American Toffee

Before I get into the start of my 2015/16 season's coverage, let me give you a little insight as to what my Champions League group looks like:



PSG, Juventus, and Galatasaray. Now, the last one on that list looks very beatable to me, but PSG and Juve I know I'll have a struggle with each time out. I'll be lucky to advance out of that, maybe a third place finish and a trip to the Europa League is more in store for me.

August-September 2015



A fine way to rebound after the Community Shield loss; a 3-1 win on the road at Leicester. Romelu Lukaku picking up exactly where he left off after the Golden Boot run last season, with a hat trick capped by a penalty kick in the 90th minute. Leicester did have some shots on target, and were able to net one goal, but the match was completely controlled by us.

Then we hit a very peculiar end result in the home opener against Norwich, which saw us lose out 1-2. Steve Naismith opened the score line with a strike just 22 seconds into the match, and I thought this would be another flying match. But Norwich countered in the 7th minute to knot the game up, and then took control in the 20th minute with a fabulous strike from a free kick. This was certainly a match were points should not have been dropped.

Moving on to match where I had some fears we would drop points, we did, as Manchester United blank us 0-2 at Old Trafford. Juan Mata and Nani the goal scorers on their side, and even with Daley Blind being sent off in the 71st minute we still couldn't generate enough momentum to get past De Gea for a goal.

Champions League play opened up at home against Galatasaray, where we took a commanding lead of the group early with a 3-1 win. Galatasaray helped us out in the 16th minute by netting an own goal, and from their we didn't look back. Retiring at the end of the season, Samuel Eto'o gets off the schneid scoring his first goal of the season in the second half off a corner kick. Aiden McGeady capped a perfect run of play to get on the scoresheet himself just 2 minutes later. Jô was the only scorer on the opposing side.

Back in the league, we got back on track by defeating QPR by a final of 3-1. Eto'o again finds the net, opening the match's scoring, while Kevin Mirallas and John Stones both capture their first goals of the season. QPR received a consolation goal near the end of the match, but that was after I had called off the attack, feeling comfortable the match was in hand.

The Captial One Cup competition was next, and this time I had hoped a better showing would take place. Fortunately, we had drawn Blackburn, and after 90 minutes, we had taken them down with ease, 3-0. Eto'o and Lukaku combined for all of the matche sscoring, and they are proving to be quite a tandem in this year. I had hoped they could continue this run for some time.

Unforunately, Lukaku received a sprained ankle in training leading up to the Reading match, so he'll be gone for 5 weeks. That leaves Eto'o and Mirallas to step up and lead the charge for the club. No worries here, though, and Reading were well disposed of in our 2-0 win. Eto'o continues his fine form with a breakaway goal in the 33rd minute, while Aiden McGeady doubled the scoreline off of a free kick 26 yards out in from of the net.




After 5 matches, Aston Villa are shocking the league so far as they sit on top of the table. 4th place is respectable right now, but I have Arsenal coming up, and they are looking to make life difficult as they did last season. I also have two more Champions League matches up and the Capital One Cup, which sadly, I have drawn against Manchester United in the 4th Round. Joy.....

Until then, thanks for reading! See you later, and I'm out.

October 2015



CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Juventus - We withstood a ton of pressure from the Italian giants, and only were down 1-0 at halftime. After a quick goal on the other side of the interval by Llorente had me worried as to how to stop this bleeding. I asked the team to concentrate more in the pitch team talk, and it seemed to work well. Nick Powell scored his first goal for the club, and after a perplexing challenge in the box from Juve, Leighton Baines slotted a penalty to knot the game up at 2. We had some pressure on them near the end, but it ended at that.

Sunderland - A drab match for most of the affair. Kevin Mirallas scored a wonderous goal from 25 yards out just 2 minutes in, but after that it was possession football on both sides. Not much attacking.

Arsenal - They kept attacking, and we kept hitting them on the counter attack. Darin Rotariu scored his first club goal after a brilliant move cutting inside from the wing to beat Debuchy and slotting it past Szczesny. Aiden McGeady netted a tap in after getting ball over the top for a garbage time goal at the end.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: PSG - Javier Pastore got PSG out in front early with an over the top goal, but the boys countered with a through ball of their own, as Rotariu received a pass from Samuel Eto'o and struck it home to tie the game up. Throughout the rest of the match, we each had equal shots, equal possession, but a free kick straight in front of the net was converted into a goal by Leighton Baines late to give us the 3 points and the outright lead in the group.

Aston Villa - An outright dominant game by us throughout. Steve Naismith was solid after Lukaku went down with injury, and with Felipe Gutiérrez helping out the team's cause just before half time. The Villans got one back just before the end of the match, but it was too late for them.

CAPITAL ONE CUP: Manchester United - A match where we were constantly under pressure by United. We barely had some attacks of our own, but somehow manage to get the first goal from Rotariu As the match went on, I felt more and more we had this match won. By the time the first 90 minutes were nearing the end, Eto'o went down with injury. I had used up all my subs at this point, so I had to fight off the might of United with just 10 men. Moments later, Man U scored to equalize and forced us into another 30 minutes of play. Extra time came and went, and we we lucky to come to a penalty shootout after withstanding the constant shots taken. John Stones, Van Persie, and Gareth Barry all made their shots, but Juan Mata stepped up and had his shot blocked by Howard. The Darron Gibson, Ander Herrara, and Phil Jagielka made there shots. With Michael Bradley taking his shot for Man U, going up against his USMNT teammate, he cannoned it right down the middle and Howard stood still and deflected it away. We advanced, and now we'll take on Southampton in the quarter finals.

Southampton - Speaking of Soton, our very next match without either Lukaku or Eto'o was against them. It was another very boring match, with little attacking movement on both sides. All my attacking force was dissipated with those two guys gone, and I couldn't muster a single goal, our first time shut out in almost two months.



A fine run of form sees me sitting in third palce in the league. Couldn't be happy can I?



Oh yeah, halfway through the Champions League group and I'm sitting top of the table. Flying high! Maybe I'll even qualify for the first round of the CL knockouts proper.

Wait a minute.....what's that?

Ohh.....



Oh dear.....


Both strikers, gone; Lukaku was lost during the match with Aston Villa, and Eto'o was downed in the Capital One Cup game. And with the worst legs of the Premier and Champions leagues coming up too. I don't foresee my positions in either of them holding up anytime soon.

Ouch. I feel for you, buddy. Horrible timing.

Bad times to see your two strikers getting injured

Decent start again mate just a shame about those injuries!

Thanks, guys. It really hurts to see Lukaku and Eto'o go down with long term injuries. I just need to press on.

November 2015



So yeah, this is what happens when your top two strikers go down with injury. A whole load of nothing happens.

One goal in 5 matches, 4 points added to my Premier League standing, but two draws in the Champions League.



My next immediate matches are against Chelsea and Liverpool. At this stage, I don't think I'm going to get points from either of them. Neither do I think I'll get a win against Spurs later in the month. This month may end up the beginning of the season going down the tubes.



However, in the Champions League, I'm still somehow in first place. A win or a draw against Juventus and I advance to the CL first knockout round. But a loss by any goal difference will drop us into the Europa League knockout rounds. So not a bad consolation, but certainly a lot less money coming in.

I wish I had better news, but until next time, thanks for following, and I'll see you next post.

December 2015



Oh boy, it's been a roller coaster month, but I can't say it wasn't unexpected, but just the way some of these matches ended up were kicks in the teeth.

We started at home against Chelsea, and even though it ended up in a nil draw, we had to withstand immense pressure from their front line throughout. Tim Howard was definitely the man of the match here.

However, what's the alternate for man of the match? Because I'd like to nominate the entire back line in their performance versus Liverpool. Losing 1-5 at Anfield was flat disgusting, and not even a consolation Jagielka goal could save me from lashing out at my players.

They did turn up well against Juventus in the final Champions League group match. In a game I had every right to lose, I set forth with a defensive minded tactic and came out the winner. Steve Naismith's laser shot from all of 25 yards was able to get past the keeper just before halftime, while Samuel Eto'o netted the other after taking his sweet time in front of net. I swear his finishing is about 5 points higher than what it actually is, he so bad at it.

We had the match well in hand against Newcastle, and stacking wins is always a good thing. Kevin Mirallas and Sylvan Distin both scored goals off of corner kicks, and we climbed back into the top 6.

Southampton gave us a run for our money in the Capital One Cup quarter finals, piling on the pressure in the second half, but a Steve Naismith shot in the 19th minute was the deciding factor for us as we move on to the semis, which I honestly forgot was a two legged affair.

Three wins in a row was our max, apparently, as Tottenham stomped all over our Premier League push with a 1-2 loss at White Hart Lane. Sam Eto'o's blooter was the only goal we could muster, but that was well into garbage time at this point.

We welcomed West Brom to Goodison Park next, where we recovered for the moment with a 4-2 victory. Both of West Brom's goals came just after our own scores, in fact, as less than 2 minutes after both Eto'o and Dorin Rotariu's goals, West Brom answered. The back line needs to be a little more careful after conceding a goal going forward.

OK, this match was just infuriating. We got FM'd hard against Swansea, and I by that I mean, we had about 15 shots on goal and nothing goes in. Meanwhile Swans take 6 shots total with 1 on goal, and it just so happens to be the only one that goes in. We deserved to win this and it sucks that it happened in this fashion.

And if losing to Swansea wasn't bad enough, we rounded out the month with a loss at home to Hull City. The Tigers were plucky throughout the match, capitalizing on turnovers and setting up counterattacks on missed corners. Rotariu had a nice goal to start us off flying, but both of Hull's goals came in the second half, and I can chalk that up to tired legs sadly. A month of being 2-1-4 in the league, that's just unacceptable.



So we drop to 7th on the table. Plenty of football left to be played, but that's not an ideal spot to be sitting at the start of the new year. The very next match will be the FA Cup clash, where I will take on.....



League 1 side Doncaster away. A favorable draw no matter how you slice it.

Since I defeated Soton, I advanced to the Capital One Cup semis, where I would face either Chelsea, Man City, or Middlesbrough....



Chelsea it is then. Tough draw, especially over two straight legs. Lukaku should be back for these matches, so I'm looking to start him and hope for the best.

And finally, the win over Juventus kept me in first place in the Champions League group. We advanced!





And we drew Monaco in the first knockout round. Not a bad side, but one that I feel we can defeat.

Big slate of matches ahead! Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next post!

Hard couple of.months mate. November showed what happens when you lose two strikers, scoring one goal in five games! Hopefully pick it up in the new year!

Definitely wasn't the ideal run in the last couple of months, Dan. I did get Eto'o back mid-December, and Lukaku is coming back mid-January.

January 2016



Now that is what I call a rebound month! Starting off with Doncaster in the FA Cup, we had a somewhat difficult time keeping up the scoring after Mirallas and Eto'o put us up 2-0 at halftime. Doncaster was able to net one just after the hour mark, and seemed to threaten or third of the pitch in the last 10 minutes, but the defense held on to advance us into the next round.

Getting back into league form with a solid 3-1 win over Leicester to start the second half of league play. Bainesy got the dayoff right by scoring a penalty kick after a handball in the box was called. Leicester answered within minutes to tie the game back up, but Dorin Rotariu continues to show he was a valuable signing by netting a goal on either side of half time after some beautiful inside cut moves.

Just like the first match against Norwich, they passed us off the park, and were able top score within the first 10 minutes of the game. Very few attacking chances for us all game, as we were able to take only 5 shots, but one of them by Rotariu was able to find the net late in the second half to knot the match up at 1, and come away with the draw.

Manchester United have been an up and down team this year, and coming in to our match they had recorded only 4 points in their last four league matches. So I felt we had a chance over now manager Pep Guardiola's side. And boy did we not disappoint the home crowd. Felipe Gutiérrez with a cracking shot in the 13th minute helped out confidence in the first half, while Jagielka's attempt off a corner kick in the second half helped seal the deal that Man U were going to lose today.

Playing Chelsea at any time of the year is a tough task to take on, but something about the Capital One Cup semifinals made it seem even harder. It also didn't help that Diego Costa put us down 1-0 after a quarter of an hour. We had the return of Romelu Lukaku in this match, and he duly delivered with the team's only goal in the 37th minute, tying the game up at 1. From then on, I went into turtle mode, thinking if we can come away with a draw, we had a solid chance at home. Even with the constant bombardment from the Blues, we came away with the draw we wanted.

In between COC matches, we had an FA Cup 4th round match to play in, against League 1 side Bradford. Unlike the Doncaster match, this one was all Everton. Everyone put in a strong performance, which led to Rotariu and Naismith each getting a pair of goals, and even loanee Giménez netting his first goal of the season. 5th round coming up next month!

There was just a little something off about this second match against Chelsea. They still had Thibault Courtois, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard, and Loic Rémy starting, but it didn't seem like they had the drive to score, or even give themselves chances. Out of the 13 shots they took, only 3 were on target, all of them easily stopped by Tim Howard. We, on the other hand, scored 4 times off of 11 shots on goal! That was the story of the day, and it made for some amazing sights to see Chelsea go down, and us going through to the Cup final. Sadly, we lost Seamus Coleman and Romelu Lukaku for 3 weeks each (stop being glass!), but for now I can live with it.

And finally to round out the month, we visited Reading. A nice 2-1 win, as Sylvan Distin, who at 38 decided to retire at the end of the year, nets a brace, one goal near the end of both halves, to give us the win. A fine way to end the month where we saw no losses!



Now if only the table would reflect how well we did. Except that, while we were winning, so was everyone above us. Therefore, for now, we stay in 7th place, though I hope that will change soon.



Capital One Cup final against a familiar foe in Man City, and it'll take place at the end of February. Are you ready? I certainly hope I am. It's going to be a good match, I hope.



The FA Cup is continuously giving me favorable draws this time around, as in the 5th Round I'll be taking on either Aston Villa or Bolton. Here's the rest of the teams left, and Dag & Red are still in this? Wow, anything can happen, I guess.



I also had only one new signing: Patrick Roberts from Fulham. Having used him a lot in my previous Fulham save, I can say with confidence that he is a superstar in the making, and scooping him up for £13 million total (£3 immediate, £10 million over the next 48 months) may seem a tad overpriced, but I believe that he'll develop into a key player very nicely with us.



Mid season stats time. The new signee Dorin Rotariu, picking up the slack from Lukaku's loss the past 3 months, leads the team in goals with 10 overall. Leighton Baines leads the team in assists, mostly because of his continued roles as corner and free kick taker. And Patrick Roberts would lead all players with an average rating of 7.53 after 4 matches. However, Phil Jagielka's 7.40 would be the legal leader in average rating.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next post!

Fantastic month Cracking win over Chelsea. Hope you can get a decent result in the final against Man City

Can I see screenshot of Rotariu?

Thats looking much better mate! superb!

Do you count Cardiff/Swansea in the old days when they could get into Europe via winning the Welsh Cup? I believe Cardiff beat Barca while in the 3rd tier.

@Johno:



@Lenzar - I did some sleuthing after you made mention of that, and it appears Swansea did participate in the old Cup Winner's Cup in the 60's when they were in the third level.

Cheers He looks good there, I did try to sign him from Ajax, which was agreed at 12M but he refused to talk to me

Great career so far.Enjoyed reading it and intrigued how the rest of the seasons going to pan out re: how far you will get in cl,can you get top 4 again and will you win the league cup.All the best mate.

@Johno - I bought him from Dinamo Bucharest for just £5 Mil. Good bargain, really.

@SBR - Thanks for enjoying the read! CL is always going to be the toughest competition, and a good benchmark as to how my team will be.

Febraury 2016



A rather pedestrian month in the league, starting off with an equally pedestrian performance against Sunderland. The Black Cats sit in the relegation zone, and to only come away with a one goal victory thanks to Phil Jagielka, assisted by Leighton Baines, is rather disappointing.

Next up was a trip to the Emirates, as we took on top of the table team Arsenal. The Gunners jumped out to a 1-0 lead by half time, but a fabulous goal from Samuel Eto'o just past the hour mark, as well as some staunch defending from the pressure put on thereafter, led us to a very passable draw.

Aston Villa in the league were next up, and we just had a small problem with holding on to the lead. A flying start to the match, we were up 2-0 by the 15 minute mark, and going into half time, felt like we had the game well in hand. But the Villans came out of the dressing roon charged up and seemed to put a shot off every three minutes. The back line just couldn't do anything about it, and before you knew it, boom, penalty kick in the 49th minute, BAM, a laser to tie the match up in the 56th, and finally to top off of failure, a dribbler past the keeper in the 83rd minute to give Aston Villa the 3-2 win.

That didn't get our hopes down too much though, as we took a trip out to Villa Park just 4 days later to take them on in the FA Cup. It was over by halftime, as young Patrick Roberts, who just turned 19, netted a brace, his first of many goals for the club, surely. Dorin Rotariu and Steve Naimsith contributed to the goal fest as well. We did have a little problem with, once again, conceding goals in the second half, as they scored twice within the span of 8 minutes. Thankfully, the defense tightened up after the second, and we were able to prevent a comeback.

A trip to Southampton was in the books next, and we came back with a shaky 2-1 victory. Aiden McGeady was able to cut inside from his wide position to put a shot on net to give us the lead, but Sadio Mané for the Saints tied the game up just before the half. It wasn't until John Stones of all people headed home a Leighton Baines free kick to give us the permanent lead.

The first leg of the Champions League knockout stage saw us travel out to Monaco, fully aware that away goals would be key. Unfortunately, we came away empty-handed, as Monaco were able to steal a goal in the 78th minute to give them the win and the advantage coming back to Goodison Park.



So we moved up to 6th place now, as we jump Man City with a game in hand on most of the teams around us, thanks to the several cup competitions. A win in our next league game could see us into 5th place. With 11 league matches to go, top 4 is looking mighty possible.



With the defeat of Aston Villa, we find ourselves once again in the FA Cup quarterfinals, where once again the lottery looks kindly upon us and hands us Birmingham City. I'm not too keen on all these away draws, but I'm still winning, so it can't be too much of a factor there.

But now, the moment you've been waiting for, surely. The Capital One Cup final:


Thanks again for reading. March is around the corner, filled with FA Cup and Champions League hopes. Until then, I'll see you next post!

I'm predicting an FA Cup/Capital One Cup double!

They way it's going, Dan, that may be the only way I get a double.

March 2016



What a Buzz Killington this month was. t wasn't even an injury-plagued month either; we were at full strength. It all came down to bad tactical decision at bad times.

Starting off the month against Middlesbrough, we once again found ourselves the victim of the second half letdown. Aiden McGeady got us out to a great start after just 12 minutes, but we set Boro up with a penalty kick just on the other side of half time, and we couldn't create any more attacking chances, sealing our fate for the match.

The only win of the month, and one of the ones I fully expected to win, was against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. Though we were down 0-1 after just 5 minutes, the team rallied back to score 3 unanswered goals. Birmingham then got one back in the 90th minute after constant pressure finally broke through, but it was enough and we advanced to another semi final.

Stoke City is easily becoming a thorn in my side, so long as they have Mame Diouf on the squad. He netted a brace within the first 10 minutes of the match, and we were left chasing them the entire way. Dorin Rotariu strike just before halftime was a nice way to go into the locker room, but nothing came of the multiple shots on target we had in the second half. This was a match we had no business losing.

Going in to the match with Man City, I had a defensive mentality, knowing I wouldn't take many shots. Fortunately, they didn't either, and the match ended in a bore scoreless draw.

On the other hand, going against Monaco we had all the chances in the world to make a shot, but just could get past the keeper. Another scoreless draw, and I began to wonder what happened to my strike force, as we tumbled out of the Champions League.

I really don't want to relive that Chelsea match. While only being down 1-0 at halftime, we tied it up immediately after half time with Patrick Robert's goal. Unfortunately, that woke the giants up as Loic Rémy and Willian scored the next 4 goals for Chelsea over the course of the half. Steve Naismith's effort was mere consolation at this point, resigning me to my fate.



So even though I secured just 2 measly points in the league, I still remain in 6th place. Though sadly, at this point I don't see myself getting higher than 4th if all goes well.



So the FA Cup semi finals came down to us, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Hull. I think I came up with a good draw and a chance at another Final, even though Hull have been known to screw us royally in the past.

Let's hope next month is better than this one, right? As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

April/May 2016 - End of Season



And the roller coaster continues on, only losing one league match in our last seven to close out the season to give us a respectable finish.

Starting off this final run, we took onLiverpool at home. We both were evenly matched throughout, and Phil Jagielka was extremely lucky to get a shot past the keeper late, as he headed in a corner kick from Baines.

This next match was just a damn heartbreaker against QPR. Steven Fletcher gets them the lead in the 39th minute, and it looked like we had nothing going for us. I gave the team some encouragement, and in the second half they came out firing. Two goals within 5 minutes late from Powell and McGeady, and I was ecstatic! But QPR then put on heavy pressure, which broke through in stoppage time, netting the equalizing goal to steal points away from me.

We did rebound versus Newcastle, even if it did take a little while to get anything resembling an attack going. Naismith from all of 20 yards struck home a win.

The next match from Tottenham wasn't as great of a match as I wanted. 23 shots from Spurs to our 8 was a contributing factor to our nothing scoring, but the defense held down the fort to not allow them to score either.

The semi final match in the FA Cup against Hull, and what can I say about them is that they have been a constant thorn in my side. Them and Stoke, two teams I should be beating, and I can't get the job done. Sone Aluko gives them the leads after 40 seconds, and we are chasing the match throughout, until the 59th minute when youngster Patrick Roberts steps in and scores from the 6 yard box. From then on, we piled on the attacks, but nothing was going in. 90 minutes passed, 120 minutes passed, and nothing could prevent us from being level, so penalty kicks it went to. We were all level until the fourth kick; Gareth Barry just made his. Up stepped Sone Aluko to the spot, he shoots, and Tim Howard made the save! Dorin Rotariu buried his next shot and we are seen through to the FA Cup final once again!



You know, we've had Man United's number these past few times. I don't see us coming away with a loss as much anymore. I mean, if it happens it would still be expected, but if we win, it's not going to be as shocking as in the past.

Next up in the league, we took on West Brom, and once again all this possession, all these shots (23 total), and only one goal. The finishing of this team has been poor throughout the year, Lukaku's injury notwithstanding.

Swansea faced us in the penultimate match of the league, and it was well taken care of this time. Romelu Lukaku netted a brace within the first 15 minutes, which was something he needed, since he had gone 16 hours without scoring a goal. Wilfried Bony took one back a few minutes later, but Steve Naismith put the game out of reach later i the half. Quality match all around.

However the final league match was not quality. Here comes them damn Hull City Tigers once again, and this time they were looking for revenge. Well, they got it. Aiden McGeady opened the scoreline, but Hull's Charlie Austin grabbed himself a first half brace, while the rest of the Hull side dominated possession and shots, leaving me with little chance to counter. Not a good way to end the season in the league, but we now have a date with destiny at Wembley!



So we finished 7th this time around, and I fully think that if Lukaku didn't get injured for such a long time, we could've picked up several more points, maybe even finish top 4. But we still are in Europe next season thanks to the Capital One Cup victory. More chances at extra trophies and cash.

Once again, we make it to an FA Cup final. What'll be the result this time?





End of season stats: Roemlu Lukaku was the team's golden boot winner with 14 goals, Leighton Baines led the team in assists with 19, and Patrick Roberts was the highest rated player this season at 7.43.

Next season's going to be fun and interesting. Samuel Eto'o and Sylvan Distin are retiring, but I'm getting all my younger players back from loan who could fit right in. Will I get into top 4 next season? Could I challenge for the title? We'll find out, I'm sure! Once again, guys, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

Heard it here first! great work mate!

Unlucky on not getting 4th mate.Almost a case of 2nd season syndrome in terms of the league but an fa cup win cant be a bad thing.Congratulations.

Fantastic season Congrats on winning FA Cup \o/

Thanks for the congrats, Dan, SRB, and Johno. Fantastic season? For the cups yeah, definitely not for the league.

Pre-season 2016

Transfers In:


With all the money I received from this past season in the Champions League, I decided to splash the cash a little bit, mostly on defense, where we seemed to have a problem last season. Everyone but Vaclav Cerny play a back line position, and all of them have very good defensive stats. Hopefully with a little work on tactics and teamwork, these guys can form a solid back line.







Transfers Out:



These were all either surplus to requirements, old, or people I didn't see getting first team football here. The fans were extremely sad to see Leon Osman go, and he still had one year left on hs contract, but he had deteriorated so bad he just wouldn't be able to keep up with the rest of the squad. Rotariu, McGeady, and Roberts would all be taking over the AML spot from Sarabia, and since he was pitching a fit by the end of the season, it was time to let him go. The rest just didn't have what it took to stay with me. However, the loaning of Vaclav can be recalled in case I have a need at AMR, which might be the case midseason.



Friendlies worked out well for us, as I was tinkering with a new tactics to improve the crosses in. Also, we were invited to play in my first testimonial ever, for Wayne Rooney of all people. Funnily enough, Rooney was injured and couldn't play in the match.

We also had our Community Shield play against Chelsea, the winners of the league last season. I decided to keep the current 4-3-3 tactic in, and see what happens:



Start of the 2016/17 season, will I finish better in the league and Europe than I did last time out? Let's find out, shall we? Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

Wow Lukaku clearly loves playing against Chelsea

Good transfers to improve the defence Schar was awesome for me on FM14.

Thanks Johno. Schär looked fabulous on the open market, and I just had to pick him up. Reece Burke, on the other hand, may turn out to be a bust in the long run.

August 2016



Let's finish out the month, shall we? And boy was it a strong continuation of the pre-season form. 3 league games, three wins.

Our first league match was against Newcastle, but it seemed like everyone took a little longer rest period from the break before things got going. There was no score going into the 80th minute, when the Magpies slotted one in through the defense to take the lead. Steve Naismith, however, told the Geordies that today wasn't your day to get full points, followed by Lukaku in the dying seconds just taking all 3 points for Everton after running through the defense for the score.

The match versus Southampton got messy, as several cards were handed out among the players. One aspect that wasn't messy, though, was the play of Dorin Rotariu, who seems to be challenging Lukaku for team's best goal scorer early, as he brings home a hat trick to help Everton secure the win. We still have a problem with giving up goals late, but it's early and I should find a way to correct it.

We ended the month against Middlesbrough, where we took them over in all facets of the game. Jagielka, Rotariu, and Schär all contributing to goals, while Youri Tielemans helped in assisting all of them. Diego Poyet was sent off for Boro in the 62nd minute, only helping our cause in the end. These 9 points currently have us in second place, tied on wins with Chelsea, but behind them in goal difference.

I did bring in one familiar face to the club during the end of the transfer window, as if Aiden McGeady and Patrick Roberts are going to be constantly injured, he'll be a big help:



Yep, Deulofeu is back with the club for the next 4 months. In that time, I hope that the injury situation is taken care of, and who know, maybe I'll bring Vaclav back from loan to get him some time working with our team again.



It sucks that the Potters have had our number in recent seasons. Hopefully we can start the turn around against them in this match.



Europa League draw is favorable again, as we will take on Zenit St. Petersburg, Steaua Bucharest, and Lokeren from Belgium. Second place is easily doable out of here.

The beginning of the crowded months are upon us. Touch wood we won't get many more injuries for us to reasonably compete in them. As always, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

Good draw for the Europa mate.Can sneak top spot easily I think.Had a great start to the league campaign also.Rotarius started off well.Done somegreat transfers too mate.All the best for the new season mate.

Both Lukaku and Rotariu have started off well, SBR, couldn't ask for anything better. Europa group is doable, league much less so.

September 2016



I'll absolutely take an undefeated month, thank you. Especially after how it all started off against Man City. David Silva puts them up a goal after just 4 minutes, but then one of their regens gets an auto red card in the 8th minute, forcing them to play with 10 men most of the match. Unfortunately, that didn't stop them from scoring twice more, Silva and Sergio Aguero partnered up for that. But I can't fault my team for not trying. All three goal scorers (Barkley, Deulofeu, and Lukaku) just found holes in their defense to net these shots, and I'll gladly take one point away from this match, even though I should've took it all when they went a man down.

Europa League play opened open for me at Zenit, where the team is managerless and played an attacking 4-3-3 formation. I guess they needed a little more guidance then what they had from their players, as we strolled to an easy 3-0 victory.

However, the next league match against Aston Villa was nothing to write home about. Poor finishing from 21 shots led to this scoreless draw that should've again gone my way.

Thankfully, we were able to shake the scoreless blues away, as well as get the monkey off our back, against Stoke. In this Capital One Cup match, we dispatched them 2-0, with Lucas Boyé getting a goal on his debut for the club and Lukaku netting one as well.

Premier League giants Chelsea were up next, and we toppled them with a little help from Cesc Fàbregas getting an auto red card at the hour mark. It set up Deulofeu's free kick goal to add to the Lukaku goal from earlier. Defeating a team like this puts us one step ahead of the pack.

The final match of the month was in the Europa League against Lokeren. Lokeren defeated Steaua 11-0 in their first match, so I was somewhat wary of their attacking prowess. Fortunately, none of that was on display for this match as we dominated possession throughout, winning 2-0. The back line was out in front today, as Jagielka and Stones netted the goals on the day.



So far, the league form has been wonderful. 2nd place so far, only behind Man U on goal difference. Arsenal is the only big league match coming up, but then again, I can't take these league matches for granted anymore.



Capital One Cup vs. Charlton next up. Should be a walkover, but I may just have a rotated squad in to give others experience and playing time.



Off to a great start in the Europa League. As previously stated, I should coast this, but I'll rotate the squad in when it looks like I'll advance.

Good form, and another congested month upcoming. I wonder if I can stay injury free; McGeasy and Roberts suffered a couple of month long knocks. We'll see next time. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next post!

Very good month mate.Can see why you wpuld be disappointed with only a draw against city but would you have took it before the game?On this form in the league though you could be pushing for the league title.Hope you can keep it up mate.

Well done on the shield win! And a superb start to the new season!!