If You Count Your Chickens Before They've Hatched, They Won't Lay An Egg

[SnakeXe]

I'd have taken the Werder Bremen job - perhaps on paper there's nothing more currently but they're historically one of the big German clubs, certainly bigger than Fulham.

[AK22]

Thanks for all the comments I'm hoping to push for the top six again next season, and without any European distractions, I hoping we can replicate (or better!) our fifth position from two seasons ago.

Hope you're all having an enjoyable festive period! I've managed to wrangle an hour of free time, so thought I'd use it to catch up on the forums, as unfortunately, I probably won't get enough time to get a decent FM session going today.

Just to give you a bit more of an insight to why I turned Werden Bremen down; I know on paper, Werder are a bigger club side than Fulham, and that financially they are in a slightly better position too, however, there was no big attraction for me. Firstly, I don't really have any affiliation with the club in real life; I've never really followed them and there is nothing in their history that interests or intrigues me. Secondly, their squad is in a worse state than what I've already got at Fulham. Fair enough, I'd probably have a bit of money to rectify this, but I doubt we'd achieve Champions League qualification in the first season. Also, if I'd left Fulham, it's unlikely I'd be able to take my star players with me; I really want to follow the development of John Itubu and the two Egyptians, so I think I owe it to them to have another season developing them at Fulham before moving on. That being said, if a 'too good to refuse offer' came in from one of my favoured clubs, I would definitely consider it.

On a side note, I was fortunate enough to get a couple of PS3 games (FIFA 12 and F1, if you're interested) as gifts yesterday, so even though I had some FM time planned over the forthcoming days, it looks like my attention may be split somewhat before I go back to work on the 3rd. I may need to pull in a FM all-nighter to keep my hand in!

[AK22]

I'd be ashamed, letting Blackburn finish above you.

I am :hangshead:

Ouch. I wasn't expecting you to fall that much, but it seems you were very unlucky with your main man suffering injuries throughout the season.

I guess we'll be seeing Amer at the cottage next season

The sod has signed for Fiorentina I offered to make him to highest paid player at the club too!

[Nobby_McDonald]

On a side note, I was fortunate enough to get a couple of PS3 games (FIFA 12 and F1, if you're interested) as gifts yesterday

We have an OTF F1 Championship over in, well, OTF if you fancy it. It's sponsored by Tesco Finest beef.

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Unlucky on the end of season form. Looked like you were on for a good season. Disappointed not to be seeing Amer at the cottage next year too.

[AK22]

We have an OTF F1 Championship over in, well, OTF if you fancy it. It's sponsored by Tesco Finest beef.

Cheers Nobby. I'm not very good though! And I'm not sure I can commit to anything regular, but I'll certainly take a look

Unlucky on the end of season form. Looked like you were on for a good season. Disappointed not to be seeing Amer at the cottage next year too.

I'm actually really annoyed with myself. I could have organised the transfer a lot earlier, but wanted to see my budgets for the forthcoming season before committing to anything. Due to my stalling, other teams become interested in him, and snatched him away from right under my nose. That may be it for my Egyptian signings, I can't afford anyone one else now!

[AK22]

European Championship 2020


Hosts: Belgium
Holders: France


Group Stages





Knockout Rounds



Final

Netherlands 2-3 Germany

In what was a fairly routine tournament, the trophy was finally won by Germany in a thrilling final against The Netherlands, where all five goals where scored in 27 minutes either side of half time. 'The Special One' stepped down from his England coaching role after failing to get past the Quarter-Final, and has now been replaced by former Manchester United defender, Henning Berg!

[AK22]

Fulham F.C.



Pre-Season Summary 2020/21


Wage: £19750 per week | Contract Length Remaining: 2 years

After much speculation over my future throughout the course of the summer, I will definitely start the season still as the manager of Fulham.


Board Expectations


Barclays Premier League: Respectable Position
FA Cup: Sixth Round | Carling Cup: Not Important

Transfer Budget: £7.78m
Wage Budget: £675k per week | Current Player Wage Total: £605k per week

Media Prediction: 8th | Title Odds: 100/1

It's pretty obvious that we won't be troubling the major teams in the title race this season, but my main objective will be to try and get us back into the Europa League. Outside of the top four (Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea), there's a group of four/five sides all capable of fighting for a Europa League place; we're one of these teams, but will face competition from Liverpool, Blackburn, Stoke and Tottenham. Alternatively, a good cup run would suffice, but I'd much rather have a steady league performance, but without the post-Xmas horror shows that have plagued us in the previous two seasons.


Transfer Activity

Transfer Summary
Club Signing of the Window: Francisco Jose
Total Amount Spent: £5.5m | Total Amount Received: £6m

As much as I would have liked to bring in some big names over the summer, I had to make do with who I could afford. Top of my shopping list was a new striker, someone I hoped would be able to support John Itubu, and share the goalscoring burden. In fact, I ended up signing two strikers; Francisco Jose should turn out a bargain at only £1m, after Inter Milan offloaded him to us, and Andy Carroll should still offer a aerial threat despite being the wrong side of 30 now. Raymond Gardiner will also be in consideration for a starting place, as he's a midfielder who has to creativity to fashion plenty of chances for us.


Tactical Outlook

This is my initial formation and team instructions:





I'm going to persevere with the formation I used last season. There's been a few tweaks to the individual player roles, but the impetus is still the same. I'm hoping we'll still be difficult to beat, but hopefully, the new signings will make us slightly more prolific in front of goal.

[HotChocolate]

Francisco Jose looks a top player and a bargain at £1m!

Good luck this season AK

[o JaY]

Agree with HotChocolate - £1m is a steal for a player with that talent!

[buzz2k7]

How did you get him for 1 Million?
Im useless at getting bargain tranfer fees :/

[Pangaea]

1 million for a guy like that is impressive. Did you have sensitive information on the club's owners?

[AK22]

Francisco Jose looks a top player and a bargain at £1m!

Good luck this season AK

Agree with HotChocolate - £1m is a steal for a player with that talent!

How did you get him for 1 Million?
Im useless at getting bargain tranfer fees :/

1 million for a guy like that is impressive. Did you have sensitive information on the club's owners?

Signing José was far too easy; Inter Milan offered him to me for £1.5m, I got my scout to do a report, and he came back saying we could get him for £1m. Cue, £1m bid, accepted by Inter, and now he's a South London resident. To be fair, Inter really didn't need him, as he's been out on loan for the previous four seasons, never actually making a full appearance in the famous black and blue stripes.

After the window shut, I also signed another striker on the cheap. I'm not sure if you've heard of Wayne Rooney?



Not too bad for someone who's just about to turn 35. He's still in the England picture too, so there's a chance he may add to the record breaking number of caps and goals for his country.

[AK22]

Also in the news ticker...





Two great offers from two clubs I admire. The Roma job would definitely be a big step-up from Fulham, and it would be a great opportunity to manage outside of England, however, the Liverpool offer is even more impressive. That, and the fact that they are the club I support in real life, can only mean one thing; pack your bags, we're all off to the North-West (and I can afford to take my Egyptians with me ).

[HotChocolate]

That's not the same Wayne Rooney, he only has aggression of 14.

Great move to Liverpool, good luck

Have they made the top 4 in the game at any point?

[roganp]

Good luck with Liverpool

I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap

[DazRTaylor]

Also in the news ticker...





Two great offers from two clubs I admire. The Roma job would definitely be a big step-up from Fulham, and it would be a great opportunity to manage outside of England, however, the Liverpool offer is even more impressive. That, and the fact that they are the club I support in real life, can only mean one thing; pack your bags, we're all off to the North-West (and I can afford to take my Egyptians with me ).

All the best at Liverpool.

I could never manage my club. If Yeovil came in for me I would decline - the losses hurt a lot more, despite being just a game. My keyboard would get thrown out of the window for one.

[AK22]

That's not the same Wayne Rooney, he only has aggression of 14.

Great move to Liverpool, good luck

Have they made the top 4 in the game at any point?

Good luck with Liverpool

I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap

All the best at Liverpool.

I could never manage my club. If Yeovil came in for me I would decline - the losses hurt a lot more, despite being just a game. My keyboard would get thrown out of the window for one.

Cheers fellas

Normally I wouldn't manage them either, simply because it would distress me if I couldn't achieve any success with them. However, Man Utd have now won 25 league titles in my game (Liverpool did win the 2012/13 title though), and someone needs to put a stop to that!! I've signed a five year deal with them, and for the sake of keeping my interest in the save going, it's unlikely I will outstay my welcome at Anfield, so it's going to be a case of trying to upset United's apple-cart, build some strong foundations, then pass the baton on to someone else. Well, that's the plan anyway, it could all go horribly wrong, and I'll turn out to be the 'New Roy Hodgson'.

Oh, hang-on, I was the 'New Roy Hodgson' at Fulham. I hope that's not an omen

Here's my career history at Fulham:

[o JaY]

Congrats on the big move, hope you have some great success at your favourite club!

[B.W.G]

Good move,hopefully you can shake off the new Roy Hodgson tag off otherwise you'll be out of a job come January

[AK22]

Congrats on the big move, hope you have some great success at your favourite club!

Good move,hopefully you can shake off the new Roy Hodgson tag off otherwise you'll be out of a job come January

I hope so too! But to be fair to Woy, he did his best, there was so much going on at the club with all the off-field sagas, that it was never going to be easy. I'm sure King Kenny standing in the shadows whispering sweet nothings into the owners ears didn't help matters much either

This is the juggernaut I'm trying to stop:

[cerud]

Congrats on the Liverpool job. I always love managing my hometown team especially now that I can!

[roganp]

I hope so too! But to be fair to Woy, he did his best, there was so much going on at the club with all the off-field sagas, that it was never going to be easy. I'm sure King Kenny standing in the shadows whispering sweet nothings into the owners ears didn't help matters much either

This is the juggernaut I'm trying to stop:

That's how it should be

[AK22]

Liverpool F.C.

Wage: £30.5k per week
Contract Length: 5 years
Transfer Budget: £44.5m
Wage Budget: £2.1m per week
Current Player Wage Total: £1.28m per week





Year Founded: 1892
Nickname: The Reds
Rivals: Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal


Stadium: Anfield
Capacity: 45362 all-seater





2020/21

Media Prediction: 5th
Title Odds: N/A

As it stands 13th November 2020: 13th
Table | Fixtures


Board Expectations

Barclays Premier League: Qualify for the Champions League (Won't be judged at the moment)
UEFA Europa League: Reach the Final (Won't be judged at the moment)
FA Cup: Semi Final
Carling Cup: Not important (Knocked out already)


Initial Impressions

Squad Overview | Past Managers | Finances | Facilities

I'm really up for the task of making Liverpool the biggest club in England again, but it certainly won't be an overnight transition. Even though the squad is a lot better than the 13th league place suggests, there are a lot of golden-oldies coming to the end of their careers. From the players left behind from the Alex McLeish regime, I've inherited a 38 year-old Pepe Reina, a couple of 34 year-olds in Cristian Ansaldi and João Moutinho, and Luis Suarez, who is 33. Aaron Ramsey and Rafinha are probably the pick of the bunch at the moment, and my initial task will be to set up a tactic that gets the best out of these two quality midfielders, and push us back the table towards the top six. Looking at the youth team, there does seem to be some potential with Sam van der Meulen being the brightest spark, but none of which are ready for immediate first team action. For now, it will be a case of making do, and seeing who's available in January. I've got the money to spend, but do not want to overpay unless absolutely necessary.

[AK22]

Congrats on the Liverpool job. I always love managing my hometown team especially now that I can!

Thanks cerud

That's how it should be

Haha, we'll see roganp, we'll see

[deltablue]

Welcome to Anfield. At least you'll know you're at the right place.

[Pangaea]

Sorry to see you move to Liverpool just when things were clicking in Fulham.

[DazRTaylor]

Strange to see only average Junior Coaching...

[abulezz]

van der Meulen is going to be a star for sure - I can sense your excitement to get your Liverpool career started Good luck!

[psychonaut]

All the best with Liverpool. I see McLeish was working his usual "magic"!

[AK22]

Welcome to Anfield. At least you'll know you're at the right place.

I'm hoping there might be a new stadium on the horizon soon though. We can't play at Anfield forever!

Sorry to see you move to Liverpool just when things were clicking in Fulham.

To be fair to Fulham, if the start of the season had been better, and we were pushing the top four, then I might have considered saying. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, and the draw to Liverpool was too big to resist. They'll be ok though, they've just replaced me with Gareth Southgate!

Strange to see only average Junior Coaching...

Not ideal, but we should be able to improve this.

van der Meulen is going to be a star for sure - I can sense your excitement to get your Liverpool career started Good luck!

All the best with Liverpool. I see McLeish was working his usual "magic"!

Thanks abulezz and psychonaut. That's McLeish second sacking in the past two seasons after being replaced at Tottenham last year.

I've just realised we don't have one defensively minded midfielder in the squad, so this may be the stem of the problems at the club. I've got no-one who can play as a ball-winner, let alone someone who can play the 'Makelele role', so roll on January. Until then, we'll have to ride it out with a 'we'll score one more than you do' approach!

[Deisler26]

Good luck with Liverpool!

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

As an Evertonian, it's through gritted teeth I wish you good luck at Liverpool

[SnakeXe]

Good luck! Worth looking at a 5-man defence until you can pick up the defensive midfielder? Means you can have suicidally attacking fullbacks, which I absolutely love

[AK22]

Good luck with Liverpool!

As an Evertonian, it's through gritted teeth I wish you good luck at Liverpool

Good luck! Worth looking at a 5-man defence until you can pick up the defensive midfielder? Means you can have suicidally attacking fullbacks, which I absolutely love

Thanks for the comments

I've actually started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a deep-lying playmaker (defend) and central midfielder (support) as the two men in the middle of the park. I did consider going with three centre-backs, but would have had to sacrifice my wingers to keep some kind of coherency to the formation, so decided against it in the end. I will be aiming to go 4-5-1 (with a winger and inside forward on the flanks) once I've got the squad to be able to do so.

[AK22]

Liverpool F.C.



Mid-Season Update 2020/21

Barclays Premier League: 10th
Europa League Group I: 1st
Fixtures

In all honesty, not the start I was hoping for. I obviously underestimated the task in hand, as no way did I think it would take six games to register my first win as Liverpool boss. The draws at home to Leicester and Cardiff were both pitiful displays, but nowhere near as bad as the performances we put in away to West Ham and Chelsea. Thankfully, the win against Espanyol was the tonic we needed to turn the tide, and we followed this up by beating our rivals, Man Utd, to secure my first league win at the club, and put a huge dent in their title hunt.

Generally, things are now on an upwards track, with the team gaining confidence, and putting some points on the board. It did look a bit scary at one stage, when we slipped down to 17th and were only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. With £44.5m to spend, a few new faces will be joining in the January window as I look to freshen up the squad. A solid holding midfielder will be the main target, but I wouldn't mind another striker and another wide-man which will give me a stronger bench to play with when things aren't going our way.

[DazRTaylor]

Sixth place and another foray into Europe should be your target?

[rancer890]

I hate the Boston Red Sox, which means I hate Liverpool. On top of that, one of my favourite English teams is Everton! (who I don't see on the table... )

Good luck! (*Washes mouth*)

[Raware]

Wow, it's all happened in here! Don't blame you for moving especially as it's the team you support. Still more than enough time to qualify for a European place although not much chance of a title challenge I think. Disappointed to see Forest in the relegation zone .

[AK22]

Sixth place and another foray into Europe should be your target?

Realistically, that's the best we can do. It will take a lot to close down the 11 point gap to the Champions League places, but sixth place is a lot more manageable.

I hate the Boston Red Sox, which means I hate Liverpool. On top of that, one of my favourite English teams is Everton! (who I don't see on the table... )

Good luck! (*Washes mouth*)

There's a lot more support for Everton on the forums than I ever knew!

The Toffees are doing spectacularly well... in the Championship, where they currently sit 21st!!

[AK22]

Wow, it's all happened in here! Don't blame you for moving especially as it's the team you support. Still more than enough time to qualify for a European place although not much chance of a title challenge I think. Disappointed to see Forest in the relegation zone .

No work for me this week, and I've had a solid 12 hours playing time over the last day No chance of a title challenge this season, but I'll be aiming for the top four next year. All really depends on how generous the chairman is in the summer, as the squad will need at least another three players for us to sustain a challenge.

Forest are yo-yoing a bit at the moment, but there's plenty of time for a rescue job. I've just beat them 2-0 though, sorry

[Nobby_McDonald]

Cheers Nobby. I'm not very good though! And I'm not sure I can commit to anything regular, but I'll certainly take a look

Judging by last night's race, neither am I.

[abulezz]

Ooof, thats a rough start to your Liverpool career - still, it looks like you've righted the ship. Topping your Europa League is also a plus!

[HotChocolate]

Steady progress, as abu said, well done topping the Euro group. Could be a chance of silverware?

[Pangaea]

In all honesty, not the start I was hoping for.

Look on the bright side. Liverpool are in Europe.

[DazRTaylor]

Look on the bright side. Liverpool are in Europe.

Something else that makes FM unrealistic?

[cerud]

Yikes! Tottenham's having a bit of trouble!!!

[deltablue]

Still can turn it around a bit.

[City2000]

Big move to Liverpool, good luck! Looks like a bit of work is needed with the squad.

[AK22]

Judging by last night's race, neither am I.

Ooof, thats a rough start to your Liverpool career - still, it looks like you've righted the ship. Topping your Europa League is also a plus!

Steady progress, as abu said, well done topping the Euro group. Could be a chance of silverware?

Possibly, although winning the Europa League is pretty tough. Depends on how serious the other major teams take the tournament.

Look on the bright side. Liverpool are in Europe.

Something else that makes FM unrealistic?

Good job I've got a sense of humour! I suppose I need one to support Liverpool

Yikes! Tottenham's having a bit of trouble!!!

They're in serious danger of being relegated. David Moyes only lasted five months in job before being sacked!

Still can turn it around a bit.

Big move to Liverpool, good luck! Looks like a bit of work is needed with the squad.

I'll be happy with a top six finish, strengthen the squad over the summer, then aim for the top four next season. I'm going to have to get rid of several 'dinosaurs', which will lower to wage bill considerably, but does mean it may take a while for the new squad to gel together.

[AK22]

By the looks of things, there's life in the old girl yet...



No new stadium on the horizon though

[AK22]

Liverpool F.C.



Season Review 2020/21

Competitions

Barclays Premier League: 6th
Position Graph | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2



UEFA Europa League: 1st Knockout Round | FA Cup: 5th Round | Carling Cup: 4th Round (Knocked out prior to my arrival)

Season Summary

Match of the Season Highlights: Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd

The recovery job was easily done, but I'm fairly disappointed to finish seven points my former club.

A run of twelve games unbeaten in the league pushed us back up the table and in contention for Europa League qualification, but the season soon fizzled out, as we only managed to win one of our final nine games, leaving us well behind Fulham in fifth place. This is the third season in a row that the team I've managed have had a shocking end to the season; I seriously need to review how to keep the momentum right up to the very last day, as this is, quite simply, not good enough. As a team, it looks like we have some serious motivational issues, with the players able to up their game and put in great performances against teams such as Man Utd and Chelsea, but don't seem to turn up against the likes of Wigan and West Ham. Too many big egos, who may find themselves in the reserves soon enough!

The Europa League and FA Cup performances were nothing to write home about either. Drawing the Russian champions, Zenit St Petersburg, in the First Knockout Round of the Europa League was pretty bad luck, but I still expected us to go through. We played out a solid 0-0 in Russia, before allowing them to score an 88th minute away goal at Anfield to knock us out. Very frustrating! Our defeat to Cardiff in the FA Cup was nothing short of dismal, and completely what we deserved.


Financial

Bank Balance: £76.6m
Average Attendance: 43522 | Season Ticket Holders: 35004

There's loads of money in the bank, helped mostly by the chairman's frequent cash injections. His latest investment of £53m means that I will have a decent transfer kitty to play with over the summer. The improvements to Anfield should be completed over the summer, so we should start the season with a 50k capacity too.


Squad

Squad Overview | Transfer Summary
Team of the Year | Overall Best Eleven
Fan's Player of the Year: Angel Di María
Manager's Player of the Year: Angel Di María
Top Goalscorer: Abel Hernández (17 goals)

This squad is too old, too slow and too complacent. It's disturbing that our best player, Angel Di María, is 33, so we mustn't rely on him for much longer, as he surely must be coming to the end of his career. Even though I signed two new midfielders in January, major reinforcements will still be required in the summer. A replacement for Reina in goal will be a high priority, as will another pacy striker. Hernández certainly still has the ability to bang in 20 goals a season, but when he got injured, the back-ups in the squad didn't cut the mustard at all.

Other News


Kingstonian - Missed out on the BSP playoffs by two points, finishing 6th in the table.

Hull - 10th in The Championship, five points off the playoffs.

Fulham - Finished 5th, and seven points above us. The ********!


Career Summary

Season     Team              League                   Finish    Cups                             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/12    Unemployed
2012/13    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet South    3rd       FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 2nd Round
2013/14    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet Premier  3rd       FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 1st Round
2014/15    Kingstonian       npower League Two        16th      FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT 1st Round
2015/16    Kingstonian       npower League Two        17th**    **Resigned 19/12/2015
           Hull City         npower League One        6th       FA Cup 4th Round
2016/17    Hull City         npower League One        1st       FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT Winner
2017/18    Hull City         npower Championship      2nd       FA Cup 5th Round, Carling Cup 2nd Round
2018/19    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  5th       FA Cup Semi-Final, Carling Cup Semi-Final
2019/20    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  7th       Europa League 2nd KO Rd, FA Cup 6th Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd
2020/21    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  8th**     **Resigned 13/11/2020
           Liverpool         Barclays Premier League  6th       Europa League 1st KO Rd, FA Cup 5th Rd

[Nobby_McDonald]

Picked up well there.

[HotChocolate]

Nice finish 5th

Oh wait, you moved didn't you? Down the table I see

[Nobby_McDonald]

We have an OTF F1 Championship over in, well, OTF if you fancy it. It's sponsored by Tesco Finest beef.

Should have mentioned before... we race every Monday and Wednesday night but it's entirely up to each racer how often they race.

[cerud]

Congrats on qualifying for the Europa League.

[roganp]

Good recovery there

[AK22]

Australia



World Ranking: 50th


2020/21 AFC World Cup Qualifiers Final Round

Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2



What a total shambles! We managed to beat the top seeds, South Korea, both home and away, but still conspired to finish third in the group behind a surprisingly good Iranian side. In hindsight, it was the two draws against Iraq that cost us the most, as with those extra four points, we would have finished second in the group. The fact that those two games were the only matches that Iraq took some points from, makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow.

So that means we have to face the UAE in the playoff. This really is a do or die affair; win, and we qualify for the World Cup. Lose, and it will disappointment all round, and most likely the sack for me too. September will be a huge month, for both me, and the Australian national side!

Team of the Year 2020 | Overall Best XI

[HotChocolate]

Horrible going in the group stages, hopefully you will save yourself in the playoffs.

[roganp]

Probably deserve the sack if you end up losing to the UAE, but I'm sure you'll go through without any real problems.

[rancer890]

Nice finish 5th

Oh wait, you moved didn't you? Down the table I see

^^WHS.

Good luck with Australia though in the playoff.

[SnakeXe]

I'm surprised - Abel Hernandez looks quite poor compared to how he was on my game at 32/33 (he was at Leverkusen when I was managing in Germany). I guess if he's still doing the business it doesn't matter!

[B.W.G]

Good recovery job with Liverpool although your cup performances seem a bit concerning but you should turn that around seeing as it's you

Good luck with Australia in the playoffs in which I do expect you to go through

[AK22]

Picked up well there.

Nice finish 5th

Oh wait, you moved didn't you? Down the table I see

Congrats on qualifying for the Europa League.

Cheers, although I'm sure I was destined to finish below Fulham I'm pleased to have qualified for Europe, but the Europa League won't be a priority next season as I'll definitely be taking the opportunity to rotate the squad in these games.

Should have mentioned before... we race every Monday and Wednesday night but it's entirely up to each racer how often they race.

I need more practice first! I'm like a moving chicane at the moment

[AK22]

Horrible going in the group stages, hopefully you will save yourself in the playoffs.

Probably deserve the sack if you end up losing to the UAE, but I'm sure you'll go through without any real problems.

^^WHS.

Good luck with Australia though in the playoff.

Good recovery job with Liverpool although your cup performances seem a bit concerning but you should turn that around seeing as it's you

Good luck with Australia in the playoffs in which I do expect you to go through

On paper, we should beat UAE hands down, but going on current form, this is the type of team we'll play total garbage against. If we don't get through, and I don't get sacked, I'll resign anyway. There isn't much of an incentive to stay much longer even if we do make the World Cup, so I don't want to spend all of 2022 twiddling my thumbs in pointless friendlies.

I'm surprised - Abel Hernandez looks quite poor compared to how he was on my game at 32/33 (he was at Leverkusen when I was managing in Germany). I guess if he's still doing the business it doesn't matter!

He's certainly not in the 'World Class' bracket of strikers, but he's still able enough (or should I say Abel enough ). He's got a 0.55 goals per game ratio for Liverpool, so he's certainly no mug, but as I'm on the look out for younger, pacier striker, he may need to play second fiddle next season.

[EvilDave]

A decent recovery with Liverpool, but as you say you should probably be looking to head on up the table next year. With that financial backing though, I'm putting money on comfortable top four next season!

[Raware]

Nicely turned around but I'm sure the Fulham fans loved seeing you finish below them . Not next season though, as EvilDave said, with that kind of money a spot in the top four should be possible.

[Pangaea]

Arsenal were a bit good. 116 goals. Damn!

Back into Europe. Well done.

[o JaY]

Good recovery, but looks like tough going for Australia - you should be able to win the play-off, though

[jackripper]

hope you fail with loserpoo hahha

[AK22]

A decent recovery with Liverpool, but as you say you should probably be looking to head on up the table next year. With that financial backing though, I'm putting money on comfortable top four next season!

Nicely turned around but I'm sure the Fulham fans loved seeing you finish below them . Not next season though, as EvilDave said, with that kind of money a spot in the top four should be possible.

Yeah, we should be aiming for the top four. It won't be straight forward though, as Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd and Arsenal have had it locked out for the previous four seasons, so we'll need to break their stranglehold. Thankfully, I do have good financial backing, which helps to balance out their Champions League revenue, which will give us a good chance.

Arsenal were a bit good. 116 goals. Damn!

Back into Europe. Well done.

Arsenal were pure quality, weren't they?! They've got probably the best striker in the world in their squad, a Nigerian regen called Dele Martins, who single-handedly won them to the Premier League title. Last season, he scored 43 goals in 30 matches, winning the Ballon d'Or too.

Good recovery, but looks like tough going for Australia - you should be able to win the play-off, though

Cheers o JaY, it's all been a bit of a disaster so far, but at least we're not out of it yet. Hopefully we'll reach the World Cup!

hope you fail with loserpoo hahha

Thanks for your support, Jack

[abulezz]

Can we get a career shot and Biography shot of Dele Martins?

[AK22]

Can we get a career shot and Biography shot of Dele Martins?

Of course!

[AK22]

Right, I'm going to do a review now of how the footballing world has evolved (or not!) over the past ten seasons:

World Overview - 10 years on





World Rankings - 01/07/2021




A few surprises here; Ghana in 6th place, Spain down to 10th and Peru in 12th are probably the biggest shocks.

World Cup Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      Hosts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2014    Germany      Russia         Brazil         Brazil
2018    Italy        Uruguay        Cameroon       Russia

U20s World Cup Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      Hosts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2013    Denmark      Germany        Argentina      Turkey
2015    Italy        Argentina      Sweden         France
2017    Mexico       Argentina      Brazil         Switzerland
2019    Argentina    France         Spain          Spain

The future's looking good for Argentina.


Confederation Cup Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      Hosts
------------------------------------------------------------------
2013    Spain         Brazil         Portugal       Brazil
2017    France        Germany        Argentina      Russia
2021    South Africa  Italy          Mexico         Qatar

[AK22]

Richest Clubs



Marseille are flying the flag for France here.


Club Reputations



AC Milan are the biggest team in the world at the moment.


Leading Transfers




Notable Players

Erik Lamela
Zvonko Mihaljevic
Javier Llama
Dele Martins
Thomas Müller
André Schürrle
Javier Pastore

Surprisingly, not all the best talent is at Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Ballon d'Or Winners



And the latest winner... isn't Messi!

Club World Cup Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Barcelona    Corinthians    Al-Ahly
2013    Marseille    Cruzeiro       Cruz Azul
2014    Barcelona    São Paulo      Seoul
2015    Man City     Al-Ahli (KSA)  Vélez
2016    Corinthians  R.Madrid       Al-Hilal (KSA)
2017    Cruzeiro     Lyon           Pumas
2018    Man Utd      Corinthians    Seoul
2019    Corinthians  AC Milan       América (MEX)
2020    R.Madrid     Corinthians    Pumas

[HotChocolate]

Peru 12th!

[dkpark51]

Fanastic read on your career, really like the way you structure your updates. Congratulations on getting the Liverpool job. A job you thoroughly deserved with your great management of your previous teams. The back-to-back promotion.

It's really interesting seeing how the game changes in-game. Modric to Man City! Also, Liverpool can't get rid of Glen Johnson on my save and on your save he sold for 27million!

[AK22]

Europe - Overview




European Competitions



Not that much movement here.

UEFA European Championship Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up        Hosts
----------------------------------------------------
2012    Spain        Portugal         Ukraine/Poland
2016    France       Norway           France
2020    Germany      Netherlands      Belgium

UEFA Champions League Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up        Final Venue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Barcelona      R.Madrid         Allianz-Arena
2013    Marseille      Villarreal       Wembley
2014    Barcelona      Man Utd          Amsterdam ArenA
2015    Man City       Man Utd          Estádio da Luz
2016    R.Madrid       Man Utd          Ibrox
2017    Lyon           Man Utd          Stade Roi Baudouin
2018    Man Utd        Liverpool        Swedbank Arena
2019    AC Milan       Man Utd          Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Türk Telekom Arena
2020    R.Madrid       Arsenal          Stadion Slaski
2021    AC Milan       R.Madrid         Atatürk Olympic Stadium

Man Utd runners-up five times in six years!


La Liga Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Barcelona    R.Madrid       Villarreal
2013    Barcelona    R.Madrid       Sevilla
2014    Barcelona    R.Madrid       Sevilla
2015    Villarreal   R.Madrid       Sevilla
2016    R.Madrid     Sevilla        Barcelona
2017    Barcelona    At.Madrid      R.Madrid
2018    Barcelona    Sevilla        At.Madrid
2019    At.Madrid    R.Madrid       Barcelona
2020    R.Madrid     Barcelona      Sevilla
2021    R.Madrid     Barcelona      At.Madrid

All fairly routine, except for Villarreal in 2015.


Premier League Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Man Utd       Liverpool      Man City
2013    Liverpool     Man Utd        Chelsea
2014    Man Utd       Chelsea        Man City
2015    Chelsea       Man Utd        Man City
2016    Man Utd       Liverpool      Arsenal
2017    Man Utd       Chelsea        Arsenal
2018    Arsenal       Man City       Man Utd
2019    Man Utd       Arsenal        Chelsea
2020    Man Utd       Arsenal        Man City
2021    Arsenal       Man City       Man Utd

Serie A Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Inter        AC Milan       Juventus
2013    Inter        Napoli         Udinese
2014    AC Milan     Fiorentina     Inter
2015    Napoli       Fiorentina     AC Milan
2016    AC Milan     Fiorentina     Sampdoria
2017    Napoli       Fiorentina     AC Milan
2018    Fiorentina   AC Milan       Roma
2019    AC Milan     Fiorentina     Inter
2020    AC Milan     Fiorentina     Sampdoria
2021    AC Milan     Fiorentina     Sampdoria

Fiorentina runners-up seven times!


Bundesliga Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    FC Bayern    Schalke        Dortmund
2013    FC Bayern    Dortmund       Schalke
2014    Stuttgart    FC Bayern      Dortmund
2015    Schalke      Leverkusen     FC Bayern
2016    FC Bayern    Leverkusen     Schalke
2017    FC Bayern    Schalke        Leverkusen
2018    FC Bayern    Dortmund       Leverkusen
2019    FC Bayern    Leverkusen     Dortmund
2020    FC Bayern    Leverkusen     Dortmund
2021    Leverkusen   FC Bayern      Stuttgart

Bayern as dominant as ever.


Ligue 1 Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up      3rd Place      
----------------------------------------------------
2012    Lyon           Marseille      PSG
2013    PSG            Lyon           Marseille
2014    Lyon           PSG            Marseille
2015    Marseille      Lyon           PSG
2016    Marseille      Lyon           PSG
2017    PSG            Lyon           Marseille
2018    Marseille      PSG            Lille
2019    Saint-Etienne  Lyon           Marseille
2020    Marseille      Lyon           Lille
2021    Marseille      PSG            Lyon

Liga ZON SAGRES Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Porto         Sporting CP    Benfica
2013    Porto         Sporting CP    Benfica
2014    Sporting CP   Porto          Vit Guimarãres
2015    Benfica       Sporting CP    Porto
2016    Sporting CP   Porto          Benfica
2017    Porto         Sporting CP    Benfica
2018    Benfica       Porto          Sporting CP
2019    Sporting CP   Porto          Benfica
2020    Braga         Porto          Sporting CP
2021    Porto         Benfica        Sporting CP

Braga shock winners in 2020.


SOGAZ Prem'er Liga Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Zenit         CSKA Moscow    Dinamo Moscow
2013    CSKA Moscow   Zenit          Dinamo Moscow
2014    CSKA Moscow   Zenit          Rubin
2015    Zenit         CSKA Moscow    Rubin
2016    Zenit         CSKA Moscow    Rubin
2017    CSKA Moscow   Zenit          Spartak Moscow
2018    CSKA Moscow   Zenit          Dinamo Moscow
2019    CSKA Moscow   Zenit          Spartak Moscow
2020    CSKA Moscow   Rubin          Zenit
2021    Zenit         Anji           CSKA Moscow

I'm surprised it took until 2021 for mega-rich Anji to appear on the radar.


Eredivisie Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Ajax          AZ             Feyenoord
2013    PSV           Feyenoord      FC Twente
2014    AZ            PSV            FC Twente
2015    Feyenoord     FC Twente      PSV
2016    Feyenoord     Ajax           FC Twente
2017    PSV           Heerenveen     FC Twente
2018    Feyenoord     Ajax           PSV
2019    AZ            Feyenoord      PSV
2020    Feyenoord     FC Twente      Ajax
2021    Ajax          Vitesse        AZ

Spor Toto Süper Lig Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Galatasaray   Besiktas       Fenerbahçe
2013    Galatasaray   Fenerbahçe     Besiktas
2014    Besiktas      Fenerbahçe     Galatasaray
2015    Galatasaray   Fenerbahçe     Besiktas
2016    Galatasaray   Fenerbahçe     Besiktas
2017    Galatasaray   Besiktas       Fenerbahçe
2018    Fenerbahçe    Besiktas       Galatasaray
2019    Besiktas      Trabzonspor    Bursaspor
2020    Besiktas      Fenerbahçe     Galatasaray
2021    Besiktas      Gaziantepspor  Galatasaray

EpiCentre Premyer-Liha Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Metalist
2013    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Metalist
2014    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Metalist
2015    Shakhtar      Metalist       Dynamo Kyiv
2016    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Metalist
2017    Shakhtar      Metalist       Dnipro
2018    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Metalist
2019    Shakhtar      Metalist       Dynamo Kyiv
2020    Shakhtar      Metalist       Dynamo Kyiv
2021    Shakhtar      Dynamo Kyiv    Dnipro

Dominant Donetsk!


SPL Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Rangers       Celtic         Dundee Utd
2013    Celtic        Rangers        Hibernian
2014    Celtic        Rangers        Dundee Utd
2015    Rangers       Celtic         Hibernian
2016    Celtic        Rangers        Hibernian
2017    Rangers       Celtic         Morton
2018    Rangers       Celtic         Motherwell
2019    Aberdeen      Hibernian      Celtic
2020    Rangers       Celtic         Hamilton
2021    Rangers       Celtic         St.Mirren

What the heck happened in 2019?!

[Pangaea]

Javier Llama

This has to be my favourite

[AK22]

North America - Overview




North America - Competitions

Gold Cup Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up        Hosts
------------------------------------------------------
2013    Mexico         United States    United States
2015    Mexico         United States    United States
2015    Mexico         United States    United States
2017    United States  Mexico           United States
2019    Mexico         El Salvador      United States

CONCACAF Champions League Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up        
------------------------------------
2012    Monterrey      Pumas
2013    Cruz Azul      San Jose
2014    Monterrey      Cruz Azul
2015    Pachuca        Los Angeles
2016    Monterrey      Santos Laguna
2017    Pumas          Cruz Azul
2018    América        Pumas
2019    América        Saprissa
2020    Pumas          New York
2021    Chivas         Columbus

Unusual to see Saprissa from Costa Rica making the 2019 final.


Primera Division de Mexico Winners

Year    Stage       Winners        Runner-Up         
-----------------------------------------------------
2012    Closing     Morelia        Monterrey
2012    Opening     Monterrey      Cruz Azul
2013    Closing     Pumas          Monterrey
2013    Opening     América        Jaguares
2014    Closing     Chivas         América
2014    Opening     Atlas          Monterrey
2015    Closing     Pumas          Santos Laguna
2015    Opening     América        Cruz Azul
2016    Closing     Pumas          Morelia
2016    Opening     Monterrey      Pumas
2017    Closing     América        Chivas
2017    Opening     Pumas          América
2018    Closing     Chivas         Pumas
2018    Opening     América        Pumas
2019    Closing     Tigres         Pumas
2019    Opening     Morelia        Chivas
2020    Closing     Chivas         Necaxa
2020    Opening     Monterrey      Toluca
2021    Closing     Chivas         Pumas

MLS Winners

Year    Winners               Runner-Up         
----------------------------------------------
2012    CD Chivas USA         Los Angeles
2013    Seattle               New York
2014    New York              Los Angeles
2015    Real Salt Lake        New York
2016    New York              Chicago
2017    Sporting Kansas City  Real Salt Lake
2018    New York              FC Dallas
2019    Columbus              DC United
2020    CD Chivas USA         Columbus

[HotChocolate]

This has to be my favourite

Great spot!

[AK22]

South America - Overview



South America - Competitions

Copa America Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      Hosts
----------------------------------------------------------------
2015    Argentina    Uruguay        Brazil         Brazil
2019    Argentina    Peru           Columbia       Chile

Copa Libertadores Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up        
------------------------------------
2012    Corinthians    Santos
2013    Cruzeiro       Estudiantes
2014    São Paulo      Independiente
2015    Vélez          Internacional
2016    Corinthians    Atlético Mineiro
2017    Cruzeiro       River
2018    Corinthians    Cruzeiro
2019    Corinthians    Boca
2020    Corinthians    Boca
2021    Botafogo       Independiente

Primera Division de Argentina Winners

Year    Stage       Winners         Runner-Up       3rd Place 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Closing     Independiente   Estudiantes     Arsenal de Sarandí
2012    Opening     River           Estudiantes     Boca
2013    Closing     Boca            Vélez           Belgrano
2013    Opening     River           Vélez           Banfield
2014    Closing     River           Lanús           Independiente
2014    Opening     Boca            Independiente   Belgrano
2015    Closing     Boca            River           Racing Club
2015    Opening     Boca            River           Huracán
2016    Closing     Boca            Racing Club     Independiente
2016    Opening     River           Vélez           Newell's
2017    Closing     Boca            Racing Club     Vélez
2017    Opening     Vélez           River           Independiente
2018    Closing     Newell's        Vélez           Independiente
2018    Opening     Independiente   Colón           Newell's
2019    Closing     Vélez           Boca            Independiente
2019    Opening     Lanús           Vélez           Boca
2020    Closing     Vélez           Independiente   Tigre
2020    Opening     Independiente   Boca            Vélez
2021    Closing     Independiente   Boca            Argentinos

Campeonato Brasileiro Winners

Year    Winners         Runner-Up         3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------------
2012    Corinthians     São Paulo         Cruzeiro
2013    São Paulo       Cruzeiro          Internacional
2014    Internacional   São Paulo         Atlético Mineiro
2015    Cruzeiro        Corinthians       São Paulo
2016    Botafogo        São Paulo         Palmeiras
2017    Corinthians     Flamengo          Cruzeiro
2018    Cruzeiro        Flamengo          Corinthians
2019    Cruzeiro        São Paulo         Atlético Mineiro
2020    Corinthians     Botafogo          Cruzeiro

[DazRTaylor]

I am not surprised with the amount of sheer talent Argentina has produced in your save. In mine, my four best players are all Argentinian - they are all NewGens and are all world superstars.

[AK22]

Asia - Overview




Asia - Competitions

Asian Cup Winners

Year    Winners      Runner-Up      3rd Place      Hosts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2015    South Korea  Australia      Japan          Australia
2019    China        Australia      South Korea    India

AFC Champions League Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up           Final Venue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Al-Hilal       Jeonbuk             Jeonju World Cup Stadium
2013    Al-Hilal       Melbourne Victory   King Fahd International Stadium
2014    Seoul          Frontale            Todoroki Athletics Stadium
2015    Al-Ahli        Al-Ittihad          Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
2016    Frontale       Al-Hilal            King Fahd International Stadium
2017    Al-Ittihad     Al-Hilal            King Fahd International Stadium
2018    Seoul          Al-Hilal            Seoul World Cup Stadium
2019    Al-Ain         Antlers             Tahnoon bin Mohammed Stadium
2020    Al-Hilal       Al-Ittihad          King Fahd International Stadium

K-League Winners

Year    Winners       Runner-Up      3rd Place      
--------------------------------------------------
2012    Seongnam      Seoul          Pohang
2013    Ulsan         Jeonbuk        Seoul
2014    Suwon         Seongnam       Ulsan
2015    Pohang        Seoul          Sangju
2016    Seoul         Suwon          Ulsan
2017    Suwon         Seoul          Ulsan
2018    Seoul         Incheon        Suwon
2019    Seoul         Ulsan          Suwon
2020    Gangwon       Suwon          Seoul

A-League Winners

Year    Winners             Runner-Up               3rd Place      
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Sydney              Melbourne Victory       Adelaide Utd
2013    Melbourne Victory   Melbourne Heart         Newcastle Utd Jets
2014    Adelaide Utd        Sydney                  Melbourne Victory
2015    Melbourne Victory   Sydney                  Brisbane Roar
2016    Melbourne Heart     Central Coast Mariners  Melbourne Victory
2017    Newcastle Utd Jets  Melbourne Heart         Melbourne Victory
2018    Perth Glory         Sydney                  Newcastle Utd Jets
2019    Melbourne Victory   Brisbane Roar           Perth Glory
2020    Perth Glory         Central Coast Mariners  Brisbane Roar
2021    Perth Glory         Melbourne Heart         Brisbane Roar

[AK22]

Africa - Overview



Africa - Competitions

African Cup of Nations Winners

Year   Winners       Runner-Up     3rd Place      Hosts
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012   Cameroon      Togo          Nigeria        Equatorial Guinea/Gabon
2013   Ivory Coast   Morocco       Cameroon       South Africa
2015   Senegal       Mali          Cameroon       Morocco
2017   Senegal       Cameroon      Morocco        Libya
2019   South Africa  Ghana         Togo           Tunisia
2021   Ghana         Ivory Coast   Egypt          Ghana

CAF Champions League Winners

Year    Winners            Runner-Up        
--------------------------------------------
2012    Al-Ahly            Al-Ittihad
2013    Al-Ahly            ASO Chief
2014    Club Africain      Raja Casablanca
2015    Zamalek            ASO Chief
2016    Etoile du Sahel    FAR Rabat
2017    Zamalek            Wydad Casablanca
2018    Wydad Casablanca   Ismaily
2019    Etoile du Sahel    ES Tunis
2020    Heartland          Zamalek

Oceania - Overview



Oceania - Competitions

OFC Nations Cup Winners

Year    Winners        Runner-Up        Hosts
------------------------------------------------------
2012    New Zealand    Solomon Islands  Fiji
2016    New Zealand    Solomon Islands  New Zealand
2020    New Zealand    New Caledonia    Fiji

OFC Champions League Winners

Year    Winners         Runner-Up        
-------------------------------------
2012    Auckland City   Waitakere Utd
2013    Waitakere Utd   Auckland City
2014    Waitakere Utd   Auckland City
2015    Auckland City   Waitakere Utd
2016    Auckland City   Ba
2017    Waitakere Utd   Auckland City
2018    Waitakere Utd   Auckland City
2019    Waitakere Utd   Auckland City
2020    Auckland City   Waitakere Utd
2021    Auckland City   Waitakere Utd

[AK22]

And after that rather heavy stat overload, this is where I leave you for 2011.

Thanks for all your comments in the thread so far. See you all next year!

[abulezz]

Exceptional overview - I thoroughly enjoyed that! Great, great work

[jackripper]

Exceptional overview - I thoroughly enjoyed that! Great, great work

totally agree was very interesting.

[Nobby_McDonald]

I need more practice first! I'm like a moving chicane at the moment

You're like Kev then.

[AK22]

Glad you enjoyed the summaries; it kept me out of mischief for a couple of hours

Fanastic read on your career, really like the way you structure your updates. Congratulations on getting the Liverpool job. A job you thoroughly deserved with your great management of your previous teams. The back-to-back promotion.

It's really interesting seeing how the game changes in-game. Modric to Man City! Also, Liverpool can't get rid of Glen Johnson on my save and on your save he sold for 27million!

Thanks dkpark51, although the footballing world hasn't moved on that much really; the leagues are still being dominated by the teams you would expect to be challenging. I'll probably do something similar after 20 seasons where I would expect the changes to be more severe.

I am not surprised with the amount of sheer talent Argentina has produced in your save. In mine, my four best players are all Argentinian - they are all NewGens and are all world superstars.

Argentina always churns out great talent in real life too, so I'm not overly surprised that the FM world is dominated by them. Although there's not so many with the surname Llama, that's pretty original!

[AK22]

Liverpool F.C.



Pre-Season Summary 2021/22


Wage: £30.5k per week | Contract Length Remaining: 4 years

Plenty of time to run on my existing deal, and plenty of time to get this club back up the league.

Board Expectations


Barclays Premier League: Qualify for Champions League
Europa League: Reach The Final | FA Cup: Semi-Final | Carling Cup: Not Important

Transfer Budget: £40.95m
Wage Budget: £2.1m per week | Current Player Wage Total: £1.37m per week

Media Prediction: 5th | Title Odds: 20/1

With the amount of money I've got at my disposal, it would be disappointing if we don't finish in the top four this season. Even though we're not that far behind Arsenal, Man Utd or Man City talent-wise, I think it's unlikely we'll challenge for the title this season, using this term to build for a main title push next year. I'm not that bothered about the Europa League, and I'll be using the opportunity to give the reserves some game time. As long as we reach the knockout rounds, I'm sure that will be enough to pacify the board.

Transfer Activity

Transfer Summary
Club Signing of the Window: Eric Diallo
Total Amount Spent: £45m | Total Amount Received: £7.5m

The bulk of the money spent was on three players; Eric Diallo is the strong, pacy striker that we need to spearhead our attack, Roberto Poison has all the attributes required to play the Inside Forward role on the left wing, and I went back to Fulham to sign my former-Egyptian 'keeper, Mohamed Ismail. I'm hoping these signings will all add some much needed pace, vigour and quality that the side was lacking last season. In addition to these three marquee signings, I signed four other youngsters who should come to fruition over the next couple of years.

Tactical Outlook

This is my initial formation and team instructions:

After the signing of Poison, I can now finally set the team up in a way that I think we bring the best results for us. A fluid 4-5-1 should get the most out of the attacking talent I have available to me, but with the inclusion of an anchorman, we should be pretty sound at the back too. I may also decide to push the defensive line up further, to contain the opposition in their own half, allowing us to dictate the pace of the game.

[iHeadHunta x]

Good luck this season mate!

[dkpark51]

I quite like the look of Erica Diallo, Drogba-esque. Should be a fine player to lead the line.

[Pangaea]

Some excellent buys there with the future ahead of them. Good luck.

Slim chance, but the Diallos aren't brothers, are they?

[HotChocolate]

Zonal marking. You're doomed. Best of luck

[AK22]

Good luck this season mate!

Cheers iHeadHunta x

I quite like the look of Erica Diallo, Drogba-esque. Should be a fine player to lead the line.

Some excellent buys there with the future ahead of them. Good luck.

Slim chance, but the Diallos aren't brothers, are they?

I hoping the signings settle in well. On paper they all looked pretty solid, but by bringing Africans and South Americans to Europe always has an element of risk involved.

The Diallos aren't brothers, unfortunately. The defender's from Guinea, and the striker's from Ivory Coast. Actually, thinking about it, I'm not sure I've ever seen regen siblings before; perhaps this should be something that is introduced in the future.

Zonal marking. You're doomed. Best of luck

Thanks HC. I've always found zonal works best with a talented fluid team, as when players move out of their natural positions, the next nearest team-mate picks up the opposition. However, in some matches, I still man mark certain individuals if I feel they pose an exceptional risk to our gameplan, so all bases are covered.

[AK22]

Now, I know we like a lot of football over the Christmas period in England, but this is just ridiculous...



Full Premier League fixtures three days in a row!

[HotChocolate]

That is horrible, I'm surprised the Man City game hasn't been moved.

[AK22]

That is horrible, I'm surprised the Man City game hasn't been moved.

My thoughts too, but I suppose we're not at any more of a disadvantage than the other Premier League teams; they've all got to play three games in three days too. Will certainly push the squad to the limits though.

[HotChocolate]

Ah, that's good then! I wouldn't have been pleased if you were one of a select few that had it.

Talking about weird fixtures, in my game, the last game of the season was moved from Saturday to the Wednesday before (everyones game) reason: Wrexham (who were in my league) were in the Welsh FA Cup Final which was to be played on the Saturday, so let me get this right, they moved a whole entire league of fixtures for the FA Welsh Cup final? Seriously? It made me laugh when I realized.