60 to One

[super_lampard]

15th place and very secure can't have expected much more of my Leece team

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Very Secure is excellent a great effort to make the final of the Copa de Italia, and a good show against the big boys too. Even better to see myself as Very Secure and the winner of the cup on Insecure... 8th in the league is where I would like to stay, no pushing it around too much haha.

[BenArsenal]

Stable.

[el sid]

Europa Cup Champions That really is fantastic

KUTGW canvey

[SCIAG]

Very secure. Good.

[Almondo]

very secure. very good

[PluckaDuck]

Finished the season Very Secure. Another great season for the boys from Turin.

KUTGW Canvey!!

[MikaelS]

Wuut I got booted?

Great updates. Keep it up.

[tomsmith1989]

Oh God, that didn't go well. A possible treble, but ended up conceeding 6 goals with no reply in two finals. Good job we won the Premiership. Up to very secure job status now too. Roll on next season. Hopefully we can defend our title, and add to it with a couple of cups.

Kutgw Canvey It's been brilliant so far.

[canvey!!]

English Premier League Table

English Championship Table

Italian Serie A Table

Spanish La Liga Table

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan[/font]

Top Ten – Matches Lost

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager          Club        Lost[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st ssestig              Theo Stigarakis  Catania       45
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd Martin_              Martin Bojangles Hull          43
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Ridleys              James Ridley     Siena         43
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th Blanco               Cristobal Blanco Recreativo    41
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JSalter              James Salter     Reggina       41
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th Chimpos              Phill Ewles      Valladolid    39
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus     West Brom     38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor       Fiorentina    38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley       Racing        38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator       Aston Villa   38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano     Middlesbrough 38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neji                 Neji Hyuuga      Deportivo     38
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man    Numancia      38[/font]

[ssestig]

Most lost \o/

KUTGW canvey!!

[PluckaDuck]

My season wasn't as good as the last, but we still got into Europe and the board look to have a lot of support behind me!

[el sid]

4th and qualified for the Champions League next season

[canvey!!]

World Cup Preview

The managers will hit their two-year mark in management but that will be the least of their concerns as virtually all attention turns to the World Cup. 32 nations will battle it out for the best prize in football, but by the end of June, only eight will remain with a shot at the Jules Rimet trophy. Let’s take a look at the groups in advance before the matches begin.

Group A sees Italy and Slovakia representing Europe, alongside Tunisia and Paraguay. Italy secured their qualification safely atop Group 8 while Slovakia had to beat Bulgaria in a playoff to reach South Africa. Tunisia had to top their group to qualify, which they did, ousting their strongest competitors Egypt. Paraguay, meanwhile, got here by finishing 3rd in South American qualification, behind the two big guns. Italy and Paraguay are my favourites for this one, but Slovakia might be in with a chance.

Group B has just the one European team, but that doesn’t mean it lacks stars. Far from it in fact. Germany and Brazil are the favourites to reach the second round from this group, Brazil naturally having topped the South American qualifying and Germany ousting Russia to top Group 4 in Europe. I don’t believe Honduras, who qualified as the 3rd-best North American team, or Iran, who got through their qualifying group in second, will come anywhere close, and it’s also anyone’s guess who will get the points when they face each other.

Group C has some pretty powerful names in the economic world, with France representing Europe and the United States also in the group. Argentina, who finished second in qualifying, join from South America and Japan are the Asian representatives, having won their group over Australia. France, just like in real life, couldn’t win their group so they knocked out Sweden in a playoff. The Americans finished behind Mexico in the North American qualifying but are here in South Africa. Argentina and France are the obvious choices to go through, but as neither of them won their qualifying groups, it isn’t all that clear cut.

It’s a bit easier in Group D, with some good but not quite spectacular nations competing. Australia, who finished second in their Asian Qualifying Group, are the only Oceanic team in the competition, and will be looking to progress alongside the Netherlands over Serbia and Ghana, the former beating France to win their group and the latter qualifying with ease over Angola, Guinea and Sudan. The Dutch naturally topped their European group with Scotland and Norway, and are my favourites alongside Australia to progress, but I wouldn’t expect them to get much further than that. Serbia and Ghana look like they could make it close, but I’m sure that they won’t and it will be quite easy for the favourites in the end.

Now, the group you’ve all been waiting for, Group E, and it’s exceptionally easy for England. They of course won their qualifying group, as did their European groupmates Switzerland. Mali beat Africa’s most populous nation Nigeria to get this far, and South Korea won against Qatar and New Zealand in playoffs to qualify. England will progress with ease, and South Korea is the obvious choice for second, but I have a sneaky feeling about Mali.

Group F is similar to Group D, with some good but not amazing nations competing. The winners of the inaugural World Cup finished 4th in qualifying and find themselves here, while the Ivory Coast won their group with fellow Francophones Algeria eliminated. From Europe come the Czech Republic and Belgium. The Czechs won their group against rivals Slovakia and the Belgians had to beat Ukraine to get here as their group contained Spain. I have a feeling about the Czech Republic and Ivory Coast, but it is wide open so Uruguay could progress, although for Belgium it is a long shot.

It seems pretty clear cut in Group G, where the mighty Spaniards look set to take the group, after topping their qualifying group also. I predict Greece, who scraped past Russia in the playoff, to take second place, leaving Saudi Arabia and Senegal behind. The Arabians won their qualifying group, and Senegal eliminated Cameroon by winning theirs.

Finally, on to Group H, where bizarrely we find the hosts, South Africa. I don’t expect them to get through to the next round, or even to finish any higher than bottom. They would have to beat Mexico, who won the North American qualifying, Portugal, who won Group 1 in Europe, and Chile, who qualified in the All-American playoff to do that. It doesn’t look like happening, so Mexico and Portugal are my bets to go through.

[BenArsenal]

Interesting teams in the World Cup there.

My picks:

Group A: Italy, Paraguay

Group B: Brazil, Germany

Group C: Argentina, France

Group D: Netherlands, Australia

Group E: England, South Korea

Group F: Ivory Coast, Belgium

Group G: Spain, Senegal

Group H: Portugal, South Africa

There will be shocks.

[rancer890]

My predictions.

Group A: Italy, Slovakia, Paraguay, Tunisia

Group B: Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Iran

Group C: Argentina, USA, Japan, France

Group D: Netherlands, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E: England, South Korea, Switzerland, Mali

Group F: Ivory Coast, Belgium, Czech Republic,Uruguay

Group G: Spain, Greece, Senegal, Saudi Arabia

Group H: Portugal, Mexico, South Africa, Chile

I'm pretty sure there will be some crazy results.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Here are my thoughts:

Group A: Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, Tunisia

Group B: Germany, Brazil, Iran, South Korea,

Group C: Argentina, USA, France, Japan

Group D: Netherlands, Serbia, Australia, Ghana

Group E: England, South Korea, Switzerland, Mali

Group F: Czech Republic, Ivory Coast, Uruguay, Belgium

Group G: Spain, Greece, Senegal, Saudi Arabia

Group H: Portugal, Mexico, South Africa, Chile

I am prediciting a few stunning results, do not be surprised to see Serbia top their group.

[canvey!!]

Update 24 and World Cup Update Part I

Years: 2, Months: 24, Days: 723

So, the two-year milestone has more or less passed, but as I said, the World Cup was at the forefront of people’s attention this month. Let’s take a look at how the group stages unfolded before setting our eyes on the domestic scene. Then we’ll see how the month ended and the 16 teams in the World Cup played off to become eight.

In Group A, holders Italy were obviously the runaway winners, but I was right about Slovakia being in with a chance. They took the second-placed position with a 2-1 win over Paraguay. As expected, Tunisia dropped all three games, but the biggest win was actually over Paraguay as Italy beat them 3-0. Meanwhile, Group B unfolded just as expected, with Germany and Brazil progressing and Iran and Honduras heading home. The top two drew with each other and the bottom two drew with each other, while Brazil also drew with Iran, giving Germany the group on 7 points, with Brazil on 5, Iran on 2 and Honduras with just the one. Due to Brazil finishing second, there is already a phenomenal tie on the cards as they face Italy in the next round.

Group C wasn’t as open as I thought it might be, although Argentina did only progress on goal difference. France won all their games, 3-0 against Japan but only 1-0 in the other two, while Japan lost all of theirs, going on 1-9 on goals. The United States and Argentina drew, so Argentina beating Japan 4-1 as opposed to the American 2-0 victory meant they would continue. I really messed up my Group D prediction as both Serbia and Ghana went through. I knew it would be close but I didn’t expect those two to have that cutting edge. Serbia beat Australia and Ghana beat the Netherlands, and Serbia also beat Ghana. As the two favourites drew two games and lost one, Serbia are set to play Argentina in the next round and Ghana will meet France.

I was right about Mali in a sense, in Group E, as they beat South Korea 2-0 to claim third. But this was after they had already lost 0-3 to England and 0-4 to Switzerland. The Swiss topped the group due to that goal, as they drew with England and both they and England drew with South Korea. It wasn’t that easy for England at all, so they might not continue too far. Group F was indeed difficult to predict, but I was right about the Czech Republic, and somewhat wrong about Belgium. Belgium went through in second behind the Czechs with 4 points. The Czech Republic won all their games and Belgium won in the scrap with Uruguay and the Ivory Coast for second place after a 1-0 win over the African nation. Switzerland face Belgium and England the Czech Republic.

Spain met my expectations in Group G, but Greece did not. The Iberians won all three games but Greece drew their other two, allowing Senegal to steal second place with a 3-0 win over bottom-placed Saudi Arabia. South Africa definitely met my expectations in Group H, though, losing all three games without scoring a goal. Portugal won all three and Mexico continue in second place over Chile, meaning they will face the motherland Spain in the next round while Portugal meet Senegal.

The World Cup wasn’t the only international action this month, as the early stages of the second ever Europa League kicked off. Super Lampard’s Lecce got in when Italy were allocated an extra place thanks to the Fair Play draw, and they were drawn against Banants of Armenia. A 4-0 win in Armenia was bettered by a goal back at home, and Lampard’s team progressed 9-0 on aggregate to face the Irish team Bohemians in the Second Qualifying Round.

In England, Martin Bojangles has a lot of work on his hands as Hull are expected to finish bottom once again. In fact, his work so far has been a bit of a miracle, as he guided his team to 15th in 2009 and 17th in 2010. But another drop of two positions would see him down, and this time there aren’t three Championship-quality sides to act as a cushion. Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City are expected to make the rest of the going-down trio but are thought to be able to finish above Hull. Newly-promoted Arnold J. Rimmer’s Bolton are expected to finish 15th. At the other end, Liam Ferguson’s Manchester City are expected to finally get their claws on that trophy, with Tom Smith’s Arsenal predicted to finish 2nd.

In Italy also we are expected our third different champion in a row, with Ben Cee’s Inter tipped to claim the Serie A title. Lisa Jeffries’s Juventus are expected to finish second. It is believed that newly-promoted Rimini will finish bottom, and will take Chievo and Cagliari with them. Still, that’s not to say our managers are safe. Theo Stigarakis’s Catania, for instance, are predicted 17th. In Serie B, James Ridley will be looking to achieve promotion with Siena, for he’ll surely get the axe if he doesn’t. There has already been transfer activity in Italy, the largest of which was Mikey Twigge’s £26M signing of Edison Cavani from A.C. Milan. Will de Mote’s side are already using the money wisely, spending £5.5M on Alberto Paloschi from Parma. Their rivals Inter bought Coutinho from Vasco for £3.5M.

Spain has yet to hit the reset date, although Almería will be returning to La Liga, while Osasuna and Málaga did not make it. Zaragoza have shifted a few players in preparation for the new season, as have Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid, all on free transfers, but there isn’t a lot of fun to be had looking at La Liga right now.

That’s because all the fun is in the World Cup, where the Second Round also took place this month. The giants of Italy took on the titans of Brazil, making them both seem normal-sized. We’ll look at that at the end, but first let’s take a look at some of the other ties, with the most predictable coming first. From Groups G and H, Spain dimissed Mexico with ease and a 3-0 thrashing, while their Iberian neigbours Portugal won 2-0 against Senegal. Also, Ghana faced France and lost 0-2 to goals from Franck Ribéry and Mathieu Flamini.

England faced the Czech Republic and, had they had a good performance in the Group Stages, few would have doubted Fabio Capello’s men. In the end, they turned on the style to win, but there are still uneasy feelings as there was some lack of conversion, resulting in only a 2-1 win. Frank Lampard got both the goals, putting fears to rest after Tomas Rosicky opened the scoring just nine minutes in. Switzerland faced Belgium, and both are relative minnows in the game, but the Belgians sealed their progress due to a Stein Huysegems goal. Switzerland going down to ten men after Valon Behrami’s dismissal made it easier for the Belgians to get that goal and win that match.

Argentina faced Serbia, and the southeastern Europeans had already surpassed my expectations by advancing from a group with the Netherlands and Australia competing. They did it again, as Milos Krasic cancelled out Carlos Tevez’s opener early in the second half, and the match played out to full time and to extra time still at deadlock. After four penalties, the victor was clear, with Argentina sloppily missing two spot-kicks while the Serbs maintained a 100% conversion rate.

Germany faced Slovakia in what would be one of the most pointless matches of the round, as Germany were bound to win. They hit 20 shots at the Serbs in a domineering performance, but found themselves unable to convert, losing 0-2 to the eight Slovak shots. Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel opened the scoring very early on in the 4th minute, and the lead was doubled 21 minutes in. The Germans going down to ten minute just before half-time would make it more difficult for them to come back, but everyone believed that there was still a way. There wasn’t, and Slovakia progress.

And now to the most speculated tie in the round, as Brazil and Italy met up. As I said, they both seemed normal sized against each other, and the match was dull and exciting at the same time. Full and extra time saw it drawn to an agonisingly electrifying 0-0 stalemate, and penalties would decide this high-profile match. Italy seemed to blow their chance straight away, missing their first spot-kick, and hoping that Brazil would let up. The South Americans did not, and progressed 5-3 on penalties, with Italy not needing to take that final penalty. They will surely end Serbia’s progress in the next round while Slovakia look set to fall to France. Belgium and Portugal will meet in a game that could be closer than expected, but the one tie that people will look forward to is England meeting Spain. Fabio Capello has brought the team far, but can they make that all important leap in the most important match of the Italian’s reign?

Only next month will we know.

Manager of the Update

It seems a bit silly giving the award but;

Will de Mote, A.C. Milan

is the winner as he managed to spin a nice and handsome profit. His sale of Edison Cavani to Palermo played its part in a £20.5M profit for the month. René Vandereycken, Radomir Antic and Vladimir Weiss came close for doing so well with Belgium, Serbia and Slovakia respectively, while Super Lampard’s 9-0 European win is a promising sign.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid  Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia    Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo  Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal  Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol    Very Secure    723
 [/font][font=Courier New]11th el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid  Secure         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]12th Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull        Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton      Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus    Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting    Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea     Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena       Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma        Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan  Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom   Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United  Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Stable         723
 [/font][font=Courier New]39th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo   Very Insecure  723
 [/font][font=Courier New]40th pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis       Precarious     723
 [/font][font=Courier New]41st conners              Sirus Lannock       Málaga                     628
 [/font][font=Courier New]42nd MikaelS              Mikael Schøler      Bologna                    613
 [/font][font=Courier New]43rd Swafe                Saul Goode          Osasuna                    551
 [/font][font=Courier New]44th hamilton162          Tom Hamilton        Mallorca                   509
 [/font][font=Courier New]45th kashmirshazad        Shazad Ali          Newcastle                  508
 [/font][font=Courier New]46th DiscoStu94           Da Hoover Man       Sampdoria                  501
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ScottT!              Scott Tysoe         Sunderland                 501
 [/font][font=Courier New]48th canvey!!             Fréderico Canvey    Stoke                      476[/font]

[BenArsenal]

Netherlands out.

Favourites for title.

[super_lampard]

Europa League and starting with a 9-0 aggregate win

[SCIAG]

Newcastle still in the job? The game is broken.

[PluckaDuck]

Dropped down to stable...

Doesn't matter much, as it will be reset soon anyway.

KUTGW Canvey!!

[canvey!!]

Dropped down to stable...

Doesn't matter much, as it will be reset soon anyway.

You dropping down to stable is it being reset.

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan[/font]

Top Ten – Goals Scored

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username      Manager            Club          Goals[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Haowan        Haowan Madridstas  Barcelona       266
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd Romanista1994 Lucas Volman       Real Madrid     242
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989  Tom Smith          Arsenal         242
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th tadr          Andre da Conceiçao Chelsea         233
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th ian_1982      Maurice Jobson     Man United      228
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th fergysafc     Liam Ferguson      Man City        221
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th spartans5     Lawrence Lazewski  Valencia        217
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th el sid        Cool Manager       Atlético Madrid 205
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th Waghlon       Lars Tommersen     Villarreal      191
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th BenArsenal    Ben Cee            Inter           189[/font]

[Neji]

You dropping down to stable is it being reset.

That means I'm in big trouble

[canvey!!]

That means I'm in big trouble

Spain has yet to hit the reset date

So no it doesn't.

[spartans5]

7th in goals, and nothing interesting in Spain, not too bad

[el sid]

8th in all time goals scored

[canvey!!]

Update 25 and World Cup Update Part II

Years: 2, Months: 25, Days: 754

Let’s start the update with news from South Africa. At the start of the month, four Quarter Finals matches took place, with unsurprising results. Brazil found it rather easy to beat Serbia 2-0 in their match, and France the same over Slovakia. It was a little bit more difficult for Portugal, who had to work hard to earn a 1-0 win over Belgium, but they did it and secured their Semifinal place. Thanks to Wayne Rooney’s goal in the 39th minute, England triumphed over a strong Spain showing and made it into the last four, where they would face Brazil, with France playing European counterparts Portugal.

Now some more news on Super Lampard’s cup run. As we know, the Englishman thrashed Banants 9-0 in the First Qualifying Round as his Lecce team entered the Europa League through the Fair Play League system. This month, Irish team Bohemians were beaten 6-0 on aggregate in the Second Qualifying Round. The team then travelled to Croatia where they kept a clean sheet, securing a 1-0 win in the first leg of their tie against Slaven Belupo. Slotting three goals past the Croats in the return leg meant a 4-0 aggregate victory and a slot in the Fourth Qualifying Round. The only other Third Qualifying Round match of interest was Tyler Burrows’s Udinese achieving two 4-0 victories over Icelandic team FH in their match, although Zaragoza and Portsmouth also progressed with 7-0 aggregate victories.

The Spanish League has reset, and Celta, Tenerife and Almería join the big boys in La Liga for the 2010-11 season. Surprisingly, Celta aren’t predicted to get relegated, with Almería believed to be the team that will finish bottom and Tenerife finishing 18th. Jellybean Man’s Numanica are the pundits’ pick to fill that last relegation spot. At the top, it’s no surprise that Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid are the team tipped to win the title.

Liam Ferguson’s Manchester City have made the biggest transfer in England, but funnily enough it’s an outgoing one. Nigel de Jong joins Clark Aitken’s Roma for £19.5M. Cross-town rivals Manchester United also made a sale, with Tottenham manager Leo Dodge buying Darren Fletcher for a meaty £14.75M. Dimitar Berbatov also went: £11.25M to Real Madrid, as did Manucho for £3.3M to América (MEX). Maurice Jobson’s biggest signing in terms of replacements was only a £5M deal on Owen Garvan from recently-relegated Ipswich. As well as Juande Ramos’s Portmsouth, who made a number of signings, Mark Cator’s Aston Villa were a busy team, signing for £10.5M Tomas Rosicky from Sunderland, and for £10M Pape Diakhate from Dynamo Kiev.

France encountered little difficulty in destroying Portugal 3-0 in their World Cup Semifinal collision. One goal from William Gallas and two from Thierry Henry, without any from hands, put the Iberians to shame and left them looking for consolation in the Third Placed Playoff. France, meanwhile, reached their second consecutive World Cup final. In the other match, between Brazil and England, the two teams fought it out very closely, with Frank Lampard’s first-half stoppage time penalty nullifying Robinho’s 18th minute opener. The match drew on to extra time and finished level, so penalties would decide whether England could reach their first World Cup final for 44 years. In the end, it wasn’t to be, with Brazil scoring all five penalties and David Bentley’s miss consigned England to defeat 3-5 having only taken four of the spot kicks.

As well as splashing the cash on Nigel de Jong, Clark Aitken also opened the chequebook to sign Keirrison for £18.75M from Palmeiras. Giampaolo Pazzini joined Roma for £12M from Sampdoria, as did Cheik M’Bengué for £9.5M from Toulouse and Craig Gordon for £5M from Sunderland. The sales of Goran Pandev to Ben Taylor’s Fiorentina for £11.5M and Ahmed Barusso for £3.2M to Brescia brought some money in, but by no means balanced the books. Ben Cee’s Inter were also busy bees, but they made what in my opinion will be the transfer of the season, bringing in World Cup Golden Boot winner Yannick Djaló from Sporting CP for £18.25M, and Lorik Cana from Marseille for £13.25M. Will de Mote’s A.C. Milan made a pretty penny in selling Bosco Jankovic to Portsmouth for £11.75M. Roma’s spending spree hasn’t paid off so far, as they lost their first friendly to the Japanese Higashiosaka Rosa 1-3, although it was in Japan which may have tired the team out. In comparison, their match in Portugal’s 8th-biggest city against Vitória Setúbal resulted in a 2-0 win for the Italians.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal have now completed their pre-season campaign, although they experienced two blips in Italy. AA Gent were beaten 2-0, Barnet were beaten 4-0 and BEC of Thailand were beaten 5-0, but surrounding a 4-1 victory over Pisa in an Italian tour came a 1-1 draw to James Ridley’s Siena and a 1-2 defeat to Lisa Jeffries’s Juventus. Juventus also beat Germans Bielefeld 4-0 in their other friendly match. A team with a much more successful pre-season record than Arsenal are Aston Villa. Mark Cator’s team obviously meant business with their two significant signings and, although the opposition wasn’t top quality, they got business with away wins over Reading, Watford, Charlton, Notts County and Cardiff. Newly-promoted Arnold J. Rimmer’s Bolton too maintain a 100% winning record against some good teams, including a credible 2-0 victory over Wuhan following a 9000km flight to China. Although a rather shorter distance team in Livingston were only beaten 1-0, there was an impressive 3-0 win over Wolfsburg, a 4-0 one over Nancy-Lorraine and a 4-1 one over Fiorentina. This was coupled with a small offload of players, although cash has yet to change hands.

The Big Two have been leaps and bounds ahead of the others in Spain in terms of how much they are willing to spend this summer. Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona spend £74.8M on their top five transfers. Juan Manuel Mata joined from Lawrence Lazewksi’s Valencia for £25M, Diego for £17.25M from Europa league runners-up Werder Bremen, Marquinhos for £16.5M from Palmeiras, Benedikt Höwedes from Schalke for £14.25M, and Deco from Andre da Conceiçao’s Chelsea for £1.8M. Still, their rivals Real Madrid weren’t being too prudent either, spending £60.3M on their top five purchases. Hernanes came for £20M from São Paulo, Mamadou Sakho for £16.75M from PSG, Oleg Husyev for £11.75M from Dynamo Kiev, that Dimitar Berbatov signing for £11.25M and Stefano Sorrentino from AEK Athens for £525k. The biggest transfer not involving one of these two teams was of a measly £8.5M as Pavel Pogrebnyak left Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid to join Valencia. Lars Tommersen’s Villarreal were a busy team this month, spending £10M buying Simon Kfjær from Inter and Mikey Twigge’s Palermo. £17M was spent on a further six players, while £6.5M was raised from the sales of Matías Fernández to Bayern Munich, Sebastián Viera to Almería and Felipe Manoel to Castilla. River Plate and AlbinoLeffe were beaten in Villarreal’s friendly games, and perhaps the new squad played a significant part in those victories.

Brazil would face France in the World Cup Final. Gilberto Silva put the South Americans ahead in the 14th minute from the spot, after Bacary Sagna’s foul. It took just seven minutes for Brazil to double their lead, doing so with Juan’s goal in the 21st minute. A further two minutes in and Robinho completed hell for France with a third goal, surely an unsurmountable lead?

The French team had a good go, though. Before the first half was out the margin was already closed by a goal, thanks to William Gallas’s 28th minute shot. Brazil seemed happy to play out the second half without looking particularly for the kill, but without playing all-out defensively. France doubled their goal-count just over 15 minutes from time with a goal from Yoann Gourcuff but they couldn’t find a third so Brazil won their sixth World Cup.

Almost 70,000 fans packed the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban for the Third Placed Playoff match. Fabio Capello’s England would face Portugal in an exciting tie, refereed by Zhang Hao, who went on to get a perfect rating for the match. It was goalless at half time. It was goalless at full time. What a shame, then, for Yannick Djaló to put the Portuguese ahead in the 93rd minute. But all was not lost. Nani’s trip on Michael Carrick in the 98th minute gave England a penalty, which…Gareth Barry? would take. He hit it to the goalkeeper’s right, but it bounced off the post. Disaster for England. However, who was there other than Peter Crouch, to tuck in the rebound for an equaliser. David Bentley’s long-range shot in the 110th minute put England into a glorious lead, and the match conluded without any more goals, and England ascended to 4th place in the World by finishing 3rd in the 2010 World Cup!

Manager of the Update

It is never easy to give this award in such a threadbare month, but;

Super Lampard, Lecce

wins it this month purely as one of only two managers to play competitive fixtures. His combined 10-0 scoreline over four matches is testament to how well Lampard is doing in the Europa League, if only in the early stages. Arnold J. Rimmer missed out despite his beautiful friendly performances, as did a number of other managers whose tinkering transfers imply some sort of master plan in the making. A word of warning for Super Lampard: last year, Wobill Luman got the July award, and subsequently got relegated.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Secure         754
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull        Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton      Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea     Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena       Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma        Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom   Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United  Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo   Stable         754
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis       Stable         754[/font]

[hasdgfas]

England out on penalties. Shows the realism of this game

[super_lampard]

Super Lampard, Getafe

Doing well in the Europa League and manager of the update

Although could I point out that I am at Leece in this sign-up and Getafe was for the Apprentice

[Neji]

So no it doesn't.

Thanks for that. A case of 2+2=5 I think

Never liked that Bentley fella

[canvey!!]

Although could I point out that I am at Leece in this sign-up and Getafe was for the Apprentice

Sorry - I even double-checked the list to make sure I didn't put Getafe. It's been really annoying on a few occasions when I've had to differentiate in my mind managers in the two sign-ups, particularly as they both have an aspect in Spain. The worst is Greasy Chip Butty, as in one of them he is Andy Morton and in the other he is Andy McMorton.

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce[/font]

Top Ten – Goals Conceded

[font=Courier New] [b]Pos Username             Manager          Club        Goals[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]1st Chimpos              Phill Ewles      Valladolid    144
[/font][font=Courier New] 2nd IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man    Numancia      143
[/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Martin_              Martin Bojangles Hull          141
[/font][font=Courier New] 4th hasdgfas             Tim Aubel        Fulham        136
[/font][font=Courier New] 5th el sid               Cool Manager     At. Madrid    135
[/font][font=Courier New] 6th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer Bolton        133
[/font][font=Courier New] 7th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen   Villarreal    131
[/font][font=Courier New] 8th SCIAG                Leo Dodge        Tottenham     129
[/font][font=Courier New]   - Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus     West Brom     129
[/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator       Aston Villa   129
[/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano     Middlesbrough 129[/font]

Lifespan – 1 to 2 Years

 [font=Courier New] [b]Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]41st conners              Sirus Lannock       Málaga     628
 [/font][font=Courier New]42nd MikaelS              Mikael Schøler      Bologna    613
 [/font][font=Courier New]43rd Swafe                Saul Goode          Osasuna    551
 [/font][font=Courier New]44th hamilton162          Tom Hamilton        Mallorca   509
 [/font][font=Courier New]45th kashmirshazad        Shazad Ali          Newcastle  508
 [/font][font=Courier New]46th DiscoStu94           Da Hoover Man       Sampdoria  501
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ScottT!              Scott Tysoe         Sunderland 501
 [/font][font=Courier New]48th canvey!!             Fréderico Canvey    Stoke      476[/font]

Lifespan – Less than 1 Year

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]49th corinthiano          Mathias Brunckhorst Chievo     327
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neilio               Neilio              Almería    327
 [/font][font=Courier New]51st Robert_296           Robert Boyle        Blackburn  326
 [/font][font=Courier New]52nd brettney1980         Brettney Joven      Wigan      320
 [/font][font=Courier New]53rd TigerJoe             Joe Seddon          Getafe     271
 [/font][font=Courier New]54th jack.browne          Jack Browne         Sevilla    250
 [/font][font=Courier New]55th NepentheZ            Neppo Monster       Cagliari   236
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - dafuge               dafuge              Torino     236
 [/font][font=Courier New]57th KiddingChoc          Zach Machios        Portsmouth 235
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Whoopy D             Whoopy D            West Ham   235
 [/font][font=Courier New]59th d-machine            David Machine       Athletic   229
 [/font][font=Courier New]60th PaulHartman71        Jeremy English      Liverpool  204[/font]

[PluckaDuck]

Poor Paul, it just never went right for him did it??

[canvey!!]

There won't be an update for a short while, I'm afraid. I've been mighty busy this weekend and for the whole of the next week I've a very important interview. With luck, however, I should be able to get an update for you on Sunday 13th December.

[Greasy Chip Butty]

There won't be an update for a short while, I'm afraid. I've been mighty busy this weekend and for the whole of the next week I've a very important interview. With luck, however, I should be able to get an update for you on Sunday 13th December.

Good luck with it mate, whatever it may be.

Sorry - I even double-checked the list to make sure I didn't put Getafe. It's been really annoying on a few occasions when I've had to differentiate in my mind managers in the two sign-ups, particularly as they both have an aspect in Spain. The worst is Greasy Chip Butty, as in one of them he is Andy Morton and in the other he is Andy McMorton.

Apologies - I actually thought of that the other week. I think my new handle for any sign-up from now on is going to be Chip Butty. Not that it helps you now.

[canvey!!]

I'm back and with Christmas coming (as well as El Aprendiz: Tú eres Despedidos having finished), I will of course have more time to smother you all with updates!

Update 26

Years: 2, Months: 26, Days: 785

The football season kicked off in earnest this month and the managers were up to facing their third year of football management. There have been no great waves of sackings yet, and in fact results so far have been pretty predictable, showing that the managers have now been integrated virtually as if they had the gleaming reputations of some of the better managers of this world. As August goes, as does summer and the transfer window, and it may well be a long and bitter autumn for those managers who didn’t buy wisely this year.

Indeed, the transfer scene is where we shall commence, with this month’s highest transfer costing a pretty penny or two. But Tyler Burrows doesn’t mind, as the £19.5M he received from his sale of Fabio Quagliarella to Clark Aitken’s Roma will fund his own transfer exploits for a while to come. The most he has made of his millions so far is the purchase of Andrés D’Alessandro from Brazilians Internacional, although David Suazo and John Arne Riise were also two results of his cash windfall, joining Udinese for a combined £5.4M. In other big transfers, Ben Cee’s Inter signed Rafael Sóbis from Lyon for £18.75M, and Simão joined Barcelona for £16.25M from Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid. Lord Weeman’s Napoli splashed the cash with two signings over £10M: a co-ownership for Catania’s Juan Forlin for £12.5M and a £10.25M deal taking Stéphane Mbia from Stade Rennais. But it looks to be working for the Englishman’s team, who are top of Serie A after the first game, having thrashed Cagliari away 3-1. However, they lost to Torino in the Italian Cup 3rd Qualifying Round, disappointing given that dafuge’s former side are in Serie B.

August is of course the Super Cup month, and in each country, two teams would battle it out for the novelty prize. On top of this, two Spanish teams would fight in Monaco for the UEFA Super Cup. In England, Tom Smith’s Arsenal decided they had had enough of being thrashed 3-0 in finals and so reversed that scoreline against Manchester United in the Community Shield. In Italy, Juventus were victorious over A.C. Milan, but only on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and in Spain, Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid seized the initiative after a 2-2 draw in Valencia, winning their home league to take the cup 5-3. Finally, in Monaco, Volman’s rivals Atlético Madrid lost out to Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona, who claimed the UEFA Super Cup 3-2.

Liverpool lead the 2010-11 Premier League, tied on points with Leo Dodge’s Tottenham. The London team had a difficult start to the season, with two away games, sandwiched by a two-legged face-off in Europe. But Blackburn and Tim Aubel’s Fulham were seen off, the former 3-0, and Dodge was free to claim second place for the month with a nice and comfortable home tie against Brucie Bonus’s West Brom. The Baggies, on the other hand, had two home ties to start off their season, and they drew them both before that trip to White Hart Lane. Andre da Conceiçao’s Chelsea and Mark Cator’s Aston Villa complete the top four, with the Portuguese’s side claiming full points but for a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park, and Villa beating Arsenal and West Ham away, but bizarrely losing by the same scoreline, 1-2, at home to Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland, Blackburn and West Ham are in the relegation zone, with Ricky Nakano’s Middlesbrough just above.

Of course it is early days, but I have to spin some kind of story, so there is dreadful news for Ben Taylor in Italy, as his Fiorentina team find themselves in 19th place, having lost 0-2 away to Cardio Vascular’s Genoa in their opening match. Vascular has had an excellent month, in fact, as he started the competitive season off with a 6-0 victory over Perugia in the Italian Cup. Other winners from the 3rd Qualifying Round were Mikey Twigge’s Palermo, who beat Bari, Super Lampard’s Lecce, who beat Mantova 3-1, and James Salter’s Reggina, who beat Verona 3-0. James Ridley’s Siena, in their new league, lost 0-1 away to fellow Serie B team Modena. He drew his first league game 2-2 with Treviso.

The Champions League is all set to get going with the Group Stages, after the Qualifying Rounds were completed this month. Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid beat Zenit St. Petersburg 3-2 on aggregate despite only drawing 1-1 in Spain, and Clark Aitken’s Roma fall into the Europa League after their aggregate loss to Ukrainians Shakhtar. Leverkusen, Sporting CP and Liverpool also progress, at the expense of Celtic, AZ Alkmaar and Toulouse. While we have the possibility of all remaining relevant sides progressing, the most interesting groups will see clashes between Lawrence Lazewski’s Valencia and Will de Mote’s A.C. Milan, alongside Salzburg and Dynamo Kiev, between Real Madrid and Liam Ferguson’s Man City, alongside Rangers and Benfice, and between Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan. Barcelona will be expected to walk Group F, but there is likely to be a pretty level playing field when Schalke, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Anderlecht compete for the second-place spot.

In Spain, Zaragoza lead after one game, with Andy Morton’s Sporting down in last place. The Englishman’s team found themselves mauled by ‘goza, with the result being 4-0 to the Zs. Phill Ewles’s Valladolid stuttered to a boring 0-0 draw against Almería, while Jellybean Man’s Numancia belie their predicted position of 19th as they are in 6th place, having beaten Cristobal Blanco’s Recreativo 2-1. Wobill Luman has had a mediocre start to his LIGA adelante career, drawing 1-1 with Hércules in the opener.

We’ll end the report with news from two cups then, with the first being the Europa League, which is a cup despite its name. The teams are awaiting the Group Stage draw, but this month the Fourth Qualifying Round added some big guns into the mix. Leo Dodge’s Tottenham put two short of a dozen past AGF of Denmark in their encounter, conceding one in the process for a 10-1 win, but this was bettered by Lars Tommersen’s Villarreal, who thrashed APOEL Nicosia 10-0, equalling Panathanaikos’ score against APOEL’s compatriots Omonia. However, even this was still bettered, by Joaquín Caparrós’s Sevilla who destroyed Dinamo Tirana 11-0. Super Lampard continued his superb run with two 3-0 wins over Banik Ostrava while Maurice Jobson’s Manchester United knocked out Iraklis, easing fans’ concerns after the Community Shield hiding and consecutive league losses to Portsmouth and rivals Manchester City. Tyler Burrows’s Udinese beat Modrica Maxima of Bosnia-Herzegovina 8-0, scoring four in each leg. For a bit of fun, here’s a look at the teams in the competition:

Bulgaria: Levski Sofia

Croatia: HNK Rijeka

Denmark: Brøndby, FC København, OB

England: Manchester United, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur

France: A.S. Saint-Etienne, Lille, Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse

Germany: Hoffenheim, HSV, Stuttgart

Greece: AEK Athens, Aris Salonika (Ronald Garcia woo! woo!), Panathanaikos

Italy: Atalanta, Lecce, Roma, Sampdoria, Udinese

Netherlands: Ajax, AZ Alkmaar, Roda JC, sc Heerenveen

Poland: Legia Warszawa

Portugal: Belenenses, Boavista, Braga, Porto

Romania: CFR Cluj, Steaua Bucharest

Russia: Spartak Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg

Scotland: Celtic

Serbia: Red Star Belgrade

Slovakia: Zilina

Spain: Sevilla, Villarreal, Zaragoza

Sweden: Malmö FF

Switzerland: Basel

Turkey: Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Sivasspor

Ukraine: Dnipro

There, that was fun.

The second cup, to conclude the update, was the English League Cup. Brucie Bonus’s West Brom were felled at the edge of the forest with their Second Round loss to Sheffield United. Newcastle also lost, to Leyton Orient, while Bryan McGuinness’s Everton showed tenacity in winning 2-0 at Carlisle. Ricky Nakano and Martin Bojangles were two other Premier League managers who found their teams upset, while Tim Aubel’s Fulham beat Peterborough 2-0 away, and Mark Cator’s Aston Villa beat Plymouth 4-0 at home. The next round sees a London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Manchester United playing Everton. Reading and Fulham will face off in another local match and Man City will travel to Fratton Park. Nottingham Forest, Doncaster and Leyton Orient look to have their runs terminated with matches against Premier League teams, while Blackpool and Scunthorpe have slightly less slim chances of perpetuating a League 1 interest: they have Championship teams away from home.

These gritty cup battles can be exciting sometimes. Next month will bring them!

Manager of the Update

The accolade this month goes to;

Leo Dodge, Tottenham

for being virtually top of the table and for achieving double figures against AGF. Hopefully next month will be as good for Dodge, because he faces Liverpool and Manchester City in the league and Chelsea in the Carling Cup. Lars Tommersen was another favourite for the award as he also reached double figures, as were Lucas Volman, Tom Smith and Haowan Madridstas, who all seized trophies. So too did Juventus, but in the end Dodge’s accumulated performance wins it for him.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Secure         785
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull        Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton      Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea     Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena       Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma        Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom   Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United  Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo   Stable         785
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis       Stable         785[/font]

[tomsmith1989]

At last, a cup final victory. 3-0 against Man Utd is good going. Community Shield winners.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

I like the idea of no mention and I love still being stable, no point overperforming when I am in for the long haul, you can do it boys.

[PaulHartman71]

still embarrassed at my 60th place finish /o\

[PluckaDuck]

Some really goood signings, but losing my main striker is a little bit of a loss......

[Almondo]

No mention this month so that's a good thing. It seems as though we've found the vocation for the Worlds Biggest smeg head Arnold J. Rimmer.

[hasdgfas]

At least I got a win in the cup.

[el sid]

Stable Hope we've replaced Simao with some quality player

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham[/font]

Top Ten – Goal Difference

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username      Manager            Club        -GD-[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st Haowan        Haowan Madridstas  Barcelona   +172
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd Romanista1994 Lucas Volman       Real Madrid +135
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd ian_1982      Maurice Jobson     Man United  +132
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th tomsmith1989  Tom Smith          Arsenal     +131
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th tadr          Andre da Conceiçao Chelsea     +128
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th fergysafc     Liam Ferguson      Man City    +109
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th BenArsenal    Ben Cee            Inter       +105
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th spartans5     Lawrence Lazewski  Valencia    +100
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th AtilasMiserly Will de Mote       A.C. Milan  + 95
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th Jack Rudd     Lisa Jeffries      Juventus    + 93[/font]

[super_lampard]

Into the next round of the europa league

[canvey!!]

Update 27

Years: 2, Months: 27, Days: 815

Sweet September beckoned, and past with minimal fuss. October approaches, but first September’s footballing tales must be related. Without further ado, let’s start by examining the action in the Champions League Group Stage, where each team has already played two games. Andre da Conceiçao’s Chelsea lead Group B on six points, alongside PSV Eindhoven, after the Londoners beat Norwegian’s Rosenborg 4-0 at Stamford Bridge and won 2-1 in Russia against CSKA Moscow. The encounter between Lawrence Lazewski’s Valencia and A.C. Milan in Group C resulted in a 1-1 draw, and those two teams lead the group on four points, with Salzburg of Austria just behind on three. In Group D, Liam Ferguson’s Manchester City maintain a perfect record after a classic 4-3 victory at the Bernabéu, and Benfica are in second place with 2 points after having drawn with Real Madrid and Rangers. Arsenal top Group F and are alongside Sporting Lisbon in having 6 points while Lokomotiv Moscow and Dinamo Bucharest have none. Group F is closer, with Liverpool top but Lisa Jeffries’s Juventus only three points behind, with Leverkusen also on three points. Ben Cee’s Inter lead Group G with 6 points, while Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid are struggling and are behind Bordeaux with just a point. Finally, in Group H, Barcelona top with Maccabi Tel Aviv floundering fourth without yet having played the Spanish giants.

Leo Dodge’s Tottenham did indeed keep up that fine record from last month and did not lose in the league this month. They managed a difficult 2-2 draw at home to their main rivals at present Liverpool, but then achieved a win at the City of Manchester Stadium, leaving Bristol City to be beaten at the end of the month. They also beat Braga and Roda JC in the Europa League but their luck didn’t stretch to the Carling Cup where the White Hart Lane crowd couldn’t elicit a win against Chelsea. Liverpool of course are second, but Martin Bojangles’s Hull are around for a surprising third place. The English manager, who lists Jimmy Bullard among his favoured personell, won 2-0 at Villa Park and accrued another four points this month. Man City, Newcastle and Bryan McGuinness’s Everton follow closely behind, each with 10 points, with the latter putting three past Bolton and Sheffield Wednesday this month but crashing 0-4 at the Emirates.

Tyler Burrows’s tinkering at Udinese seems to be working some magic in Italy. The Andorran’s team top Serie A, and this month secured four victories without conceding a goal, to add to their sneaky 1-0 win over A.C. Milan last month. Mikey Twigge’s Palermo were the biggest victims, as Udinese put three past them, but Catania, Cagliari and bermybhoy’s Atalanta were also on the receiving end. To add to this, Udinese beat Aris (Poor Ronald Garcia) in the Europa League while drawing in Copenhagen. Clark Aitken’s Roma do pursue them at the top but are four points behind so soon into the campaign as they accumulated three 1-0 wins this month, drawing with Inter and beating Croatians Rijeka 6-1 in the Europa League in the process. They also thrashed AEK Athens 3-0 in Greece. Atalanta and Palermo conclude the top four, while Super Lampard’s team’s league form seems to be suffering from European action as despite beating Steaua Bucharest 3-0, they have only picked up one domestic point, from an away draw with Rimini. Theo Stigarakis’s Catania are also in the drop zone, their three points from having beaten Lecce last month, so all losses this month, including in the cup. James Ridley’s Siena continue to struggle in Serie B and their manager is Insecure, they looked to still not have won this season but for a narrow 3-2 victory away to Triestina.

Wobill Luman’s woes went from bad to worse in Spain as they saw themselves knocked out of the Spanish Cup in the Second Round by Real Sociedad and are struggling in 12th place in the second tier of Spanish football. Luman himself is currently Insecure. Zaragoza still top La Liga and have yet to lose after five games, while Cristobal Blanco’s Recreativo are dangerously in 17th place. The Peruvian’s team failed to win this month and picked up just two points, which reflects their season so far. Above them on three points are Andy Morton’s Sporting and Neji Hyuuga’s Deportivo and on four points Joe Gleeson’s Espanyol, all of whom won once this month, Sporting over Celta, Deportivo over Getafe and Espanyol over Numancia. Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid, like Zaragoza, have yet to lose and occupy second place. This month they beat Celta, Numancia, Sevilla and Tenerife. Villarreal are in third place but lost to Maz Armley’s Racing, and Getafe and Real Madrid have 12 points just like Villarreal.

Tim Aubel’s Fulham, despite being 17th in the league, had the easiest passage in the English League Cup Third Round, beating Reading 5-1. Arnold J. Rimmer’s Bolton, who are in 8th place after having beaten both Chelsea and Arsenal 3-2, got knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday and Maurice Jobson’s Manchester United picked up some form to thrash Everton 3-1. Having just lost to Wednesday in the league, they needed this extra-time victory for a morale boost, and it enabled them to trounce Tom Smith’s Arsenal in the next match, the Gunners having also taken extra time to beat Nottingham Forest 4-1. Portsmouth knocked out Manchester City while both West Ham and Aston Villa recorded 3-0 victories. The match of the Fourth Round is Sheffield Wednesday versus Arsenal. The Owls are 14th in the league but have not been without some nice upsets in their season so far.

In the Europa League, Clark Aitken’s Roma join Villarreal and Tottenham in being a relevant team with a 100% win record. AZ Alkmaar, HSV, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Spartak Moscow and Porto also have yet to lose. bermybhoy's Atalanta is our only side to not sit in the first or second position in their group, being joint on points with Lille but behind on goal difference. They beat the French team 2-0 but lost 0-3 to HSV. This turbulent lack of consistency is mirrored in the league, where they lost to Udinese and then beat Sampdoria. They also beat Lecce, but drew to Napoli. As for their fellow teams in Serie A, Fiorentina have picked themselves up and are 11th, just behind Jonte Rhodes’s Lazio, who lost to A.C. Milan but beat Catania and Cagliari this month. Cardio Vascular’s Genoa are in 8th, beating Brescia but losing to Roma and Inter this month. They also found themselves out of the Italian Cup, although Lazio progressed over Modena. Palermo beat Cagliari and James Salter’s Reggina beat Pescara. The tie of the First Round is Roma against Lecce, as we see if Lecce can continue their cup luck against a mighty team, although you could also look to Udinese versus Reggina for goals. Reggina have had some tidy form but Udinese look set to win that match in style, perhaps three-nil. Ascoli and Padova represent Serie B, and with matches against Inter and Juventus respectively, there’ll be goals there too.

Manager of the Update

This month I’ll give the award to;

Tyler Burrows, Udinese

for ascending to the top of the Italian pile. Clark Aitken was his rival in Italy for the merit, while Leo Dodge was also under consideration for escaping a tough month without need for embarrassment. Cool Manager, Lars Tommersen and Haowan Madridstas also had good months (although the latter two’s weren’t significant enough to get a mention).

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Secure         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Secure         815
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull        Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton      Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea     Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma        Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom   Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United  Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo   Stable         815
 [/font][font=Courier New]39th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena       Insecure       815
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis       Insecure       815[/font]

[el sid]

Looks like Atletico are going to be knocked out of the Champions League

Doing very well in the league though, unbeaten and second place

kutgw canvey, really appreciate you carrying on with this

[Lower Leagues Rule]

10th in the league and stable is exactly how I want to be, a great start to the new season and Lazio will be under the helm of Jonte Rhodes for years to come.

[hasdgfas]

Still Stable, even if I'm in 17th in the league. Need to pick up some form though, I think.