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Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book III


Amaroq

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Monday, 17th August, 2009.

A win can do so much for morale: suddenly, we were in the top ten of the Premier League, and everyone was recalling the optimism the summer had started with. Its funny how much of a "what have you done for me lately?" atmosphere football is.

Sean Dillon's job seemed safe enough as I worked the phones: this transfer window was a definite seller's market, and nobody was willing to part with quality left-sided players, either wingers or fullbacks, for anything less than "too much", and most managers, knowing both our problems and our budget, were asking for "ridiculous."

Our Under-18s opened their league season with a 4-1 win over the Derby County U-18s - their tenth straight win, dating back to January! 16-year-old Steven Howard scored one of the goals, but it was the new strikers that truly impressed on their debuts. Michael Field scored a brace and won Man of the Match on his first start, while £2.4M signing James Bradley showed why he rated so highly with a goal off the substitutes' bench.

The only downside of the week was young winger Chris Rowe suffering a twisted knee in practice; it should rule him out through the end-of-the-month international action.

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Wednesday, 19th August, 2009. Premier League - Game 3, vs Newcastle United.

Our mid-week opposition was Newcastle United, who were currently 7th in the Premier League with a win and a loss, same as us but ahead on goal differential. Last season, we'd played a scoreless draw here, while they'd beaten us at St. James' Park 2-4 in a meaningless May game. The days of Alan Shearer were long gone, and the side could only dream of having a striker of the quality of Michael Owen. Craig Bellamy and Fernando Cavenaghi currently manned the offensive duties for them, while third choice Patrick Kluivert was long past his prime.

With a mid-week match, there were some changes from the Saturday squad. Allan McGregor remained in goal, while Joe Keenan made his first start of the year at left back. Hayden Foxe returned to central defense, wearing the captain's armband, with David Rozehnal his stalwart partner, and Keith McCormack on the right. 20-year-old Steve Newton made his first start of the season as the defensive midfielder, while the wings were the domain of youth, with Jonathan Forte on the left and Joe Newell to make his first start at right wing. I asked Juan Carlos Valerón to be the playmaker, with Iain Hume his partner in the attacking midfield, and Peter Weatherson got his first nod up front.

Last season, I'd played basically the same tactic home and away, the conservative counter-attacking style. Today, I was trying something new at home: conservative on defense, but leaning a bit more towards a patient buildup in attack. The counter was still on if the players spotted the opportunity, but if not they should pass it around looking to make gaps in the defense rather than just rushing into the teeth of the opposition.

The slower pace really muffled the game through the first fifteen minutes, despite the best efforts of our 32,976 supporters to make some noise. Things finally got started in the 18th minute, when Jonathan Forte, crossed over to the right, fed Joe Newell into the box. He laid it off for Iain Hume, who blasted a shot from the 18 but saw it fly straight into the arms of Thomas Sørensen. Newcastle had their first chance moments later, with Argentine striker Fernando Cavenaghi heading over from 10 yards.

On the half-hour, Forte tried a low-percentage shot from long range, which curled wide, and shortly thereafter Hume's curling 25-yarder was saved at the post by Sørensen. The Canadian was really looking our only dangerous player in the attack, and Juan Carlos Valerón was nowhere near contributing. The crowd was getting restless, and as halftime approach, I was growing nervous. In injury time I saw why. Damien Duff took a throw-in from the left sideline, dropping it to German left back Tobias Rau. He launched a gorgeous ball into the area, where Stuart Carter had slipped the mark of Hayden Foxe to head it past Allan McGregor from 12 yards.

The groan of dismay rippling around Bramall Lane quickly turned to delighted applause when referee Dean Oliver waved it off, ruling Carter offisdes. The Newcastle players tried to argue, but Oliver blew the half-time whistle and strode confidently past them and into the tunnel.

The controversy set the tone for an ugly second half, and the crowd began to get antsy as the visitors came out with a hard-tackling style that seemed to draw no yellow cards even for flagrant fouls. I was more concerned with our failure to endanger Sørensen's goal, and as the hour mark approached, I moved Joe Keenan to defensive midfield, bringing off young Steve Newton to get Sean Dillon's composure on at left back. I also sent Bruno Cheyrou on for the exhausted and ineffectual Valerón, who looked like he couldn't wait for retirement.

I should have worried more about the brooding controversy, as Keenan received a yellow card almost immediately for holding onto the shirt of Francsec Fabergas. Two minutes later, James Milner took a tumble, and frankly made it out to be much worse than it was. He should have earned an Oscar: Oliver bought the performance hook, line, and sinker, and Keenan was sent off for a second yellow card.

That changed my goal target 'win' to 'survive thirty minutes and earn a draw'. Without a defensive midfielder, I switched to a flat midfield 4-4-1, essentially the formation that every 4-4-2 manager goes to when he has a player sent off. To my surprise, this seemed to spark our offense - or perhaps it was that Newcastle grew a bit overconfident with the man advantage. Dillon's great long ball found Peter Weatherson behind in Niels Oude Kamphuis, and the Dutchman had no hope of catching our number nine. Only Sørensen had a chance, and the Danish keeper made a great save to turn the chance away.

Shortly thereafter, I brought Weatherson off for Hunt, and that set the lineups for the final fifteen minutes.

Time after time, our shorthanded lads took off on a brilliant counterattack, only to be denied at the end. Cheyrou found a gear I'd never seen on the practice pitch for a break to the eighteen, but blazed his shot over the bar. Shortly thereafter, Dillon spotted Cheyrou on the breakway. This time, he waited too long to shoot, giving Sørensen time to cut down the angle and make the save. The rebound fell to Hunt, but he couldn't quite control it, and the shot, a hard chopper, bounced wide.

With five minutes to go, Cheyrou sprang Hunt into the box. Beleaguered Sørensen came up with yet another save, and though the rebound fell to Cheyrou, his shot was blocked by defensive midfielder Peter Luccin.

As injury time drew near, there were chances at both times, and it was a tense injury time which could have seen the points go either way. In the end, Tobias Rau made a great tackle to halt Hunt's breakaway, and David Rozehnal's confident defending cleared out Patrick Kluivert's cross, and the final whistle blew on a 0-0 draw which had been anything but dull.

Sheffield United 0, Newcastle United 0

----; ----

MoM: Sørensen (Newcastle GK)

It was another match decided by the referee, but I told the lads I was very proud of their play, especially a man down. We'd outshot the visitors nearly two to one, and Thomas Sørensen utterly deserved to be Man of the Match after his second-half performance.

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Thursday, 20th August, 2009.

We were up to seventh in the Premier League thanks to the draw, and co-equal with Newcastle for sixth, though they retained their advantage in goal differential. Our next opponents, top-of-the-table Arsenal, had pounded Portsmouth 6-0, with Ivica Olic scoring a hat trick. The loss tumbled the Fratton Park side down to 20th, the only side without a point in the first three matches.

Also on Wednesday, our Reserves fought a spirited match against Leeds Reserves at Saltergate. Though the senior sides hadn't appeared too into the friendly match in July, the Reserve sides both showed appreciation for the rivalry and a real loathing of the other side. It wound up scoreless but for a large number of bumps, bruises, and yellow cards.

In the Champions League third qualifying round, Middlesbrough beat Anderlecht 2-0 in Belgium to complete a 3-0 aggregate, and Liverpool's 1-0 win over Northern Ireland side Linfield completed a 4-0 rout.

Celtic, however, were dumped out of the cup by Slovakian club MSK Zilina, whose 1-0 win completed a famous 3-0 aggregate. They'd done the "Glasgow double", knocking out Rangers and then Celtic in subsequent rounds, and the financial setback to Scottish football would last years!

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Saturday, 22nd August, 2009.

Yesterday, Manchester United won the European Super Cup with a 2-0 victor over Inter Milan. Ruud van Nistelrooy showed that he still has it at the age of 33, scoring what would be the game-winner early in the second half, and Wayne Rooney added the other with twenty minutes to go to put the outcome beyond a doubt.

I didn't catch any of the action, however, as I was busy working out a new lineup. Joe Hamill, whom I had intended to start against Arsenal on Sunday in our first televised match of the season, bruised his jaw battling Graham Allen for a ball in practice. The right winger had thrown a bit of an elbow, and Hamill would have to wait for another day to make his debut.

Once I had that sorted out - Cheyrou would play on the left again - I could turn my attention to the events of the day.

Today was the draw for the League Cup Second Round; we'd received an automatic bye through the First Round as one of the Premier League sides. We avoided any of the big guns, drawing an away match to Championship side Bristol City, who had narrowly avoided relegation last year.

After the day's Premiership action, Arsenal manager David O'Leary was interviewed on Sky Sports about tomorrow's game.

"I realize Sheffield United face another difficult season," he said, "But I'm fully confident that Richards is a manager capable of saving them from relegation."

Of course the local press came calling, asking if I had any response.

"Is he talking about last year?" I asked, trying to pass his comment off as wit.

"Seriously, I know the 'second season slump' is a concern in some people's minds, but I have every faith in this team's ability.

"I think we're beyond worrying about relegation - and come the end of the season I hope to be proved right!"

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Sunday, 23rd August, 2009. Premier League - Game 4, at Arsenal.

Arsenal have an impressive side: over the last dozen years they have placed outside of the top two only twice, and have four titles to show for it. Last season they finished nine points back of Chelsea, but suffered an embarrassing 3-1 loss at Bramall Lane which officially clinched the title for Abramovich's men. David O'Leary may not have mentioned it to the press, but avenging that slight had to be on the minds of his players. Considering that they'd hammered our first-choice lineup 4-0 on our visit to Emirates Stadium last year, I was duly worried. The Gunners have three wins from three matches thus far, with ten goals and only one conceded, but they are already behind Chelsea by a point.

Despite the embarrassing result the last time we'd traveled to London, I named my first-choice lineup and a conservative outlook, hoping to scratch a point from a scoreless draw. Allan McGregor was of course in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Danny Payne across the back. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, and I would again try Bruno Cheyrou on the left wing, with Victor Sikora returning on the right. The attacking midfield paired Marc Bridge-Wilkinson with Robert Cousins, and striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle was looking for his team-leading third goal of the season.

Things started brightly, with Robert Cousins earning a corner kick within 40 seconds, but nothing came of it, and it felt like the last time we sniffed goal all afternoon. Fredrik Ljungberg looked certain to score in the third minute, thanks to Edu's fine cross, but Allan McGregor made a fine save to push it away. That kept the match scoreless through the first quarter hour, and already we were doing two goals better than last year at the same time.

It all went south in the sixteenth minute, as Victor Sikora upended impressive striker Ivica Olic out to the Arsenal left of our goal. Ljungberg floated in a free kick that was almost a corner, and José Antonio Reyes knocked it home at the near post with a sweeping left-footed shot.

The London crowd of 57,268 were on their feet and screaming, but the Gunners were far from done. In the 25th minute, central defender Samuel Kuffour took a free kick from the halfway line. Ivica Olic flat outran aging Hayden Foxe, rounded Allan McGregor, and made it a comfortable 0-2.

The sinking feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach was as nothing compared to what my players were going through: by their hang-dog expressions and dejected looks, I knew the match was over already. Just after the half-hour, Foxe was victimized again. This time, Edu's fine low pass found Olic, who stepped around the Australian, and fired left-footed back to the far post, a goal made easier as McGregor guessed wrong and dove to the near side. It was 0-3, and we were lucky it stayed that way through halftime.

I wish I could tell you I gave the lads a rousing speech at halftime, but honestly I just wanted the lads to escape with their pride intact, and would have been happy with a scoreless second half. Whatever I said, however, it seemed to work, at least for a time. In the 55th minute, Bruno Cheyrou and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson combined, with the latter's great through ball springing Florent Sinama-Pongolle through the Arsenal defense. He had a glorious chance, but a fantastic one-on-one save by Shay Given, an off-season free transfer from Newcastle, turned it away.

On the hour mark, Foxe was at fault for another goal. Edu's low pass had found Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, 30 yards from goal and directly in front of our captain. Instead of playing his man, the Australian wandered to the right, leaving David Rozehnal with two men to cover. He challenged Vieira, who laid a perfect pass right for Claudio Pizarro. Into the area, no defender within ten feet of him, the Peruvian had the easiest goal of his six-year Arsenal career, making it 0-4.

I made a triple substitution shortly thereafter, with Iain Hume on for Bridge-Wilkinson and Graham Allen replacing Cheyrou. Young goalkeeper Gabriele Mattiussi made his Sheffield United debut - there was no point leaving McGregor in to take further hammering in a lost cause, I figured. The Scot wouldn't even look at me as he came off to the taunts of the crowd, and he had to be feeling even worse when Mattiussi made a fine save from Edu's shot shortly after coming on.

We weren't really trying to push Arsenal back, and Olic nearly earned his hat trick in the 80th minute, shooting from 12 yards, but the effort cannoned off the perfectly postioned Foxe. Lest you think the Australian had redeemed some of his early errors with that, it was he who Olic flashed in front of in the 84th minute. Ljunberg had sent the cross in from the right, and the Croatian forward made a diving header just in front of our captain. It was his second hat trick in consecutive matches, and his 50th league goal for Arsenal. It capped off an embarassing 0-5 defeat.

Arsenal 5, Sheffield United 0

Reyes 16, Olic 25, 32, 84, Pizarro 60; ----

MoM: Olic (Arsenal SC)

Gutting.

Just gutting.

If there was any solace to take from the defeat, it was knowing that we'd held them better than Portsmouth had in the 6-0 drubbing they'd taken mid-week. The Gunners were top of the table, ahead of Chelsea, and Ivica Olic, with 7 goals and 3 assists in only four matches, was as in-form as it is possible to be!

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Tuesday, 25th August, 2009.

The entire bus ride back to Sheffield, I was dreading hearing from Derek Dooley, remembering how irate he'd been that we'd suffered three 5-0 defeats last season. He wasn't there, and all day Monday there was no word from him.

On reflection, I began to wonder if the silence was even more ominous. Stacy tried to convince me not to worry, but the more I thought about it, the more I worried.

I'm sure Rupert Wormwood had a field day with it; I didn't even look at the paper.

Sunday had also seen winger Simon Blake knocked out for 3 weeks with fractured ribs, suffered before our Under-18s played a 0-0 draw with Stoke City. The match itself left two more players injured. Right back Terry Moore twisted a knee, which would keep him out against Notts County, but 17-year-old Gary Phillips suffered a torn groin, and needed surgery. It would be at least four months before he could play again, poor kid, and it seemed likely that it would end his career, as he hadn't shown much promise to begin with.

Speaking of the youth squad, the Under-18s Cup Second Round draw saw our lads pitted against Boston United, if we could get past Notts County in the first round.

Monday, I gave the senior squad the week off for the internationals, telling them not to dwell on the Arsenal result, and to enjoy the early break.

We'd had six players called up for Under-21 international duty on the 28th, four of them keepers, and three of them possibly looking at their U-21 debut.

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Wednesday, 26th August, 2009.

If Rupert Wormwood thought the standard of officiating in our season opener against Villa was poor, he should have seen the travesty that was our Under-18s Cup tie at Nottingham.

Chris McKenzie was sent off in the 12th minute when he was yellow carded for a soft foul, and then shown red for a brief complaint about it.

At least he wasn't alone: 13 yellow cards had been shown, and four players sent off, before either team could find the net. Steven Howard and James Bradley would be missing our next match, and Notts County had a ten-on-eight advantage, before the deadlock was broken. None of that stopped determined 18-year-old Steven White from finding the goal in the 88th minute. The defensive midfielder, playing a central midfield role in my desperate 4-3-0 formation, headed home a beautiful cross by Jon Atherton which seemed sure to have put us through to the next round!

Notts County hadn't read the script, however. Throwing everyone forward in desperation, they overwhelmed our outnumbered defense by dint of sheer weight of numbers. Their injury-time equalizer forced a half-hour of extra time.

Though ever-increasing fatigue threatened to do them in entirely, our eight brave survivors staved off wave after wave of attack, killing off all thirty minutes - though for much of it, they were reduced to simply punting long and trying to catch their breath while County retrieved.

The odd game went through 120 minutes to finish 1-1 and go to penalties, where our exhausted lads proved singularly inept - it was as though even the run-up were too much to ask of them. County won, two goals to one, in the shootout. It was small consolation for Stephen Cummins that he saved three penalties and won Man of the Match: after making it to the Semi-Finals two seasons running, we'd expected better than to get dumped out in the first round.

In the other match of the day, Newcastle Reserves held our Reserve side to a 1-1 draw; Noel Hunt scored the goal with an assist from new winger Joe Hamill.

Great.

I couldn't even bring the youth side through a supposedly easy match.

Mister Dooley still hadn't spoken to me - and I half-expected to receive my notice when I got back.

Nothing.

To be honest, it wasn't his ire that I was afraid of, it was seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

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Friday, 28th August, 2009.

Friday's matches lifted my spirits a bit: its one of the great joys I get from being a manager, to see our youngsters make good.

In this case, three of ours were appearing in European Under-21 Championship qualifiers.

15-year-old Chris Brown earned his first Under-21 cap for Wales, and posted a clean sheet in a 2-0 win on the road against Azerbaijan. He was the talk of the Welsh press the following morning, both for playing at that level at his age, and for having impressed both pundits and managers alike for the entire match. Its always a feel-good story when a lad so young can make a great impression against players that much older than him!

England's Young Lions notched an easy 4-0 win over Cyprus U-21's. Joe Newell earned his third U-21 cap and did reasonably well, though by the time he came off the bench the outcome was well decided.

Keith McCormack was the right back for Ireland U-21s, but they were slaughtered, 4-1 in Amsterdam. The match was three-nil at halftime, with the only goal for the Irish coming in injury time.

In minor squad news, attacking midfielder Phil Davidson joined Bristol Rovers of League One on loan for 3 months.

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Saturday, 29th August, 2009.

I settled back with Stacy and a few friends to watch England in World Cup Qualifying play. The match was in London, but we were watching on my new big-screen plasma TV, a beautiful piece of electronics!

It was an early birthday gift from my ever-supportive wife, bless her heart. I suspect she'd let me open it early to take my mind off of the Arsenal result, though she was careful to phrase it "so you can watch the big England match on it."

The home side dominated Cyprus 3-0, with Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard scoring first-half goals. Ryan Jarvis, a 23-year-old who had just been signed by Portsmouth, from Norwich, for £3.1M, scored a goal on his international debut, coming off bench as a substitute.

Despite Austria's 2-0 win in Serbia, the Three Lions stood four points clear with three games to play, and looked almost uncatchable. In the other match of Group 4, Switzerland beat the Faroe Islands 2-1.

In Group 9, Belgium cemented their hold on the lead with a 2-0 win over Kazakhstan. Turkey snuck past idle Scotland into third place with a 2-1 win over Ukraine.

Group 5 leaders Sweden suffered an embarrassing stumble in Albania, conceding a penalty late in the first half, and unable to find a winner in the second. The 1-1 draw, combined with Holland's 2-0 win over Ireland, knocked Sweden out of the top spot. The Dutch went a point ahead, with a crucial match between the two sides to follow on Wednesday, possibly deciding the group winner. Ireland's hopes were all but doused, though they had yet to play Sweden and so could conceivably catch them for second place. Georgia notched their first win of the tournament, with a 3-1 victory over Andorra.

Wales and Romania stayed equal atop Group 7, with the Welsh beating Azerbaijan 2-0 on goals by Jason Koumas and Simon Davies. Romania kept pace with a 2-1 win over Moldova: the October meeting between the two sides should be entertaining! Our defender David Rozehnal made a substitute appearance for the Czech Republic in a 1-0 win over Israel, keeping alive the very faint hopes of his nation, three points back of the two leaders.

Germany pounded Denmark 4-1, with goals by four different players, while Northern Ireland beat Slovakia 3-1. That would set up a Wednesday group decider in Belfast, and if the German press wasn't giving Roy Millar's side any chance, they don't know their history. Third-placed Poland stayed four back of the Germans with a 3-1 win over Luxembourg: they would face both those sides in the final two matches, and so were poised to pounce should the leaders stumble.

In Group 1, Italy all but eliminated third-placed Iceland with a 2-0 win, stretching their clean sheet run to seven games. Second-placed Russia, four points back, beat Armenia 2-1, but struggled more than they ought to have with the group minnows, while Finland beat Belarus 2-1 to pass them and move into fourth place.

France beat Hungary 3-1 in Budapest, holding onto the lead of Group 2, but Norway beat Estonia 2-1 to keep the pressure on. The 1-1 draw between FYR Macedonia and Liechtenstein interested only fans of those two countries.

A 2-1 defeat in Bosnia might prove the undoing of Croatia, as it allowed Spain to close to within a point with a 3-0 victory over San Marino. Ivica Olic had reportedly suffered a strained wrist which kept him out of both of Croatia's qualifiers. The Croatian press were screaming that it was a 'fix', the ultimate escalation of the club-versus-country row with the Arsenal physios reportedly holding the player out of competitive matches for the faintest of pretenses.

The checkered-jersey side will need to win out their final three matches to ensure that they stave off Spain; luckily, they've already faced the Spaniards twice, and its a home match against lowly San Marino that Olic will miss on Wednesday. Slovenia was the other winner on the day, with a 2-0 victory over Lithuania.

Greece beat Portugal 2-0, all but mathematically eliminating the Portugese side, who were on the verge of failing to qualify, and in fourth place behind even Latvia - the small nation had beaten Malta 3-0. Idle Bulgaria retained the group lead, with 12 points from 5 games.

Elsewhere, Iain Hume played well, helping create the goal which put Canada ahead 2-1 at the half in Edmonton against the U.S.A. Too bad they play ninety minutes. Freddy Adu scored two second-half goals, including a decisive spot kick in the 88th minute, to give the U.S. a 3-2 World Cup qualifying win over their northern neighbors.

In Tahiti, Australian central defender Hayden Foxe impressed - as did every man on the pitch, apparently - as Australia pounded Tahiti 7-0 in the first leg of the Oceania Qualifying section final.

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Tuesday, 1st September, 2009, morning.

The transfer deadline came, and went, without any major news in Sheffield. There were, of course, some splashy moves. Chelsea purchased Jérémie Aliadière for £18.5M from Liverpool, acquiring a talented 26-year-old who had netted 20 goals in 41 games last season, and 3 from 3 so far this year.

Fulham's 23-year-old Dutch striker Collins John moved to Blackburn, fetching £16.25M. That explained why they'd rejected my £10M bid for John Kennedy - I was secretly pleased, as I'd felt it would be vastly overpaying, but in this seller's market that's what I'd felt we had to do.

There was one new Blade who would require a squad number: Arsenal winger Darren White joined us on loan through the end of the season.

AM RL Darren White, 19, England, uncapped: 3 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 0 MoM, 8.00 with Arsenal:

Despite considerable success in a few Cup games for Arsenal, White had failed to impress in loan spells to Bristol City and Swansea for League matches. He's a pacey lad, with amazing off the ball movement, a flair for the dramatic, and fine concentration, but there are a number of areas he'll need to improve if he's going to contribute to the Gunners. He has trouble finishing even easy chances, his first touch is weak, and he doesn't seem to have the fitness to dominate in the late going. His dribbling and crossing is merely ordinary - I was thinking of him as depth and cover.

I found myself dreading knocking on the door for admittance to the boardroom. I knew Derek Dooley had expected some improvements to the side, and splashing £2.4M on an unproven 17-year-old could hardly be considered strengthening the squad. Worse, he'd given me an explicit instruction never to suffer another 5-0 defeat, which Arsenal had just handed me to. I wanted to call in sick!

Instead I steeled myself and walked through the door.

The disappointed shake of the head which met me was crushing. I didn't want to let down the man who, after all, had given his leg for Sheffield football.

"Lad, lad, lad," he started. "What did I tell you? You've got to do something to prevent these sorts of embarrassments.

"I know its your job to run the team, not mine, but I can't help thinking you're playing it too conservatively. The big clubs know you won't come at them, so that means they're able to overwhelm you with numbers. You know what they say: the best defense is a good offense - maybe you should try getting a bit more aggressive."

It was counter-intuitive, but I might have to give it a go - certainly it couldn't hurt, compared to what we had been experiencing!

Even better, however, was knowing that he wasn't irate, and wasn't going to be firing me on the spot: apparently the injunction against horrific defeats was forgotten, or perhaps he'd meant it only as 'don't play your second team against the top sides'.

I did find myself taken to task a bit, not by Dooley for being down in 16th place, but by Terry Robinson for failing to purchase any players.

That I was able to explain, discussing the 'seller's market' phenomenon, and describing how my efforts to purchase players had broken down and why. I did still have some hopes for the January transfer window, and even if this year's squad was a bit weaker on paper, I assured them that I still felt we'd be able to stay up.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Arsenal 12 4 0 0 15 1 +14

2 Chelsea 10 3 1 0 12 3 + 9

3 Manchester United 8 2 2 0 6 3 + 3

4 Newcastle United 7 2 1 1 9 4 + 5

5 Blackburn 7 2 1 0 7 5 + 2

6 Liverpool 7 2 1 0 3 1 + 2

7 Southampton 7 2 1 1 6 5 + 1

8 Ipswich Town 6 2 0 2 3 5 - 2

9 Fulham 5 1 2 1 6 6 0

10 Charlton Athletic 4 1 1 1 5 4 + 1

11 Middlesbrough 4 1 1 1 5 5 0

12 Aston Villa 4 1 1 2 4 5 - 1

13 West Ham United 4 1 1 2 6 8 - 2

14 W. Bromwich Albion 4 1 1 2 1 3 - 2

15 Crystal Palace 4 1 1 2 4 8 - 4

16 Sheffield United 4 1 1 2 3 7 - 4

17 Manchester City 3 1 0 3 7 10 - 3

--------------------------------------------------

18 Leicester 2 0 2 2 4 7 - 3

19 Everton 1 0 1 3 3 8 - 5

20 Portsmouth 1 0 1 3 1 12 -11</pre>

If there was one satisfaction I could take from the table, it was seeing Stewart Downing's new club, Leicester City, down in the relegation places: my sense of betrayal had turned to anger, and I wouldn't mind seeing him suffer the embarrassment of relegation.

We'd turned a profit of £2.6M for the month of August, but I couldn't help thinking it was 'blood money', tainted, from the sale of Downing - even if it did bring our season net to £4.3M, and our overall balance to £27.2M, a total many clubs would envy.

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The standard is constantly of an exceptional standard Amaroq, and an absolute pleasure to read. I read that you were thinking of taking up writing for a career? I can only suggest that you do as soon as possible, as this standard is magnificent. Top quality and thoroughly enjoyed having the pleasure of reading your stories. KUTABW icon14.gif

Thats AB for absolutely brilliant icon_smile.gif

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This is clearly the best game based story I have ever, ever read. In the same vein as many of the other posters, KUTSDAIEFAW (The SDAIEFA = Super Dooper Amazingly Impressively Exceptionally Fantastically Awesome). A very interesting and addictive story that I would reccomend to anybody who frequents these forums (Or for that matter various other forums as well).

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Thank you so very much lads - for a writer, I'm having a hard time describing how big my smile is at your kind words. "Ear to ear" doesn't begin to cut it, perhaps "Ronaldinho-esque" is the right adjective! icon_wink.gif

Damien - glad to see you back again! Its not the losing I mind, its the getting thrashed so comprehensively!

sherm - thanks for the encouragement, and the creative compliment! Yes, I have a couple of projects starting to percolate. If you know any publishers or agents, send 'em my way. icon_wink.gif

and soupaman - what more can I say than "Thank you"?

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Tuesday, 1st September, 2009, evening.

Having weathered the board meeting, I turned my eye to the European Under-21 Championship qualifiers, where fully five of our youngsters were playing!

In Zürich, England U-21s faced second-placed Switzerland, only a point behind them, needing a win or a draw to hold the group lead. Our lads scored first, and held a one-goal lead over their hosts for 75 minutes before conceding a late equalizer for a 1-1 final score. Joe Newell, starting as a central midfielder, played a fine match. He led both sides in tackles won and completed all but two of his passes for the night to earn the Man of the Match honours.

The draw kept the Young Lions a point ahead of Switzerland, with 2 games remaining:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 England U-21s 18 5 3 0 +13

2 Switzerland U-21s 17 5 2 1 + 5

3 Serbia & Mont. U-21s 12 4 0 4 + 2

4 Cyprus U-21s 11 3 2 3 - 4

5 Faroe Islands U-21s 5 1 2 5 - 7

6 Austria U-21s 4 1 1 6 - 9</pre>

Darren Gibson played all ninety minutes and collected an assist on one of Scotland's two goals. Scotland U-21s beat Ukraine, a result which kept them mathematically alive for another day, though nothing short of a miracle would allow them to catch Belgium for the Group 9 title - and only the top team advances.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 Belgium U-21s 12 3 3 0 + 5

2 Turkey U-21s 10 2 4 0 + 2

3 Scotland U-21s 8 2 2 2 + 1

4 Ukraine U-21s 5 1 2 4 - 5

(abbreviated table)</pre>

Despite the best efforts of Stephen Cummins in goal and Keith McCormack in defense, Ireland U-21s suffered their second consecutive defeat, a 3-1 loss to Georgia which knocked the Republic out of the tournament.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 Holland U-21s 20 6 2 0 +12

2 Sweden U-21s 14 4 2 2 + 4

3 Ireland U-21s 13 4 1 3 + 2

4 Georgia U-21s 12 4 0 4 - 4

(abbreviated table)</pre>

Fifteen-year-old Chris Brown wore the captain's armband, surprisingly, and kept another clean sheet as Wales U-21s pounded Moldova, 4-0. Back-to-back shutouts were a magnificent start to his international career, and I couldn't help but be pleased with my summer acquisition - even if it would be two years yet before he could play Premier League football.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 Wales U-21s 21 7 0 1 +14

2 Czech Republic U-21s 17 5 2 1 + 5

3 Romania U-21s 12 3 3 2 - 1

(abbreviated table)</pre>

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Wednesday, 2nd September, 2009.

Wednesday's World Cup Qualifiers were, of course, far more significance to the international footballing community. The matchups would follow the same pairings as the youth encounters had.

England faced Switzerland in Basel, where a cold rain fell throughout the afternoon, limiting the creative possibilities. Gary Megson opted for a defensive formation, a 5-3-2, which had the tabloids howling for more 'adventure' the following day. Despite controlling the match, the English were unable to create many real chances, and the Swiss keeper dealt admirably with the five real shots taken. A scoreless draw was the result, and it ate into England's safety margin.

Austria pounded Cyprus 3-0 in Vienna, drawing to within two points of the English, and that meant the group finale at Wembley would likely decide the winner. Serbia & Montenegro saw their last mathematical hope of claiming the group title eliminated despite a 2-1 victory over the Faroe Islands: either England or Austria must finish on 19 points, which they cannot rival. A playoff berth is the best they can hope for, now.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 England 18 5 3 0 17 2 +15

2 Austria 16 5 1 2 12 7 + 5

3 Serbia & Mont. 12 3 3 2 10 10 0

- 4 Switzerland 9 2 3 3 9 12 - 3

- 5 Cyprus 6 1 3 4 5 13 - 8

- 6 Faroe Islands 4 1 1 6 8 17 - 9</pre>

It was an injury crisis for Scotland, as Gary Naysmith, Craig Beattie, and Gareth Williams were all carted from the pitch in a 1-1 draw against the Ukraine in Glasgow. They still have the faintest of mathematical hopes, but to have even a chance of realizing them, the Tartan Army would need to travel to Turkey to beat a confident side which had just beaten Kazakhstan 3-0.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Belgium 13 4 1 1 6 2 + 4 (6)

2 Turkey 11 3 2 1 11 6 + 5 (6)

3 Ukraine 11 3 2 2 10 8 + 2 (7)

4 Scotland 8 2 2 2 7 6 + 1 (6)

- 5 Kazakhstan 1 0 1 6 4 16 -12 (7)</pre>

Wales regained the lead in Group 7 with a convincing 5-0 victory over Moldova. Jason Koumas started the scoring, with Robert Earnshaw and Dylan Hughes giving them a 3-0 halftime advantage. 23-year-old Stuart Fleetwood added a second-half brace to make the final scoreline, delighting the Millennium Stadium crowd.

They were helped in their cause by Israel defeating Romania 3-0 in Ramat-Gan, a result which shocked the Romanian fans and put even more weight on the Romania-Wales match in October. The Czech Republic left it to the last minute to beat Azerbaijan, but Milan Baros scored in the 86th minute, and Tomas Rosicky added another in injury time to make a 2-0 final. Our man David Rozehnal did not play - in fact, none of our European players saw action on the day!

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Wales 19 6 1 1 22 7 +15

2 Romania 16 5 1 2 12 10 + 7

3 Czech Republic 16 5 1 2 14 5 + 9

4 Israel 14 4 2 2 13 5 + 8

- 5 Moldova 4 1 1 6 4 21 -17

- 6 Azerbaijan 0 0 0 8 3 20 -17</pre>

Group 5's decisive match was played in Stockholm, where first-placed Holland needed at least a draw against Sweden. Ruud van Nistelrooy put the Dutch ahead in the eleventh minute with his 35th career international goal, and though Kim Källström equalized for the hosts just before halftime, the Orange side kept a clean sheet through the second half for the 1-1 draw which left them in control of their own destiny.

Despite an excellent goal by Robbie Keane, Ireland suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Georgia in Tbilisi which all but ended their hopes of claiming even a second-place berth. Albania beat group minnows Andorra, 2-1, for their first win of the campaign.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Holland 19 6 1 1 15 3 +12

2 Sweden 18 5 3 0 14 4 +10

3 Ireland 13 4 1 3 16 8 + 8

- 4 Georgia 8 2 2 4 9 14 - 5

- 5 Albania 6 1 3 4 8 16 - 8

- 6 Andorra 2 0 2 6 4 21 -17</pre>

In Belfast, Northern Ireland played host to Germany with their Group 3 destiny well in their own hands. The Germans played their typical solid defensive game, and Michael Ballack's 22nd-minute laser held up as the match's only goal, dumping the Irish back to a tie with Poland for second place. The Poles failed to gain much ground, allowing Slovakia a 1-1 draw in Warsaw despite ever opportunity to put the game away. Denmark beat Luxembourg 2-1 to regain some measure of self-respect after a disappointing campaign.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

P 1 Germany 19 6 1 1 15 7 + 8

2 Northern Ireland 13 4 1 3 14 8 + 6

3 Poland 13 3 4 1 12 8 + 4

4 Denmark 9 2 3 3 8 11 - 3

- 5 Slovakia 7 1 4 3 4 7 - 3

- 6 Luxembourg 4 1 1 6 6 18 -12</pre>

Finland gave Italy a real scare, with Charlton striker Mikael Forssell netting twice in the first twenty minutes to end Italy's shutout streak and put the Finns ahead 2-1. A determined performance by the visitors saw Gianluca Zambrotta equalize before the hour mark, and Andrea Lazzari gave the Azzuri the winner with ten minutes to go for a 3-2 victory. Russia beat Iceland 3-0, guaranteeing themselves at least a playoff berth and keeping their faint hopes alive. Belarus struggled to beat minnows Armenia, 2-1.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

P 1 Italy 22 7 1 0 20 2 +18

P 2 Russia 18 6 0 2 12 7 + 5

- 3 Iceland 10 3 1 4 10 11 - 1

- 4 Belarus 9 3 0 5 11 12 - 1

- 5 Finaland 8 2 2 4 7 12 - 5

- 6 Armenia 3 1 0 7 5 21 -16</pre>

France pummelled Estonia, 4-0, moving inexorably closer to the Group 2 title, which it seemed unlikely would elude them at this stage. Norway kept pace, with a 3-2 win over Liechtenstein that locked them into at least second place. Macedonia and Hungary scored less than sixty seconds apart in the first half, the only goals of a 1-1 draw.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

P 1 France 22 7 1 0 24 1 +23

P 2 Norway 19 6 1 1 15 8 + 7

- 3 Hungary 11 3 2 3 11 12 - 1

- 4 FYR Macedonia 9 2 3 3 10 13 - 3

- 5 Estonia 5 1 2 5 7 18 -11

- 6 Liechtenstein 1 0 1 7 6 21 -15</pre>

In Group 6, Croatia proved that they are still a formidable presence even without Ivica Olic. Niko Kranjcar scored a brace as the Croatians lit up Maksimir Stadium for a 4-0 victory over San Marino. A 2-0 victory over Slovenia kept Spain one point behind - but if they won out, they were positioned to be the top second-placed team, earning a direct World Cup berth. Bosnia's 3-1 win over Lithuania kept them in the mix, with a crucial game in Spain as their next match.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

1 Croatia 19 6 1 1 19 5 +14

2 Spain 18 6 0 2 16 6 +10

3 Bosnia 16 5 1 2 14 10 + 4

- 4 San Marino 8 2 2 4 7 18 -11

- 5 Slovenia 7 2 1 5 7 12 - 5

- 6 Lithuania 1 0 1 7 6 18 -12</pre>

In Group 8, Greece advanced to within a whisker of direct qualification, a feat which the Greek media were hoping would show that their European Championship win of 2004 was more than just a 'fluke'. The result, a 1-0 win over second-placed Bulgaria, went a long way towards making that a reality, and only a road trip to point-less Malta stood between Greece and the World Cup. Malta had just been beaten comprehensively by Portugal, 5-1, and so could not be highly regarded.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Greece 15 5 0 2 9 5 + 4 (7)

2 Bulgaria 12 4 0 2 9 5 + 4 (6)

3 Portugal 10 3 1 3 14 10 + 4 (7)

4 Latvia 10 3 1 2 11 7 + 4 (6)

- 5 Malta 0 0 0 6 3 19 -16 (6)</pre>

In the CONCACAF region, Canada's hopes were all but extinguished by Honduras, who beat them 4-1 to book their place in the World Cup Finals. Iain Hume played all ninety minutes, but could not be pleased with the outcome.

The U.S.A. beat their arch-rivals Mexico, 1-0, assuring their place in the Finals with two matches to spare, and Tappa Whitmore's Jamaica side could all but book their flight after beating Trinidad & Tobago 3-0.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 U.S.A. 17 5 2 1 18 10 +10

Q 2 Honduras 15 4 3 1 17 13 + 4

3 Jamaica 12 3 3 2 12 9 + 3

-------------------------------------------------

4 Mexico 7 1 4 3 8 11 - 3

-------------------------------------------------

5 Canada 7 2 1 5 12 19 - 7

6 Trinidad & Tobago 6 1 3 4 8 15 - 7</pre>

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Thursday, 3rd September, 2009.

"Thanks for coming in, Spencer."

"You're the boss."

I'd had my head scout watching the World Cup action, but insisted he fly straight back to England after, for a much-needed discussion.

"Look, I've reviewed the game film from our thrashing, and I think two things were clear. One is, I'm afraid Hayden may be a little past it. I know he's our captain, and he's been staunch, but too many of those goals were his fault. I'm not sure Ben is really ready to step in in his place, either.

"The other thing is, we've got to do something about the goalkeeping. Allan's been a big part of the team, but I've never really rated him - he's too inconsistent, and once one goal gets by him he's prone to let three more in."

He nodded in agreement.

"I want you to change everyone's tasking, and find me some upgrades for January. Defender, goalkeeper, and of course a left wing.

"Oh, and if you happen to spot a defensive midfielder to rotate with Mathieu, that would probably suit, too."

My right-hand man nodded confidently. "I think I have a couple ideas already."

Of course, until then, we'll have to make do with what we have.

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Saturday, 5th September, 2009. Premier League - Game 5, vs Blackburn Rovers.

"Well, lads?

"The tabloids have written you off for dead. The rest of England have written you off for dead. The supporters have written you off for dead.

"None of that matters. What matters is the sixteen of us, here in this room.

"I believe in you.

"Do you believe in yourselves?"

I'm not normally one for inspirational speeches, but one was surely called for today.

Fifth-placed Blackburn hadn't lost a match yet this season, stretching all the way back through the start of the pre-season. Manager Mark Hughes was doing his best to improve upon last year's 6th-place finish, and had strengthened the club for their UEFA Cup run with the addition of Collins John from Fulham. Last season, we'd faced them four times due to the F.A. Cup. Three of the matches were 1-1 or 1-0 affairs, with two draws and a defeat among them, but the final match was that embarrassing five-nil, when I'd all but conceded the replay by starting a lineup consisting entirely of fringe players.

Allan McGregor needed a good match to rebuild his confidence after what Arsenal had done to him. With Foxe off on international duty still, he would be protected by Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder. Joe Hamill made his debut on the left wing, though he was still short of match fitness, while Victor Sikora roamed the right. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Robert Cousins were partnered in the attacking midfield, and the lone striker in my 4-5-1 was Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Allan McGregor made an early save, denying Jonathan Douglas with a diving stop at the near post in the first minute. The crowd was still energetic, on their feet in the opening minutes, when Robert Cousins started a move, racing out of our own half before holding the ball up in the midfield circle. He played it forward for Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who fed Joe Hamill. The winger was two steps ahead of fullback Alan Maybury, and raced into the area before slotting it past Craig Gallagher. The crowd of 31,377 roared in delight: it had taken him less than 90 seconds to score on his debut, and we were up 1-0!

What a phenomenal way to start his career! I was as euphoric as the fans. I thought it was a dream start, but the lads showed me I had no idea of the meaning of the phrase. In the fifth minute, Victor Sikora knocked a lovely ball up the right wing for Sinama-Pongolle. Only his phenomenal pace let the French striker keep it in at the end line. He took one touch to stop it from going out, and with his second cut it back for Cousins, free in the area. The 20-year-old controlled it with his first touch, then drove a left-footed blast from the spot. Goal!! He'd scored his first goal for Sheffield United, and with his weaker foot! We were up 2-0, and Cousins was certainly backing up his claim for more playing time.

Blackburn were looking thoroughly rattled, and in the seventh minute Hamill stole a pass from Maybury on our left wing. That started a quick break - in fact, only the winger and Sinama-Pongolle were in any position to contribute to the attack. When the striker held up for a moment, letting the defenders separate from him, he was wide open, and Hamill fed it to him. He let fly a wonderful curler from 25 yards that found the back of the net, and we were up 3-0! The place was going absolute bedlam, as the noise from the second goal hadn't yet faded, and nobody in the stadium could scarce believe the scoreline.

. Are you Wednesday,

. Are you Wednesday,

. Are you Wednesday in disguise?

. Are you Wednesday in disguise?

coursed through the stands as Blackburn tried to settle themselves, concentrating on defense, and just trying to pass a few minutes without conceding another goal. That worked, for seven minutes - the amount of time it had taken us to score the first three.

Then, with the quarter-hour approaching, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson got in on the act. The move started with Keith McCormack on the right, heading it to Sinama-Pongolle up the sideline. He settled it back for Cousins, who sent a fine low pass to Bridge-Wilkinson. The two-time Supporter's Player of the Year took it in the arc, with the inside positioning on his marker, raced into the area, and fired home from 15 yards to make it 4-0... with 75 minutes yet to play!!

The visitors finally threatened in the 19th minute, with Collins John, who had always troubled us in a Fulham jersey, knocking a header on goal. McGregor pushed it wide - the second of only three saves he would make on the day - but Steven Reid tracked it down on the endline, and sent a cross into the six. McGregor got a hand on it, but it looked like it might roll into our goal until McCormack hacked it off his line.

Craig Gallagher made two saves just after the half-hour mark, his first of the game. The second looked remarkably like our second goal, with Sinama-Pongolle teeing up Cousins from the end line, but this time the keeper denied him.

Things looked quiet enough, until just before half-time, when Hamill broke up the left wing. He fed it forward for Sinama-Pongolle, who had drifted wide, and this time the Frenchman cut it inside for Bridge-Wilkinson. I thought he would shoot, as he loves those long-range efforts, but instead he passed left for Cousins, exposing the fact that Gallagher was cheating towards Bridge-Wilkinson. The youngster skipped past the sliding challenge of Nils-Eric Johansson, which was the only thing that could have stopped him, and fired home to the nearly-empty net, giving us an incredible 5-0 halftime lead.

There was nothing I could say to the lads at halftime to express how astounded-happy I was, and I wound up drawing a laugh when I told them I had just one tactical instruction for them: "Carry on!" I did pull Bridge-Wilkinson off for Bruno Cheyrou.

To my surprise, they did 'carry on', shortly after the restart. Cousins, Cheyrou, and Sinama-Pongolle managed some quick passing up the middle to expose the weaknesses in central defense for Blackburn, and it finished with Cousins sending a bouncing pass to Sinama-Pongolle outside the arc. He launched a spectacular left-footed half-volley which buried itself into the roof of the net, still rising as it crossed the line. It was as unstoppable a shot as you could ever hope to see, and that made it 6-0.

There's not much to talk about over the final forty minutes: our noisome fans continued to taunt the hapless Rovers, and Blackburn had all but run up the white flag, bringing off stars Collins John and Thomas Buffel. I responded by subbing out Sinama-Pongolle for Peter Weatherson, and taking Hamill off for Jonathan Forte.

McGregor did make one more save, but my most vivid memory of the second half was the fans, having a blast with their songs, still belting them out at full volume as the final whistle blew, and giving the lads a standing ovation until they headed down the tunnel.

Sheffield United 6, Blackburn 0

Hamill 2, Cousins 5, 45, Sinama-Pongolle 7, 48, Bridge-Wilkinson 14; ----

MoM: Sinama-Pongolle

"Incredible! Amazing!" A delighted Derek Dooley greeted the lads in the locker room, shaking each of their hands.

"We were a bit angry," Marc Bridge-Wilkinson explained.

"You won't like us when we're angry," Allan McGregor added, in an 'Incredible Hulk' voice which cracked up all the players.

"That'll teach them to run up the score," said Steven Foster, who had been one of only two players to start both the 0-5 F.A. Cup defeat last year and our 6-0 revenge this year.

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Brilliant result!

I have been an ever present reader since the day you started your story in York and I have to say it IS the best story I've ever read on this forum.

Though I'm a Rovers fan I must congratulate this win. icon14.gif

Keep up the good work!

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Thanks, lads! There's nothing like a side capable of putting out consistent performances, eh?

Damien - glad Ian's stresses entertain you so.. icon_wink.gif

Macross - your post brings up an interesting point. I'm well conscious that, if you're truly going to enjoy the story, you have to "adopt" Sheffield United as your side, at least in the tale - but everyone has the team they support in RL, too. That's why I try to write with respect for each team that we cross, and give their little one-paragraph "mini-story"...

Anyways, thanks very much for the compliments and congratulations ..

And a big "Thank you" to all my readers: if you sum up the view of Book I, Book II, and Book III, we crossed 30,000 views with that episode. Thanks to all of you, lurkers and posters alike!

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Sunday, 6th September, 2009.

Black Day For Blackburn

read the headline, and much was made out of how this was a 'modern record' for Sheffield United in the Premier League, our biggest win in the top flight for many years.

Incredibly, the win had also vaulted us from 16th to 6th in the Premiership table, thanks to the dramatic reversal of our 'goal differential' stat as well as the three points. I didn't expect that to last - a number of the teams behind us had a game (or two) in hand already.

Rupert Wormwood's article gave me a real laugh, as he likened the squad to "Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde," calling it "schizophrenic" to go from an 0-5 defeat to a 6-0 win in back-to-back weeks.

With two goals and two assists, Florent Sinama-Pongolle utterly deserved his Man of the Match honours and selection to the Premier League Team of the Week. Robert Cousins, with two goals and one assist, also earned selection to the Select XI.

Though 6-0 matches are a real rarity, our Under-18s demolished Stockport County U-18s by the same scoreline. Captain David Parker got things off to a blazing start with two goals in the first three minutes. Gary Thomas added a third, and then Michael Field took over, scoring a hat trick to ensure the final score and claim Man of the Match honours. The only downside to the match was a thigh strain suffered late by 18-year-old Andy Lee; he would miss three weeks seeing a specialist for the injury.

In Sydney, Australia added another goal, beating Tahiti 1-0 to book their place in a playoff for a World Cup berth. Hayden Foxe played all ninety minutes, but having come into the second leg with a seven-goal advantage, I'm sure he was more worried about the outcome in Bramall Lane than in Stadium Australia.

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Tuesday, 8th September, 2009.

On Tuesday, the season's Champions League group play began. I was watching the proceedings with ever-more interest as I felt the club grow closer to inclusion, though honestly we were still a longshot for even an UEFA Cup berth.

Group A pitted six-time winners Bayern München against defending champions Inter Milan in a tantalizing opening match. The Germans won handily with four first-half goals, two each from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Bosnian veteran Hasan Salihamidzic. Turkish side Trabzonspor and Greek side Panathinaikos were reportedly battling for the third-place spot already, and a 0-0 draw helped neither.

Chelsea were in Group B, and having progressed through the group stages each of the past five seasons, nothing less than winning it all would satisfy Roman Abramovich. They got off to a good start with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Clube de Portugal, with Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack carrying the work to overcome an early deficit. Israeli side Maccabi Haifa beat Banik Ostrava 2-1 in the other match.

Group C was a tough draw, pitting four good teams from big nations against each other. Portugese club FC do Porto took the early advantage with a 3-1 home win over Ajax, a club I've always been fond of. VfB Stuttgart held Juventus to a 1-1 draw, and in fact were it not for a late equalizer by Giuseppe Sculli, the Italian giants might have been denied a share of the points.

Liverpool started their campaign with a trip to Slovakia to face MSK Zilina, the same side which had eliminated Rangers and Celtic. Robin van Persie set Liverpool ahead with a sixth-minute goal, but the plucky home side battled back to equalize shortly after halftime, and held on for a 1-1 draw. There was no ground given up, however, as Lyon and Valencia managed a scoreless draw in the other match.

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Wednesday, 9th September, 2009.

The remainder of the Champions League groups opened play on Wednesday. In Group E, Middlesbrough started their campaign off with a 1-0 home win over Benfica. Swedish forward Johan Elmander scored the only goal, breaking a scoreless draw in the 87th minute to give the Riverside Stadium crowd of 31,987 the win they were dreaming of. Swiss side Basel took the group lead by virtue of a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

In Group F, Roma started brightly with the expected 2-0 win over Bulgarian side Lokomotiv (Plovdiv). Heavyweights Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw in Bremen, thanks to a world-beating display by the Werder Bremen keeper.

Arsenal, as you might expect from their performance against us, were in fine form, with Ivica Olic returning to the starting lineup. It was José Antonio Reyes who scored a brace, with the third added by Thierry Henry, as they beat Dutch side PSV, 3-0. The Gunners look nigh-on-to-unstoppable, and are already being touted for a treble in the tabloids! In the other match from the group, Fenerbahçe and Olympiakos drew, 1-1.

Group H had the expected results: A.C. Milan blew out FC København 4-0, while Bayern Leverkusen took care of Deportivo, 2-1.

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Friday, 11th September, 2009.

"Have a seat, lad."

From the look on his face, James Bradley was a bit worried to have been summoned to my office.

He shouldn't have been. On Wednesday, our Reserves drew 1-1 with Manchester City Reserves. Though winger Jonathan Forte was the Man of the Match, Bradley scored the only goal, which was what I wanted to talk to him about.

"I need you to pick a squad number."

The look on his face was priceless - nervousness giving way to a tremendous grin as he caught my meaning.

"You've made a great case for inclusion with the senior side with your work in the Reserves, and I'm going to give you your chance Tuesday against Bristol City. You won't start, mind, but I'll be looking to bring you on around the hour mark, so be ready."

I'd swear he floated out of my office, his shoes barely touching the carpet.

On Friday, Reserve goalkeeper Simon Fox twisted his knee during a training session; it would keep the youngster out for 2 weeks.

Steve Wigley, manager of Crystal Palace, informed the press that Palace are confident of beating us tomorrow.

I let it lie... but did tape a copy of his comments in the dressing room.

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Saturday, 12th Septebmer, 2009. Premier League - Game 6, at Crystal Palace.

Crytal Palace needed something to rile them up: they were in 17th, and had just suffered a 3-0 defeat to lowly Portsmouth. We had a long history with Palace, having been paired together in the Championship for many years, and earning promotion together. Honestly, Palace had the better record overall, though we'd beaten them 1-0 in our trip to Selhurst Park last year, and held them to a draw in the return. After relegation in only a single season the last four times they'd made it up, they barely survived last year with a 16th-place finish, and were hoping to scrape by another season.

The entire side was in superb morale after our incredible result against Blackburn, and I named a very similar lineup against Palace. Allan McGregor remained in goal, though his spotty performance this year was arguing for another attempt to find an upgrade at the position. Sean Dillon was the left back, with Hayden Foxe returning to central defence alongside Steve Foster. Danny Payne rotated in at right back, but Mathieu Berson remained the defensive midfielder. On the wings, Joe Hamill had earned another start on the left, while Victor Sikora had somehow managed to avoid either a goal or an assist from the six-goal explosion, stretching his phenomenal streak to 34 games without being involved in a score. I didn't want to break up Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Robert Cousins, so they were paired again, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle up front.

There was no three-goal explosion in the first seven minutes this time, though Florent Sinama-Pongolle did force a save from 21-year-old Dean Harris, and we looked the better side in the early going. As the quarter hour mark approached, Sinama-Pongolle again broke free on a breakaway, and this time only a fingertip one-on-one save by Harris could deny him. On 26 minutes, Robert Cousins reached and dribbled along the end line, with players in the box to pass back to. Despite being the beneficiary of such a pass last week, he instead shot, a bad decision which went wide from a tight angle.

We were in complete control, however, and from the half-hour mark mounted a period of intense pressure in front of the Palace goal. A neutral observer might have thought we were the home side, so thoroughly had we forced Palace into a defensive stance. Bridge-Wilkinson had a shot pushed away, Sinama-Pongolle was tackled just before he could shoot, Bridge-Wilkinson's half volley went inches wide, Cousins was denied one-on-one, and Danny Payne struck side netting from 12 yards - all in a space of eight minutes.

Finally, on 38 minutes, Sean Dillon took a throw-in on the left wing, and picked out Sinama-Pongolle in the box. The cultured continental striker danced around David Wright, and fired to the far post, a challenging shot from a tight angle which gave us a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Palace clearly regrouped over the break, and looked far more threatening to start the second half. Allan McGregor, bored in the first half, had two saves to make shortly after the restart. Cousins fell hard, bruising his shoulder, and I brought him off for Bruno Cheyrou rather than chance further injury with another fall.

The French attacking midfielder had been on for only two minutes when his countryman Sinama-Pongolle set him a wonderful pass. Alone with only Wright to beat, he cut back behind the hapless fullback through the arc, then blasted a left-footed shot into the roof of the net. It was his first ever goal for the Blades, and one he would doubtless be proud of, a fantastic strike to put us up 2-0!

Seven minutes later, Sean Dillon cleared a dangerous ball out of our penalty area. Sinama-Pongolle won it at midfield, and knocked a wonderful ball into space for Bridge-Wilkinson. The playmaker raced forward before firing a trademark swerving shot from fully 25 yards out. Harris could do nothing about it, and we were well on our way to victory with a 3-0 lead.

With a comfortable advantage, and the fans streaming for the exits, I made a few safety substitutions. I didn't want to chance anything happening to Sinama-Pongolle, so he gave way for Peter Weatherson, and Dillon was limping, so I asked Keith McCormack to fill in on the left over the final thirty minutes. It passed quietly enough - Palace seemed content to escape without further embarrassment, and our lads weren't putting too much effort into getting forward.

In the 86th minute, however, McCormack won a header in our own half, putting it to Cheyrou on the left sideline. He launched a wonderful 45-yard ball past the Palace defense, which Weatherson ran down. All by himself as he entered the area, he had time to settle and fire to the far post from a tight angle, victimizing Harris for his first goal of the season, and a 4-0 final tally.

Crystal Palace 0, Sheffield United 4

----; Sinama-Pongolle 38, Cheyrou 56, Bridge-Wilkinson 63, Weatherson 86

MoM: Sinama-Pongolle

With a goal and two assists, Florent Sinama-Pongolle had earned his second straight '10' rating and Man of the Match honours. He was having an incredible season, and I told him how proud I was to have him on the side.

An exultant Derek Dooley thumped him on the back by way of congratulations - I really like his tradition of thanking the players after a good win.

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Fantastic stuff as always Amaroq. When my Ipswich game finishes I'll write up the short story 'retrospective' that this story has inspired me to outline!

But there's a dilemma - I'm being driven mad trying to work out when Joe Hammill was a player in one of my teams in a former <STRIKE>life</STRIKE> game of FM!

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Thank you both! Happy to be an inspiration, that's a real compliment!

Poor Cousins had certainly waited long enough to get his chance - he wasn't going to squander it once I gave it to him!

Err.. but leftback, I'm afraid that, while I can tell you his career story in this save-game, I can't tell you when Joe Hammill played for you in one of yours! icon_biggrin.gif

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Monday, 14th September, 2009.

Blades Cruise Again

Don't look now, but Sheffield United are in fourth place in the Premier League...

"Can I speak with you a moment?" Stuart McCall interrupted me as I was reading the article, and seeing the look on his face, I invited him in and closed the door.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I want to talk with you about Gabriele Mattiussi," he said. "I'm afraid he's not .. well, I wouldn't say he's 'not settling in', because he seems comfortable enough with the club and the country, but he just isn't meshing with the other players. He seems to think they take this all too seriously, and I've overheard a bit of grumbling about how he's 'squandering his talent', or 'if he'd only work harder.' I know you think highly of his potential, but .."

"I know," I said. "I've heard a few things myself, and I don't want him to become a clubhouse cancer. I'll see what I can do."

When I returned to the paper, I noted that Florent Sinama-Pongolle was once again selected to the Premier League Team of the Week, but the surprise inclusion was Bruno Cheyrou, whose goal was much lauded. He had notched a goal and an assist off the bench, but it was very rare to see a substitute appearance so rewarded.

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Tuesday, 15th September, 2009. League Cup - Second Round, at Bristol City.

Bristol City were currently 13th in the Championship, having narrowly avoided the fate of double-relegation last year. They'd been knocked out of the Premiership in 2007/08, and finished 18th, just a few points clear of relegation, last year. They were currently hammered by injury, with starting goalkeeper Steve Phillips, and defenders Matt Hill and Danny Coles forced to miss the match due to injuries. Their depleted state had caused them to drop four of their last five league games.

Gabriele Mattiussi made his first start in goal for us, as I took advantage of the Cup tie to field a weakened side. Joe Keenan, Steve Foster, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack hardly counted as a 'weak' defense, but in front of them was 20-year-old Steve Newton. Jonathan Forte was starting on the left wing, with young Arsenal loanee Darren White on the right. The attacking midfield partnership was Bruno Cheyrou and Joe Newell, while Peter Weatherson would make his second start of the season up front. Rozehnal wore the captain's armband.

It was obvious that the home side cared more passionately about this match almost from the opening. They were by far the more motivated side over the first quarter hour, and did most of the attacking. In fact, the Bristol number nine, Paul Heffernan, nearly opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a spectacular curling long-range shot; only a fine save by Gabriele Mattiussi turned it away. Of course, with all the energy Bristol were putting into attack, there were chances on the counter-attack: Peter Weatherson's low shot was saved by Scott Shearer; Bruno Cheyrou followed with an 18-yard blast tipped 'round the post, and Shearer made a fantastic save just before halftime when Joe Newell's pass sprang Weatherson into the area.

Opportunities aside, it was still scoreless at the half, and I told the lads they'd let Bristol linger long enough: I expected them to score in the second half. We came out fired up, and in the first eight minutes of the half, the vast majority of the time was spent passing around the perimeter of the City area, looking for an opportunity. When opportunity finally came, however, it was at the other end. Bristol captain Tommy Doherty collected a loose ball after a corner kick, and launched a fantastic long ball ahead of Robbie Foy. Mattiussi came out of his area to collect, but Foy got there first, and knocked it past him. He raced to the six before firing home, and the large Ashton Gate crowd came to their feet: City had taken a 0-1 lead!

Before I could even contemplate a panicky change to my tactics, we were right back closed in around a packed Bristol box. Joe Keenan, the left side fullback, had overlapped Jonathan Forte, the winger, into the corner. He passed back and right for the winger, outside the 18, and Forte spotted the right wing, Darren White, flashing towards the far post. He floated a gorgeous aerial ball into White's path. Doherty had position, and tried to head it behind, but succeeded only in putting it into his own net for an own goal! Scarecely two minutes had passed since Bristol's goal, and we were level at 1-1!

The final thirty minutes were scintillating end-to-end stuff, with several great chances - Mattiussi acrobatically turned Steve Brooker's header over the bar, showing a real flair for the dramatic save. Rohan Ricketts's header went just over, and David Graham's was stopped by Mattiussi at the far post. We had chances of our own, most notably the injury-time long ball that Joe Keenan put ahead of James Bradley, who had come on for Weatherson. The 2.4-million-pound 17-year-old showed off that incredible speed to track it down, but hesitated in the area, allowing fullback Billy Jones just enough time to clatter it out for a corner.

Moments later, full time was blown, and the Champioinship side had taken us to extra time. Both sides had made all three of their substitutions (Danny Payne and Graham Allen on for Newton and White, for us) and it was down to the twenty-two men on the pitch, and who wanted it more.

In the 94th minute, the answer was Bristol. Graham, on the right side, was tightly marked, but launched a long ball over everyone to David Bentley on the left, 22 yards from goal. He chipped it forward for Heffernan, and he drilled it with his right foot. It struck McCormack and took the subtlest of deflections, just enough that Mattiussi couldn't grasp it - and it was into the back of the net! Heffernan's 83rd goal in a Bristol shirt had put the home side ahead, 1-2!!

Our lads were instantly on the attack, as Bristol fell back to defend. Cheyrou knocked a brilliant pass for Bradley, putting the speedster into the area, but he golfed it over. With time running out, I began pushing players forward. Bradley hit side netting, and Payne drilled one over from the arc.

In the 105th minute, the exhausted Newell hit a brilliant pass for the pacey Bradley, which left Darren Moore no choice but to trip him right on the edge of the 18. Despite Cheyrou's passionate arguments for a penalty, it was left as an 18-yard free kick, which the French playmaker proceeded to put just inches over the bar.

For the final half of extra time, I switched things around, trying a 3-5-2 to see if an extra attacker could help us find the telling ball that would see a late equalizer. No such luck. You've lost a Cup game before: I hardly need to describe to you the balls just out of reach, the brilliant chances brought to a halt with offsides, the desperate diving in the box in the hopes of drawing a penalty, or the roar of the crowd of 17,423 when full time was blown, and Bristol City had managed a "giant killing".

Bristol City 2, Sheffield United 1

Foy 53, Heffernan 94; Doherty o.g. 55

MoM: Doherty (Bristol DMC)

My players were quiet, afterwards, though honestly most of them had played very well: I was pleased with the effort, if not our finishing. Joe Newell had made a case for inclusion in a Premier League match, reminding me just how good he'd been last year - I'll have a tough time finding enough time for he and Cousins both!

Though I was disappointed for the lads, I had a slight guilty feeling of relief. We'd have just the League to concentrate on, at least until the F.A. Cup matches reached us in January, while most of our competitors would still be tiring themselves out with UEFA Cup and League Cup encounters.

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Wednesday, 16th September, 2009.

Ian Richards's squad selection for the Blades' League Cup match shows just how little regard modern managers have for it. Even the prospect of an UEFA Cup berth, which United surely can't earn on their League form, couldn't tempt Richards to take his eye off of the Premiership.

Is it time for the F.A. to cancel this travesty of a tournament? It would certainly help our European-bound clubs if the F.A. Cup could play through a bit earlier in the season, and with managers complaining about the sheer number of fixtures...

Every now and then, Mister Wormwood does, in fact, write a sensible article. I'm not convinced I agree with it - I had considered having a go at the tournament in all seriousness to try and earn the UEFA Cup qualification. In the end, though, I'd looked at the fixture list, and taken note of world-beating Chelsea, at Bramall Lane, on Saturday - and had taken the chance to rest my first-choice lineup.

Besides, who can forget Stoke City's incredible run in 2005/06, where they reached the UEFA Cup Quarter Final while playing their league football in the Championship, by virtue of having won the League Cup the previous year?

The choice did make today's fixtures a real waste of scheduling: we had both an U-18 match and a Reserve match on. As I'd called up a number of players who might have played for the Reserves to face Bristol, that called up a number of the Under-18 regulars intoto the Reserves. Even thus depleted, the U-18s played a scoreless draw against Liverpool youth, a very dreary match with only six shots between the two teams.

The Reserves lost, 0-1, at Everton Reserves, though they came close to finding an equalizer a good half-dozen times in the final six minutes. Attacking midfielder Gary Thomas was named the Man of the Match, the one bright spot for the side - especially when you consider that Juan Carlos Valerón bruised his shoulder. The injury would keep him out of the encounter with his former club.

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Saturday, 19th September, 2009. Premier League - Game 7, vs Chelsea.

I didn't expect, when considering this match at the start of the season, that it would be 'fourth placed Sheffield United playing host to champions Chelsea.' We were doing much better than anybody had expected, although with three consecutive Premier League titles, it was hard to consider Chelsea's current form a surprise. They had gone 23 straight league games unbeaten, dating back to the middle of last year, and only a draw to Everton smirched their perfect record this season.

Last year, they'd only managed a one-goal win at Bramall Lane, but had beaten us 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind as I named my strongest starting lineup, hoping I wasn't sending lambs to the wolves. That meant Allan McGregor returned in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Danny Payne across the back. Defensive midfielder Mathieu Berson was as optimistic as ever, and Joe Hamill and Victor Sikora would man the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the playmaker, with Canadian Iain Hume partnering him - I just couldn't see pitting young Cousins against Abramovich's juggernaut. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was of course the striker, with 5 goals and 4 assists on only five games this season.

I was trying a more defensive configuration, with the 'attacking midfielders' playing more in a traditional central midfield role, though free to make forward runs if they felt a need. As expected, Chelsea were the dominant side early on, putting plenty of pressure on us from the opening kickoff. Victor Sikora nearly gave away a goal with a poor back-pass, snatched from Danny Payne by Gaël Clichy. Sikora upended the French fullback as he streaked goalwards, and was honestly lucky to escape with a yellow - it was a fairly cynical foul. By the fifteenth minute, it could have been 0-4 for all the goalmouth action, and the crowd was getting restless.

In the 20th minute, that all changed, as Iain Hume and Florent Sinama-Pongolle combined on some pretty passing. Michael Ballack brought down Hume 30 yards from goal, earning a yellow card for his trouble, and giving Marc Bridge-Wilkinson a chance to bend one at goal. Peter Cech did well to stop the curling shot, meeting it high with clenched fists that punched it almost straight into the air. It fell to Sinama-Pongolle, who nodded it to Cech's right, and against all the odds we had a 1-0 lead!!!

32,975 incredulous fans leapt to their feet, a wall of sound crashing across the players as they rushed to celebrate - we were ahead of Chelsea!

If you weren't around English football at the time, you can have no real concept of how dominant Chelsea were. In the past three seasons, they had lost only 13 times, and a side so recently promoted from League One was given no chance, none, of actually beating them. I'm sure everybody was expecting another five-nil game, and to have the lead, well, it was a carnival atmosphere at Bramall Lane as we kept it through half-time!

Even the depressing news of seeing Sikora off injured, and replaced by Graham Allen, was not enough to cancel out the wonderful atmosphere around the ground. Chelsea were surging forward, often committing six or even seven to the attack, but solid solid defending from my top choice defense kept them at bay - I was really coming to appreciate David Rozehnal, who was at the peak of his game. It was still 1-0 when the whistle blew for halftime.

Immediately after the intermission, Chelsea resumed the assault. We had all eleven back in the box, defending with all hands when needed, and the Blues always looked like finding the equalizer. It was perhaps not too much of a surprise in the 52nd minute when Xabi Alonso floated a cross in from the right. Several defenders converged on the spot, but it was Lúcio who read it best, the Brazilian central defender having come forward for the attack. He flicked it on for Kapo, the mid-season acquisition in 2006-07 who had seemed to be the last piece to the puzzle for Mourinho. The attacking midfielder was on the far side of the box with space, and volleyed past Allan McGregor with his laces to net his first goal of the season! It was a moment of magic, the sort you can't defend, and leveled the scores at 1-1.

Would you believe me if I told you that José Mourinho, famed for his attacking flair, was content to settle back and defend for the draw? It was the highest of compliments, and no, he didn't do it immediately after the goal. It took two close chances by Sinama-Pongolle to push him back into defense. The first, a crashing drive from long range, skimmed over the top of the crossbar. The second was set up by a superb pass from Bridge-Wilkinson, and only a world-class save by Peter Cech denied the Frenchman his second.

That was on the 57th minute, and it was from that point that Chelsea settled back to defend. I considered, oh yes, beginning to let my midfield get more involved in the attack. I was mightily tempted, but in the end I thought how disappointing a late winner for Chelsea would be, and reminded myself that if you'd offered me a share of the spoils before the match, I'd have taken it without hesitation.

With both sides defending, the final half-hour passed quickly and uneventfully - and we had our first draw against the giants!

Sheffield United 1, Chelsea 1

Sinama-Pongolle 20; Kapo 52

MoM: Kapo (Chelsea ML)

Derek Dooley again graced the changing room afterwards, the first time I could remember him showing such enthusiasm for a draw.

The atmosphere was as though we'd just won a Cup Final: we'd at least shared the honours with the top team in English football, and that proved we really belonged up in the rarefied air of the top of the League!

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Monday, 21st September, 2009.

Sheffield United have arranged the January transfer of Roy Carroll...

The big news Sunday was, of course, the draw with Chelsea, which had kept us in fifth place.

The big news on Monday was my press conference, in which I announced the January acquisition of Northern Ireland goalkeeper Roy Carroll. The 31-year-old had become surplus to requirements at The Valley since Charlton Athletic's mid-season acquisition of German keeper Tim Wiese from Middlesbrough last year. Carroll was keen on the idea of starting, and my £1.2M bid was sufficient to pry him loose from Alan Curbishley's squad.

We also added another promising striker on a free transfer. With James Bradley and Michael Field already impressing, it might have been a bit much to hope for a third diamond in the rough, but it couldn't hurt to give him some time with the U-18s.

S C Jake Giles, 17, England: 1 game, 0 goals, 7.00 with Tottenham:

Relatively quick, though not as blindingly fast as Bradley, Giles was available on a free after Tottenham released him. He impressed my scouts with his determination and bravery, and he takes a fine penalty. He does need plenty of polish, as most 17-year-olds do, especially in the areas of creativity and off the ball movement.

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Tuesday, 22nd September, 2009.

"What do you mean, bringing in Carroll?"

Allan McGregor was irate - and as we were coming off arguably the biggest result of our careers together, who could blame him?

"Listen, Alla.."

"No! You listen to me! You wouldn't even BE here if it weren't for me! Who played hurt all through the League One playoffs, and still got us up? Whose mother passed away on the eve of the Championship playoffs, and still played?"

"What?! Allan, you never told .."

"I've given up everything for this club, and this is how you repay me?!"

"Allan, calm down. Listen to me! Nothing's set in stone, yet - save that you'll both be here and under contract. You've got three full months to convince me that there shouldn't be any controversy."

It didn't seem to help - he still left my office smoldering. I could only hope he would turn his anger into performances on the pitch.

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Wednesday, 23rd September, 2009.

Arsenal continued their path unimpeded through the Champions League group stages with a 2-0 victory in Greece over Olympiakos - Reyes and Henry were again the scorers. Fenerbahçe, the Gunners' next opponent, beat PSV 1-0 to take second in the group with four points.

Middlesbrough stayed atop Group E with a 1-1 draw in Paris, putting them on four points, while Benfica moved up to second with a 1-0 win over Basel, who also had three points.

Chelsea rebounded from their draw against us to crush Maccabi Haifa, 3-0, staying top of their group with six points. Banik Ostrava moved into a tie with the Israeli side on three points thanks to a 3-1 win over Sporting Club do Portugal.

In Group D, Liverpool went top with a 2-1 win over Lyon, while Valencia handed MSK Zilina their first loss of the tournament, a 1-0 defeat to the side which had knocked both Old Firm clubs out of the tournament.

In Group F, Barcelona and Roma battled to a 1-1 draw, while Lokomptiv (Plovdiv) stunned Werder Bremen with a 3-1 victory that put the Bulgarian side into second place behind Roma.

Group H appeared all but over, as A.C. Milan and Bayern Leverkusen each won again, leaving them six points clear of their opponents.

Bayern Munich beat Panathinaikos 2-0 to take a solid four-point lead in Group A, where Inter Milan and Trabzonspor fought a scoreless draw. As the other two matches had resulted in draws, only the German side had any victories at all!

Group C saw Juventus into the lead with a 2-1 win over Porto, while Ajax and VfB Stuttgart fought a dramatic 3-3 draw in the Amsterdam ArenA.

We suffered a disappointing setback in training on Friday, when Victor Sikora strained his groin. He would miss most of October attending physiotherapy sessions in London, which were necessary lest the 31-year-old wind up with a recurring injury.

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Saturday, 26th September, 2009. Premier League - Game 8, at Everton.

On Saturday, we made the trip to Liverpool to face Everton. The nine-times Champions of England were a long way removed from the title-winning side of 1987, having suffered relegation in 2006/07, after flirting with it six times over the preceding 20 years. They'd won the Championship last year, but had only one victory this year, leaving them wallowing in 19th place - and Leicester, in last, had two games in hand over them. We'd met them in a pre-season friendly, a scoreless draw back in July which we felt we should have won.

I felt confident enough that I didn't send out my strongest lineup, holding some players in reserve for Wednesday's match against Manchester City, which promised to be more of a challenge. Allan McGregor stood in goal, with a grim determination to prove me wrong glinting in his eyes. His defense was strong enough, with my first choice of Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack across the back. Steve Newton spelled Berson as the defensive midfielder. On the wings, the old pairing of Jonathan Forte and Graham Allen would remind the fans of our Championship season back in 2007-08. It was Allen's first start of the season, and 100th career league appearance. Bruno Cheyrou was the playmaker, partnered with Robert Cousins, who was making the 50th league showing of his young career. Peter Weatherson got the nod at striker, as I wanted to rest my French star for the City match.

Everton brought the game right to us, with a 3-4-3 that had 'attack' written all over it. Anthony Gardner twice blazed shots over from long range, but for the most part our defense did a good job keeping them at bay, forcing them to work patiently around the edges of our perimeter. Chelsea might be good at that sort of thing, but it proved too much for recently-promoted Everton to penetrate. In the 22nd minute, Keith McCormack, who had just received a yellow card, tracked down a pass in the right-hand corner. He turned, and launched a long ball upfield to space. It was literally an end-to-end pass, as Peter Weatherson chased it down in the Everton corner, some sixty yards away, and cut in along the end line. With two defenders closing on him, he teed it back for Bruno Cheyrou in the area. The Frenchman had lost his marker, Anthony Gerrard, and had an easy finish to give us a 1-0 start.

With growing confidence, we began to push Everton back into defense, and it began to look inevitable that we'd find a second goal, as the Everton midfield struggled to get anything up to their three forwards. Just after the half-hour mark, Cheyrou's pass sent Weatherson into the area. His wicked shot from sixteen yards was saved by Richard Wright. The rebound fell to Robert Cousins, who had an easy chance, but didn't get enough power on the shot, and let Wright claw it off the line. It was a simple matter of experience: Cousins simply needed more time with the first team.

Just a minute before the intermission, Robert Earnshaw launched an excellent ball from the right sideline. Keith McCormack stepped forward, hoping to catch Paul Ifill offsides, but David Rozehnal missed the signal, dropping back and keeping Ifill onside. The Barbados forward coolly settled Earnshaw's cross with his left foot, then blasted it past the stranded Allan McGregor with his right to make it 1-1 at the half!

Disappointment was writ large on every face at halftime, but none more so than McGregor's. He'd desperately wanted to keep a clean sheet, and no amount of encouragement could turn his morale around.

The second half saw more of the same: Everton continue to press the 3-4-3, but we came ever closer to finding the breakthrough. Cousins's fine pass to Weatherson just after the restart resulted in an amazing save by Wright, who then denied Jonathan Forte when the winger got to within ten yards unmarked.

Everton had their chances, with two coming just moments after my triple substitution. Ricardo Gardner shot from a dead-ball situation 22 yards out, only to see it strike the post and bounce clear. In the 68th minute, Darren Bent broke past McCormack on our right side. He skipped past McGregor one-on-one, and only a highlight-reel sliding tackle by young Steve Newton could avert the danger - Bent had had an open net if he could have gotten the shot off.

In the final fifteen minutes, Richard Wright put on a goalkeeping clinic of his own. In a four-minute span, he denied Noel Hunt from the corner of the six, saw Hunt head over, had Marc Bridge-Wilkinson squander a 5-on-3 rush by putting the shot wide, and then denied the playmaker one-on-one. In the 83rd minute, a spectacular long pass linked Bridge-Wilkinson with Bruno Cheyrou, but again Wright was the savior, tipping the Frenchman's shot over the bar.

Injury time came, and that was when Hunt's pass to the right put Cheyrou around Wright. Unfortunately, the French midfielder had to shoot with his weaker right foot, and blazed it over the bar - the last shot either side would take.

Everton 1, Sheffield United 1

Ifill 44; Cheyrou 22

MoM: Wright (Everton GK)

I couldn't help but feel we'd let two points get away from us. A 1-0 lead over the 19th-placed side in the Premiership? That has to be a victory, every time.

Richard Wright had faced 19 shots, saving 9 of them, and only his wonderful performance had kept the home side in it, allowing the 35,165 fans at Goodison Park to leave happy.

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Tuesday, 29th September, 2009.

Weatherson Seeks Fairer Weather?

I could hardly believe my eyes. The morning issue of The Star contained the shocking story, which suggested that Peter Weatherson could be leaving in the near future.

According to the reports, the striker declared that he wanted out.

"I'm ambitious," it quoted him as saying, "And I feel I will not win the trophies I so desperately want at Bramall Lane."

On a £1.5M p/a salary through 2011, he was the active leader in League goals for the club. I called him in to my office to find out if there was any truth to the tale, and was disappointed all over again to hear it from his mouth. Put plainly, he wanted to move to a bigger club, preferably one which would be playing in Europe.

I told him I hoped we could reach Europe this season, and that I'd prefer not to lose him.. but that if his agent could find a team willing to bid, I'd be willing to listen to offers.

In other news, our Under-18s ran into a similarly inspired goalkeeper on Sunday when they faced Mansfield U-18's. Fortunately for them, Gary Thomas had the skills to beat the young star, and did so twice, once from the run of play and once from a corner kick. He was Man of the Match for the 2-0 win.

For their roles in the Everton match, central defender Hayden Foxe and attacking midfielder Bruno Cheyrou were named to the Premier League Team of the Week.

Canadian attacker Iain Hume strained his neck on Tuesday, a shame as it would rule him out of both our tie with Manchester City, where I'd planned on starting him, and Canada's crucial World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

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Wednesday, 30th September, 2009. Premier League - Game 9, vs Manchester City.

City, Stoke's victims in that 2005 League Cup Final, were struggling this year. After four straight finishes in the top eight of the Premier League, they were a meagre 14th, with only two victories to show for their season to date. They'd just been knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Parma, thanks to an 0-2 loss on their trip to Italy, and they hadn't won a game since the 5th of September, when they'd beaten Everton. Admittedly, that was better than we'd done against the same side, and City had beaten us last year, but I felt cautiously optimistic as preparations began.

Part of my optimism stemmed from knowing that I'd held my strongest side in reserve for this match. Allan McGregor was again in goal, with Joe Keenan, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Danny Payne in defense. Mathieu Berson returned to the defensive midfield role. Joe Hamill had made an impressive start on the left wing, and on-loan 19-year-old Darren White would man the right side. My partnership in attacking midfield was Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Joe Newell, with on-fire Florent Sinama-Pongolle in front of them.

Jürgen Klinsmann came out in the defensive 4-1-3-2 which he is famous for preferring, one of the few sides we've seen that employs an explicit defensive midfielder to shut down our attacking midfielders. City spent much of the first half sitting back, letting us dictate play, which suited me all too well. In the 12th minute, Florent Sinama-Pongolle picked out Marc Bridge-Wilkinson from the left side of the box. It felt a bit cruel to see Kasper Schmeichel so handily swat the shot aside, as I'd been ardently pursuing him before securing Roy Carrol. Klinsmann was well aware of what a talent he had in the 22-year-old, and hadn't been willing to let him go!

In the 20th minute, Sylvain Distin's header was only a half clearance, and Mathieu Berson filled his role perfectly, keeping it in the zone. He played it to Joe Newell, who swiveled on the ball and blasted a banana shot from outside the arc. Schmeichel, with an obstructed view, never laid a hand on it - a fabulous strike which sent our sell-out crowd of 32,971 into paroxysms of delight!! 1-0!

City nearly had an instant reply in the 23rd minute. Shinji Ono's corner found Distin in the area, falling to his feet, but his finish was saved by Allan McGregor, and though Michael Dawson got to the rebound, his shot was blocked by David Rozehnal. Just past the half-hour mark, James Beattie beat Hayden Foxe for the visitors. He was clean through on goal, and looked to have McGregor beat with a low shot that carried just wide, to my vast relief.

Just before halftime, our man Marc Bridge-Wilkinson took a free kick in midfield. Rather than playing it directly forward, as City seemed to expect, he laid it left to Joe Keenan. There was a real breakdown in the City defense, as Sinama-Pongolle's marker abandoned him, leaving him with a scandalous amount of space in the area. Keenan was quick to capitalize, with a fast low 20-yard pass, and the Frenchman slotted it past the stranded Schmeichel to make it 2-0 at the half.

Klinsmann must have made some adjustments at the intermission, because City came out firing to start the second half. McGregor twice fisted dangerous aerial balls clear in the first minutes, and David Vaughan had a dangerous free kick, which he put into the stands. However, as the initial rush of energy faded, our tight defense strangled Manchester's creativity, and with it, their self-belief.

By the 70th minute, it looked a forgone conclusion.

In fact, the best chance of the second half was Bridge-Wilkinson's curling piledriver in the 81st minute, but Schmeichel deflected it clear. I held my breath when Javi Guerrero shot just moments later, but he only found the side netting, and after a very uneventful second half, we had a 2-0 victory.

Sheffield United 2, Manchester City 0

Newell 20, Sinama-Pongolle 45; ----

MoM: Hamill

I was pleased with the lads all up and down the line. I had no hesitation telling them so - and my words were backed by yet another visit from Derek Dooley.

The breaking news from the weekend, however, was that Arsenal had lost for the first time, suffering a 0-1 defeat to Fulham.

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Thursday, 1st October, 2009.

Blades Honoured

The Blades' performances so far this season warrant the top half position they currently occupy, but at this early stage of the season they must be aware that a few defeats would see them head rapidly towards the foot of the table.

Some may still think of them as favourites to go down, but the start they have made to the season has certainly been encouraging.

Their impressive month propelled the club to honours: with three wins and two draws, including the 1-1 result against Chelsea, world class manager Ian Richards was a real candidate for Manager of the Month. Had the side beaten Everton, he might have won it rather than finishing third in the balloting.

However, his players won full recognition for their efforts: Florent Sinama-Pongolle, fourth in the league in scoring, won the Premier League Player of the Month, whilst attacking midfielder Robert Cousins won the Premier League Young Player of the Month award.

It was the first time I'd thought I had a real chance at the Managerial award for a month, though it was hard to begrudge Graeme Souness the award, was four wins and two defeats - coincidentally to the two teams I'd drawn against, really better than my three wins and two draws?

Regardless, the performance had been enough to catapult us from 16th at the start of the month to 7th place now, though Blackburn just behind us had a game in hand.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD GP

1 Arsenal 21 7 0 1 26 6 +20 ( 8)

2 Chelsea 21 6 3 0 22 4 +18 ( 9)

3 Manchester United 18 5 3 0 14 5 + 9 ( 8)

4 Newcastle United 16 5 1 2 21 10 +11 ( 8)

5 Middlesbrough 16 5 1 3 16 11 + 5 ( 9)

6 Liverpool 16 5 1 1 9 5 + 4 ( 7)

7 Sheffield United 15 4 3 2 17 9 + 8 ( 9)

8 Blackburn 13 4 1 3 16 18 - 2 ( 8)

9 Crystal Palace 13 4 1 4 9 16 - 7 ( 9)

10 Aston Villa 12 3 3 3 9 8 + 1 ( 9)

11 Fulham 9 2 3 4 11 17 - 6 ( 9)

12 Charlton Athletic 8 2 2 3 11 14 - 3 ( 7)

13 Southampton 8 2 2 4 9 13 - 4 ( 8)

14 West Bromwich Alb. 8 2 2 5 8 14 - 6 ( 9)

15 Portsmouth 8 2 2 5 8 17 - 9 ( 9)

16 Manchester City 7 2 1 5 12 17 - 5 ( 8)

17 West Ham United 7 2 1 5 10 15 - 5 ( 8)

----------------

18 Ipswich Town 6 2 0 6 4 15 -11 ( 8)

19 Leicester 5 1 2 4 8 14 - 6 ( 7)

20 Everton 5 1 2 6 8 20 -12 ( 9)</pre>

The story had also failed to mention the Goal of the Month awards - though we didn't win top honours, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's trademark long-range strike against Crystal Palace on the 12th was second, and Joe Newell's top-drawer 25-yarder against Manchester City was third in the voting.

Having read that article in the morning's paper, you can imagine I was full of confidence as I walked through the door of the board room to face Derek Dooley and Terry Robinson.

As I'd imagined, it was a very cordial affair, with congratulations all around, and I was commended especially for plucking Sinama-Pongolle from Liverpool last year: at a price tage of £3.1M, he was looking like an utter steal.

The only worry was in the financials, where we'd lost £0.3M for the month, putting our annual total at a £4.0M profit, and our bank balance at £26.8M - or rather, the oddly precise total of £26,849,999. Still, both Mister Dooley and Terry were delighted with the performance, even financially, and in fact a good portion of the meeting was taken up with dreaming about other players who our £12M transfer budget might buy.

In other news, United Reserves beat Sunderland Reserves 1-0 at Saltergate. Jon Paul McGovern was Man of the Match, while James Bradley scored the only goal.

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Friday, 2nd October, 2009.

Today was the European U-21 Championship qualifying, and though we'd had five players called up, only two saw action.

Joe Newell played all ninety minutes of England U-21s' 2-0 victory over Serbia & Montenegro, the fifth U-21 cap of his career. The result, coupled with a surprising defeat of Switzerland by Cyprus, saw England clinch the group title with one game to play, assuring them a place in the 16-team playoff which would determine the eight positions in the Finals.

Richard Thomas, the 16-year-old goalkeeper whom we'd acquired from Taffs Well, made HIS first start for Wales U-21s, displacing Chris Brown. Thomas didn't impress as much as the 15-year-old had in September, conceding the only goal of the match to Romania in a 1-0 defeat which meant Wales had to win their last match to pip the Czech Republic.

With none of our players involved, and the other British teams seemingly eliminated, I'll spare you further details. Like everyone else, I couldn't wait for tomorrow, and the crucial World Cup Qualifying matches!

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Saturday, 3rd October, 2009.

Football sometimes tells tales so improbable as to be nearly unbelievable, and one of the perks of being a "World Class" manager - when had I earned that honorific? I haven't won anything of true note, but if you believe the tabloid press, I'm the first American who has ever 'understood' football... As I was saying, one of the perks of being a well-connected Premier League manager was being present at Wembley for one of the most improbable sets of circumstances.

England entered the final two matches two points ahead of Austria, and everyone in both countries was counting as assured victories over Serbia & Montenegro and the Faroe Islands, respectively, setting up a group-deciding showdown at Wembley on Wednesday - to which I also had tickets. The improbability started in Tórshavn, where the Faroes had failed to read the script, and the brothers Petersen each scored to turn an early Austrian goal into a 2-1 deficit by halftime.

Nobody had given Serbia much of a chance, either, but in Wembley we watched an uninspired England side fail to impress, generating few chances and failing to convert on them. It looked like a scoreless draw would ensure, and with the scoreline from the Faroes visible on the big screen, it seemed a terrible waste.

How likely was it, then, that with 92:43 showing on the scoreboard clock, and the referee raising the whistle to his mouth, Jermaine Jenas should net only his third international goal, heading home Jonathan Woodgate's cross to the delight of the crowd of 78,136!?!

England were through to the World Cup, and could afford an experimental lineup in the final match; Austria looked certain to be bound for the playoffs. Switzerland beat Cyprus 3-1 in the group's other match, not that anybody in England noticed!

What a day!

Celebrating the win, I realized I've really adopted England as my native country. At least, I've come to care much more about the Three Lions than about the U.S. National Team - and I'm more conversant in British politics than American. When did that happen?

Wembley wasn't the only drama of the day.

Group 7 was building towards the most dramatic finale in the history of World Cup Qualifying, by the look of it. Romania handed group-leading Wales a 2-1 defeat, despite Stuart Fleetwood's injury time heroics. He scored one goal in the 91st minute, and nearly netted an equalizer in the 93rd!

The Czech Republic pounded Moldova, 6-1, moving into a three-way tie for the group lead. David Rozehnal started, and played all ninety minutes, scoring his first international goal. It put the Czechs up 2-0, when he rose above the Moldova defense to head home a corner kick, and seeing the replay that evening, I started thinking about freeing him up to roam forward like that for us.

The truly amazing thing, however, was Israel beating Azerbaijan, 2-1. That set up a situation where literally any one of three clubs could win the group, and any of four could find themselves in the playoffs:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GD

1 Romania 19 6 1 2 + 3

2 Wales 19 6 1 2 +14

3 Czech Republic 19 6 1 2 +14

4 Israel 17 5 2 2 + 9</pre>

I'm not sure what the tie-breakers are - results between the tied teams, perhaps? - but that's how the clubs were listed in every news source I could find. The Czechs would face Romania in the finale, while Wales played host to Israel.

The other groups seemed almost tame by comparison.

Scotland's hopes were officially brought to an end in Istanbul. Newcastle United winger Koç Okan was the Man of the Match as Turkey demolished the Scots, 3-0. Belgium had drawn with the Ukraine 1-1, and that set up a tantalizing finale: Turkey at Belgium, equal on points, with the winner claiming the group title, and Belgium advancing in case of a draw. The loser would still advance, with second place; Ukraine, 2 points back of them, had already played their final match.

Holland booked their place in the finals with a no-doubt-about-it win, crushing Andorra 5-0. Ireland kept things very interesting, riding a hat trick by Leon Best to a 3-1 victory over second-placed Sweden. It was a very exciting day for Keith McCormack, our right back, as the 20-year-old received his first international call-up, started, and played a very impressive ninety minutes. The win closed Ireland to within two points of the Swedes for second place. They would need help from Georgia in the finale, however, if they were hoping to reach second place. Georgia didn't look too threatening, as they'd lost 1-0 to Albania, and would be travelling to Stockholm, but stranger things have already happened.

Germany inked their berth in the finals, as expected, with a 5-0 thumping of Luxembourg. 42,986 Germans celebrated a brace by Kevin Kuranyi, and it gladdens my heart that they're beginning to accept him. Poland ended Northern Ireland's hopes of advancing with a 3-1 win in Belfast, which, if my undertanding is correct, should mean that even if the Irish make up the three points on Wednesday, Poland will be second. Slovakia slipped ahead of Denmark with a 1-0 win, which gives the Danes the possibility of finishing an embarassing fifth in a group they were expected to challenge for second in.

Italy had a straightforward task: beat or tie Russia in Lecce, and win Group 1. It took them 79 minutes to find a goal, but then Vincenzo Iaquinta netted two in five minutes, giving Italy a 2-0 win and leaving Russia the playoff-bound second place. Iceland beat Belarus 2-0 to clinch third place, and Armenia and Finland settled the question of 'who would be bottom' with a 2-2 draw that ended Armenia's hopes of climbing out of the cellar.

France clinched their berth in the Finals with an emphatic 8-0 win over Liechtenstein. David Trezeguet had a hat trick for the star-studded French lineup, who now had a +31 goal differential over nine games. Norway kept pace with a 2-1 win over Macedonia. Three points back, they could conceivably tie France with the right results, but France still holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, so Norway will be placing second. Hungary beat Estonia 2-1 in the other match.

In Group 6, Croatia and Spain continued their incredible race, with Croatia beating Lithuania 2-1, and Spain beating Bosnia 4-1. This guaranteed that one of them would be the champions, and the other second placed - and in fact, if both won their final matches, they would each get in automatically, as Spain, one point back of Croatia, were currently the best second-placed team. Slovenia beat San Marino in the other match, 2-0.

Group 8 was officially in the hands of Greece, who had brought their campaign to a conclusion with a 1-0 win in Malta. Latvia and Bulgaria drew 2-2, which gave Bulgaria the inside track on second place going into the final match, but it did leave Portugal mathematically alive with a chance to vault from fourth to second in the final day's action - but only if Malta could upset Bulgaria after failing to secure a single point throughout the entire rest of the group.

In the CONCACAF qualifying, the U.S.A. pounded Trinidad & Tobago, 5-0. Tappa's Jamaica side assured their berth in the Finals, claiming the final direct-qualification place and locking up third place by beating Canada, 2-1 - a match Iain Hume missed due to injury. Honduras denied Mexico any joy with a 2-2 draw that left the fourth-place berth to be decided in Edmonton with a head-to-head match against fifth-placed Canada.

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Monday, 5th October, 2009.

"It's set then?"

"Yes, he's very excited about joining such a well-supported club."

The man on the other end of the phone was Arsenal manager David O'Leary, and he'd just concluded contract negotiations with malcontent goalkeeper Gabriele Mattiussi. As Roy Carrol was coming in on January first, Mattiussi would be leaving to join Arsenal.

"Good luck," I told him. "I can't seem to reach him, and I think he may need your more disciplined approach - I tend to do best managing self-starters, for some reason."

"He's worth taking a chance on," O'Leary told me. "That sort of talent doesn't come along too often. Well, I should get back, its been a pleasure."

We rang off, and I found myself quite gladdened to know that Mattiussi would find a home elsewhere. The deal included a solid sell-on clause, so if he turned good, it would benefit us when Arsenal sold him, and in the meantime I'd secured yet another home friendly for next season - it looked like we might not need to play a single away match next year!

Attacking midfielders Gary Thomas and David Parker scored the goals as United U-18s beat Port Vale, 2-1 on Sunday. Thomas suffered a slight neck strain, which might rule him out of training for a few days, but Martin Baverstock assured me it was nothing serious.

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Wednesday, 7th October, 2009.

It was back to World Cup Qualifying on Wednesday, as the final matches of European group play were completed.

I'd long since booked my ticket to Wembley, and it was another delightful day as England thoroughly trounced second-place Austria, 6-0. Clearly relaxed and enjoying the outing, they were aided by a sending-off in the 31st minute. Braces by James Beattie, Saturday's hero Jermaine Jenas, and Alan Smith led the way.

Michael Owen, now at Barcelona after a £20M move from Real Madrid, was taken out in the eleventh minute with a damaged shoulder, but it was water under the bridge: he'd be fit in time for the World Cup next summer, and the final score made the horror tackle a distant memory.

Serbia & Montenegro closed out their campaign with a win over Switzerland, 2-1, making it appear that they'd been much closer to Austria, while Cyprus and the Faroe Islands split the points, 1-1, in their finale.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 England 24 7 3 0 24 2 +22

P 2 Austria 16 5 1 4 13 15 - 2

3 Serbia & Mont. 15 4 3 3 12 12 0

4 Switzerland 12 3 3 4 13 15 - 2

5 Faroe Islands 8 2 2 6 11 19 - 8

6 Cyprus 7 1 4 5 7 17 -10</pre>

If I had to choose where I'd been today, I'd have placed myself at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for one of the Group 7 deciders. Two matches - Wales-Israel and Czech Republic-Romania - would pick the winner(s) from four teams. Israel got the brightest start when 18-year-old Haim Halfon scored in the fourth minute, banging them into a three-way-tie with the Czechs and Romanians. The lead held through halftime, while a cautious match in Teplice kept a 0-0 scoreline.

In the second half, Wales equalized when Simon Davies sent Craig Bellamy through on goal; with an hour gone, it was even at 1-1. The sides were right back where they'd started, with Romania due to advance on the 'head-to-head' rule. In Teplice, David Rozehnal was brought off as the Czechs desperately sought the goal that would see them out of third place, but Romania settled down a bunker defense, determined to hold the 0-0 draw that would see them win the group.

It looked like that was how it would end, until, in injury time, Oxford midfielder Andrew Crofts played a long ball down the left side for Wales. David Vaughan nodded it down for Chris Llewellyn, and the Nottingham Forest forward found the back of the Israel net, catapulting Wales into a dramatic group win, bypassing the playoffs and setting them straight into the Finals!

There was no time for Romania to react: their strategy of playing for a 0-0 draw bore fruit, and would at least ensure them a playoff berth. I felt badly for Rozehnal, as I'd hoped to see him in the World Cup, and I knew he would be coming home disappointed. In the other, meaningless match, Moldova beat Azerbaijan, 2-1.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Wales 22 7 1 2 25 10 +15

P 2 Romania 20 6 2 2 14 11 + 3

3 Czech Republic 20 6 2 2 20 6 +14

4 Israel 17 5 2 3 16 8 + 8

5 Moldova 7 2 1 7 7 28 -21

6 Azerbaijan 0 0 0 10 5 24 -19</pre>

Group 9 was decided by the titanic battle between Belgium and Turkey at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels. It was a hard-tackling match which is best described by saying there were three red cards... and Rob Styles was not the referee. Belgium played flawless, faultless defense, needing only a scoreless draw, and their stranglehold frustrated the Turks into rash fouls, which saw them finish on nine men. With the 0-0 draw, and level on points, the group hinged on the match in Istanbul from May, which Belgium had won, 1-0.

Scotland beat Kazakhstan 2-0 with goals by Kris Boyd and Craig Beattie, but it was not enough to lift them out of fourth place.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Belgium 15 4 3 1 7 3 + 4

P 2 Turkey 15 4 3 1 14 6 + 8

3 Ukraine 12 3 3 2 11 9 + 2

4 Scotland 11 3 2 3 9 9 0

5 Kazakhstan 1 0 1 7 4 18 -14</pre>

Group 5 winners Holland finished off their qualifying dominance with a 2-0 win over Albania. However, all British eyes were on Andorra-Ireland and Sweden-Georgia. Ireland took care of their business, with Keith McCormack again playing a solid 90 minutes at right back. Leon Best and Clinton Morrison each scored a brace, and the Man of the Match was Keane... Keith Keane, of Leicester, that is, getting his first international start.

The 4-0 win would be enough, if the Irish could get any help from Georgia. For most of the match, it looked like they would not: Sweden had scored in the 3rd minute, and hapless Georgia looked unable to threaten. However, a penalty conceded by Tobias Arvidsson in the 71st minute gave Georgia a lifeline, and when Alexander Iashvili converted, he became an Irish hero.

Despite a desperate onslaught by the Swedes, the Georgia defense held firm, and against all the odds, Ireland were into the playoffs!

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Holland 25 8 1 1 22 3 +19

P 2 Ireland 19 6 1 3 23 9 +14

3 Sweden 19 5 4 1 16 8 + 8

4 Albania 9 2 3 5 9 18 - 9

5 Georgia 9 2 3 5 10 16 - 6

6 Andorra 2 0 2 8 4 30 -26</pre>

In Group 3, Germany fielded a decidedly weakened lineup against Poland, but still hammered their next-door-rivals 4-1. If that opened any doors for Roy Carrol's Northern Ireland side, they were shut by Denmark, who scrapped out a 2-1 win with two goals in the final five minutes. Even three points could not avert the embarrassment of a fifth-place finish for the Danes, however, as Slovakia won their finale, 2-0, over Luxembourg.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Germany 25 8 1 1 24 8 +16

P 2 Poland 16 4 4 2 16 13 + 3

3 N.Ireland 13 4 1 5 16 13 + 3

4 Slovakia 13 3 4 3 7 7 0

5 Denmark 12 3 3 4 10 13 - 3

6 Luxembourg 4 1 1 8 6 25 -19</pre>

The first three places of Group 1 had already been decided; the final matches were used primarily as friendlies, with most sides trying experimental lineups. Italy's 'B' team managed only a 1-0 win against Belarus, who fielded a full-strength side. Russia got a bit of 'too little too late', beating Finland 3-0, while last-placed Armenia salvaged some significant pride by beating third-placed Iceland, 2-1.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Italy 28 9 1 0 23 2 +21

P 2 Russia 21 7 0 3 15 9 + 6

3 Iceland 13 4 1 5 13 13 0

4 Belarus 9 3 0 7 11 15 - 4

5 Finland 9 2 3 5 9 17 - 8

6 Armenia 7 2 1 7 9 24 -15</pre>

Group 2 was equally well in-hand, and France named several players with fewer than five caps to their lineup against Macedonia. The outcome was predictable: a disorganized mess with flashes of brilliance, and a 2-2 draw was fully deserved by both sides. Norway closed with a 1-0 win over Hungary which gave them the title of 'second-best second-place team', and the automatic qualifying berth which goes with it. Estonia won their finale, 3-1, in Liechtenstein.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 France 26 8 2 0 34 3 +31

Q 2 Norway 25 8 1 1 18 9 + 9

3 Hungary 14 4 2 4 13 14 - 1

4 FYR Macedonia 10 2 4 4 13 17 - 4

5 Estonia 8 2 2 6 11 21 -10

6 Liechtenstein 1 0 1 9 7 32 -25</pre>

Group 6 had seen a tremendous run by two teams, Croatia and Spain, who each held their destiny in their own hands going into the final match. Win, and they were in the Finals. Neither did. Spain were humbled by tiny Lithuania, a 1-1 draw to the absolute minnows of the group, which guaranteed that Croatia would win the spot, having beaten Spain not once but twice already. Croatia, despite Ivica Olic regaining his form to find an equalizer, were sent to despair when Borut Semler converted a 71st minute penalty to give Slovenia a 2-1 win. They would back into the World Cup anyways, thanks to Lithuania. In the other match, Bosnia beat San Marino, 2-1, to finish a respectable third.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Croatia 22 7 1 2 22 8 +14

P 2 Spain 22 7 1 2 21 8 +13

3 Bosnia 19 6 1 3 17 15 + 2

4 Slovenia 13 4 1 5 11 13 - 2

5 San Marino 8 2 2 6 8 22 -14

6 Lithuania 2 0 2 8 8 21 -13</pre>

In Group 8, idle Greece had already clinched the title, so the battle was for second place. Portugal ended Latvia's dream with a 2-1 victory in Lisbon, but it was Bulgaria who booked a playoff berth with a 2-1 win over Malta.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 Greece 18 6 0 2 10 5 + 5

P 2 Bulgaria 16 5 1 2 13 8 + 5

3 Portugal 13 4 1 3 16 11 + 5

4 Latvia 11 3 2 3 14 11 + 3

5 Malta 0 0 0 8 4 22 -18</pre>

In Edmonton, Iain Hume was on the bench, not called up due to his injury but allowed to sit in civilian clothes with his teammates for their crucial CONCACAF match against Mexico.

Canada looked by far the better side, and handed Mexico an embarassing 2-0 defeat. Igor Bratic and Rob Friend scored the goals, and Canada had given Mexico the worst of insults: the first time El Tri had failed to qualify for the World Cup in living memory!

Top-placed U.S.A. beat already-qualified Jamaica 1-0, and Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago drew, 2-2.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD

Q 1 U.S.A. 23 7 2 1 24 8 +16

Q 2 Honduras 17 4 5 1 21 17 + 4

Q 3 Jamaica 15 4 3 3 14 11 + 3

P 4 Canada 10 3 1 6 15 21 - 6

5 Mexico 8 1 5 4 10 15 - 5

6 Trinidad & Tobago 7 1 4 5 10 22 -12</pre>

In a match observed by few, and forgotten by most who saw it, the Sheffield United Reserves managed a superb comeback to earn a 2-2 draw with Liverpool Reserves. Trailing by two goals with 80 minutes played, Mike Flynn and Joe Keenan scratched out the two goals need to equalize. Danny Payne was the Man of the Match in an assignment meant just to keep him fit.

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Friday, 9th October, 2009.

"Oh my God, boss, it was brilliant!"

I met Keith McCormack at the airport, and the lad was bubbling over with excitement at having made his first international appearances, and not only that, but helping Ireland to two victories and an unexpected berth in the playoffs.

"All the lads were great, and the crowds, oh my God, I still can't believe it. Its been like I'm dreaming - I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Composed and mature on the pitch, he looked like an excited teenager today. He talked all the way back to Sheffield, and I could only smile at youthful exuberance. I think he must have thanked me a half dozen times for "everything I'd done for his career."

When we got back to Bramall Lane, the media were gathered - we'd slipped out the back entrance of the airport to avoid them at first. We held a brief press conference, which was mostly focused on getting the Sheffield-area papers and television their own shot at interviewing the 20-year-old international.

I did take advantage of the gathering to issue a brief statement congratulating Florent Sinama-Pongolle on his recent performances.

"He's doing everything a manager could possibly ask. I really have to question why he hasn't been called up for France, especially considering they'd already clinched their place in the Finals."

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Saturday, 10th October, 2009. Premier League - Game 10, at Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough had already had a good team last year, but the addition of Graeme Souness as manager in December brought out the best in them. They ran off fourteen straight victories from the close of the transfer window to the end of the season, winning the League Cup and equaling the club's best-ever League placing by finishing third in the Premier League, behind only rampant Chelsea and Arsenal. This season, juggling the demands of Champions League play against the Premier League fixtures, they'd lost to both Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as an embarrassing 3-1 to Everton, but they were a solid fifth and a favourite to make up some of that ground, starting with a home win against upstart Sheffield United. We'd met them four times last season, thanks to the League Cup semifinals, and our record was 1 draw and 3 defeats.

I named my strongest lineup: Allan McGregor in goal, and his defense started with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, and David Rozehnal. I had a tough choice to make about Keith McCormack, tired but ebullient after earning his first caps; I decided to give him the nod. Mathieu Berson would marshall the midfield from the holding role, while Joe Hamill and Graham Allen were the wingers. Iain Hume returned from injury in attacking midfield, alongside playmaker Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the striker, and took a moment to thank me for the vote of confidence. "That meant a lot to me," he said, a glint of determination in his eyes.

It was the first rainy afternoon of the year, but that didn't stop 'Boro from starting brightly. Souness came out with an aggressive 4-4-2, letting his fullbacks get involved in the attack and pushing his wingers forward. It paid off in the ninth minute, when right wing Phil Jagielka played a lovely low pass to put striker Johan Elmander into the area. Sean Dillon's desperation tackle at the corner of the six averted the danger momentarily, but the ball fell to Jagielka trailing the play. The former Blade pinged it through the box, and got lucky when it fell to the feet of his opposite number, Vratislav Gresko. The Slovakian fired into traffic first time, and the shot deflected back to the near post. McGregor had no chance to react, and the home fans had a 0-1 lead to celebrate! It was Gresko's sixth season with Middlesbrough, and that was his first-ever goal for them.

Middlesbrough looked to be in complete control, and things got worse on the quarter hour mark, when Greek fullback Giourkas Seitaridis whipped in a quick low cross from the right side. Elmander connected with a diving header that deflected off of Dillon. Allan McGregor could only get a hand on it, but could not do enough to keep it out. The crowd was well short of capacity at 25,875 - perhaps the 9,000 missing were put off by the rain. Those that were at The Riverside Stadium bid fair to make up for their absent friends with sheer volume. That second goal was like a punch in the gut, for a team that had been involved in so many one-sided games this year. I couldn't remember when we'd last come back from a two goal deficit, and here we were down 0-2 to a Champions League team.

Clearly, our typically conservative, counter-attacking style wasn't working, and after another five minutes watching 'Boro control the run of play, I made a change. No substitutions, just a demand that the lads switch to the 'patient buildup', allowing the fullbacks to get forward into the attack but asking everyone to slow down the pace, looking for killer passes rather than rushing into the teeth of the defense. That seemed to slow the Middlesbrough attack down a bit, and another quarter-hour passed with the run of play relatively even.

In the 35th minute, we clawed one back. Keith McCormack took a throw-in deep down the right side, and dropped it back for Mathieu Berson. The Frenchman flighted in the cross, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, lurking at the near post, redirected it from perhaps five yards out. 20-year-old keeper Jason Hammond had no chance, and we were back within a goal, 1-2!

That score held through half-time, and it was not I who gave the halftime team talk. The steely determination of Sean Dillon and Allan McGregor showed clear as they stirred the sparks of a comeback, and Hayden Foxe gave an impassioned speech. Berson's quiet confidence, and Sinama-Pongolle's composure were also inspirational, and the lads took to the field with a renewed sense of purpose.

In the 54th minute, Graham Allen headed down a ball for Iain Hume on the right side. He played it forward to Sinama-Pongolle, who used a little give-go with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson to step around American defender Carlos Bocanegra. The brief flash of space was enough for the Frenchman to fire a wicked shot from the arc, and it was 2-2!! He was clearly deserving of his recent praise, capping off a magnificent fight back with a fabulous goal!!

Sometimes, immediately after securing an equalizer, a team loses focus momentarily, and so it was with us today. Middlesbrough replied three minutes later. This time it was a Benedict Vilakazi cross, again from the right side. Leading scorer Dean Ashton met it at the six, heading home his 10th league goal of the season in as many games. I don't know what more we could have done defensively: Ashton was triple covered when the ball arrived. However, the preponderance of crosses coming in from the 'Boro right confirmed my opinion that our left side was our weakness. All the effort coming back was erased, and 'Boro led 2-3.

We weren't done yet, though. Shortly after the hour mark, the lads connected a series of one-touch passes that involved all five of our attackers up the middle of the pitch. It concluded with Allen picking out Sinama-Pongolle, and the Frenchman ducked around Wilfred Bouma into the area. He had only the keeper to beat, and concluded his hat trick with a wicked low shot back to the far post!! It was 3-3, and there were still thirty minutes to play for either side to find a winner!

The heroism thus far had been in front of goal, offensively: over the next fifteen minutes it was in defense. Bridge-Wilkinson's wicked 20-yard shot carried into the stands, then Ashton hit the bar from 25 yards. With twenty minutes remaining, a Middlesbrough corner kick dropped into the six, and a mad goalmouth scramble had the fans on their feet before Dillon's desperate tackle stopped Bouma, and Hayden Foxe averted disaster by clearing it off the line. In the 73rd minute, Vilakazi had a brilliant chance from 10 yards, but McGregor was up to it with a fantastic save. Hammond rivaled that a minute later at the other end, collecting Bridge-Wilkinson's deflected shot after a scary heartbeat of hesitation.

I brought Joe Newell and Darren White on for Hume and Allen, but if fresh legs were theoretically a benefit for us, 'Boro were beginning to take control of the match. Substitute Stilian Petrov sent in yet another cross from the right side, which Ashton headed for the sure winner from six yards. He couldn't believe the brilliant save McGregor made to tip it over the bar - and neither could I! What a save!

Five minutes later, Ashton chipped one over the keeper from 30 yards, but it struck the crossbar and fell back into play. We took off on the counter-attack, a fast 4-on-4 break which wound up at the feet of Hamill on the left side. He dropped a low pass back for Bridge-Wilkinson on the 18, and he took one touch to control it before launching a 16-yard screamer. Were this a Hollywood script, that would have been the dramatic winner, but young Hammond did fantastically to turn it over the bar, and the match finished even at 3-3.

Middlesbrough 3, Sheffield United 3

Gresko 9, Elmander 15, Ashton 57; Sinama-Pongolle 35, 54, 62

MoM: Sinama-Pongolle.

It was a fan's delight, a wonderful goalfest with some spectacular feats in both attack and defense, and my players and I were both thoroughly drained as we walked across to shake hands.

Graeme Souness was a real gentleman, congratulating me on the tactical shift in the first half, which he said had saved the match for us.

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Originally posted by Amaroq:

Croatia, despite Ivica Olic regaining his form to find an equalizer, were sent to despair when Borut Semler converted a 71st minute penalty to give <STRIKE>Slovakia</STRIKE> Slovenia a 2-1 win.

Sorry Amaroq, I couldn't resist. icon_wink.gif

Borut Semler is one of our best prospects (beside Danijel Marceta who plays for our local club in 2nd division), having been picked up at 16 years by FC Bayern Muenchen in 2001 but has now come back to Slovenia to our leading club NK Domžale in January window.

Fantastic result against Middlesbrough. Your story is the first thing I open and check when I log onto my computer every morning!

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