EPL Challenge (The Ultimate Premier League Experience)

[David Pagi]

Spurs in the U F*ck up (Houllier translation) next season!

PAGI! PAGI! PAGI! Thats what the fan's are crying as he steers the team into a 5th place finish and Uefa Cup football next season.

Although tbh I am gutted as up until the last game of the season we were on course for a top 4 finish and in-turn Champions League football, but on the final game of the season the players bottled it somehow crumbling like an over-dunked digestive at home to Charlton losing 2-1 in the process in a match that on paper was unlosable. So Spurs missed out on 4th place by a solitary point.

2007/08 Awards

Fan's player of the season: Fernando Cavenaghi

Manager's player of the season: Paul Robinson

Highest Avg rating: Reto Ziegler (7.44)

Top goal scorer: Fernando Cavenaghi (24)

Most Assists: Reto Ziegler (11)

Manager's young player of the year: Freddy Adu

Final league position: 5th

FA Cup: Quarter Final

League Cup: Quarter Final

Highest fee spent: 9.75m Diego Tardelli Sao Paulo WASTE!!!

Highest fee received: 3.75M Alex Fiorentina WASTE!!!

Total transfer spending: £27m

Total transfer income: £16m

YIDOS!

[ligs]

As August ends, Boro haven't started as they'd have liked...

Boro 3-2 Sunderland

A good win and a deserved one, although Steve's Mackems put up a good fight.

Boro 0-0 Norwich

Norwich, fresh from a 1-0 smash-and-grap win at Ben's Chelsea, tried to repeat the trick by sticking 9 men behind the ball from the off. After dominating for 90 mins, despite having Fitz Hall sent off and being down to 10 men for the last half hour, Boro could find no way through.

Leicester 2-1 Boro

Not being in control of this one, thanks to Niall's dodgy processor, Leicester were cained by my AI but somehow won.

Also a 1-1 draw at home to Betis sees Boro progress to the 1st round of the UEFA, facing Zeta of Greece over 2 legs.

So a disappointing haul of only 4 points from the opening 5 games, with all 3 games I've been absent for resulting in losses. I think that tells the story

In the transfer market...

IN

Collins John - £3.7mil from Fulham

Joey Barton - p/ex from Bolton

OUT

Lucas Neill - £650k to Cardiff

Francisco Pavon - £600k to Xerez

Brad Jones - £150k to Huddersfield

Dean Ashton - p/ex to Bolton

The squad is looking good, and as long as I can actually control my games, I don't see there being a problem in moving up the league from a lowly 18th

[Dimony]

Not a bad start...

Well, Ajax, at home, but still Ajax. Very little hope for this game but it was surprisingly even, and despite the end-to-end free attacking football, and twenty-seven shots, it finished a 0-0 draw. Turkoz's injury left us with a striker shortage, so I brought in Chelsea's Ferreira on loan, after seeing he was a pacy attacker.

Next up was Zwolle Away, and it was another fast attacking game, and another draw, 2-2 this time. Ofrany and Calewe giving us a share of the points. Njazi Kuqi and Turkoz both resumed training very quickly, and we're hoping for a good run in.

There was a two-week break, so we had a three-game tour of Cyprus, winning all three games and allowing team morale to skyrocket.

[BelfastNiall]

Game Overview:

Here’s a quick overview of the status of EPL at the beginning of season four:

Ben Jackson: Chelsea

Recap: To everyone’s amazement Ben managed to land the Chelsea job around the middle of last season after not setting the world alight at Wigan. Using Abramovich’s cash wisely thus far, Ben was able to steer an already formidable squad to the league title, pipping my Liverpool side by five points with a game to spare. Ben also reached the UEFA Cup final only to be defeated by a solitary goal by AC Milan.

This season: Ben will be aiming to be the first EPL Challenge manager to retain a league title. With a top quality squad, Jackson has the players at his disposal to do so but should face sterner challenges from Liverpool and Tottenham this season. And of course you can’t rule out Arsenal and Man Utd.

Niall Murphy: Liverpool

Recap: After landing the Liverpool job having guided Birmingham to a major cup final, I have struggled to meet the expectations at Anfield thus far, hanging onto my job by the skin of my teeth last season before a great run saw us safely into second place and the Champions League. A UEFA Cup Quarter Final is also on the CV.

This season: Expectations are high again at Liverpool this season. I think I have a perfectly balanced squad with the talent to compete with Chelsea, I have addressed tactical issues that were previously costing me points and we’re the form team at the minute. We have cash to spend. I’ll not be happy with no trophies this season but to make me happy it has to be either the Premiership or the Champions Cup.

David Pagi: Tottenham

Recap: Pagi took Spurs down in season one as he came to terms with the new challenges in FM06, only to revert back to his CM4 days and build a side based on wingbacks. He stormed the Championship, winning the division at a canter. On his return to the Premiership, Pagi’s lads blew Champions League football on the very last day, but it was a great campaign, which lead to an almost unanimous decision by his peers to elect him EPL Manager of the Year 2007/08.

This season: Pagi has bought a cracking looking Brazilian stiker in Betinho whilst ridding himself of Diego Tardelli and Freddy Adu who disappointed. With Scott Parker taking up residence at White Hart Lane, Pagi’s squad is primed for a Premiership Challenge – if they have the bottle that is.

Sam Bouchard: Aston Villa

Recap: Sam’s love affair with Deadly Doug continues as Bouchard remains at Villa Park. So far its been a case of steady progress for Sam, who took a break from the game, to finish 7th last season and enter the UEFA Cup.

This season: Sam has reverted back to 4-4-2 and its paying dividends. With Shane Paul, Eddie Johnston and Van Den Borre at the club there is potential for Villa to hit the top 6 this season, but they are a few players short of a consistently top outfit just yet.

Richard Liggins: Middlesbrough

Recap: Ligs began at WBA until work commitments forced an extended break for the EPL Veteran. Last season an impressive run saw Middlesbrough finish 9th and reach the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto route.

This season: With Liggins’ unconventional 4-4-2 it remains to be seen what impact he will have this season. Has made good signings in Collins John and Joey Barton this summer but the club still staggers from the unbelievable financial pressure put on it by previous incumbent, Joe-Rojek Smith, who reminded some of the more experienced EPL players of the “legendary†Jay Da Costa in his time in the North East. With a dodgy looking back line, any top half finish plus a good cup run would signal a good season down at the Riverside.

David Williams: Birmingham

Recap: Harshly disposed off by Charlton Athletic, Dave took up residence at my old club Birmingham City. Combining the best players bought by Steve Bruce, myself, and Michael Laudrup, with astute additions, Dave has built a very good team here that last season finished the season as UEFA Cup semi finalists.

This season: Birmingham has started well and will be hoping for an improvement on their weak league position of 12th last season. With Forssell still banging in the goals and Dagoberto at the club there are goals there. There is also a tremendous Spaniard in the middle of the park who aligned with Dario Silva provide a solid team. Finances will restrict Dave’s ability to break into the top four in my opinion, but this side is good enough to qualify for Europe and pick up a cup.

Steve Diprose: Sunderland

Recap: Originally at Fulham, Steve didn’t last too long in West London and then was involved in EPL’s version of “job swap†as he replaced Matt Doughty at Sunderland with Matt going in the opposite direction. A major cup final is on the CV and this along with a solid 13th for Steve last season is where it’s at for the man who likes to break into song in the Mirc room.

This season: Going to be a tough one for Steve I feel and anything like a similar finishing position for him will be a good achievement. Basically I feel Steve needs to get himself up the reputation ladder quite quickly so he’s in position to advance to a better club when the next job roundabout comes along. With Man Utd, Arsenal and Newcastle still managed by AI clubs, there are rewarding jobs still out there looking to be taken in the future.

Craig Collinson: Everton

Recap: Collo played in EPL Challenge’s infancy as the clan began to go from strength to strength. To say Collo is the “Quiet Man†would be an overstatement – he is a man of few words, but appears to be settling into the Everton job well, the highlight probably a good Merseyside derby vs. Liverpool ending 2-2.

This season: Collo has to be looking at improving Everton fairly quickly. They still retain a lot of the players from the Moyes era and a squad overhaul is required. The speed with which Collo can achieve this will determine how long it is before Everton are challenging for trophies. This season is too early in my opinion and a mid table place beckons.

Marc Debieux: Bolton

Recap: Marc has thus far been loyal to Bolton despite having been given the opportunity to move a rung up the ladder after his sacking in season two and boss Middlesbrough. Bolton has yet to finish above 10th so improvement is what is required at the Reebok.

This season: Marc has a good team that plays his system well and he is difficult to beat as both Ben and I, at big clubs, have found. If he can turn in consistent performances and add a bit to the squad then Bolton could shock a few people. If they get favorable cup ties, they could pick up a bit of silverware.

Matt Doughty: Wilhem II

Recap: After doing a solid job at Sunderland, Matt made a bizarre decision to take over financially limited Fulham and he struggled, getting the sack. Fulham are now in the Championship. At the back end of last season Matt took the opportunity to become EPL’s first manager in a foreign league, taking over Dutch side Wilhelm II.

This season: I know very little about the Dutch league outside the top two clubs so going on results so far I think mid table would be a good season for Matt.

[BelfastNiall]

Liverpool off to a flyer

As season 2008/09 gets underway, the first Liverpool update of the new season announces the lads have extended their unbeaten run into the new Premiership campaign, which at the time of writing stretches to 17 games in a momentous start to the new season.

With the board and the fans once again setting high expectations for the team, demanding the league title, harsh lessons have been learnt from last season’s fiasco regarding the importance of an impressive start. This year the team has delivered in style.

Pre-Season News

The pre-season was relatively quiet at Anfield as I decided to stick largely with the squad that I had. The lack of activity in the transfer market was also influenced by the knowledge that I had used my allocated maximum of three Bosman transfers to ensure quality was arriving at the club.

The club made no moves in the market until inspirational defender Jamie Carragher sustained an injury in mid August, putting the England international defender out of action for two months. As a result, any further injuries would have left Liverpool light at the back so I dipped into the transfer market just before it slammed shut, signing promising 20 year old Leyrielton, a right back from Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo for £5.5m. He arrives attached with a glowing report from Sunderland gaffer Steven Diprose so hopes are high for this new addition to the squad.

As mentioned, three players join the club via the Bosman route plus a couple of promising younger players to beef up a thin squad.

Incoming:

Kim Kallstrom: Central Midfielder - from Rennes F.C.

Kallstrom is a highly regarded attacking midfielder with a powerful shot. Disillusioned in French football, the Swedish international had a poor campaign last term and will have a massive fight on his hands to dislodge my preferred central midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.

Giampaolo Pazzini: Striker - from Fiorientina

I’ve never had the pleasure of managing Pazzini in previous incarnations and am delighted to have snapped up the Italian striker for absolutely nothing. Expecting big things from his partnership with hotshot Cisse and hoping these two provide the goals to shoot us to the title.

Stein Huysegems: Striker - from AZ

A gamble on the Swiss striker who had a good record in the Dutch league and will hopefully settle into the English Premiership.

Players Out:

Peter Crouch - £700K to Charlton

Sammy Hyppia - £100K to Fulham

Djimi Traore – £2m to Newcastle United

Steven Warnock - £1.3m to Charlton

You know it made sense.

European Cup Qualifiers

I couldn’t believe it when I discovered that due to Arsenal winning the European Cup last season, Liverpool would have to qualify for Europe’s Premier Competition by beating Dynamo Bucharest. Despite sending loads of letters to UEFA, I obviously didn’t have the influence of Rafa Benitez and was unable to persuade the governing body to bend the rules for Liverpool again to gain direct entry into the league format.

Not to matter, a routine 5-0 hammering was duly dished out in the home leg. We suffered a 2-1 reverse with a weakened side in Romania to take our place and play Schalke 04, Celtic in the league format.

FA Barclaycard Premiership

Game 1: Liverpool vs. Bolton

The new season opened with an intriguing fixture against Marc Debieux’s long ball Bolton outfit. I told the lads to make sure to kick Bolton’s main threat Aranda in the nads early on to dilute Bolton’s threat on the break, but after the early period it was obvious the lads had ignored my instructions, as Bolton broke away from incessant pressure to twice score on the counter attack.

With Anfield stunned, Murphy kept faith in his 4-4-2 system but had to watch as legendary goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made save after save to keep us at bay. But oooooh the joy as HT approached, a Liverpool corner was nodded powerfully home by Vincent “On me head son†Kompany as Jussi flapped at thin air…Marc knew the tide had turned as Bolton’s resistance to Liverpool’s flowing game crumbled.

Into the second half and Liverpool continued to take the game to Bolton but the equalizer took a long time to come as a Cisse/Pazzini less Liverpool lacked the clinical edge to take their chances. However, there was that £25m man Lukas Podolski with a sublime finish. 2-2 and all to play for!!

Liverpool pressed and eventually got their reward when new signing Huysegems grabbed a debut goal for the club.

Final Score: Liverpool 3 - 2 Bolton

After the game Murphy paid credit to Bolton:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">That’s a tremendous advert for the Premiership. I had anticipated a tough game from Bolton but I hadn’t foreseen them taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. Bolton played well and are destined for a good season. However, I have to credit my lads, they have dominated the game, didn’t let their heads drop, created chance after chance and have come away with the three points we wanted from this game. Roll on Man City. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Game 2: Manchester City vs. Liverpool

After Rick Boult left Manchester City in a mess down in the relegation zone in 2005/-6 , David Moyes has turned the club around, finishing 3rd last season. They are now one of England’s big clubs and with Didier Drogba up front they can turn over any side on their day. To that end, Liverpool approached the game negatively in a 4-5-1 formation hoping to get the one goal that would win this game. As it turned out, both sides negated each other and the match petered out.

Final Score: Man City 0 - 0 Liverpool

Game 3: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

How long will Manchester United stay closed to EPL bosses is the big question. Steve Bruce has won a couple of FA Cups and the Carling Cup but has not invested hugely in the playing staff. This summer United sold star man Cristiano Ronaldo to Barcelona for £24m. After finishing 6th last season, United have slumped to the 4th best side in the Premiership behind Chelsea, Liverpool and European Champs Arsenal, and arguably, David Pagi’s Spurs have also overtaken them in the pecking order.

Nevertheless, they still have Obi Mikel, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand and Rooney in their side and that makes them dangerous. Today the game was settled in the 3rd minute when Cisse fired Liverpool ahead in a tight game that produced no more goals.

Final Score: Liverpool 1 – 0 Man United

Game 4: Liverpool vs. Birmingham City

Dave’s Birmingham side traveled to Anfield sitting proudly at the top of the table with 3 wins and a draw from their opening four games. That wasn’t to last long though!!. After Dave’s side ended Liverpool’s UEFA Cup campaign last season in the Quarter Finals, we were gunning for a swift revenge against the Midlands outfit and boy did we get it.

On the day, Liverpool began the brighter and forced Robert Green into a few saves, as Birmingham couldn’t get their attacking game going. Just after the 20-minute mark, with the score still deadlocked at 0-0, the game turned as Cisse was put through on goal with just Senderos to beat for a clear goalscoring opportunity. As Dave’s central defender turned with all the pace of an oil tanker, Cisse accelerated past him, only to be cruelly chopped down in full stride. As Murphy harassed the fourth official shouting “Off, off, off†the ref had no option but to send the dirty bas**** for an early bath. Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio….

With Williams down to ten men, Birmingham struggled to live with my lads who were on fire. Cisse, Gerrard and Xabi Alonso scoring some class goals as Birmingham suffered what Diprose later described as “a rout†at Anfield.

Final Score: Liverpool 4 - 0 Birmingham City

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">We know from past experience that Birmingham are no mugs and are a good side under Dave Williams. This is a tremendous result for my lads and gives us the confidence boost we need going into a tough game away at Arsenal. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Game 5: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

If ever there was a good day to play the European Champions this was it as Arsenal went into the game in the midst of an injury crisis that saw Thierry Henry, Jermaine Defoe, Alexander Hleb and Ashley Cole all missing for the Gunners. On the other hand, Liverpool were boosted by the return of Giampaolo Pazzini from the Olympics. The Italian striker took his place on the bench as I kept faith with the Podolski/Cisse partnership.

Despite the absentees, Arsenal are dangerous and in the first half, their main man Reyes converted a Tuncay cross to give Arsenal the lead. After this, the Gunners’ keeper Karemi performed heroics in goal to keep us at bay as Liverpool took the game to the Wengaboys. Into the second half and Murphy gave the nod to Pazzini to enter the fray for the ineffectual Podolski. And what a debut it was from the Italian. First rounding Karemi to slot home the equalizer and then firing home a trademark finish to win the game for Liverpool and put us 5 points ahead of Champions Chelsea at this early stage.

Final Score: Arsenal 1 - 2 Liverpool

Next up is another away day to bogey side Charlton before the Champions League kicks off with a glamour tie to Scottish side Celtic.

[AsherDSSc]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> After Rick Boult left Manchester City in a mess down in the relegation zone in 2005/-6 , </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How dare you

[Debtu]

The futures bright the futures Bolton!

A new season and new hope, last season was tough finishing fourth from bottom and only good end of season form saving us from the drop, however with some canny investment in pre season has given Bolton hope of a top six finish this season, this may sound over ambitious to some but with recent signings

Cana £1.9m

A.Gardner £2.4m

Sosa £1.4m*

Ashton (exchange for Barton)

A shock may be on the cards so watch out because Bolton’s about.

The season so far…..

Its been a tough start with a hard game at Nialls Liverpool, after going 2-0 up within 8 mins a shock looked on the cards, but Niall through everything he had at me to deservedly win 3-2 at the final score line.

Next up Newcastle at home and when Taylor got sent of for the visitors after 4 mins 3 pts looked a certainty but the Bolton blues struck and we lost 0-1, first points of the season came away at pompy winning 2-0 with Aranda grabbing a brace, then Bens money men cockily rode in expecting an easy 3pts so it was great to hold them to a 2-2 draw and lead to there wobbly form, Wolves away and confidence high but got abused and was lucky to only lose 2-1.

Ligs at home next and three points needed a Ashton hat trick would be nice

[sdiprose]

its Marc! He's not dead after all!!

[Dimony]

An indifferent day...

It seemed like we were going to be crowned the Wolves of the Dutch division after we drew 1-1 with Vitesse at home, but a display of awe saw Ferreira grab all the goals in a 5-0 thrashing of Excelsior after we had a player dismissed.

NEC's high flying team beat us 2-0 and we never really got going, and I modified the tactic to a 4-5-1 for our upcoming cup match against NAC Brada.

[ligs]

*Apparently there's a logo somewhere, sort it out Ben*

4 more games have passed, Boro's sluggish start appears to have ceased...

Bolton 2-1 Boro

A ridiculous defeat. Not only were Boro the better side, but nearly all of Bolton's chances came as a result of Boro passing the ball to the opposition. Gifted goals in the first and last minutes sandwiched a Collins John strike, a lovely debut goal. A poor, poor defeat whcih left Boro bottom after 6 games.

UEFA Cup - Zeta 0-5 Boro

A 2nd 11, with a few exceptions, eased through the 1st leg without being troubled

Boro 2-1 Man City

Last season's surprise package, who many other managers have complained are too tough to beat, were brushed aside far more convincingly than the scoreline suggests. The Collins double act, John and Mbesuma, with the 2 Boro goals before Drogba scored with the last kick of the game.

Man Utd 2-4 Boro

3 minutes in and Boro led 2-0, few could believe what was happening. Yakubu with the opener and John with his 3rd in 3 games sent the away fans into raptures. Despite Rooney and Van Nistelrooy pulling it back to 2-2, 2 more Yakubu goals put the visitors back in the lead. And when Man U had Richardson sent off for 2 bookings, the result wasn't in doubt.

After this match, Man Ure boss Bruce was given a vote of confidence, and after Liggins had a dig at Bruce in the paper, he was immediately sacked. A big job is available, but just who will get the job?

[BelfastNiall]

Pics on web

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[EmmYouEffSee]

Back To Basics

Aston Villa finished last season in a nice 7th place, earning themselves a UEFA Cup place along with a little respect from fellow EPL Title Challengers. I do however say this lightly, as Villa have become the side to hate in recent years - and results over the Birmingham side have been valued highly by the EPL's top three Murphy, Jackson and indeed Pagi.

Sam Bouchard didn't take the summer break lightly and whilst many were sunning it off on holiday or at home watching the World Cup, Bouchard and his men were still hard at work scowering the globe for talent to enhance the slightly solid Villa side. Bouchard outlined his will to bring in at least 2 diecent players in every position with good cover there to give the club a great chance of challenging Europe as well as in the league.

The side looked like this after a few summer signings....

-GK- Kasper Schmeicael

-GK- Stuart Taylor

-DL- Vinicious

-DL- Needed

-DC- Rene Trehkopf

-DC- Jeroen Drost

-DC-

-DC-

-DR- Anthony Vanden Borre

-DR- Darijo Srna

-DM- Wolfgang Weiss

-DM- Gareth Barry

-ML- Freddy Adu

-ML- Wayne Routeledge

-MR- Emana

-MR- Darren Potter

-AM- Claudio Lopez

-AM- Steven Davis in Training / Luis Garcia

-ST- Milan Baros

-ST- Eddie Johnson

-ST- Shane Paul

-ST- Leroy Smits

The squad does need altering and players do need bringing in - with at least 3 more needed in the gaffers' eyes. Those new players dont look like they are going to arrive in time, so January looks the club's best bet for more arrivals.

FA Premier League - Game 1

Middlesbrough: [2] Yakubu, O'Neill

Aston Villa: [3] Baros(2), Johnson

The season began away at The Riverside to take on Richy Liggins on his own turf, but he didn't fancy his chances against the mighty Villa, so decided to extend his holiday after his Intertoto fixtures and let his assistant take charge. This wasn't the best of moves really in hindsite now was it Mr Liggins . Final score, 3-2.

FA Premier League - Game 2

Aston Villa: [2] Routeledge, Weiß

West Ham: [1] Wendt

West Ham have assembled quite a youthful but exciting side who have indeed set alite the Youth Division's but havn't been able to spark together in the EPL. A few debuts were given out by Villa boss Sam Bouchard, including one to Wolfgang Weiß - a promising defensive midfielder from zie Deutschland. The Villa squad's not well known for scoring headers, yet Weiß nodded one in top corner late on after Wendt equallised midway through the second half for West Ham. Wolfgang seems to have a great attitude to the game, as afterwards he gave his shirt to a lad in the crowd before going down the tunnel......arrr nice.

FA Premier League - Game 3

Wigan: [0]

Aston Villa: [1] Baros

Came, saw and left with all 3 points - a deserved win.

FA Premier League - Game 4

Aston Villa: [2] Weiß, Emana(pen)

Tottenham: [2] Cavenaghi, Lennon

A beautiful advert for British football, with two wonderful sides and two half diecent gaffers combining to produce a masterpiece. Well, to be honest it was a great game - the away side took the lead, then doubled it before half time. Weiß continued his good run in the side with a wonderful long ranger on the hour mark, and a late penalty was awarded which new winger Emana duly slotted home. An exciting game and surely two sides that'll end up near the top.

FA Premier League - Game 5

Aston Villa: [0]

Charlton: [1] Crouch

Goal scored dead on half time - gutting from the side bottom of the league. They shouldn't be there, frustrating as f**k.

FA Premier League - Game 6

Everton: [0]

Aston Villa: [2] Weiß, Johnson(Pen)

Collo's Everton seem to be having problems finding their feet this season, with only a few points in the league so far. With Trehkopf, Hughes, Paul and Emana all out for one reason or another, Sam Bouchard's side were slightly anxious about today's game where an upset could well have been on the cards. Fortunatly it was Weiß who took control of the midfield early on, really bossing the midfield giving the lads enough confidence to take the game and indeed all three points. Leading by example once more Weiß battered the ball in from 35 yards giving Villa the lead. Johnson sealed the win late on with a penalty but really there can be no complaints from the home side. A good win.

UEFA Cup 1st Round, 1st Leg

Sedan: [0]

Aston Villa: [1] Weiß

A good away goal against a surprising side in the first round of the cup. Should be an interesting second leg.

FA Premier League - Game 7

Aston Villa: [5] Johnson(3), Routeledge, Baros

Sunderland: [1] Ohlsson

Steven Diprose AKA Stevo's Sunderland put up a good fight first half it has to be said, and after Ohlsson wiped out Johnson's first goal many thought the game would take a different turn and maybe go the away side's way. Johnson had other ideas, first of all scoring his 50th goal for Aston Villa, then sharing his hat-trick with his gaffer and fans on the 50 minute mark. Diprose didn't know what to say second half, as his side were literally brushed away with a first class effort from Wayne Routeledge practically tying up the result before Milan Baros slotted one home after a defensive error with seconds to spare before full time.

A demolishing second half, for morale mostly, as the away side didn't track every pass and chase every ball like they should've done which wasn't the manager's fault it has to be said. Spirit looked low in the camp where this season unlike the last, the side aren't finishing and picking up points where they really need to be. Although, to be fair they've hardly had the easiest starting fixtures to contend with away from home, and it shows - having lost all 4 of their away games to date. Sunderland just dont travel well, which is something that Stevo WILL have to sort out sooner rather than later.

[Guest]

After finishing 15th last season. Season 2008/09 has started with Everton boss Craig

Collinson completely changing the look of his squad as he looks to guide Everton to

somewhere near Europe whether that by winning a cup or through the league.

The following players moved in and out of the club during pre season with the highlight

being the capture of Andres D’Alessandro on a free transfer.

In:

Andres D’Alessandro On a free transfer from Wolfsburg.

With a spare bosman singing to use, I went for the talented Argentinean to add some

much needed creativity to my midfield.

Romeo Castelen 3.3mill from Cagliari

Although he hadn’t performed to well at his previous clubs for the past few seasons, I

was confident Castelen could do a job for me on the right wing.

Oliver Deschacht 550k from West Ham

With No left back at the club Deschacht will have to do for now, looks better at centre back and for 550k I cant complain.

Aaron Mokoena 1.6 mill from Wigan

I needed a couple of centre backs so when Mokoena came up on the transfer list I snapped him up straight away for a bargain 1.6mill. Had played well at Wigan and should form a good partnership with Kroldrup.

Matthew Berson free

Had been crap at Villa, but on low wages will provide decent enough cover for the midfield this season.

Carlo Zotti 1.4 mill from Roma

With Keller retiring and John Ruddy not ready for 1st team football, I signed Carlo Zotti to challenge Tim Krul for the No.1 jersey. Looks a solid enough keeper.

Steven Thicot 1.7 mill from Nantes

Needed back up for Mokoena and Kroldrup so went for the 21 year old Frenchman, should improve and eventually become a starter for the team.

Out:

Paul Hopkins 700k to Hartlepool

Li Tie 425k to Ipswich

Lee Molyneux 750k to Fulham

James Harris 750k to Hartlepool

Marcus Bent 2 Mill to Celtic

Leon Osman 1 Mill to Cardiff

Phil Neville Free to Wolves

Mbark Boussoufa 1.9 Mill to Caen

Simon Davies 1.1Mill to West Ham

Premiership Games:

09.08.2008

Wolves 5 - 1 Everton

What a way to start the season, 2 minutes in Tony Hibbert gets sent off and gives away a penalty, which was converted. Soon after Wolves were 3 - 0 up. Mikel Arteta got 1 back and we had a few chances to get back into the game, but soon later Wolves got another 2 and the game was defiantly over.

13.08.2008

Everton 3 - 0 Middlesbrough

With Ligs missing I went up against his assistant manager, We dominated the game from start to finish with Espinoza, James McFadden and Stilian Petrov getting the goals.

16.08.2008

West Ham 2 - 0 Everton

Another disappointing away performance and easy victory for the hammers.

The next two games I missed, with the results being a 1 - 0 home victory against Wigan with Romeo Castelen getting the goal, and a 0 - 0 draw away to Pagi’s Tottenham.

06.09.2008

Everton 0 - 2 Aston Villa

A poor performance from us against Sam’s Villa. Villa were the better team by far with Weiß and Johnson getting the goals for them.

13.09.2008

Everton 0 - 2 Charlton

Another defeat for us this time at home to Charlton, It started with us dominating the game with James Beattie having a hatful of chances to score but Myhre made some decent saves to keep the striker out. On the half hour Deschacht gave away a penalty and Gonzalez converted it for Charlton, soon after they were two up Kisliy getting the second, After that we couldn’t get back into the game and it could have been more but for Tim Krul.

League Cup 2nd Round

17.09.2008

Everton 4 - 2 Wigan

Made some changes to the tactics, but the personnel stayed the same, to get some confidence into the team. Early on in the game it didn’t look to be going well again as Wigan took an early lead through Keita, but we soon took over with 3 goals in 10 minutes, D’Alessandro getting his first game for the club with a tap in, Donovan 5 minutes later putting us ahead by lobbing the keeper from the edge of the area, Per Kroldrup scored a third soon after and Mikel Arteta killed the game with a 4th from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left. Wigan got a consolation in the final minutes with Alan Mahon scoring from the penalty spot. A good win and a good performance overall after some shocking displays the past few weeks.

Premiership

20.09.2008

Sunderland 1 - 2 Everton

Next up was a trip to Steve’s Sunderland side and with both sides struggling it was always gonna be a tight game, First Half was scrappy with both sides having 1 or 2 chances, Minutes before half time Sunderland took the lead, Ohlsson scoring on the counter attack from an Everton corner. Second half Everton came out much better, soon after the break Everton pulled the game back level through James McFadden, a mistake from the Sunderland midfield put McFadden through and he slotted the ball past the keeper. We had a few chances to win the game and it looked to be heading for a 1 - 1 draw until with 10 minutes left Mokoena won the game for Everton with a 20 yard shot into the bottom corner. We deserved the win on the back of the second half performance, as Sunderland continue to struggle.

27.09.2008

Everton 1 - 0 Leicester

Another scrappy game against a team in the relegation places and another tight game that we managed to get 3 points out of. James McFadden again getting the goal early on in the game. Leicester has some good chances to get back into the game with Tim Krul keeping us ahead, 30 minutes in and Leicester had a penalty after Espinoza pushed Boyd, but Tim Krul saved Julian Gray’s penalty. 2nd half was more even with us having the better chances and eventually grinding out the 1 - 0 win.

1.10.2008

Norwich 1 - 2 Everton

Up next was the surprise team of the season, High flying Norwich who had gave a few of the other lads a few problems. Surprisingly they gave me few problems except for the last 10 minutes. We dominated the game, had all the chances and should have been up by more than 2 before Norwich decided to turn up. Andy Van Der Meyde scoring the first after 37 minutes and then James McFadden heading in a second 5 minutes later. We continued to dominate Norwich until inexplicably Aaron Mokoena decided to boot the ball in his own net with no one anywhere near him. Norwich came back into the game but didn’t really have any chances to equalize until right at the end when there winger was put clean through but Espinoza managed to catch him and trip him up, proper defending . He may have been sent off but there was only a minute left and we managed to hang on and continue our rise up the league, now in midtable but not too far away from the top 6.

11.10.2008

Everton 1 - 0 Bolton

A tricky game against Marc’s Bolton side, but again we managed to scrape the 3 points. Bolton could have easily been ahead before Tim Cahill put us ahead on 37 minutes with a beautiful free kick from the edge of the area. After the goal we began to get more into the game and had a few chances to extend the lead. Bolton nearly got a point at the end but Krul pulled off another good save to extend our winning streak to 5. That winning record has took us from 17th to 4th place only 1 point behind the leaders Aston Villa.

[Dimony]

Cr*p results

Well, I bought a squad that I thought could take the division on, and whereas we have play-wise, the same can't be said for the results. Four losses in a row, 2-0 to Ado Den Haag Away, 1-0 to Roda JC at home and 2-1 to both MVV and FC Gronigen. A sharp turnaround of fortunes is in order, as we've conceded three penalties in four games.

[STFC will rule again]

Can We Retain The Premiership Title And Break EPL History???

Transfers

Transfers In

Hector Fabian Carini (Inter Milan) - Bosman

Andy Hall (Everton) - £425k

Mark Gonzalez (Sevilla) - £4.5m

Francesco Bertini (Inter Milan) - £625k

Ugur Yildirim (Liverpool) - £3.5m

David Mendes da Silva (NAC Brada) - Bosman

Edilson (Ajax) - £6m

David Limbersky (Charlton) - £5m

Total Spent - £20m

Transfers Out

Lassana Diarra (Bastia) - Bosman

Geremi (Fiorentina) - Bosman

Claude Makelele (Messina) - Bosman

Albert Luque (Betis) - £5m

Robert Huth - Free Transfer

Scott Sinclair (West Ham) - £1m

Paulo Ferreira (Inter Milan) - £7.5m

Michael Mancienne (Preston) - £1.5m

Total Sold - £15m

Moved several players out in the summer that I felt had run their course at the club, including getting a great deal for Paulo Ferreira at 7.5m from Inter Milan the biggest sale in the summer. I then brought in several players to strengthen the squad at Chelsea along with a couple of youth players who look to have a big future in the game, with the best deal being the signing of pacy winger Mark Gonzalez, arriving from Sevilla for a bargain 4.5m.

I know feel that the squad is more than strong enough to challenge for all the trophies this season, although I'll be focusing mainly on the Premiership and Champions League as these will be the ones the board and fans will judge our season on.

So the squad at Chelsea currently looks like this -

Squad Overview

GK - Cech

GK - Carini

DR - Rafinha

DR - Edilson

DL - Del Horno

DL - Limbersky

DC - Terry

DC - Barzagli

DC - King

DC - Essien

DM - Pinzi

DM - Mendes da Silva

AMR - Robben

AMR - Cole

AML - Gonzalez

AML - Duff

AMC - Lampard

AMC - Rosicky

SC - Owen

SC - Yildirim

FC - Vucinic

FC - Gudjohnsen

Results

Charity Shield

3rd August 2008

Man City 0

Chelsea 2

Duff 15, Feher og89

Having problems with a vastly improved Man City side last season, I decided to try a counter attack defensive tactic to try and nick a goal and then keep it tight for the rest of the game. In the end, I won comfortably with goals coming from a neat finish by Duff and a great header by Feher into his own net to seal the victory and win us the Charity Shield.

Premiership

9th August 2008

Chelsea 3

Lampard 28, Cole 44, Essien 90

Sunderland 0

Rotated the squad for the match against Steve's Sunderland and easily won the game with goals from Lampard, Cole and Essien to wrap up all three points to get us off to a great start in our defence of the Premiership title.

Premiership

13th August 2008

Leicester 0

Chelsea 2

Terry 33, Vucinic 56

Rotated the squad again for the match against Leicester and won comfortably with goals coming from Terry and Vucinic to seal the win.

Premiership

16th August 2008

Chelsea 0

Norwich 1

Moore 17

Went into this game feeling extremely confident following the opening two wins but despite us dominating all the match, Norwich player Moore scored to steal all three points in a match that they really shouldn't have won.

Premiership

20th August 2008

Bolton 2

Vaz Te 53, 72

Chelsea 2

Vucinic 50, 90

Games against Marc's Bolton team are always difficult and so it proved again with Vucinic scoring a great goal to put us into the lead, only for the impressive Vas Te to equalise and then score a second to put Bolton into the lead. All three points looked to be going to Marc until the goal machine Vucinic grabbed an equaliser in the 90th minute to level the match.

Premiership

23rd August 2008

Chelsea 0

Man City 0

Having beaten them in the Charity Shield, I was feeling confident about a victory at home over Man City but in a game of very few chances, none of which were taken, it ended up as a very boring draw.

Premiership

6th September 2008

Man Utd 0

Chelsea 0

With Steve Bruce struggling to hold onto his job, I was hoping to take advantage of the situation to grab a win and despite us dominating the game, we just couldn't find that finishing touch to come away with the victory in the end.

Champions League Group D

9th September 2008

Sevilla 0

Chelsea 4

Owen 13, Vucinic 18, pen35, 84

Wasn't sure what to make of Sevilla before the game but I shouldn't have worried as I demolished them with goals coming from Owen and a classy hat trick from the ever impressive Vucinic. Great start to our Champions League group.

Premiership

13th September 2008

Chelsea 7

Gonzalez 16, 61, Lampard 31, pen43, 67, Owen 50, Robben 81

Arsenal 0

Having settled for a point before the game, this was a amazing game as we were three goals up in the first half and then two Arsenal players got carried away and got their marching orders from the referee in the second half which left Arsenal very vunerable in defence. I told the players to really go for it and they proceeded to score another four goals to make it a completely one sided result to us in the end.

Premiership

20th September 2008

Birmingham 0

Chelsea 2

Owen 25, Vucinic 59

Having left Charlton for Birmingham, Dave has been doing a good job down at St Andrews so I knew it would be a tough game for us. I shouldn't have worried though as the team I picked put in a professional performance to come away with the win, with Owen and Vucinic getting on the scoresheet again.

Champions League Group D

24th September 2008

Chelsea 7

Vucinic 5, 80, Owen 7, Rafinha 25, Barzagli 33, Pinzi 75, Robben 78

Lokomotiv Moscow 0

An unbelievable game as we ran rampage against a very poor Lokomotiv Moscow side, scoring seven goals in a match where we could have scored well into double figures.

Premiership

27th September 2008

Chelsea 1

Owen 56

Liverpool 1

Cisse 2

The battle of Stamford Bridge was a very tight game of football as the two juggernauts of English Football squared off against each other. The first half was all Liverpool as we failed to get to grips with their pacy striker Cisse, with him scoring within two minutes as Cech went walkabout and Cisse lobbed the ball over his head to leave Liverpool in the lead at half-time.

After having a mental at the players during half-time, we finally managed to get a grip on the game with Owen equalising and in a tense last few minutes, both keepers kept their teams in the game with some cracking saves and bith sides had chances but couldn't make the most of them.

A fair result in the end which doesn't really help either club in their title bids.

Premiership

1st October 2008

Newcastle 1

Kerzhakov 72

Chelsea 2

Owen 28, 45

Newcastle are always difficult to break down and despite going two goals in front from goals by Owen, I knew they'd come back into the game but even though Kerzhakov scored, the defence held firm and we could have added to our goal tally in the end.

Champions League Group D

15th October 2008

Inter 0

Chelsea 3

Vucinic 47, Lampard 53, Materazzi og71

The team in my Champions League group that I wasn't looking forward to playing as they've been a major force in European football for many years. The first half was tight with neither team giving an inch but the second half was much better for us as we scored three times with goals from Vucinic, a typical Lampard thunderbolt and a lovely header into the bottom corner of his own goal by Materazzi.

Should qualify comfortably into the next round now hopefully.

Premiership

18th October 2008

Charlton 1

Crouch 41

Chelsea 4

Owen 7, 60, Robben 56, Vucinic 83

Dave left a cracking team at Charlton and although we won easily in the end, it was hard work as Owen scored first only for Crouch to equalise but goals from Robben, another one from Owen and a classy Vucinic goal sealed the points for us.

League Cup 3rd Round

22nd October 2008

Chelsea 3

Blayney og24, Owen 40, Vucinic pen86

Burnley 0

A comfortable victory for us in a potential giant killing but a bizarre own goal by Burnley keeper Blayney and a goal each again for the amazing striking partnership that is Owen and Vucinic sent us into the hat for the next round of the League Cup.

So a pretty good start to the season as we've managed to get back up onto the top of the table, ahead on goal difference from Niall's Liverpool. Still in all the cups too so going well so far, even despite the minor blip at Norwich which will hopefully be a one off.

Anyway as they say in Russia...Moscow!!!.

[ligs]

1/3 of the way through the season, and it's all looking incredibly tight, with no team making a great start and pulling away from the bunch. As well as the league, the league and UEFA cups are still playing a big part in Boro's season.

LEAGUE CUP

3rd round - Watford 1-3 Boro

A convincing win from a Boro reserve side, Agger, Lua Lua and Johnson with the goals. Unfortunately a tough 4th round draw paired Man Ure and Middlesbrough, with the two teams meeting at Old Trafford, the scene of Boro's magnificent 4-2 league victory.

UEFA CUP

Boro 0-0 Zeta

After winning the 1st leg 5-0, no one was really that bothered by this game.

Boro were given a fairly tough group, with Galatasaray, Real Socieadad, FK Brann and Levski Sofia providing the challenge.

Levski Sofia 0-0 Boro

First game saw a trip to Bulgaria and a decent point won, although all 3 should've been taken.

THE PREMIERSHIP

Boro 1-3 Arsenal

After winning 2-0 against the Arse on the final day of last season, confidence was high going into this, but once the visitors had scored with their first 3 attacks inside 20 minutes, the game was over. A late Aborah goal was scant consolation.

Birmingham 0-2 Boro

After unfortunately losing at the Sty last year, a brilliant 1st half performance ensured there was no repeat this year against Dave Williams' boys. Yakubu put Boro ahead after only 20 seconds, before any Brum players had touched the ball. The Nigerian added a second midway through the half, and could've had a hatrick without the efforts of Robert Green in goal. The second half saw Dave's boys have most of the play, but they couldn't get a goal back.

Newcastle 1-2 Boro

With Souness under pressure, a loss at home to local rivals was not what he needed. Luckily for him he kept his job, but lost the game. A Yakubu goal had given Boro a slender half time advantage, and despite further pressure the scoreline stayed at 1-0 as the game passed the hour mark. Then a defensive mishap saw Zuiverloon sent off for the visitors, but it was Boro who scored the next goal, Yakubu with his second of the game. Newcastle pushed forward, but had only a late Carrick goal to show.

Boro 2-0 Portsmouth

A third consecutive win for Boro, as goals from Yakubu and John saw the home side comfortably passed a poor Portsmouth outfit.

13 games gone and Boro remain 12th in the league, but sit only 4 points off the top. It's all far too close

Up the Boro

[BelfastNiall]

Some cracking updates there lads, good stuff.

[EmmYouEffSee]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dimony:

Cr*p results

Well, I bought a squad that I thought could take the division on, and whereas we have play-wise, the same can't be said for the results. Four losses in a row, 2-0 to Ado Den Haag Away, 1-0 to Roda JC at home and 2-1 to both MVV and FC Gronigen. A sharp turnaround of fortunes is in order, as we've conceded three penalties in four games. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Come home Matt, just come home...

[BelfastNiall]

As some of the lads have reported above, EPL Challenge season four has once again seen a very tight start to the league campaign which isn't good for the job security as one week you can be top of the league and the next way down in midtable. Already an early casualty of the new season sees Steve Bruce get the chop at underperforming Man Utd (well I did read Ligs won there ) , replaced by ex-Bologna man Nevio Scala. Don't think any of the boys actually applied to this one. And as Ligs has said there, Newcastle's Souness is now the big favourite to be the next high profile casualty, opening the prospect of another big club coming into the mix.

As for Liverpool, the juggernaut has slowed in recent weeks and here's how:

F Barclaycard Premiership

Game 6. Charlton vs. Liverpool

We went into the match hoping to extend an unbeaten run to 18 games but the Valley is a bogey ground of mine and for the second season in a row I was defeated with practically the last kick of the game. In the 93rd minute as we were heading for an acceptable point, Argentinian defender Gabriel Milito dallied on the ball and was robbed by Charlton dangerman Kisily (who is attracting interest from Chelsea) who we had kept quiet all afternoon up to then. You know the script, he fired home, the run was over and I was robbed here once again

Final Score: Charlton 1 - 0 Liverpool

Game 7. Newcastle United vs. Liverpool

A game that we could and possibly should have lost at St James' Park with Delgado being a thorn in the side all afternoon. Our best chance to win came with three minutes left, Gerrard heading a good chance wide. A good point in my book.

Final Score: Newcastle 0 - 0 Liverpool

Game 8. Liverpool vs. Portsmouth

Liverpool returned to winning ways with a rout against Portsmouth who had beaten Dave's Birmingham side the week before. The game was a rout after we broke through on 34 minutes via Cisse. He added a second minutes later to seal the game and goals followed from Podolski, Kompany, Renato and Fonseca.

Final Score: Liverpool 6 - 0 Portsmouth

Game 9. Chelsea vs. Liverpool

In my opinion the best two sides in the Premiership at the moment went head to head at the home of the champions. Having had a quick look at Ben's 7-0 rout of some European cloggers we saw that it was important to keep the fullbacks in a defensive position as Chelsea's strike force moves incredibly wide to double on the fullbacks and to flood the midfield with 5 men where to me Chelsea looked susceptible.

Game plan was working a treat after Cisse gave us the lead with our first attack in the second minute and for the rest of the half we were clearly the better side with Cech making some excellent stops from Gerrard in particular. Isaksson though was also playing well in the Liverpool goal. After HT, Ben strenghtened his midfield somewhat and Chelsea took a grip of the game. On 56 minutes, just as I had decided I needed to do something, Chelsea won a corner and yet again undone me from a set piece (similar to last season) with the smallest man on the pitch, Owen, netting from close range. After that, I tried to pressure the Chelsea defence some more and this saw us create two one on ones and a great chance from Gerrard which we missed, although Chelsea also created some good chances. Overall, I was pleased to leave Stamford Bridge with a well earned point in a game both managers earned their heft wage packets in.

Final Score: Chelsea 1 - 1 Liverpool

Game 10. Liverpool vs. Wolves

A very frustrating game where a well marshalled Wolves defence limited us to only three efforts on target. 2 points dropped against one of the weaker sides in the EPL.

Final Score: Liverpool 0 - 0 Wolves

Game 11. Liverpool vs. West Ham

Struggling West Ham beaten in the second half when I actually discovered a area of team talks I didn't know existed. Seemed to help the lads to a better performance and Pazzini in particular was a different player scoring his second brace for the club.

Final Score: Liverpool 2 - 0 West Ham

Game 12. Wigan vs. Liverpool

Very frustrated with this game as Alonso was dismissed after only 30 minutes yet we still took the lead twice in the game through Cisse and Kikin Fonseca, only for Wigan to snatch an undeserved point with six minutes to play.

Final Score: Wigan 2 - 2 Liverpool

Summary: Too many draws in the last session has slowed us down after we had topped the table. A good one at Chelsea but bad slippages against Wolves and Wigan. This has forced me into the transfer market as Morten Gamst Pedersen has thus far failed to reproduce his exciting wingplay of last season. We went head to head with Chelsea for Evandro Roncatto and in what the media penned "a victory for football" Roncatto has agreed to join the Murphy revolution in January...usual work permit palava to apply. £Not cheap like, £18m bleeding quid....

The Champions League

Drawn with Celtic, Panathanikos and Shalke 04, we got off to a great start by beating the Scottish Champions 3-1 at Anfield. We then travelled to Greece and snatched a 1-1 draw from the jaws of victory after we went 1-0 up on 16 minutes through Cisse and controlled the game, only to see Michael Papadopoulos score a wonder feckin goal on 67. However, in the ECL you really just have to win your home games and take one point away so a 2-0 win at Anfield against German outfit Schalke 04 moves us into a very good position at the halfway point.

Carling Cup

Just the one game played, vs. Norwich (the surprise package) in the 3rd Round and a routine 2-0 victory was recorded at Anfield. This sets up a 4th Round game against Pagi's Tottenham Hotspur and I'll be looking to repeat my 4-1 win at White Hart Lane last season.

All that leaves the table like this as we break until Thursday:

[BelfastNiall]

Damn that last wink should have bee nafter the Pagi comment, not the £18m one

[Debtu]

Top six my arse

Predictions of a to six place this season seem over ambitious especially with Bolton again hovering above the bottom three and Marc Debieux being the lowest placed EPL manager at the moment. It all looked like it may be different starting of with a hard fought victory over Lig’s Boro a game which could of gone ether way, then a tough away game against West Ham, losing 1-0 was hard to take as Bolton dominated from start to finish and were again let down with a lack of gaols, Luton in the cup and Bolton were well worth there 2-0 victory and gave hope to a revival. Spurs away is never easy but Bolton came out of the traps as though they were a top six side dominating the first half, Spurs improved in the second half but when Aranda went down in the box under a clumsy challenge and the ref pointed to the spot 3 pts looked a safe bet….. Until Robo amazing saved the spot kick leaving the game to fizzle out 0-0, Villa at home and always an open game when these two are in town Ashton scored his first goal for the club giving Bolton 1-0 lead at half time then Aranda inj all three subs had been used so Bolton were down to 10 men, Sam being the savage that his is smelled blood and dully changed his formation scoring twice in quick succession , thankfully Ashton got his second of the game at the death leaving both teams to take a point each at 2-2.Collo’s Everton away and doing well lying in 4th losing 1-0 was hard to take as there was little action from either side and 0-0 would not of been an unfair score line, finally Steve s Sunderland thrashing me at home 3-0 and controlling the game start to finish inflicting the worst defeat iv suffered to an EPL manager.

With Aranda out for three months and Jussi out for two its going to be tough but as soon as I can raise confidence we will climb the league as the new formation has great potential and iv got the players to make it work so watch out top six is what I want and top six is what ill get (stop laughing please J).

[sdiprose]

Now that’s what I call a turnaround!

Following a slow, start to the season, things quickly turned a lot worse . . .

16th August 2008, 15:00

Middlesboro 3

Yakubu 39

Lua Lua 80

Giannokopolous 84

Sunderland 2

Ohlsson 19

Quedrue o.g. 87

Assistant manager took the helm for part of this match; predictably, after him taking over, things went to pot, with Lua Lua and Giannokopolous giving Middlesboro a two-goal cushion after quite a tight game. Pressure led to a Quedrue own goal, and Kuqi then had a goal disallowed in stoppage time for offside. Ligs’ Boro probably shaded the match, but I think the lads will be disappointed not to have grabbed at least a point here.

20th August 2008, 19:30

Sunderland 1

Sousa 82

West Ham 0

Summer signing André Ohlsson looked to be on fire in the opening 20 minutes of this game, going agonisingly close on several occasions. The game looked to be heading to a draw in the second period, a boring affair really, but Sousa stole the points for Sunderland with a fantastic free kick from 25 yards. I feel we deserved the win, although the lack of converted chances is a worry.

23rd August 2008, 15:00

Wigan 2

Mahon pen. 10, pen. 62

Sunderland 1

Markel pen. 76

We should never for a second have lost this game. My strikers were completely off their heads, struggling to get shots on target, let alone test the Wigan keeper, and calamities in defence gave Wigan their only chances and, indeed, only goals. It is in my opinion that the referee was having a laugh – three penalties in one game! And only the first was clear-cut, to make matters worse. Form is extremely inconsistent for us here, without any points away from home yet; I just hope that home form can hold up.

6th September 2008, 15:00

Sunderland 1

Farfan 24

Tottenham 1

Allen 40

The team got their priorities right today, hacking down Cavenaghi and forcing him off injured inside 9 seconds . Farfan, back after a few weeks out from injury, grabbed a goal on his return, collecting a layoff from Ohlsson in his stride, and sliding it past Robinson in goal. Ohlsson should have made it two a few minutes later, but his scuffed shot bobbled harmlessly wide. Tottenham, having been quite quiet so far, came back into the game through a well-struck Allen free kick. The second half saw Spurs come into the game more, and new goalkeeper Gino Mommers was on fantastic form, with two top notch saves. I was very happy with the attacking movement of the squad, but somehow Pagi managed to hold onto a point.

14th September 2008, 15:00

Aston Villa 5

Johnson 15, 25, 52

Routledge 55

Baros 90+3

Sunderland 1

Ohlsson 17

A Kargbo cockup saw Baros let in, who passed to Johnson who couldn’t miss. He made amends straight away, by getting the ball from kick-off, and sending forward a deep, deep cross to Ohlsson, who slotted home the equaliser. However, we fell apart after that. There’s no other way to describe it. Away form is appalling, and if we don’t sort it out, we are going to have problems surviving this season.

17th September 2008, 19:45

League Cup 2nd Round

Sunderland 4

Farfan 10, 25

Whitehead 75

Sousa pen. 89

This was a bit of a morale booster, and the Orient never looked like causing an upset here. A long ball forward from defender Lucas Rocha fed Ohlsson, who, with a quick change of pace baffled a defender and teed up Farfan to finish off a good team move. Farfan’s second was a sublime one, meeting a right wing cross on the edge of the D with a stunning volley that curled into the top corner. Rossi looked to have added a third in the second half, but was deemed offside, before Whitehead got forward really well to head home a long Arca cross. Sousa tucked away a late penalty to ensure that Leyton Orient went home a humbled side.

20th September 2008, 15:00

Sunderland 1

Ohlsson 43

Everton 2

McFadden 49

Mokoena 81

A boring opening half hour looked to set the tone for this encounter, before Ohlsson rifled a volley over the bar on 35. He made amends for this miss a few minutes later, after Farfan made a penetrating run into the area, where he was promptly tackled – the ball bobbling to Ohlsson, who lashed it across the keeper and into the corner. Everton had been pretty obsolete in the first half, but were much better in the second, with McFadden grabbing an equaliser and then Mokoena’s deflected shot deceiving the keeper and giving Everton the points. We’re in trouble in 18th now, and with high-flying Charlton up next, hopes aren’t too high. Following this game, some players became worried with my management skills; Markel and Leao both thought the club should be topping the table , whilst numerous others thought we were underachieving. Leao had lost faith in my ability altogether.

27th September 2008, 15:00

Sunderland 1

Farfan 7

Charlton 1

Kisliy 82

An early goal was just what we needed here, Whitehead receiving a long throw in and putting in an excellent, solid cross, right on Farfan’s head, who duly nodded past Myrhe in goal. Whitehead was having an outstanding game, threading a long ball through to Farfan, but the keeper anticipated the move and saved Farfans shot well. Mommers looked solid in goal, but was let down by right back Kargbo, being dispossessed at the back and Thomas squaring to Kisliy, who couldn’t miss. We had truly dominated this game and should have taken three points; having dropped two, however, I was still delighted at the performance from the lads, and am now hopeful of a recovery.

1st October 2008, 15:00

Leicester 0

Sunderland 2

Lawrence 65

Ohlsson 72

I sat and watched a completely different match here at the Walkers, the network cocking up in some way. Thus, in effect, my assistant manager won us our first away win of the season, and we’re up to 14th! The board was pleased with the win, in a game we controlled from start to finish. Lawrence scored on the volley, latching onto a deep cross from Arca on the left, smashing past a helpless keeper, and Ohlsson shortly made it two, running onto a good ball from an attacking Edgar Martinez and finishing powerfully under the keeper. We were much the better side in the game, and the 2-0 scoreline tells a fair story.

11th October 2008, 15:00

Sunderland 4

Ohlsson 11, 42

Rossi 36, 56

Norwich 0

Surprise package of the season so far, Norwich, were up next, and I was expecting a very tough game. However, despite another network cockup, we won very comfortably indeed, with the efforts of Rossi and Ohlsson earning them the strike partnership in the team of the week . Ohlsson opened the scoring early on, an Abdelaziz Kamara long ball putting him through on goal, and he made no mistake. The second came from a very poor Norwich throw-in, with Rossi collecting the ball and scoring from a very tight angle after running at goal. Ohlsson had time to make it three before half time, scoring at the third attempt after his first shot being saved and his second hitting the post before he buried it. Rossi ensured we gave Norwich a rout shortly into the second half, sprinting forwards and lobbing the oncoming keeper after an Aguero ball forward. Great stuff.

18th October 2008, 15:00

Bolton 0

Sunderland 3

Custodio 9

Aguero 21

Kargbo 47

We started the match very lively, buzzing from our thrashing of Norwich, and Ohlsson did well on 8 minutes but had no finish. Seconds later however, a team move including Sousa, Arca and Farfan led to the ball being laid off to Custodio, who curled a sweet shot home for his first goal of the season. A deep corner from the left by Sousa saw Lawrence control the ball, but was tackled. However, the ball squirmed to Aguero, who smashed the ball home into the corner for a 2-0 lead. Bolton had opportunities, particularly through Nolan, Vaz Te and Kambulov, but couldn’t finish a bag of crisps and Ohlsson kept Marc’s defence on its toes with a stinging shot. In the second half, Kargbo hit a long and hopeful ball forwards towards Farfan, but he missed it, the Bolton keeper missed it, and it bounced into the net . Nolan was definitely the most dangerous Bolton player, but he had the wrong pair of shooting boots on today, not troubling the keeper. We sat back after the third, and the game fizzled out. Following this emphatic win, we rose to 12th in the table, four points clear of Man Utd in 13th. But, with Man City, United and Arsenal the next three games on the cards, we had better hope our rich vein of form doesn’t come to an abrupt end.

22nd October 2008, 19:45

League Cup 3rd Round

Barnsley 1

Nardiello 73

Sunderland 0

The team has been on fire of late, and I decided to rotate the squad for what should have been a straightforward victory. Trejo and Rossi started up front, Commons on the left wing, and Martinez and Rocha started in central defence together for the first time. Defensively, I was pleased with the performance: I am disappointed to have conceded another stupid goal, with Kargbo at right back beginning to look unreliable, as he keeps getting caught in possession and gifting goals away. In the last five minutes, with the team going all out for an equaliser, Trejo nodded in but had his effort incorrectly ruled out for offside, and then Aguero blasted over the bar after being put through on goal by substitute Farfan. I will openly admit that I underestimated Barnsley; I felt the squad was good enough to go far in this competition once again, and being dumped out on our arses at this stage will disappoint the fans. However, we can now concentrate on keeping up our excellent league form, and I hope to make some inroads in the FA Cup when the time arrives.

25th October 2008, 15:00

Sunderland 4

Farfan 19, 69, 86

Potenza o.g. 74

Manchester City 1

Drogba 26

I was cautious going into this game; sixth-placed Man City were having another good season, and I had seen them demolish Everton 5-1 in their previous league game: a point would have pleased me no end. We started extremely well, and a tremendous ball over the top from Liam Lawrence set Farfan free, and he coolly fired the opener home. My pleasure soon turned to frustration, as the overrated nonce that is Didier Drogba scored following a Man City break. Following this, Ohlsson headed just wide across goal, and then Gino Mommers pulled off an outstanding save for us when one-on-one with Bofo Bautista, getting his fingers to the attempted lob, and pushing it just over the bar. I complimented the team at half time, and told them that we could have the points here. A bright start to the second half saw Aguero drive a shot just wide across goal, and then Ohlsson missed a sitter, shooting straight at a recovering keeper after good work by Farfan, when it was easier to score. Following this, we took up a more positive attitude, and upped the tempo, and City just couldn’t handle us. An excellent, pacey team move saw Sousa send Farfan off, and he made no mistake with a cheeky lob from an outlandish angle for his second. Soon after, Arca sent Sousa down the line, who cut inside and played an excellent, deep and dangerous cross into the area, Lawrence meeting it with his head, and Potenza knocking the effort over his own line. With the result more or less beyond doubt, we still weren’t finished; a Sousa corner came back to him off the short defender, he cut away from goal before curling in a superb in swinging cross, which Farfan got his head on, nodding past the keeper and grabbing a truly well-deserved hat-trick. The board was delighted with the win, and the fans were too.

This result leaves us 8th in the table , three points off the top teams! And, for once and amazingly, we have a positive goal difference! This shows just what an excellent couple of weeks the team has had; we look a completely different team from the one that was languishing in 18th just a short while ago. This great run has seen us rise to 2nd in the form table with the same current form as Arsenal, and if we keep this up, we could go higher in the league, and I could be in with a manager of the month shot! A currently underachieving Man Utd are up next, and that game is followed by a visit from the Arsenal, who are looking much better this season.

Ha’way the lads!

[Dimony]

Bleh

After our seventh consecutive defeat, 2-0 to Utrecht, I was somehow still in a job. Agouda came in for the last 20 minutesd of that one and started the next one, a well-earned 2-1 win over an RKC side we totally demolished.

Injuries are still piling up and the pressure from the fans is too. I can only hope for another couple of wins to cement why I got the reputation I did in management.

[STFC will rule again]

What reputation?

[wi11iams]

Did the Toon job get filled?

[Dunga99]

What reputation would that be doughnut sorry I mean Doughty finishing 11th with Sunderland or getting Fulham relegated

[sdiprose]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wi11iams:

Did the Toon job get filled? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't think so, Dave..

[ligs]

UEFA CUP

Boro 6-0 Brann

Brann were totally out of the tie after only 6 minutes, when they found themselves three goals down. The win was needed for Boro, who have 4 points after 2 games. Galatasaray away and Sociedad at home remain, the two hardest games of the group. 1 win will be enough to see Boro progress, but 2 wins would secure top spot and an easier tie in the next phase.

THE PREMIERSHIP

1st up a trip to the millionaires at Stamford Bridge, managed by pauper Ben Jackson:

Chelsea 3-3 Boro

A game that swung one way then the other. Downing gave the visitors an early lead, before two expensively brought players put Chelsea 2-1 up. Goals either side of the break from Yakubu gave Boro the advantage, one which they looked like holding to the end. Unfortunately Gudjohnsen headed home from a set piece, which was the only way Chelsea were ever gonna get anything from the game, to give both teams a share of the spoils.

Boro 1-0 Wolves

Wolves have proved a very difficult team to break down this season, with the exspensively built teams of Liverpool and Chelsea both being held. Again Wolves offered stubborn resistance, and it took until the 80th minute before they were broken down, Collins John getting the goal.

Upto 8th in the league, which is still very tight, with a game in hand. The main worry is that the assistant, who has a record of P3 L3 this season, will be in charge of a few games in the next couple of sessions, which could undo all the hard work to date.

Up the Boro

[wi11iams]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dunga99:

What reputation would that be doughnut sorry I mean Doughty finishing 11th with Sunderland or getting Fulham relegated </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No Spam Thank You

[BelfastNiall]

Human games ahoy!! And 9 points from 9!

European Champions League Group A

Schalke 04 vs. Liverpool

Our best European performance to date as we wallop the German outfit in Gelsenkirchen. A double from Cisse and a cracking free kick from Kallstrom had us 3-0 up at HT, before Blondel wrapped up the rout with 4 minutes remaining. Get in!!

Final Score: Schalke 04 0 - 4 Liverpool.

Celtic vs. Liverpool

With Cisse, Isaksson and Milito all missing, we took an absolute duffing at Celtic Park despite dominating the game. Three individual defensive errors lead to Celtic capitalising each time and with Scott Carson not impressing in goal we paid dearly. Nevertheless, Schalke's victory at Panathanikos ensured that both Liverpool and Celtic progress to the last 16 with a game to spare.

Final Score: Celtic 4 - 1 Liverpool.

FA Barclaycard Premiership

Liverpool surge to the top of the table, just ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea with three wins in succession against Pagi, Sam and Collo. Nice.

Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Pagi's lads shocked us by abandoning their usual wingback formation and playing a solid 4-4-2 here at Anfield. That lead to a very very close game that Liverpool shaded on the day when Kim Kallstrom fired home two excellent free kicks past Lee Camp in the Spurs goal. Pagi was spitting after the game claiming we were lucky and I guess he had a point after seeing Isaksson pulling of a cracking penalty save from Faty to deny Spurs a 2-2 draw. Spurs are one of the Premiership's best sides and this was a good win.

Final Score: Liverpool 2 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur.

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

A top of the table clash here against Sam Bouchard's Villa. Villa have a top attack in Baros and Eddie Johnson so to get a win here was a great result as most of my players put in a top class performance. Cisse skinned Van Den Borre to give us the lead, and we made it two through a Gerrard penalty after 50 minutes. Villa pulled one back right away and after that it was a case of neutralising their top men in order to hold on for the win. Villa are very dangerous on the counter from defending corner kicks I noticed in this one. A very good win.

Final Score: Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool

Liverpool vs. Everton

My second Merseyside derby against Collo's rapidly improving Everton team ends in victory but Collo's men gave us our toughest examination at Anfield so far this season. In fact Everton on the balance of play should have went ahead in the opening 25 minutes and their domination was so complete I was forced to change the tactical approach. After that the game was even until Pazzini scrambled home a goal on 62 minutes. The game went beyond Everton when his central defender Mokoena was dismissed for a second yellow on 72 minutes. After that there was only one team in it and a beauitiful move ended up with Pazzini notching his second of the game, and sixth of the season in the last minute. A good, tough game. Everton are on their way back in my opinion.

Final Score: Liverpool 2 - 0 Everton

[EmmYouEffSee]

I thought i'd share with you all my JOY of becoming a Part-Timer - my 1000th post...yay

[Dimony]

Awaiting new logo

My assistant manager drew 1-1 with Feyenoord, I then went on to make a miraculous 5-4 win against AZ Alkmaar. West Ham offered me the job so I took it, naturally.

I must be the most journeyed manager in EPL. Four jobs now. My first game was a 1-0 loss against Wigan Athletic but we were equal or better than them the whole game.

[BelfastNiall]

Brum, Villa and Spurs well behind, the clock ticks for thursday and

Henry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[David Pagi]

Ok I'll do a report but I can't remember the results or the scorers. So just a summary.

[ligs]

Now is the winter of our discontent...

Injuries + Low Confidence + Bad Luck = Many losses

UEFA CUP

Galatasaray 1-0 Boro

The assistant took charge of this one, and it was a crucial game. The defeat left Boro needing to get at least a point to qualify.

Boro 2-3 Socieadad

1-0 and 2-1 up early on, the Spaniards twice hit Boro on the break to make the score 2-2. With 15 minutes left, the visitors were reduced to 10 men through injury, so Boro, knowing a victory would see them finish top of the groupa dn get an easier draw in the next round, went for the win. In the 3rd and final minute of injury time, and defensive mix up let Nihat through to give Real an undeserved win, and knock Boro out.

FA CUP

Chelsea 3-0 Boro

Any chance of this game causing an upset went after only 6 minutes, when Vranjes was harshly sent off in conceding a penalty. Chelsea dominated the first half, leading 2-0 at the break. The 1st 10 minutes of the 2nd half saw Boro perform better, but then Boro boss Liggins was sent off (well, disconneced from the game) so what happened next I don't know. Apparently it finished 3-0. A short cup run this season

THE PREMIERSHIP

Spurs 2-0 Boro

Coming to the end of the first half with Boro just edging the game, James McEvely put through his pwn net. And when Adriano curled home a 2nd half free kick, Spurs had control. A good performance not rewarded with the result it deserved. No Pagi please, you got lucky.

Villa 1-0 Boro

An awful game. Villa dominated possession, but Boro probably had the best chances. With the game heading for an inevitable 0-0, Zuiverloon put through his own net in the 1st minute of injury time. For the second match in a row, Boro are robbed. Sam Bouchard was reportedly questioned by police after the game for such daylight robbery.

Boro 1-1 Everton

With Everton boss Collo missing, his assistant grabbed a fortuitous point. Mbesuma gave Boro the perfect start, heading home in the 2nd minute, and had another ruled out shortly after. Then Landon Donovan smacked in an unstoppable 30 yarder, and despite constant Boro pressure until the end, Everton held strong. 2 points dropped.

Sunderland 2-1 Boro

Again, an undeserved defeat. After having the better of the game, Collins John finally broke through to put Boro ahead. Sunderland equalised before Mendieta missed a penalty, and with the clcok running down a near post header from a free kick gave Diprose's men a fortunate victory.

Boro 0-1 Liverpool

With not much having happened in the opening 20 minutes, Zat Knight was sent off for a professional foul, gifting Liveprool a huge advantage. Gerrard missed the resulting penalty, and Boro managed to hold firm until half time. The 2nd half saw Liverpool continue to dominate, taking the lead early in the half. Gerrard then had a 2nd penalty saved, but Liverpool were always in control.

This dramatic loss of form has seen Boro somehow only drop a couple of places, and remain only 5 points off 4th place. With a couple of slightly easier league games coming up, and the injuries beginning to subside, a confidence boosting home win against Leicester is a must.

Up the Boro

[BelfastNiall]

A couple of slips sees Chelsea go four points ahead, while Seville await in the Round of 16 in the Champions League.

Carling Cup 4th Round

Tottenham vs. Liverpool

We exit the Carling Cup at the hands of Pagi, after a weakened but still quite strong side made individual errors that were severely punished by Spurs.

Final Score: Tottenham 2 - 0 Liverpool

FA Cup 3rd Round

Gillingham vs. Liverpool

Nice draw vs the Championship outfit and an easy win to set up a 4th Round game vs QPR.

FA Barclaycard Premiership

Sunderland vs. Liverpool

A good win over Steve's resurgent Sunderland side despite the setback of going 1-0 down on the day. Liverpool dominated the game and won courtesy of a Pazzini double.

Final Score: Sunderland 1 - 2 Liverpool

Liverpool vs. Leicester

Dirty Leicester have two men sent off in the game as they fail to cope with our team. Fonseca, Pazzini and Podolski put them to the sword.

Final Score: Liverpool 3 - 0 Leicester

Norwich vs. Liverpool

A tragic game that saw us fall to Norwich at Carrow Rd, the minnows scoring with their one effort of the day through Luke Moore on 24 minutes. A title setback.

Final Score: Norwich 1 - 0 Liverpool

Bolton vs. Liverpool

Comfortable win over Marc's Bolton side, Fonseca on 4 minutes setting us up for a pleasant day out, Cisse rounding it off late in the second half.

Final Score: Bolton 0 - 2 Liverpool

Middlesbrough vs. Liverpool

The game exloded into life after Riise had gone very close for Liverpool on 16 minutes, when a lovely flowing move saw Basta put Cisse clean through in a position he was going to open the scoring from. That was until Zat Knight intervened and cruelly chopped Cisse down in true Liggins style. There was nothing else for it but he had to go for an early bath. Unfortunately, Gerrard missed the penalty. To Boro's credit they defended resolutely for the remainder of the half to go in at 0-0.

However, it was one way traffic at this stage and when Cisse was put in again, this time on 47 mins he did take his chance and put Liverpool ahead. With Boro down to 10 men it was always going to be hard for them to get back into the game and they were unable to trouble us too much on this occasion as we went on to complete a more comfortable win than I had been anticipating.

Liverpool vs. Man City

After taking the lead through Kim Kallstrom, Drogba was a man on a mission to destroy our defence and unfortunately the ***** did with a superb hat-trick.

Final Score: Liverpool 1 - 3 Man City

Man United vs. Liverpool

Despite dominating the game we had to suffer for long periods here after United took the lead through fat boy Rooney on 23 minutes. We poured forward in seacrch of an equaliser only to see Howard deny us time after time in the United goal, until Cisse levelled it with four minutes to go.

Final Score: Man Utd 1 - 1 Liverpool

Transfers In

With the window opening again, a few deals were made to beef up the squad:

Evandro Roncatto £18m from Real Madrid.....Beating Chelsea to this player was lovely.

Thomas Mangani - could rise to £6m for the versatile 21 year old left back/defensive midfielder

Vaclav Vasicek - 775k for a scout recommended player, who looks, er, rubbish!

Ernane - A release clause of 5.25m triggered to sign this promising right winger. 23 year old Brazilian U21 star. Looks exciting here.

[Dimony]

Relegation?

We opened the day seeming to forget the blues of the last few games, thrashing Cardiff 4-1 in the FA Cup third round and not seeming to relent from attacking. Ruiz showed some amazing skills in this game and went from strength to strength as he obliterated their defense time and time again.

Next up was Steve's Sunderland, we went 2-0 ahead but they pulled it back from 2-0 behind to draw 2-2. I put in a bid for Manchester United's Spector but he opted to join Lazio instead of my struggling Hammers.

We beat Leicester in a very even game, 2-0, with late strikes from Ruiz and Diego Marangon supplying the win. At this point I brought Chelsea youngster Andy Hall in on loan to cover some gaps in my midfield, I brought him in against Bolton in the FA Cup and he effectively won us the game, setting up two of our three goals in a 3-2 win.

Cani and Guarin were both ruled out of the game against Norwich with short-term injuries. We held a 2-0 lead until the 94th minute in that game but Norwich pulled back a late consolation. The 2-1 was enough to take us one point clear of the drop zone.

When I took over at West Ham, we were five points clear of safety, now we're one point clear of the drop zone. Maybe this change in fortunes will reinforce why I was so popular at Sunderland.

[wi11iams]

STUNG...........AGAIN

Yes the unluckiest Manager in EPL history has struck again, not content with getting myself sacked by Charlton for absolutely no reason, I have now decided that I really don't want the Toon job either.

"There's only Euro matches left" "may aswell leave early they won't offer the job yet surely."............ "Maybe I shouldn't have left, you never know"........ well I do know and I should have known then, Freddy offered me the job and the oh so magnificent AI turned it down. SORT IT OUT SI

OK so I'm about as gutted as you can get, yes I inherited a good squad at Brum yes I've added to it with some classs signings, yes im well above toon in the Prem, but c'mon, Fair enough Sullivan has increased capacity to 40,000, and with not alot of pressure from the board my job is pretty safe for the time being but damn I'd have liked a crack with the biggest club North of Anfield.

FM Life goes on

In between all this there was a season going on so heres the run down on the in's n out's

Wi11iams GPG Players In

Yaya Toure - Olympiakos - Free

1st Bossy in, The Ivorian is a great player to have at my disposal, showed his class in the recent A.C.o.N. but of course I signed him before he put himself on the map thanks to Mr Murdoch once again.

George Junior Weah - Milan - Free

Whilst scouring the Italian League for the next Big Thing this unmissable name was just begging to be snapped up so ofcourse I obliged, not looking the finished article just yet but well worth a punt.

Mourad Benhamida - Nantes - £1,400,000

Desperate for decent wing backs my objective this season was to firm up the left and right back positions. Staltieri, or whatever his name is, is complete cack, even Melchy was better, and with Elmer in LB I needed someone a bit more defensive for certain matches.

Mourad is a very promising versatile wing back comfortable on both sides I've loaned him out for the season to get him prepared for next season.

Robert Huth - No Club - Free

With everyman and his dog offering Robert a contract I went all out to get him pying a little more in wages than I would have really liked to. Time will tell if it was a prudent decision.

Alex Santos - Sau Paulo - £5,750,000

A big gamble on my biggest signing, but by the looks I'm odds on for a winner here, the right back looks like the type of wing back that would make my 1st 11 near complete fast, hard and skillfull, a bit like me allthough the Mrs isn't happy about the 1st Santos ws spotted by my scouts at Charlton but never had the buying power to finance the move.

Adriano - Atletico Paranaense - £1,200,000

Aem Panic Buy Ahem, flapping for some attacking flair in the middle this guy was the only affordable target that came up in my player search. Having paid over a million for him no sooner had he arrived than he announced his retirement from Football, and promptly sat out the 1st half of the season in the Physio Room untill Christms when he went back to Brazil with a fat bank account.

Cyril Gohel - No Club - Free

I can't quite remember Cyril but if I signed him then he must look a good prospect

£8,250,000 out

Dunga's GPG Players Out

The following players were a bag of shyte so they went....

Steven Graham, Adam Browne, Mark Williams, Kevin Mclean, Mehdi Nafti - Free

Zenden - Leicester - £2,000,000

Elmander - Wolfsburg - £3,000,000

Melchiot - Norwich - £750,000

Parkhurst - Leeds - £1,600,000

Lombaerts - PSV - £725,000

Troest - Saints - £1,000,000

Jensen - Blades - £100,000

Vogel - Fulham - £500,000

Cudicini - Rangers - £500,000

Gasbarroni - Lille - £3,200,000

Pitak - Pompey - £1,700,000

Total of 15million and a big cut in wages to ease budget.

I've cocked up my screenie for results so will post some choice results in my next thrilling installment that is.......

David Williams EPL's Most Unlucky Manager 2008/2009

[wi11iams]

I give up

[David Pagi]

Spurs are going to Wembley, knees have gone all trembly lalalala lalalala

The board and fans expected a top 6 finish prior to the opening of the 2008/09 season and the team is on course despite a tightly contested Premiership table and inconsistent performances of late, although our form has been steadier after reverting back to a revised 352.

Interesting times in the various cups as we book our place at Wembley for the league cup final after beating Villa on away goals, (an aggregate score of 2-2 after 2 legs) Unfortunately Sam was absent for the matches, is assistant done a respectable job utilising a make-shift defensive 4132 system which nearly payed dividents. Over the course of the two legs we were the better team and should have won by 2-3 goals if the truth be told.

Not so successful in the FA Cup (3rd Round) as Steve's Sunderland ran amock at White Hart Lane scoring 3 goals within the first 8 minutes, god knows wtf happened in those first 8 minutes, one of the world's many mysteries. I GOT MY REVENGE! Overturning Sunderland a few weeks later in our Premiership encounter SMASHIN EM 4-1 despite Argentinian tosspot Sergio Agueno's best attempts at injurying all my players (he succeeded in injurying 3, including my goalie with no sub on the bench) which later resulted in David Bentley donning the goalie gloves for the last 34 mins of the match and pulling off a series of reflex saves to deny Sunderland a way back into the game. He only conceded the one goal and saved about 4/5 shots

Players In:

Toro “The Bullfighter†- 5m from Fluminese

I sent my scout out to Brazil a few years ago and tbf he has not been back since but he's picked up a few Brazilian stars Bentinho, Ale, Alexandre, Tardelli and the next in-line is Toro.

This guy has got the lot. A 22 year old FC/AMC/R Brazilian You name it he's got it. A star for the future at club and international level. Just ask Everton boss Collo about him

Bentley AML/C - free transfer

Cover for Lennon and Toro, an able deputy.

lopez AML - 500k from Cannes

A neat little gem of a player courtesy of my French scouting network. I had to beat off offers from fellow Prem clubs to secure this guy's signature. Best described as an old fashioned left winger. Exceptional Pace, dribbling and crossing ability and still only 17. Goat is keeping a very close eye on this hot youngster.

Sauvage AMC - 325k from Amiens

Another product of the French scouts, this guy screams potential star.

Bonker MC - 300k from Derby

While my scouts were busy in France, the ones closer to home drew my attention this English kid at Derby. Another one for the future.

Abuda - 3.2m from West Ham

The legend returns!!!!!!!! This little guy is my favourite ever FM player, he's not quite as sharp as in yesteryear but hopefully reuniting with his former mentor will revive him. This purchase bought my Brazilian contingent up to 6 SAMBA MAGIC!

D!ckhead(s) out

Mido - 3.2m - Club Brugge

Shown the door after returning to White Hart Lane at the start of the season and failing to perform AGAIN (so wtf did i buy him back?) So I've had him 5 months and he's goneeeeeeee, recouped the 3m I payed AS Roma for his “services†so......... he joins fellow Spurs tear-away Hleb who has been loaned to Club Brugge with an option to buy for 725k should they wish.

Club overview

Premiership :4th (5 points behind 3rd)

Carling Cup: Final v Man U

FA Cup: 3rd Round (Spurs 0-3 Sunderland)

Uefa Cup: 1st Knock-Out Round v Valerenga

[Dimony]

Sticking at it...

Wow, I've been in charge of the same club for three posts, it's a landmark. I sold Abuda to Spurs for £3,200,000 and bought Avitabile from Palermo for £1,100,000 on deadline day. Both should prove to be good acquistions.

Bolton away was always going to be difficult since Marc wasn't there and I had to play the AI (), but we got a 1-1 draw when Zigic equalized their opening penalty with a diving header.

Zigic was promptly ruled out for a week, and we went down 2-1 to Man City in an incredibly even game. Each team having a disallowed goal. We lost 3-2 to Liverpool in another surprisingly even encounter, with Bowyer screwing up the opportunity to take it to extra time in the 93rd minute, heading wide from 2 yards.

Bowyer was injured afterwards (heaven knows why, couldn't have been anything to do with the team talk) for 4 weeks, as the nasty run came up. I recieved an offer for Zigic which I negotiated, and also bidded on a striker, 900k. We are 17th, a game in hand above Wolves and 4 points above Pompey.

[ligs]

Boro recover, but is Europe still on?

After the dramatic loss of form, A mini recovery has seen recent results improve. We're still in 9th place though - seems we stay there regardless of the results.

Boro 3-1 Leicester

Norwich 0-2 Boro

With other managers moaning about Norwich, they were dispatched easily at Carrow Road

Boro 1-1 Bolton

With Marc absent, his assistant got very very lucky. After dominating the game from the off, a 94th minute Kamburov free kick gave Bolton an undeserved point.

Man City 0-1 Boro

Again, City are a team that other managers always moan about. I made it 3 wins out of 3 encounters with them, an easy win.

Boro 0-1 Man Utd

The assistant took charge of this, and I'm glad I missed it. Only 5 shots in the whole game, 3 on target. United's only one went in.

Arsenal 2-1 Boro

Arsenal were in charge after yet more early goals against me, 2-0 up after 10 minutes. Boro fought back, but Mbesuma's late goal wasn't enough

5 points off 6th, which looks the highest place achievable, especially with some tough games coming up.

Up the Boro

[EmmYouEffSee]

Innnnteresting Indeed

With the end of the January window imminent Sam Bouchard found himself in a bit of a b*llocks so to speak. With Schmeichael and Taylor as well as Baros and Johnson all out injured within 3 days of eachother it meant that at both ends of the field the team wouldn't be at it's best. To make matters worse the team were to face Norwich in the league and a couple of UEFA Cup games against Roma in just 7 days.

Unfortunatly the games in the League have turned the season slightly sour, and although the fans are quiete content with a 6th place spot - the manager isn't. He spoke to Sky Sports earlier on and had the following to say...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I dont honestly know what's happened over the past few months. The defending has been poor, and although the counter attacks have been a plenty, we just aren't converting enough chances. Ronaldo has upped the spirit up top, but to be honest we still lack a good quality defender aswell as another attacking midfielder and indeed a forward. Then my team will be complete. Until then, i'll trundle on with what i've got - but close season, there will definatly be a shuffle about. With 56,000 visiting Villa Park everyweek, we need to keep them happy - and winning trophy's is the only way. Next year could well be our year in the League, and I damn sure hope so! Next year will be our year, it'll be my year - and we will prevail as Champions. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bouchard ended the interview by running off with his arms above his head shouting 'EEEEEASSSSEHHHHHH'...'nuff said aparently!

Cup runs could still take Sam Bouchard's men to glory this term - but going out in the League Cup Semi-Finals to David Pagi's Spurs on goal difference, and losing away to AS Roma due to Superstrikes, the opportunities for silverware are looking thin. Obviously there's still the FA Cup 1/4 final to look forward to, where Villa play host to Leicester City. Surely a semi-final appearance is on the cards as they battle it out once more against a struggling side.

In the league, a loss to Norwich has slammed morale down further than ever before in the season, which isn't good as the side line up for the toughest part of the campaign. With Chelsea and Liverpool still to play late on, and a 20 point gap between 6th and top of the league, surely the title race is over for Villa....or is it?

[sdiprose]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EmmYouEffSee:

...surely the title race is over for Villa....or is it? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh... I wasn't aware it had ever started for Villa

[EmmYouEffSee]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by sdiprose:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EmmYouEffSee:

...surely the title race is over for Villa....or is it? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh... I wasn't aware it had ever started for Villa </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

*Votes sdiprose worse FMO Manager 2005*

ert herm?

[sdiprose]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EmmYouEffSee:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by sdiprose:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EmmYouEffSee:

...surely the title race is over for Villa....or is it? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh... I wasn't aware it had ever started for Villa </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

*Votes sdiprose worse FMO Manager 2005*

ert herm? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

... because being higher in the league with Sunderland, than you with Villa, is just luck, obviously

[BelfastNiall]

Congratulations to everyone in the clan for another successful year that saw us defend our "trophies" in the FMO Awards.

We won -

Best Thread (and it rocked)

Most organised (those lovely forums were a class addition, thanks to Blind aka Mr Smallwood)

Best Clan for 2005.

All thoroughly deserved imo cos nearly all our members have put in a lot of effort to keep the clan at the top.

So to all the current players and indeed those from FM05 (Rick, Danny, Andy and Mo) - well done and top stuff.

[Dimony]

Some toughies...

Coming up to our run, I thought we would be lucky to take one point, but we managed to take two from three, with a 0-0 draw in a good even game with Arsenal, and what feels like we robbed Birmingham in a 1-1 draw.

Liverpool beat us 2-0, Murphy's men deserving to win on the day, and elsewhere I sold Zigic for £700,000 plus one of the best DMs I have ever seen.

[David Pagi]

Ben get my Inter Milan badge done please. I want a sexy pic of the San Siro in the background aswell

[Dunga99]

Congratulations on the 3 awards EPL

FM05 certainly was a vintage year in playing online