Premiership Glory Clan 2013

[dcu223]

Belly

Crystal Palace

Good week for me overall. Got to League Cup Semi final where we lost to Kims Superstars. Went out to Wycombe in the FA cup i think during a bad run of form where we lost to several clubs. Ended the week with a 1-0 win away to Jacks League Champions Liverpool.

We have managed to sign a 15 yr old RB for 1.5M who should be a star in the years to come. Just need to get my gates up so i can increase the ground and put myself on a level par with my peers.

Come on you Palace...

Until next week

Belly,

[LEEMOD]

Wednesday Review:

MK Dons (H) FA CUP 3rd Round Replay (3-1 won) – Easy game which we dominated, goals from Royo (2) and Jack Collison.

West Ham (A) 2-3 lost –this has been our season so far, very unpredictable and so inconsistent, we deserved a point here or more, Royo and Andersen the scorers.

Man City (A) 2-1 won – this kind of goes some way to highlight my last point, I did not expect anything from this with a team brimming with talent we held our own to win 2-1 at the Etihad, I was over the moon, goals from Beierordsfer (German 19 year old midfielder) and Benteke. I did say last time we played them we hammered them, glad to have took 3 points from them.

Tottenham (H) 3-1 won FA CUP 4TH ROUND – Now if last week wasn’t a coup this certainly was, we played well and despite moans from Kim as to my strategy, I don’t care, we won 3-1 and that’s what matters, it was suggested that I kicked them off the park but we committed 11 fouls compared to Tottenham’s 23, it’s just we were tougher and able to take it but his megastars couldn’t take it and wanted to go back to London for a rub down. We did really well, all three goals from my on-loan striker Paul Short. I got no congratulations for this victory to my shock!

Tranmere (H) 2-1 won – What a terrible first half we had 0-1 down and playing like a League Two team, I gave them a talking down to at half time and we bounced back to pick up 3 valuable points, Calabro and Benteke amongst the goals.

Tottenham (H) 2-5 lost – Well that teaches me to not mess with Kim! Despite the scoreline it wasn’t quite that one way, he just took his chances but I take my hat off to Kim, a very good team. Very tough to play against.

Reading (H) 3-0 won – A very comfortable win here and all pretty simple really, goals coming in the second half from Bieresdorfer, Orsula & Fernandez.

Overall, I’m really happy, we sit 9th in the league and this coming from a team which is predicted to finish 16th I can be really happy with my achievements this season, beating Man City away and then Kim is no mean feat. I really do believe that with some additions in the summer we could compete for a top 7 finish next season.

Until Monday…

Lee

[Olib1983]

Oli -Leicester

I feel ashamed by how good and fequent lees posts have been note to self must improve lol. Anyway down to business I'm out of both the league cup and fa cup to be honest this was what I hopped for as I don't have the biggest squads out of the big clubs. However, my form has been really good I feel we should have more points on the board though but I can't complain being top of the league with games in hand my board upped my expectations as a result of this. I got caught out with injuries earlier this season at centre half with my three first choices all out. So I brought in two solid centre backs vink and the six foot seven monster zito. I now feel I have the required depth in my squad to mount a title challenge. I have Barcelona in the champions league knockout stages so that will be tough but my main aim is the league.

[alvaan]

Kim - Spurs

Ups and downs this season, as we've reached the LC final against Jack's Liverpool, but literally got kicked off the park by Lee's Newcastle. Like he already said, we comitted the most fouls in the game, but his was just targeting the same players. We lost 2 right wingers in that game, and with an already weakened side on the day, we got comfortably beaten 3-1. I did refuse to congratulate Lee, as I was just too angry about yet another game with 3-4 injuries had rocked our season.

In the league we'd been in terrific form, and were about to go up against the other form team in the league; Leicester. As everyone now should know, Oli's been my bogie team from day 1. Yet again he got the better of us with a 2-1 win at his ground. This means that we are 6 points behind in the league, but we do have a game in hand on Oli. Hopefully I can avoid playing Oli anymore this season, as I dont think there's enough players in the world to handle his thuggery!

Fenerbache away awaits in the first game tonight, as we face off in the 1st knockout stage of the Champions League. With Jack and Oli playing Bayern and Barcelona respectively, at least there's going to be two less good teams left in the competition regardless who goes through.

Hopefully we can finish the season strong, and win that first league title since FM11, at least that will be my main goal. It looks like an exciting end to the season, and with Ali soon to be coming back, we should be set for some cracking seasons up ahead.

-Kim

[phoenix81]

Grant-Arsenal

Im an idiot losing 1 of best strikers in game at end of season at the age of 24 due to reload cancelling tied up contract

bye bye Russ

[LEEMOD]

Monday Review:

Liverpool (H) FA CUP 5th Round 2-1 WON – I told the media before this game that I thought Liverpool were massively underachieving which is true and we were comfortable 2-1 winners, goals from my defender Orsula and Jack Collison, hoping for a good cup run! A real shame that Jack was unable to respond to shake my hand afterwards.

Aston Villa (H) 3-0 WON – A great start to the evening for me, a routine victory, never got out of second gear, Short, Collison & Dembele packing the punches on this occasion, it should have been 6 or 7.

Everton (H) 1-1 DREW – Another game against one of the relegation candidates and before a big FA Cup game I made the decision to rotate my squad, we did outplay them but I was not happy, Benteke scored after 5 minutes but Everton held out.

Man Utd (A) FA QUARTER FINAL 0-4 LOST – very very frustrating to lose in this manner, we weren’t even in it which makes it far worse, I need to do better than this if I’m to make any sort of progress. Still, as a whole, I was happy with my cup exploits this season.

Leicester (A) 1-0 WON – This is probably my result of the season, they had lost one game all season and I bravely decided to just play my own game, Fernandez scored after 35 minutes when he was gifted a shot on goal by their keeper. Leicester as you would expect threw everything at me but we defended like Trojans, a superb three points!

Chelsea (A) 1-3 LOST – I think the players were still smarting from their victory at Leicester however Geir’s Chelsea suddenly wiped our smiles away with a good 3-1 win, I do feel it doesn’t tell the whole story in a way though as we had some good chances but Geir did well. Verkhovstov the goalscorer.

Swindon (H) 1-1 DREW – We need to address this, absolutely shocking to draw 1-1 at home against the bottom team, it made my blood boil, in all honesty Swindon should have snatched it but this was a crap performance. Odegbami scoring for me.

Liverpool (A) 2-2 DREW – Another chance to play Jack’s Liverpool, we found ourselves 2-0 down at HT and I was not happy, we came out in the second half and dominated them for the full 45 minutes, despite us making it 2-2 I wasn’t happy as we created some great chances and hit the bar. Scorers on the day were Beiresdorfer & Royo. I must add Jack wasn’t at the helm, ‘cba’ apparently.

That’s all for tonight, just five games left now, even though I am happy with our position of 9th I feel we should be higher, at times we look like we should be top 5 but then others we look like we should be bottom, we need to really finish teams off, dropped a lot of stupid points this season.

Until tomorrow……

[dcu223]

Manager of the Years Results

Congratz Kim

[dcu223]

Belly

Palace

Decent season comes to an end for me. I have re-organised my squad and therefore had to spend 35M on 3 young players to fill in a RB LM and RM position. Its alot of money but there all young and i doubt i will have to replace them.

I am also going to be testing tactics this weekend with early signs looking good.

Until Monday

Belly,

[LEEMOD]

Didn't manage to do a final update as I didn't get the time but we finished in 9th position and from a media prediction of 16th I feel that is an excellent achievement, I was quite disappointed to have finished 7th in the MOTY awards, I expected more points than what I got. How did Jack get any points??!

Anyway, onto the coming season, I am now predicted to finish 12th and my aim is for a top ten finish, I have to be realistic. Over achieving to the level we did brings about positives and negatives but I feel a top ten finish is realistic and I am very hopeful of that. I have made some good signings especially in defense, I thought we were over reliant on our main defenders last time so I have made a loan signing, a free transfer and paid some decent money for cover alongside a few other buys in key positions to flesh out my squad.

I fully expect it to be much tougher with Ali taking over Stoke and with new member John taking ownership of a decent Southampton squad, it's important for me to get off to a good start otherwise morale could suffer. I also expect Jack to make a big improvement it just depends if he can be arsed, he has a great squad of players.

Financially, I cannot compete with hardly anyone, which leaves me at a disadvantage, even Stoke have more money to spend than me which gives you a good idea of where we are, however if people like Edmar, Hammond, Kordic can step up this year I feel we can do well. Hammond didn't have a great season last year but I didn't want to expect too much although if he does under perform I may look to cut my losses and aim to get 12-14 million for him. I expect Fernandez to be better too, he did very well towards the end of last season. Up front my DOF is an absolute idiot, he spent £13.5M on a striker who needs a bloody work permit! This is so disappointing, I have Benteke but we're short now up front, a possible loan perhaps might be needed, I have Anderson who can play up top but he is best on the wing or a supporting role. That's my main worry, I think we're ok in midfield and far stronger in defense.

Until Monday..

[dcu223]

Up front my DOF is an absolute idiot, he spent £13.5M on a striker who needs a bloody work permit! This is so disappointing,Until Monday..

LMAO - What a legend!

[alvaan]

Kim - Spurs

WE KNOW WHAT WE AAAAAARE

WE KNOW WHAT WE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE

CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE

WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE!

A historic day of jubilation filled the streets of London, as the thugs of Leicester were beaten 2-1 on May 22nd 2021! This was not only the bigges game of the season, but also the biggest occation we've come up against the midlands filthiest team. After countless encounters with nothing but injuries and bad results to show for, we were FINALLY able to put the ******** down.

German sensation Renato Murati put us ahead after only 19 minutes with a tapin 6 yards after, after we had won the ball back after a corner. The 2-0 goal was due to our terrific work ethic and very high pressure and pressuring the Leicester leftback into making a mistake within his own area, with french wonderkid Steeven Leroux working the ball into the goal. A 74th minute corner goal by Kieran Baker (yet again) saw Oli peg back to 1-2 and spark a bit of life into his team.

Oli then threw the kitchen sink at us, playing 3-3-4 in the latter stages of the game, but a fully 100.000 packed Old Trafford saw the lilly whites hold on to a magnificent 2-1 victory to retain the Champions League! This marked a special season for Tottenham, as we had already bagged a couple of other trophies...

CHAMPIONS OF ENGERLAND!

Yea that's right!! About friggin time as well! Early in the season the league was a 6 horse race, with Spurs, Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Leicester all in the mix. First to fall away was Geir. His lacklustre teamspirit, coaching style, trying to emulate other more succesful managers' style and shere lack of knowledge cost him in the end. Not only did the gloomy norwegian miss out on the title, but he missed out of Champions League as well. Heck, he was so far off the aim, I'm actually surprised he wasn't caught up by Belly and Lee in the end! Miserably failing again Mr.Sunshine! Time to face the fact and just go over to Pokemon with Jimmy!

Man Utd quickly decintegrated as well with the AI in charge, and managed somehow to finish below Geir. Shocking from the best club in the world. The blue side of Manchester tried to do their normal bit; throwing money at it. I've sold a few overpriced, aging and out of favour players to them myself, and I hope they keep it up. If their board had any sense, they'd hire Ali and..oh wait they did, didn't they Ali?

Grant's pompus, arrogant overpriced and overhyped Arsenal slipped up 6 games to go. April 3rd to be exact, and this is what happened!

German goalkeeper ter Stegen sees his opponent goalie is off his and line and SCORES! This was the key moment in a brilliant title battle, but was also the game that saw off Arsenal's chances. This left us with just one team left who could pry the title out of our hands, Leicester. To my great pride and joy, and to Thug Thugson's dismay, we finished the league on a high with some terrific performances.

After almost 2 years and 2 versions of FM not winning the league title, we finally did it. It's been a long time coming, and long overdue. When someone like Jack can win the league with my Birmingham side on FM12, or with Neverpool on this before I can, that says alot. Yea, I've been called a cup manager, and yes there have been some name calling, but we did it. Take a look at the trophy cabinet before you start running your mouth now Oli and Jack, as there's plenty of silverware needing a polish down at White Heart Lane!

Well, over to a bit of a run down of the other muppets then.

Grant, Oli and Geir have all had their mention already, but a good thing can't be repeated enough, so I'll just state it again. RUBBISH! We won, you lost, hahahaha!

Belly - kept plugging away at Crystal Palace and pulled of a surprising 7th place in the end. To be honest, I was surprised he was still in a job at the end of the season, let alont in 7th place. Fair play Belly, credits where credits are due.

Jack - what in the hell happened lad? From hero to zero in 1 season. If I didn't know better, I'd be pursuaded to think Sounness was at the helm! League winners last year, 8th place this year. How you kept your job is a better kept secret than whos name was in 3 envelopes.

Lee - new kid on the block got laughed at, spat on and literally almost hounded out when he first joined by some the "superior managers". Showed he won't be bullied around, as he took the minnows Newcastle into the quarter final of the FA Cup by beating myself 3-1 and Jack's LFC 2-1 at St.James' Park. All in all a good first season for Lee, with a top 10 finish in the league as well. A strong addition to the clan so far, but needs to produce better if he wants any acclaim to his name.

Ali came back with just a few games to go, and he took over Stoke. A team that's had Tony Pulis, and as their fans now were eager to see something different than route 1 football, they are in for a rude awakening. They will be lucky to be sitting in the upper deck for the coming years, as the ball will hardly ever be on ground level. Ali make Big Sam's football seem tiki-taka!

John - the new Saints manager also joined late, and have a big job on his hands. Needs to prove he got the bottle to stick around. Will he grow some wings and fly away, or is it going to be a Liverpool styled trainreck and just plummit to the ground?

Joe - the only man who was left outside the Premier League has finally joined us! Took Leeds from down below and into the Championship, but failed to deliver in his first season. When the Sheffield United manger left for a PL club, Joe jumped from bottom of the league Leeds, to top of the league Sheff Utd in just a couple of days. He managed to not only keep them there, but improve their lead, and rapped up the Championship title with a couple of games to go. Well done to the Corker, but a massive job ahead of himself in the coming season. Might have to jump ship again if he ain't gonna be the only man outside the Prem yet again.

The aim now for the coming season is quite simple. Retain every title we won, and bring home the ones we failed last season. This means that we are going for every trophy this season, just to show everyone else who's the dominant force in Europe and in the UK. Come on you Spurs, and let the games begin!

-Kim

[LEEMOD]

Not had the chance to post much, got off to a great start remaining unbeaten in the first 5 games however rather worryingly we have lost 5 on the bounce, I really thought I had my tactics sorted and believed I had improved in defence. 9 games in and I’m starting to doubt everything, worrying times for Newcastle. I need a good session this evening!

[Jack92P]

Jack - Unemployed

Will be taking a 2-3 week break from clan, will deffo be back mid may.

Not sure what went wrong at Liverpool but finishing 8th after coming 1st just exhausted me, will hopefully get a new challenge with a new club after the current season is done and I can just focus on enjoying the game again!

Good luck with the season, except for Lee and Oli, I hope you both crash and burn!

[LEEMOD]

Thanks Jack, difference between us is that I don't quit when I lose and I can say good game to someone after a defeat. It makes for a bad person and an even worse Manager when he can't even do that!

[phoenix81]

#JackDestroyedByTheNewLad

[dcu223]

End of Week League Table

[dcu223]

Belly

Palace

Decent week for palace although we started off better than we finished. Its all too clear that our defense needs strengthening but while i have a couple of young defenders coming through its not helping me now. Hopefully when i get to July i will have some money in the bank to fix the issue and push palace on to that lucrative and coveted Top 4.

Until Next Week,

Belly

[LEEMOD]

Well, my season is very much average as it can be, no consistency at all and even struggling to the lower teams at home which is worrying me a lot! I played really well against Grant, the only game I created some good openings despite losing out on possession. 11th place is about right at the moment but if I can put a run together I can take a top 10 spot.

Transfer wise, I need to offload some players and first out in January is Anderson, I have a made a bit of loss on him but he hasn't performed nowhere near the level I had expected when I signed him, I won't tolerate under performing. On the plus side, my young midfielder Jake Hammond is brilliant, if he carries on he could well earn himself a new contract, very impressive and alongside the ever improving Edmar my midfield looks ok. Up front Benteke isn't getting the goals needed, I decided to move Van Kerkoef to the right despite him being my top scorer and he is ok there.

All in all, it's very frustrating to be 11th, after addressing my defence, I really hoped we could use that as a solid base but it hasn't panned out that way although we do look a little tighter which is pleasing.

I now plan to do some reading on FM to see if I can introduce something new to my gameplay/tactical mindset.

I must say I am very impressed with Ali as well, a great performance to get Stoke where they are, my Manager of the season so far by a mile.

Lee

[Advantageous]

Ali - Stoke.

Decent start to the season for my Stoke side. Sitting fairly comfortably in 6th place, but fully expect that to drop when Oli returns and fires 7th place Leicester up into the top 4. A season of consolidation was my aim this term, so I've got to be pleased with my league standing at the half way point. It has to be said though that a massive outlay of £45m was splashed on the squad. This was mainly used to replace the ageing players that were still considered 1st team, but some of the OAPs still remain, including club legend and captain Ryan Shawcross. An absolute beast even at 35 who is currently the top performer in the Premier League with an average rating of 8.03 and 2 goals in 17 appearances. I doubt he'll go on forever though, he's slow as hell.

League cup wise, we were knocked out of the first round away at Cardiff. The board had no interest in the competition, so neither did I. The kids got a decent run out. Will begin taking this competition seriously in a few seasons or so.

The Bedfordshire Cup, a fierce rivalry between two Bedfordshire lads and the most prestigious of accolades in PGC was once again a stalemate. Belly's Palace were the better side, but his defender made a crucial error and gifted Seferovic a nice little goal. Cheers Belly. I believe I remain unbeaten in this derby.

My fellow professionals.

Kim: Upped his game from FM12. Began the game with proper grit and determination to be the first into the Premier League. Got there, took Spurs and hasn't really looked back. 14 trophies in 10 or so seasons including 2 Champions Leagues and a Premier League title. Not bad, shame your 'Barcelona style' football more resembles Wimbledon. 30+ fouls each game, disgusting!

Grant: Not as dominant as he was in FM12, but the competition has been stronger from the get-go. Still done well with 8 trophies in the bag. Probably needs to win the League this season if he wants to stay within touching distance of Kim.

Oli: Impressive to say the least, FA Cup win in the Championship and the only top manager that hasn't had to jump to an established club to win trophies. Hoovers up all the regens, loans them out from a very young age. Unorthodox perhaps, but it works. Financial management questionable, and often has to sell off prized assets to stay afloat. Top 4 is essential for Oli.

Jack: Done very well on 13. Trophies in the bank, developing youngsters, an adventurous formation that breaks up the monotonous use of the 442 by every other human manager. His distasteful efforts to bring the 4123 back to clan however are abominable. Shame to see the lad leave just as I rejoined, purely coincidental of course! Looking forward to his return 'mid-may' (considering its the 30th of May right now, I guess he means June. Muppet), the banter will be electric.

Geir: Solid as usual from Geir. Secured the Chelsea job after a good effort with Wolves. Will probably be looking for top 4 this season. 5th or 6th wouldn't be too bad either. Spent a fair amount of cash this season from what I've heard.

Joe: The last to reach the Prem, but doing a good job so far. 3 points clear of the relegation zone with newly promoted Sheffield Utd. I speak for the rest of the clan when I say I hope Joe stays up and pushes on with the Blades.

Belly: Doing a good job with a Palace team nurtured by both Jack and Jamie. Shame he can't overcome his nearest rival at his own ground, but thats not the end of the world! He'll no doubt be looking to cement a strong top half finish like last season, but it looks as if Europa League is hindering him some what. Shame about the trophy count, the only manager in FM13 not to win anything? Not even a Bedfordshire Cup? My word.

Lee: New kid on the block, but a solid member thus far. Makes the effort to post and currently doing a decent job with Newcastle. Will want to push on into the top 10 this season though. Bit of a leaky defence that will need to be sorted, but he's chalked up enough points to garner respect from the rest of the clan. Not afraid to come on call either, an all round good addition to the group.

[LEEMOD]

Lee - Man City

Well a quick catch up, after Oli resigned from Leicester I was tempted to apply as I had done a good job at Newcastle but I didn't fancy the debt that came with it and the size of the squad. I decided to stick with Newcastle but a week later my head was turned by the Man City job, I applied and got it! I do sort of regret leaving Newcastle as it would have been nice to see Edmar/Hammond/Kortic develop but I feel Man City are a club who can match my ambition.

I feel I have inherited a decent squad but the lack of prospects in the youth and reserves is something I need to address, there only seems to be two players who have a chance of first team football so this will be my job in the summer. I also have a few on the fringes who can be sold but I need to ensure we have depth too so it should be a very interesting summer. There are also a few gaps to plug especially at left back, I don't need to make huge changes but I feel once the team wet used to the way I play we can give anyone a run for their money which has already been shown by nearly beating Grant.

Onto my results so far and they look very good, I have played 11 games, won 8, drew 3, lost 0. I'm very happy with that despite a lot of boring 1-0's. It'll be interesting when I play the likes of Kim, Geir, Ali.

I am 7th in the league but only 6 points seperate us from 3rd so that will be an interesting battle, I hope I can maintain Champions League football for next season. In the FA Cup I am through to the 6th round where I play Liverpool at home who I expect to beat so who knows, a final could await me.

Finally, I had my first taste of Champions League football on FM13 (I usually start with a team below Conf North/South) and I scraped a good 1-0 away win at Marseille and at home we played some excellent football winning 2-0 so if the draw is kind to me I could do well in this competition as well.

All in all, I feel some very exciting times lie ahead for Man City, I of course will have a soft spot for Newcastle and keep my eye on their results.

Lee

[dcu223]

End of Week League Table

[LEEMOD]

Wednesday:

Continued our unbeaten run until near the end, lost to Grant 3-2 in the FA Cup Semi, we beat Barcelona 6-2 on aggregate which was amazing, we play Lyon in the semi so hopefully a chance at winning that would be a great achievement,

In the league we've done well, I hope to finish 5th, I think that would be a decent achievement for this year.

I find it amazing that I got accused of using this or that tactic bla bla bla when most players do, I know Jack and some others do the same, hypocrisy!

I hope next season I can upset the hierarchy of the clan, I came so close to getting that FA Cup final where a victory over Belly is certainly not a given but I had a great chance, we need to forget about this and focus our attentions on Lyon away next in the semi final of the Champions League.

Financially, I have a huge amount about to be knocked off my wage budget in the summer so I really hope that gives us a decent stash but my intention is to use the money wisely and buy strategically rather than buy anything that moves!

Ali/Belly/Joe have all done excellent jobs and wouldn't be suprised if we see one or two of them at bigger clubs very soon, already rumors flying about regarding the Liverpool/Man Utd/Leicester job, great opportunity for someone.

I think most people have had excellent seasons so far, shows the class and skill of this clan and how hard it can be to prove yourself, I'm already excited for next season, I think it's going to be really interesting to see what everyone does transfer wise and even career wise!

The highlight for me in the whole clan is beating Barca 4-0, that performance was special, I bullied their main players with a high pressing, high aggressive game.

Until Monday...

[dcu223]

Belly

Palace

Was an average week for palace with some good and bad results. We reached the Quarter finals of the Europa League losing to Spartak Moscow and also lost the Bedfordshire Cup to my Arch Rivals Ali in the League. My Squad are just not good enough to compete with my fellow clan members yet and i dont think they will be for a few years unless we get some serious investment by way of transfers or a Sugar Daddy.

We did however manager to regain the Bedfordshire Cup beating Ali's Stoke on penalties in the FA CUP Semi final to secure a FA CUP final place against Grant's Gooners but alas the FM gods were playing there tricks again and the dreaded Crash Dump came down and stole it from us.

It is still to be decided whether or not Ali will concede the replay on Monday but i am sure he will do what is right .

Until Next Week

Belly,

[dcu223]

Wednesday:

Continued our unbeaten run until near the end, lost to Grant 3-2 in the FA Cup Semi, we beat Barcelona 6-2 on aggregate which was amazing, we play Lyon in the semi so hopefully a chance at winning that would be a great achievement,

In the league we've done well, I hope to finish 5th, I think that would be a decent achievement for this year.

I find it amazing that I got accused of using this or that tactic bla bla bla when most players do, I know Jack and some others do the same, hypocrisy!

Lol M8 - A victim of the clans banter i feel - Would of been worse if Jack was about. Anyway to confirm. Downloaded tactics are not banned as it cannot be enforced (Hope you are reading SI) so accusations are the wrong word.

Well done on a good start with City Lee,

[LEEMOD]

Cheers Belly

[Advantageous]

Ali - Stoke

Decent string of sessions this week where I have all but cemented 7th place. Better than I expected but my home form has been pretty woeful and has resulted in quite a few dropped points against relegation battlers. By contrast however, my away form has been terrific, claiming victories over Kim, Belly, Lee, Liverpool, Leicester, et al. I can see myself being at Stoke for the remainder of the game, however if I want to challenge for the big trophies, a top club will probably be required at this point in the game.

Highlights of the week include a 5-1 thumping over Belly's Crystal Palace. Never have I heard someone go so quiet on mic. That game preceded an FA Cup Semi Final where Belly snatched an undeserved victory via penalties. Of course, the game then crashed, with the replay awaiting us on monday. Belly has been pushing the notion that I should concede the game, but in clan no-one has ever conceded games where replays are required due to crash dumps. With that fact in mind however, I am willing to concede if it sets a precedent for the future.

The 3-2 victory away to Kim was also pretty sweet. A throw-back to the 1970's with Kim's style of football (reminiscent of Don Revie's Leeds United), so to beat him on his own turf playing attractive, one touch, liquid football was a delight. I look forward to more tactical battles in the coming seasons.

[LEEMOD]

To be fair, a crash dump is no one's fault, I would gladly play Grant again, I just think it's going to be hard to re-create the exact score any heavier score and it wouldn't be good for morale for myself, Kim, Ali.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense to simply play them again, unfortunate of course but to me seems the best way.

I'm sure Monday session there will be a house debate!

[Jack92P]

"Because Jack did it"

Well, lets me stop you right there, because, as per usual, you are chatting **** Lee. Something you are exceptional at, I thought I was good at it, but by god, you blow me out of the water.

I am the only one who doesn't use the same flat 442 bollocks that Kim and Grant used, no one else in clan used my formation, and as I said to Grant, if it's downloaded, find it.

I genuinely hope you do well at City, it would be nice to see someone else win something other than Grant/Kim. But don't attack me for attacking me sake, you've been in PGC 5 minutes, show some respect to a multi league, multi champions league winner, you're a trophy virgin mate, and going by you skype profile pic you're a real life one too, no offence, but i'm sure even you would admit you're no Brad Pitt, add that to your North Yorkshire drone of an accent and you have a rather horrendous combination.

But by all means you carry on throwing insults at me, even though I have no issues with you, why would I have an issue with someone who is no threat to me? Who has never one a meaningful trophy? Who has been in the FM online scene for 5 minutes?

Don't bring me into you downloaded tactic rubbish when I was the only one in the clan not using the same 442 that geir/grant/kim/whoever else was using.

Cheers.

[Advantageous]

"Because Jack did it"

Well, lets me stop you right there, because, as per usual, you are chatting **** Lee. Something you are exceptional at, I thought I was good at it, but by god, you blow me out of the water.

I am the only one who doesn't use the same flat 442 bollocks that Kim and Grant used, no one else in clan used my formation, and as I said to Grant, if it's downloaded, find it.

I genuinely hope you do well at City, it would be nice to see someone else win something other than Grant/Kim. But don't attack me for attacking me sake, you've been in PGC 5 minutes, show some respect to a multi league, multi champions league winner, you're a trophy virgin mate, and going by you skype profile pic you're a real life one too, no offence, but i'm sure even you would admit you're no Brad Pitt, add that to your North Yorkshire drone of an accent and you have a rather horrendous combination.

But by all means you carry on throwing insults at me, even though I have no issues with you, why would I have an issue with someone who is no threat to me? Who has never one a meaningful trophy? Who has been in the FM online scene for 5 minutes?

Don't bring me into you downloaded tactic rubbish when I was the only one in the clan not using the same 442 that geir/grant/kim/whoever else was using.

Cheers.

#GameSetMatch

#Pray4Lee

[LEEMOD]

Thank you Jack for your words of encouragement, I also hope I do well.

[Jack92P]

Thank you Jack for your words of encouragement, I also hope I do well.

Dominate them mate!

[LEEMOD]

I'll do my very best, need a left back and a few other signings but it won't be easy with Grant and Kim and now Geir seems to have put some excellent results together!

[alvaan]

The 3-2 victory away to Kim was also pretty sweet. A throw-back to the 1970's with Kim's style of football (reminiscent of Don Revie's Leeds United), so to beat him on his own turf playing attractive, one touch, liquid football was a delight. I look forward to more tactical battles in the coming seasons.

Well if it isn't Mr Tony Pulis himself throwing rocks in the glasshouse. I'll happily admit you beat me fair and square that game with a good gameplan to hit me on the break. You had done your homework, got that little bit of needed luck (also bit of bad luck on my 2 goals), and were pretty effiecient compared to my players on the day. Kudos.

But don't come out and talk about one-touch, fluid football, when you are the one sitting behind and just clearing/hoofing it forward as quickly as you can, whenever you can. I seem to remember the stats being something like this...

[LEEMOD]

The tension and competition is fierce!!

[Advantageous]

Lol Kim I was joking. You really think I sat through that game, after putting majority of my players onto direct passing, thinking i'd been playing free-flowing football? Really?

[Jack92P]

Ali turner football genius

[alvaan]

Ali turner football genius

Jack, even a broken clock is right twice a day

[phoenix81]

Jack, even a broken clock is right twice a day

Not when its a 24hr clock

[Olib1983]

Kim saying he doesn't play like Leeds look at those fouls lol

[Olib1983]

Ps you lot at lower prem sides were mad not to take Leicester you wouldn't have had to buy a player for the rest of the game and still been able to sell to balance the crippling wage budget and tiny stadium and fan base

[Advantageous]

Apart from Lee, not sure me or Belly would have got the job tbh, and Lee went and chose Man City.

[alvaan]

Ps you lot at lower prem sides were mad not to take Leicester you wouldn't have had to buy a player for the rest of the game and still been able to sell to balance the crippling wage budget and tiny stadium and fan base

The AI's offloading players left right and center Oli, and we both know the reason for that; to balance those books. Give Leicester 2-3 years without CL and they'll have nothing left of that squad due to your insane wagebill compared to income!

#bankrupt2025

[dcu223]

crippling wage budget

Another Job done then oli

[dcu223]

End of Season League Table

[dcu223]

Manager of the Year results

Congratz Joe

[LEEMOD]

I had a poor end to the season losing in the FA Cup semi final and losing two games in the league, one against Leyton Orient!

On the other hand, I managed to attain the Champions League! Scraped past a very good Arsenal team 2-1.

I am now planning for next season, my squad is quite old really so need to start the transitioning phase, I already have a few decent players lined up, I don't want to spend too much but I probably do need to splash out on a left back, midfielder and a striker.

Until tomorrow..

[Advantageous]

Ali - Stoke

Solid first season as Stoke manager I reckon. Scraped my way to the FA Cup Final with 2 victories out of three against Belly's Palace (crash dumps) and finished comfortably in 7th place, 9 points clear of 8th and only 2 points behind Lee's City. The FA Cup Final was a pretty dull affair, with Grant's Arsenal securing the winner with an 80th minute penalty. Had I been more prolific, I might have snatched a surprise trophy, but overall the best team won.

This transfer window is going to be one of the toughest here at Stoke. A number of my top performers last season are well into their 30's and will not go on forever. Around 10 players are out of contract and have left, leaving me with a very small squad. Reinforcements need to be bought in, as well as replacing O'Donoghue, who was on loan from Leicester last season. Leicester have decided they don't want to loan me him again. *******s.

The targets for next season will depend on how successful said transfer window goes. The board expect mid-table, so the pressure is off there. My minimum expectation is Europa League qualification again. Of course I'd like to move higher up than 7th, but with 4 humans at City, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea, top 4 is probably out of the question.

The other members:

Joe - Great seasons for Joe's Sheff Utd as they comfortably secured their Premier League status. Conceded 15 goals to Kim's Spurs in just 2 games, but wins away to Grant's Arsenal and Belly's Palace were just some of his highlights. That cliched second seasons syndrome could be an issue for next season however.

Kim - Solid season from Kim. Won the League relatively easily after leading for majority of the season. Knocked out by Grant's Arsenal in pretty much every cup however. Still, 135 goals and 10 points clear of 2nd is nothing to sniff at, especially at this stage in the game. He'll no doubt be looking to add more cups next season.

Lee - 2nd season in clan results in a Champions League trophy for the City cabinet. Very good season overall, taking City in 9th and pushing them into the Europa League. Should really be aiming for top 4 next season with the financial war chest he has been given this summer, although top 4 in two seasons is perhaps a more realistic target.

Grant - Decent season from Grant's Arsenal. Picked up the FA Cup against my Stoke side, to be expected really, as well as the Community Shield and League Cup. The big honours were missing however after Kim controlled the title race and Lee picked up the Champions League. Got unlucky with the reload though in the final.

Belly - Okay season from Belly's Palace. He will insist Europa League hindered his side and he's probably right. Was unlucky not to feature in the FA Cup Final after the crash dumps, 10th in the League isn't too bad. Will want to push on next season and will no doubt want to regain the Bedfordshire Cup where it currently sits, with it's rightful owner

Geir - Strong season for Geir's Chelsea. Finished 4th, just 2 points from 3rd and 3 points from 2nd. With a few shrewd transfers, could really put the cat amongst the pigeons and mount a title challenge. His side is very young, and looks like improving, so could very well see a 3 horse race.

Jordan - Our newest member Jordan takes Southampton. In his first 4 games, he had the chance to secure Southampton's Premier League status, which he did with relative ease. His board expectations should be fairly low after this previous season and the Saints have a good side. Depending on how long it takes Jordan to become accustomed to clan ways, he should be aiming for a solid mid-table position in his first season. Good luck lad!

[LEEMOD]

I have been here now two seasons so here's my view on each of the Managers:

Joe - Not to be unfair to Joe in anyway but he has surprised a lot of people this season, he has done a remarkable job with Sheff Utd and to keep them up was a great achievement but to finish where he did was fantastic and his MOTY award was fully deserved, I hope he can build on this and have another good season.

Kim - Top manager, although by his standards he had a poor season overall but retaining the league is a great achievement, he suffered with a load of injuries, I expect him to be quite busy this summer and pushing on all fronts.

Me - I hope for a good season and my ambition is to have a crack at the top 3/4 but it will be tough, it depends who I bring in but I have got my team playing some decent stuff, my 2nd team are not good enough so I need to have a good summer. I hope that I can be allowed to enjoy the game now rather than been asked about my tactic all the time! No one else gets asked about the way they play!

Grant - The moaner of the clan, no doubt a good manager and he has some great players, he'll be pushing on again and I expect him to pick up some silverware. I hope to pick up some points from him this season, it was difficult at Newcastle but I can give him a game this time.

Belly - The way in which Belly's team play is to be admired, he has a good crop of youth players who he has had to throw in the deep end already and under his guidance they have played well. Unfortunate for him that he lost the FA Cup semi due to a crash dump but he never moans and gets on with it. He finished 10th which is a good season and I hope he stays at Palace to develop these kids but no one would begrudge him a big move should the opportunity present itself.

Geir - He has a good team but last season he showed glimpses of what his side can do and had a strong season, he will be looking for more of the same if he isn't asleep or decides to let his Assman take control. Also, hurry up those games, seems to take longer than anyone else in his games!

Jordan -New member who has taken over Southampton, only played 4 games but managed to stay well clear of relegation in the end. He has already said in uncertain terms 'I will get Europa league football' next season. With such a bold statement he will need to step it up, I wish him all the luck but with a statement like that he has set himself up for a fall if it doesn't happen.

Ali - Ali has done a great job at Stoke already, he has produced some lovely looking football and when I saw him beat Kim away 3-2 it was a joy to watch, some lovely counter attacking football constantly cutting up the Tottenham defense. He tailed off a little towards the end of the season despite a great effort in the FA Cup final but that's due to his small squad, if he can add to what he already has I fully expect him to be in the top 6/7. A very good manager.

On a side note, I was disappointed to find out that my tactic had been 'checked' to see if it wasn't a classic tactic, despite me saying no it was not classic isn't enough, I feel it's a little unfair as now Kim has seen the way my team plays. I'm not sure why my tactic has been so scrutinised when the same can't be said for other members of the clan.

[Advantageous]

On a side note, I was disappointed to find out that my tactic had been 'checked' to see if it wasn't a classic tactic, despite me saying no it was not classic isn't enough, I feel it's a little unfair as now Kim has seen the way my team plays. I'm not sure why my tactic has been so scrutinised when the same can't be said for other members of the clan.

Everyones get's checked mate if it is raised on call. It's in the rules and the easiest way to stop all the accusations getting out of hand. As for the others, the same can definitely be said. Not all accusations are raised publicly, most are done discreetly (as it says in the rules), and most members have had their tactic checked, what with the ban on near post corners, classic tactics, etc.

[LEEMOD]

Well tonight has been spent in the summer months with a lot of transactions for most members, we did manage to start the season and I am happy with the first game, a very convincing 3-0 win over Blackburn with my new summer recruit Kaiser amongst the goals.

Two tough fixtures coming up..

Leicester Away

Chelsea Home

Until tomorrow.

Lee