Thunderbird Delta: International Footballing Rescue

[B.W.G]

Good to see your having some good form,hopefully you will be able to challenge for a European spot in the closing months.

[deltablue]

Good to see your having some good form,hopefully you will be able to challenge for a European spot in the closing months.

Well, you posted that just as the season was finished. It really looked like we'd get a European spot, and pretty comfortably too, but we were playing so far above ourselves for so long that it couldn't last forever.

Mar 2054

Wolfsburg 2-2 Hoffenheim (D1)

Bougiouklis had been in Ivos’ shadow all season, only recently getting the chance to play, but he made the most of it at Wolfsburg when giving us the lead in the 15th minute. They equalized in the 29th minute but Brunello sneaked us ahead just before the break. We felt pretty insecure trying to hold out in the second-half, and they did get a stoppage time equalizer (which caused me to wince as we were so close to getting all 3 points), but given the shot stats were 25 (10 on target) to them and 4 (2 on target) for us, they would still be the ones disappointed I felt. Even with the late equalizer we still went up to 6th, but only on goal difference ahead of Schalke and Leverkusen.

Hoffenheim 2-1 Hamburg (D1)

Hamburg (in the CL places) would be tough, especially as I was forced to play an unfit Ivos. However there didn’t seem to be much of a problem as Brunello scored in the 27th and 35th minutes. They pulled a goal back right afterwards, and had an equalizer disallowed at the start of the second-half, as they kept up the pressure. Thankfully we had a keeper in Amadi Vaz who had proven himself to be very good under-fire (and he’s had considerable recent experience) and we got a win that actually took us very close to the last CL place.

Rostock 1-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We were knocked back a bit at Rostock, ironically just about the only team we’re as good as on paper. They first half was pretty quiet, but they had the best of it. They took the lead in the 57th minute, but despite a poor display, we still got something from a Brunello equalizer with 10 minutes left.

Hoffenheim 1-2 Furth (D1)

Furth was an important game as they were 8th, 4 points behind us, and a win would give us a very strong advantage over them in the European race. We got off to a tough start as they took the lead in the 23rd minute. Brunello equalized again, 20 minutes later, but they retook the lead early in the second-half, and kept us pinned down in our own half for the rest of the match as we fell to our first defeat in 10 games.

Apr/May 2054

Schalke 2-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

We went to Schalke, who were right behind us, so it was another important game. Unfortunately reality was starting to bite as they were just too strong. They took the lead in the 38th minute, and while we might have equalized in the 2nd half, they deserved to win and sealed it in stoppage time. The defeat dropped us out of the European places for the first time in a month.

Hoffenheim 0-1 Dortmund (D1)

I was hoping to beat Dortmund as we did Bayern earlier in the season, but it was unlikely, especially without the suspended Gega, and they easily took the lead in the first-half. However we still would have got something had Obi not had two goals disallowed. The FA’s silence as the Ass Man moaned suggested strongly that at least one of them should have been given.

Duisburg 2-2 Hoffenheim (D1)

We needed to pick ourselves up to get into Europe, and a trip to Duisburg seemed a good opportunity. The game was a slow burner in the first-half, and they took the lead in the 55th minute. However 5 minutes later Obi scored the first of a quick brace as we had the lead for the first time since Hamburg. Unfortunately a late equalizer meant that we had just this single point from the last 4 games.

Hoffenheim 2-1 Hertha Berlin (D1)

Hertha Berlin was our last home game, and we took the lead from Zome in the 37th minute Obi made it safer at the start of the second-half, and we took the win despite Hertha pulling a late goal back.

Stuttgart 3-2 Hoffenheim (D1)

The remaining games were at teams not far below us in the league, starting at Stuttgart. We got off to a great start, Ochoa and Obi giving us a 2-0 lead after 5 minutes, but they had the upper hand after that, eventually breaking through to level it late in the half. A controversial penalty gave them the lead early in the second-half, and there was no way back after that. The final game was at Koln.

Koln 2-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We were level with Stuttgart in the race for 7th. They had a slightly better goal-difference, and a tricky game against Leverkusen. As it happened Wolfsburg quickly moved up into that spot earlier in the day, and never really let it go as Stuttgart played out a dull 0-0, and we had a poor end as we went behind in the 35th minute, and they pretty much made it safe in the 80th minute, with Obi getting a last minute consolation.

It was a pity we started so slowly and ended so poorly as the rest of the season was fantastic. I was really worried about survival, and after keeping our heads above water for the first few months, we suddenly went on a great run of form from November to March, rising up to the point where it looked like we’d be in Europe, and could even snatch 4th. Unfortunately the lack of quality in the side showed (even the relegated teams looked much better on paper), so while it was disappointing to fade badly near the end, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. I’d essentially had to use the team that went up, I only had a few million to upgrade in the summer, and while it was well spent it didn’t improve us all that much. Forget about our European ambitions, getting a top half-finish even with the very bad late form is still something to be absolutely delighted with. We now had much more money to help improve the team at last, which was just as well as the end of the season was a warning sign that we can’t always punch so high above our weight, and even when we were doing well there was a lit of resistance involved as we had to fight hard for most of our points, but we did it very well.

We were not only probably the weakest squad in the league on paper (and almost everyone clearly outclassed us), and the lowest paid (10kpw for a player is still a lot), with only Rostock and Hertha having less than double or wage bill. Maybe this is the reason we defied reality for so much of the season...

I know it looks odd, but it works. It was created out of necessity when I arrived at Mattersburg, and worked very well as we went up, then won the cup despite having to face a couple of far, far superior sides. I then made the mistake of reverting to something more standard when I was able to get the players in, but when arriving at Hoffenheim, in relegation trouble at the time, I felt it was worth another shot as it had proven itself in Austria, and it's also been a massive success here, to the point that while I may not be able to adopt it at every club, it's probably going to be my first choice as it seems to be a remarkably good one. It seems well set up to resist superior teams (shown very well this season), enough that we can still show a lot of ambition and attacking intent.

Squad Stats

Star player: As expected, Obi was our main man, though unfortunately the times he wasn't scoring proved costly.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Shame you tailed off but i'm sure you'd have taken a comfortable survival at the start of the season, so bearing that in mind i'd say that was a very good first season in the top flight . A few new faces and maybe you can push for that European spot next year.

[elbilly]

Comfortable survival achieved, and may be no Europe is a blessing with acheiving another good league place to concentrate on next season

[deltablue]

Shame you tailed off but i'm sure you'd have taken a comfortable survival at the start of the season, so bearing that in mind i'd say that was a very good first season in the top flight . A few new faces and maybe you can push for that European spot next year.

Comfortable survival achieved, and may be no Europe is a blessing with acheiving another good league place to concentrate on next season

I'd have taken survival at the start of the season, though I'd have hoped it would be comfortable. At the moment we're overachieving so much I think 'more of the same' is pretty much my maximum ambition for a while, though if we did this well with the current squad, we might not need that many good players to be capable of Europe.

[B.W.G]

Very good first season in top flight and congrats on surviving!

[deltablue]

World Cup 2054

[deltablue]

Very good first season in top flight and congrats on surviving!

Thanks. As expected survival meant a good financial reward, and as you can see I certainly wasted no time putting it to good use...

Summer 2054

The summer started off with some very good financial news. The club’s debt was completely paid off for a start, and I was able to get in a lot of new scouts and coaches. The budgetary news was also very good. We had almost 13M for transfers (compared to an initial 3M last time) and over 60kpw spare (compared to 20kpw last year) in a wage budget of just over 200kpw. Given we’d done well enough on what little we had to survive on, I was confident about being able to improve the side a lot more now.

There were a bunch of players who I felt could do with replacing, but there were also specific positional priorities, like a strike partner for Obi (we were lucky that the DoF loaned us an Italian last year that did very well), and the departure of a couple of central-defenders meant that even though I already had one as a free transfer, sorted in January, there was room for another strong one. I felt that having a younger and better playmaker than Ivos (who has still given us very good service) might also make a good difference, ditto for any improvement that could be made on the wing.

Like last year, I felt the money was well invested as I didn’t want to hang around building a side that actually looked First Division quality. This being me it meant quite a few young players as well, who were already good enough to be worth getting into replace existing players in the squad, but who would be genuinely good in a few years’ time. It did mean that quite a few of the players who had taken us this far. Schafer was released, Ozad and Huitema (neither of whom had played much last year) were also gone by the start of July. Marinkovic, Ivos and Krajisnic were bigger gambles, but all made with far better replacements already signed. It was a pity to see them go but it was clear we had a far better side with all the changes I made, the new players generally being far better than anyone we’ve had before, and the fact that the departing players all went either to lower league clubs or smaller leagues abroad suggested that I wasn’t going to be missing too much. The best thing is the wage bill isn’t actually that much higher despite all the extra quality.

I’m not sure how much we’d improve in the short term, both with the number and youth of the newcomers but otherwise this was a summer of potentially very strong investment. The board wanted a fairly safe mid-table position, and I felt that would be fine, though a repeat of last year’s top half would be great. As long as we could still perform as well as last season, a European challenge wasn’t beyond possibility either but just as I didn’t really mind missing out with a late slump in the spring, it’s not something I’d be too worried about, as I don’t think we’re at that level yet.

The first signing, in a deal made in January as I already knew there'd be a change in defence, and no matter who I could get in during the summer, he'd be a good free.

The first summer deal, pretty cheap and with excellent versatilty, adding to the improvement in defence that was going on.

The biggest gamble of the summer was getting rid of Marinkovic and taking the opportunity to sign him for 500k. However we already have his compatriot Barros as a better choice at right-back anyway, and he should soon be clearly better than the departed Bosnian himself.

Someone worthy of shelling out to replace Ivos with.

It was hard picking out a good but affordable forward. It was between him and a slightly cheaper and better (but fully developed) Nigerian, but unsurprisingly the potential (and being a better all rounder technically) easily won out. He's referred to as 'the next Sepulveda', referring to a frighteningly good Argentinian forward at Bayern (who has been the league's top scorer in 6 out of his 8 full seasons in germany, comfortably getting an average rating over 8.00, often close to or above 8.50!!!) who's undoubtedly one of the top players in the save, and has been for a while, with 3 World Player of the Year wins. If Acosta ends up being anywhere near as good he'll be very exciting indeed.

The last defensive signing, not vital but like a lot of this year's signings it he was clearly going to be a better option than some of the existing players.

The final player to arrive this summer. Again hardly necessary (basically I had about 1.5M left to spend and was looking to see if I could get anyone else for that), especially with Gega in his position, but you have to remember how I see squads as being ideally made up of two strong players for each position, with there only sometimes being a preferred choice, and yet again he was a vast improvement over someone else (Lechner in his case, just like it was Krajisnic for Miranda, Ivos for Pavlovich, Farkas for Onovo...). Plus for a mere 750k release clause he was always going to be worth a go.

A player to wait until January for, but that's for the best as had he been able to come straight away I wouldn't have been looking for another forward and might not have seen Acosta. Like Fernando Augusto above, a combination of very good potential, already being decent, and a low release clause meant that he was always going to be a very tempting signing.

[deltablue]

OK, I've just started playing for today and realized I've done something a little bit stupid. I forgot that players have to be at least 17 in Germany, so I can't even use Rodrigues as backup to Barros this year,. He does turn 17 in the spring but I can't register him at that point. Thankfully there are a couple of decent youngsters who have been hanging around the squad for a while who are old enough and can act as backup, so it's not like I'm stuffed if he's injured/suspended/has a nightmare, but I was hoping the 16yr old would be able to get at least a bit of playing time.

[deltablue]

Aug 2054

Hoffenheim p1-1 Wehen (GC)

As usual we started in the cup, against Wehen. Acosta gave us the lead after 40 minutes, but they equalized at the start of the second half and we failed to turn pressure into a winner, taking to penalties eventually. The first penalties were both missed, the second both scored. Acosta scored out 3rd followed by a save for each side, and Perrin sent us through with the 5th.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Duisburg (D1)

We were similarly mediocre against Duisburg in the first league match, and while we should have had the lead by the break, it was only thanks to a Vaz penalty save that we weren’t behind. An own-goal in the 55th minute was enough but I was far from impressed.

Hamburg 1-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

We went to a strong Hamburg team, and had a few bright spots. However an old problem was returning. Wehen’s equalizer in the cup was their only shot on target, and so was Hamburg’s winner in the 49th minute, which was frustrating as we deserved at least a point.

Sept 2054

Hoffenheim 0-1 Frankfurt (D1)

We went behind after just a few minutes against Frankfurt, and never really had much chance to come back after that, while they finished us off with another goal later on.

Bayern 3-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

Expectation was always going to be low when going to Bayern. They comfortably took the lead after 20 minutes. For a lot of the second-half we looked like we could come back and equalize, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Gega and Pavlovich have had good seasons so far but the player in front of them have been very poor. They scored two late goals to finish us off anyway.

Hoffenheim 0-1 Rostock (D1)

We looked like we had at least slightly woken up against Rostock, but it was typical that with Obi finally scoring, it was disallowed. We still had any number of chances to win anyway (and a denied penalty), but they struck on the counter with 15 minutes left as the ‘single shot on target’ curse continue.

Leverkusen 2-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

Leverkusen away was another ‘not going to get anything’ game, and a goal in each half reflected their easy dominance, and I knew something needed to change.

Oct 2054

Hoffenheim 0-1 Furth (D1)

I switched to something more simple and cautious, but it didn’t seem to work very well against Furth. The first half was a dull affair, and while it livened up after the break, they took the lead after an hour. Yet again there was no excuse for not getting at least something.

Hertha 3-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We went behind in the 8th minute, but Obi finally got his first goal of the season to equalize. It looked like we’d get our first point since the opening day, but they retook the lead in the 84th minute and a Vaz fumble gave them a stoppage time 3rd.

Hoffenheim 3-1 Dortmund (D1)

We were due for more pain against a Dortmund side who were comfortable league leaders. We went behind in the 33rd minute, but Obi’s penalty allowed us to equalize in the 40th minute. They retook the lead 10 minutes after the break and easily strolled home 3-1.

Hertha 4-0 Hoffenheim (GC)

We went to Hertha again in the cup, and got off to a bad start when Vaz put the ball in his own net in the 5th minute, and they soon scored another. Things improved considerably but that didn’t mean we were able to score, but after Gama went off injured they easily got two more.

This is very bad! The trouble is I pretty much expected it, aside from the fact that it's happened a lot this save, there was also the revolution with the limited but reliable players being replace but theoretically far better player that may not necessarily perform, especially in the short term. It's all gone wrong, especially up front. Obi was on fire last year but took until October to score. Acosta has drawn blanks since getting off the mark in the cup, Toch has been even worse than either of them. I'll be glad to see Itamar arrive in January, as he might end up playing decently. The midfield has actually been pretty good but have been let down from the start by the forwards, even the defence hasn't always been that bad but Vaz has had a few nightmares. Certainly there's no excuse for at least half our defeats.

[deltablue]

Nov 2054

Gladbach 0-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

Promoted Gladbach were the only team below us, but when we went to theirs we didn’t ever look like we’d get more than a point, and we only got that because they had a late goal disallowed.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Freiburg (D1)

After the Gladbach result I didn’t have much hope left, but we looked much brighter against Freiburg. Reichert gave us the lead in the 34th minute, soon followed by an own-goal, and though we weren’t that secure, we managed to keep the winning margin.

The Freiburg win was dulled partly by the terrible situation we were still in, and partly because I knew I was out of the door. Ipswich sacked their manager just after the Gladbach game, and sure enough I soon got a sense of deja-vu...

I knew it wouldn't be long before I got another chance to move back to the Silva Stadium. Unlike the massive dilemma this time last year, I had no hesitation accepting it. We still have quite a bit of ground to make up to get into a European place but I still found the expectations acceptable, plus the way things had been going this year in Germany I was delighted to have a way out.

[b101]

Well this should be fun! Great work in the first season with Hoffe, but it was always going to be tough repeating that. Look forward to you turning Ipswich into a giant again

[elbilly]

Oh that went south. Good time to bail.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Shocked at your start to the season after a great year last. Soon as I read the Ipswich job had come up I knew you'd take it this time so good luck.

[deltablue]

Well this should be fun! Great work in the first season with Hoffe, but it was always going to be tough repeating that. Look forward to you turning Ipswich into a giant again

I knew we wouldn't, but it was the age old 'too much too soon' problem I think.

Oh that went south. Good time to bail.

Very good, I just was crying out for something else. Interestingly I was getting other offers again around that time (including Monaco who probably hold a record for the most times a club's given me an offer and been rejected), and while I didn't get an offer as it wouldn't have come in before the Ipswich one, Norwich sacked their manager around the same time and I was favourite for that Maybe FM needs a '**** off' option for contracts.

Shocked at your start to the season after a great year last. Soon as I read the Ipswich job had come up I knew you'd take it this time so good luck.

Yep, there was really no question about it, somehow things just weren't working out any more in Germany (just like in Norway, Sweden, Austria, and Ipswich before that) and it was the only way out I was going to be able to take, so very good timing there.

Nov 2054 (cont)

Ipswich 2-0 Spurs (PRM)

The 3rd Ipswich era started against Spurs. They made the better start, but Welsh forward Reeves gave us the lead in the 15th minute. Things didn’t get easy even when they had a player sent off, and South African forward Vilakazi had a goal disallowed, but the Scot midfielder Noble immediately gave us another to make it safe.

Ipswich 1-2 Leeds (PRM)

Leeds would be trickier, but Reeves gave us the lead after 20 minutes. Unfortunately they soon equalized, and pushed for another. We were probing to retake the lead when they suddenly struck in the 70th minute, and we really should have got a late equalizer.

Wolves 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

The first trip was to bottom club Wolves, and despite the fact that they had just 2 points, they put up a fight. Reeves eventually broke through after 50 minutes, with one 10 minutes later, and though they pulled one back after 80 minutes we survived to get the win.

Stockport 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

A trip to Stockport was set to be a tricky one. Williamson gave us the lead in the 4th minute, but they put us under great pressure and equalized after 25 minutes. Vanderlei (one of the bright young things I signed last time if you remember) restored our lead in the 35th minute, and we were at least able to keep the game even after that.

Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich (PRM)

Arsenal away was even tougher on paper. We kept them quiet for a while, but they started turning up the heat, and took the lead after 40 minutes. We had a few chances in the second-half but then faded as they took back control and only were denied another by the referee.

Dec 2054

Ipswich 1-0 Hearts (EL)

Attentions turned to Europe. Ipswich were already guaranteed qualification from a Europa League group featuring Hearts, Hajduk, and Norwegian club Sogndal, and we were now at home to the Scots in the penultimate match. We were comfortable in control, but translating that into scoring was a problem. We had a goal disallowed a few minutes before the break, but Williamson managed to give us the win in the 74th minute.

Ipswich 0-0 Barnsley (PRM)

We had similar problems against Barnsley. Reeves had a goal disallowed in the 10th minute, and the rest of the game was pretty much ‘close but no cigar’ as we had to settle for a frustrating 0-0 from a game we should definitely had won.

Ipswich 0-0 Man Utd (PRM)

We still had a lot of ground to make up, despite our fairly good form, and Man Utd (who were top) wasn’t an easy game to try and make it up in. We managed to survive intact, as they came closer to winning, giving us another 0-0 that I felt very differently about than the last one.

Sogndal 0-0 Ipswich (EL)

We went to Norway to face Sogndal in the last Europa League group game. It was our 3rd 0-0 in a row as Williamson suffered from our 3rd disallowed goal in 4 games, but it was pretty meaningless as the finishing order had already been confirmed, and it was our only dropped points from a group stage where we didn’t concede a single goal. The draw through up a tough tie against Roma, with Shakhtar or Bordeaux if we won.

Aston Villa 2-4 Ipswich (PRM)

We got back to winning ways at Aston Villa. Reeves gave us the lead in the 12th minute. They equalized on the half-hour mark, but within 5 minutes Girard and Williamson made it 3-1. They pulled another goal back and came very close to equalizing but a second Reeves goal sealed it.

Everton 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We managed to build on it at Everton just before Christmas. Reeves gave us the lead, but they deserved a point at least and it wasn’t easy getting the win.

Ipswich 0-2 Chelsea (PRM)

December was the month of disallowed goals, and it happened again in the 20th minute against Chelsea on Boxing Day. That made it especially frustrating when they took the lead early in the second half. We each had a player sent off before they scored a late second.

Hull 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Thankfully there were no disallowed goals at a Hull side in the top half. Williamson gave us the lead in the 7th minute, with Reeves extending the lead shortly before the break They had a penalty early in the second-half, saved by our Brazilian keeper Renatinho, but they quickly pulled a goal back anyway, and had numerous chances that we had to keep out to get yet another hard-earned win.

Jan 2055

Mansfield 0-0 Ipswich (FA)

We started the year at Mansfield in the cup. It was one of those games where we huffed and puffed, but their house of bricks stood first, and we ended up having to face a replay.

Birmingham 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

We had no such trouble in Birmingham. Reeves gave us the lead after just 30 seconds, assisted by our new winger Stele. Williamson added another in the 38th minute and Reeves’ second goal finished off a comfortable 3-0 win. It took us into the European places for the first time, which was vital as that was the target.

Ipswich 2-0 Mansfield (FA)

We had little trouble in the replay against Mansfield. They had an early chance that happened to be their only shot, and a Williamson brace in the first-half sent us through. We easily had enough chances to make it at least 5, but it did us nicely.

West Ham 2-2 Ipswich (PRM)

West Ham were the club’s ‘second’ rivals after that lot in yellow, but they were going strongly this season. We exchanged chances throughout the first-half, but a penalty allowed them to take the lead after 50 minutes. Reeves equalized just a few minutes later, the Welshman scoring again to give us the lead after 70 minutes, but a late equalizer meant we had to share the points, which was fair enough.

Ipswich 1-2 Brighton (PRM)

I expected a win against struggling Brighton, and it looked like we’d get it thanks to a Williamson penalty in the first half. However Renatinho blundered to give them an equalizer in the 75th minute. If that wasn’t bad enough another defensive mess gifted them a winner! I was not amused, and it was an especially big mistake on Renatinho’s part as I had a new keeper just waiting for an opportunity to steal the number 1 shirt from him.

Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich (FA)

We had a tough game against Liverpool in the next round of the cup. We were never really in it. Vanderlei’s own-goal gave them the lead in the 40th minute, and a second-half brace gave them an easy win.

Ipswich 2-3 Southampton (PRM)

We needed to improve against Southampton, but sadly we were up against it from the start. They took the lead in the 20th minute, and though Williamson equalized in the 29th minute, they seemed to be the only potential winner. Our new keeper Javorcic justified his transfer (which was questionable as Renatinho seemed a strong long-term keeper, though I was sure the 18yr old German was capable of being clearly better) by pulling off save after save to keep us in it, and was rewarded by Reeves giving us the lead in the 70th minute. A penalty allowed them to equalize, and we very nearly held out as they kept pounding away, but in the last minute of stoppage time they snatched a cruel but not undeserved winner.

West Brom 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Thankfully we returned to form at West Brom. Girard gave us the lead in the 25th minute, followed by Stele’s first goal for the club, and Reeves finished it off in stoppage time.

Well it's certainly been a busy return to Ipswich. Form has generally been good, but it took a while to really start climbing the table. We reached where we wanted to be in January, but have faded a little since, mainly due to fatigue I expect, not helped by a couple of players being away at some Asian international competition, and a few new players being blooded who have done well but haven't found their consistent feet yet. However as long as we keep up the form of before I feel we have a good chance at reaching our goal for the season.

Things have been a little less busy transfer-wise, but that's not saying much given that last time I went for a full blooded revolution, which was perhaps a little too-much too soon. This time we already had some strong players in all areas of the pitch (though we lacked genuinely scary players up front), so there wasn't much need to make many moves. However I was always going to be on the look out for some of the best young talent available (Delta's Darlings rule applies again, as I think I was onto something last time regarding building a competitive and financially sustainable side), and you don't have to have followed my threads much to realize that it's pretty much how I do things. Again there were fairly high-value/wage players I didn't need which I was able to offload, raising almost 55M, and clearing 250-300kpw, but a lot of that was ploughed into new players, which wasn't easy given that the fact we were in the red meant only some of it went into the budget. In fact to make the last transfer I had to cancel it and then re-bid after I was able adjust the budget, and even then I only had enough by a whisker.

As I mentioned before, the fact that we already had a very strong squad meant that there would be no revolution this time, but I was still intent on at least evolving the side, getting in young players when I could, and after all getting some of the potential stars of the next generation (especially for less than 15M each max) is hardly a bad move, and gives us the basis of a long-term side that suppliments rather than replace the already strong side we have already, making for hopefully a better mix of youth an current quality than I've managed before. Hopefully they can all prove worth the investment and come good. There are also no less than three more coming in the summer on frees, but they'll be covered then.

11.5M from Milan

5.5M from Bordeaux

4M from Dortmund

13M (yes I know it's a lot) from Bastia

10M from Schalke

[B.W.G]

Same things didn't work out at Hoffenheim in the end but the best of luck at Ipswich,hopefully it's third time lucky for you.

[joshpmilton]

I told you to go to Ipswich...

[deltablue]

Same things didn't work out at Hoffenheim in the end but the best of luck at Ipswich,hopefully it's third time lucky for you.

Hopefully, that would be a great way to see off what's been a rather frustrating career. That does mean there'll be a lot of Ipswich not just this career but likely next year as well, but hopefully I can make it interesting enough that people won't mind.

I told you to go to Ipswich...

Well this year was definitely a better time than last year to go

No action today I'm afraid. It was Mother Deltablue's birthday today so went out to lunch with a lot of drink involved.

[ashton321]

Congrats on getting the job at Ipswich again mate good luck

[Pitalo]

All the best wishes at the Tractor Boys....My brother just bought me a shiny new jersey of them! My new favourite team in England , hopefully you can bring them some succes and some Dutch players, like back in the day

[deltablue]

Congrats on getting the job at Ipswich again mate good luck

Thanks, hopefully it'll work out at last.

All the best wishes at the Tractor Boys....My brother just bought me a shiny new jersey of them! My new favourite team in England , hopefully you can bring them some succes and some Dutch players, like back in the day

Ah yes. Muhren and Thijssen were before my time (in fact before I was born) but there's still been Fabian Wilnis more recently. I have had some Dutchmen already, and though there are none right now, no doubt it won't be long until some young Dutch talent catches my eye.

Feb 2055

Ipswich 1-4 Man City (PRM)

We had some very tough games coming up, starting against Man City. I was worried when they took the lead after 5 minutes, though Reeves equalized in the 12th minute and we kept it even for the rest of the half. Unfortunately they broke us when they retook the lead in the 57th minute, quickly followed by another, and they scored a late 4th.

Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We hoped for better luck at Liverpool, but they walked all over us. They took the lead in the 15th minute, scored again in the 55th, and a late penalty gave them a comfortable 3-0 win.

Roma 2-3 Ipswich (EL)

Thankfully we had a bit of rest before going to Rome as the Europa League resumed. They took the lead in the 3rd minute, but we were able to gather ourselves and Williamson got a deserved equalizer before the break. They really went for us early in the second-half, scoring in the 55th minute, but they failed to finish us off when they had the chance. Williamson equalized again in the 78th minute, which would have been a good enough result, but Reeves gave us a winner in stoppage time, giving us the lead in the tie and 3 away goals to take back to Silva Stadium.

Spurs 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

We went to Spurs before the second-leg. They hit us had from the start but the defence held firm, and Reeves gave us the lead from a rare chance on the stroke of half-time. We had a decent spell early in the second-half which saw Williamson extend the lead in the 52nd minute. They turned the pressure up again but could only get a stoppage time consolation.

Ipswich 1-1 (4-3) Roma (EL)

We hoped we wouldn’t throw away a very strong position in the Europa League. As I expected we were comfortable enough that the players really weren’t trying that had. They had a few early chances, but Lazslo extended the aggregate lead in the 35th minute. They now needed 3 goals to go through, and scored one early in the second-half, easily dominating to the point where they could well have got those goals, so I was surprised they didn’t get at least one more as we went through to face Shakhtar.

Ipswich 3-1 Norwich (PRM)

The month ended with the home derby against Norwich, who had also been in Europa league action and had only beaten Lokomotiv Moscow on away goals. Having been dominated by them for so long in the past, it was great to have a very strong game. Reeves gave us the lead in the 15th minute, but an own-goal gave them an immediate equalizer. I was disappointed that we didn’t have the lead by half-time, but Williamson gave us that lead back in the 58th minute. They didn’t have a single shot on target as Reeves finished off a 3-1 win with 5 minutes left. I was delighted with the way we didn’t just win, but were genuinely and clearly the better side. Hopefully there would be more of these wins over Norwich to come. They can’t say they haven’t been warned. The blue guy is back and very much means business.

Mar 2055

Shakhtar 2-0 Ipswich (EL)

Just like with Roma, we had a short break (though still had a few injuries) before going to Donetsk for the first leg of the next round. They had a decent side with an especially strong right-winger who gave them the lead after 12 minutes. We perhaps could have had an equalizer before they extended it, and we really should have pulled a goal back at least, giving us a tough but achievable job at home.

Ipswich 2-1 Wolves (PRM)

Last placed Wolves at home was our only league game of the month. Bonnet was making his first start for the club, and he assisted Laszlo to give us the lead in the 12th minute. I was worried that we’d mess it up when we failed to get another, not really even trying for long periods, and a penalty allowed them to equalize in the 75th minute. I’d have been really annoyed if we dropped points, but Reeves came to the rescue to give us a win.

Ipswich 1-1 (1-3) Shakhtar (EL)

We needed to do better if we had any hope of turning things around against Shakhtar. Unfortunately it was clear the way the match was going early on we’d be lucky if it didn’t get worse, and they took the lead shortly before half-time. That meant we needed 4 goals, which wasn’t going to happen. Williamson scored in the 77th minute as we finally woke up but a draw was all we could get.

Early on I was worried that we wouldn't make Europe, as a poor January was followed by a tough February. Thankfully form has picked up, and the board now only want top-half anyway, but since it's pretty close between 7th and 11th, there's still plenty to play for, especially with a few difficult games left to come, like Man Utd away on the last day! Just keeping things stable in the short-term (something I completely forgot last time) will do me. Europe would be nice but maybe we'd have a better season next year if we don't make it. It was a pity to lose to an admittedly good Shakhtar side, especially as I know we were capable of a lot better and could well have won the tie, but our time will hopefully come later, and I'm not expecting too much for now.

[withnail316]

Just caught up on this.... hard luck in Germany, sometimes things just seem to go that way. Not a shock to see you back at Ipswich, good luck in your new (old) job!

[Dexter_Morgan]

If you can keep up February's league form you should make Europe without much of a problem

[Brucehum]

Longest career I've seen so far!

Keep on

[deltablue]

Just caught up on this.... hard luck in Germany, sometimes things just seem to go that way. Not a shock to see you back at Ipswich, good luck in your new (old) job!

It's like I never left

If you can keep up February's league form you should make Europe without much of a problem

Unfortunately we really couldn't.

Longest career I've seen so far!

Keep on

Thanks, there are much longer on here though.

Apr 2055

Ipswich 1-1 Stockport (PRM)

We just had the league to focus on now, but were rather sluggish against Stockport. Only their lack of finishing ability stopped us going behind. Williamson gave us the lead after 70 minutes, but a win would have been a bit lucky. They eventually managed an accurate shot to equalize, and could easily have gotten a winner.

Leeds 0-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We were a little better at Leeds, but with playmaker Urzikic going off injured after just a few minutes, it was a game desperately short of inspiration, and 0-0 was very much the score that the game deserved.

Ipswich 1-2 Arsenal (PRM)

We had a tough time against Arsenal, going 2-0 down after 21 minutes. Laszlo soon had a goal disallowed, and he clearly had a curse on him as late on in the half he whipped in a free-kick for Sivebaek to head home, but that was disallowed as well! Williamson did get a goal late on but I felt we might have got a point at least.

Barnsley 2-2 Ipswich (PRM)

We were having a miserable end to the season, and pathetically went 2-0 down at Barnsley to a quick brace after 15 minutes. Williamson gave us hope with a goal with before half-time, and he equalized after 50 minutes as momentum was very much with us, however we couldn’t take the lead and near the end we had to hold out again to get a point.

May 2055

Ipswich 2-0 Aston Villa (PRM)

After a winless April put a top-half finish under threat, we needed to make the most of playing an Aston Villa side who looked on their way to relegation. There was considerable relief when Ida headed us into the lead in the 34th minute, I thought our chances of another had gone when Reeves got a second yellow card for diving (good goalscorer, though he’s been badly off-form recently, but very little brains on this evidence), but Williamson made it safe in the last few minutes.

Ipswich 2-1 Everton (PRM)

We were unlikely to make Europe but could make the top-half safe against Everton. Williamson gave us the lead with a penalty in the 13th minute, and we looked comfortable but they suddenly got an equalizer in the 78th minute. Bonnet restored the lead, though they had a last-minute equalizer disallowed.

Man Utd 2-0 Ipswich (PRM)

The final game was at champions Man Utd, so it was just as well the only thing we had left to play for was finishing 8th instead of 9th, where we had the advantage over Hull on goal-difference, but they had completely the opposite fixture, at home to bottom club Wolves. We also had players (mostly defenders) missing on international duty on top of all that. They scored in the 2nd minute, and seemed content to leave it at that for the rest of the half. They scored another in the 52nd minute, and this time they kept on pushing, but we were able to keep them from getting another. Surprisingly Hull actually lost to Wolves so we got 8th place.

Right, I think I’ve got my own door to the manager’s office by now. Compared to the ‘revolution’ of talented youngsters last time, I was happy to go nice and slowly. It would have been nice to get a European place but steady expectation-meeting top-half finish was something I was satisfied with. Surviving in the short-term was my only goal for now anyway. Hopefully we could push on and get a European place, which I felt we could do for a few reasons. Firstly we had a very strong core of first-teamers, supplemented by some talented youngsters (who are adapting well) but not so much as to rock the boat too much. Secondly without European football the fixture list should be more manageable. Thirdly there’s the effect of a ‘fresh start’ as often improvement is limited when taking over during a season.

Finally this summer isn’t likely to be very busy in terms of players in, especially we’re almost 13M in the red, and even with a bunch of more players to offload and reduce the wage bill I didn’t imagine having too much available to spend, and it was probably best to try and let the finances recover for now, though they probably would if I let it. The three ‘frees’ (though there is a 70k compensation fee for one of then) already sorted out in January weren’t likely to have much company, and with the 5 players already bought in January, it was probably for the best to avoid getting in too many young players too soon, and keeping the potential/experience balance rather better than last time. I not expecting to take massive leaps forward, after all we have an 18yr old first choice keeper and the future star striker is 17 among other things, but surely we can keep gradually moving towards success, and that will come after a while. Slow and steady will win this race.

Squad Stats

Star player: If someone can tell me what this guy does (since for a playmaker his assists tally is rather low) I'd be very happy, but he clearly does it incredibly well.

[B.W.G]

You didn't do too badly after taking over,hopefully you can find the right signings during pre-season to help you push on.

[hungoth]

As for star player I'd say: key passes

[elbilly]

Agree the slow and steady approach is the way to go this time As for Girad he looks to have everything for a DLP, other than that I'd say a CM Support. I have found that when my play maker is in a deeper role they don't always get as many assists as the more advanced. Looks like he's doing a fine job anyway.

[deltablue]

You didn't do too badly after taking over,hopefully you can find the right signings during pre-season to help you push on.

Not sure about that, partly due to finances (being 13M in the red and the fact that we entered pre-season being slightly over wage budget, but neither should be difficult so sort out) and partly due to going for younger players only again, so it will hardly be 'a couple of stars to fire us up the table next year', but we've got plenty of quality already which should still help a lot.

As for star player I'd say: key passes

Thanks.

Agree the slow and steady approach is the way to go this time As for Girad he looks to have everything for a DLP, other than that I'd say a CM Support. I have found that when my play maker is in a deeper role they don't always get as many assists as the more advanced. Looks like he's doing a fine job anyway.

Good point, comparing his suitability for both roles, maybe he would be slightly better deep rather than advanced. I might try that, though obviously he was shining as he was. I must admit I've very bad at going slow and steady when there's talent to be had, but the poor financial situation might help reign me in this time.

[deltablue]

Summer 2055

The summer was for the most part one of off-loading. There were a bunch of players who flew below the radar in January due to being in the reserves, but they didn’t escape this time as I was intent on raising at least a bit of money (which I did enough to climb back into the black already) along with taking about 250kpw off the wage bill, which wasn’t bad going. There were perhaps a few ‘maybe’ sales that would have raised and saved considerably more but I was wary of selling off useful first-teamers prematurely, even if it meant being slightly heavy in a couple of areas., which would give us potentially valuable depth.

In the end I did feel able to sell off a couple of defenders, narrowly deciding not to do the same to Williamson given how well he played last time, while I held off making any incoming moves until later on. There weren’t many players I was interested in, partly because even I draw the line somewhere when it comes to paying a certain amount for players that still have a lot of uncertain development to go, or who simply are rated highly but don’t look that good for me. Though there were two newcomers later on. Financially the two late sales made a world of difference, as we now had about 20M in the bank (and were expected to turn a profit for the rest of the season), from -13M at the end of last season, and something like 400kpw less on the wage bill (taking us to just over 1M a week), plus there were other valuable/high earning players that I might feel able to move on at a later date, even if it might be a bit pre-mature to do so now.

In terms of expectations, I kept the boards minimum expectations of top-half just to be on the safe side, but otherwise I thought we should be aiming for Europa League qualification, to the point that I even made a promise to that effect to a player who wanted out to play European football, which would be unwise without a lot of confidence that we would, as young blood had been coming in but I would still be using the core of the pretty strong side I inherited which certainly looked like a European qualification standard team. Though just before the opening game (which was at home to Norwich of all teams) the Ass Man declared us title favourites. I have a very optimistic Ass Man. Not that we’re that far off at least making a potential challenge, but we’re still not there I think.

Admitedly mostly brought in because it looked like we needed more attacking depth and he'd be great value for nothing (well, a 70k compensation fee), but potentially a threat in his own right.

The second free. His passing needs work but otherwise he could be very good creative force indeed.

The final free, already looking pretty capable for a midfield role.

The first and main 'paid for' transfer. No idea why he's not a centre-back, and not being a complete idiot I'm training him to be one, and he looks the very model of defensive solidity.

A good way of spending some of the remaining money, especially as to my surprise Galatasaray accepted the initial 5.25M bid, which seems very good for someone who looks like being a quality Target Mab. So good in the air that opposing defenders might end up having to set up anti-aircraft guns.

[deltablue]

Aug 2055

Ipswich 2-1 Norwich (PRM)

The season started against Norwich, who among everything else were potential European place rivals. I decided to put Erbay in right away, and he rewarded me with a goal in the 18th minute. We were a bit soft at the back and the equalized 8 minutes later, but in an even game Erbay stuck again in the 69th minute to give us the win.

Stockport 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Unfortunately we got ourselves into another defensive mess at Stockport, Sivebaek giving them the lead from an own-goal, and they got another after 40 minutes. Karanja went off injured with no subs left, but we stopped it from getting worse, and had a consolation from a late Ida penalty.

Ipswich 1-0 Burnley (LC)

We easily dominated Burnley in the league cup, but against a League 1 side I expected better than only scoring a Krassnitzer penalty (with Noble having missed one earlier).

Ipswich 2-0 Spurs (PRM)

The defenders made up for previous defensive errors by getting the goals against Spurs, from Ahmed in the 5 minute, then Ida. They put us under a bit of pressure in the second-half, but nothing we couldn’t handle, and despite Reeves getting his second red card since he last scored, we got the win easily enough.

Sept 2055

Hull 2-0 Ipswich (PRM)

After the international break we had to go to a very strong Hull side and they duly took the lead in the 14th minute. We had chances in the second half but didn’t get a single one on target and they scored another with practically the last kick of the game.

Ipswich 4-0 Swansea (PRM)

Cederoos had a goal disallowed early on against Swansea, but as they were bottom we really should have had the lead before the break. We sorted ourselves out in the second-half, Erbay soon giving us the lead followed by a Williamson hat-trick (proving that I was right to keep him) as we got the easy win we expected in the end.

Bolton 1-2 (aet) Ipswich (LC)

We went to Bolton in the league cup and went behind at the end of a dull first half. Cederoos equalized just in the nick of time to bring on extra-time, and a winner from Urzikic (who had just come on) meant we went through avoiding penalties.

Barnsley 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

After two away defeats (admittedly against strong teams) we had a good chance of getting a point or three at Barnsley. We didn’t look like scoring before Williamson converted a penalty on the half-hour mark. They were a decent mid-table team so a win was far from assured, but we squeaked it in the end, going up to 3rd.

Oct 2055

Ipswich 1-0 Aldershot (PRM)

Aldershot was one of those games where we should easily be winning but couldn’t take the lead in the first-half. An injury to Erbay allowed Reeves to return after his earlier red card and he marked it with the only goal of the game, his first since March.

Man City 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

I was worried about going to Man City, and they took the lead in the 19th minute, but Reeves snatched an equalizer a few minutes before the break, and the second-half was admittedly a survival mission as we held on for the point.

Ipswich 1-0 Liverpool (PRM)

It looks like we’d get another hard-fought point against Liverpool. Bonnet came on and gave us the lead early in the second-half, and we were able to hold out afterwards.

Ipswich 4-0 Crystal Palace (LC)

We were far more convincing against Crystal Palace than we were earlier in the season against Burnley, who were also in League 1. Noble gave us the lead in the 12th minute, with Williamson and Girard also scoring before the break. Williamson’s second goal late on gave us a 4-0 win.

Southampton 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Bonnet made it two goals from two league appearances so far this season when giving us the lead in the 25th minute at Southampton. We had rarely been comfortable this season, and today was no exception. They could easily have had an equalizer but Bonnet scored again to wrap it up in the 83rd minute.

Nov 2055

Ipswich 2-0 West Brom (PRM)

Bonnet had hardly played since his risky (especially since he was just 17 at the time) 13M move from Bastia in January, but now he was being given a chance in the team he was showing just why I decided to get him. He gave us the lead again after 35 minutes against West Brom. Williamson had a few chances to get another, but it was the Frenchman who sealed it, having got our last 4 league goals.

Arsenal 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We now had two of the toughest tests of the season, starting at Arsenal who had been comfortably leading the table all season long. Williamson gave us the lead from a penalty in the 9th minute, but they equalized 5 minutes later. They had patches of heavy pressure, which for the most part we were able to resist but they got an admittedly deserved winner in the 72nd minute. We also lost Ida to injury for a month and the always-excellent Girard would be suspended to go to Chelsea.

Chelsea 2-0 Ipswich (PRM)

Chelsea took the lead in the 2nd minute, and it looked like it would only get worse. They did get a second goal from a penalty after an hour which was enough to finish it off.

Ipswich 2-2 Birmingham (PRM)

I hoped we’d get back to winning ways against Birmingham, but we started poorly and went behind from a penalty after 25 minutes. We looked to have rescued ourselves in the second-half. Collet converted a free-kick to equalize in the 57th minute, and Williamson gave us the lead 15 minutes later, but they scored right at the end of stoppage time as we dropped our first points at home, but a team in the relegation zone was a stupid one to do it against.

Ipswich 5-1 Mansfield (LC QF)

Championship Mansfield were our opponents in the league cup quarter-finals. Bonnet gave us the lead in the 9th minute. Williamson added another in the 57th minute, and soon had a hat-trick. They pulled one back with 15 minutes left but it was too late and a 4th Williamson goal put us through to the Semis with a 5-1 win.

It's generally been a very positive season so far. It opened up with a win over Norwich, which is always a good thing, and since then not only have we generally looked good in the quest for a European place, but we could be in the mix for a CL place as well, especially as we've already had the away games against 5 of the other top 7 sides (Man Utd being the only one we haven't played) and generally been consistently, if not often convincingly, been doing the business against everyone else, Birmingham being the only blip on that front, and also in an other-wise perfect home record (admitedly helped by all our big games being away so far).

There have been a few disappointments player-wise (especially Reeves, who was firing in goals for fun until he suddenly lost it late last season, and consistency seems to be a dirty word for Stele), and as I said a lot of wins have been hard-fought rather than comfortable, so I'm wary of getting excited about our CL chances, but the mix of the younger signings (especially those from January who for the most part are more settled than they were last spring, but also Karanja) and the more experienced players I've kept faith with (especially Williamson, but also Girard, Ida, Noble and Vanderlei) is proving to be a well-judged mix and we're looking good for a very strong year indeed.

[elbilly]

Nice start, Arsenal ripping it up

[b101]

Outstanding start to the season - looks like the 'take it slower' approach is paying dividends this time around

[B.W.G]

Very good start to the season

[Dexter_Morgan]

Really good start to the season, keep it up

[deltablue]

Nice start, Arsenal ripping it up

I know, they're frighteningly good. Hopefully they'll have dropped off when we're ready to make a challenge.

Outstanding start to the season - looks like the 'take it slower' approach is paying dividends this time around

Quite, admittedly I'd probably have found it hard to stick to if it wasn't for a) not having much money aside from what I've been raising and b) the strong core squad. Even with my desire for an overhaul with younger players (which is partly driven by lower wages that the club can afford in the longer-term) I recognize that there's only so much I should do for now.

Very good start to the season

Really good start to the season, keep it up

Cheers guys, I'm pretty confident about how we can do.

[deltablue]

Dec 2055

Ipswich 3-1 Grimsby (PRM)

Grimsby had been a bit of a surprise package so far in the league, having been comfortably in the European places from the start despite being newly promoted, but reality was now kicking in. Vanderlei’s header gave us the lead in the 15th minute, with Bonnet extending the lead in the 34th minute. They were gifted a goal at the start of the second-half but we easily kept them out and Williamson finished off a 3-1 win late on.

West Ham 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

One of my best decisions of the season so far was using Collet as a right-winger, which solved a few different problems at once, and he gave us the lead in the 23rd minute. Unfortunately they equalized just after half-time, and took the lead after an hour as they took control of the game and came back to win.

Ipswich 2-1 Man Utd (PRM)

We looked the better side in the first-half against Man Utd, but yet again we conceded just after the break. Reeves had come on and thankfully had one of his better games, equalizing in the 62nd minute, and setting up Bonnet just a few minutes later as we made up for West Ham by being the ones turning it around to win.

Leeds 2-2 Ipswich (PRM) 1,800th career game!

The Boxing day trip to Leeds was my 1,800th match, and it looked to be going well as Bonnet gave us the lead after half an hour, followed by Reeves. For once we conceded just before the break instead of just after, and that was followed by a very strong Leeds second-half where they equalized, and we were a little lucky to get anything in the end.

Everton 2-5 Ipswich (PRM)

Reeves gave us the lead after 5 minutes at Everton, getting another in the 33rd minute. The Welshman clearly didn’t like the warmer months but he was very much back in form now, making it 3-1 at half-time after they pulled a goal back, and all three were assisted by Bonnet as they seemed to work very well together. They scored early in the second-half, and I was worried we’d drop points again from a winning position, but Reeves still had a couple of goals left in him and a late brace gave us a 5-2 win, an excellent way to end the year.

Jan 2056

QPR 0-3 Ipswich (FA)

New Year’s Day saw an FA cup trip to QPR, and there was plenty of Gallic flair on show. Collet (one of 5 Frenchmen in the side) gave us the lead after 15 minutes, set up by his compatriot Bonnet who then scored a brace before half-time to comfortably see us through.

Chelsea 1-0 Ipswich (LC SF)

We would be less comfortable at Chelsea in the first leg of league cup semi. They took the lead in the 12th minute, and only wastefulness stopped it getting much worse as we were clear second-best throughout.

Norwich 3-0 Ipswich (PRM)

The away games just kept coming, and the derby was our 5th in a row. They tore through us in the first-half and were 3-0 up at the break. We only improved enough to stop it getting worse, but even with that win and the fact that they had played a game more we were still ahead of them.

Spurs 1-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Spurs was our 6th away game in a row (4th in the league, thanks to a home game being moved multiple times), but this time we put on a good show, taking the lead from Reeves in the 19th minute. It was pretty much against the run of play so it was no surprise to see them quickly equalize, but Sivebaek put us back in front, and this time we were starting to take control getting another from Reeves before the break and being unlucky not to get at least one more.

Ipswich 2-0 (2-1) Chelsea (LC SF)

The home leg against Chelsea (one or two back to back home games against them) was our first game at Silva Stadium for what seemed like years. We were determined to take advantage of their failure to finish us off in the first leg, and after a lot of chances ourselves, we finally levelled the tie from Reeves at the start of the second-half. After a couple of close calls at the other end, the Welshman scored again to send us through to the final.

Ipswich 5-1 Chelsea (FA)

There was a sense of deja-vu as we played them again in the FA cup. They put out a theoretically stronger side than in the league cup but you wouldn’t know it as Erbay, back in the team for the first time in a while, ran riot. He gave us the lead after 25 minutes, soon scoring another. Reeves made it 3-0 in the 58th minute, followed by a penalty for Erbay to complete his hat-trick, and the young Turk even got a 4th goal before they scored consolation with a few minutes left.

Ipswich 1-1 Hull (PRM)

Our first home league game for over a month was against Hull (though it would be followed by two more trips). Reeves gave us the lead in the first minute, but we didn’t really follow up on it. Reeves had another goal disallowed after 55 minutes, which allowed them to eventually equalize and take a point.

Swansea 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We were back on the road to Swansea. We struggled to make much impact as they had a lot of the chances, but we still snatched the win thanks to Bonnet in the 66th minute.

Feb 2056

Aldershot 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Williamson gave us the lead in the 14th minute at bottom club Aldershot. Like against Hull we didn’t really push on, and later we can startlingly close to dropping points, but we just about held on. All those away games meant we had almost twice as many remaining home league games than away, though that was balanced by having to face far tougher sides.

Ipswich 1-0 Barnsley (PRM)

After just one home league game from the last 7 at home (and 3 in 11 in all competitions), we were at home for the rest of the month (including 3 league games), aside from the League cup final. Barnsley was the first of this home run. Williamson had reclaimed his place from Reeves and gave us the lead in the 32nd minute. We were denied a penalty soon afterwards so it was relief that while we were yet again having to resist heavy pressure late on (like in a lot of other games recently) we managed to get all the points.

Ipswich 1-1 Stockport (PRM)

I suspected that the referee for the Stockport game was just going through a divorce, or had broken up with his girlfriend or something since he was a bit of a spoilsport. He disallowed an Ida goal in the 5th minute, then evened it up by ruling out one of theirs after half an hour. He was also probably Scottish as he let Williamson’s goal stand a few minutes into the second-half, though an equalizer later meant we had to share the points, just as they had with Norwich in their last game.

Ipswich 1-3 Wolves (FA)

We played Wolves in the FA Cup, which I thought would be comfortable, but we ended up going in at the break a goal down. Bonnet equalized, but a winner proved hard to come by and I was worried we’d need a replay. They had a penalty which Javorcic (being German) saved but they quickly followed it up with a brace to deal a shock defeat. We had bigger fish to fry this spring anyway.

Ipswich 2-3 Man Utd (LC Final)

The league cup final against Man Utd was my first final since ‘that’ Leverkusen game. They were only ahead of us in the race for 3rd in the league on goal difference so it was likely to be a close one. We exchanged chances until they took the lead in the 32nd minute. They had a clearer upper hand afterwards, extending the lead in the 50th minute. A Williamson penalty in the 63rd minute gave us a chance again, followed by a brief strong spell, but we still snatched an equalizer from Erbay in the 88th minute. It only took a minute however before they scored a cruel but deserved late winner.

Ipswich 1-0 Man City (PRM)

Man City was a tough game in our CL quest. We had a few half-chances in the first-half, but again Williamson struck from the penalty spot after the break. The rest of the game was a rearguard action, but what mattered was that it was a successful one, as I was worried we’d lose ground due to games like this.

Again, despite a bunch of cup games and a lot of away games, we've kept going very well, though there have been some very lucky wins along the way. We've opened up a comfortable gap in 4th place, as well as being in a very tight battle for 3rd. I'm not sure we'll win that battle, not least because we have a trip to Man Utd to come, which is likely to give them a decisive edge, but also having to go to Liverpool (which is next) and face Arsenal and Chelsea, which could lead to some dropped home points like against Hull and Stockport (who are strong 'best of the rest' teams at the moment, think Everton/Spurs/Liverpool), probably too many of the the course of those games.

There's a chance that 4th place could still be at risk, but Norwich being in the Europa league (which they're likely to stay in for a while) as well as being in the cup (ditto as their quarter-final is at home to a championship side) should hopefully hinder their chances of making up too much ground if we do drop a bunch of points. Chelsea have no such potential handicap but are still some way behind. As comfortable as we are for 4th, and as close as we are to 3rd, having only wanted some form of European qualification this year, holding on to 4th is something I'd be really happy with. And I think we deserve it as we've been in this position for a vast majority of the season, plus the players are really performing well, with a lot of the regulars having ratings well in the mid 7's, so while we're obviously far from perfect, this is a team that clearly works very well, which pleases me a lot.

[elbilly]

looking good for top 4, is there still 4 European Cup spaces?

[b101]

You navigated that period really well considering the run of games you had. Top four this season would be an excellent achievement

[deltablue]

looking good for top 4, is there still 4 European Cup spaces?

I haven't checked recently but I'm certain there is.

You navigated that period really well considering the run of games you had. Top four this season would be an excellent achievement

I didn't even have to really change the team much during that run. In my experience sticking with the side that works is the best policy, though a lot of people would think I'm mad. Top 4 and a cup final. That would make for a very good year indeed.

[B.W.G]

Very good season so far,hopefully you can finish strongly.

[iHeadHunta x]

Same as B.W.G, since I last checked the progress you have made is incredible, well done!

[deltablue]

Very good season so far,hopefully you can finish strongly.

Same as B.W.G, since I last checked the progress you have made is incredible, well done!

Thanks guys, thankfully we carried our form through to the end of the season.

Mar 2056

Liverpool 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

I was worried about a trip to Liverpool, especially with Girard suspended, but we managed to take the lead from Cederoos in the 17th minute. Almost nothing else happened in the rest of the half, and while the second-half was a small improvement, it was no surprise that there were no more goals.

West Brom 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

We made a slow start at West Brom, but Williamson gave us the lead after half an hour. We pushed for another more in hope than expectation but the Scot made it safe with another after 70 minutes as we chalked up yet another ‘solid but unspectacular’ win.

Ipswich 0-1 Southampton (PRM)

The game against Southampton was a bit of a reverse of West Brom, as we made the better start but they took the lead after 25 minutes or so. We didn’t have much else in us for the rest of the match so fell to a first league defeat in 10, as well as our only home league defeat of the season, with results elsewhere (Chelsea hammering Arsenal and Man Utd winning the Manchester derby) also looking bad.

Ipswich 2-0 Arsenal (PRM)

I was worried about Arsenal, but we had a surprisingly comfortable time of it. Erbay gave us the lead in the 2nd minute, and we soon deserved another, which we got from Williamson on the stroke of half-time. They weren’t even that big a threat in the second-half.

Apr 2056

Birmingham 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We went to Birmingham and expected to beat them, but we failed to really make much impact in the first-half. We turned up the pressure but looked like we’d be frustrated until Erbay gave us the win in the 83rd minute.

Grimsby 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

It was a similar story at Grimsby, we huffed and puffed but couldn’t get a goal in the first-half. Williamson then gave us the lead, but try as we might we couldn’t get another, and were very nearly punished when they had a few close chances late on. We now had just a single away game left (with 5 to play overall), but it was at Man Utd.

Ipswich 1-0 Chelsea (PRM)

Chelsea was probably the most critical game of the run-in. They were 8 points behind in the battle for 4th but if they won they’d still be a threat, plus we still wanted to stay in the hunt for 3rd with some points, especially as Man Utd had just lost to Arsenal so a win would put us back ahead of them. The first-half was full of even exchanges, but it was Williamson who gave us the lead in the first-half. We very nearly blew it as his compatriot McMillan got sent off in the 77th minute, followed just a couple of minutes later by Stele getting a straight red for handball. I must admit I’d have gladly taken a point at that moment, but as it happened Chelsea rarely troubled as we got the most important of all the many 1-0’s we’ve had this season. CL qualification wasn’t quite mathematically assured, but with an 11 point margin and 12 left to play for (though we had a far inferior goal difference) I felt we were as good as there.

Ipswich 1-1 West Ham (PRM)

Attention turned to the battle for 3rd, especially as Man Utd beat Chelsea to secure 4th for us. It looked like we’d stay ahead as Williamson gave us a comfortable lead at the break. However we should have had at least one more, which proved costly as they equalized in the hour mark, and we failed to anything after that.

Man Utd 3-2 Ipswich (PRM)

The trip to Man Utd was the critical game left as we fought for 3rd. We were level on points but they had a far superior goal difference. We’d probably have to win, which I felt was really unlikely. However the first-half performance gave us hope, as we had some chances of our own as well as keeping out theirs. Cederoos even gave us the lead in the 28th minute, but we were a little lucky and they equalized 8 minutes later. They pushed on in the second-half, taking advantage of a goalkeeping ball spill to take the lead in the 53rd minute, then they pretty much finished it off with a 3rd. Bonnet scored with a few minutes left, but I knew there wouldn’t be an equalizer, and they actually had a goal disallowed afterwards as we lost by the same score as in the League Cup final. It was a decent effort but no cigar, and again they admittedly deserved it more.

May 2056

Ipswich 3-1 Leeds (PRM)

There wasn’t much to play for anymore, barring a massive stumble from Man Utd, which wasn’t happening, which is probably why we went behind in the 10th after a mediocre start against Leeds. Bonnet equalized at the end of the half, and we salvaged the win we were expecting with Vanderlei headers in the 70th and 77th minutes.

Ipswich 4-1 Everton (PRM)

The final game was against Everton, which was surprisingly comfortable. Williamson scored a brace in the first few minutes to give us a 2-0 lead. They scored with a rare chance after half-time but we were always going to get more, and another two goals from Williamson finished off a 4-1 win that meant we finished a full 11 points ahead of Norwich in 5th, 22 more than we got last year.

This was a far better season than I expected. I simply wanted European qualification, but rather than that consisting of holding steady in the Europa League places, from early on the CL was in our sights. It helped that we didn’t have the distraction of Europe, though we still showed we could manage on multiple fronts and coped well with cup games keeping us busy in January and February. Getting a CL place with such a comfortable margin was a great achievement, and reaching a cup final was also a good sign, alongside pushing Man Utd so hard in the race for 3rd, though I knew that the trip to Old Trafford would give them the crucial advantage. As it is, Ipswich getting into the CL (though the last time was just a few years back, among a few occasional appearances since I first made them strong) is something to celebrate without doubt.

I felt that a repeat of this year would likely be the best we could do for a year or two. The number of 1-0 wins in the second-half of the season (many of them rather lucky ones) shows just how hard we had to fight for it, and we did it through being consistent rather than spectacular, even with a lot of the players really playing near the top of their game. The team would hopefully continue to work well as for the most part I was planning to keep it together. Until we got the CL money we wouldn’t have much in the bank anyway, plus the performances of players like Williamson, Girard (our weakest midfielder on paper believe it or not) and Vanderlei, the players perhaps closest to the exit door, were such that there’s no chance of wanting to get rid of them for now. Hopefully the gelled nature of the squad (though we would have two transfers at least) would help have another good year next season.

Squad Stats

Star player: A free signing from Bastia last summer, Karanja was part of a midfield duo (made out of two out of him, Girard and Noble, usually Girard alongside one of the other two but when the former was suspended the others worked so well together that they stayed that way for the last part of the season) that performed fantastically throughout the season.

[b101]

\o/ woop woop

[deltablue]

Euro 2056

[deltablue]

\o/ woop woop

I'm so delighted, hopefully we can keep it up.

Sorry for the lack of activity guys, I rushed through the end of the season on Friday because I was going away at the weekend and have either been busy or unwell since.

Summer 2056

Pre-season was set to be a fairly quiet one this time. We already had enough players that a couple of them were unhappy at hardly getting the chance to appear at all, we had a very strong side and even the fairly weak players had performed magnificently. There were already two transfers coming through, a deal made last summer for a keeper who needed to turn 18, and a free signing of a defender, though we were admittedly overstocked with those already, especially with Hudek now trained to play there, in what seemed his obvious position. The deals that were made this summer were also future signings, one for next year and one that I thought would be a year after but would actually go through in January.

The main bit of big news was up front. Williamson had been close to the exit door last summer, but shone and was our top scorer. It seemed clear that I’d keep him again, but then a potentially massive signing arrived in my sights. We were already 1 forward heavy, especially for the poacher position where Williamson played and with Cupak having had no chance at all last year as it was, so something had to give, and it was always likely to be the Scot, especially with his decent value and high wages helping to partly make up for the cost of the new guy, a move that I hope doesn’t backfire. Ahmed went as well, partly for the same reason of offsetting the big transfer, but also he had been the main loser among the many central defenders last year, a situation that would be worse this year, and was already unhappy. Having not played much of a part last season, selling wasn’t as much of a gamble as it might have otherwise been.

It would be nice to get CL qualification again, though I’d still be ok with the board expectation of Europa League, especially as with the first game at Man City (and Liverpool being the second trip) we were unlikely to make a strong start and I didn’t want to give myself more ground to make up than I needed to. I also hoped we could do alright in the competition itself this year. Dnipro are the playoff opponents, and despite having a few decent players, I don’t expect them to be that hard, and we should make the group stage, with 3rd and the Europa League the minimum target, but we might get a group we have a good chance of qualifying from if we’re lucky.

Despite a few moves, only 3 players arriving in the summer means that we should still be able to keep up the momentum, as I planned us to do so this year, hopefully making it another good one, though it won’t be easy for a lot of the players to keep up their performance level.

As good as Javorcic has been, he hasn't developed much (nor have some of the others I signed 1 1/2 years ago actually) so seeing this guy available for just a 500k release fee last summer made me decide to get him as a bit of insurance. They'll be swapped around depending in performances so hopefully both will get decent playing time and it will be interesting to see who becomes the world-class keeper in the end.

Another talented defender in a squad full of them, it will be interesting to see how much time he's able to get.

The only deal both made and completed this summer, and it's a biggie. At 32m and 140kpw probably the biggest of the entire career. Not exactly in keeping with the idea of younger players being better value but I felt it was worth making a big signing. He replaces an over-performing favourite who most definitely would have been able to stay otherwise so he needs to perform.

A player I expected to arrive a lot more developed in a couple of years time, but the fact I'm getting him at the end of his contract seems to trump the usual rules about players not moving until they're 18.

[elbilly]

Diallo looks class, hope he can deliver for you. Not too confident about Fukuyama's jumping ability (having run into a similar problem with a CB myself recently)

[deltablue]

Diallo looks class, hope he can deliver for you. Not too confident about Fukuyama's jumping ability (having run into a similar problem with a CB myself recently)

Well I'll be training him on it so it should be passable. Plus I have so many options (to the point that he was only bought as a good free signing to get, along with wanting to have as many options as possible as not everyone will develop) that if it hinders him it won't matter too much.

Diallo is a massive gamble, and not just because he's so expensive and paid so much (he's the joint-highest earner in the squad, some distance ahead of anyone else, alongside Ida, who featured in the league team of the year last season and the subs bench of the world team of the year, so is definitely worth it). Williamson was a decent but limited player on paper (as well as having little future at 31) but was also the most reliable goalscorer since I arrived, I left us a forward heavy last season because I was wary of getting rid of him prematurely, but 4 players for one role would have been too much, so someone had to go and it was always going to be him when the time came.

As it is Faisca's arrival will leave us with the same 6 forwards for 2 places (leaving out things like roles and specific spots) situation that I sold the Scot to avoid (a player like Diallo was too potentially good to just not sign in the first place), which is why for once I would have preferred to wait until the Brazilian was 18. The fans were unhappy because of his vital goalscoring record, and I sort of agreed. If Diallo doesn't perform from the start, especially if no one else is able to step up and get the goals it's going to look like a big mistake, at least in the short-term.

[deltablue]

Aug 2056

Man City 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We had to hit the ground running early on, starting at Man City. They had a lot of chances but we managed to stop most of them from being too threatening. It looked like we’d get a decent point, but in stoppage time Vanderlei popped up and gave us all three!

Dnipro 1-4 Ipswich (CL)

We went to Dnipro for the CL qualifier, which proved to be much easier than I expected. Erbay gave us the lead in the 5th minute, extended by Diallo. Erbay scored again before the break, and a penalty allowed the Turk to get a hat-trick as we won 4-1 in the end.

Ipswich 1-0 Everton (PRM)

We were rather less convincing against Everton in the first home game of the season, especially up front, but for the 2nd league game in a row Vanderlei gave us the win.

Ipswich 0-0 (4-1) Dnipro (CL)

We were so comfortable in the Dnipro tie that we were able to sit back, but still had lots of chances that might have properly buried the Ukrainians. The Group draw was relatively favourable, Barcelona would obviously be very tough but on our day we were capable of matching anyone, while Olympiakos and Copenhagen were both manageable, if not that easy. It gave us a pretty good chance of qualification.

Liverpool 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We went to Liverpool and went behind from a controversial penalty late in the first half. We deserved at least a point and got it from Diallo in the 83rd minute.

Sept 2056

Bolton 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

We were disappointingly lifeless in the first half at Bolton after the international break. Thankfully Krassnitzer gave us the lead after 70 minutes, followed by a Diallo brace as we got the comfortable victory we were expecting in the end.

Ipswich 5-0 Copenhagen (CL)

The first CL group game was against Copenhagen, probably the easiest one. We were actually on the back foot for a while early on, but the game turned with a quick Bonnet brace after 35 minutes. They put up a bit of a fight again in the second-half, but late on Karanja and Diallo (with two goals) gave us a deceptively easy-looking 5-0 win.

Ipswich 2-1 Barnsley (PRM)

I was shocked to go behind early on against Barnsley, but Bonnet equalized after 20 minutes. Diallo managed to give us the winner in the 65th minute, but then went off injured and would be out for a few weeks.

Man City 4-3 (aet) Ipswich (LC)

We had already been to Man City once this year, and did so again in the League Cup. It started badly as they had the lead after 4 minutes, but Diallo’s injury had allowed Reeves back in the side and the veteran Welshman scored a hat-trick to make it 3-1 to us by the break. They pulled a goal back through a penalty in the 57th minute, and dominated from that point, eventually equalizing in the 80th minute, and getting an extra-time winner.

Ipswich 2-0 Spurs (PRM)

Spurs had been struggling for years, but had started dangerously this year. Reeves gave us the lead in the 9th minute, with Bonnet giving us a second-goal later in the half as we won comfortably.

Barcelona 2-0 Ipswich (CL)

We followed the easiest CL group game with the hardest, at Barcelona. We were outplayed from the start, and they took the lead in the 29th minute. More goals seemed inevitable, especially after Karanja was sent off, though there was only one more late on.

West Ham 3-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We didn’t do very well at West Ham either, going behind in the 18th minute, and we were lucky they had another one disallowed. Reeves equalized in the 55th minute but the referee made up for their disallowed goal by giving them a penalty, and a 3rd goal meant we were well-beaten.

It's been a very strong start to the season, despite the fact that we haven't had the easiest set of games so far. As I expected, the addition of Diallo (who has 7 goals in 8 games so far, 4 in 5 in the league) to an otherwise pretty much unchanged side has allowed the team to keep working very well indeed. Not only that but we've generally looked a lot more convincing in games, without relying anywhere near as much on the lucky 1-0 wins, especially in games where we should be more comfortable, though it's admittedly early days to make that judgement.

I think we're capable of going for a top 3 spot and a place straight in the CL group stage next year if we can keep it up (though again, early days), as well as making it through the group this time, especially if we get something at Olympiakos (though that will be tough, even though you can't see that they have a good side, the fact that they're a 2nd seed team should clue you in that they're pretty strong right now) in the next CL game.

[elbilly]

Awesome start, very nice way to kick off with a win over City!