The Holy Trinity

[reids]

Heya all, i'm a Watford fan, and as i'm sure some of you are aware, we're owned by the Pozzo family. The Pozzo family own Udinese in Serie A, and Granada in La Liga alongside Watford, so I partook in a challenge that several of us on the Watford forums have been doing, and since mine has lasted the longest (and due to lack of interest on the Watford forum), i've decided to share my story with you all. The challenge is to manage all 3 Pozzo teams (with 3 seperate managers) and to reach the number 1 rank in each country (Italy, Spain + England) - no easy task!

The rules I set myself are as follows:

- To uphold the Pozzo principles (buy talented youngsters for as cheap as possible, then sell on for huge profit, so no 20m transfers etc)

- Players can be moved between the Trinity, but not for extortionate fees (a few million would be ok, but nothing above 5m)

- If one of the managers gets sacked, he goes on holiday and I take over with a new manager

- Use a different formation with each team, that way a talented player doesn't get overlooked because he doesn't fit a particular system

To save myself time, I'll update per season (usually get through a season in a week or 2), unless this proves to be popular, then i'll update more regularly. I've only just finished season 6 (although it may take some time for the moderators to approve each post), so i'll post upeach seasons write-ups that i've so far posted on the other forum (annoyingly I only did clickable player links from season 3 onwards)

Season 1

Watford:

Final position: 1st (W:26 D:11 L:9 GF:80 GA:49 pts:89)

Transfers in:

Boyata - 170k (Jan 14 - Man City)

Klasnic - Free (October 13 - unattached)

Kelava - 550k (Jan 14 - Udinese)

Zielinski - Free (August 13 - Udinese)

Rob Kiernan - 125k (July 13 - Wigan)

Rasulo - 110k (July 13 - MK Dons)

Transfers out:

Nosworthy - Free (Jan 14 - Kilmarnock)

Hoban - Loan (Jan 14 - Bolton)

Rosenthal - 950k (September 13 - Anderlecht)

Jenkins - 20k (July 13 -Aberdeen)

Woods - Free (Jan 14 - Man City)

Brown - 275k (Jan 14 - Rangers)

Lineup:

-------FF----Deeney

--------Zielinski

-------

-----Battochio--Abdi

--

--Pudil-----------Faraoni

---

---Angella-Ekstrand-Boyata

---

----------Bond

Summary: Started off by terminating the loans of Belkalem, Bellerin + Diakite, they were unnecessary with the depth I had in the team, and saved myself a fair bit on the wage bill as well. I rotated FF with Klasnic, who was a great find for a free transfer, signed on a 1 year contract, but he's got an extension for playing 15 games (might try and sell him on). I took a risk and dropped Almunia completely, as both scouts from Udinese + Granada said that Bond could play at the top level in each of the respective leagues, and he wasn't too far off either. I actually rotated Bond and Kelava a fair bit, Bondy played against teams in the bottom 12 of the table, Kelava played against the top. Worked well and Bonds now the England U21 #1. League wise I did remarkably well, and I also got to the FA cup quarter finals which I was impressed with (before a Vydra double sunk me!). Zielinski is immense, so immense I had to drop Abdi into CM and leave Tozser out completely! Zielinski ended the season with 75 key passes, which is stupidly high anyway, made even more incredible by the fact that he only started 31 games, the person with the nearest amount of key passes in the league made 57 key passes.... I didn't change my formation or tactics for the duration of the season, everything just clicked no matter who I was up against, always a bonus! My tactics were a quick passing game, breaking quickly with 1 touch passing

Top scorers (league only)

1: Deeney (20)

2: Pudil (13!)

3: FF/Klasnic/Angella (7)

Top assists (league only)

1: Zielinski (19)

2: FF (10)

3: Deeney (9)

Highest average rating

1: Zielinski (7.34)

2: Tozser (7.25)

3: Angella (7.15)

Udinese:

Final position:5th (W:19 D:7 L:12 GF:74 GA:56)

Transfers in:

Juanfran - 3.5m (July 13 - Athletico)

Fiordilinio - 375k (July 13 - Palermo)

Transfers out:

Maicosuel - 975k (July 13 - Sampdoria)

Lineup:

---------Muriel

--

Pererya----------Lopez

--

-------Pinzi---Allan

---

-Silva-------------Juanfran

----

---Danilo-Hertaux-Bubjnic

---

-----------Brkic

Summary:

A surprisingly good season in the end, I thought it would be terrible after losing my first few games and crashing out of the Europa league in the qualifying round, but I ended up getting a decent league position and getting to the Italian cup semi finals. I followed the same goalkeeper rotation with Udinese as I explained above with Watford. Scuffet played for most of the season as Brkic was out injured, but when Brkic came back, I rotated with Brkic playing against the better teams, and Scuffet playing the worst teams, I struggled to keep Scuffet in the January window as I had 4 4.5m bids (from Real, Man U, Liverpool + Chelsea!), but I resisted the urge to cash in and will hopefully be rewarded for that later on!. Tactics wise this was an uber possession based tactic that worked suprisingly well despite the semi-negativity of the formation

Top scorers

1: Muriel (16)

2: Lopez (12)

3: Pereya (11)

Top assists

1: Lopez (18)

2: Juanfran (10)

3: Basta (8)

Highest average rating

1: Lopez (7.33)

2: Basta (7,16)

3: Juanfran (7.14)

Granada:

Final position: 11th (W:14 D:8 L:16 GF:66 GA:68)

Transfers in:

Nyom - Free (July 13 - Udinese)

Planas - 1m (July 13 - Barcelona B)

Lineup:

N/A, tried a variety of different systems, but couldn't settle on one. Regular starters no matter what system I played though: Nyom, Roberto, Murillo, Piti

Summary:

A disappointing season that saw me get sacked in mid-april after being asked to get 11 points from my next 5 games (i got 10 ). Very little to report really, Murillo looks like he'll be a hell of a CB in a few years, other than that the rest of the team are pretty average with very little threat up front, will most likely send Vydra there next season as he's had a good season in the PL with WBA and I don't think i'll need him anywhere else. I couldn't find a system that worked consistently with the Granada team, the new manager is playing a 4-2-3-1 system though, with some success so I might stick with that, and refine it in the close season.

Top scorers

1: Piti (13)

2: Ighalo (11)

3: Riki (6)

Top assists

1: Buonanotte (8)

2: Riki (7)

3: Ighalo (5)

Highest average rating

1: Riki (7.17)

2: Nyom (7.13)

3: Piti (7.05)

[reids]

Season 2:

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/snUK050.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/JyEGg9I.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/LToILOO.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Forestieri/Macheda (10)

2: Pudil (9)

3: Deeney/Zielinski (7)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinski (14)

2: Forestieri (8)

3: Pudil (7)

Top Rating:

1: Zielinski (7.16)

2: Praet (7.15)

3: Pudil (7.08)

Summary:

A very poor season for Watford who conceded the most goals in the division. Somehow though, after a very slow start, Macheda and FF starting firing in the goals and up we went. My defensive purchases of Steklenburg and Coates were disasters, and i'll be shipping them off over the summer. More firepower up front is needed though, considering selling Deeney and buying Remy for 4.1m who's xfer listed after QPRs relegation (lol). Zielinksi had another superb season, once again oblitering the divisions Key Pass table, totting up 77 key passes, the next highest in the prem was Aguero with 40...A disappointing season, but some lessons learnt, i'm sure with some purchases in the right positions we'll finish in the top half in Season 3.

To work on:

Shipping less goals

More firepower up front

Granada

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/rtzKA5n.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/H8EiU6l.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/4JlZXdf.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Vydra (12)

2: Rebic (9)

3: Willian Jose (6)

Top Assists:

1: Joao Pedro (6)

2: Moreno/Rebic (5)

3: Vydra/Juanfran (4)

Top Rating:

1: Murillo (7.03)

2: Nyom/Juanfran (7)

3: Moreno (6.98)

Summary:

A much better season for Granada, my plan of introducing more firepower by bringing in Vydra worked well, even though I mostly played him on the wing. I could do with more creativity in the centre of the park and a more clinical finisher up front though, i've got a few targets in mind, so chances are i'll move Vydra to another trinity team or sell him, and use Willian Jose as the backup striker. I finished just 4 points short of a European place which is infuriating, but i'm convinced I can do it. Like Udinese, there's a lot of retirements coming up, and the spot of GK is wide open, although Pawlowski has certainly staked a claim this season. I'm also planning on re-shaping the wingers completely, a lot of the old guard (Riki, Piti etc) are retiring, and i'm not keen on El Arabi either, so will find a new winger or 2 to bring in.

To work on:

More goals needed

Reach Europa league at the end of next season

Udinese

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/ehVMNZI.jpg

Transfers: Part 1.....Part 2

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/cKil3TD.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Muriel (16)

2: Douglas Santos (8)

3: Nicolas Lopez (7)

Top Assists:

1: Lopez/Muriel (9)

2: Pererya (8)

3: Basta/Marin (6)

Top Rating:

1: Douglas Santos (7.26)

2: Basta (7.19)

3: Brkic (7.08)

Summary:

An incredible season for Udinese, 3rd in Serie A, reached the final of the Europa League (lost 2-1 to Dortmund), and the semi-final of the Italian cup. I was skeptical at the start of the season as to how the season would pan out, Di Natale was aging and I only had Muriel up front, I had a big offer for Gabriel Silva that I decided to cash in on, despite all my coaches telling me Douglas Santos was only a decent Serie B player, turns out he's ****ing awesome and was the LB in the Serie A team of the year, some great youth recruits in the U19s that are going to come through soon as well, the board are also very good at buying youngsters for me. Not much needed in the way of investment for the team over the summer, a few players retiring (including Di Natale) but i'm hoping the youngsters will be able to take care of the gaps left in the team.

To work on:

Nothing, try to reach the group stage of the CL though!

[reids]

Season 3 (ALL player names are now clickable!):

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/9qhb7jf.jpg

Transfers:http://i.imgur.com/aM093zM.jpg

Preferred lineup:

----Forestieri---Macheda

--

----------Carroll

---

-----Praet-----Anita

---

Pudil----------------Faraoni

--

-Ekstrand--Fernandez--Boyata

--

----------Bond

Top Scorers:

1: Forestieri (16)

2: Macheda (14)

3: Praet/Pudil (5)

Top Assists:

1: Murray/Forestieri (9)

2: Pudil (8)

3: Macheda (6)

Top Rating:

1: Murray (7.22)

2: Pudil (7.11)

3: Carroll (7.08)

My player of the season: Anita - Quite a big buy for me at 5.5m, but I needed a replacement for Barry who wanted a pay rise (!) aged 34. My requirements were simple, a good tackler, a good passer whilst not being too old and costing the earth in wages. Anitas on 36.5k, actually the most expensive player playing for Watford, so in that aspect I failed, but it certainly looked like he ticked the other boxes so I was happy to pay it, and i'm so glad I did. Great passing accuracy (87% in all competitions), a fantastic tackle completion (84%) and a great engine (12km per game average). He also doesn't pick up many cards, grabbing just 7 yellow cards in 45 games this season. Love him.

Academy Watch:

Ikpeazu: Ikpeazu was on the fringes of the first team this season, and I bought him on around the 60th minute mark in pretty much every game that we were winning, all in all this equalled 1191 minutes of gametime (in senior competitions, he was also in the U21 side) which is pretty good (roughly 13 full 90 minute games), during which he scored 8 goals and grabbed 3 assists. I think i'll try to loan him out to a decent championship side or a crappy prem side for more gametime before he fully breaks into the first team.

Sam Whitbread:In January I loaned out Sam to Barnsley in League 1, he impressed grabbing a goal every other game. Will be loaned out again next season.

Giorgio Rasulo:A very impressive loan spell to Middlesborough saw Giorgio make 24 starts, grabbing 7 goals and 2 assists. Will be loaned out again next season.

Gary Barrow:Not much progress this season in terms of game-time, but his attributes have been developing nicely, even though he's not 18 until January, i'll probably loan him out to a championship side next season.

Summary:

Definite improvements since last season, we were mid-table since the start of the season and that's where we stayed. Almost made it to the top half of the table but we let down at the end with 2 losses at the end of the season. A nice cup run saw Watford in the final of the Capital One Cup, and I thought maybe European qualification was on the cards, but we were humilated 5-0 by Chelsea. Disappointing.

To work on:

Keep working on it, top half finish needed next season.

Granada

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/GAJOci4.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 + Part 2

Preferred lineup:

----------Alcacer

--

Rebic-----Firmino--Mertens

--

Angulo-Martinez--Tachtsidis-Nyom

--

-----Arribas----Planas

-

--------Pawlowski

Top Scorers:

1: Alcacer (11)

2: Firmino (10)

3: Rebic/Mertens (9)

Top Assists:

1: Firmino/Mertens (15)

2: Rebic (6)

3: Martinez/Nyom (5)

Top Rating:

1: Nyom (7.17)

2: Martinez (6.99)

3: Vydra (6.98)

My player of the season:

Has to be Firmino. Was so happy to grab him on a free transfer, his stats looked unreal and as it turns out, he's pretty decent! A great amount of goals and assists and was just what I was missing from the team. Joao Pedro who was in that position for last season was loaned out and will probably be sold over the summer, i've found my CAM and he's perfect.

Academy Watch:

Antonio Jose Martinez: He was going to be a regular on the bench this season for Granada, but due to a long injury (3 months) to Tachtisdis, this guy was thrust into the frame. He actually impressed, I was dreading what was going to happen to my team, but with an 83% pass success, an 84% tackle success and an average rating of 6.93 a game he did a lot better than I was expecting. Due to a free transfer i'm getting in, he won't see much action next season so a loan spell, hopefully to a La Liga team, will be on the cards.

Jose Antonio Martinez: A disappointing loan spell (B division), saw him just score 3 goals in 919 minutes of football and i'm concerned that my previous view of him being unlikely to make it will come true. Probably the last you'll hear from me on this guy!

Jose Eloy Timon: This guy is just insane, he'll be world class in a few seasons. He broke the U19 goalscoring record, with a mental 38 goals and 12 assists in just 28 games (averaging a goal every 69 minutes). A loan spell is on the cards for him next season.

David Bohorquez: Good season in the U19s, will stay there for another season.

Summary:

I said that i'd be reshaping my front-line and I did just that, Mertens, Alcacer and Firmino were all great additions to the squad. Alcacer wasn't as clinical as I would've hoped, so since I had 3 strikers (Alcacer, Willian Jose and Vydra) I rotated them in each game, if they scored, they stayed in the team until they didn't score, then the next one would get a chance. This kept them all happy, however with some interest in Muriel in the close season, I can see either Vydra or Alcacer heading to Udinese for a spell. The team performed well in the league, and again came so close to European qualification. Next season for sure, although it didn't help that the heart of my defence in Moreno + Murillo were bought out for their release clauses in the January window, plenty of funds in the bank though so I can't complain too much.

To work on:

European qualification!

Udinese

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/X98Nnpl.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 + Part 2

Preferred lineup:

--------Muriel

--

Marin--------------Lopez

--

--Fernandes--Aranguiz

--

Santos--------------Basta

---

--Bubnjic---Hegazy--Capuano

-

----------Brkic

Top Scorers:

1: Lopez (12)

2: Muriel (11)

3: Fernandez (10)

Top Assists:

1: Fernandes/Marin (8)

2: Lopez/Santos/Basta (6)

3: Muriel/Aranguiz (5)

Top Rating:

1: Aranguiz (7.18)

2: Fernandes (7.17)

3: Douglas Santos (7.13)

My player of the season:

Bruno Fernandes. He's come on in leaps and bounds this season, and has pushed the Ecuadorian bought for just 52k at the start of the game (Corozo) out of the team, and maybe even out of the squad as I may cash in whilst his value is still high (2.4m). Fernandes has smashed in so many crucial goals, along with so many assists and an 85% pass completion ratio, I have to pick him!

Academy Watch:

Isaac Success: A first season around the first team for Success, and successful it was (hurr hurr). He racked up 1464 minutes of first team football, scoring 5 goals and getting 4 assists. Not too shabby. Will be including him more next season.

Antonio Russo: Progressing nicely. Loan move for him next season.

Daniele Colombo: Progressing nicely. Loan move for him next season.

Nabil Chihab: Progressing nicely. Loan move for him next season.

Summary:

Another solid season for Udinese, who missed out on a champions league place by a single point on the last day of the season (a poor 4-0 loss to AC Milan), although I did make up for this by winning the Italian Cup (beating Juve 2-1 in the final), as well as surpassing expectations and reaching the first knockout stage of the Champions League (losing to Bayern). A solid season, still a bit weak defensively though.

To work on:

Getting back in the UCL.

[reids]

Season 4 (players are all clickable):

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/EdT5CjP.jpg

Transfers: part 1 + part 2

Preferred lineup:

--Forestieri---Macheda

--

---------Zielinski

----

----Cabella---Anita

--

Balturk------------Trippier

--

-Boyata--Fernandez--Angella

-

----------Bond

Top Scorers:

1: Macheda (15)

2: Forestieri (12)

3: Aristeguieta (8)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinski (9)

2: Balturk/Carroll (8)

3: Aristeguieta (7)

Top Rating:

1: Zielinksi (7.55)

2: Trippier (7.14)

3: Bond (7.06)

Player of the season: Balturk. Pretty sure this kids gonna be a wonderkid, aged 17, his first season of competitive football and he goes and notches 3 goals and 8 assists from LWB. He's already been capped by Belgium as well, futures bright for him. Going to make his loan move from Granada permanent I think!

Academy Watch:

Ikpeazu: Went on loan to Prem side Notts Forest for half the season, notching 3 goals in 20 starts. They didn't want to extend the loan so he sat on the fringes of my first team, making 3 sub appearances scoring 1 goal. I'm thinking of moving Forestieri on (:'() which will mean Ikpeazu will move into the starting lineup.

Sam Whitbread: Went on loan to League 1 side Rotherham, where he helped them escape relegation by scoring 10 goals in 37 games. I was expecting more goals from him, but i'm going to say it's Rotherhams crapness that affected him, as he still scored a quarter of all their goals! Not quite ready yet, either a season in the U21s or another loan move, not sure which yet.

Giorgio Rasulo: Not sure what to make of him, he's concerned that he's too good to be loaned out (after a season in Serie B), but his stats and ratings aren't anywhere making my first team. Might actually sell him over the summer.

Gary Barrow: Made a loan move to West Brom in the championship but wasn't getting anywhere near the gametime he needed so I recalled him. Great progress though and will be on the bench next season.

Summary:

A good season for Watford that saw the triumphant return of Zielinski, who made an instant impact, scoring 6 goals and getting 9 assists in just 16 games. Watford fell short of Europe (just), but we've got a great base for next season and I feel we'll go from strength to strength.

To work on:

Qualify for Europe!

Granada

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/gqywmNi.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/xRG4iyy.jpg

Preferred lineup:

-------Alcacer

--

Rebic--Firmino--Mertens

--

--

Planas-Elm-Martinez--Savov

--

-----Arribas--Nyom

-

-------Scuffet

Top Scorers:

1: Alcacer (16)

2: Mertens (13)

3: Rebic (11)

Top Assists:

1: Firmino/Mertens (15)

2: Alcacer (11)

3: Savov (8)

Top Rating:

1: Arribas (7.29)

2: Mertens (7.25)

3: Alcacer (7.18)

Player of the season: Arribas. The man is an absolute beast, not only did he score 10 goals from corners, but he also had a mental 90% tackle success rate, out of 167 (the highest amount of tackles attempted across the whole of the Trinity). He's the reason we kept so many clean sheets.

Academy Watch:

Antonio Jose Martinez: A full season on loan to Rayo in Liga Adelente, where he started 34 league games. By the looks of things he didn't do too badly but there's been no stats increase from last season which is annoying, maybe he was playing at a level beneath him. He'll be around my first team next season anyway, most likely on the bench.

Jose Eloy Timon: He was loaned out to Osasuna in La Liga, I wasn't expecting him to get much game-time, but he managed to get the equivalent of 13 full games under his belt, scoring 6 goals and grabbing 4 assists. Once again, he'll be around my first team next season.

David Bohorquez: Average season in the U19s, think he needs a loan move to further his development so will be loaned out for the season.

Summary:

Finally Granada managed to qualify for Europe, for the Champions League no less! Defensively we've improved a lot, Arribas as mentioned earlier was a rock in defence, and Scuffet did admirably on his first season as sole #1 keeping 11 clean sheets in the 38 league games he played in. I was very impressed as well by the youngster Savov who I loaned from my Udinese team, so impressed that he'll be moving on a permanent over the summer. The free transfers I made were also largely impressive, Elm was brilliant alongside Martinez in the middle of the park and even chipped in with 9 goal (mostly from free kicks). The young winger Kishna that I got on a free transfer from Ajax also showed great signs of promise when he was played, and he'll be a ready-made replacement for Rebic who I feel might be moving on in the summer (interest from both Man U + Real Madrid, so if the price is right, he's gone!). Alcacer really kicked on this season and now looks worth the 8m I spent on him. I've got a few transfers coming in over the summer (one incredible buy), but I feel the Trinity has got so much young quality now that I won't be spending too much!

To work on:

Make the CL group stage

Qualify for Europe next season

Udinese

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/pJWzAOb.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 + Part 2

Preferred lineup:

-------Said

--

Marin----------Vydra

---

--Fernandes--Aranguiz

--

Kurzawa---------De Vido

-

--De Vrij--Bubjnic-Capuano

-

----------Brkic

Top Scorers:

1: Said (15)

2: Vydra (13)

3: Fernandes/Marin (7)

Top Assists:

1: Marin (9)

2: Horvath/De Vido (7)

3: Said (6)

Top Rating:

1: Marin (7.40)

2: Said (7.17)

3: Brkic (7.14)

Player of the season: Bruno Fernandes. The mans brilliant, the rock of my midfield. Pretty sure he'll be off in the summer though as PSG are sniffing around, got a replacement in Horvath ready though.

Academy Watch:

Isaac Success: A season on rotation where he didn't get many games sadly, not sure what to do with him to progress his development.

Antonio Russo: Decent loan season in Serie B, will be loaned out again next season

Daniele Colombo: Hasn't progressed as well as I would've wanted, couldn't get a loan move for him but will try again this season.

Nabil Chihab: In the January window I was turning down bids from Lyon, Tottenham and Man City, a decent loan move where he got 17 games in the second half of the season. Looking forward to seeing his progress at the end of next season.

Summary:

Decent season for Udinese, which has seen us reach Europe for the 4 consecutive seasons, despite the team being dismantled with big money moves for Muriel + Douglas Santos. Got some great transfers coming in as well, which i'm sure will propel Udinese to top spot next season, whilst also meaning that no trinity team will need to buy players for at least 2 seasons.

To work on:

Champions league

Concede less (Might use Watfords tactic next season)

[reids]

Season 5:

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/qzUB9CH.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 + Part 2

Preferred lineup:

-Ikpeazu--Aristeguista

---

---------Zielinksi

--

------Cabella--Barrow

----

-Balturk-----------Faraoni

----

--Boyata--Fernandez--Veltman

--

---------Butland

Best of the bench:

http://i.imgur.com/siwXOcI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ylIYYhs.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/miTkIqP.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/izhSexs.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Ikpeazu (16)

2: Aristeguiesta (15)

3: Macheda (11)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinski/Faraoni (12)

2: Cabella (9)

3: Ikpeazu (9)

Top Rating:

1: Cabella (7.37)

2: Ikpeazu (7.31)

3: Faraoni (7.30)

Academy Watch:

Ikpeazu: Incredible season, won't be featuring in Academy Watch anymore as he's now a regular!

Sam Whitbread: My best coach for recognising/judging potential reckons he's good enough for the championship and will be turn out to be a good premier league striker. I'm not so convinced, his stats are a bit lower than what i'd like them to be. He went out for a loan spell to League 1 Portsmouth and grabbed 11 goals in 21 appearances. Not a bad haul but considering he is apparently good enough for the championship i'd expect better.

Giorgio Rasulo: At the start of the season I was confused as to where this guy should play, his stats were promising for both CAM and ST, but not exceptional in either. He went out to the championship to Middlesborough, and scored 13 goals in 30 games. Not a bad record, although he is 21 now. Might be tempted to cash in over the summer if I can get some good value for him.

Gary Barrow: Same as Ikpeazu, breakthrough season and will be a regular next season.

Sam Harbert: Nani pinched him from Torquays academy 3 seasons ago for £1m, which now looks a great price. His first season on loan, he went to Sheff Utd in League 1, got a great average rating for the season, where he scored 3 goals and got 5 assists in 17 games. Will try for a loan in the championship next season.

Peter Brennan: From the new intake, looks like he'll be great. Will be in the academy for at least a year and a half before going on loan.

Summary:

Disappointing start to the season with just 1 win in the first 5 league games of the season (including very winnable games against Cardiff, Palace + Newcastle), which ultimately cost us a European place. Need to better in every aspect. Special mention to the U18s for this beauty: http://i.imgur.com/UwtJsK3.jpg (they knew how much it meant to us)

To work on:

Need to better in every aspect.

Granada

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/Uuyp16D.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 & Part 2

Preferred lineup:

----Alcacer

--

Jese--------Kishna

--

--Firmino--Elm

--

Vecera----------Savov

Kristenson--Arribas-Nyom

------Bardi

Best of the bench:

http://i.imgur.com/aYTyDVu.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5IfY3O1.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/d87iZHK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qZ0glAk.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Jese (11)

2: Alcacer (10)

3: Kishna (8)

Top Assists:

1: Savov (9)

2: Jese (8)

3: Kishna(7)

Top Rating:

1: Savov (7.14)

2: Firmino (7.09)

3: Rebic (7.08)

Academy Watch:

Antonio Jose Martinez: Was planned to be bought off the bench on the 60 minute mark as I often do with my youth prospects, but one my director of footballs purchases looked to be the better prospect. So off on loan he went, pretty much un-needed now, will probably sell over the summer.

Jose Eloy Timon: His breakthrough season, mainly used as a substitute. Will be around the first team again next season.

David Bohorquez: Went on loan to newly promoted La Liga team Cordoba. He made 9 appearances (not ideal, but it's top league experience!). He had an 84% tackle rate which wasn't too bad. Will aim for a Liga Adelente loan next season

Jose: Annihilated the U19 league so moved him to Granada B towards the end of the season, he scored 3 goals in 10 games. Worth noting that the Granada B team is VERY weak as I prefer to loan out my youngsters rather than move them to Granada B. Will be one to watch!

Summary:

Decent season, the free signing of Bardi was incredible, what a keeper! Jese was a great buy as well, given me a real headache with choices though! Lots of youngsters broke through to show their worth, Savov and Kristensen are both apparently wonderkids which i'm dead chuffed with (especially since I paid less than 2m for the pair!), Kristensen lacks fitness though, and had to be constantly rested. Savov though looks to be an incredible wingback, 9 assists and won La Liga young player of the year award as well. Happy to qualify for the Champions League, just need to make it through the playoff first, otherwise it's back to the Europa league (where we went out to CSKA Moscow in the 1st knockout round).

To work on:

Not much really!

Udinese

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/5yfPqQP.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 + Part 2

Preferred lineup:

---------Said

---

Perguard----Lopez

---

--Fernandes---Joaquin

---

-Kurzawa---------De Vido

----

-De Vrij---Villaba---Bubjnic

--

--------Scuffet

Best of the bench:

http://i.imgur.com/er7KLzb.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ea9PEgN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PPTlaFH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PUdXmKt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7yPKn0j.jpg

Top Scorers:

1:

2:

3:

Top Assists:

1: ()

2: ()

3: ()

Top Rating:

1: ()

2: ()

3: ()

Academy Watch:

Isaac Success: Went on loan to Parma in Serie A. Didn't really get much game-time (5 games all season!). A year wasted sadly. Will be back around the first team next season.

Antonio Russo: Strong season in Serie C. Will be aiming for a move to a higher club for next season, progressing nicely.

Daniele Colombo: Releasing at the end of the season, hasn't developed as well as hoped.

Nabil Chihab: Progressing real nicely, just need a bit of a increase in his passing for me to consider rotating him into the first team.

Summary:

Like Watford, Udinese had a VERY poor start to the season (4 wins in 10). Somehow managed to claw it back and keep my job despite a takeover and new chairmen not being thrilled by my poor start to the season. Managed to qualify for Europe though, so all good. Transfer wise I made so good signings, Perguard on a free from Monaco was incredible, for some reason they let such good players leave on frees (James Rodriguez has just left on a free, tried snagging him for Watford but he moved to Porto instead). Villalaba, despite his hefty price-tag is a great buy, and I can certainly see him moving on for 20-30m in a couple of seasons.

[reids]

Season 6 (with clicky links)

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/FZtDqvw.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/7YlTPSE.jpg

Preferred lineup:

------Pinto---Arce

--

--------Zielinski

--

------Cabella--Barrow

-

Balturk----------Faraoni

---

--Hoban-Fernandez-Sawyer

---

-----Paulo Eduardo

Best of the Bench:

http://i.imgur.com/pStQRkK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/a5FvlIr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/QBXiT6d.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Arce (22)

2: Pinto (15)

3: Zielinski (9)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinksi (14)

2: Cabella (10)

3: Balturk/Arce (8)

Top Rating:

1: Arce (7.39)

2: Cabella (7.32)

3: Zielinski (7.28)

Academy Watch:

Sam Whitbread: Had a loan to League 1 (no championship teams wanted him) Notts County. Had a decent time there, but considering he's 20 now, I can't see him ever reaching the first team. Will sell over the summer.

Giorgio Rasulo (no link cos he was sold): Sold to Reading for 875k.

Sam Harbert: Was round the first team this year, picking up 9 premier league appearances (1 start), scoring his first goal for the club. Looking forward to seeing the rest of his development, will be around the first team and given more opportunities next season.

Peter Brennan: Developing well, was loaned out for a part of the season, but i'll turn down all loan offers for the next season to help him grow.

Paul Riley: Part of the new intake, looks like he'll turn into a cracking Inside Forward in the future, one to keep an eye on!

Summary:

Best ever season in the premier league for little old Watford, who qualified for Europe for the first time under my reign (Champions League no less!). Watford were the highest scoring team in the league as well, which is a bit of a fluke considering that the 2 key players (Pinto + Arce) were backup strikers for Ikpeazu and Aristeguieta, who were out injured for the first 4/5 months of the season, I thought I was doomed as bar a couple of appearances each in the Watford first team, the highest level they'd played was Championship football on loan. I will now be keeping both of them and hopefully selling Aristeguieta. As for next season, I think we're in good shape, a great amount of talented young players throughout the reserves and academy, smashing the HG quota with so many academy youngsters in the first team (with a few more going to make their debuts next season). Balturk wanted to leave towards the end of the season (with Barca + Chelsea interested), but i've convinced him to stay so far, hoping he'll stay as I don't have many spare LBs throughout the trinity!

To work on:

Concede less next season (less than 63 goals)

Granada

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/YZ2Wtav.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/R6nSoEs.jpg

Preferred lineup:

--------Alcacer

--

Rebic---Vadala----Jese

-

--

Vecera--Den Broek--Savov

--

--Kristensen--Ohlsson

---------Arribas

---

---------Bardi

Best of the bench:

http://i.imgur.com/dIC198d.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rawq1pb.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/foplks8.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Jese/Vadala (14)

2: Alcacer (12)

3: Timon (6)

Top Assists:

1: Savov (13)

2: Vadala (12)

3: Jese (10)

Top Rating:

1: Elm (7.23)

2: Vadala (7.20)

3: Savov (7.17)

Academy Watch:

Antonio Jose Martinez: Sold for 625k, will no longer be on Academy Watch

Jose Eloy Timon: Was around the first team again this season, will be the same next season, will no longer feature in Academy Watch

David Bohorquez: Spent the season on loan to Osasuna in Liga Adelente, looks like he did well, played all their games (where they finished as champions) and generally showed good promise. Will be appearing for the first team next season.

Jose: Also spent the season at Osasuna, where he finished as the leagues 2nd top goalscorer, shooting Osasuna to promotion. His stats aren't good enough though for me to think about putting him around the first team, as there's a lot of competition up front for the one striker spot. I may re-shape the formation to suit our strengths though as his stats have jumped a lot since last season and I reckon they'll improve a lot more by staying with me, it's just whether or not he'll get enough game-time to coincide with that.

Summary:

Another good season for Granada, making it 3 seasons in a row that we've qualified for the CL, which i'm happy about! I was worried at the start of the season as I thought i'd sold too many players without adequate replacements (most notably the sales of Angulo, Kishna, Espinosa + Mertens). Turns out though we were fine (the free signing of Vadala turned out to be incredible!) Not much else really to say about the season, I attempted a new formation to stop conceding so much, deploying a sweeper behind 2 CBs, it sort of worked as we conceded 5 goals less than less season, but at the cost of 15 goals scored. I'll need to have a tinker with the formation in pre-season. There's been a lot of new signings though to Granada for the next season, mostly from South America, so the weaker ones will be loaned out to pass the time on their citizenship (as they've been signed for other Trinity teams, when they get EU passports). I can't forsee me toppling Barca or Real anytime soon though without some serious luck, an impossible task.

To work on:

Carry on qualifying for Europe.

Udinese

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/81qLdn2.jpg

Transfers: Part 1 Part 2

Preferred lineup:

---Success--Said----Salvatierra

--

--

--

-----Horvath---Vutov

-

Kurzawa---Jimenez------De Vido

-

----Borkovic---Villalba

-

----------Scuffet

Best of the bench:

http://i.imgur.com/2iFLaMA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4lE5Bad.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/w8bjVQi.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/v0ESeTi.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7GSGAoH.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Said (14)

2: Success (9)

3: Salvatierra/Horvath/Lopez (6)

Top Assists:

1: Salvatierra (9)

2: Vutov (7)

3: Horvath/De Vido/Success (5)

Top Rating:

1: Compaore (7.13)

2: Kurzawa (7.09)

3: Horvath (7.04)

Academy Watch:

Isaac Success: Good season in the first team, will now be a regular. Will not feature again on Academy Watch

Antonio Russo: At the end of season 5 I said i'd try and get him a loan deal at a Serie B club. That failed and he again went on loan to Serie C where he did average. My coaches still rate him highly but I may try and get rid, i'm undecided yet!

Nabil Chihab: Spent the season in the U19s after offering him out on loan with no luck. Been turning down 5m bids from Monaco and Chelsea, so i'm unsure why I couldn't find a loan club for him (since I offered to pay all the wages). Bar his high dribbling and technique i'm not sure why so many clubs are after him. I'll be bumping him up to the first team this season though as a trial, hoping it will pay off

Diego Maggri Wow, looks like a stunning player for someone so young, gonna be extra careful with this guy, probably won't get any loan moves so I can monitor his development more closely. Will hopefully be able to make his debut by the time he's 18!

JuniorSame as above!

Summary: A terrible season. A huge summer clear out saw Udinese become massively cash-rich. I stuck to the Pozzo principles though and carried on investing in youth, I decided to stick with the tried and tested formation of previous seasons, but it was no use. After 9 games Udinese were rock bottom, without a single win - something had to change. Looking at the team I had, I saw I had a boatload of strikers, an idea hit me, why not make a tactic based on the philosophy of Zdenak Zeman? I had absolutely nothing to lose, and it turned every game into a gamble, throwing strategy completely out the window. The idea was to simply outscore the opposition, we were bound to concede a lot, but it was down to whether we scored more as to who won the points or not. The gamble paid off and Udinese climbed the table quite impressively, hitting a snag in form towards the end of the season though (we did get as high as 6th!). Thankfully though, I won the Italian Cup, giving us Europa League football (my one saving grace, that probably kept me in the job!). A whole bunch of young promising youngsters who i've been nurturing are ready to come through next season, and they mostly play CM/DM, so i'll be experimenting with a new formation, that packs the centre of midfield (either a narrow 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-2-1 formation)

To work on:

Get back to qualifying to Europe via league positions!

[reids]

Season 2:

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/snUK050.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/JyEGg9I.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/LToILOO.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Forestieri/Macheda (10)

2: Pudil (9)

3: Deeney/Zielinski (7)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinski (14)

2: Forestieri (8)

3: Pudil (7)

Top Rating:

1: Zielinski (7.16)

2: Praet (7.15)

3: Pudil (7.08)

Summary:

A very poor season for Watford who conceded the most goals in the division. Somehow though, after a very slow start, Macheda and FF starting firing in the goals and up we went. My defensive purchases of Steklenburg and Coates were disasters, and i'll be shipping them off over the summer. More firepower up front is needed though, considering selling Deeney and buying Remy for 4.1m who's xfer listed after QPRs relegation (lol). Zielinksi had another superb season, once again oblitering the divisions Key Pass table, totting up 77 key passes, the next highest in the prem was Aguero with 40...A disappointing season, but some lessons learnt, i'm sure with some purchases in the right positions we'll finish in the top half in Season 3.

To work on:

Shipping less goals

More firepower up front

Granada

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/rtzKA5n.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/H8EiU6l.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/4JlZXdf.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Vydra (12)

2: Rebic (9)

3: Willian Jose (6)

Top Assists:

1: Joao Pedro (6)

2: Moreno/Rebic (5)

3: Vydra/Juanfran (4)

Top Rating:

1: Murillo (7.03)

2: Nyom/Juanfran (7)

3: Moreno (6.98)

Summary:

A much better season for Granada, my plan of introducing more firepower by bringing in Vydra worked well, even though I mostly played him on the wing. I could do with more creativity in the centre of the park and a more clinical finisher up front though, i've got a few targets in mind, so chances are i'll move Vydra to another trinity team or sell him, and use Willian Jose as the backup striker. I finished just 4 points short of a European place which is infuriating, but i'm convinced I can do it. Like Udinese, there's a lot of retirements coming up, and the spot of GK is wide open, although Pawlowski has certainly staked a claim this season. I'm also planning on re-shaping the wingers completely, a lot of the old guard (Riki, Piti etc) are retiring, and i'm not keen on El Arabi either, so will find a new winger or 2 to bring in.

To work on:

More goals needed

Reach Europa league at the end of next season

Udinese

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/ehVMNZI.jpg

Transfers: Part 1.....Part 2

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/cKil3TD.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Muriel (16)

2: Douglas Santos (8)

3: Nicolas Lopez (7)

Top Assists:

1: Lopez/Muriel (9)

2: Pererya (8)

3: Basta/Marin (6)

Top Rating:

1: Douglas Santos (7.26)

2: Basta (7.19)

3: Brkic (7.08)

Summary:

An incredible season for Udinese, 3rd in Serie A, reached the final of the Europa League (lost 2-1 to Dortmund), and the semi-final of the Italian cup. I was skeptical at the start of the season as to how the season would pan out, Di Natale was aging and I only had Muriel up front, I had a big offer for Gabriel Silva that I decided to cash in on, despite all my coaches telling me Douglas Santos was only a decent Serie B player, turns out he's ****ing awesome and was the LB in the Serie A team of the year, some great youth recruits in the U19s that are going to come through soon as well, the board are also very good at buying youngsters for me. Not much needed in the way of investment for the team over the summer, a few players retiring (including Di Natale) but i'm hoping the youngsters will be able to take care of the gaps left in the team.

To work on:

Nothing, try to reach the group stage of the CL though!

[reids]

Season 2:

Watford

League Position: http://i.imgur.com/snUK050.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/JyEGg9I.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/LToILOO.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Forestieri/Macheda (10)

2: Pudil (9)

3: Deeney/Zielinski (7)

Top Assists:

1: Zielinski (14)

2: Forestieri (8)

3: Pudil (7)

Top Rating:

1: Zielinski (7.16)

2: Praet (7.15)

3: Pudil (7.08)

Summary:

A very poor season for Watford who conceded the most goals in the division. Somehow though, after a very slow start, Macheda and FF starting firing in the goals and up we went. My defensive purchases of Steklenburg and Coates were disasters, and i'll be shipping them off over the summer. More firepower up front is needed though, considering selling Deeney and buying Remy for 4.1m who's xfer listed after QPRs relegation (lol). Zielinksi had another superb season, once again oblitering the divisions Key Pass table, totting up 77 key passes, the next highest in the prem was Aguero with 40...A disappointing season, but some lessons learnt, i'm sure with some purchases in the right positions we'll finish in the top half in Season 3.

To work on:

Shipping less goals

More firepower up front

Granada

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/rtzKA5n.jpg

Transfers: http://i.imgur.com/H8EiU6l.jpg

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/4JlZXdf.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Vydra (12)

2: Rebic (9)

3: Willian Jose (6)

Top Assists:

1: Joao Pedro (6)

2: Moreno/Rebic (5)

3: Vydra/Juanfran (4)

Top Rating:

1: Murillo (7.03)

2: Nyom/Juanfran (7)

3: Moreno (6.98)

Summary:

A much better season for Granada, my plan of introducing more firepower by bringing in Vydra worked well, even though I mostly played him on the wing. I could do with more creativity in the centre of the park and a more clinical finisher up front though, i've got a few targets in mind, so chances are i'll move Vydra to another trinity team or sell him, and use Willian Jose as the backup striker. I finished just 4 points short of a European place which is infuriating, but i'm convinced I can do it. Like Udinese, there's a lot of retirements coming up, and the spot of GK is wide open, although Pawlowski has certainly staked a claim this season. I'm also planning on re-shaping the wingers completely, a lot of the old guard (Riki, Piti etc) are retiring, and i'm not keen on El Arabi either, so will find a new winger or 2 to bring in.

To work on:

More goals needed

Reach Europa league at the end of next season

Udinese

League Position:http://i.imgur.com/ehVMNZI.jpg

Transfers: Part 1.....Part 2

Preferred lineup: http://i.imgur.com/cKil3TD.jpg

Top Scorers:

1: Muriel (16)

2: Douglas Santos (8)

3: Nicolas Lopez (7)

Top Assists:

1: Lopez/Muriel (9)

2: Pererya (8)

3: Basta/Marin (6)

Top Rating:

1: Douglas Santos (7.26)

2: Basta (7.19)

3: Brkic (7.08)

Summary:

An incredible season for Udinese, 3rd in Serie A, reached the final of the Europa League (lost 2-1 to Dortmund), and the semi-final of the Italian cup. I was skeptical at the start of the season as to how the season would pan out, Di Natale was aging and I only had Muriel up front, I had a big offer for Gabriel Silva that I decided to cash in on, despite all my coaches telling me Douglas Santos was only a decent Serie B player, turns out he's ****ing awesome and was the LB in the Serie A team of the year, some great youth recruits in the U19s that are going to come through soon as well, the board are also very good at buying youngsters for me. Not much needed in the way of investment for the team over the summer, a few players retiring (including Di Natale) but i'm hoping the youngsters will be able to take care of the gaps left in the team.

To work on:

Nothing, try to reach the group stage of the CL though!