SBR - Comments

With a big season coming up I have been anticipating this all day.I have finally got on and now I can blitz for a couple of hours.First the transfer and pre season update and its been probably the busiest summer so far.Along with all the facilities upgrades and new stadium plans there has been a few incomings and a couple outgoings.





















Some very good signings there I think and they are needed if I am to build on last season or just to keep up with my rival teams who I now consider to be arenal,liverpool,everton and Tottenham.The top 3 and bottom 1 were all secured some months ago and I would consider to not be ready yet.Those who I could loan out are either already gone or on their way and I am hoping they will come back a bit better.Oliver is only on loan now but I have an option to buy for 20.5.I might go for him if finances allow but I wont if his performances aren't good enough for me.Tomas Martinez is a quality player and will be my main playmaker.Cubas was pretty cheap I think and his value has already gone up a fair bit like martinez.Leon van putten will be my starting lb ahead of husband as I have already sold neil taylor after a poor end to last season.I think matias Martinez is already a good player and backup cb.I did pay a fair bit but he has a lot of potential.Zakaria bakkali has come in on loan just to improve my strikers a bit.I did go for lukaku for 16m and it got accepted but there was no way I was paying him 100k a week even if I could.



Quick look at all transfers in and out.The bottom 2 on the outgoings are just minor loans.Offered taylor and batth out and was very happy to get what I got for them.Liverpool were already expressing interest before then.Seidu yahaya didn't play a single game but I just couldn't get a work permit for him so I was sort of forced into that sale but he would of struggled to get into the team now whereas when I got him initially he would of been a starter.Got a good amount for suso.I asked for 26 at first but accepted 21.I think oliver is a better player so that was basically just an upgrade.Ben pearson was never a starter and with all the lads who have come in he wouldn't of got a chance.I offered him about twice for free and no one bid but then I offered to pay 8.75k wages and Norwich come in.I don't mind paying that so he can get first team football.



Good start and finish to pre season but not too happy with the middle bit.Unbeaten tour in japan.Hoping that will boost the income as the china tour did.2 defeats to Monaco and stutgaart wasn't great especially the stutgaart result.These are the sort of teams I will have to be competing against so that was disappointing.4 decent wins and clean sheets to end pre season including a good win in Seville.



1 important fixture will be the champions league playoff and a replay with Monaco.I was hoping I got club brugge but got one of the tough ones.



I am happy with the league and champions league expectations (though the champions league one will be tough given our draw) but the FA cup and league cup ones will be tough to live up to I think.We have stuggled with our continuous away draws but I am hoping for at least 1 home draw this time around.

Looking forward to this season a lot.Made some good signings and my own hopes and expectations have been raised.This will be a very interesting one.

Odds for the league have been slashed again.25-1 is probably were I am at and I am happy with that.Chelsea were runaway winners last time and I think the bookies have been nice to man utd.

Unlucky with the arsenal interview and good luck in Austria.Im sure you will do well.Probably a good time to leave inverness really.

Good results so far and a good 6 point lead.Very solid season so far mate.

good luck this season mate.not necessarily a bad thing being predicted 8th . less pressure.

good start mate.with your cup exit at least you can focus more on the league.

I was to see that happen too.Only 9k extra too.Id of thought if they were going to make it bigger they would of gone to 40k.I would of sooner waited a couple more years but the board thought otherwise.

Not a bad squad mate.Great pre season too.Good win against werder Bremen.All the best for this season.

2 cup wins and the league.Great season mate.

Thanks lads.Was a great season and it looked like the champions league would be a bridge too far with only a couple of games to go.The extra games and the need to improve to progress will no doubt see some comings and goings and I have already made various moves in the transfer market but that will all be on the next update.

Been a busy 2 month since I secured top 4.I couldn't of asked for a much better season except maybe better cup runs.The champions league will provide me with more money and bigger stature in the football world aswell as better opposition should I make the group stage.I will be 4th seeds which will mean I will face a tough group so I need to bring much better players in order to compete.



The board are very happy with me.Eric dier and danny ings are standout performers according to them but im not too sure about that.



I did only have a year left on my current contract and rather wait and then ask for a new contract I wanted one right away.Got 3 years now and who knows what will happen in that time.I am going to aim for Europa league qualification this time around as I think this season was an overachievement and we were very lucky in some games.




Quick roundup of how the lads done this season.Top scorer was a midfielder with 11 goals.I think I might have to sort that out this summer.Patrick Roberts was my favourite player this season.He has been immense.



The fans thought so too.75% of them voted for him.I need to keep him and arsenal are already enquiring but unlike others his head hasn't turned and he hasn't even asked for a new contract.What a guy.





The club are doing better in terms of bringing in sponsors but still not great.This isn't something I can really influence except for the club doing better.

Now for a couple of things I didn't even ask for.One in particular shocked me.



Good news the clubs making the facilities even better.These are things I keep asking for and they keep saying yes and its good that the board are doing this off their own backs.



A new stadium?Not costing too much I guess but it will only be pretty small.I think as time goes on I might need to make it a bit bigger.Already shelling out 450k a month on the loan.Only got 3.3m for turf moor?Seems cheap.





The youth will surely be getting better coming into the club through the academy.Well I am hoping so.Ill continue to push for better facilities as in the long run it will help the club get bigger and bigger.

Have to say I cant wait for this season.Going to be quite an adventure.

Next update - Summer transfers and pre season

Great season mate.Valencia proved too good in the copa del rey but they were always going to be tough.Quality season though.Good luck at Granada.

Still doing very well.What a match against Kilmarnock.Not seen such a high scoring game for years.

Pione sisto was a great signing for me in my burnley save.Im sure he will do good for you.Looking forward to seeing this getting up and running properly.

Nail biting mate.When husband got brought off there were 5 minutes added on and it showed themall with west brom constantly attacking and I didn't have a clue what the Liverpool score was.I was more interested in keeping above arsenal to be honest.

Another solid couple of months and a great cup win.

No it was a terrible month johno.The squad morale wasn't all that bad and I reassured them via team talk that we were still doing well and it raised morale that bit more going into a make or break month.

May was to be our biggest month since I took charge 3 years ago.It hasn't been as long a journey as I anticipated but we were on the verge of a European spot but it would be a very tricky month.



Some very poor performances by my lads out there especially neil taylor who was at fault for 3 of the goals.He got a 2 week fine after and accepted it.Liverpool were now 4 points above me with a much better goal difference.It looked like my champions league dream would be put on hold for another season.Tottenham were right behind me too with better goal difference so I was thinking of another 6th place finish.



On the back of a crushing defeat this was a massive win.Probably my best yet really.Danny ings hasn't had a good season and suffered a bad injury halfway through but he was amazing in this one.When zabaleta got the equaliser I feared the worst and at half time still at 1-1 I went all out attack figuring I had nothing to lose and it worked.We were now above arsenal into 5th but Liverpool were only really needing a draw from a trip to stoke to get 4th.I had a home game against west brom and I was confidant of a win but sure Liverpool would pick up the result they needed.



I got the win I needed through danny ings who has ended the season in decent form.I did end with 10 men as 3 of my lads got knocks before james husband picked up an injury late on and we were hanging on for about 30 mins of the game as west brom took the game to us.A great win really but was it enough?Did stoke do us a massive favour and helped us get 4th?



We had done it!Liverpool only picked up 1 point from the last 2 games and arsenal run us close too but ultimately we had done it.I thought after april and especially the Liverpool result that was it but 2 wins at the end secured 4th spot and champions league football for the 1st time for burnley.Just think in a few months time Cristiano Ronaldo or lionel messi could be strutting they're stuff on a cold wet Tuesday night at turf moor.Going to be interesting but first I will have to get through a qualifier.Chelsea ended up winning by 9 points and the 3 relegated clubs are brighton,middlesbrough and west ham.

Next update - 2016/2017 season news

Another stunning month mate.And to get to the copa del rey semi final is quality.Never know you might win that again and that would be even better than last season.

It would mate.First season was about survival then I wanted 12th-16th and in my 3rd season I wanted 9th-14th so I am well ahead of what I wanted.I set myself finishing in a European spot after 5 or 6 seasons.

After a good start that is a difficult month but you are still in a good position.

Thanks johno.Its going to be tough but I am still in the running.

Nice one dan.I don't feel too out of place considering the position I am in.I do think we have over performed at times but im not complaining.

So as just mentioned we are well and truly in the running for that 4th spot.A few very good teams are in it too and it will be a hard job to claim the champions league spot but once again its been a progressive season.Can I aim any higher next season?I don't think so but however I end this season it has been a good one.









Not a good month for me at all.Surrendering a 2 goal first half lead at home to crystal palace is ridiculous.Wasnt happy one bit.Easily could of happened in the 2nd game too.Sigurdsson scored 2 great free kicks and when Hernandez pulled one back I was thinking it could happen again but we were strong enough defensively to hold on this time.Once again a very disappointing home draw against another team not playing for anything.When sergi samper scored I honestly thought we had won 3 points we desperately needed but valon berisha had other ideas and scored in the 3rd minute of added time.The hull game wasn't a good one either.Never looked like getting anything out of this game and as soon as they went 2 up we couldn't get back in it properly as everytime we scored the scored again to keep the 2 goal lead.All these games I was hoping to win and to only get 5 points is tough to take.



Our next game is away Liverpool and given our form now in question I don't think we will get 4th.It is a shame we have just gone into a slump after such a promising season.I am hoping everton and Newcastle don't catch me as I think we may struggle to get another 3 points.Liverpool now occupy 4th and arsenal and Tottenham are right behind me.Chelsea still look hot favourites for the title.Think the teams in the relegation zone are going down now.

So not a good month and we have 3 games to pick ourselves back up and try to cling onto the European places.If I do achieve the highly improbable task of 3 points at anfield we might just still get 4th but I do see its going to be hard.The home game against man city will be tough too.

Next update - May

Even if there is so long to go I think its yours.Been on the best form I have seen on fm for a long time.

great work mate.pretty sure the leagues yours already.

Great up to now mate.what a win against jerez.keep it up mate.

good luck with this lads.always wandered why no network game stories are on here.

Had a feeling it would be wales.Not an ideal pre season.Hopefully you will turn it around and your league form will be better.

March gave me teams I really should be winning if I want to qualify for the champions league.February didn't go too well and I didn't have the safety of a 3 point gap I had at the end of January.Now was the team I needed to pick myself back up after a winless month and kick on for top 4.







Not the best of starts.My winless run continues with a loss against an aston villa side with not much to play for.I did have the better chances but guzan stopped me every time.QPR are another side languishing in the bottom half of the table.They should be safe and could of also done with the win but we grabbed 3 precious points for our first win since the end of January.West ham look like a team accepting defeat in premier league survival but you wouldn't of though it.They had a fair few chances but a stunning Sigurdsson double got our 2nd win in a row and keeps us 4th going into april.

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I forgot to do my update at the end of the month and Chelsea and man utd played each other so that's why theyhave played a game more.Chelsea won it 3-0 and it looks like its chelseas title for the 2nd year running.We are still 4th but have 3 teams just behind us who will be looking to snatch it from us.Everton and Newcastle are probably too far back but this chase for 4th spot is getting more and more intense as the end of the season comes nearer.Middlesbrough and Brighton are as good as relegated I think and west ham will find it hard to get the required to stay up.

Only another 7 matches to get as many points as I can.I still have Liverpool away and man city at home.If I can go through the rest of the season I think 4th could be mine but I could yet lose it.

Next update - April

Going into February and still in 4th place was great but man united,tottenham and everton were waiting for me in February.3 very important games.Man utd are chasing the title and Tottenham and everton are chasing me in the race for 4th.I cant be losing against the latter 2 if I want to stay in 4th and at least 4 points is my aim for this month.







Them results aren't what I was wanting really but at least I didn't lose against everton or Tottenham.The man utd result flattered them I think.We gave a lot in this match and deserved a goal at least but david de gea was in great form.Only noticed just after the match but robin van persie has scored in every game against us.Think he enjoys playing against us.Everton were lucky I think and when we went 2 up I thought we could have a couple more but they fought back and got the draw which suited neither side really.The Tottenham match was a good match for the mutual but despite all the chances neither team could find a goal.



We are still in 4th place but the gap is closing and now we lead Tottenham by only 1 point.I think all the games we have left are winnable.We do have to go to anfield and have a home game against city but other than those we could win them all on our day.Be an interesting end to the season.The race for the title still looks to be a good one should man utd and city win their games in hand and our own race for 4th is going to be a close one.Middlebrough look dead and buried.Brighton and west ham don't look too far behind either.



Going for another licence.Not too sure exactly how many more I can get but don't think its too many.



I have a couple of players who I cant play because of work permit problems so I asked the board for an affiliation with a club that can help me with work permit problems.Just like Columbus crew they offered me the chance to choose and I chose steaua Bucharest.I know they have had a couple of decent players come through their youth tanks over the years so that cant help either.

Out of the teams chasing 4th I think Tottenham have the better run in but only just.They are also in the best form so it may be hard to keep hold of 4th spot.Im just hoping I don't lose too many more and can keep hold of it.

Next update - March

Thanks again johno.Done some great new signings this January transfer window especially with the regens.Morale is pretty high and the players are putting in some stellar performances.I really want to qualify for Europe now and hopefully it will be the champions league.

I thought December was busy but it is no way bigger than January in terms of matches.6 league matches and an FA cup 3rd round game with derby to look forward to and I alsohave a couple of injuries too which never makes it easy.Ings is still a couple of months away and michael keane was out at the start of the month and they are 2 big players for me.













Was gutted about the arsenal game as having played west brom just 2 days before and a few niggling injuries I had to play a few half fit players and we performed very well.Went ahead and was looking good for the lead at half time but they came out 2nd half all guns blazing and secured the 3 points which knocked us out the top 4.Was important to get the 3 points up in middlebrough and I am happy we got it.Will keane and the ever impressive Patrick Roberts with the goals.After 4 defeats on the spin against Chelsea prior to this season we have now held them twice.A win has to be coming sooner or later.After going in front and surviving the bombardment of Chelsea attacks it was unfortunate we conceded so late in the 1st half but we held on for a very good point.Another good win came against Southampton who aren't doing so great this season.Got us termporarily back into the top 4 too.Suso was immense against them.The Newcastle result was a terrible one with us being 3 up with 20 minutes to go but they were all out attack as soon as I got the 3rd.The result was probably right on the balance of highlights but it was hard to take.I decided to have a go at a new 4-1-4-1 asymmetric formation against brighton and it certainly worked.Sigurdsson was quality in this one.



Obviously the longer I stay in the top 4 the better.Im not expecting to finish there to be honest but as long as I stay in the top 5 I am guaranteed European football.After last seasons finish of 6th I was chuffed to bits but was shot down by QPRs appearance in the FA cup final and they got a European spot ahead of me so I want 5th at least to gurantee it this time around.3rd top scorers in the league and now with johnstone in the net we have a good gk so we don't concede as many as we have done in previous seasons.The top 3 are going to stay that way I am sure of that so no point hoping for better.Tottenham and arsenal can catch me but I think ill stay clear of the rest.The relegation fight is still looking good.Not for the teams down there but its always interesting having a look every couple of weeks.



Didn't want the extra game this month but we lived to fight another day and I think we will beat them at turf moor.Jamie Paterson with a late late penalty to add to his earlier goal got us the replay.



So were through to the next round and never really looked like going out.A very good 3-1 win.



Giving up on a home draw in a cup.Not including the FA cup semi final and final this was our 7th away draw in a row.In the 13 draws I have been in it is 10-3 .A tough tie against our biggest rivals even if they are rock bottom of the championship by 17 points.



How we lost this i will never know.Simply destroyed them but just didnt take any of the chances that fell our way and they scored with they're one half decent chance.More disappointingly though it is the 2nd season in a row we have fell at the 2nd hurdle in the FA cup and haven't got passed that same hurdle in the league cup.Our fans were not happy and neither was the board.



There is some good news though.The board are still accepting my requests for upgrades in the facilities.Our training facilities are already very good and now they are going to be a bit better.









A few more signings came in.The loan move for my 2nd choice keeper was ended when he asked for it to be terminated.I quickly went out and got szumski on a free.He will do for a couple of year while the regen gk I am getting in the summer gets loaned out.Wallace was going to do me until the summer while looked for a replacement for trippier who wanted to move to Liverpool.I accepted I would sell him but no bid came in for him.Ill keep Wallace around as he isn't bad backup.Dier is a direct replacement for micah Richards who went out to Frankfurt after becoming unhappy when I told him I wasn't happy with his match performances.Made a bit of money from the 2 transfers and dier isn't on as high wages and is pretty good too.Macaba looks a decent prospect and will play 1 or 2 this season before going out on loan next season.

A very busy month passed now and still looking good in the league.Only the league to play for now so my only focus is on a top 4 place.Hopefully it will come this season.

Next update - February

quality start mate.shame about the cup but I'm thinking it would of been hard to win it this season anyway

good luck at cadiz.seen as your so far into your career and been so many places where would you say you have enjoyed managing most and least?

very good month mate . hope you can keep it up when you start playing the big boys.