Pushing the PC to the limit once again!

Summary of the save

• Starting unemployed
  
• Holidaying a year into the game
  
• Will accept job offers if the team is better than my current one
  
• All leagues loaded!
  

Aims

• Win as many trophies as I can!
  
• Manage Manchester United or Galatasaray (maybe even both)
  
• Manage the Turkish national team
  
• Rise to the top level as soon as I can
  
• Have fun!
  

A few of you may remember this save and I will update this one in the same format, I'm hoping for a fun adventure that can start and finish anywhere and my thread is nothing without your support so thanks in advance!

Hope you get more interest than just Brantwood or someone similar this time.

Hope you get more interest than just Brantwood or someone similar this time.

Me too, last time, not even the newly promoted BSN/BSS teams wanted me which surprised me.

Hope you get more interest than just Brantwood or someone similar this time.

Who knows, apparently it'll be a lot harder to start if you're at Sunday League Football reputation...

Who knows, apparently it'll be a lot harder to start if you're at Sunday League Football reputation...

I'm starting at Sunday League but I'd expect at least the lowest of the low in England to consider me which they didn't in that save.

Good luck mate Will defo follow this!

Good luck mate Will defo follow this!

Thanks, good to hear!

I'm starting at Sunday League but I'd expect at least the lowest of the low in England to consider me which they didn't in that save.

Yep, whenever I've tested starting unemployed with Sunday-league rep, I've often had good interest from the BSS/N, and the Portuguese and Norwegian 2nd Div's at least.

Rest of the World (2011/12)

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belarus

Belgium - European places playoff

Brazil

Bulgaria

Chile

China

Colombia - Overall - 1st Phase - 2nd Phase

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

England - FA Cup - League Cup

Finland

France - French Cup - Coupe de la Ligue

Germany - German Cup

Greece

Holland - European places play-off - Dutch Cup

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy - Italian Cup

Malaysia

Mexico - Opening Stage - Closing Stage

Northern Ireland

Norway

Peru

Poland

Portugal - Taca de Portugal - Bwin Cup

Romania

Russia - Russian Cup

Scotland - Scottish Cup - Scottish League Cup

Serbia

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

South Korea

Spain - Spanish Cup

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey - European Places Playoff - Playoff (losers in 1st round) - 2nd Round - 3rd Round - Turkish Cup

Ukraine - Ukrainian Cup

Uruguay

USA - Final

Wales - European Places Playoff

Champions League - Final

Europa League - Final 1 - Final 2

African Champions League

Asian Champions League

NACL

O-League

Copa Libertadores

African Nations Cup - Final

Oceanian Nations Cup - Final

July 2011 Transfers

August 2011 Transfers

January 2012 Transfers

February 2012 Transfers

Competition Rankings

Notable Managerial Changes

In the Prem:

Newcastle: Alan Pardew is sacked and the ex Toon himself Alan Shearer takes over.

Blackburn: The board sack Steve Kean and they take Wolves manager Mick McCarthy

Wolves: With McCarthy moving to Blackburn, they hire Man United assistant Mike Phelan as their new boss.

Chelsea: Andre Villas-Boas gets the sack and the man to replace him is ex Bayern manager Louis van Gaal.

Swansea: Brendan Rodgers is sacked and they hire Tottenham assistant Kevin Bond as their new boss.

Norwich: After they sack Paul Lambert, they become the next to hire a member of another teams backroom staff as manager, Chelsea's Chilean scout Jorge Alvial moves to Carrow Road.

Everton: They sack David Moyes with Stoke manager Tony Pulis quitting his post to go to Everton.

Stoke: As Pulis leaves for Goodison Park, they take the assistant manager of Everton's rivals Liverpool Steve Clarke to be the new boss.

Other Clubs

LOSC Lille Metropole: Rudy Garcia leaves for PSG and in comes Claude Puel for his 2nd spell at the club.

Zenit: Luciano Spalletti is sacked and ex Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas heads to Russia.

Dortmund: They sack Jurgen Klopp and hire ex Barca boss Frank Rijkaard.

Interesting Appointments

Bristol City: They hire Gordon Strachan as their manager.

Sheff Wed: In comes Gareth Southgate.

sc Heerenveen: Ruud Gullit takes over the Dutch side.

New York: A surprise appointment in Avram Grant.

Inverness CT: Roy Keane looks to manage up in Scotland.

Sevilla: Rafa Benitez returns to La Liga in Seville.

Birmingham: After being sacked by Newcastle, Pardew steps down into the Championship.

Roma: Ex Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti returns to Serie A.

Hearts: Sacked Blackburn manager Steve Kean looks to revive his career in Scotland.

At. Madrid: Ex Turkey and Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink goes to Spain.

Vitesse: The Dutch side bring in ex Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster.

Fiorentina: Claudio Ranieri goes to Florence.

Awards

World

Footballer of the Year

Golden Ball

Team of the Year

Golden Boot

England

Top Scorer

Player of the Year

Young Player of the Year

Manager of the Year

Team of the Year

Euro 2012 - Poland and Ukraine

Group Stages

Quarter Finals

Ukraine p 0-0 Germany

Croatia 2-1 Poland

Belarus 0-1 Italy

Holland 0-0 p Belgium

Semi Finals

Ukraine p 0-0 Belgium

Croatia 1-3 Italy

Final

Ukraine 0-1 e Italy

Awards

Golden Boot

Best Player

Dream Team

Goal of the Tournament

1.

2.

3.

Good luck! Any offers yet? Interesting to see Italy take the Euros! No surprises as Messi captures the World awards Barcelona vs. Man Utd is predictable in the CL finals, but good going Benfica for getting to the Semis!

Good luck!

Thanks

Any offers yet?

Yep, an update is coming

Interesting to see Italy take the Euros!

They didn't exactly have the toughest resistance

No surprises as Messi captures the World awards

Of course Barcelona vs. Man Utd is predictable in the CL finals, but good going Benfica for getting to the Semis!

It was actually an even game but Anderson did his team no favours by getting sent off. Benfica did very well indeed, United hammered them 3-0 at Old Trafford but they almost recovered, winning 2-0 at home.

See above!!

6/7/12 - I had quite a lot of offers but my career will begin in the Chinese 2nd tier with Chengdu Blades! I've never managed a club outside of Europe in FM so this is a big step for me. For now, I'll tell you about the other offers, the first flood of offers came from England with newly promoted sides Hendon, Cambridge C, Wealdstone and Chester all offering me jobs and I was surprised to see Hendon and Chester with (small) transfer budgets, I delayed the offer hoping for something better. 4 days later, the offer from Chengdu came in and I instantly forgot about the English offers but I delayed again to see what else I'd get. Sure enough 2 more offers came in the next day, one from the Uruguayan 2nd division, Atenas de San Carlos, a promotion contending side but the fact they were over their wage budget dissuaded me, the other offer I got came from the Peruvian Premier Division in Cantolao, I didn't think a team in a top division would want me but I soon saw why, they were lingering at the bottom with just 2 points from 23 matches, no thanks. Another offer soon came from the Danish 2nd Division, Tjorring however didn't appeal to me too much so I turned them down. THEN came an offer that I had to think about, Indonesian Premier Division side Persip sent me an offer, the season hadn't started so I'd have plenty of time to prepare and they had a lot of money to spare in their wage budget. A second look however and the move to Chengdu was a no brainer, they had a transfer budget (175K) and a good wage budget (11.75K) which they were under. Also, the biggest pull factor was the amount of staff Chengdu had, they already have an assistant, a coach, a goalkeeping coach, 3 physios and a scout where Persip had none at all so I accepted the offer and am now the Chengdu Blades manager!

History

Chengdu's history is pretty interesting (at least to me), first of all the club isn't very old, only 6 months older than me! The team's name Chengdu Blades and their red and white shirt both come from Sheffield United, the club bought out Chengdu Wuniu as they were called and changed their name to Chengdu Blades. They've been convicted of match fixing TWICE! The first in 2001 when they were in the 2nd tier and even as recently as 2009, they were relegated for their match fixing attempts but bounced straight back up. notable former players are ex Premier League players as well, ex City player Sun Jihai and former Everton player Li Tie have played here. Chengdu Blades were heavily affected by the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008, fortunately none of the personnel were injured and they went on to donate blood for the cause, visit schools affected by the earthquake, donate £11K as well as essentials and 5000 football shirts to those affected, in their next match, the league's first one minute silence took place and all gate receipts were given to disaster zones.

FM History

Chengdu Blades had a disappointing 2011 season, finishing rock bottom of the Chinese Super League and being relegated, they are now doing pretty poorly in the Chinese 1st Division, 10th out of 16 and quite a way behind promotion so I have some work to do, 17 matches to play, I'm hoping to get to know the squad, we have some interesting players in the team, Jonas Salley almost became an Australian international at the 2010 World Cup but the Ivorian missed out on citizenship until after and hasn't gotten his break for them. Brendan Santalab has spent quite a bit of time in the A-League. Yang Changpeng was scouted by Bolton and was dubbed the Chinese Peter Crouch by the English media, at a height of 206cm, who can disagree?

Chengdu Blades Analysis

Media Prediction: 3rd, I very much doubt we'll finish in 3rd this season but it's a good aim for next season!

Squad Report - Some great talent here but not enough depth, when our key players are injured we have pretty much no-one to replace them.

Youth - A few players who COULD develop but no-one too special, my assistant likes the look of Yan Chao and Hu Hongliang.

Also, WTH

I've just realised our stadium is a 40834 all seater!

7/7/12 - Chengdu vs Yanbian (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi............|GK: Yin Guang

RB: Wang Cun..........|RB: Li Guang

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|RCB: Han Quinsong

LCB: Zhang Li..........|LCB: Woo Joo-Young

LB: Victor................|LB: Daniel Quaye

DM: Yang Hao..........|RM: Pei Yuwen

RCM: Zou Peng*.......|RCM: Diego Salini

CM: Jonas Salley.......|LCM: Soumaila Coulibaly^

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|LM: Cui Ren

ST: Thomas Anderson|ST: Jin Jingdao

ST: Gao Xiang..........|ST: Gao Wan'guo"

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Gao Chuang

Yang Changpeng.|Wu Yongchun

Yang Zezhi........|Li Minhui

Brendan Santalab|Chi Zhongguo

Lan Yi+.............|Lian Renjie

.......................|Jiang Hongquan

.......................|Bai Shenghu

* - Makes/Could make 125th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 75th appearance for his club.

^ - Needs 3 goals to reach 50 league goals.

" - Needs 2 goals to reach 25 league goals.

Preview: Just one day after taking over, I have my first match, Yanbian are a team that are about equal to us so a good test here. However, a surplus of injuries means that I can only play 5 on the bench (even Santalab is injured).

7 - Peng Xinli shoots from a tight angle and it hits the side-netting.

12 - Pei Yuwen shoots from the edge of the box and the Chengdu keeper almost spills it.

19 - Jin Jingdao hits one but it's wide.

23 - Peng Xinli finds Thomas Anderson but the shot goes over.

30 - Thomas Anderson shoots from the edge of the box but it's straight at the keeper.

40 - Peng Xinli curls one from distance and it's well tipped over the bar.

41 - Victor's corner is headed over by Feng Zhuoyi.

45 - GOAL! Wang Cun finds Thomas Anderson who turns and shoots and the ball finds its way past the keeper, 1-0 Chengdu!

45+1 - Half time

We deserve the lead, no doubt about it and I'm pleased with the way we're playing.

47 - Victor finds Gao Xiang who turns but shoots well wide.

59 - Victor's corner is headed by Feng Zhuoyi and it's tipped over.

71 - Victor's cross is headed wide by Thomas Anderson.

74 - GOAL! Coulibaly plays it through for Jin Jingdao who finishes well to give the away team an undeserved equaliser. Thomas Anderson thinks it was offside and is not happy.

88 - Lian Renjie and Jiang Hongquan replace Li Guang and Diego Salini.

88 - Coulibaly's free-kick is deflected off the wall for a corner.

90+2 - Full time

We're really unlucky not to have won but I'm encouraged by the performance with so many players injured.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.7)

RB: Wang Cun (7.4)

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi (6.7)

LCB: Zhang Li (6.0)

LB: Victor (7.1)

DM: Yang Hao (6.5)

RCM: Zou Peng (6.7)

CM: Salley (6.9)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.6)

ST: Thomas Anderson (7.2)

ST: Gao Xiang (6.8)

Good start to the season, good luck!

Good luck in China Hope this career treats you better than the last

Good start to the season, good luck!

The season hasn't just started, we're midway through .

Good luck in China Hope this career treats you better than the last

Thanks, the last career wasn't particularly bad but when I got FM12, I couldn't help but want to switch.

Good luck in China it's a lot of fun there.

Good luck in China it's a lot of fun there.

Thanks, I hope you're right!

Well, keepers aside.

14/7/12 - Liaoning vs Chengdu (Chinese National First Division)

Pre-match press conference

Bai Wei "Last time the two sides met, your side lost, how will that affect the team going into this one?"

Me "It provides good incentive for a top performance."

Squads

GK: Wang Yi............|GK: Zhang Lu

RB: Wang Cun".........|RCB: Raphael

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|CB: Kim Yoo-Jin

LCB: Zhang Li..........|LCB: Bregalda

LB: Victor................|RM: Yu Hanchao

DM: Yang Hao..........|RCM: Zhang Ye

RCM: Zou Peng*.......|CM: Qin Sheng

CM: Jonas Salley.......|LCM: Zhao Junzhe

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|LM: Ding Jie

ST: Thomas Anderson|ST: Yang Yu

ST: Brendan Santalab|ST: Carlos Andre

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Liu Yang

Hu Wei..............|Zang Haili

Yang Zezhi........|Li Yi'nan

Yang Changpeng.|Chen Xing

Zhang Yuan.......|Jean-Michel Nlend

Lan Yi¬.............|Wu Gaojun

Gao Xiang..........|Liu Jiaxin

* - Makes/Could make 150th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 150th league appearance for his club

^ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance for his club

" - Makes/Could make 200th league appearance

¬ - Makes/Could make 75th league appearance for his club

Preview: An away match to the team that's top of the league, this is as tough as it gets but we still have a chance.

2 - Peng Xinli finds Wang Cun who shoots but puts it wide.

13 - Carlos Andre trips Feng Zhaoyi and gets a yellow card.

16 - GOAL! Zhao Junzhe's cross is turned into his own net by Feng Zhaoyi, a cruel way to concede for Chengdu.

18 - Zang Haili comes on for Yu Hanchao

20 - Carlos Andre is allowed to get into the box and shoot but it's straight at the keeper.

34 - Victor picks up a knock and so to not take chances is replaced by Hu Wei.

43 - Thomas Anderson shoots from distance but it's well wide.

45 - Yang Yu shoots but it's an easy one for Wang Yi.

45+2 - GOAL! A goalmouth scramble from a corner ends up with Zhang Ye putting it in to double the scores.

45+3 - Half time

The 2nd goal is a bitter blow to our chances but defensively, we haven't been good enough, hopefully we can restore some pride.

45 - Li Yi'nan comes on at the break for Ding Jie.

48 - Zou Peng's effort is straight at the keeper.

52 - Yang Yu trips Yang Hao and is booked.

53 - Yang Yu shoots but it's well over the bar.

59 - Yang Hao gets booked for bringing down Zhang Ye

59 - Zhao Junzhe's free-kick is deflected for a corner.

60 - Zhao Junzhe's corner is headed over by Kim Yoo-Jin.

68 - Chen Xing replaces Yang Yu.

71 - Zhang Li upends Chen Xing and is booked.

75 - Zou Peng shoots from distance but it goes wide.

77 - Wang Cun is forced off with injury and is replaced by Yang Zezhi.

87 - Zou Peng shoots again from the edge of the box but puts it wide.

88 - GOAL! An absolute stunner, Carlos Andre pulls it back to Qin Sheng who bends it into the top corner from 30 yards, the icing on the cake for the league leaders.

90+1 - Qin Sheng is booked for tripping up Santalab.

90+2 - Full time

We simply weren't up to it today, a deserved defeat to the league leaders, hopefully we can improve. Bad news for us is that Wang Cun will be out for 2 weeks with a bruised thigh.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.2)

RB: Wang Cun (6.5) sub 77

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi (6.6)

LCB: Zhang Li (5.9)

LB: Victor (6.4) sub 34

DM: Yang Hao (6.3)

RCM: Zou Peng (6.6)

CM: Salley (6.6)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.4)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.1)

ST: Santalab (6.4)

Subs

Hu Wei (6.2) sub 34

Yang Zezhi (N/A) sub 77

Post-match press conference

Bai Wei "Zhang Ye had a great game for Liaoning, winning man of the match, what did you think of his game."

Me "He had a great game definitely, got himself on the scoresheet as well."

News around the world

After less than impressive performances in the Euros, France have sacked Laurent Blanc and Spain have sacked Vicente del Bosque, France have quickly brought in Arsene Wenger from Arsenal and Spain have hired Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, leaving Arsenal and Barcelona looking for managers...

That was a bit nasty.

That was a bit nasty.

A trip to the league leaders was always gonna be difficult, but it's a struggle motivating the team at the moment. I'm hoping to do ok for the rest of the season, get a good pre-season and have a better next season if that makes any sense

21/7/12 - Chengdu vs Dujiangyan (Chinese National First Division)

Pre-match press conference

Bai Wei "What are the chances of Wang Haoyi getting the place in the team he wants?"

Me "Not very high, he'll have to wait a while for his chance."

Squads

GK: Wang Yi............|GK: Wang Peng

RB: Hu Wei..............|RCB: Li Hongyang

RCB: Zhang Li..........|CB: Tang Tian

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|LCB: Xu Yang

LB: Victor................|RM: Jiang Xhe

DM: Jonas Salley......|RCM: Xia Qixi

RCM: Zou Peng.........|CM: Valtinho

CM: Yang Hao..........|LCM: Gu Wenxiang

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|LM: Han Dongri

ST: Thomas Anderson|ST: Deanzinho

ST: Brendan Santalab|ST: Shi Jun

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Man Weiwei

Zhang Xiaobin*...|Huang Shengkun

Zhang Yuan.......|Zheng Wangyang

Yang Changpeng.|Xie Keliang

Leonel...............|Hao Shuang

Yang Zezhi.........|Zhou Jun

Gao Xiang..........|Lai Man Fei

* - Makes/Could make competitive league debut.

Deanzinho hasn't scored in 766 minutes of football for Dujiangyan

If Dujiangyan don't win, they would have not won 8 games in a row, a record.

Preview: Our opponents are dangling outside the relegation zones, on a poor run of form and have a misfiring striker, surely we can't lose, can we?

11 - Thomas Anderson's free-kick from the left is somehow headed wide by Zhang Li.

13 - The referee sees a dive by Santalab and he's booked.

22 - GOAL! Wang Peng spills Hu Wei's cross from the right straight to Thomas Anderson who scores, maybe a costly mistake by the Dujiangyan keeper.

24 - Zhou Jun is on for Jiang Xhe

24 - The keeper is almost at fault for another goal, his misplaced pass falls to Zou Peng who sends Thomas Anderson through but Wang Peng recovers, making the save.

28 - Santalab picks up a knock and Gao Xiang replaces him to prevent further aggravation.

30 - Valtinho hits one from distance but it's over.

37 - An ambitious effort by Thomas Anderson sails over the bar.

38 - Zhang Xiaobin comes on for Victor.

42 - Thomas Anderson gets the better of his marker, turns and shoots but too high again.

44 - GOAL! An incredibly bizarre goal, Hu Wei has probably scored the best goal of his career, a harmless free-kick just inside Dujiangyan's half and it has Wang Peng beaten and nestles into the corner of the net, what a goal! Not sure he meant it though!

45+3 - Half time

We have a healthy two goal advantage which we should be able to keep up.

45 - Hao Xiang replaces Deanzinho at half-time after he picked up a minor knock.

47 - Gao Xiang shoots from the edge of the box but the keeper makes a great stop.

50 - Peng Xinli hits one well wide of the post.

52 - A hopeful free-kick is sent into the penalty area and a poor header by Zhang Xiaobin almost gifts Hao Shuang a goal but Wang Li makes a great save.

57 - Thomas Anderson sets up Peng Xinli but Wang Peng makes a good catch.

59 - Gao Xiang does well to create an opening for himself but hits it over.

62 - Gao Xiang runs to the edge of the box but he drags his effort wide.

64 - Thomas Anderson sets Gao Xiang away but his shot goes over.

66 - Zhang Xiaobin's cross is headed over by Gao Xiang.

69 - Thomas Anderson wins a free-kick right on the edge of the box, takes it himself and bends it just over the bar.

77 - Valtinho's corner is headed just over by Tang Tian.

79 - Thomas Anderson floats a dangerous free-kick in and Gao Xiang heads it over, he should have done better there.

80 - Lai Man Fei comes on to replace Han Dongri.

84 - GOAL! Salley finds Peng Xinli who sends one into the top corner from 25 yards to cap off a great day for Chengdu!

90+1 - Full time

A fantastic performance and a fully deserved three points, Dujiangyan should be feeling lucky that it was only 3-0! Slightly bad news for us as Santalab is out for 2 weeks with a bruised thigh but he has been non-existent for us anyway.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.8)

RB: Hu Wei (8.5)

RCB: Zhang Li (7.0)

LCB: Feng Zhaoyi (7.2)

LB: Victor (6.6) sub 38

DM: Salley (7.5)

RCM: Yao Peng (6.9)

CM: Hang Yao (6.9)

LCM: Peng Xinli (7.8)

ST: Thomas Anderson (8.3)

ST: Santalab (6.5) sub 28

Subs

Gao Xiang (6.8) sub 28

Zhang Xiaobin (6.8) sub 38

News Around the World

Barcelona and Arsenal have confirmed their new managers, Barcelona have hired respected Italian boss Marcello Lippi as their new manager. Arsenal have gone for a manager closer to home, David Moyes joins Arsenal having been sacked from Everton at the end of last season.

28/7/12 - Xiangtao vs Chengdu (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi............|GK: Mu Xu

RB: Hu Wei..............|RB: Chen Zhen*

RCB: Leonel.............|RCB: Li Xin+^

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|LCB: Mario Beata

LB: Victor................|LB: Cao Huan

DM: Zhang Li............|RM: Xu De'en"

RCM: Yang Hao.........|RCM: Dai Qinhua

CM: Jonas Salley.......|LCM: Wang Qing

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|LM: Ge Shengxiang"

ST: Thomas Anderson|ST: Jerry Palacios (brother of Wilson)

ST: Zhang Yuan........|ST: Mitchel Brown

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Li Jiankun

Chen Bo............|Liu Shuai

Wang Cun..........|Liu Bo

Yang Changpeng.|Akram

Zou Peng...........|Wang Chen

Yang Zezhi.........|Willian

Gao Xiang..........|Everton

* - Makes/Could make 75th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance

^ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance for his club.

" - Makes/Could make 50th league appearance

Jerry Palacios hasn't scored in 535 minutes of football for Xiangtao

Preview: A match against a team on similar footing, after a good result last time, I hope we can do well here.

4 - Xu De'en is booked for bringing down Victor.

4 - Xu De'en's corner is headed over by Beata.

6 - Zhang Yuan hits one from the edge of the area but it's over.

17 - Wang Qing spots a great run by Brown, plays it to him but the keeper saves for a corner.

17 - Xu De'en's corner is headed just wide by Brown.

23 - GOAL! Zhang Yuan slips in Thomas Anderson and when the Brazilian's effort is saved, Zhang Yuan is there to put in the rebound.

26 - Thomas Anderson shoots from a free-kick and it's just over.

35 - The goalscorer Zhang Yuan is forced off injured and Gao Xiang replaces him.

40 - Wang Qing heads forward Wang Yi's goal-kick giving Brown a great chance but he smashes it over the bar.

43 - Dai Qinhua trips Salley and gets a yellow.

44 - Gao Xiang does well to turn and shoot in the box and is unlucky to see his shot hit the inside of the post. The ball eventually comes back to Salley who smashes it well wide.

45 - GOAL! A fantastic strike by Gao Xiang, he does really well to cut inside past 2 defenders and hits it into the far corner, great goal at a great time!

45+2 - Half time

A great half, 2-0 up and don't look like losing it, let's hope we can keep it up.

50 - Thomas Anderson pulls it back for Yang Hao who shoots and the keeper makes a great stop, palming it away.

53 - Li Xin comes off with injury and Liu Bo is on.

60 - Wang Yi spills Chen Zhen's cross straight to Brown but fortunately for the away crowd, it goes over, could have been a cheap goal to give away.

61 - Liu Shuai replaces Xu De'en

62 - Cao Huan's cross is headed wide by Beata.

76 - Akram is on for Palacios.

78 - Yang Hao goes for it but it goes well wide.

85 - Thomas Anderson goes for the top corner from his free-kick but fails.

90+1 - Gao Xiang with probably the last kick of the game shoots from distance, just wide of the post.

90+2 - Full time

A top quality performance that leaves me wondering how this team aren't in the top half. That win takes us up to 9th.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.7)

RB: Hu Wei (7.2)

RCB: Leonel (7.2)

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (6.8)

LB: Victor (7.3)

DM: Zhang Li (6.7)

RCM: Yang Hao (6.8)

CM: Salley (6.8)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.9)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.9)

ST: Zhang Yuan (7.3) sub 35

Sub

Gao Xiang (7.3) sub 35

July 2012 Review

Chengdu 1-1 Yanbian (CN1D)

For us: Thomas Anderson (45+1)

For them: Jin Jingdao (75)

Liaoning 3-0 Chengdu (CN1D)

For them: Feng Zhuoyi OG (17), Zhang Ye (45+3), Qin Sheng (89)

Chengdu 3-0 Dujiangyan (CN1D)

For us: Thomas Anderson (23), Hu Wei (45), Peng Xinli (85)

Xiangtao 0-2 Chengdu (CN1D)

For us: Zhang Yuan (24), Gao Xiang (45+1)

Summary: I'm very satisfied with my first month in China, despite dropping 5 points our performances have been great. We were unlucky to draw 1-1 with Yanbian after dominating that match and a trip to the league leaders was always going to be difficult and that was the only poor performance of the month. We knocked three past Dujiangyan including stunners by Hu Wei and Peng Xinli and then got my first away win against Xiangtao in convincing fashion. One thing I'm very pleased about is that the goals have been spread out among the players, we have players capable of hitting the target and that can only help us, I only hope August goes just as well if not better!

11/8/12 - Chengdu vs Baxy (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi............|GK: Ban Yong

RB: Hu Wei..............|RB: Túlio

RCB: Zhang Li..........|RCB: Yao Liang

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|LCB: Vlado Jeknic

LB: Victor................|LB: Chen Fangzhou

DM: Jonas Salley.......|RM: Wang Qiancheng

RCM: Yang Zezhi.......|RCM: Du Xin

CM: Yang Hao..........|LCM: Paul Essola

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|LM: Wang Wei

ST: Thomas Anderson|ST: Jin Hui

ST: Brendan Santalab|ST: Xu Ning

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Cai Haochén

Chen Bo............|Li Taoyu

Zhang Yuan.......|Dong Yang

Yang Changpeng.|Gérson

Leonel...............|Wang Huaqiang

Wang Cun..........|Ji Nan

Gao Xiang..........|Han Xuan

Wang Yi hasn't conceded in 181 minutes of football for Chengdu.

Preview: A match on my birthday and one we should take 3 points from, Baxy are below us in the table but not by much so we can't lose.

1 - GOAL! Great start for Chengdu, Victor's corner is headed in by Zhang Li.

3 - Victor finds Thomas Anderson and his shot deflects behind for a corner.

4 - Victor's corner is headed over by Salley.

13 - Wang Wei plays in Jin Hui and somehow he hits it well wide, could have been a leveller.

23 - Tulio finds Wang Wei but he hits it well wide.

30 - Yang Zezhi fires one just over the bar.

36 - GOAL! Wang Wei's cross finds Xu Ning who chests it down and finishes, 1-1.

45+1 - Half time

Disappointed to go in level but am quietly confident we can grab a goal in the second half.

50 - Wang Yi spills a cross as far as Wang Qiancheng who hits it wide.

54 - GOAL! Santalab makes a great run, getting to the edge of the box before unleashing one into the top corner, top class.

58 - Hu Wei brings down Wang Wei and gets booked.

60 - Peng Xinli fires one but misses.

63 - Wang Huaqiang replaces Jin Hui.

69 - Thomas Anderson tries a free-kick but it's over.

72 - Thomas Anderson goes for it, well wide.

78 - Du Xin's free-kick is somehow headed over from close range by Xu Ning, lucky break for Chengdu.

79 - Thomas Anderson turns and shoots but misses.

90 - Both teams make changes, Chengdu take off their first scorer Zhang Li, bringing on Chen Bo and the away team replace Chen Fangzhou and Wang Wei with Li Taoyu and Ji Nan.

90+3 - Full time

We got the three points in a slightly disappointing performance but we go up to 8th and I'm pleased that I saw the Brendan Santalab that's been missing since I took over. We now go up to 8th.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.6)

RB: Hu Wei (6.5)

RCB: Zhang Li (7.6) sub 90

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (6.6)

LB: Victor (7.3)

DM: Salley (7.3)

RCM: Yang Zezhi (6.6)

CM: Yang Hao (6.8)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.6)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.7)

ST: Santalab (8.3)

Sub

Chen Po (N/A) sub 90

Post-match press conference

Dong Zhen "Brendan Santalab silenced the away crowd with a terrific goal, how did you rate it?"

Me "It's certainly up there with the greatest, very proud of the lad."

18/8/12 - Songjiang vs Chengdu (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi+..........|GK: Song Tao

RB: Hu Wei..............|RB: Ren Xin

RCB: Zhang Li..........|RCB: Taavi Rahn

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi.....|LCB: Xing Xùfei

LB: Victor................|LB: Jiao Fengbo

DM: Jonas Salley.......|RCM: Chen Po-Liang

RCM: Yang Zezhi.......|LCM: Júnior Paulista

CM: Yang Hao..........|RAM: Li Tixiang

LCM: Peng Xinli.........|AM: Wang Wei

ST: Thomas Anderson|LAM: Zhu Haiwei

ST: Brendan Santalab|ST: Aleksandar Rodic

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Chen Haozhuang

Chen Bo............|Sha Yibo

Zhang Yuan.......|Caio

Yang Changpeng.|Xu Bo

Leonel...............|Yu Rui

Wang Cun..........|Rong Yu

Gao Xiang..........|Wu Bo

* - Makes/Could make 50th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance for his club.

Liang Chen hasn't scored in 892 minutes of football for Songjiang.

Preview: We can't underestimate this team, despite our run of form and the fact they're below us, a completely unchanged team, why change a winning formula?

6 - Peng Xinli to Victor who smashes one just over the bar, the keeper was beaten.

10 - Chen Po-Liang gets into the box and shoots but it's straight at the keeper.

11 - Peng Xinli strikes one over the bar.

14 - Victor to Peng Xinli who shoots but mishits it.

27 - GOAL! Zhu Haiwei's free-kick is headed onto the bar by Lian Chen and Xing Xùfei slides in the rebound, 1-0 Songjiang.

31 - Santalab rockets a shot on goal, it's a fantastic save by the keeper.

32 - Yang Zezhi with an ambitious effort but it's over.

41 - Jiao Fengbo is somehow allowed to cross it on the left and another Lian Chen header hits the bar.

43 - Junior Paulista hits it well wide of the goal.

45 - Jiao Fengbo's cross is headed over by Lian Chen, he's certainly been an aerial threat today.

45+1 - Half time

We've been disappointing and we need to improve in the second half to get something out of this.

45 - I don't know what's gone on at half-time, it looks like Rong Yu has replaced Lian Chen and then Rong Yu was taken off again and replaced by Xu Bo, a waste of a sub.

52 - GOAL! Jiao Fengbo with another cross from the left and it's Rodic who gets up highest to make it 2-0.

54 - Zhu Haiwei with a dangerous free-kick from the left and Rahn heads it wide, he was open.

55 - Hu Wei trips Zhu Haiwei and is booked.

68 - Wang Yi comes out to meet Jiao Fengbo's cross but Rodic gets there first and heads it over.

71 - Caio replaces Junior Paulista

71 - Zhu Haiwei's free-kick is headed wide by Rahn.

75 - A loose ball comes to Rodic in the box but he hits it over.

77 - GOAL! Jiao Fengbo's cross comes to Li Tixiang who is allowed to bring it down and shoots and despite a touch by Wang Yi can't stop it.

90+1 - Full time

Terrible performance, terrible result, we just couldn't deal with anything that came into the box. We go down to 9th.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (5.9)

RB: Hu Wei (5.8)

RCB: Zhang Li (5.6)

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (5.8)

LB: Victor (6.6)

DM: Salley (5.8)

RCM: Yao Zezhi (6.4)

CM: Yang Hao (6.1)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.6)

ST: Thomas Anderson (5.9)

ST: Santalab (6.6)

In 9th...tough break. How many in the league?

In 9th...tough break. How many in the league?

16, I took over and they were in 10th so I guess I've improved them slightly .

25/8/12 - Chengdu vs Rizhiquan (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi...............|GK: Wu Yansheng

RB: Hu Wei*...............|RB: Josimar Júnior

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi........|RCB: Li Zhihai

LCB: Zhang Li.............|LCB: Hélio Baptista

LB: Victor..................|LB: Zhu Cong

DM: Jonas Salley.........|RCM: Zhao Huang

RCM: Yang Zezhi.........|LCM: Pan Jia

CM: Yang Hao............|RAM: Lu Lin

LCM: Peng Xinli...........|AM: Yu Jianfeng^"

ST: Thomas Anderson+|LAM: Shi Liang

ST: Brendan Santalab..|ST: Ricardo Steer

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Li Weijun

Chen Bo............|Ge Zhen

Zhang Yuan.......|Huang Long

Yang Changpeng.|Mahama Awal

Leonel...............|Liu Sheng

Wang Cun..........|Tan Binliáng

Gao Xiang..........|Renatinho

* - Makes/Could make 225th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance

^ - Makes/Could make 50th league appearance

" - Makes/Could make 50th league appearance for his club.

Preview: We want to recover from an embarrassing defeat last game but opposition doesn't come in much tougher form than Rizhiquan so we'll have to be on top of our game.

10 - Thomas Anderson heads Victor's cross down for Peng Xinli who smashes it over the bar.

17 - Josimar Júnior hits one from distance and it hits the side-netting, not a bad effort.

18 - Santalab shoots from distance but it's wide.

19 - Shi Liang finds Steer who shoots first time and Wang Yi makes a good low save.

25 - GOAL! Thomas Anderson shows everyone watching the value of doing the unexpected, the crowd think the attack is over when Thomas Anderson has his back to goal on the right side of the box but he turns before smashing it straight at Wu Yansheng who isn't expecting it and he can't stop it.

34 - Santalab is forced off with injury and Gao Xiang comes on.

36 - Yu Jianfeng finds Zhao Huang who is very close to picking out the top corner for Rizhiquan.

41 - Thomas Anderson persists really well, winning several tackles before teeing up Gao Xiang who can only shoot straight at the keeper.

44 - Goal disallowed for Chengdu, Peng Xinli with a lovely ball for Gao Xiang who sends it into the top corner but the flag is up, after a replay it looked like the correct decision.

45+2 - Half time

We've been pretty good and probably deserve the lead, it'll be a battle to hold on but it's one I relish.

45 - Awal comes on for Josimar Júnior at half-time.

47 - Peng Xinli plays it to Gao Xiang who shoots and it's blocked for a corner.

53 - Lu Lin with an ambitious free-kick from 35 yards and it hits the top of the cross-bar.

60 - Wang Cun replaces Yang Hao.

63 - Ge Zhen comes on for Shi Liang.

65 - Yang Zezhi hits it wide from distance.

70 - Thomas Anderson ghosts past the defence and is unlucky to see his finish crash off the post.

77 - Chengdu hit Rizhiquan on the break, Thomas Anderson sends Gao Xiang through one on one and his shot is well saved by the keeper.

81 - Zhao Huang comes off injured and Liu Sheng comes on to replace him.

90+1 - Pan Jia finds Lu Lin who shoots but it goes over.

90+3 - Full time

A fully deserved victory and I'm pleased with the performance, a good recovery from last match, we go back up to 8th. Santalab is out for 1/2 weeks with a bruised head, I'm not too disheartened, another foreigner gets a chance and Santalab has looked below average recently.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.8)

RB: Hu Wei (7.0)

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi (8.5)

LCB: Zhang Li (6.8)

LB: Victor (7.2)

DM: Salley (6.9)

RCM: Yang Zezhi (7.0)

CM: Yang Hao (6.7) sub 60

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.8)

ST: Thomas Anderson (7.3)

ST: Santalab (6.4) sub 34

Subs

Gao Xiang (6.3) sub 34

Wang Cun (6.6) sub 60

Other News

Peng Xinli was called up to China Under 21s to face Syria, he came on in the 57th minute and set up Beijing's Tan Tiancheng for the winning goal in a 3-2 win, a good contribution from him, hopefully he sees more game time for them.

August 2012 Review

Chengdu 2-1 Baxy (CN1D)

For us: Zhang Li (1), Santalab (55)

For them: Xu Ning (37)

Songjiang 3-0 Chengdu (CN1D)

For them: Xing Xùfei (28), Rodic (53), Li Tixiang (78)

Chengdu 1-0 Rizhiquan (CN1D)

For us: Thomas Anderson (26)

Summary: Not bad, but I know we can do better, we had an average game against Baxy and were a bit lucky to win after Santalab's moment of brilliance, we couldn't get away with a bad performance against Songjiang, they really put us to the sword and fully deserved to smash us. Our best performance came against the toughest opposition in Rizhiquan, we could and probably should have got a couple more but we got the win which was important. One bad note has been the form of Santalab, he had one good moment but in general he looks disinterested, whenever I bring him off and try a Chinese striker, they always have more of an impact, we'll see when he comes back from injury if he intends to play for us.

1/9/12 - Dongjin vs Chengdu (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi...............|GK: Zhang Chen

RB: Hu Wei.................|RB: Li Jian

RCB: Leonel................|RCB: Lee Yoon-Sup

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi........|LCB: Ren Peng

LB: Victor..................|LB: Xu Wenbin

DM: Jonas Salley.........|RM: Zhang Lu

RCM: Yang Zezhi.........|RCM: Jia Xiaochen

CM: Yang Hao............|LCM: Milan Martinovic

LCM: Peng Xinli...........|LM: Alex

ST: Thomas Anderson..|ST: Zhu Dayi

ST: Zhang Yuan.........|ST: Thales Magalhães

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Gu Junjie

Chen Bo............|Tian Yuan

Zhang Li............|Liang Yuchi

Yang Changpeng.|Wang Qingfeng

Foguinho...........|Akanni-Sunday Wasiu

Wang Cun..........|Li Gen

Gao Xiang..........|Liu Yi

Preview: A tough away match against a team above us in the table, hoping our away form won't affect this game.

4 - Dongjin go on the break but Thales Magalhães shoots well wide, a big chance and he knows it.

5 - Zhang Yuan's game ends early, he is replaced by Gao Xiang.

13 - GOAL! Zhu Dayi plays it to Thales Magalhães who whacks it into the corner.

16 - GOAL! It's all falling apart already for Chengdu, Zhang Lu's cross finds Zhu Dayi whose first shot is saved but he hits the rebound, which is deflected, hits the post and goes in.

28 - Alex's low cross finds Zhang Lu who hits it over.

30 - Yang Hao finds Yang Zezhi but his shot is poor and wide.

31 - Thomas Anderson has a free-kick deflected behind for a corner.

35 - Zhang Lu's cross is headed over by Alex, only just.

40 - Goal disallowed for the home team, Jia Xiaochen plays a ball into the box which Thales Magalhães finishes but it's offside and rightly so.

41 - Thomas Anderson finds Gao Xiang who curls one wide.

43 - Wang Yi spills a cross to Zhu Dayi and Chengdu are fortunate as the shot is straight at their keeper.

45+2 - Half time

We've been nothing short of abysmal, we forget how to defend away from home and the lads are getting the hairdryer treatment now which should see an improved performance.

48 - Feng Zhuoyi finds Peng Xinli whose shot skims the top of the cross bar.

62 - Jia Xiaochen's corner is headed straight at the keeper by Ren Peng.

68 - The ref sees a dive by Alex and the Brazilian is first in the book.

71 - The ball somehow bounces off Victor into the path of Thales Magalhães but his shot is caught by Wang Yi.

76 - Alex's low cross finds Thales Magalhães and his shot is well saved by Wang Yi.

77 - Tian Yuan replaces Zhu Dayi.

77 - GOAL! Jia Xiaochen's corner is headed in by Tian Yuan the substitute who makes an instant impact.

83 - Thomas Anderson trips Wu Xenbin and is booked.

90+1 - Full time

Another miserable 3-0 defeat, it's impossible to motivate these guys away from home, defensively we look hopeless and didn't createmuch on the attack either.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.4)

RB: Hu Wei (5.6)

RCB: Leonel (6.9)

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (5.7)

LB: Victor (6.6)

DM: Salley (6.6)

RCM: Yang Zezhi (5.6)

CM: Yang Hao (5.9)

LCM: Peng Xinli (5.8)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.5)

ST: Zhang Yuan (N/A) sub 5

Sub

Gao Xiang (6.7) sub 5

Other News

Brendan Santalab's goal against Baxy was voted as Goal of the Month in August, watch it

Tough loss - how is the league table looking?

Still a bit mixed in fortunes.

Tough loss - how is the league table looking?

10th in the league and not looking anywhere near either end.

Still a bit mixed in fortunes.

Away from home we just don't perform, this team is capable of so much but motivation is a problem.

15/9/12 - Chengdu vs Fuli (Chinese National 1st Division)

Pre-match press conference

Bai Wei "Fuli are 3rd in the league, do you think you have a chance today?"

Me "I think we definitely have a chance, at home we haven't lost during my reign, I hope we don't see that change."

Squads

GK: Wang Yi...............|GK: Yang Qipeng

RB: Hu Wei.................|RCB: Sui Donglu

RCB: Leonel................|CB: Zhao Ming

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi........|LCB: Cristian

LB: Victor..................|RM: Pan Chi

DM: Zhang Li..............|RCM: Zhang Ao

RCM: Yang Zezhi*+.....|LCM: Huang Long

CM: Yang Hao............|LM: Aleksandar Zivkovic

LCM: Peng Xinli...........|AM: Harison

ST: Thomas Anderson..|ST: Tang Miao

ST: Brendan Santalab..|ST: Zhang Shuo

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Wang Lüè

Chen Bo............|Liu Cheng

Zhang Yuan.......|Marcelo Guerreiro

Yang Changpeng.|Gao Zengxiang

Wang Cun..........|Adinan

Jonas Salley.......|Li Zhe

Gao Xiang..........|Wang Bin

* - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance for his club.

Preview: I haven't lost at home yet and despite Fuli being 3rd, I'm confident we can do well, hopefully Santalab's return from injury has come at a perfect timing.

7 - A loose ball falls to Huang Long but he heads straight at Wang Yi.

15 - Santalab cuts in and shoots and it bounces off the cross-bar, unlucky.

16 - Harison is booked for tripping Zhang Li.

16 - Santalab is allowed to cut inside, this time from the left and the keeper just about saves his near post shot.

18 - Victor finds Yang Zezhi but his shot is poor and wide.

21 - Harison comes off injured, he's replaced by Adinan.

23 - Yang Zezhi's cross finds Santalab who chests it and volleys wide.

27 - A series of blocked shots by Chengdu players and eventually, Yang Hao's one wins a corner.

29 - Thomas Anderson has a go from a free-kick but hits it over.

38 - GOAL! What was going on with Chengdu, Victor's free-kick is cleared, Adinan flicked it on and for some reason no-one in a Chengdu shirt bothered about it with Adinan eventually rounding the keeper and scoring, bizarre!

40 - Santalab shoots from distance and the keeper makes a remarkable save, corner.

41 - The ball comes out to Hu Wei who volleys it, but it's blocked and its an easy take for Yang Qipeng.

43 - Thomas Anderson plays it to Santalab who somehow puts it wide.

45+2 - Half time

How the hell are we behind? The goal we conceded would never happen IRL, the keeper would have come out with ages to spare, not happy at all, we'd better not lose.

45 - Liu Cheng replaces Pan Chi at the break.

56 - GOAL! Hu Wei floats in a tempting cross and Santalab gets a head on it to equalise.

58 - Marcelo Guerreiro is on for Cristian.

77 - Santalab comes off, on comes Gao Xiang.

90 - GOAL! And you can't say Chengdu don't deserve this, Victor's corner finds Leonel completely unmarked and the Brazilian heads it in off the post, where was the defence? His first for the club couldn't have come at a better time!

90+3 - Liu Cheng is booked for a trip on Victor.

90+3 - Full time

A fully deserved victory for us, I'm glad we pulled through in the end after that bizarre opener. We are up to 9th.

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.8)

RB: Hu Wei (7.8)

RCB: Leonel (7.4)

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (6.8)

LB: Victor (8.1)

DM: Zhang Li (7.0)

RCM: Yang Zezhi (6.9)

CM: Yang Hao (6.8)

LCM: Peng Xinli (6.9)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.7)

ST: Santalab (7.3) sub 77

Sub

Gao Xiang (N/A) sub 77

Post-match press conference

Dong Zhen "What a comeback, you must be very pleased with that turn-around."

Me "We deserved the win in the end which made Leonel's goal all the more sweeter.

Other News

Peng Xinli was called up to the China Under 21 squad and started in their 1-0 win over Singapore, being replaced in the 69th minute. He also played off the bench in their 2-0 win over Northern Mariana coming on after 78 minutes.

how do you find managing in china? never been there myself.

how do you find managing in china? never been there myself.

Speaking for myself, it's not easy, only 4 foreigners allowed and there isn't much Chinese talent available, I think youth plays a big factor.

Nice turnaround.

Nice turnaround.

Thanks, who wants to bet we'll take a beating in our next match xD.

22/9/12 - Shenbei vs Chengdu (Chinese National First Division)

Squads

GK: Wang Yi...............|GK: Ou Ya

RB: Hu Wei.................|RB: Márcio

RCB: Feng Zhuoyi........|RCB: Liu Huan

LCB: Zhang Li.............|LCB: Zhao Yibo

LB: Victor*+...............|LB: Zhao Xudong

RM: Erishat................|RCDM: Chen Yongqiang

RCM: Jonas Salley.......|LCDM: Pierre

CM: Peng Xinli............|RM: Su Di

LM: Zhang Yuan.........|LM: Liu Le

ST: Brendan Santalab^|AM: Zhang Gong

ST: Thomas Anderson..|ST: José Duarte

Subs

Wang Haoyi........|Li Gang

Wang Cun..........|Hao Qiang

Yang Hao...........|Elivelto

Gao Xiang..........|Vitor

Leonel...............|Bai Fan

Yang Zezhi.........|Shi Ming

Wang Kai...........|Ding Feng

* - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance

+ - Makes/Could make 25th league appearance for his club.

^ - Makes/Could make 50th league appearance for his club.

Preview: An away match which pretty much halves our chances of winning but we're against a team in the relegation zones which should see us turn our away form around. (HAD TO HOLIDAY DUE TO GAME ERRORS)

3 - Liu Le's shot from distance is tipped over by Wang Yi.

10 - Pierre's shot from distance is wide.

10 - Thomas Anderson plays it through for Santalab who shoots just wide.

13 - Liu Le's cross is met by a José Duarte diving header which is well saved.

20 - Peng Zinli slips it in for Santalab whose effort is well saved.

27 - Victor's corner is somehow headed over by Thomas Anderson.

33 - Wang Yi's long free-kick finds Thomas Anderson and his shot is saved well and low by Ou Ya.

35 - Santalab finds space and shoots but it's wide.

45 - Márcio's corner is headed over by José Duarte.

45+2 - Half time

If I was managing this, I'd be happy with the performance but disappointed we didn't score as we had several chances, here comes the 2nd half.

45 - Wang Cun replaces Erishat at half-time.

49 - Thomas Anderson sets up Santalab who fires wide.

50 - GOAL! Peng Xinli plays Santalab through one-on-one and puts in a classy finish, 1-0. Liu Huan is not happy, he wants offside.

53 - Bai Fen is on for Chen Yongqiang.

53 - Su Di's free-kick is headed just wide by José Duarte.

65 - Wang Cun plays a free-kick short to Peng Xinli who hits a curler at goal forcing Ou Ya to make an acrobatic save!

70 - A corner is headed out and it comes to Santalab who comes forward before hitting it over.

71 - Peng Xinli is tackled and it falls to Zhang Yuan but he hits it well wide.

79 - Shi Ming replaces Zhao Xudong.

80 - Double sub for Chengdu, Yang Hao and Leonel replace Zhang Li and Salley.

84 - Hao Qiang is on for Márcio.

84 - Su Di's corner is headed over by José Duarte.

88 - GOAL! Santalab, who has just been treated by the physio heads in Wang Cun's free-kick to surely seal 3 points for Chengdu.

90+4 - Full time

We put in a good performance in my absence and got a good away win at last, I hope I can keep this run going!

Ratings

GK: Wang Yi (6.9)

RB: Hu Wei (7.0)

RCB: Zhang Li (7.1) sub 80

LCB: Feng Zhuoyi (7.6)

LB: Victor (7.4)

RM: Erishat (6.3) sub 45

RCM: Salley (6.8) sub 80

LCM: Peng Xinli (8.1)

LM: Zhang Yuan (6.8)

ST: Santalab (8.8)

ST: Thomas Anderson (6.8)

Subs

Wang Cun (7.0) sub 45

Yang Hao (N/A) sub 80

Leonel (N/A) sub 80

Post-match press conference

Shi Guanghui "A great win for your side today in your absence, how glad are you now?"

Me "I'm glad to say my assistant did a great job for me while I was off sick and am happy with the way we played."

Bad news guys, the PC isn't handling all the leagues and I'm getting so many runtime errors that I can't even finish a match, until I can find a way to resolve this I won't be able to update. Fear not, another thread is on the way for now.

If you can't finish a match, you might be able to do future ones. I've been doing a lot of league and nation trimming which helps for a bit but it's only a short-term measure (maybe a year) before it becomes more of a problem again, but you can do it loads of times, a few nations or so at a time, and still have plenty of options.

If you can't finish a match, you might be able to do future ones. I've been doing a lot of league and nation trimming which helps for a bit but it's only a short-term measure (maybe a year) before it becomes more of a problem again, but you can do it loads of times, a few nations or so at a time, and still have plenty of options.

I know but it wasn't just one match, I holidayed one and the same issue occurs on the next one. I'm aiming to take out leagues but I have to wait until the end of the season which I can't get to.