The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Broken Fan Belt And A Flat Tyre.

[Truegunner]

I was about about to say squeaky bum time, but your latest update disproves it. The league looks pretty secure and with a Champions league final to look forward to this could really be your year.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Still a bit close but you're certainly picking form back up. I can't remember you playing in a final against Sunderland since you left off the top of my head, is that right? Bit surprised they still have a lot of players from your time there, but as you say if they are aging it does give you some hope to win the tie.

[B.W.G]

Truegunner - It is secure now,Real drew against Cordoba and we beat Real Sociedad to clinch the title with a game to spare Just the major case of the Champions League final now!

Dexter_Morgan - We've won the league,Barcelona missed out on CL qualification which is funny!I played Sunderland in the Club World Cup final with Chivas back in 2034 which we lost 3-2.Sunderlands youngest player in their normal starting XI is 29 years old,my oldest at Espnayol is 26

[Dexter_Morgan]

I remember now Hasn't been a regular thing so far Well done on the league and good luck for the CL

[B.W.G]

Cheers fella Needless to say we won 5-4 on penalties in the CL final,we could have won in normal time considering we hit the bar twice.

[deltablue]

Should be an epic final.

[B.W.G]

I can't say it was epic due to of a lot of stop start due to the high foul count.We won and that is the most important thing

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - May 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

The curtain to the end of the season has now come down and we leave it with the league title and the Champions League in hand.We actually wrapped the league up against Real Sociedad as we while Real drew 3-3 with Cordoba.If that didn't cement it then the last game of the season would have as we won 1-0 while Real Madrid lost 4-1 to Almeria of all teams!The Champions League final wasn't exactly a classic due to it practically always having to be restarted due to high foul count which came to 42 in 120 minutes of football,we could have easily won the game in 90 minutes as we hit the bar twice and I thought it wasn't going to be our night but we got a penalty near the end which we converted and the rest is history as I got one over the team I built!I also rejected a chance to working with my son again as Man Utd offered me the manager's job but being a Man City fan,I wouldn't feel right managing them in a game.

[Crazy Billy-Jay Jones]

Was a decent story up until you beating Sunderland in the Champions League final

I kid, of course. Cracking double that.

[Animosama]

An emotional CL final for you

[Shevchenko]

Fantastic CL final!

[deltablue]

It was close, but you did it in the end against Sunderland.

[B.W.G]

Crazy Billy-Jay Jones - Cheers fella

Animosama - Was kind of emotional but it's brilliant to win as Sunderland's manager doesn't like me,perhaps it's because he has to play in a stadium named after yours truly

Shevchenko - Thanks Mate

deltablue - It was close indeed but it wouldn't be me if I didn't nearly choke at least once

[Dexter_Morgan]

Well done on the final. I'm glad you haven't left, I still feel you can get at least more season with Espanyol and it be interesting because there's signs that Real aren't quite done with yet and could push you again next year, in a league like that where you have 2 clubs like them and Barca I think you need 3-4 titles to really confirm your supremacy over them.

[Raware]

Wow, Sunderland in the CL Final . Probably one of the few saves that I've seen them do well. Congrats on the league and cup success

[AK22]

A brilliantly convincing season. Well done!

Any particular reason why Real Madrid scored so many? 115 is a ridiculous amount

[elbilly]

Wow, great achievement with the 'little' club of Barcelona. Shame I can't see the screen shots though... may be an American spy has stolen them.... Hope the Espanyol adventure continues

[B.W.G]

Dexter_Morgan - Don't worry,I will be fulfilling my contract with Espanyol so 2042 is the earliest that you should expect me to leave.

Raware - Cheers fella They only did well because I took over them when they were in the BSBP,they now play at the 89,072 seated Richardson Arena named after your truly

AK22 - Thanks mate! Their manager Joop vab Raaij seems to be the dutch reincarnation of Kevin Keegan as he seemed to have the philosophy of we'll score more then you

elbilly - Cheers Mate Don't worry,the adventure of Espanyol will continue as for the screenshots,I somehow reached maximum bandwidth which is a first so it wouldn't show them!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - End of Season 2039/40

2039/40 Transfers

This season saw 13 players leave the club permanently as I looked to get rid of deadwood and trim the squad to make an impact with my own signings.Another seven players left the club on loan who are all youngsters as I looked for them to develop in other teams first teams as they could be useful in the future.As for the players who came in,five of those came in as first XI players as Bencherif,Ferrari,Rees and the former Ferro duo of Ortiz and Zamponi came in and immediately strengthened the first XI.Lugowski,Naylor and Claudinei Geraldo are all hot prospects who should be able to slot in the future as these three marked the beginning of my youth signing policy of players in the range of 16-21.

Competitions

Liga BBVA

League Table

It wasn't as easy as it looked as Real Madrid pushed us all the way to May before they decided to press the self destruct button as Esapnyol clinched their first Liga BBVA title since 2023!We did really well but I feel we drew too many games and made it a bit more difficult then it should have been but at least a draw is better than losing a game.We were not the best scorers in the league but we were by far the best defenders as we had the best defence but the 4th best attack.The most pleasing thing to come from this season was the fact that we finished 20 points ahead of our main rivals Barcelona which is quite astonishing but it gives me more motivation to make Espanyol the dominant force of Catalan in the near future.All I hope for next season is that we can be a bit more convincing as at times we were scraping wins instead of giving teams a good thumping but the core is still pretty young so there is plenty of time to work on that.

Champions League

Winners

We surprisingly topped the group which also contained Dortmund,Lyon and Partizan with a record of 5-1-0 with the only points being dropped against Dortmund in a 1-1draw.The 1st Knockout Round saw us face PSG,after losing unfairly in the 1st leg 2-1,the 2nd leg saw Zamponi get the only goal as we knocked out the French side on away goals as it was 2-2 on aggregate so we got the last laugh afterall!The quarter finals saw two Catalan derbies as we locked horns with local rivals Barcelona,after losing the 1st leg 1-0,we completely destroyed them in the 2nd leg as we won 3-1 in which they were lucky to get a goal as we went through 3-2 on aggregate.The semi-final saw us face Italian giants Roma in which it was the only tie where we didn't lose the first leg,we somehow won 2-1 in Rome before finishing them off at el Prat as we won the 2nd leg 2-0 to give us a 4-1 aggregate victory.The Champions League was a memorable one for me as we face my old side Sunderland,it wasn't the best of games but we could have had it won inside 90 minutes as we hit the woodwork twice before a late Zamponi sent it into extra time.In the end it went down to a penalty shootout in which we converted all five to win 5-4 against my old club!

Copa del Rey

5th Round

A terrible defence of the Copa del Rey which came to an end in the 5th round even though we didn't actually get beat in any of the games we played.The 4th round saw us face Racing as we eased through quite comfortably with a 3-1 aggregate win.The 5th round saw in both games us fail to convert our chances as our finishing let us down as we drew 1-1 on aggregate but went out on away goals.I will be looking for a much better performance in the competition next season.

Supercopa

Runners-Up

In all fairness,we were abysmal in both games so I am pretty stunned we even won a game.A 2-1 aggregate defeat actually flattered us as Barcelona could probably have easily had seven or eight if they finished their chances.Normally a Supercopa defeat wouldn't be too bad except for this was against our rivals so it annoyed me more than anything.

Player's,Stats and Awards

Best XI 39/40 - Overall Best XI

A quick look at the Player's Stats for the Season

Top Scorer

Walter Zamponi - 48 Goals

The top scorer bu quite the distance as Zamponi hit 48 goals for the season in 52 appearances which is a remarkable feat considering this was his first season in Spain.He also provided 8 assists which isn't a bad return for someone who plays up front on his own.He also set a new record for quickest sending off as he was sent off after a minute in our 3-1 defeat against Salamanca which is an achievement in itself.He picked up Pichichi and Fans Player of the Year

Most Assists

Gianpino Iaquinta - 22 Assists

Iaquinta finally settled in during this season as he topped the assist chart with an impressive 22 assists as well as providing 8 goals on the goal scoring front in which every little helps.The best thing about Iaquinta is his wages as they are very small for the time being but it is a bargain considering how good he is and how old he is.When he reaches his peak,he will be pretty much unstoppable.I am looking forward to him ripping up Liga BBVA again next season as he loves running and it most of the time it results in a free kick as the opposition can't handle him.

The Star Man

Julen Armendariz

Signed him for £10 million from Malaga in 2038 which has proved to be an absolute steal as he proved during the season.He made 49 appearances,scored 14 goals and provided 9 assists while averaging at 7.49,he also likes to get stuck in as he wracked up 22 yellow cards and 1 red card!His performances saw him pick up Jugador espanol del ano and Jugador joven del ano.All I can hope from Armendariz is that he can carry on playing like this throughout his career but I am pretty confident he will be able to!

Trofeo Zamora

Gianmario Di Gioia

Di Gioia gave us an excellent season as he conceded 37 goals in 52 appearances while keeping 26 clean sheets,his performances also saw him claim the spot of Italy's number one as he made 14 appearances for his country.The thing I found funny was that he took the number one shirt from Fabio Pesoli who is now the number two for both us and Italy.He was definitely the best keeper in the league which means he thoroughly deserved the award.A special mention to Fosu Asamoah who I had the honour of being in Charge of during my reign at FS Stars which is coming up 16 years now!

Manager's Thoughts

I'd give this season a high grade for winning the league as well as the Champions League but I feel we lose marks for the abysmal performances against Barcelona in the Supercopa as well as what I can describe as a total failure with regards to defending the Copa del Rey.I am however happy as we won the two bigger competitions whereas our main rivals Barcelona won the Copa del Rey so we definitely had the more successful season.I was worried at times as Real Madrid looked the stronger team and they pretty much destroyed anyone (beat Barcelona 6-1!) who they came across,if they didn't press the self destruct button at the start of May then this season could have possibly turned out differently.

I still have two seasons left on my contract which I intend to fulfill as this should be able to help Espanyol's growth as a club,there will be no major signings in the transfer window as I will be bringing in young players in the 16-18 range to help build for the future,the reason for doing this is to provide a conveyor belts of sorts to help develop youngsters as well as get the top talent in and sell them for large fees later on as that will probably need to be done to help fund a new stadium as we are nearly averaging at capacity.Our facilities are among the best in the country so will be looking for the board to increase junior coaching and youth recruitment as this will also help massively and also rival Barcelona's youth system!

Season       Club          Division       Country      League       Cup       Continental    Avg.Att       Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Gangneung City    N-League       S.Korea       4th       3rd Rnd        N/A          1618     Playoff Defeat!
2013    Gangneung City    N-League       S.Korea       1st         Q.F          N/A          3540     Playoff Vitors!
2014    Gangneung City    K-League       S.Korea       4th       WINNERS        N/A          3707     FA Cup Winners!
2015    Gangneung City    K-League       S.Korea       3rd       WINNERS      WINNERS        4233     Left 18/11/15
2015/16   Wigan Ath.     Championship     England       5th       6th Rnd        N/A         13218     Playoff Winners!
2016/17   Wigan Ath.      Premiership     England       8th      Runners Up      N/A         19551     Top half finish.
2017/18   Wigan Ath.      Premiership     England       5th*      3rd Rnd*       N/A         17379     Left in Dec 17
2017/18    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       5th Rnd     Group Stage    42445     League Winners!
2018/19    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       50024      Won Treble!
2019/20    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       WINNERS     Semi-Final     53101    Resigned at E.O.S
2020/21  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st         Q.F        WINNERS       68158      Won Double!
2021/22  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       70368      Clean Sweep!
2022/23  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       69688      Clean Sweep!
2023/24   F.S Stars     S.A Premiership  S.Africa       5th       WINNERS     Group Stage    12177     S.A Cup WINNERS!
2024/25   F.S Stars     S.A Premiership  S.Africa       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       15289      Clean Sweep!
2025/26  Sunderland       BSB Premier     England       1st       2nd Rnd        N/A         13202       Promtion!  
2026/27  Sunderland     nPower League 2   England       2nd      Runners Up      N/A         16683    Promotion + JPT Win!
2027/28  Sunderland     nPower League 1   England       1st       5th Rnd      WINNERS       24439        Treble!          
2028/29  Sunderland      Championship     England       1st       6th Rnd      2nd K.O       27407      Won Double!        
2029/30  Sunderland      Premier League   England       2nd       WINNERS      WINNERS       37235      Cup Double!        
2030/31  Sunderland      Premier League   England       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       48093     Won Quadruple!      
2031/32  Sunderland      Premier League   England       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       51438      Clean Sweep!       
2032/33   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico     12th/2nd   G.S/WINNERS      N/A         30182   Closing Stage Double!
2033/34   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico      1st/1st       N/A        WINNERS       31838      Won Double!
2034/35   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico      1st/1st       N/A        WINNERS       32639      Won Treble!
2035/36   Ferros          Nacional B     Argentina      1st      Runners Up      N/A         10950      Promotion!
2036/37   Ferros       Primera Division  Argentina    2nd/2nd     WINNERS        N/A         15309    Copa Argentina Win!
2037/38   Ferros       Primera Division  Argentina    1st/1st     WINNERS      WIN/QF        16102      Won Treble!
2038/39  Espanyol         Liga BBVA       Spain         2nd       WINNERS        N/A         38241     Copa del Rey Win!
2039/40  Espanyol         Liga BBVA       Spain         1st       5th Rnd      WINNERS       39250      Won Double!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - Pre-Season 2040/41

Club Information - Facilities - Boardroom Overview - Expectations - Finances

Pre-Season Transfers

Four players left on a free all of which were never going to make it as they all had 1* or 1.5* PA.Six players left the club to help aid their development elsewhere,quite shocked PSV wanted Naylor on loan as they are now the biggest side in the Netherlands but it should do him some good.Six players came in,all of which are very bright prospects for the future and are rated at 4* PA and above.The three brightest are Filippo Tosi (5* PA),Roger Flaherty (4.5*) PA and Victor Tisserand (5* PA) so my policy of bringing in hot prospects is continuing and there are a few more arranged for future transfers.

Pre-Season Fixtures

Nothing too major as I didn't want to overload the team with friendlies due to the European Championships which took place during the Summer.This also gave me a good view on what the players will offer in the future so it has been pretty useful.

The Team

Tactics - Team Report

Key Players

Gianmario Di Gioia - GK

Rinaldo Capelli - DRC

Julen Armendariz - MC

Walter Zamponi - AMC/ST

A very strong core to the team in which with it being a young core,there are still several years at the top for these four.These four are also all international players and are the best in their specific areas so we will need them to be at their best if we are to succeed this season as it will be a tough battle as the big teams will pose a threat.The most exciting of the four is Armendariz,he is the youngest of the four but he is already one of the best Midfielders in the world and he could possibly end up in contention for World Player of the Year.The other three players are a bit older but they still easily have eight years at the top level and possibly even longer so it is exciting for us,especially with the youngsters we have at the club so things will keep on moving.

Manager's Thoughts

I was already ready for the this as we had a strong squad but I have added to it with signing a few youngsters who should all become excellent players in the future but they will act as backup for this season as I will be looking for the team to challenge on all fronts for the next couple of seasons which is definitely possible if we can keep scoring unlike the Copa del Rey games against Valladolid.My main focus will be on the league title and retaining the Champions League with any other trophies being a bonus but anything we do win will be brilliant as it will help wrack up the Hall of Fame points in which I currently sit 3rd.I am expecting to be pushed more as a lot of teams have strengthened so I am hoping for a strong start to take advantage of any gelling problems that our rivals may face.

The season kicks off with four games in August,three in various cup games as well a league game which comes against Real Sociedad.The three cup games will see us face a double header against Barcelona in the Supercopa as well as facing Ajax in the Euro Super Cup.I really do want revenge on Barcelona as they beat us in the Supercopa last season in which I will be wanting better performances then last season.Ajax are quite unusual,they won the Europa League but they normally play second fiddle to PSV.August will also see the Champions League draw in which we could face a tough draw despite being first seeds but to be the best,you have to beat the best and at least I won't have to face the top seeds till later on.Here's to a successful season!

[deltablue]

Hope you can retain your title, might be a tough fight.

[B.W.G]

I think we will be able too but it depends on Real Madrid who seem to be stronger then the rest of the challengers as they have strengthened the most!

[Champfan10]

Wow what a career you've had! How you looking on the FM leaderboards?

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - August 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

What an excellent start to the season as he we made a great start to the league,survived two bloodbaths and won two trophies.We kicked our league campaign off with a resounding 4-1 win as we ended the month sitting above our title rivals after one game.The Supercopa games against Barca saw us win 4-3 on aggregate but it was two very bloody games,the first leg saw 40 fouls,8 yellow cards and 2 red cards while the 2nd leg (120 minutes) saw 51 fouls and 11 yellow cards!This local derby has become very feisty as I have never seen such high foul counts!The Euro Supercup saw us give five debuts to Michal Lugowski (Signed from HSV in 2039),Roger Flaherty and Andrew Williams who were both signed in pre-season as well as Marc Nieto and Oscar who both have come through the youth system but despite that,we still beat a very good Ajax side thanks to a 2-1 victory with the winner coming in extra time.

September is here and it sees the return of Champions League football as we drew a group containing Lyon,Sporting Lisbon and Fenerbache which is a fairly straight forward group as I'd expect ourselves and Lyon to qualify,we kick off our campaign at home to Sporting and I will be looking for us to win to give us a good start.The league sees us play five league games in which two of those will be against title rivals in which I will be looking to win to gain momentum,the title rivals we face are Valencia and At.Madrid which will see us play both games away so any points are welcome.We also face Sevilla,Salamanca and Athletic,Sevilla made a good start to the season as the beat At.Madrid 5-0 so it will be tough and I also want revenge on Salamanca for beating us 3-1 last season so I will need us to play to our best so we don't mess up too badly and lose ground on the teams above.

[B.W.G]

Wow what a career you've had! How you looking on the FM leaderboards?

Cheers fella I'm not actually doing that well,I'm currently 38,020th on the leaderboards with 11,674,989 points

[withnail316]

Brilliant stuff here, especially with the CL win. KUTGW

[themangus]

Been on a long break from FM - stumbled back upon these forums and just spent a while reading through your career.

Great stuff, it has absolutely inspired me to get back into the FM zone - I'll be updating from Steam this morning and whittling away a few post-nightshift hours on it this morning.

Subscribing to the thread.

To you continued success.

[B.W.G]

withnail316 - Cheers mate That CL win will definitely be one to remember,not often you get to clinch one against an old side

themangus - Thank you for following I hope I can carry on being a success but Real Madrid are going to make it very difficult this season!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - September 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

I decided to go the Real Madrid route of last season with the we'll score more than you approach.We picked up five wins and a draw from the month as we made a good start to our Champions League campaign as well as sit on top in the league.In the Champions League,Sporting we no match for us as we powered past them with a 3-0 victory which could have been more.The only points we dropped in the league was against Valencia in which we blew a two goal lead although we did have a goal ruled out but no complaints off me as Valencia wanted it more.It was an excellent defensive performance against At.Madrid as we were on the backfoot for most of the game.My favourite match was against Salamanca,we revenged our 3-1 defeat last season and then stuck an extra goal past them.The Athletic game was one for the neutrals as both teams played their best and it was a brilliant game!

October sees us play five games in which four of those are away from home which is pretty annoying.We kick off the month in the Champions League as we travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbache before travelling to France to face Lyon in the 2nd of our Champions League clashes for October.The league games look simple on paper as we face Mallorca,Valladolid and Malaga but as you know,I had a bit of trouble last season with the latter two so we can not take anything for granted.I need the team to keep playing to high standards as Real Madrid will probably make it extremely difficult for us and they are only a point behind so the pressure is definitely on!

[Dexter_Morgan]

Good start to the season and always good to see a lot of goals go in

[elbilly]

Awesome start, looks like Real are going to be with you all the way. I see Zamponi didn't score for over 400 minutes, was he injured and if not I hope you fined him

Nice to get sweet revenge on Barca, hell of a foul count!

[B.W.G]

Dexter_Morgan -Cheers fella It is always good to see goals go in although October saw our league goals dry up!

elbilly - Thanks mate Real are scary,they have conceded 1 goal after 9 games in the league.He was suspended for the At.Madrid game so I will let him off,it's not just a derby anymore,it's a war

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - October 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

That was a very indifferent month for us,terrible in the league but absolutely brilliant in the other competitions.The Champions League games in which both were away from home,saw us put four past Fenerbache before putting another four past the reigning French Champions Lyon,both games were absolutely brilliant and it definitely makes us one of the favourites to qualify!The Copa del Rey kicked off with a comfortable 2-0 win over Gimnastic in which their manager gave us a kind comment before the game as he said we were the biggest team in Spain.The League saw a terrible performance against Mallorca,a poor performance against Valldolid even though we won and a abysmal performance against Malaga,this has left us in 3rd behind both Real Madrid and Barcelona.We really need to improve our performances in the league otherwise we could face losing it!

November is here and we have seven games to play with all eyes being on a fixture at the end of the month as we host Real Madrid which will be an enormous game for us as we can really send a message top our rivals if we can beat them.In the league we will also face Ponferradina,Celta and Betis,these games are all winnable and I will want a massive improvement on the league games of last month so we will be able to keep the pressure up on the top.We face Gimnastic in the second leg of the fourth round of the Copa del Rey,we have a 2-0 lead so we should be able to finish them off in the second leg as we do have the home advantage which should help.Our two games in the Champions League sees us host Lyon before travelling to Lisbon to face Sporting,I am feeling very good about our chances of qualifying for the knockouts this month,if we beat Lyon then we will do so but I want us to play to our best to show that we are a team to fear.My main hope is that we kick things up a notch and bring on Real Madrid!

[deltablue]

Doesn't look like there's much room for errors at the moment.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Not the best month in the league but at least nobody has really taken advantage of it.

[B.W.G]

deltablue - Think it may come down to who makes the most errors,this will probably be the closest season which I've been in for a very long time!

Dexter_Morgan - It wasn't but Real slipped up so we are now even on points with Barca two points ahead of us both.

[elbilly]

Wow what a defence on Madrid! Good luck breaking that wall

[B.W.G]

To be fair,we were the 2nd team to score past them this season and we won 1-0,brick wall or not,I got the last laugh

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - November 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

The major talking point for November was the availability of players through injuries,suspensions and international duty.The Champions League saw us beat Lyon 4-0 and lose Zamponi to injury till December which was annoying,we beat Sporting 2-0 and lost Iaquinta and Rees to injury as well so it looks as our success is coming at a cost.The Copa del Rey tie against Gimnastic saw us play a very weakened team as we had 3 injured,1 suspended and 14 on international duty,even with that,our very young Espanyol side came out with a draw,Ortiz who was the scorer was the only player from our first team to play!We picked up four wins out of four in the league despite wracking up suspensions and injuries,the most important victory was the one over Real Madrid,we beat them 1-0 to become the 2nd team to score past them as well as the 2nd team to beat them and it was only the 2nd goal they have conceded.We fought like warriors this month and we deserve the first place position we currently sit in.

December is here and we have the chance to add a trophy to the cabinet in the shape of the Club World Cup,we have a few injury worries to deal with before then but I think we should be in the clear by then.We finish our Champions League campaign off with a home tie against Fenerbache,with having already qualified,I feel we can give the fringe players a run out which should help fitness levels of the players coming back from injury.The Copa del Rey sees us play the fifth round first leg against Albacete,we play the away leg first so I am hoping we can get a positive result going into the 2nd leg which is in Janaury.The league sees us play three games in December as we play Catalan rivals Barcelona,Levante and Almeria,the Barcelona game is massive as it is very close at the top,in my opinion they are not as strong as Real Madrid so we should be able to get a positive result.The Levante game should see the return of Zamponi from injury which is a relief as scoring as been bit of a problem and ALmeria come under the whipping boys category so hopefully we can continue that.Hopefully our winning form from November will continue!

[deltablue]

Well done hanging in there at the top.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Much better in terms of points Real and Barca's goal difference is pretty huge compared to yours though, hopefully you can start getting a few big wins to catch up.

[elbilly]

Nicely done beating Real and getting through a tough month dealing with the player crisis, looking good

[Animosama]

back on top

[B.W.G]

deltablue - I think it's the best we could have done,certainly been tough.

Dexter_Morgan - Cheers fella I will try to but it's nothing major,I have the better head to head with Real and Barcelona which is more important.

elbilly - Thanks mate,I thought the player crisis was over but it carried on till the end of December

Animosama - It was short lived,due to playing in the Club World Cup as we lost top spot but have a game in hand.

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - December 2040

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

A very scrappy month as the injuries continued but it showed that we can play ugly and still win!We won the Club World Cup with minimal difficulty,don't let the scorelines fool you as both Irapuato and Sao Paulo only really had the defenders which kept us at bay but exhaustion probably did catch up to us by then but I did see with my own eyes that both teams could give some of the better teams in Europe a run for their money!Albacete made us fight in the Copa del Rey but we won 2-1 which gives us a slight advantage as well as two away goals.We drew with Fenerbache in the Champions League in which I gave all fringe players a run out to try and keep some of the first teamers fit.The league saw us pick up two wins and a draw,although I am very disappointed with the draw against Levante,I extremely pleased with the victory over Barcelona as that now means we have the head to head advantage of both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The new year is here and I am pleased to say that we only have one injury which is our 4th choice centre back!We kick off the month with our Copa del Rey tie against Albacete in which I am hoping we will finish them off,if we progress against Albacete then we will face Betis in the quarter final.In the league we face five games and I am hoping now that the team is fit,we will start firing goals in more frequenty,we face Cordoba (14th),the surprise package of Cadiz (7th),Albacete (9th),At.Madrid (4th) and Real Sociedad (15th).At.Madrid is definitely the toughest of the league games but we have the home advantage and I am hoping that we are able to use that to our advantage.If we play to our best then I know that we can win all these games although travelling to Albacete may be a bit tricky as they not exactly a bad team but are better then what they currently performing.My main hope is that we can increase our goal tally as it is looking a bit light compared to some teams!

[Dexter_Morgan]

Not too bad a position, you have the game in hand so can go back to top if you win that. I forgot Spain went by head to head So like you say you have an advantage there so far.

[B.W.G]

Cheers fella Trust Spain to do things differently than most of the countries The only thing worrying me is Real Madrid's lack of goals conceded,three goals in seventeen games is probably the most impressive defensive record I have ever seen off the AI!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - January 2041

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

It ended up being a very busy month with nine games played in which we won eight and drew one.The Copa del Rey has seen us go on a impressive run as we reached the final,we finished off Albacete with a 4-0 victory which meant we won 6-1 on aggregate.The quarter final saw us face Betis in which we were very comfortable in both legs as we ran out 5-0 winners.The semi-final was brutal as is any Catalan derby as we played Barcelona for the 4th and 5th times this season,we were lucky to escape the first leg with a draw but we completely battered them at home as we ran out 2-0 winners to give us a 4-2 aggregate victory.The league saw us pick our form up as we scored more frequently,won every game and even gave At.Madrid a footballing lessons as we ended the month at the top of the league table with a game in hand which is absolutely brilliant.An interesting fact is that anything we can do,Real can seemingly do better,on the weekend we beat Cordoba 7-1,they beat Malaga 8-1!

February is thankfully a quieter month as we play six games.One of these comes in the Champions League as we travel to the Netherlands to face Feyenoord in the first leg of the knockout stages in what was a kind draw as we could of faced some strong teams.In the league we face Sevilla,Cadiz,Salamanca,Valencia and Athletic which is a pretty tough month as we face 5th,6th and 7th in the league!Sevilla and Salamanca have under performed a bit and sit in 11th and 12th but they will still give us tough games so we will need to be at our absolute best if we are to keep the top spot away from Real Madrid and Barcelona.Cadiz is our game in hand and I am very shocked to how well they have performed and did not expect them to be challenging for a Champions League spot!Can't wait for the month to end as then should have some easier games to play!

[ashton321]

Great run you have just gone on there I can sense another league title for you

[Animosama]

nice form