chile_paul Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 Another new arrival to the squad, prompted by his agent getting in touch to offer his services. Martial started his career at Nice in the French league, but after a good first season in Ligue 1 during which he scored 7 goals in 31 appearances Nice decided to dispense of his services following their relegation. He went unsigned for 3 months before he was offered to me, he didn't remain unsigned much longer. He has however pushed the club over it's wage budget - it will be well worth it though if we get promoted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 It was always going to be hard to maintain our run of form in November, and we certainly did falter - however we managed to stay unbeaten for most of the month, only falling to defeat once at home to Hull before bounding back to a convincing win at home to Derby County. Scott Dunlop who has previously been so reliable has really struggled this season and with his contract expiring at the end of the season I just wonder if his head is focussed on things other than playing football? He certainly isn't convincing me that I should be breaking the club's wage structure to keep him on beyond the end of the season yet........ The 2-2 result away to Swansea was particularly hard to take having been 2-0 up and flying after 15 minutes, they managed to fight back before half time to equalise before both teams had a player sent off in the second half. Still sitting in the play-off spaces, but the top of the leagues is really, really tight A really valiant attempt in the league cup, we matched Man City for most of the first half, they took the lead however and when Scott Dunlop missed an open goal on the stroke of half time our luck vanished. They came out much the stronger in the second half and strolled to a comfortable win - who knows what could have been if Dunlop had taken that chance........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Doing very well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 3, 2013 Author Share Posted September 3, 2013 Oooh! That was a good result, as a Newcastle fan this save can't get much better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 By finishing above Wednesday you'll be the top ranked team in Sheffield. How many years have passed since that was last the case? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 About 150 years I imagine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Looks like you need more photo space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 By finishing above Wednesday you'll be the top ranked team in Sheffield.How many years have passed since that was last the case? About 150 years I imagine. Haha, how many more years until they get back above me!!?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 Looks like you need more photo space. Thanks, looks as though it's sorted now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 An absolutely stunning month in December, only prevented from being perfect thanks to a resolute performance by Notts County on the final day of the year. Integral to our performances were both of my new signings with Mitskevich picking up 5 goals in 8 games (really pleased to see this as he had disappointed me to start with) and some stunning performances from Martial Caceres who may not have hit the back of the net too many times but had been integral to our play. The month couldn't have started much better with a real smash and grab victory on the counter attack against 3rd placed Leicester City with goals neatly placed either side of half time, we then went on to hammer Bristol City away before breaking a club record with the humiliation of Sunderland in which Mitskevich picked up a stunning hattrick and young central defender Sam Duff scored his first goal for the club. The Cardiff game started out in a very different fashion, they took the lead twice but we fought back each time to go into half time all square, but after the break we restored our goal scoring form and picked up another 3 - we'd now scored 18 goals in 4 matches! Against Sheffield Wednesday the game was even tighter, they were 2-0 up with 2 minutes to go before half time when Martial Caceres scored, again we came out of the break much stronger and scored in the 71st and 83rd minute to take the win. 2 further wins against Portsmouth and Birmingham City before Notts County managed to nick 2 points from us. We've been catapulted right up the table now and are really in the title race, at the very least I'm expecting a play-off place from this season now. Really surprised that Dunlop has taken this award - Caceres and Mitskevich would have deserved it far more in my opinion I won't say no to the manager of the month award though, let's just hope it doesn't jinx our form Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Excellent recent form, hope you keep it up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Great December for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 We really returned to Earth with a bump in January after a high flying December - having drawn our last game we were desperate to return to a winning formula away to Wolves; they had been playing in the Premier League last season but were having a shocking run and were hugging close to the relegation zone at the bottom of the table, as a result I probably went in a little bit Gung Ho and ended up losing 1-0 thanks to a midfield masterclass from Ross Barkley. We responded magnificently with a great counter attacking win against top of the table Burnley before slipping up once again to a bottom half team in a heavy 3-0 defeat against QPR. We then had to fight back twice as Coventry City took the lead and we eventually slipped our noses in front, going 3-2 up before they fired back in with an equaliser of their own. Certainly not a disaster as we hang onto second place, but Burnley have now moved 7 points clear. That 4-3 victory may be crucial in keeping them at the end of a leash come the end of the season. The FA Cup was really hard work this season and frankly pales to insignificance for the first time in this career compared to the importance of securing Premier League football. We really struggled against local side Sheffield United (now in League 1) and had to rely on a replay which we won eventually. We then took an early lead away to Hull in the 4th round, but frustratingly once Hull went down to 10 men they started playing much better and we couldn't hold out, eventually conceding the game in the 90th minute. One arrival to mention in the January transfer window, Chris Ford joining to bolster my options in goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 .......and we're right back on track now after a stunning February. We were unlucky to be 1-0 down at half time home versus Everton and after telling my players exactly that they managed to find some real self belief and came back out and produced a stunning come back to win 4-1, including a stunning 30 yard free kick from Vladislav Mitskevich which curled into the top right hand corner of the net, despairingly out of the clutches of the Everton goalkeeper. We went on to collect a further 6 points at home - we went 2-0 up against Leeds within 20 minutes and somehow managed to withstand an onslaught as they played us off the park for the remaining 70 minutes and after Trystan Smith gave us the lead against Doncaster Rovers we held out in a nervy game. A bit of a gap now starting to develop between us and third place now, and Burnley are only a point away...... I'll take the award with pride, please don't let it affect our form Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Come on! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Very well placed for the run-in. Really hope you can do it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Come on! Very well placed for the run-in. Really hope you can do it! Thanks both, we've had a good month in March but it's still going to be a close run thing - I have a habit of leaving things to the last day....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Back to my (smaller) stadium, although if we get promoted to the Premier League I expect us to be shipped out somewhere else for a further ground expansion shortly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Similarly, whilst this is always nice to see, I fully expect it to be cancelled again if we get promoted to divert funds to ground expansions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Without doubt an improved intake, although nobody who really stands out as anyone with enough potential to make it into the first team, despite that I have signed more youngsters this season than in any previous season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 The month started in frustrating fashion as 24th placed Watford scored twice in 2 minutes to take 2 points off us and salvage a draw after we had taken the lead. We weren't to be put off our title chase though and recovered with a 4-2 win against 23rd placed Brighton and Hove Albion; the game wasn't without it's scares though - we had been cruising at 3-0 at half time only to see Brighton pull 2 goals back and get within a one goal margin - luckily we held out and eventually extended our lead in the 73rd minute to make the final 15 minutes far more comfortable. Two goals either side of half time gave us a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace and it was looking as if we were going to have another successful month when we took the lead against play-off contenders and FA Cup semi-finalists Peterborough United, but two defensive errors allowed them to steal the 3 points and keep the title race strongly in Burnley's hands. It certainly isn't all over yet, but I think there is a good chance that Sheffield may be seeing Premier League football next season........ One final Eastern European addition to the squad with thanks to his agent who approached the club. Alimov is in a very similar form to Mitskevich who has been a revelation since he joined, the only difference is he plays on the left wing rather than the right - a bonus really as Nelson who currently occupies that position is at the end of his contract this season and isn't really good enough to move the club forward. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Alimov's a great signing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Alimov's a great signing. Let's hope so - he's underwhelmed in his first few games, but then again so did Mitskevich until he started getting familiar with the team and our style of playing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 I have to say that I'm not surprised by this news, he's just asking for higher wages than I'm prepared to pay him - however my strategy at the start of the year has paid off, I sold Sam Gallagher who was in exactly the same position as Dunlop (contract expiring and not willing to discuss reasonable terms) to make sure my losses were limited and with the money that we bought in I strengthened my striking options. As a result, Dunlop is no longer the key player he was at the end of last season and whilst I'm disappointed to be missing out on a reasonable transfer fee this won't be the disaster that it could have been. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 Get in, great news, we're going to be playing in the Premier League next season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 Another fantastic month which sees us confirm promotion to the Premier League next season. We really dominated the first three games of the month, starting with a fantastic 2-0 win against play-off candidates Norwich, we then continued to beat Hull City getting revenge for when they knocked us out of the FA Cup and we confirmed our promotion with a really strong performance as we beat Derby County 3-0. Clearly however the celebratory party after that result had an impact as we headed into the next game, knowing that we needed to continue our winning formula to maintain pressure on top of the table Burnley - Cardiff were far too strong in the first half pushing into a 1-0 lead which they extended to 3-0 by the hour mark. We managed to fight back, but all too late with goals in the 77th and 87th minute to recover a respectable scoreline, but the result was enough to confirm Burnley as Champions. With nothing left to play for I fielded much weakened sides for the remaining two games and was encouraged to see 6 points in the bag with home victories against play-off contenders Leicester City and another strong side in Swansea - things continue to look good for the future therefore, even so, staying in the Premier League will be a big ask next season! Loving the look of this table, just a shame that Burnley were just too strong for me to take the title along with promotion. In 6 of the last 8 seasons 92 points would have been enough to lift the trophy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 No surprise with this news...... and we'll be off to yet another stadium whilst ours is improved, given we'll only be at circa 11,000 seats when the work is complete I expect we may see further moves in the next few years - we've surely now been playing in other stadiums for more time than we've been playing in our own?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 My normal annual update on the goings on in world football: Tony Pulis retired from football after many successful years at the helm of Stoke City. His biggest success was in lifting the Europa League with Stoke in 2016 and he is widely respected for turning them into a solid Premier League team. The fans will be hoping that his successor can now build on that reputation to move the club forward Carlo Ancelotti almost managed a stunning performance with Valencia in the Spanish League, after beating Barcelona in the penultimate game of the season to take 1st position in the table all they needed was one more win to become the first team to knock Barcelona and Real Madrid off the top of the table for 16 years. Alas, the pressure got to the team and they lost to 7th placed Villareal allowing Andre Villas-Boas's Barcelona to retain the title and Real Madrid snuck into 2nd place having had a horrendous start to the season which had seen them drop to 6th place at the half way stage. Antonio Conte staked his claim as the most successful Italian manager of all time as he led his Chelsea side to the Premier League title as well as Champions League glory Saint-Etienne produced a shock as they stormed to the top of the French league, becoming the first side to knock either PSG or Lille from the top spot for many years. Toulouse were also a shock in second place with Lille back in third and PSG in a very disappointing 5th place In Italy there was a shock as well as Juventus failed to win the Serie A title for the first time in 10 years. Instead it was Jugen Klopp's AC Milan side who lifted the Scudetto as well as the Coppa Italia for the second season running In Scotland Celtic made a return to winning ways as they took the Premier League title having disappointed for the last 4 seasons. They had to fight off a very strong challenge from St. Mirren however who are really helping, along with Motherwell and Partick Thistle to make the Scottish league much more open than in the days when the Old Firm could be guaranteed to walk away with the title. St. Mirren eventually fell away to 4th place having been leading the table with only 3 games to play. Rangers finished a disappointing 5th place. Scottish Premier League title winning manager of Motherwell, John Terry, didn't stay at the club long into the 2020/21 season, deciding instead that the challenge of trying to beat the big 2 in Spain was more to his liking along with the sunnier climate, and therefore jumping at the chance to go and manage Real Sociedad after they had sacked another famous England international defender, Stuart Pearce. After Man City failed to qualify for the Champions League for the 3rd consecutive season, Chairman Al Mubarak decided that a change at the helm was necessary. Luciano Spalletti was asked to clear his desk after only 15 months in charge, but the Citizens supportes were less than enamoured at his choice of replacement. Ex England defender Chris Powell has done a decent job at maintaining Aston Villa as a mid table side in the Premier League but with only a League Cup victory to his name as manager at Swansea City he is not regarded as the calibre of manager that the fans want to lift City back to the top of the Permier League In a great season for clubs in the Sheffield region, not only did Sheffield FC get promoted to the Premier League but Sheffield United returned to the Championship, finishing in 2nd place in League 1 just behind Chesterfield who will be playing in the Championship for the first time since 1950. The Spireites fans are delighted with the performances of their team and the leadership of young and talented manager Scott Robertson who has only been at the club for a year having had a successful playing career with Hearts where he was also capped twice by the Scottish national team Stoke City and Aston Villa have both looked to Portugal for their next managers, appointing the managers of Benfica and Sporting Lisbon respectively. Bessa, the ex Sporting Lisbon boss and new manager of Aston Villa currently has the bragging rights having just lifted the Liga ZON Sagres title with Benifca's manager Paulo Sergio leaving the club in 3rd place before he moved to Stoke. However Sergio had lifted the title the season previously and both will be looking forward to renewing their rivalry in England next season Sergio Ramos retired after a very respectable career as a defender for Spain and Real Madrid. When he joined Real in 2005 he was the most expensive defender in football history. He helped Real lift the La Liga title on 10 occassions and lifted the Champions League trophy once. He has now moved onto a career as a Fitness coach for Porto. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Great job reaching the Premier League Paul. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Chile_Paul's Career - Season Review - 2020/21 - Sheffield FC nPower Championship Final League Position: 2nd (Promoted) A stunning season far exceeding my early expectations, however the early arrivals of two players with immense quality in Vladislav Mitskevich and Martial Caceres really allowed us to set our goals and vision higher and we really capitalised on the catalyst of their arrival to snatch promotion fairly comfortably in the end. League Cup Competition Performance: Quarter Final A fantastic run taking us further than we've ever been before in this competition, until the eventual runners-up Man City overpowered us. FA Cup Competition Performance: 4th Round A real struggle for some reason this year, we struggled to make it past local rivals Sheffield United, requiring a replay in the 3rd round, before we were beaten by Championship side Hull City after taking an early lead Squad Mitskevich and Caceres were the stand out performers this season with George Taylor and Trystan Smith also deserving special mention, but over and above this I was really pleased with how well some of the youngsters that I bought into the side performed - Schaap, Pohl, O'Brien and Duff all had really solid seasons and bolstered my options across the squad significantly - in previous seasons I would have sent these guys on loan but I'm really pleased that I kept them all at home and gave them a chance to perform. Transfers - Finances A significant net profit on transfers helped us out financially this season, but the £5m+ that is being spent on increasing the stadium capacity has blown that out of the water. I fully expect that a season of Premier League TV revenues will make this look considerably more healthy by this time next year My Top 3 Players Vladislav Mitskevich - Wow, an incredible performance from the Belarusian as he destroyed defence after defence. He finished with 20 goals and 16 assists from the right wing. He was awarded the Championship player of the year award and named in the PFA Championship team of the year. Martial Caceres - His 15 goals from when he joined in November were really important, but equally important was his build up play for the team - 12 assists and an average rating of 7.71 which breaks the Sheffield FC record for highest average rating over a season show just what an important player he has been for the team. George Taylor - Tempted to award 3rd place to Trystan Smith but that would have been more for sentimental reasons than anything else. Instead the award has gone to George Taylor who after an injury hit season last time out has performed consistently well this year. His stats aren't as good as his performances suggest, but this recognition (and the Fan's Player of the Year award) are well deserved. Fans Player of the Season - George Taylor Best Eleven - 2020 / 2021 Best Eleven - All Time What's Next? An incredibly tough battle to survive in the top flight Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 A very well deserved award for the man from Belarus, can he repeat this level of performance in the Premier League - his performances will be key in ensuring our survival. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 A healthy transfer budget, but the wage bill won't go very far............ Hopefully I'll be able to find some cheaper players from further afield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 A sad day for one of the club's iconic players - I really wish him every future success in his future career, the club will move on without him. Having said that, he's currently on trial with a Premier League rival - Ipswich Town - therefore I hop he isn't too successful! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Congrats on a very comfortable promotion. That budget isn't much to go on however. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Congrats on a very comfortable promotion. That budget isn't much to go on however. Thanks, the budget is really challenging - my highest paid player is on £10k per week, no other Premier League team has more than 3 players who are paid less than that. I've managed to shift my overall wage budget to about £150k by reducing transfer funds, but if I can pull survival off on this budget it will be a miracle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 What went on Elsewhere? English Premier League 2012/13 - 1st Arsenal 2nd Man United 3rd Newcastle Utd 4th Tottenham - Relegated Wigan, Southampton, Norwich 2013/14 - 1st Man United 2nd Chelsea 3rd Man City 4th Arsenal - Relegated Leicester City, Everton, QPR 2014/15 - 1st Chelsea 2nd Man Utd 3rd Man City 4th Stoke City - Relegated Wolves, Blackburn, Milwall 2015/16 - 1st Man Utd 2nd Arsenal 3rd Newcastle Utd 4th Chelsea - Relegated Swansea City, Wigan, Bolton 2016/17 - 1st Man Utd 2nd Man City 3rd Arsenal 4th Newcastle United - Relegated Southampton, Ipswich Town, Reading 2017/18 - 1st Man Utd 2nd Chelsea 3rd Man City 4th Newcastle United - Relegated Burnley, Wigan Athletic, Milwall 2018/19 - 1st Chelsea 2nd Arsenal 3rd Liverpool 4th Man Utd - Relegated Leicester City, Sunderland, Ipswich Town 2019/20 - 1st Newcastle United 2nd Liverpool 3rd Chelsea 4th Man Utd - Relegated WBA, Wolves, Burnley 2020/21 - 1st Chelsea 2nd Newcastle United 3rd Liverpool 4th Man Utd - Relegated Huddersfield Town, Millwall, Wigan Athletic FA Cup 2012/13 - Winners QPR Runners-Up West Brom 2013/14 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up Leicester City 2014/15 - Winners Man City Runners-Up West Brom 2015/16 - Winners Man City Runners-Up Blackpool 2016/17 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Chelsea 2017/18 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Liverpool 2018/19 - Winners Arsenal Runners-Up Chelsea 2019/20 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up Man United 2020/21 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Aston Villa League Cup 2012/13 - Winners Reading Runners-Up Bolton 2013/14 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Arsenal 2014/15 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Reading 2015/16 - Winners Swansea City Runners-Up Everton 2016/17 - Winners Liverpool Runners-Up West Brom 2017/18 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Man City 2018/19 - Winners Liverpool Runners-Up Chelsea 2019/20 - Winners Man City Runners-Up Fulham 2020/21 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Man City ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Liga BBVA 2012/13 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Getafe - Relegated Espanyol, Real Valladolid, Osasuna 2013/14 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Valencia 3rd Barcelona 4th Real Zaragoza - Relegated Rayo Vallecano, Celta Vigo, Deportivo de la Coruna 2014/15 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Sevilla - Relegated Sporting Gijon, RCD Mallorca, Numancia 2015/16 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Sevilla - Relegated Racing Club Santander, Osasuna, Alaves 2016/17 - 1st Barcelona 2nd Real Madrid 3rd Atletico Madrid 4th Valencia - Relegated Hercules CF, CD Numancia, RCD Mallorca 2017/18 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Sevilla - Relegated Levante UD, Osasuna, Tenerife 2018/19 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Atletico Madrid 4th Sevilla - Relegated Deportivo de la Coruna, Alaves, Recreativo de Huelva 2019/20 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Villarreal - Relegated Getafe, Levante UD, Espanyol 2020/21 - 1st Barcelona 2nd Real Madrid 3rd Valencia 4th Sevilla - Relegated Malaga CF, Tenerife, UD Almeria Copa del Rey 2012/13 - Winners Valencia Runners-Up Real Madrid 2013/14 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Real Madrid 2014/15 - Winners Real Madrid Runners-Up Real Betis 2015/16 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Zaragoza 2016/17 - Winners Real Madrid Runners-Up Atletico Madrid 2017/18 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Villarreal 2018/19 - Winners Valencia Runners-Up Real Sociedad 2019/20 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Villareal 2020/21 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Real Madrid ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Serie A TIM 2012/13 - 1st Juventus 2nd Fiorentina 3rd Napoli 4th AC Milan - Relegated Torino, Pescara, AC Siena 2013/14 - 1st Juventus 2nd AC Milan 3rd Fiorentina 4th AS Roma - Relegated Udinese, Chievo Verona, Sampdoria 2014/15 - 1st Juventus 2nd Fiorentina 3rd AS Roma 4th Parma - Relegated Empoli, Reggina, Cesena 2015/16 - 1st Juventus 2nd Napoli 3rd Inter Milan 4th Parma - Relegated Spezia, Chievo Verona, Atalanta 2016/17 - 1st Juventus 2nd Fiorentina 3rd Inter Milan 4th Napoli - Relegated Brescia, ASG Nocerina, Bologna 2017/18 - 1st Juventus 2nd AC Milan 3rd Inter Milan 4th AS Roma - Relegated Empoli, Pescara, Catania 2018/19 - 1st Juventus 2nd AC Siena 3rd Napoli 4th AC Milan - Relegated Treviso, Reggina, Genoa 2019/20 - 1st Juventus 2nd Inter Milan 3rd Parma 4th Fiorentina - Relegated Palermo, Cagliari, Bari 2020/21 - 1st AC Milan 2nd Inter Milan 3rd Napoli 4th Juventus - Relegated Cesena, Pescara, Bologna TIM Cup 2012/13 - Winners Juventus Runners-Up Napoli 2013/14 - Winners Cagliari Runners-Up Udinese 2014/15 - Winners AC Milan Runners-Up Juventus 2015/16 - Winners Fiorentina Runners-Up Napoli 2016/17 - Winners AS Roma Runners-Up Napoli 2017/18 - Winners Napoli Runners-Up Parma 2018/19 - Winners Juventus Runners-Up Napoli 2019/20 - Winners AC Milan Runners-Up Juventus 2020/21 - Winners AC Milan Runners-Up Lazio ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bundesliga 2012/13 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Borussia Dortmund 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Bayer Leverkusen - Relegated Hannover 96, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Werder Bremen 2013/14 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Borussia Dortmund 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Hamburg - Relegated FSV Mainz, FC Augsburg 2014/15 - 1st Bayer Leverkusen 2nd Bayern Munich 3rd Borussia Monchengladbach 4th Borussia Dortmund - Relegated Hamburg, Hertha Berlin 2015/16 - 1st Bayer Leverkusen 2nd Borussia Dortmund 3rd Bayern Munich 4th FC Schalke 04 - Relegated TSV 1860 Munich, Hannover 96 2016/17 - 1st Borussia Mochengladbach 2nd Bayern Munich 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Borussia Dortmund - Relegated FSV Mainz, Werder Bremen, SpVgg Greuther Furth 2017/18 - 1st VfB Stuttgart 2nd Bayern Munich 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Borussia Dortmund - Relegated TSV 1860 Munich, FC Augsburg 2018/19 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Borussia Monchengladbach 3rd VfB Stuttgart 4th Borussia Dortmund - Relegated Fortuna Dusseldorf, SpVgg Greuther Furth 2019/20 - 1st Borussia Dortmund 2nd Bayer Leverkusen 3rd Bayern Munich 4th VfB Stuttgart - Relegated Hannover 96, Kaiserslautern, FSV Mainz 2020/21 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Bayer Leverkusen 3rd Borussia Dortmund 4th FC Schalke 04 - Relegated TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Babelsberg DFB Pokal 2012/13 - Winners Werder Bremen Runners-Up VfB Stuttgart 2013/14 - Winners Bayer Leverkusen Runners-Up Wolfsburg 2014/15 - Winners SC Freiburg Runners-Up Bayer Leverkusen 2015/16 - Winners Hamburg Runners-Up Eintracht Frankfurt 2016/17 - Winners Bayern Munich Runners-Up FC Nurnberg 2017/18 - Winners Bayern Munich Runners-Up Vfl Bochum 2018/19 - Winners Borussia Dortmund Runners-Up Eintracht Frankfurt 2019/20 - Winners Hoffenheim Runners-Up Bayern Munich 2020/21 - Winners Wolfsburg Runners-Up Hamburg ---------------------------------------------------------------------- French Ligue 1 2012/13 - 1st PSG 2nd Marseille 3rd Lille 4th Bordeaux - Relegated Nice, Nancy, Ajaccio 2013/14 - 1st PSG 2nd Marseille 3rd Bordeaux 4th Lille - Relegated Bastia, Nantes, Brest 2014/15 - 1st PSG 2nd Lille 3rd Marseille 4th Lyon - Relegated Ajaccio, Stade Reims, Guingamp 2015/16 - 1st PSG 2nd Lille 3rd Marseille 4th Montpellier Herault - Relegated Clermont Foot 63, Lorient, Brest 2016/17 - 1st Lille 2nd PSG 3rd Marseille 4th Saint Etienne - Relegated Metz, Rennes, Le Havre AC 2017/18 - 1st PSG 2nd Lille 3rd Marseille 4th Saint Etienne - Relegated Valenciennes, Ajaccio, Arles-Avignon 2018/19 - 1st Lille 2nd PSG 3rd Saint Etienne 4th Marseille - Relegated Auxerre, Evian TG, Brest 2019/20 - 1st Lille 2nd PSG 3rd Marseille 4th Monaco - Relegated Montpellier, Nice, Troyes 2020/21 - 1st Saint-Etienne 2nd Toulouse 3rd Lille 4th Marseille - Relegated Evian TG, Clermont Foot 63, Metz Coupe de France 2012/13 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Lyon 2013/14 - Winners Sochaux Runners-Up PSG 2014/15 - Winners Lyon Runners-Up PSG 2015/16 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Vannes 2016/17 - Winners Montpellier Herault Runners-Up Bordeaux 2017/18 - Winners Monaco Runners-Up Stade Reims 2018/19 - Winners Marseille Runners-Up Dijon 2019/20 - Winners Nancy Runners-Up Lyon 2020/21 - Winners Dijon Runners-Up Metz Coupe de la Ligue 2012/13 - Winners PSG Runners-Up Lorient 2013/14 - Winners Nantes Runners-Up PSG 2014/15 - Winners St. Etienne Runners-Up Troyes 2015/16 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Le Havre 2016/17 - Winners Stade Reims Runners-Up Lyon 2017/18 - Winners Monaco Runners-Up PSG 2018/19 - Winners Marseille Runners-Up Ajaccio 2019/20 - Winners Dijon Runners-Up St Etienne 2020/21 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Lyon ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clydesdale Bank Premier League 2012/13 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Motherwell 4th St. Mirren - Relegated Aberdeen 2013/14 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Hibernian 4th Motherwell - Relegated St. Johnstone 2014/15 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Hibernian 4th Motherwell - Relegated Aberdeen 2015/16 - 1st Celtic 2nd Rangers 3rd Hibernian 4th Dundee United - Relegated Dundee 2016/17 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Motherwell 4th Rangers - Relegated Ross County 2017/18 - 1st Rangers 2nd St Mirren 3rd Inverness CT 4th Hibernian - Relegated Partick Thistle 2018/19 - 1st Motherwell 2nd Rangers 3rd Inverness CT 4th Celtic - Relegated Aberdeen 2019/20 - 1st Motherwell 2nd Hearts 3rd Rangers 4th Celtic - Relegated St. Johnstone 2020/21 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Motherwell 4th St. Mirren - Relegated Hibernian Scottish FA Cup 2012/13 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Ross County 2013/14 - Winners Hearts Runners-Up Celtic 2014/15 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Dundee 2015/16 - Winners Inverness CT Runners-Up Falkirk 2016/17 - Winners Inverness CT Runners-Up Celtic 2017/18 - Winners Inverness CT Runners-Up Dundee United 2018/19 - Winners Hearts Runners-Up Dundee United 2019/20 - Winners Hearts Runners-Up Rangers 2020/21 - Winners Hibernian Runners-Up St. Mirren Scottish League Cup 2012/13 - Winners St Johnstone Runners-Up Motherwell 2013/14 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Motherwell 2014/15 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Hearts 2015/16 - Winners Ross County Runners-Up Motherwell 2016/17 - Winners St Mirren Runners-Up Celtic 2017/18 - Winners Hibernian Runners-Up Inverness CT 2018/19 - Winners St. Mirren Runners-Up Falkirk 2019/20 - Winners Rangers Runners-Up Motherwell 2020/21 - Winners St. Mirren Runners-Up Partick Thistle ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Champions League 2012/13 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up FC Schalke 04 2013/14 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Real Madrid 2014/15 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Juventus 2015/16 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Real Madrid 2016/17 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Barcelona 2017/18 - Winners Real Madrid Runners-Up Inter Milan 2018/19 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Porto 2019/20 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Arsenal 2020/21 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up Porto Europa League 2012/13 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Tottenham Hotspur 2013/14 - Winners FC Porto Runners-Up Dynamo Kyiv 2014/15 - Winners FC Porto Runners-Up Galatasary 2015/16 - Winners Stoke City Runners-Up Fenerbahce 2016/17 - Winners Real Sociedad Runners-Up Sporting Lisbon 2017/18 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up Tottenham Hotspurs 2018/19 - Winners Arsenal Runners-Up Cagliari 2019/20 - Winners Borussia Dortmund Runners-Up Man City 2020/21 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Man City ---------------------------------------------------------------------- World Cup 2014 - Winners Spain Runners-Up France 2018 - Winners Spain Runners-Up Belgium European Championship 2016 - Winners Netherlands Runners-Up England 2020 - Winners Italy Runners-Up Spain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 World Awards 2020 - World Team of the Year 2012 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Xavi 3rd Cristiano Ronaldo 2013 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo 3rd Eden Hazard 2014 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Gerard Pique 3rd Juan 2015 World Player of the Year - 1st Cristiano Ronaldo 2nd Lionel Messi 3rd Neymar 2016 World Player of the Year - 1st Cristiano Ronaldo 2nd Fernando Llorente 3rd Sebastien Giovinco 2017 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo 3rd Meszut Ozil 2018 World Player of the Year - 1st Isco 2nd Thiago 3rd Gerard Pique 2019 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Arlington Sanchez 3rd Sergio Aguero 2020 World Player of the Year - 1st Neymar 2nd Jack Wilshere 3rd Gradus Ibrahim European Awards 2020/21 Best Player in Europe - 1st Neymar 2nd Eden Hazard 3rd Karl Alves 2020/21 European Golden Boy - Grant Claxton English Awards 2020/21 Manager of the Year - 1st Antonio Conte 2nd Ricardo Moniz 3rd Aykut Kocaman 2020/21 Golden Glove - 1st Tim Krul 2nd Alex Smithies 3rd Thibaut Courtois 2020/21 Footballer of the Year - Neymar 2020/21 Players' Player of the Year - Eden Hazard 2020/21 Players' Team of the Year 2020/21 Players' Young Player of the Year - 1st Manolo Ovidi 2nd Gordon McManus 3rd Eneko Romo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Chile_Paul's Career - Season Preview - 2021/22 - Sheffield FC Board Expectations: Barclay's Premier League : Stay clear of relegation FA Cup: Third round League Cup: Second round My Expectations: Barclays Premier League: Avoid relegation by any means possible FA Cup: Not as important as other competitions this season, but fifth round is a reasonable target League Cup: Quarter final Budgets: Transfer: £5.42m Wage: £139,150 p/w (Currently spending £136,751 p/w) Balance: -£6,029,587 Friendlies A very long pre-season but against some very low level clubs as I try to ensure that my team are at maximum levels of fitness and match preparation heading into the new season. The match up against Blackburn and the resulting defeat was probably a mistake as it has caused morale to dip down below Perfect Transfers - In Martin Pettigrew - Free - Martin had been on my radar for a while and as his contract expired at Hamilton Academical I snatched him up. He'd be a great player in the Championship but will need some development at this level (as will so many of my players this season). He'll get a few games at right back. Eric Petry - £1.4m - I took the opportunity to activate Eric's release clause to sign him. He will be my third goalkeeper in the squad, the concern I have is that they are all pretty much equal in terms of ability and frankly none on them are currently good enough - a major concern for this season. Nikola Mejasic - £2.6m - The first of my major transactions this summer, Nikola is a central defender who can also play in midfield and is far stronger than any of the other candidates for this position - at only 19 years of age he should have a strong future with us. Andy O'Callaghan - £500k - Snatched up at the end of his contract with only £500k compensation payable to Cardiff City, Andy can play at both right and left back and also has the attributes to be a central defender and will be a key squad player moving forward. Elvis Kovacevic - Free - At 33 years of age and with experience of playing in the top Spanish league Elvis will bring some much needed experience into the back line. James Milner - Free - Delighted to welcome James's experience to the club. At 35 years of age he is certainly not the player he once was, but he's probably still the strongest player in the squad! Martin Ferguson - £725k - Again utilising a contract release clause I was able to sign this exciting attacking midfielder from East Stirlingshire (who incidentally are now in the Scottish Premier League thanks to investment from a tycoon over recent seasons.) His arrival does however mean that we're oversubscribed in the attacking midfield division so I may have some unhappy players later in the season who won't be getting playing time. Juan Coulibaly - £4.6m - This deal really hurt the bank account and I had to be grateful that Estudiantes would accept a substantial amount spread across multiple months to be able to sign him. Coulibaly has had successful loan spells in France in recent seasons so I'm hoping he will adapt well to European football and be a rock in defence for us Transfers - Out Scott Dunlop is the most notable player to leave, disappointingly leaving at the end of his contract and signing for Premier League rivals Ipswich Town on a free transfer. Oscar Denis has left on a loan deal to play in France for a season and may result in a permanent deal, he is towards the bottom end of the pecking order for the attacking midfield berth and after a disappointing season last year he wouldn't be getting much playing time for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 This is not what I wanted to hear a couple of weeks before the start of the season - I've promised them both that we'll win the League cup within the next 2 seasons to keep them happy for the time being. That goal is more foolish rather than ambitious, but I need both of these players to be on form this season to give us a chance of staying up - I can't afford for either of them to be trying to force through a transfer out of the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Great news for these players: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Well, I always knew that my first season in the Premier League would be tough, but we almost came up with a perfect result against Tottenham in the first game. We started off matching Spurs and in the 19th minute bundled home an early goal thanks to Lewis Nicholas. Tottenham improved and equalised half way through the half but just before half time they has striker Radek Mucha sent off, surely this was my perfect opportunity to pull 3 points out of the bag? Unfortunately not, despite dominating the second half they scored in the 82nd minute and it looked as though I was heading for a heartbreaking first defeat. Luckily Juan Coulibaly was the hero of the hour, scoring on his debut in the 88th minute to rescue a point. Next match up was against Man Utd at Old Trafford, there's not really much for me to report other than to say that they trounced us - we had 1 shot on target all game and they wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 victory before half time. Towards the bottom of the table after the first 2 games, about where I expect to be all season....... We got off to a strong early start in the League Cup against Mansfield, but they fought back in the second half as we looked lacklustre and short of ideas - they came very close to taking us to extra time but we just held on to secure a visit to Northampton Town in the next round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Two new arrivals to bolster the squad just as the transfer window was slamming shut. Joe Allen has Premier League quality and should be a real asset as a ball winning midfielder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 September was a strange month with a massive 18 days in the middle with no fixtures, which threw us out of our rhythm although allowed us to play a couple more friendly games to help with the team bonding. We were competitive against Reading, which we needed to be as they are a club I think we need to be taking points from, however there strikers were too clinical for us (or our goalkeeper wasn't up to scratch, it might be the latter) and they took 2 good chances which allowed them to take all the points. The Southampton defeat was really worrying, as once again this is a club we should be competing with but they tore us to shreds roaring to a 3-0 lead by the 33rd minute with our goal only a consolation. Things definitely improved against West Brom though - before they came up against us they had won 4 games in a row and were sitting at the top of the table, but our hard tackling really threw them off their game and Martial Caceres was in deadly form up front. We took the lead early and were dominating the game, until in the 68th minute it looked as though West Brom would snatch a point thanks to Jelle Vossen (who has scored 9 goals in 5 games). However in the 70th minute we retook the lead thanks to Javi Marquez's 3rd goal in 3 games which also won him the Premier League goal of the month award. Our first win in the Premier League! 14th place in the league, but still far too early to judge how we will perform versus the bottom three. We didn't feel comfortable at all in the game at Northampton, yet managed to make the scoreline look comfortable - we have a much bigger challenge coming up however as we entertain Newcastle United in the 4th round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 2 really well deserved awards for Javi Marquez after this month, the goal of the month was crucial as it won us the three points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Great work getting Coulibaly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Well done on making it to the Premier League Tough season ahead, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 A decent start to a debut season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Great work getting Coulibaly. Thanks, Coulibaly has really been performing for us so he looks like a good buy Well done on making it to the Premier League Tough season ahead, though. A decent start to a debut season. The season is going better than I could ever have hoped for so far, fingers crossed it continues! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Wow! What an incredible month in October, it really couldn't have gone much better as we built on our win at the end against WBA with a further three victories to build a really impressive 4 game winning streak. It had been clear looking at the fixture list at the start of the season that this group of games would be a key period for us, but I never expected us to perform so well! The win at Bolton was particularly satisfying with my 2 stars of the season so far picking up a brace each. Clearly this run of form couldn't continue when we started to come up against the big guns and indeed despite fighting strongly against Arsenal (who incidentally are actually below me in the table) we were stunned by 2 early goals from their young left winger and couldn't muster a fight back. That run of form has propelled us up into the dizzying heights of the top half of the table, above Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea! Despite a really valiant effort in the League Cup we were just beaten by title holders Newcastle United. We'd matched them throughout the match but switched off for a free kick in the 79th minute to allow Erick Torres to get free in the area and shoot home without any pressure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Second award in a row for youngster Marquez who is surely going to be a transfer target from other clubs in January Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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