Gendo - Comments

Hope you succeed, mate! That left back spot looks dodgy, though.

Chelsea have some matches against the mid-table teams, SBR, but they also have to face Man U, Tottenham, and Liverpool to end the season.

The Shakhtar result was amazing, Dan, especially the second leg of it. It's too bad I didn't draw Man City, as I felt I would've have some chance to advance on. Oh well, at least I was able to narrowly defeat them in one of the legs.

March 2017



A short month this time around, with the international break taking up the entire second half. We still were able to get 4 matches in, 2 in the Europa League and two in the Premier League.

Or first one up was a trip to the Bernabéu versus Real Madrid, and it wasn't a pretty match to say the least, culminating in a 4-1 loss. Gareth Bale put Los Blancos up in the 4th minute, which surprisingly was the only goal in that half. Not surprising, though, was the amount of pressure the entire team put on us throughout, giving us a measly 6 shot total. Deulodeu was fortunate on one attempt early in the second half to knot the game up, after receiving a cross in from Rotariu, but it was all downhill from there. Ronaldo with a brace within 8 minutes and Benzema late in the game to close it out capped our miserable performance. We had a gigantic mountain to climb once we went back home.

Back at Goodison, we were able to force a result that went our way, but only after Real had seemingly put the tie out of reach. Benzema hit a brace between the 19th and 22nd minutes to put the overall tie at 6-1 against, and they let off the gas. That's when we started to have a little more success in their third of the pitch, starting with a shot that ricocheted off the bar, then off the back of Sergio Ramos for an own goal. On the other side of half time, Lukaku and Deulofeu put in stellar efforts themselves to keep the aggregate score close. In the end, we may have won the battle, but the war was already taken by Real, and we were eliminated.

Turning our attention strictly to the league, we faced Swansea next up. A 3-2 victory was the result and it kept us within striking distance of the top of the league, even though Man U still had a game in hand. Deulofeu continued his fine form, while McGeady was able to find the net again after going quite a bit without scoring. Swansea didn't go down quietly, though, as they scored twice within the last 10 minutes to make me sweat a bit. Defense is still leaky, guess I can't find anything that can fix it currently.

Last match of the month fell to our mortal enemies Hull. However this time, the tables flipped on them, and we were the ones hitting the counterattacks. All of the attacking midfielders got on the action, as Naismith, Deulofeu, and Rotariu bagged goals to help seal the win.



Still just 3 points back, but now everyone is all level in matches played. It's gonna come down to the wire with just 8 matches left to play, and guess what? Man U and I have a date set in the middle of April that could, ultimately, decide who will take the league title this year. While I may have Tottenham and Liverpool left as well, Man U have Arsenal as well as their own Europa League matches to play. And funnily enough, my match with them sits in between the two legs of the Europa League trip. This could make things very interesting down the stretch.

Who will it be next time? Man U? Chelsea? My team in Everton? Who knows, but let's find out, as I round out to the season finale! Thanks again for reading, and as always, I'll see you in the next post!

February 2017



By all accounts a decent run of matches, where the league saw the best form out of all competitions. We started off against Arsenal, and during the first 15 minutes, we didn't have much success. In fact, we conceded a goal to Alan Dzagoev in that amount of time. But the turn around, especially in the second half, was a massive improvement.. Guti knotted the match up at 1 just before half time, then it was all Everton int he second half goal wise, as possession was firmly in the hands of Arsenal. We hit them on counter after counter, scoring twice there and securing a penalty during one of those breaks. By all rights, we should not have won, but Arsenal couldn't keep up with us breaking through against the run of play.

Up next was our trip to Donbas-Arena to face WAXTAP.....err Shakhtar in the Europa League. The result wasn't what I would've liked to see, but having two away goals in this competition goes a long way, I think. Wellington Nem, Ivan Ordets, and Douglas Costa all scored on break aways for the opponents. while Lukaku and Barkley slotted balls through the defense to keep the match close, and give us a good chance of making the next game fun at home.

In between these matches, though, we had the FA Cup tie with Tottenham. Our foes in the Capital One Cup once again took us out of another cup competition, defeating us 2-1. Harry Kane gave Spurs the early lead, but McGeady leveled the match late in the first half. It looked for sure like we were heading for another replay at Goodison, but Christen Eriksen nulled those thoughts in the 84th minute to advance Spurs to the next round.

On the back of two straight losses, the first time in a long time for this team, we wanted to go out with fury and exact revenge. We did exactly that against Shakhtar, thrashing them 6-1 at home to win the tie 8-4 on aggregate. Wellington Nem was their only goal scorer, but the Toffees loved to spread the ball around today, as Rotariu, Naismith, Jagielka, Lukaku, even Tielemans got on the board for the first time this season! A solid victory to advance us to the second knockout round, tying the furthest Everton have ever gone in this competition.

We carried that exciting win into the league with a convincing 3-0 victory over Fulham. While Patrick Roberts didn't score versus his former team, Rotariu and Lukaku did with some fancy footwork, shifting the ball through the defense and slotting it in no further than 10 yards out.

Sadly, Chelsea stomped that form right out with a 4-1 kick in the teeth. Lukaku opened the match off great, with a superb strike in the 2nd minute. But from there it was all Chelsea, as Costa, Hazard, and Aboubakar all scored for them in the first half, ramming the result down my throat. It didn't help that Man United have a game in hand at this point, and they are still in the lead.

Fortunately, we picked ourselves right back up against Crystal Palace as we shellac them 5-1. Lukaku and Boyé net braces, with Mirallas running cover on the 5th goal helped our league standing just a bit on the goal difference side.



Man United not only are 3 points up, but they have a game in hand, which they more than likely will win and put the league just that much further out of reach. Not bad, though, that I'm still in second place after all of these results, level with Chelsea on points but bettering them on goal difference.



And my worst fears have been confirmed. Real Madrid are our opponents in the second knockout round in the Europa League. Joy, I get to see Ronaldo, James, Benzema, and Bale up close as they shove it down my throat.

Will I continue to stay top 4 in the league? Any chance I get a respectable result in Europe? Probably not, but let's ind out anyway!

That looks like one easy Europa League group. Obliterating all competition so far, keep it up!

Dynamo Dresden was always one of those teams I'd love to revive. Glad to see you are doing them justice, and at mid-season, put them in a great spot for a playoff push!

That's the nature of the game, SBR. Man City, I could easily see as a team we have the potential of drawing against. Aston Villa, however, should've been a win through and through.

Points from draws do help, Dan, but like I said above, ASton Villa should've never been a draw to begin with, and that's what is keeping me behind Manchester United currently. Still tight, yes, but still chasing.

Excellent work winning the Europa League! Premier League next on the docket? Who are you facing in the Super Cup? And here's hoping you have a good showing in the Champions League.

Thanks for the kind words, Wilc94! I'm trying to get a solid finish on the back half of this season.

Oh I fully expect Shakhtar is gonna kick me around a bit, DP91. And even if I do make it, Real Madrid is more than likely gonna kick me around.

January 2017



A lot of good football played this month, as we experience another streak of undefeated play. We started off against Newcastle, where truth be told we weren't the more capable team, but we still were able to come out on top. Steve Naismith was exceptional this day, with his hat trick, but the team also garnered 5 yellow cards and 24 fouls total. Youssef El Arabi was able to score on a break just after Naismith's third, but the rest of their attacking chances fell short.

Bradford came to visit us for the FA Cup match, and I must say, we did run a rotated squad to pick up this victory; we started 3 players who made their debut in this match. The young attacking mid didn't hinder Lucas Boyé's day, as he started it off right with his first goal in 10 matches. Aiden McGeady assisted on that, as well as scored a goal of his own later on. That advanced us to the next round, where wouldn't luck have it, Hull was waiting for us.

Before that, though, we had two more league matches, the first of which was Southampton at home. A possession heavy affair with not a lot of attacking movement on either side, we did manage to score twice through their 5 back defense. Patrick Roberts continues to amaze as he rifled a shot through two defenders into the top left corner of the net, and Deulofeu put the game away from good, scoring an injury time goal after a beautiful cut inside.

Then came our turn to dominate a league team. We've seen this once already against Steaua, but now Middlesbrough felt the wrath of our offense, as we put seven past them. Deulofeu was clearly man of the match today, scoring a hat trick and assisting in two more goals. Rotariu, Gibson, and Barkley all put their names on the scoresheet as well, capping an excellently played match.

Then came the time of retribution against Hull in the FA Cup. Except it wasn't, as the match ended in a 1 all draw. Deulofeu put Everton out to a lying start in just the 2nd minute, but Hull answered back late in the second half to force the replay.

Apparently, drawing in the cup means that form comes to the league, as we drew our two very next matches. First versus Man City, once again, we got out to a great start as John Stones heads in a corner kick in the 9th minute. But City came storming back in the second half, with Sergio Aguero saving the points for them. Then against Aston Villa at Villa Park, a match we clearly need to be winning 10 times out of 10, we ended up drawing 2-2. Hell, Villa had a player sent off in the 8th damn minute; we should've jumped all over them. But it took so long to get any attacks together to confuse their keeper Guzan. The Belgian Bros. were the only scorers for us, however Villa answered not more than ten minutes later both times.

In the replay versus Hull at KC Stadium, in hostile territory, we came out victorious by the final of 4-3. Lukaku got himself another man of the match with his performance: a hat trick, no less. All of his goals, though, came on the heels of a Hull goal; we didn't lead in this match until Aiden McGeady clinched it for us in the 83rd minute, tapping in a rebounded shot. A win is awin, I'll take it.



Those two draws in the league did hurt us in the short term, as Man United took the outright lead in the league. Hopefully, it's not a long term deal, but ith Arsenal and Chelsea coming up next month, we might have some problems.



The 5th round in the FA Cup saw a good mix of lower league teams advancing, Colchester from League 1 is still alive for now. But we had the fortune of drawing Tottenham this time. Spurs took us out in the League Cup, will they repeat in the FA Cup?



And finally, I did make one deal in the transfer window, a transfer to the club in the form of a goalkeeper by the name of Jack Butland. He came from Stoke, and it was down to him and Timo Horn as to who I would name the successor to Tim Howard once his contract is up at the end of next season. It all came down to finances, and Butland was going to cost significantly less than his Köln counterpart, both in the wages and the transfer budget. He started in 4 matches already this past month, and he faired pretty well. I think I made a good choice here.

February is going to be a big month for me. This is make or break time. Will I survive? Let's find out, shall we? Thanks again for reading, and as always, I'll see you in the next post!

Liverpool have certainly improved overall this season, Dan, and their form hasn't dropped since their season opening loss.

The Arsenal match will take place in February for me, SBR, so I'm hoping to pull points from them. Man City have shown flashes of brilliance here and there, but with 5 losses so far, it shows they can be beaten more so than in the past.

Except that it's Ireland, and pre-season is in February.

Anyway, great form, hope you keep it up to start the season off right!

I would love to see how Roberts, Tielemans, and Stones have developed for you in 2018; they've been good for me so far. Seems like you are taking notes or something.

The original intention, when this challenge was laid down years ago, was to just win the UEFA Champions League with the cities listed. If someone wants to draft up another challenge involving other regions' champions leagues, or if you wish to create your own challenge, then go for it.

December 2016



Another solid month of football, as we try to gain a permanent foothold in the top 4 and a potential push to a league title.

First up was an all important match versus Manchester United, and to be honest it didn't start out like we had planned it. Angel Di Maria and Juan Mata put United out ahead at the half hour mark. But the team didn't back down, and I had to make some offensive changes to get them back on track. Deulofeu, coming off a loan extension acceptance, helped the cause with a brace and eventual game winner, along with Patrick Roberts with a wonder strike from 25 yards out. He really is shaping up to be a star soon, and he's only 19! Very much deserved these 3 points.

Following the season-defining win so far, we took our show on the road to the Hawthorns, where we bested West Brom 2-0. Kevin Mirallas and Patrick Roberts capped some seriously inspiring attacking efforts in the first half, and the defensive playmaking helped keep the opponent shut out for the game.

Our quarterfinal match in the Capital One Cup saw us finally bow out to Tottenham. A possession heavy battle from both sides, Spurs got on attacking late in the match, and we were lucky quite a few times in the final minutes of regulation, as several balls went sailing just inches past the goal mouth. However, we were never to capitalize on our attacking chances. The match went to extra time, and it was much of the same thing. This time, however, Tottenham were able to score, off a short strike in from Chris Smalling in the 97th minute. Bright side, though, is that we couple less matches to play this season, I guess.

What better way than to turn a mediocre cup performance into a storming, dominating league performance. That's exactly what we did when QPR came to town. We laid an impressive 4-1 beatdown on them to claim first place in the league (at the time). Lukaku, coming off of injury recently, netted himself a brace, along with Rotariu and Jagielka capping a thunderous first half. Second half was rest time, and the defense held tall up until the end, but it didn't matter at that point.

Time to exact revenge on Spurs in the league! Except, not quite. After a strong 15 minutes with Mirallas and Roberts putting us on the board, the defense fell apart late to let in the tying two goals by Christen Eriksen. Oh well, need to address that defensive issue again.

Boxing Day fun day once again matched us against rivals Liverpool, and once again we end the holiday match in a draw. The entire attacking front put together a well orchestrated performance, and easily could've had 3 or goals. Patrick Roberts was the only breakthrough in the 57th minute. Liverpool counted just minutes later, and so the match ended in deadlock.

We ended the month, fittingly on New Year's Eve, with an encounter against Wigan. The Latics were brushed aside with a 2-1 finale. Baines gets on the board for only the second time this year, scoring from the penalty spot. Meanwhile, Deulofeu does it again, as he saves the team from another draw with a long crack from around 25 yards.



As the previos year ends, a new one begins, and we were so close to starting if off in first place. Level with Liverpool on points, but just one measly goal back. Couldn't ask for a better position to start the second half of the season.



Midseason stats report above. Romelu Lukaku, of course, leads the team in goals with 23. He also has a 1+ goals per game average, which is outstanding! Dorin Rotariu leads the teams in assists with 10, and Patrick Roberts is just tearing up the competition week in and week out, fully deserving his team leading 8.02 average rating.



As a result of his immensely awesome playing, Roberts collected the European Golden Boy award. The very same award that the likes of Rooney, Messi, Aguero, Fabregas, Balotelli, Gotze, and Pgba all won. To have him in the same conversation as all of those players speaks highly of how his future could develop.



On to European competition, we drew up Shakhtar in the first Europa League knockout round. A tricky tie to say the least.



But definitely not as tricky as the potential opponents of Real Madrid or Man City if we advance. Boy, the lottery balls did not fall my way this season.



And finally, the FA Cup has us facing a familiar foe in Bradford first up. If you remember, we blew them away in the Fourth round last season. Will we have a repeat of the 5-0 scoreline in the FA Cup?

The league is ripe for the picking, but can we hold fast on our position? Who knows! Thanks again for reading, and as always, I'll see you in the next post.

That's exactly the list I was pulling from, Cymro. The "CityPopulation.de" column since its data is the most recent. If I extend it out to 10, then the next two metro areas on the list that haven't won a CL title would be Kiev and Budapest. If you want, I could add those two and make the challenge harder.

The Metropolitan Man:

Let's revive this alternative to the Pentagon challenge

An interesting trend has appeared in European football for decades involving the geographical size of successful football clubs, as unearthed by sports economists Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski. Whilst provincial clubs in the likes of Glasgow, Nottingham and Rotterdam have all claimed Europe’s greatest football prize, the UEFA Champion’s League has never once been in the hands of any real metropolitan club. In fact, no club from within the eight largest metropolitan areas in Europe have won the Champion’s League- it is time for a managerial journeyman to step forward, put his pride on the line and assume the role of the Metropolitan Man.



This picture is from Berlin, one of the cities needed to complete this challenge

The rules are simple, and the difficulty of the challenge is up to you. Whether you start as a small club from a big city and work your way up or whether you start at a big club and try to flick between cities, it’s all about the way you play your FM game. But the difficult part is simple as to complete the challenge you have to win the UEFA Champion’s League…eight times.



Start at any club that is based in Istanbul, Paris, Moscow, St Petersburg, Berlin, Athens, Naples, or Rome, and win the Champion’s League. Rinse and repeat until you have eight Champion’s Leagues on your managerial CV. There are little restrictions to the challenge; although just like with the Pentagon challenge, there are aspects that one can add to make this challenge more/less difficult.

City Slicker- start as a club in one of these eight geographical locations, and try to win all eight Champion’s Leagues without managing a club outside of those geographical constraints. This becomes harder and harder if you start to amass blots on your CV, because you’ll find that when you limit the job market to specific geographical zones, it becomes nearly impossible to be recruited.

No Dynasties- it can be tempting after you’ve won your first Champion’s League to start building a dynasty within your city, especially if you’re in one of the lesser divisions and have had to work especially hard to conquer Europe. The ‘No Dynasty’ rule means that once you won the Champion’s League with a club, you have to enjoy those news messages about how awesome you are, pack up your things and immediately resign.

List of clubs you can manage (sorted by metro population):

Moscow- FC Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Dynamo Moscow, CSKA Moscow, Torpedo Moscow

Istanbul- Kasımpaşa S.K., Kartal S.K., Güngören B.S., İstanbul B.B., Galatasaray A.S., Fenerbahçe S.K., Beşiktaş J.K.

Paris- Paris FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Red Star, Racing Club

St Petersburg- FC Zenit St Petersburg, Petrotest, Dynamo St Petersburg

Berlin- FC Union Berlin, Hertha Berlin

Naples - Napoli

Athens- Ilioupoli, Kallithea, Ethnikos Asteras, Panionios, Atromitos, AEK Athens, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos

Rome- Roma, Lazio

How are Gladbach and Mainz hovering at the top of the table? Insane! Keep up the good work with Bayern though.

Yeah, it's becoming tight at the top, Dan. Any slip up from those teams could result in chasing the leader throughout the rest of the season. And it really is a shame I can't get results against Hull in the league; I know how they play, and make changes accordingly against them, but they always seem to play hard and fast and screw with my changes.

Europa League knockouts have some teams I'd love to face straight up to advance against, SBR: Botev, Metalist, and Club Brugge to name a few.

And I rarely had any problems with the squad harmony, DP91. Just a couple whinges about playing time from Joel Robles and Cédric that were quickly sorted out. I think Kevin Mirallas was on the brink of having a row with me, since I had been starting Deulofeu more often, but I quickly realized he wasn't playing much and gave him some consecutive game; I think it calmed him down.

Top darts winning the Champions League with Shakhtar! Now it looks like you are closing in on another one with Roma. Keep it up, mate!

Also, who are your top goal scorers for you? I see Florenzi with 11, but are any of your other players close to double digits?

November 2016



Pretty good month here, except you can see a little spot of red up there. More on that later.

So we started off with the second half of Europa group stages, Steaua once again being our opponent. We took all three points away from home with a solid 3-1 victory after a possession heavy bombardment of their net. Gutiérrez, Roberts, and Rotariu all making noise throughout the game, as we secured qualification to the next round.

All good things have to come to an end at some point, right? Once again, Hull have our number, and I've still yet to beat them in regulation. We dropped all the points into their lap as they took this match, 4-5. Lukaku put forth a superb effort, above and beyond what was necessary with the hat trick, and Gerard Deulofeu even got into the scoring with his first goal this season, but it just wasn't to be. Hull's strikeforce of Abel Hernandez, Snodgrass, van Dijk, and Huddlestone proved to be the superior team on the day.

We didn't let the first league loss of the season drop our heads. The team immediately responded with a win over top 6 team Norwich. Patrick Roberts furthered his development as a quality ball striker with a hat trick, while Kevin Mirallas got off the schneid for the season, bagging his first.

Zenit came into Goodison looking to secure qualification to the next round of the Europa League themselves, but we denied that day, shutting them out 3-0. Mirallas, Barry and Deulofeu all contributing to the scoresheet, even with Jagielka deciding not to be a part of the match further, getting himself red carded in the 62nd minute.

We desperately needed points to stay close to the top of the table, but Stoke and Mame Diouf prevented that from happening, as we were only able to secure a 2-2 draw. Deulofeu and Roberts helped at least put us ahead, but Mame with the scorers just minutes after our goals just made me frustrated with our defending, an issue I thought we corrected for the most part. Oh and Lukaku is out for 3 weeks after a sprained hamstring.

Our final Europa League at Lokeren added the icing on the group cake, as notonly did we secure a shut out, but a complete undefeated streak in the group. Bainesy helped out as two free kicks turned into two free goals, and Patrick Roberts continues to boost his stats, netting his 9th of the season.



Loss and draw notwithstanding, we are still holding strong within the top 4, level on points with both Man U and Liverpool, but goal difference pushing us down the pole. Chelsea now sit on top, a mere 2 points higher than the rest.



That goal difference for Steaua tho. Perfect group stage, can't wait to see who we'll face from this list


Still holding strong this season. Will the run continue, with Man U, Liverpool, and Tottenham twice? Who knows! Anyway, thanks again for reading my story, and as always, I'll see you in the next post!

He's still a beast on FM15.

I know, Johno. I rarely see those large goal scoring matches unless something is completely wrong with the tactics or personnel (like the Chelsea game two seasons ago )

@SBR: Can you believe he's played 16 matches so far and scored 18 times? Insane! He's been a very steady goal scorer this season.

And Man U are pretty pesky, Dan, but it's to be expected. They are making their comeback after finishing 9th the last two seasons under Van Gaal and Guardiola, both sacked.

This season is turning out to be magical, SBR! I think I found the right tactics/players combo to make it work. Plus a little luck that other teams are having struggles early.

Thanks for the praise, Dan! It's been cracking to say the least.

October 2016



Almost a perfect month again! Starting out with a great result versus Arsenal. They weren't at full strength, though, as Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and Bernard were all injured for this match, and several others were being rested for fitness, I'm sure. I pounded their weakened side, as Lukaku scored a brace and Sami Khedhira got himself sent off in the second half. Great result here to keep us near the top.

However we had a little slip up against Fulham. We, ourselves, didn't have a full strength squad, as this was after the international break. A break that saw Seamus Coleman, Cédric, and Leighton Baines all go out for 2-3 weeks with injury. Lukaku continued his fine form, but Fulham equalized just before half time to knot the match up. We had some attacking chances int he second half, but the finishing failed us, and we dropped points.

The team were looking forward to this match against Steaua Bucharest, as they've given up a total of 13 goals in the Europa League group so far. Steaua were clearly in a down year this year, as we hammered them as well. Of course, though, we conceded a couple of goals to them, so far the only team that has let them score. To be fair though, we only had three center back available, so I had to tweak the tactics a bit to make it work. Fortunately, the attack was uber heavy, allowing us to shoot 9 past them; Aiden McGeady. Advancement is all but in the books.

We took the tip-top Europa League form back into the league, as we took out Crystal Palace, 3-0. Lukaku continues his consecutive matches scored run, after a brace here. Patrick Roberts had a fine day, netting goal himself and assisting on one of Lukaku's chances.

Charlton were up next in the Capital One Cup, and were dispatched with relative ease. Lukaku got us to a flying start after just 33 seconds, while Schär and Naismith collected a goal apiece to see them off.

The final match of the month saw us defeat Swansea in the league. "Gibbo" Darron Gibson opened up the scoreline, but Wilfried Bony answered back jsut a few minutes later. Then Lukaku extended his matches scored in streak to 6 as he nets a brace to put the team out ahead for good, even with Gylfi Sigurðsson getting one back in the 74th minute.



Second place, undefeated so far, only behind Man United on goal difference. That is a great place to be early in the season. Fine form looks like it can continue too next month, injuries notwithstanding.



Captial One Cup quarterfinals see us taking on Tottenham next. Spurs have been known to score on us early and often, so that'll be a tricky tie in December.

The next update will be from 1/11 to 2/12, since the Europa League will end on the first of December. I want to give the final update from that group and see where everyone ends up. Until then, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in the next post!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

@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!

@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.