DavidBeckham Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 January to February 2015/2016 - Watford League We kicked off the month with our heaviest defeat of the season at Emirates and the Gunners thrashed us 6-0 in a defensive horror show. A home draw against Cardiff followed before we were back to our winning ways at Crystal Palace in a 3-1 victory. Troy Deeney was the hero as he bagged a double. Two more wins against Norwich and Stoke followed before Sunderland did a smash and grab to beat us 2-1 at the Stadium of Light. We ended the month with a win and a draw at Vicarage road against West Ham and Man City respectively. Joel Ward scored his first goal of the season with a well-timed header to snatch an unlikely point against the mighty Man City. Fours wins, two draws and two defeats in eight games kept us in a healthy position in the league. We sit 8th on 42 points with ten games remaining and the lads had done brilliantly to reach the magical 40 point mark so early \o/ Having led for most of the season, Chelsea continued to sit top on 69 points, five clear of Man City. FA Cup We never really got going in the cup and it was no surprise to see us suffer a premature exit from the cup as Hull City beat us 3-1 in the 4th round replay. And now we shift our focus to the last ten league games of the season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Season Review 2015/2016 - Watford League Remaining Fixtures (March to May) Final Table (8th) A very good first season back in the top flight! I was expecting a struggle for survival and the lads proved me wrong by finishing 17 points clear of the relegation zone in 8th place. However, it's worth noting that the seven clubs above us are way ahead of the rest of the pack (We are nine points behind 7th placed Spurs) and it is a huge gap to bridge if we want European football. Nevertheless, we take one step at a time and I am extremely happy with the achievements in the league! FA Cup I expected us to go a little further than this but our second lineup just wasn't good enough against Hull City. Hopefully we can improve the squad and add to its depth in the summer. League Cup Similar to the FA Cup exit, players were rotated and we just did not have enough quality and depth to deal with Premier League oppositions. Squad Analysis Squad Stats Most of the players made the step up from the Championship successfully. The new signings performed up to my expectations to help us overachieve in our first season back in the Premier League. Top 3 Players Douglas Santos Every team needs a Brazilian and Douglas Santos adds flair and unpredictability to our attacking play. Due to his defensive incompetence, I retrained him in the ML position and he has never looked back since. 7 goals and 17 assists capped off a fantastic season for the winger. Fernando Forestieri The Italian midfield raider was one of the players who made the step up from the Championship with ease and he looked very much a Premier League player. His clever movement and terrific technique brought 9 goals and 4 assists from the MC position. Dan Burn To be honest, I wasn't 100 percent sure when I signed Burn but the English center-back repaid all of his transfer fees in one season. The BFEnglishman is a towering presence at the back and has carried his partner (Angella) at times. On top of his defensive qualities, he added 9 goals from set-pieces and is without a shadow of a doubt my player of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodesire Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 well done this season! It's amazing that you managed to become the best of the rest straight from the championship. With all the money from this season, those EL teams must be shaking for their places next year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 well done this season! It's amazing that you managed to become the best of the rest straight from the championship. With all the money from this season, those EL teams must be shaking for their places next year! Thanks mate! Was pleasantly surprised by the squad as well, it's gonna be a real busy summer!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Very flattered to have received these offers but I want to take Watford further Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Preseason 2016/2017 - Watford Board Expectations English Premier League: Mid-table position FA Cup: Sixth round Capital One Cup: Quarter Final After last season's over-achievement, the board raised their expectations once more and as a result, more focus has to be placed on the cup competitions this time round. Budgets Transfer: 27.62 million pounds Wages: 450,000 pounds With the takeover, the club is now in a better position to compete in the transfer market. However, with no European football on offer, quality players are reluctant to join us at Vicarage Road and we have to be cautious in our transfer activities this summer. Transfers We splashed the cash and a total of eight players were brought in. Most of our new signings were below 25 as we looked to bring in young and hungry footballers. Key Signings Paulo Dybala I chose not to sign Anthony Stokes due to his massive wage demands and there was a need to bring in another striker as backup to Troy Deeney. Dybala is young, technically gifted and highly agile and the Italian False Nine will offer some much needed competition upfront. Jetro Willems Briggs didn't exactly set the world alight last season and with Pudil ageing and moving on, I needed to bring in another left full-back. Jetro Willems had been one of my favorite young left-backs in the previous versions and even though he didn't look as good on FM14, I decided to bring him in. The youthful Dutch defender will go straight into the starting 11. John Stones Dan Burn was brilliant last season but his partner Angella found the step up to the Premier League hard. I wanted to shore up our defense this season and a better center-back was needed. Similar to Jetro, John will go straight into the starting lineup to partner Dan in a new look back four. Preseason Friendlies After a long preseason which included a training camp in USA, we are now all set and ready to go! Bring on Tottenham! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 take it from me, Stones is amazing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 take it from me, Stones is amazing He scored the winner on his league debut, in our first league game of the season against Spurs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 August to September 2016/2017 - Watford League Unlike last season, we were handed a really kind run of fixtures in the first two months of our new campaign. We kicked off with three consecutive wins against Spurs, Sunderland and Crystal Palace before slipping up at home against Norwich City. Tom Ince scored a late winner against Blackburn with a sublime chip after dispossessing a defender deep in their half. New signing Paulo Dybala played the role of super sub as he turned the game around with two late goals against Hull to give us all three points. We are top! But surely not for long as we are yet to face the big boys and I can't see us sustaining our excellent results during those runs of tough fixtures. Nevertheless, we are there and will certainly enjoy the lofty position while we can! \o/ Capital One Cup The new signings who needed time to settle gained some valuable game time in the two matches against lower league oppositions. A hat-trick of own goals against Swindon set us up nicely for an away tie against Crawley, where the boys were brilliant in a 3-0 win. With all due respect to Birmingham, Liverpool will be our likely opponents next round and sadly, I think our cup run will end there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodesire Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Great start to the season, can't believe you got Stokes just for 6mil. Homegrown and a solid player for the future for that price is a steal! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Flying start to the season! Am I reading it wrong but you signed Will Hughes for 1.2 million?! I've not played FM14 yet but I thought he was regarded as a hot prospect? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Soon goes wrong when you play for Derby . Going well DB, hopefully it can continue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 Great start to the season, can't believe you got Stokes just for 6mil. Homegrown and a solid player for the future for that price is a steal! Thanks mate! I was surprised when the scout report came back saying I could get him for that fee too! And I did not hesitate! Flying start to the season! Am I reading it wrong but you signed Will Hughes for 1.2 million?! I've not played FM14 yet but I thought he was regarded as a hot prospect? I approached him just before his contract ended and he refused Derby's offer! Soon goes wrong when you play for Derby . Going well DB, hopefully it can continue. Cheers mate! I doubt we will stay top for long though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 October to December 2016/2017 - Watford League As I have expected, we struggled against the bigger oppositions and dropped points in the past three months. However, I was still pleased with our overall form, bagging 27 points out of a possible 39. We were also defensively sound, conceding 11 goals in 13 league games. At the other end, our attacking players did well and scored 25 goals in total with Troy Deeny hitting 9. All in all a very pleasing first half of the season. Due to the valuable points dropped against bigger oppositions (Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Man United), we slid down to third. Manchester City are ahead of us in second place on goal difference while United sits top a further point in front. There were no real surprises in the top seven (apart from us) as Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool sit behind us in descending order. Nevertheless, with the media tipping us to finish in mid table (9th), I was very pleasantly surprised at our achievements in the league so far. Capital One Cup Things were not so rosy in the Capital One Cup as we suffered another premature exit at home to Birmingham. Salifu got himself sent off and Birmingham capitalized to knock us out of the cup in extra-time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodesire Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Unlucky in Carling Cup but going places in the league. As long as you keep pounding everyone outside top6 you should have an easy CL place, maybe a title hunt if things go your way? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 What do you reckon your chances are? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Soon goes wrong when you play for Derby . Going well DB, hopefully it can continue. :D Still going well Becks . Shame about the cup though...it's only a Mickey Mouse cup anyway...or so you keep telling yourself Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Unlucky in Carling Cup but going places in the league. As long as you keep pounding everyone outside top6 you should have an easy CL place, maybe a title hunt if things go your way? Having completed my season, I have to say you got it spot on! What do you reckon your chances are? To be honest, very slim at the start but having played out the season... ... :D Still going well Becks . Shame about the cup though...it's only a Mickey Mouse cup anyway...or so you keep telling yourself Cheers mate! Even though it's a Mickey Mouse cup, I would like to win it with Watford at some point of my career! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Season Review 2016/2017 - Watford League Remaining Fixtures (January to May) Final Table (Champions) Unbelievable! I don't know how we ended up at the top of the league to be honest! In the second half of the season, we continued to struggle against the big boys and even suffered defeats to Hull, Newcastle and Everton. Similarly, the top teams struggled to find consistency and it was extremely tight at the top right till the end of the season. Eventually, only four points separated the top 6 and we were extremely fortunate that results went our way. This has got to be my best achievement on this version of football manager so far! FA Cup Eventually, we crashed out after a late winner at Old Trafford despite fighting back from two goals down to level at 2-2. All in all, a very pleasing cup run which saw the flourishing of our young players and lots of goals. League Cup Unlike the FA Cup, I wasn't too pleased with our performance in the Capital One Cup but further investments in the summer can see us go further next season. Squad Analysis Squad Stats The players were simply terrific this season. Tipped by the media to finish 9th and with our wage budget the second lowest in the league, I would have been very happy with a European spot. In a very competitive league season, teams were beating each other and we were very fortunate to end up champions with a very humble total of 77 points. Top 3 Players Ignacio Camacho The Spaniard was signed to provide cover and competition to first choice Salifu as the team's ball winner at MC. Unfortunately, Salifu suffered a bad injury which saw him miss most parts of the season and Camacho stepped up to the plate, particularly towards the end of the season. He finished the season creating and scoring ten goals in total and was crucial in a title winning season. Jonathan Guichard The young Frenchman was brought in for 6 million pounds from Lille in the summer and he proved to be a very good acquisition. He slotted into the team seamlessly when Burn and Strandberg were out with injuries and I foresee him growing into a top top central defender/midfield anchor in the coming years. Tom Ince My player of the season! He asked to be placed on the transfer list at the start of the season and with his contract running out the same year, I was resigned to losing him. Despite the uncertainty over his future, he performed well in the first half of the season and propelled us into the top positions. That was when he asked to stay and I was delighted. With his new contract and future all but settled, his performances improved further and the fantastic right winger ended the season with 13 goals and 9 assists in his W-s role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 What an end to the season! Back to the heady days of Luther Blissett, Graham Taylor and John Barnes! Great news about Ince too . I know it's a cliche but it's true as I've found out before...next season is going to be harder to defend your title Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 What an end to the season! Back to the heady days of Luther Blissett, Graham Taylor and John Barnes! Great news about Ince too . I know it's a cliche but it's true as I've found out before...next season is going to be harder to defend your title Cheers mate, Incey's contract renewal was one of the highlights of the season tbh. I would be very happy with a Champions League spot next season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 didn't expect you to win the league so soon Well done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 I didn't expect it myself too, it's a one-off! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Preseason 2017/2018 - Watford Board Expectations English Premier League: Qualify for Europa League UEFA Champions League: First Knockout Round FA Cup: Sixth round Capital One Cup: Not important I was pleased to see our board remain realistic about their expectations. They clearly agreed with me that last season was a one-off and it will be very tough attempting to repeat last season's success. I will again be concentrating fully on the league in hopes of consolidating Champions League football again next season. Budgets Transfer: 38.65 million pounds Wages: 750,000 pounds With the step up to Champions League football, I was handed another massive transfer war chest to prepare us for the upcoming season in Europe. I was delighted to see the board continue to pour money into our project and help the club progress season after season. Transfers It was four in four out this summer as we attempted to upgrade our squad for the step up. All four signings were of the same nature, all young, hungry and English \o/ Signings Luke Shaw The left-back position was identified as the main weakness of our squad as both Willems and Briggs failed to impress. With cash to spare, I put in a cheeky bid for Luke Shaw and was pleasantly surprised that United were willing to sell! Luke is a definite upgrade from our current left-backs and he will go a long way (hopefully) in solving our left-back problem. Nathan Redmond Sean Murray's development has stalled since our promotion to the top flight and as a result, I decided to send him out on loan, leaving a spot to fill in the wide positions. Quick, skillful and with great balance, Nathan Redmond is another useful addition to our team of wingers. Jack Butland Even though Declan Rudd did ok for us last season, we could do with an upgrade in goal and being touted as the next England number one, Jack Butland is a perfect signing. With his arrival, Declan will now be relegated to second choice. Darnell Fisher Darnell was brought in to replace outgoing Faraoni as the Italian right-back refused to sign a new contract despite being entering his last year. Not wanting to lose him on a free, I decided to bring in another English right-back from Celtic to take his spot in the squad. Darnell will provide useful back-up to first choice Joel Ward. Preseason Friendlies We were in China this time round for both the training camp and our preseason tour to boost our popularity in that region. Despite facing smaller teams, I was still glad to see us bagging clean sheets in every friendly match played so far. And now for the Community Shield clash against last year's FA Cup winners Spurs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Well done on the title, that is great, nice to see Tottenham winning the FA Cup, hopefully they won't beat you too heavily in the CS. Surprised to see Man Utd selling Luke Shaw already, how long did they have him? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadessico Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 have you got a good backup keeper? Butland at times is amazing, but he goes through patches of "what's a goalkeeper?" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Well done on the title, that is great, nice to see Tottenham winning the FA Cup, hopefully they won't beat you too heavily in the CS.Surprised to see Man Utd selling Luke Shaw already, how long did they have him? I hope we don't lose too badly too! United bought Luke in the 15/16 season and sold him after two full seasons. It may be due to them having Ben Davies as well, he's class . have you got a good backup keeper? Butland at times is amazing, but he goes through patches of "what's a goalkeeper?" Last season's first choice, Declan Rudd will be his backup. Ah let's hope Butland plays more consistently for me! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Congratulations on the title win. Immense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Well done getting the title after all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Congratulations on the title win. Immense. Well done getting the title after all. Cheers lads Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 August to October 2017/2018 - Watford League We started the season in good form with three straight wins against Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle, scoring 9 goals and conceding 2. Inevitably, a terrible set of fixtures saw us go on a run of four games without a win. The fixtures were unkind to us as we were handed games against Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Everton, Man City, Man United and Chelsea consecutively . Thankfully, we managed to break the bad run with a thrilling 5-2 home win against Man City before the lads put in another brilliant display in a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford. The two important wins against Manchester outfits at the end of October propelled us back into the Champions League places. We are currently seven points behind leaders Chelsea and if we lose at Vicarage Road in our opening league game next month against the Blues, it will be almost impossible to defend our title. Nevertheless, as last season was a one-off, I will be very pleased if we can consolidate our position in the league and secure Champions League football for a second consecutive season. Capital One Cup After a 3-1 home victory against championship side Crystal Palace, we were handed a really tough draw against Man United. Our players will have to be in top form if we want to progress in the competition. Champions League We welcomed defending champions Bayern Munich to Vicarage Road in our first Champions League tie and the gulf in quality was obvious as we lost 1-0 to a late Lewandowski goal. Eager to show that they belong to this level, the boys bounced back and picked up six points out of six in away ties against Lyon and Anderlecht. As we were fourth seeds in the Champions League draw, I wasn't surprised when we were handed a tough group. On a positive note, the encouraging away displays gave us hope that we can actually qualify for the first knock-out round if we can improve our home form in the coming games. Oh yes, before I forget, we lost 1-0 to Spurs in the Community Shield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 November to January 2017/2018 - Watford League After the nightmare run of fixtures, results improved tremendously! We are now unbeaten in thirteen league fixtures, winning ten and drawing three and it is no big surprise as the game is pretty streaky on this version. Looking forward, this also means we are nearing another tough run of games in February where Tottenham, Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and the Manchester sides are all waiting to end our unbeaten run. The key in the next couple of months is to prevent the morale of the squad from dropping too drastically and I will be doing my all to ensure that. Chelsea is simply running away with it now and no other sides were able to sustain a title challenge. We are eight points clear of 5th place United and barring a wretched run, we should be able to secure Champions League football for another season \o/ Sunderland, Villa and Stoke are in trouble as they lie precariously in the relegation zone. Capital One Cup The lads have been in great form in the Mickey Mouse Cup and despite some tough draws against Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool, we defied all odds and progressed to the final. Aston Villa awaits us at Wembley and I will be REALLY disappointed if we lose it from here. Champions League I was pleased with our first season in Europe's premier football competition. Bayern destroyed us in our two ties but we progressed as runners-up after four wins against the other two sides in the group. On a negative note, mighty Barcelona awaits us in the first knock-out round and our European adventure surely ends here now FA Cup Unlike the Capital One Cup, the FA Cup draws have been kind to us and it allows us to rotate the squad and give some precious game time to our second choice players. With all due respect to Port Vale, we should be able to progress from here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Season Review 2017/2018 - Watford League Remaining Fixtures (February to May) Final Table (2nd) The aim at the start of the season was to consolidate Champions League football and we did it! We were never going to repeat last season's heroics as Chelsea stayed top for most parts of the season. Eventually, we managed to close the gap with a string of victories after the tough run of fixtures and I was glad to see us only four points behind Jose Mourinho's team after a long hard season. An improvement of four points from last season's total of 77 was pleasing too. Awards A couple of players in the Team of the Year \o/ A very deserving winner FA Cup (Semi-finals) We were halted in the semi-finals by Arsenal after a thrilling game at Wembley. Salifu got himself sent off in the first half and the lads did brilliantly to edge themselves in front at one stage, only for the Gunners to equalize through a defensive mix up. We managed to hang on for the whole of extra-time and the boys were unlucky to lose on penalties at the end. Champions League (1st Knock-out Round) I was pleased to see us qualify from a tough group as runners-up but we got one of the toughest draws in Barcelona. After a 2-0 home defeat in the first leg, I decided to rest my players and save their legs. Eventually, we were knocked out 6-0 on aggregate and it wasn't pretty League Cup (Winners) The league cup was our only piece of silverware this season but it was anything but easy! We had to knock out Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal along the way before we dispatched Aston Villa two nil in the final through goals from Tom Ince and Dan Burn. It was important to maintain the good habit of winning after last season's miraculous league win and I was elated with the Mickey Mouse Cup Squad Analysis Squad Stats Another pleasing season by the lads! Players who were part of the title winning squad improved to help the club to another successful season. In comparison, apart from Jack Butland, the new signings have not settled well and hopefully they will show their true quality next season. Top 3 Players Paulo Dybala Dybala improved further this season and emerged as the club's first choice false nine after putting in some fabulous displays. He ended the season with 24 goals and 13 assists in all competitions and was a pivotal figure in our attack. Joel Ward Joel looked solid throughout the season and was our standout defender without a shadow of a doubt. The former Crystal Palace right-back even found time to attack and ended the season with 3 well-taken goals from right-back. Fernando Forestieri The Italian Frank Lampard is my player of the season! The midfield raider scored some important goals over the course of the season and ended a productive season with 16 goals and 9 assists. Fernando and Paulo formed a potent CM-A and F9 partnership and their interchange of positions were mesmerizing to watch at times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 At least you got something. Harsh lessons learned against Barca though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Still very happy with the season to be honest. Even though we were champions last year, our wages are no where near the big sides and the media predicted a 7th place finish for us this season. The gulf in quality between us and Barca was so huge that I gave up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDR Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Excellent stuff in both careers, mate. As for your old laptop's hard drive...I had my machine kick the bucket a couple of years back and had to get a new one (I could have got the bits and repaired/upgraded it, but once I dug down into what would need doing it was cheaper to buy a new machine). Unfortunately, a lot of work-related stuff was on the old unit and hadn't been backed up as it should have been. I found that Maplin had a gadget that you could connect the old drive to, and then plugged into the new machine via USB. IIRC it didn't cost very much, but it saved my data (and my gf's, when her laptop died a few months later). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thanks for the suggestion mate! Will try to find out more about the gadget and hopefully I can recover some lost data \o/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Preseason 2018/2019 - Watford Board Expectations English Premier League: Qualify for Europa League UEFA Champions League: First Knockout Round FA Cup: Sixth round Capital One Cup: Not important The expectations remained the same from last season and similarly, I am expecting another season of consolidation. I want another season of Champions League football to establish Watford as one of the elite football clubs in Europe. In addition, I hope that we can add another piece of silverware to our collection. Budgets Transfer: 40.42 million pounds Wages: 1.1 million pounds It was great seeing the board pouring in more money yet again for the season ahead. Despite having higher transfer and wage budgets, I will be looking to add quality rather than quantity this season. Transfers Both Sean Murray and Michael Keane were offloaded as their development were slower than the club's progress. Two teenage centre-backs were brought in to add solidity and they will be developed as potential successors to Dan Burn. Signings Giacomo Ruggiero The Italian regen centre-back has tremendous ability for his age and is a bargain at 5.75 million pounds. He attacks the ball well and the timing of his tackles are immaculate. Only 19, he will be eased into the first team gradually this season. Hrvoje Calusic Hrvoje is another quality regen centre-back from Croatia and he will get more first-team football than Giacomo this season. Despite being only 19, he is very athletic and is a brilliant man marker. Hrvojie is very close to partnering Dan Burn as the team's first choice centre-back pairing. Preseason Friendlies We chose to be in USA this time round for both the training camp and our preseason tour to boost our popularity in that region. And now for the new season! \o/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Costly Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Good campaign last season, can't complain when you win a bit silverware, even if it is the League Cup! Two very good signings at the back too, both should be fine for years to come. What are your hopes for the season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Develop Calusic's tackling and he'll be an utter rock! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Enjoying a lot of success Becksie. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Good campaign last season, can't complain when you win a bit silverware, even if it is the League Cup! Two very good signings at the back too, both should be fine for years to come. What are your hopes for the season? Thanks mate! I would be very happy with a Champions League spot and a piece of silverware Develop Calusic's tackling and he'll be an utter rock! Very true! Once he settles into life at Watford he will certainly do fine Enjoying a lot of success Becksie. Thank you legend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 August to February 2018/2019 - Watford League Fixtures Chelsea is running away with it again with the help of their awesome strike force (Aguero/Diego Costa). We aren't doing too badly ourselves, sitting in second place, four points behind having played an extra game. With the media tipping us to finish 6th at the beginning of the season, the lads have over-achieved so far and I am pleased. Capital One Cup As the defending champions, I wasn't happy to go out so early but the draw wasn't in our favor. Having beaten Charlton comfortably in the first game, we had the toughest of draws away to Man City and the boys fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat. Champions League We absolutely scrapped past the group stage on a mere seven points. Real Madrid destroyed every other team in the group and finished with a perfect eighteen points. In the first knock-out round, the lads put up a great display at Vicarage Road to beat the cash-rich PSG 2-1. Dan Burn and Cauley Woodrow were the heroes on an awesome European night. We would have to be at our very best in the second leg to progress further in the competition. FA Cup So far so good. We overcame lower league oppositions and progressed in the competition after scoring eleven goals and conceding none. Chelsea is up next and if we want to secure some sort of silverware this season, we will have to beat the mighty Blues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 Season Review 2018/2019 - Watford League Remaining Fixtures (March to May) Final Table (2nd) We were again runners-up to Chelsea this season and the Blues were absolutely brilliant as they led the pack for most of the season. Our Champions League spot was never in doubt as we were always in the top four positions and I was elated to land a third consecutive season of Champions League football. In addition, we were the league's best defense, conceding a mere 24 goals in 38 games. This also meant that the boys sacrificed things at the other end and we scored 18 goals less than the champions. I will certainly be looking to improve our attack as we continue to try and wrestle the title away from Jose Mourinho next season. Awards It was again pleasing to see a couple of our players make the team of the year \o/ As we conceded the least number of goals in the league, it was no surprise to see Jack Butland win the Golden Glove award. Having settled into life at Vicarage Road, the English goalkeeper has grown to be a key player in our side. FA Cup (Winners) Despite facing a tough run of draws, our lads were brilliant in this season's competition. We had to beat Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool to win the Cup and our only piece of silverware this season was fully deserved. The semi-final against Spurs was the best game of football in my career so far as we won in extra-time in a 4-3 thriller. We went behind thrice and hat-trick hero Dybala rescued us time and time again to put us level on 3-3 before super sub Cauley Woodrow came on to grab the all important winner. Champions League (Quarter Final) We went one better this time round and the boys did fantastically well to eliminate PSG in the first knock-out round. Bayern Munich was up next and we did our reputation no harm by pushing them all the way before losing 3-2 on aggregate. We are still a distance away from winning this but I was glad to take that small step forward. Squad Analysis Squad Stats All in all, another positive season from the lads as we over-achieved and met most of our targets. However, our squad is still some way behind the footballing giants and the club will have to continue progressing just to keep up with the rest. Top 3 Players Cauley Woodrow The English striker came of age this season with his phenomenal goal scoring record. Even though he wasn't a regular (he shared games with Dybala), he delivered when it matters and ended the season with 26 goals in 28 starts. Sharpshooter. Jack Butland The league's Golden Glove definitely deserves a mention here. The great shot stopper has finally settled into the team and adds more stability than uncertainty to our backline. Only 26, he can only improve and will surely be Watford's number one for many years to come. Paul-Georges Ntep The tricky little winger from France had been excellent all season with his mazy runs and tricks. More importantly, Ntep also has end product in his game and ended the season with an impressive 20 assists and 7 goals. His consistency throughout the season made it tough for me to drop him and he is my player of the season! \o/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilSaint Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Just read through your career, impressive stuff! Shame your laptop died but good job on starting over. Best of luck at Watford! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Beckham calling me a legend. If only that were real! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Just read through your career, impressive stuff! Shame your laptop died but good job on starting over. Best of luck at Watford! Thanks mate! It may be a blessing in disguise as I am enjoying the game now more than ever! Beckham calling me a legend. If only that were real! You are the real legend on this forum Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Preseason 2019/2020 - Watford Board Expectations English Premier League: Qualify for Europa League UEFA Champions League: First Knockout Round FA Cup: Sixth round Capital One Cup: Not important We found out that the board had the exact same expectations once again and it became evident that they were looking for another season of consolidation. Personally, I would like to get a little closer to Chelsea in the league and keep up the progress in Europe. And of course, a piece of silverware would be nice Budgets Transfer: 39.43 million pounds Wages: 1.4 million pounds Season after season without fail, the board will back me with more cash and this season was no exception. Transfers Camacho was offloaded as he was entering the wrong side of his thirties and his last year of contract . Similarly, back-up keeper Declan Rudd had one year left on his contract and even though I was keen to extend it, he asked for a 100% pay rise which was unrealistic for a non first team player. Fisher, Burn and Diakete were all offloaded as I looked to freshen the team. Three players were brought in to improve the quality of the squad. Signings Valentin Couturier The Frenchman is the big money signing this summer. Able to play anywhere in the central defensive positions, Valentin can go on to be a very important player in his first season at Vicarage Road. Only 21, I decided to pay big bucks for the youngster as I felt that he could go on to be a real legend for Watford. Sergio Moya The Spanish keeper was brought in as back-up to Jack Butland as Declan Rudd was offloaded due to his excessive wage demands. Moya is extremely agile and will provide quality cover in the goalkeeping position. Joao Brito With Joel Ward approaching his thirties, the Portuguese was brought in as his potential successor at right-back. With great tackling ability and positional intelligence, Joao has the capability to succeed the excellent English right-back and he will be eased into the first-team slowly this season. Preseason Friendlies We are all set and ready to go for the Community Shield! Bring on Chelsea! \o/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Good luck this season. Some good signings too . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Can't complain at 2nd really! A great seasons performance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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