Roy Crouchson - Taking England to Poland & Ukraine 2012

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson - Taking England to Poland & Ukraine 2012

I'm back with a follow up to my FM2010 FM Career thread 'Fabio Crouchello - Taking England to South Africa 2010'!

'Roy Crouchson' is going to be my secondary save on FM12, for something fun and different (a quick fix!) away from my current career save in Italy. As I always tend to start my games at the bottom and work my way up, I don't normally get to manage a big team so there is a big attraction for me in being able to manage England from the start and to get the rare chance to work with some top players on FM straight from the beginning!

All of the playable leagues in England are loaded along with the top leagues of Italy, Spain and Germany. I'm using a large customised database (all players in England loaded with all current international players throughout the world retained). I'll be starting out with an 'automatic' reputation and holidaying through to May 2012 in order to take over at roughly the same time as Hodgson did in real life.

Below, in the next few posts, I'll be talking about Fabio Crouchello, Roy Crouchson and my plans for this save!

[crouchaldinho]

Fabio Crouchello

Back on FM10, I had a lot of fun playing as my alter-ego, Don Fabio Crouchello, and taking England to World Cup 2010 and beyond. I managed England from 2009 to 2017 (before going on to manage various other countries such as Spain and Uruguay!) and it was a thoroughly enjoyable save!

I like to think that Don Fabio would be remembered fondly by virtual England fans on FM10! But ultimately, as I summed up on the original thread, my legacy as Crouchello could be remembered in various ways:

As the man who got the best out of the so-called 'golden generation' taking them on glorious runs to two successive finals? Or perhaps, instead, as the man who failed in two finals?

As the man who abandoned the traditional 4-4-2 favoured by England to install a 4-2-3-1 with two holders as his preferred formation? Or as a manager who was ultimately too cautious and not adventurous enough when it counted?

As the man who finally ended the long wait for a trophy by bringing home the Euro 2016 title? Or as the man who won a lucky trophy with one of England's worst performances in a tournament? Perhaps, even, as the man who could never quite take England that extra step onwards to win the World Cup?

And then there are the humiliations - the losses at Wembley to Wales and, more recently, Algeria. On top of this comes the hapless Confederations Cup campaign.

One thing is for sure though, Crouchello's record makes him one of the most successful England managers of all time, as shown below.


Fabio Crouchello's England Record:

P 	W 	D 	L 	F	A	Win % 		Competitions
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
95	64	20	11	217	67	67%		World Cup 2010 Runners-up
								Euro 2012 Runners-up
								World Cup 2014 Quarter-finalists
								Euro 2016 Winners
								Confederations Cup 2017 Group Stages

5 short of 100 games.

There were a lot of regrets for Fabio Crouchello but it was a truly addictive and fascinating adventure for me and I'm hoping for something similar this time around!

I do recommend going back to glance (however briefly) at my Fabio Crouchello thread as it was a very fun save. You can find it here - http://community.sigames.com/showthr...th-Africa-2010

Anyway, on to something new. We now enter a parallel universe where Fabio Crouchello never existed! Instead, I have a new alter-ego, Roy Crouchson! In this universe, Roy Crouchson takes over from Stuart Pearce just in time to guide England through Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland. See my next post!

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson



Next, a quick word on my managerial character in this game. As I did with Fabio Crouchello, I'll be playing a kind of hybrid 'role play' alongside bringing in some of my own managerial characteristics. For example, whilst playing as Fabio in FM10, I brought in 4-2-3-1 (even though the real Fabio is now famous for playing a rigid 4-4-2 at the World Cup 2010) and managed with a cautious, disciplined and 'motivationally abrupt'(!) style typical of the real life manager). With Hodgson, I'll be building up a different kind of character, obviously!

Personally, I think the real Roy Hodgson is an absolute legend and you can't argue against his amazing achievements across Europe in his fascinating career. I'm a big fan of Roy mainly because he is an intelligent and articulate football man and one of the people in the game that it really is worth listening to in my opinion. I understand that he wasn't a particularly good player, and that he ended up playing several years in non-League football before embarking on his managerial career and I really like this fact about him. It makes the story of his career in management even more remarkable.

Of course, his managerial career has been quite outstanding, and he has worked in many countries across Europe and is a widely respected manager and tactician. He started his managerial apprenticeship in Sweden and, as I understand it, completely changed the tactical face of their game with his fellow English manager Bob Houghton (now manager of the Indian national team). Roy and Bob introduced the 4-4-2 to Sweden, bringing in zonal marking and playing a pressing game, thus transforming Swedish football.

Roy labels himself 'a 4-4-2 man' but has been known to play 4-4-1-1 and 4-2-3-1 also in certain games. However, his sides usually play 4-4-2, and we might perhaps describe him as an old fashioned English manager when it comes to football tactics. It seems to me that he prioritises good defensive organisation, likes to get the ball down to play decent football but also wants his team to 'mix it up a bit', and also encourages wing play and quick counter-attacking football.

Roy has been one of my favourite managers for a long time now and he is one of the managers that I like to emulate in FM in my style. While others want to be Mourinho or Guardiola, I want to be Hodgson. Perhaps my dreams are a little more modest than most! But seriously, there is much I like about Roy. I'd like to be cultured, speak multiple languages fluently, be extremely knowledgable about football, travel across Europe winning trophies and generally be awesome like Roy!

I'm backing Roy to be a success as England manager in real life and really hoping he does well and the media and fans give him a chance. I know he isn't everyone's cup of tea but I'm very much a fan of Roy! I'm 100% backing Roy and expecting him to make England hard to beat. I actually think his style will suit international football.

Anyway, the upshot of all of this is that I can easily, without any real challenge, bring in aspects of Roy's management to my manager's character in this save. Like Roy, I'm a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 man primarily and I like my sides to be well drilled and prefer a more rigid style. We'll see how this works out at with England at international level.

The target that I have, as always, is to try to win something with England. In particular, I would love to win a World Cup, although I suspect it will be very difficult with the current squad and I will have to hope for some good regens to come through. I have never won a World Cup on Football Manager (I was a runner-up as Fabio Crouchello) so I'm really hopeful of achieving that one day! Perhaps it could happen in this save but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves! First we have small matter of not being humiliated at the Euros. Wish me luck everyone.

[cerud]

I like your explanation of your character, philosophy, and tactical style. Looks interesting!

[crouchaldinho]

Thanks!

[ism-scfc]

And here I was looking forward to Harry Crouchknapp!

[crouchaldinho]

And here I was looking forward to Harry Crouchknapp!

There were many expecting Crouchknapp and certainly it seems that the media were pushing for him to take charge. Instead we've got Crouchson as England manager and I hope that he'll have the backing of the fans on FMCU!

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson Impervious to Pressure!

A little sample of questions and answers from my first press conference as England manager!

Q. Are you confident of a good start as England manager?
A. We are working towards a positive start.

Q. The pressures of managing at International level are enormous and this is reflected by the huge media interest in the team and manager. It's a lot of pressure to handle, are you up to it?
A. I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't have complete confidence in my ability to handle the pressures.

Q. What would you say is your tactical approach to the game?
A. It all depends on the situation. There are so many variables in football that to have just one approach would be irresponsible.

Q. Will you be looking to name a new captain or will John Terry continue?
A. This is a fresh start and I have a new name in mind for the captaincy.

Q. Wayne Rooney is regarded as being key to any future success for England. Do you intend to build your team around Rooney's talents?
A. I think it would be inappropriate to discuss issues such as these at this stage.

[crouchaldinho]

One thing I should really have said in the opening posts is that I'm going to avoid bringing my own opinions into player selection. I'll be picking the best squad based on what I see in the game rather than what my real life opinions are. First and foremost, I'll be looking to build a team, so there may be some surprises based on what I feel fits into my template both in terms of mentality and playing abilities.

There will be one exception: John Terry will not be selected for England whilst I am the manager of the national team. Sorry to any 'JT' fans.

[B.W.G]

Good luck with England

No 'JT'.....All hail Crouchson

[deltablue]

Go Crouchson!

[JackJCFC]

I stopped reading at 'no JT'

[acidmonkey]

Good luck!

[williamshankley]

JT is overrated anyway! If you do win the Euro's, he'll probably turn up to lift the trophy anyway
One question, Is Roy Crouchson gonna be 64 ingame?
Looking forward to this

[jaycar]

No JT...

best thread ever

[crouchaldinho]

One of my early actions as England manager is to name my 30-man squad for Uefa European Championships.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Robert Green, Joe Hart.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, Ryan Shawcross, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Jack Rodwell, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck.

The media has focused on the fact that I've left out Parker and recalled Defoe and Ferdinand to the squad. They also commented on the inclusion of Kyle Walker, Phil Jones and Ryan Shawcross, who all lack international experience.

[crouchaldinho]

Good luck with England

No 'JT'.....All hail Crouchson

Thanks!

Go Crouchson!

Cheers Deltablue!

I stopped reading at 'no JT'

Sorry. I knew I would upset someone!

[crouchaldinho]

Good luck!

Thanks.

JT is overrated anyway! If you do win the Euro's, he'll probably turn up to lift the trophy anyway

Haha! Yeah, most likely!

One question, Is Roy Crouchson gonna be 64 ingame?
Looking forward to this

No, I've put in my own age actually, so I should be able to be in charge of England for some time to come if things go well! :

[crouchaldinho]

No JT...

best thread ever

thanks Jaycar!

[hrbfcrule]

This has made me go back and read the adventures of Fabio Crouchello. No JT hope that doesn't come back to haunt you

[crouchaldinho]

I've named Frank Lampard as my captain for this tournament and Steven Gerrard as my vice-captain.

[crouchaldinho]

This has made me go back and read the adventures of Fabio Crouchello.

Cool!

No JT hope that doesn't come back to haunt you

Didn't know you were a JT fan?

Well, we'll soon see if it comes back to haunt me as I kick off my England career with a friendly away to Norway.

[crouchaldinho]

I should also have said that I've worked on my staff situation and brought in the following people to work with me:

U21s manager - Gareth Southgate

Assistant manager - Alan Shearer

Coach - Stuart Pearce

Coach - Bob Houghton

That's about it. The rest are as they were when I arrived as manager.

[hrbfcrule]

Cool!Didn't know you were a JT fan? Well, we'll soon see if it comes back to haunt me as I kick off my England career with a friendly away to Norway.

Don't like him as a person (although I do think he gets a lot of hate he doesn't deserve just because he is John Terry as well as the hate he actually deserves) but as a footballer he is absolutely quality. I just hope your replacements can do as good a job if not better.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly - Norway 2 England 3

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

So my start as England manager was a pretty exciting one as we were involved in a thrilling match in Oslo.

The formation above really shows my plan A for England going into Euro 2012. I'm going with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Gerrard playing an advanced midfield role behind Rooney. Plan B will be a 4-4-2 with a more typical first striker and second striker combination.

We looked comfortable at 3-1 but I made a number of substitutes to look at some different options in the second-half and this disrupted the rhythm and made it a much closer match than it might have been.

Not terrible for a first match in charge and at least we got the three points. I still have a number of questions in my mind. In particular, I'm not convinced on the efficacy of a Lampard/Carrick midfield partnership.

It was at least good to see the Rooney and Gerrard combination working well.

I have another opportunity to experiment with the line-up and the tactics as we play Slovenia at home in our next match.

[crouchaldinho]

Don't like him as a person (although I do think he gets a lot of hate he doesn't deserve just because he is John Terry as well as the hate he actually deserves) but as a footballer he is absolutely quality. I just hope your replacements can do as good a job if not better.

As it turns out, John Terry has been ruled out of the tournament anyway through injury.

I've also lost Jermaine Defoe and Joe Cole as possible options to call up for Euro 2012.

[hrbfcrule]

Good start as England manager, especially as you are still working out the best players/positions.

As it turns out, John Terry has been ruled out of the tournament anyway through injury.

That's fortunate then because he will probably be too old/ past it to compete at another major international tournament anyway. So you have no reason to select him.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly - England 3 Slovenia 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

My first game at Wembley saw three goals scored and a clean sheet, which can't be too bad.

I got to look at my possible plan B, which is a 4-4-2 formation. I definitely think it should be the secondary plan as I believe the 4-4-1-1 plays to the strengths we have far more.

We were well in charge of this match. Frank Lampard scoring a couple of excellent goals. I'm a bit worried about his tiredness which seems to kick in later on in games, so I'm going to have to come up with a plan for that. One option is dropping Gerrard back and bringing on another striker later on in games. The other option is to look at just bringing in a like-for-like replacement and therefore not adjusting the formation. It's at least a plan I need to have in my mind.

I need to have a look at one or two final options in my last game, which is versus Belgium at Wembley. There are certain players like Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere that I need to make decisions on before naming my final squad for Euro 2012.

[crouchaldinho]

In fact, I don't have a chance to look at any more players as I need to name the 23-man squad before the Belgium game!

[crouchaldinho]

ENGLAND STAR TO MISS OUT ON UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

England manager Roy Crouchson has announced his squad for the forthcoming Euro 2012 tournament.

The biggest surprise is that regular England star Rio Ferdinand has not made the 23-man squad.

Uncapped Man Utd youngster Phil Jones could be set to make his England debut at the finals after impressing Roy Crouchson in recent weeks.

Full squad is detailed below.

GK: Scott Carson, Joe Hart and Rob Green.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, Ryan Shawcross, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly - England 2 Belgium 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

In this last match, we started with pretty much my first choice team for the Euros, except that I gave Phil Jones his first cap in defence. But then, in the second-half, I was able to switch things up to 4-4-2 and to look at options up front and in central midfield.

We performed very strongly versus Belgium and never looked like doing anything other than winning this game comfortably. A clean sheet was good along with two goals. A nice if not outstanding victory.

Now we turn our attentions to the Euros. The real business is about to begin. The honeymoon is over and the pressure is really on now!

[crouchaldinho]

England's Group at Euro 2012:

In this reality, we have drawn Portugal, Ukraine and Turkey. A pretty tough group.

It will help us a little that our game versus Portugal doesn't come until the final match of the group stages. This means we'll have hopefully found some rhythm by then.

We still have a tough start playing Turkey first and then going up against the hosts, Ukraine.

The FA want me to guide the team to the quarter-finals, so I'll need to make sure that there are no slip ups in the group stages! Tough times ahead! Pressure is now firmly on!

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Group A - Turkey 0 England 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

It's tense stuff in our opening game but we get there in the end.

The performance was very good and we really ought to have made this more comfortable for ourselves.

The devastating news coming from this game is that we have lost Steven Gerrard to injury for the rest of the tournament. So my 'plan A' was in action for a total of 42 minutes of Euro 2012.

Darren Bent came off the bench to replace Gerrard as we switched to 4-4-2. He actually went on to score the winner.

I'm now looking at a situation where the nation's hopes may rest on a Bent and Rooney partnership.

Still this was an important first win and it will stand us in good stead for the rest of the group stages. It's great to get off to a winning start. Unfortunately, it means going to my 'plan B' for the next match.

I should also mention that most of the squad are not motivated to play for me. I hope that the real Roy doesn't have these problems with his real life England squad!

Other match in the group: Ukraine 2 Portugal 2

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Group A - England 4 Ukraine 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

An emphatic win against the hosts! Darren Bent in fine goal scoring form!

Couldn't ask for much more than this! And with this result, we've secured a place in the quarter-finals of the competition!

The fans were jubilant after the result, particularly praising the performances of Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill and Darren Bent.

We've got a meaningless group game against Portugal to finish things off and then we'll be going into the quarter-final stage of the competition!

Other match in the group: Portugal 0 Turkey 1

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Group A - England 3 Portugal 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We did our bit to ensure that Portugal went home after the group stages! Also, as a bit of a bonus, our win also kept Ukraine, one of the host countries, in the competition, making us very popular with the Ukrainians!

I played a full strength side, hoping to keep the momentum going for us in this tournament.

We were just so strong in the first-half and we raced into a two goal lead. When the second-half came around though, Portugal were visibly on the up and there was almost a sense of inevitability about their equaliser. However, I looked to use the pace of Theo Walcott late on as I bought him on as a sub and, sure enough, he grabbed a victory for England with a goal on 84 minutes.

A satisfying win, which takes us into the quarters on a real high!

Other match in the group: Turkey 0 Ukraine 1

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Group Stages, Final Standings:

Group A:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | England  |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 8     | 2     | +6    | 9     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Ukraine  |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 3     | 6     | -3    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Turkey   |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 2     | -1    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Portugal |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 4     | 6     | -2    | 1     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group B:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team      |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | France    |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 8     | 2     | +6    | 7     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Poland    |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 5     | 6     | -1    | 6     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Italy     |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 5     | 0     | 4     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Lithuania |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 3     | 8     | -5    | 0     | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group C:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team             |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Netherlands      |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 7     | 1     | +6    | 7     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Croatia          |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 5     | 1     | +4    | 7     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Northern Ireland |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 6     | -5    | 3     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Greece           |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 0     | 5     | -5    | 0     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group D:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Spain    |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 9     | 1     | +8    | 9     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Germany  |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Slovakia |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Norway   |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 0     | 6     | -6    | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[crouchaldinho]

So one of the big surprises early on has been Portugal and Italy going home early as both hosts qualified at their expenses.

We will play the other hosts, Poland, in our quarter-final match.

The full draw for the QF is:

England v Poland
Ukraine v France
Netherlands v Germany
Croatia v Spain

[acidmonkey]

nice one, you should make it into the Semis though

[crouchaldinho]

nice one, you should make it into the Semis though

You would hope so but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

[AcidBurn]

If you lose against Poland I will edit the title of this thread to show my disgust and also infract you for poor FM-ing, win Crouchy win!

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Quarter-final - England 3 Poland 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

This was a dominant performance. We bossed the game and didn't look like having trouble in this tie.

I actually freshed things up by bringing in some fresh legs for this game. This rotation could have backfired on me and made me look pretty stupid had we lost. However, we had absolutely no problem overcoming Poland.

On to the semi-finals where we will play the winners of the Croatia v Spain match!

[crouchaldinho]

If you lose against Poland I will edit the title of this thread to show my disgust and also infract you for poor FM-ing, win Crouchy win!

Wow, harsh.

I'm glad you didn't see Fabio Crouchello lose at Wembley to Wales then.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012 Quarter-final results:

England 3 Poland 0
Ukraine 1 France 3
Netherlands 2 Germany 5
Croatia 3 Spain 2

So the big shock of the round is that Spain go home at the QF stage after being knocked out by Croatia!

The semi-final draw is:
England v Croatia
France v Germany

[AcidBurn]

Wow, harsh.

I'm glad you didn't see Fabio Crouchello lose at Wembley to Wales then.

Wow that is bad I tried to infract myself for losing to Australia as manager of Brazil but I couldn't.

Decent-ish draw although Croatia can be awesome at times. England Germany final, I would love that.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Semi-final - England 2 Croatia 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A solid performance. We were much the better side and deserved the victory!

We went ahead early on through a Lampard penalty. Then Darren Bent got the second to make us comfortable.

We are now into the final and will play the winners of the France v Germany match! What's the odds of it being Germany? It's always Germany, isn't it? I bet you it's going to be Germany!

[crouchaldinho]

Wow that is bad I tried to infract myself for losing to Australia as manager of Brazil but I couldn't.

Tried to infract yourself!

Although that is pretty embarrassing!

Decent-ish draw although Croatia can be awesome at times. England Germany final, I would love that.

I have to confess that I was pretty delighted to see us get Croatia instead of Spain, although I knew that they would still be dangerous!

You may well get what you want regarding the England v Germany final that you desire! We'll have to wait and see!

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012 Semi-finals:

England 2 Croatia 0
France 1 Germany 1 (Germany win on penalties)

So the final will be:

ENGLAND V GERMANY!

[crouchaldinho]

PREDICTION TIME!

So, I'd like to hear some predictions from you guys!

What do you think will happen in the final?

Will Roy Crouchson taste immediate success by beating Germany and winning Euro 2012?

Or will his brave England side lose out to the Germans, as the England team have so often in the past?

Leave score predictions for fun and I'll put up the match details later this evening!

[cerud]

I'll go for a England win, a 2-1 score.

[hrbfcrule]

Got to be 1-1 and England to win on pens

[JackJCFC]

You will lose on penalties.

[AcidBurn]

Is it real Germany or fake Germany?

[manutdfan1999]

you to win 3-2

[crouchaldinho]

Is it real Germany or fake Germany?

Real Germany.

[AcidBurn]

I think you'll win 4-2.

[acidmonkey]

Germany win......

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2012, Final - England 3 Germany 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

What a final! Unbelievable!

When we went behind on 28 minutes to a Podolski goal, I really feared the worst and suspected that we were going to be well beaten by the Germans in this final.

At half-time, Alan Shearer and I were very assertive in the dressing room and demanded that the players improve in the second-half. We got an improvement and then some!

I also decided to substitute Gary Cahill as he was having a bit of a nightmare. Also coming off was Aaron Lennon who reacted poorly to my half-time talk. I introduced the young Phil Jones and the hard working James Milner to the team.

In the second-half, Darren Bent pulled us level on 55 minutes. He then went and scored another on 79 minutes and I honestly thought we had the game won.

Typical Germany though as they went straight up the other end and scored. I think what frustrated me most is that I was trying to tighten things up tactically to contain Germany and to do a 'backs to the wall' type job for the last ten minutes but the Germans scored before my tactics even kicked in. So frustrating!

I was expecting extra time at this point, so figured I would keep one sub and not make that last sub in the 90 minutes. We were, at this point, getting overrun in midfield with Lampard looking really tired.

Unbelievably, on 90 minutes, Wayne Rooney popped up with the winner! This time we really had won it. I changed things tactically to contain Germany for the last seconds of the match and also brought on Huddlestone to replace Lampard to tighten up the midfield. We held on in those final seconds to record victory over Germany! We won Euro 2012!

Here is FM's description of the game:



More reaction to follow!

[crouchaldinho]

you to win 3-2

We have a winner!

You win a England shirt signed by Euro 2012's top scorer Darren Bent!

[crouchaldinho]

Naturally, the fans were signing Roy Crouchson's name after the match with many of them talking about the great work that Crouchson had done with the Three Lions!

[CaptainPlanet]

Blatant hax

[crouchaldinho]

The fans were dancing long into the night as they celebrated a famous victory:



And of course the striker partnership of Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent was praised by every England fan!

[crouchaldinho]

In this strange alternative reality where Roy Crouchson exists, England are able to beat Germany and to win tournaments, and also Darren Bent wins the Golden Boot:



I can hear you all saying, 'fix your game SI'!

[crouchaldinho]

Blatant hax

Just a lucky draw to the final really!

I was very surprised that we actually won the final as normally I always muck them up (see Fabio Crouchello)!

[crouchaldinho]

This was the team of the tournament:



Contains six English players in the XI and one on the bench. Naturally, they went with the Rooney and Bent strike partnership!

[hrbfcrule]

Much better luck in finals than Fabio Crouchello. Didn't Darren Bent save you a few times in your previous save as well?

[crouchaldinho]

Finally, I know you are all dying to see highlights of the final and England's first tournament success since 1966!

[crouchaldinho]

Much better luck in finals than Fabio Crouchello. Didn't Darren Bent save you a few times in your previous save as well?

No, I don't think I ever used him as Fabio Crouchello.

Crouchello was strictly a 4-2-3-1 man. It was always Rooney up front on his own in that alternative dimension.

And yes, Roy Crouchson certainly has had a better start than Fabio Crouchello! I just hope he might be able to keep it up for World Cup 2014!

I've never won a World Cup on CM or FM and I would really love to get the trophy at some point!

I'll need to do some rebuilding now. We relied upon Lampard and Rooney as our star players in this tournament after Gerrard (our other star) went out early.

Lampard will definitely be too old for World Cup 2014 and I suspect the same will be true of Gerrard. So I'll need to be introducing some new players for the qualification stages coming up next.

[crouchaldinho]

To be honest, I'm now worrying that I won't be able to top this tournament in my whole time managing England!

Anyway, I turn my attentions to the World Cup 2014 qualifiers now.

[jnrsnes]

Well done! I remember one of the fan messages after a game in an old CM/FM was "A fan claimed he would name his newborn son after the manager, but only after checking with his wife first."

[JojoVillaHursty]

Just caught up, congrats on the euro win hopefully it will happen in this universe aswell. kutgw!!

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson's England Record (2012 - Present):

P 	W 	D 	L 	F	A	Win % 		Competitions
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9	9	0	0	24	6	100%		Euro 2012 Winners

[crouchaldinho]

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, Group 8

Our group for the World Cup qualifiers is detailed below:

Ukraine
England
San Marino
Moldova
Poland
Montenegro

[crouchaldinho]

Well done! I remember one of the fan messages after a game in an old CM/FM was "A fan claimed he would name his newborn son after the manager, but only after checking with his wife first."

Ha! I can't remember that but it does sound familiar!

Just caught up, congrats on the euro win hopefully it will happen in this universe aswell. kutgw!!

Thanks! And I hope you are right!

I quite like Roy Crouchson's dimension actually. I would like to go and live in his reality as I would be going completely crazy if we won the Euros!

[Wavelberry]

If it wasn't for the Gerrard injury...

[acidmonkey]

Well you have an extremly easy group and i expect 100% record now!

[deltablue]

What a start!

[jaycar]

Blimey, a Euro win already!! Bloody good show old chap

[williamshankley]

James Milner in the Euro 2012 dream team, yet only gets on the bench for Crouchson. Yep, you've got Hodgson to a tea.

[williamshankley]

Good win BTW

[Edinton]

Nice thread (despite England winning something). I've grown a little bored with my saves - as well as frustrated with how mediocre Craig Levein has made us - so I think I'm going to start a Scotland game. I've never started a dedicated International game before so should be an interesting challenge...

Do you holiday between friendlies / matches?

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning Euro 2012,I'm expecting you to do well with that World Cup Qualifying group.

[cerud]

Congrats on the Euro 2012 Cup! That World Cup Qualifying group looks like its in your favour as well.

[rancer890]

No pressure to dominate that WCQ group Crouchy.

[crouchaldinho]

If it wasn't for the Gerrard injury...

True! Who knows what would have happen if he had stayed fit!

Well you have an extremly easy group and i expect 100% record now!

No pressure then!

What a start!

Not bad, huh?

Blimey, a Euro win already!! Bloody good show old chap

Thanks old bean!

[crouchaldinho]

James Milner in the Euro 2012 dream team, yet only gets on the bench for Crouchson. Yep, you've got Hodgson to a tea.

Sensing you aren't a Hodgson fan then!

Good win BTW

Thanks.

Nice thread (despite England winning something). I've grown a little bored with my saves - as well as frustrated with how mediocre Craig Levein has made us - so I think I'm going to start a Scotland game. I've never started a dedicated International game before so should be an interesting challenge...

Do you holiday between friendlies / matches?

Should be interesting to see how far you can take Scotland!

Yes, I holiday when matches are a month or more apart. I usually holiday to the next squad selection (a useful option).

Congrats on winning Euro 2012,I'm expecting you to do well with that World Cup Qualifying group.

Yes, I should do well really!

Maybe it gives me a chance to mix things up and start experimenting with a younger squad and planning for the future.

Congrats on the Euro 2012 Cup! That World Cup Qualifying group looks like its in your favour as well.

Thanks and agreed!

No pressure to dominate that WCQ group Crouchy.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly Rancer!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Well done Crouchy.

On taking Shawcross and Crouchy with you.

Oh, and for winning.

[noikeee]

England Euro 2012 champions? FM is broken, I want a refund. Good job, entertaining thread here, with so many "zero to hero" stories it's refreshing to read about someone starting at the very top, international management is also an interesting twist.

[crouchaldinho]

Well done Crouchy.

On taking Shawcross and Crouchy with you.

Oh, and for winning.

Yeah, Stoke had a half decent season Nobby. Finished 5th in the Premier League! Couldn't ignore that!

And, well, as for Crouchy, I have a slight bias towards him as you might be able to tell from my username!

England Euro 2012 champions? FM is broken, I want a refund.

Fix your game SI!

Good job, entertaining thread here, with so many "zero to hero" stories it's refreshing to read about someone starting at the very top, international management is also an interesting twist.

Thanks!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Yeah, Stoke had a half decent season Nobby. Finished 5th in the Premier League! Couldn't ignore that!

And, well, as for Crouchy, I have a slight bias towards him as you might be able to tell from my username!

All is well in your FM world.

[TheGreatTraveler]

Great job winning the euros. Now do a Greece and don't qualify for the adjacent WC.

[crouchaldinho]

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, Group 8 - Ukraine 1 England 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

I had it in mind that I would make major changes for the World Cup qualifiers and start throwing younger players into the team. However, I wasn't prepared to risk much away to Ukraine in the first game and I actually realised that many of the younger players I had in mind aren't quite ready in my opinion. They may well be ready in another year, just in time for the World Cup, but right now it feels quite risky to be throwing these players in the deep end.

In the end, the main change was to drop a few older players out of the team. Frank Lampard was the biggest name that I left out with the press speculating that his England career had come to an end. In came a few younger players such as Jack Wilshere, Jack Rodwell and Danny Welbeck. Slow and steady changes. Steven Gerrard, who I feel may well have one more tournament left in him, was named as captain.

We just edged a tight game in in Donetsk. Not the most convincing of performances but at least we came away with a result.

This was probably our hardest game in the qualifiers, so now we've got this out of the way, there might be a bit more space to experiment with the line-up.

[crouchaldinho]

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, Group 8 - England 6 San Marino 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A stroll in the park. Never in danger of anything other than a big win. Should probably have scored more goals. We weren't creative enough at times and didn't create enough clear cut chances. Still, it was extremely comfortable.

I gave Danny Welbeck a start, thinking he could notch up some goals, but he ended the game with just one.

Rooney just didn't seem up for this game and so I subbed him in the second-half and put Gerrard behind Welbeck with Wilshere coming into central midfield.

[williamshankley]

No not an Hodgson fan, he's a ridiculous manager. What on earth he's doing not calling up Ferdinand is a joke. We'll be home at group stage under Roy, I'm afraid to say.

Anyway KUTGW.

[ManUTactician247]

I think the Group Stage will end like this

France
Ukraine
Liverpool
Sweden

Oh and John Terry to win in the final.

[aderow]

I lost in the world cup semi finals and then in the third place game

I hope you do better with england than I did

[Nobby_McDonald]

No not an Hodgson fan, he's a ridiculous manager. What on earth he's doing not calling up Ferdinand is a joke. We'll be home at group stage under Roy, I'm afraid to say.

Anyway KUTGW.

How can somebody who has won the league title in a number of countries (including Italy) and taken Switzerland past the group stages of a World Cup be ridiculous?
Ferdinand is on the decline and unfortunately England do not have any top class defenders at the moment. Thankfully we do have a top class keeper in Hart, so it's not a total lost cause.

[crouchaldinho]

How can somebody who has won the league title in a number of countries (including Italy) and taken Switzerland past the group stages of a World Cup be ridiculous?

I agree with the comment but have to say that he didn't win a title in Italy.

His achievements are still very impressive though:

Halmstad
- Allsvenskan (2): 1976, 1979

Malmö FF
- Allsvenskan (5): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
- Svenska Cupen (2): 1985–86, 1988–89

Inter Milan
- UEFA Cup Runner-Up (1): 1997

Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga (1): 2000–01
- Danish Super Cup (1): 2001

Fulham
- UEFA Europa League Runner-Up (1): 2010

Other
- LMA Manager of the Year (1): 2010


Plus his work with the Swiss national football team should be considered a huge achievement as well.

[deltablue]

While I agree with Nobby that Hodgson is a manager of great pedigree who should be respected, the 'number of countries' that he's won a title in is just two, mostly in Sweden (Denmark being the other), and I knew without having to look it up that Italy (where he won nothing at all) was wrong as while he was at Inter, it was during a long period without them winning the title. Sorry if I sound picky.

Edit: Well done Crouchy beating me to it.

Ferdinand's exclusion is slightly surprising but hardly something to bang the table about. He's getting on, he got the chance to be part of the squad as a young member in 1998, and it's only fair that now others should have that chance now with players like him moving aside, as he's clearly not in the first-team plans, and there would be serious questions over squad harmony. In recent years there has been a loud call to dump the 'golden generation' failures and start afresh, so whats the problem with this?

Also read earlier today that aside from the arguments over the older failures needing to be moved aside and giving more of a chance for the youngsters to learn, even as squad players, the fact that a few of the older players selected then got injured isn't a ringing endorsement of relying with the old guard. While a finals tournament isn't the best time to start experimenting, the Ferdinand dropping, injuries and Rooney suspension is at least an opportunity to do things differently, not be so predictable, and even when progressing in previous tournaments we've looked awful most of the time, so we're unlikely to be much worse.

[CityAndColour]

It's the alternative universe where Hodgson is an awful manager, but Dalglish is a great manager.

Also know as Liverpool.

[CityAndColour]

Also in fairness to Hodgson, Inter had finished 13th and 6th in the seasons before he arrived. They finished 7th and then were 3rd the next season when he left, and throw in a loss on penalties in the UEFA Cup final. Obviously you're just putting some facts into the debate delta, but it's funny how his time at Inter is seen as a failure.