm and we just see the game out 1-0.

RB Salzburg (H) (Friendly Cup) - 4/8/2018

Elliot Embleton completes a loan move to League 2 Barnet. He'll be a key player there until January.
Cambridge make an offer to loan Buffonge. I'm not sure League 1 football will really benefit him though.
Luke Molyneux joins League 2 Morecambe for 5 months.

The Premier League title odds are in, and we're predicted to finish 19th. Priced at just evens to go back down. Looks like it could be a tough year.

Jordan Pickford has resumed full training. Hopefully we can get him match fit before the season starts.

For this match, I've gone 4-2-3-1. Lets get those fans going with some exciting football.

Pickford passed the fitness test, so should be ok. While Sessegnon gets the chance to impress further forward.
On the bench are; Mannone, Jones, Love, Kone, McNair, Rzepecki, Gibson, Watmore, Thill, Buffonge, Dozzell and Youan.

We start well, with Torres looking good down the right. Our first goal though, comes from the left. After 14 mins, Dasilva finds Khazri, who's forced wide, but manages to squeeze a ball into Asoro who beats the keeper at his near post.
They equalise after 32 mins. We don't do a very good job of clearing the ball following a throw in, and a cross field ball finds Seguin in acres of space just outside the box and he rockets one home.
We continue to look the better team with Sessegnon missing the pick of the chances, but we go in at 1-1.
Early in the second half, Sessegnon plays a well timed ball to Ndong. His shot hits the post, comes back to him and he hits the post again! So unlucky...
The hour mark sees a couple of changes, Rodwell for Rzepecki and Djilibodji for Kone. The later immediately gets his head to a Khazri free kick, but aims it straight at the keeper.
Sessegnon misses a couple more chances, so i take him off for Buffonge, while Torres is tired, so is replaced by Watmore.
Shortly after the 70 min mark, Ndong picks up what looks like a twisted ankle. No point risking him, so Gibson comes on.
Despite numerous chances, we can't score. it ends 1-1 and we go to penalties...
They score the 1st one, and Gibson scores for us.
They score their 2nd, so does Khazri.
Pickford tips the 3rd onto the post and out. Watmore scores.
Their 4th is scored, and so is ours by Kone.
They have to score their 5th, and they do. Asoro steps up to win the match, the keeper goes the right way, but he can't reach it! We win the shootout 5-4.




We'll face Zenit in the final after they beat Sparta Prague 3-0.

Torres looks a bit of a bargain for what you've paid, could be a good move!

Yeah, let's hope so! Got to love small release clauses!

Zenit (H) (Friendly Cup) - 5/8/2018

With only a day between matches, there's obviously not much to talk about. However, I have accepted an offer from Nottingham Forest for Will Buckley.
We also receive a loan offer for Buffonge from League 1 side, AFC Wimbledon. According to my coaches, he's well suited to League 1 currently, so I'm in two minds whether to give him regular action there, or sporadic action in the Prem. In the end, I compromise and let him go out until January. I'll then reassess him.

Clearly I need to rotate the team a bit for this match. I take everyone below 90% fitness out of my starting 11, and I'm left with a line up looking like this.

On the bench are; Pickford, Djilibodji, Kone, Sessegnon, Thandi, McNair, Rodwell, Rzepecki, Torres, Thill, Khazri and Asoro.

Things don't start well. A ball over the top catches the defenders out, and we're a goal down inside 3 minutes.
A few minutes later and we're forced to make a substitution as Gibson picks up a dead leg. Rzepecki replaces him.
It's 2-0 after 15 mins. Mannone saves the first shot, but it falls nicely for Mak to tap in.
We pull a goal back 10 mins later. Jordan plays a ball into the box from just inside the Zenit half following a free kick, and Wijndal gets his head to it, to loop it over the keeper. We're back in the game!
We need to rely on Mannone more than once to keep us in touch, but we make it to half time trailing 1-0.
Our young defence has been caught out a few times, so at the break, I swap Badal for Kone to try and sure things up.
We're struggling at the other end too. So after 10 mins, and no real action, I pull Youan for Asoro.
We certainly look better after the changes, but it still takes us until the 70th minute to equalise. Just as I'm thinking about more changes, Dozzell, plays a brilliant through ball for Felix to run on to, and he makes the most of his one on one chance to slot home. 2-2.
I still make a change, as Dozzell is tired, so bring on Rodwell.
It's looking like penalties, so with 5 to go, I replace Buffonge with Khazri with that mind.
Both sides have a chance to win it late on, first Mannone makes a great save, and then we counter, but Khazri puts it wide with only the keeper to beat. Penalties it is...
Zenit score their 1st, while Felix sees his saved.
Zenit score their 2nd too. Khazri shows why I brought him on, putting his in the top corner.
Mannone got a touch to Javi Garcia's but couldn't keep it out. While Rodwell put his down the middle, but the keeper didn't move and it's saved!
Zenit score their next to win the shootout...




Hopefully, I don't have to call upon my two inexperienced defenders at the same time this season.
Kozlov that scored their 1st goal, is an 18 yr old newgen, so I get my scouts to check him out properly, as he had a good game.