BelfastNiall Posted November 4, 2005 Author Share Posted November 4, 2005 just a hint lads, a listing of results is not necessary, managerial overviews usually are more entertaining Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 You caught me when i was on a downer Ben..looking forward to excating revenge at the JJB stadium, F.F.C for life(or until i get sacked) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STFC will rule again Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Keep your opinions to yourself Murphy and I'll enjoy inflicting another mauling on you Frenchy . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Well if we look at the current premiership table, i think you'll find that me in 10th, im overachieving and you wigan are underachieving in comparison to real life...so bring back Jewell! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STFC will rule again Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 I'll think you'll find i'm in 10th and you're in 12th Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Ok, So Here's an update in the crazy world of Pig Bladder kicking or Mental Torture as I like to cal it.... Players In....... Brede Paulsen Hangeland £400,000 Viking This is one Brede your not gonna mess with, a sure fire winner, plays both CB and DMC , excellent stats, would make Hagar the horrible look like Dale Winton on an off day. Jardel £1,900,000 Goias "He's fat, He's round, he bounces off the ground, Jardel, Jardel" If I can get him to play 90mins without the aid of a resusitator then he'll get me goals. Players Out....... Shaun Bartlett £400,000 Brescia Surplus to requirements and helps ease the wage bill, makes way for younger, hungrier players. Kevin Lisbie £900,000 Bronby Again another ageing striker offloaded to makeway for young blood Bryan Hughes £1,700,000 Hearts This utility player had to make way for the new regime, some well needed transfer cash. Results....... I've decided to stick with the outdated 442, considering the players I've got, I need to capitalise on their pace and passing ability to feed the man that is Darren Bent Super Scorer. Aston Villa @ home 2-2 The first game of the season saw a suprise 2-0 lead for us, courtesy of a Bothroyd neat finish and an excellent corner buried by on loan Sorondo coming from deep. 81 mins passed with Charlton cruising only for young to give away a penalty, put away by Barry, this then gave the away side thre impotus with Ex Liverpool & Champions League Winner, Milan Baros bringing the Villains level a couple of minutes later. Two points lost on the opening day, great performance though. Liverpool @ Anfield 1-3 The stage was set for Liverpool's first home game of the season since that oh so glorious night in Istanbul where the Scouse Champions made it number 5. Anfield shook to the echo's of "We are the Champions, the Champions of Europe" and a stiring rendition of "You'll never walk alone". Truly a marvelous occasion, one which Charlton have the oppourtunity to play the Champions of Europe. The Scouse Army had barely finished graceing the Anfield Airwaves when Jardel turned on a six pence to bury an ambrose through ball past the helpless Liverpool stand in GK. Ambrose made it to in 15mins with an excellent late run into the penalty area to finish off a wonderfull move crafted by young Jerome Thomas. Things got worse for The Champions of Europe when a Rommedhal cross was deflected in to his own goal by a disparing Jamie Carragher. The game ebbed and flowed with Liverpool having much of the possesion late in the game, and made it count when Cisse placed a shot past Andersen to make it 3-1 to the Londoners. Spurs @ home 1-2 An early lead for Charlton thanks to another Sorondo header, led to a game in which Charlton can count themselves very unlucky, the phrase "all over them" springs to mind but poxy goals from Defoe and Keane gave Spurs the win. Fulham @ Craven Cottage 2-0 An inspired first 15mins gave Fulham a 2 goal lead thanks to a wonderful brace from Collins John, Charlton can count themselves unlucky that the 75mins of constant pressure never paid off as the home side defended admirably (now that's not something I thought I'd be saying about a French Man's team ) Bolton @ home 1-1 Bothroyd made it 2 for the season with a cooly finished goal from a Jardel lay off, Bolton managed to scramble a point thanks to a Borgetti screamer late in the game Sunderland @ The Stadium of Light 0-1 Charlton had the benefit of possesion in this tightly contested game, suprise package Sorondo made it his 3rd goal of the campaign with yet another header comming from a set piece routine. League Cup - Cheltenhnam @ Whaddon Road 1-0 With Charlton putting out an understrength team, Cheltenham capitalised with a 1-0 win thanks to an Odejayi header. Portsmouth @ Home 1-1 In form Sorondo was on the score sheet yet again, proving to be a goal machine from set pieces, Boyd levelled a somewhat 1 sided game to give Pompey a undeserved draw. Blackburn @ Ewood 1-3 Blackburn went into this game as the firm favourites, and came out as the crest fallen, as Darren Bent made his return from injury in fine style netting a brace thanks to some sublime football from himself and the selfless Darren Ambrose who's sheer determination was rewarded with his second goal of the season. Park Joo Young gave the home team a little pride back with a smart run and shot late in the game, and with the likes of Pedersen, Petit, Basseggio, Larsen and Eriksen all starting the Blackburn Boss will have little to fall back on in way of excuses. A mixed bag of results has put us above the early quagmire that is the bottom of the table, but haven't yet rose into top half status, with money in the kity and wages low the January Sales should bring in a couple of new faces to compliment an already impresive squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunga99 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Shock horror West Ham win 2 premiership game on a row Yes after winning only 3 of 23 premiership games all season West Ham have finally won 2 games on the bounce. It could have easily been 3 on a row but for some lucky defending from Mr. Luck himself Goaty. I’m also pleased to announce the signing of Danny Murphy and Tomas Priskin to the club I’m sure they will both prove there value in the long term. Transfers In… Danny Murphy from Charlton for 500k Charlton manager Mr. Williams had a problem at Charlton with Murphy and start striker Bent hating each others guts. So one of then had to go and luckily for the hammers that meant Murphy was available at a knock down price. Danny will be a great addition to our midfield. Tomas Priskin from Cyor for 100k With little or no money I been sending my scouts out to Eastern Europe trying to find a bargain forward for the future, in Tomas we may just have that on our hands. Priskin should do well in the championship next season as I bid to regain my premiership status. Transfers Out… Carl Fletcher to Nottingham Forest for 400k Needed the cash and Fletcher couldn’t cut it at premiership level. Trent McCleanaha to Hull for 425 Trent who??? Exactly Premiership Game 24 West Ham 1 Vitti 27 Sunderland 0 Man of the Match: Carroll 9/10 West Ham Attendance-33785 Refereed by Martin Atkinson This was a smash and grab operation with young forward Vitti smashing the goal into the back of the net and West Ham grabbing all 3 points. Sunderland was the better team in the match but Carroll was back to his best making some world class saves to deny the Sunderland frontline. 1-0 Win FA Cup 4th Round West Ham 2 Noble 34 Dailly 90 Middlesbrough 0 Man of the Match: Dailly 8/10 West Ham Attendance-18546 Refereed by Graham Salisbury This was another game when West Ham was against the ropes for most of the game. The difference was the West Ham players showing they can sometimes make there chances pay with 2 lethal shots that the Boro keeper unable to save. 2-0 Win Premiership Game 25 Portsmouth 1 Boyd 20 West Ham 3 Vitti 1, 36 Holm 77 Sent off: Vignal 10th Minute Man of the Match: Harbuzi 9 /10 West Ham Attendance-20279 Refereed by Mike Dean Finally some love on the game for me. This game brought 3 first for me *First time I had won 2 games on a row in the league. *First time I had scored 3 goals in a league game. *First time the other team had a red card instead of me. A little worrying was even with 10 men was Portsmouth still outplayed in spells but 3 points is 3 points and am more than happy to bank them. Premiership Game 26 West Ham 1 Noble 90 Blackburn 1 Kuqi 44 Man of the Match: Noble 9/10 West Ham Attendance-30516 Refereed by Martin Atkinson Usual ******** came out of goat’s mouth in a pre game interview saying he was only putting out half a team but as usual come kickoff there were only 2 players missing due to injury . In this game it was attack, attack, attack from West Ham with goat holding on to his backside and preying. Then would you believe it as per usual the jammy git scores against the run of play and takes a one nil lead in at half time . Second half more the same with the hammers all over Blackburn like a cheap suit withstanding heavy pressure until the last minute when Noble scores a great little goal to shut goaty well and truly up. I’m sure Andy has a different take on this game as he usually does but has he never does a report you will have to take my word about this game. 1-1 Draw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 Murphy slams "lucky" Jackson! Birmingham manager Niall Murphy today launched a vicious attack on Ben Jackson's Wigan Athletic. Murphy, visibly stunned after his side had put in a brilliant performance at the JJB Stadium, only to lose 4-2 had this to say. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I really don't see how Jackson could have the nerve to show his face in the press room after the game. Never in my life have I seen a team totally pummel the opposition so completely yet concede four lucky goals. Not to mention that at least two of Wigan's goals were clearly offside. Now I don't want to sound like that tosspot Mourinho, but in my book that game was a 2-2 draw. All I can say is that if Wigan play like that every week, even Pagi's Spurs look a more professional outfit!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> And with that Murphy stormed off annoyed further by the news that Matthew Upson and Jermaine Pennant have sustained injuries and could miss the next month of action and the Carling Cup Final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 With the end of the transfer window came big transfer news at the Hawthorns... OUT Brian Smikle - £100k to Rushden That wasn't the big news, believe it or not... IN Olof Mellberg - DC - £2mil from Villa Signed for an initial £800k, Mellberg will become the rock at the heart of the defence. An absolute bargain. Caught Sam "the mighty" Bouchard at the right time, pining over a girl he's chasing after. Nathan Doyle - D/DM/M R/C - £600k from Derby. Versatile 19 year old, another one for the future Onto the games... WBA 1-1 Bolton 2 points dropped at home to the Wanderers, with a defensive mix-up proving crucial. The Baggies took the lead through Earnshaw (34), but a mix up between Gaardsoe and Kuszczak let fat plodder Davies (74) in to tap into an empty net and grab a point for the visitors. Sunderland 2-0 WBA An awful 1st half performance gifted Sunderland the 3 points. Murphy (3) gave the home side the perfect start, and when Elliott (32) made it two nil, WBA had it all to do. Despite a good second half, WBA couldn't get the ball in the back of the net, and slipped to a disappointing defeat. FA Cup 4th round: WBA 2-1 Wolves An easy victory over Black Country rivals Wolves, despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise. It took almost an hour for the break through to come, Wernblom (56) grabbing his first goal for the club. And when Horsfield (71) made it two, the game looked over. Miller (90) grabbed a last minute consolation goal, but there wasn't time for any WBA nerves to set in. WBA 3-0 Portsmouth The Baggies got back on track in the league with a convincing win over struggling Portsmouth. Horsfield (14) settled any early nerves, and a brace from Earnshaw (26, 86 pen) secured the 3 points. The win over Portsmouth has probably secured Premiership status for another season, even thogh we're only just into February. A top 8 position is achievable, but with a tricky 6 games coming up, this looks unlikely. A home FA Cup draw against Charlton or Millwall should provide a decent opportunity to progress to the last eight. How will the young team cope? Boing Boing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liverpool F.C Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 How do i join this online game? any places available? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STFC will rule again Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Jackson Brushes Away 'Lucky' Jibes Sky Sports managed to catch up with a clearly delighted Ben Jackson after the match against Birmingham to find out his views on the match and also what he thought about the comments made by Niall Murphy. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It was an unbelievable start as we were 4-0 up within 30 odd minutes and even though they scored twice towards in the 2nd half, it was still a great performance by the team. I've heard the comments made by the Birmingham manager after the match that they should have won the match and that we were extremely lucky to have got the win. I think that he should look at his own side's inability to put the ball in the net instead of blaming all his problems on us. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> With Wigan having 34 points so far this season, they look to have secured their Premiership status already and they must surely be looking to finish around mid-table if they keep up their impressive home form and continue to improve their away performances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 Taking time out from his busy schedule, Birmingham manager Niall Murphy reflects on his first 6 months in charge at St Andrew's....With the midlands outfit sitting in 6th place and in the Carling Cup Final, Murphy had plenty on his mind.... If we could begin with a quick summary of the squad Steve Bruce left at your disposal? Well, to be fair, Bruce left me with some very good players at the club and we've managed to sit in the top six with the nucleus of the side intact. We have a good goalkeeper in Maik Taylor, a solid defensive unit and of course up front, Mikael Forssell has continued to add to his growing reputation plundering 20 goals this season. With Heskey also showing why he was an England international in the past and what prompted French coach, Foollier, to spend £11m quid on him to bring him to the "best team in Europe" [sic: chuckles sarcastically], we've a decent attack. In midfield we have seen the biggest change with Tobias Hysen added to the left, Karel Pittak to the right and young Swedish prospect Duric settling in well. With David Dunn also there, when fit, we've got a good base to work with... And in January you've spent the money to replace Jarosik? Yep, Johann Vogel is an exceptional player and the fact that AC Milan rated him highly enough to bring him to Italy speaks volumes about his quality. Not only is Vogel very adept defensively, he can also create chances for other players and has that big player mentality which we need in the squad. For £2.9m I felt it was an opportunity not to be missed, especially as Dacourt surprisingly moved to Siena. That still leaves you light in midfield though? Yes, when I joined Birmingham there were two major issues with the squad. Firstly of course was the Matthew Upson issue and now that we know he's off to Arsenal, the club can concentrate on looking for a replacement. Secondly, we had two defensive midfielders in Nicky Butt and Jarosik that were here on loan and therefore not actually Birmingham players. This means that it has even more difficult to plan for the future. With the arrival of Vogel we have now addressed one of those issues and I can reveal I am keeping tabs on two more players for this position. And they are? Obviously I can't reveal that at the moment, but I can say that one is a young Brazilian that Andy Nilsen has also watched for Blackburn and the other is a much coveted young Dutchman. We'll have to wait until the summer to see what transpires. So why did you not go for Mellberg? I have to make clear that I rate Mellberg highly. I think Liggins has landed a tremendous buy here for West Brom and I'm surprised Bouchard let him go, but practically gave him away. Some managers must think they have a red suit on and a big white beard. Liggins I'm sure thought Christmas has come early. Just as I'm sure King did when Dave Williams offloaded Danny Murphy to West Ham for £500k. However, at the end of the day, Mellberg was a Villa player and our fans wouldn't be happy with an ex-Villan at the club. It's as simple as that. And you're pleased with the Bosman signings? Yes, Cudicini's imminent arrival is a boost because as Liggins down at WBA has discovered, Kirkland is very injury prone and I'm not sure that our £1.7m move for Kirkland next season was a wise choice. At least Cudicini will be there also. And Gasparoni is a good young Italian winger who will provide competition for Pennant. So what now for Birmingham? Well obviously at the end of the month we have the biggest game the club has been involved in for years approaching with the Carling Cup Final against Manchester United. It's a massive match for us, a chance to win silverware and more importantly, to qualify for Europe by the end of February. What do you make of your chances? Naturally when you are playing a huge club like Man Utd, you expect a tough game. We've played them twice this season, won one, lost one, and I thought we were excellent for 30 minutes at Old Trafford, just missing the opportunity to go 2-0 in front. I'm confident that on the day we can win the game, but it will be tough yes. Obviously you joined the club at a time of major upheaval in the Premiership. What managers have impressed you the most Of the new mangers in the Premiership, I've been most impressed with D'Ardenne down at Fulham. He's managed to keep his squad intact up to now which has given him a good base. Like most of us, he faces financial pressure down there and will have to juggle his squad well in the summer to remain up there. If he can get into Europe first, he's a great chance of moving on. One of the hardest games we had as well was against Dave Williams' Charlton Athletic, they look a good side and have some very good players. And the least Well got to be either the sacked Pagi or the sacked and quit Boult. Neither impressed at all. Danny King is also down there but I feel he has the quality in the squad to avoid relegation, narrowly. If he has the luck of a Ben Jackson for example, he'll survive... And any predictions for Birmingham The ambition remains to stay in the top 6 but any top 10 finish would be good. Obviously we want to win the Carling Cup and as we're in the 5th Round of the FA Cup as well, it would be great if we could win one of the domestic cups....We'll be going for it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Me thinks Niall's boss nedds to take a good long look at his work load. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 Thanks for that Dave. As you may have guessed it is rather quiet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 What do you expect , a software developer for Arsenals next Champions League Winners Sim, You'll be bored for years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 still leaves plenty of time to get it done before Liverpool win the Premiership. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Praise from the irishman...i sense mindgames Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Fulham negate poor patch of form; improvements becoming evident Yes after my horrendous run, i have finally begun to get some points on the board, with 2 draws and 3 wins in my last 5 matches. Collins John is also beginning to discover the form that saw him rise to the top of the scoring charts in the early months of the season, bagging a few goals in recent matches, and Espen Johnsen, so prominent in our success, has begun to make the pitch his own, Williams will attest to that . So with January coming and going i have managed to keep the nucleus of my squad intact, but Boa Morte and Diop are expected to leave at the end of the season with transfers being negotiated. Hopefully we can push on for a place in europe before then though. With some 34 points at approximately the halfway point, survival seems a certainty. With the chance now for Fulham to push on and gain a european qualification for next season, the club finances could certainly need it! On to transfers then. Transfers In J.Absalonsen-£1.7m Signed from Brondby, this danish wideman is young and has bags of ability as well as potential. He will compete with Boa Morte for a place in the team but can also play off the striker, which offers me something different.Im pleased to have signed him with competition from a few big italian clubs. Players Out Z.Rehman-£1.4m With me needing the money to balance the books, he was offloaded. Not really an issue as i think he lacked the quality to make it in the premiership. J.Drobny-£1.3m Signed by cookie in the summer, he was injured for the majority of the time, and with johnsen so imperious between the sticks, he was never really going to feature...offloaded to Lokeren, still over 300% profit in 6 months Future Transfers In Denilson- ex Betis wideman, once valued as the most valuable player in the world. At the age of 28 he still has alot to offer, and the Craven Cottage faithful are relishing the prospect of seeing him in a fulham shirt. S.Torghelle- failed at palace in the season they were relegated, but has prospered on loan at panathanakios..scoring over a goal a game in european competition. A big strong lad he looks set to play as targetman, with mcbride returning to the states at the end of the season. Results & Scorers Fulham 4-1 West Ham(away) Goals-John,Malbranque,Briand,Boa Morte-Benayoun Simply put West ham failed to perform and my lads capitalised on this. However my team still played well and held a deserved 2-0 lead at half time, to be honest it could easily have been more! However Benayoun struck back from the spot, a somewhat fortuitous penalty in my eyes, but as my team pressed forward again, Davenport held back John when clean through on goal and he received his marching orders. We then scored a peach of a goal from a whipped cross by volz, converte by briand and the rout was completed when boa morte rounded the keeper for the 4th. Fulham 0-0 Newcastle No goals but the game had everything else, with both sides fluffing chances to snare 3 points. Malbranque in particular was a creative force, but we just could not find a breakthrough. Fulham 1-1 Charlton(away) goals-McBride-Bent Charlton took the early lead after 3 minutes with the excellent bent firing home from close range, but we immediately pressed forward creating chances but not finding the equalizer. However Mcbride fird home on 34mins, and after that we really took control for the half. After half time charlton completely bosed the game in midfield and controlled the ball well, but with Knight shackling Bent, had no firepower to score...so if you want to stop Charlton stop Bent Fulham 2-1 Crewe(home-FA Cup) goals-Mcbride,John-Maynard Scoreline belies the fact that i enjoyed the lions share of the posession and really should have won more comftorably. We went into a two goal lead and never looked in danger, despite a late equaliser by Crewe. Dario Gradi was full of praise after the game, and i was pleased he felt my team have a chance in the competion. Fulham 1-0 Man City(home) goal-John It was a close game, and maybe ranieri's City deserved a point, but its tight games like these you need to win to push up the table. As it happened John exchanged a one-two with Malbranque and the slotted past David "mavis the donkey" James. The points were mine and with survival nigh assured, i can now turn my thoughts towards a push for europe. So with over halfway gone in the season im 9th(i think) and a european qualification position is attainable, however i must be cautious as there are some decent teams around me, in particular Sam' villa who i expect to forge on ahead of me. With my improving financial position(now just under £2m in debt) my team looks quite strong, but maybe lacking a bit of depth in the centre of defense with Gardner returning early to spurs(cheers mate) and Rehman off to rangers. However young fontaine in the reserves looks more than capable of standing in so im not overly worried. The futures bright the futures <STRIKE>orange</STRIKE>...oops White. hopefully ill be able to increase the number of frenchmen in the squad aswell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 As much as I love the fact you can't get your Fulham pic up I sugest you have a look at the properties, its linked to a sigames thread not premier league.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 http://www.premierleague.com/en/images/club_normallogos_180x160/fulham.gif Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 kids today.... don't know they're born Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 8, 2005 Author Share Posted November 8, 2005 Some recent matches that leave Birmingham in 5th spot with 9 matches to play and with an outside chance of Champions League football....Yep Williams, it's quiet today as well. FA Carling Premiership Birmingham 0 - 0 Chelsea With Chelsea locked in a titanic struggle with Arsenal for the title, Roman Abramovich's money laundered outfit surprisingly turned up at St Andrew's in a very negative 4-5-1. With Icelandic international Eidjur Gudjohnsen up front on his todd and no sign of Diddler Drogba and Cranky Crespo in the side, Chelsea offered very little threat up front for the entire 90 minutes. In a match that Birmingham dominated, we just couldn't find the breakthrough to give us the three points we deserved from the fixture. FA Cup 5th Round Birmingham 1 - 0 Sunderland With Sunderland causing some of the other managers major problems this season (the eijits even have a thread devoted to it ), this was supposedly going to be a tough tie against Mick McCarthy's battlers. However, Murphy's lads brushed their challenge aside with another goal from the lethal Emille Heskey (yep you read correctly, that's lethal ) giving us the lead in the first half. Despite constant pressure we failed to add a second goal which meant Sunderland remained a threat until Gary Breen was sent off for the Black Cats with 15 minutes remaining. Nico Vaasen, deputising for the injured Maik Taylor made some comfortable saves from distance from the boot of Le Tallac in particular to see the game out. Into the Quarter Finals where I was hoping Newcastle would see off Everton, but the Toffees came through and that sets up a very difficult tie against a very hard to beat Everton at Goodison Park. Carling Cup Final Birmingham 2 - 3 Manchester United On a crisp February afternoon, Murphy led his Birmingham side out to the immaculate Millennium Stadium turf for a major final with high hopes of pulling off a shock win. Pre match the media had been hassling Murphy to explain how he planned to deal with Man Utd's Cristiano Ronaldo. According to the press (and even former Birmingham player Dominguez?? chipped in with his two bobs worth) this would be crucial if Birmingham were to have any chance of winning. Naturally, the Portuguese gimp then failed to start the game!! Man Utd were installed as heavy favourites and came flying out of the traps, the Birmingham goal put under constant pressure. However, United were failing to make the most of their possession as Birmingham's defence remained composed. And then a great moment as Heskey put Birmingham in the lead and the fans began to believe we could do it. United though rallied and just as I was hoping we'd hold out until half time, Ruud Van Nistelrooy levelled the game at 1-1. At HT, I tried my best to instil confidence in the side that they could still win the game and to their credit, the lads came out on fire. Taking the game to Manchester United, we began to play football in their half and deservedly took the lead through the tiring David Dunn just past the hour mark. 2-1 to Birmingham and my first trophy was within touching distance. Unfortunately though, Birmingham's intense injury crisis was to give me little scope to change things and replace tiring players and this was to be crucial as United made their subs. Not long after a mistake by Dunn let Rooney in for 2-2 and with 15 minutes left Van Nistelrooy again popped up to break Birmingham hearts. Despite a rally when Forssell burst straight through in the final minutes to chip narrowly wide, we just couldn't find the equalising goal. After the game a disappointed Murphy stated, <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Although I congratulate Man Utd for their success here today it is more important to congratulate my boys for getting to the final. Not only for that but for putting up a great fight in the match against a top side with huge resources. At 2-1 I thought it might just be our day but United's extra quality shone through in the end. I'm proud of the lads though and after a minor blip in the Premiership I can guarantee the fans that we'll be concentrating heavily on putting that right against Danny King's West Ham and Richard Liggins' WBA in our next two games. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> FA Barclaycard Premiership West Ham United 0 - 3 Birmingham With Danny's side going on a recent winning run as they attempt to pull away from the relegation zone with 10 games to play, we were aware that we'd have to be at our best in this game, especially after a defensive shambles at Wigan had cost us a game we should have won easily in our last big away battle. Today we were helped by an early goal, as Heskey again notched in the Premiership. Danny's side rallied and began to press dangerously, with Benayoun looking dangerous on the wing for the Hammers. As a West Ham equalizer looked on the cards, Danny's luck was out when a Hammers' effort thud off the post and back into play. With a 1-0 HT lead, a quick change from a flat 4-4-2 to a 4-4-2 diamond put Birmingham back in control of the game in the second half where we were clearly the better side. Two more goals wrapped up a comprehensive win, with substitute Kuqi notching the third to totally burst the Hammers bubble. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'm delighted with this win which completes a comprehensive double over the Hammers this season. Danny King is involved in a mighty scrap down there, but for 30 minutes they caused us severe problems and were unfortunate not to take a chance when they were on top of the game. I saw enough from West Ham to say they are good enough to stay up in the Premiership. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Birmingham 3 - 1 West Brom Pre-match, "Boddingtons Liggins" (as he's known by the Birmingham fans) had been whinging again in the press, claiming the Birmingham job was "not a challenge" compared to his task at WBA. Liggins also found the time to expand to the press about Chris Kirkland's injury leaving him without his first choice goalkeeper for the game. However, Birmingham's situation was much much worse. We were also missing our top keeper and also had six other players on the treatment table. Having read this nonsense in the papers the Birmingham players and staff were well fired up to complete the double over Liggins' outfit this season following a 2-0 win at the Hawthorns. Admittedly though, with the squad totally threadbare, I was relived that a: this was a home fixture and b: that Millwall had taken West Brom to extra time in the FA Cup 3 days previously and then dumped Albion out of the Cup. Overall the game was a good one and WBA were good opponents even if slightly negative in a defensive 4-5-1. After Heskey gave Birmingham the lead, Albion dangerman Kamara pulled one back after just beating Melchiot to the ball by inches at the back post. A lovely goal restored Birmingham's lead just after HT, when the classy Vogel played a perfect through ball to big Heskey who finished superbly. To their credit Albion threw the kitchen sink at us in the last 20 minutes but Birmingham held firm and cruelly for Liggins' boys, we added a third with 5 minutes remaining through Swiss international Vogel who had an impressive game that was lauded in the media and which killed off the tie. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It's always nice to complete the double over a local rival, even if Albion are seen by their own manager as a poor relation to Birmingham. Albion are a well organised side though and at times were dangerous so I'm confident that Liggins can do a good job there and possibly turn them into a better side. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Charlton Athletic 0 - 0 Birmingham With Dave Williams missing the game, a Charlton side that looks to be tumbling dangerously towards the relegation spots were outplayed but despite domination from the first minute, we couldn't score past the impressive Dean Kiely. Disappointing result in the end, although Charlton are in a false position for me as they are a good side and missed Dave for this game. Quick roundup: So far we've been doing so well largely because of the outstanding partnership between Heskey and Forssell, both of whom have notched 25 goals in all competitions so far. With able backup from Kuqi who has also notched some important goals, like at Blackburn and West Ham. We are light in numbers up front though and it is possible that Heskey and Forssell will tire as we hit the final straight as they have practically been ever present. Murphy has completed the signing of "the new Gilberto Silva" a 20 year old Brazilian defensive midfielder (forgotten the name) for £500k. The player, also coveted by Nilsen's Blackburn will join the squad for pre-season training in July. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 FA Cup 5th Round: WBA 0-0 Millwall Millwall somehow left the Hawthorns with a replay, after being outplayed for 90 minutes. Unfortunately this was a sign of things to come in the replay too. Despite notching up 17 shots to 1 and dominating possession, Andy Marshall could not be beaten in the Millwall goal. FA Cup 5th Round replay: Millwall 1-1 WBA aet. MIllwall win 4-1 on penalties After another dominant performance, you just knew as soo as the match went to penalties that Millwall would win. Again WBA dominated possession and had 17 shots to 3, hit the post twice, but couldn't win. Top scorer Horsfield (34) gave Albion a half time lead, but May (47) equalised with Millwall's first and only real attack of the 210 minutes of football. Chances came and went, but in the end Millwall somehow made it through to the last eight. This was a real disappointment, as Southampton at home were awaiting, so a semi final place looked on the cards. A missed opportunity Blackburn 2-2 WBA Both managers had cause to moan at the end of this game, after connection problems kicked both me and Goat while we were both winning. After Park Joo-Young (16) gave Rovers the lead, Nilsen did the first disappearing act of the match. Blackburn had been on top, and when he left the balance of play changed, with the Baggies taking charge. Gera (42) equalised for Albion, and when Horsfield (60) got a second it looked like the 3 points would be travelling back down the M6. But then Liggins became the 2nd manager to go AWOL, and Nonda (90) grabbed a last minute equaliser. Birmingham 3-1 WBA Despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise, this game really could've gone either way. Just after the 15 minute mark, Birmingham decided to venture out of their own half, and after a scramble in the box Heskey (16) nodded home. WBA continued to be by far the better side and deservedly levelled, Kamara (32) slotting home after a perfect ball through by Koumas. The score remained 1-1 at the break, with the Baggies having been the better side in the first half. The second half saw Birmingham come out following a rollocking from Niall "Luck Of The Irish" Murphy, ears still stinging. Having kicked Andrew Sinkala off the park, the game changed. Sinkala had been doing a crucial job in the holding midfield role, and his absence saw Birmingham have a 15 minute period of domination that proved crucial. Heskey (59) continued to play like he was on drugs; the sudden transformation from useless donkey to Premiership top scorer is a little too unbelievable for my liking. Anyway, after this goal WBA changed things around and pressed for the equaliser. With 3 minutes left, Inamoto forced a great save from Vaesen. Birmingham then broke and, after winning a free kick, got the crucial third goal. Vogel (88) took a free kick which the keeper came for, only for the defender to head it out straight back to the Swiss midfielder, who put the ball into the empty net. A good competetive game, with Birmingham (yet again this season) getting the rub of the green to earn the 3 points. The next 4 games are against Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Everton, and with the bottom 4 starting to pick up points, suddenly Premiership survival doesn't look guarenteed. We've got a young squad, and if we can stay up and add a top striker in the summer, we should be pushing for upper mid table next season. The next few games, however, could totally mess things up. Boing boing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Niall i think its about time you own up to your "editing" of the FM06 database- i mean heskey 25 goals and the season still has games to play....I challenge anyone to rplicate the "feat"....and the cry goes up , cheat, cheat,cheat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Oh and by the by...who the hell wants a Gilberto Silva replica, let alone the real one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 WBA 0-1 Everton The game was destined for a 0-0 draw until Paul Robinson was sent off for a second bookable offence. Before this Everton had been the better side, but down to 10 men a clever tactical change suddenly put the Baggies on the front foot. Having missed 2 excellent chances Everton broke away and Bent (86) grabbed the winner. A disappointing defeat WBA 2-2 Man Utd There are some managers who can never admit when they've been lucky, but I'm not one of them. A point here was daylight robbery. United dominated throughout but found themselves behind at the break, Carter (11 pen) scoring after Greening had been hacked down by Neville. The second half was tighter, but United looked to have won when they scored twice in 3 minutes through Saha (78) and Park (81). But in the last minute O'Shea clattered into Earnshaw, and the little man stepped up to score from the spot. (Earnshaw (90 pen)) An undeserved but much needed point. Arsenal 0-1 WBA An impressive rearguard display saw the champions elect drop 3 valuable points that they'd never expected to. The only goal came early, a mix up at the back saw Campbell (8 og) put through his own net. Arsenal didn't create any clear cut chances, so the Baggies took the points. WBA 0-0 Chelsea Having dented Arsenal's title challenge the week before, seeing them fall off the top spot, the same thing happened to Chelsea here. Chelsea dominated for 60 minutes but couldn't score, but they were lucky to hold on for the last 30 minutes as the Baggies took the game to the reigning champions. Horsfield headed against the post late on, but neither team could find a breakthrough. Wigan 0-1 WBA The double was done over Ben Jackson's Wigan side after a dour game at the JJB. The game only livened up when Inamoto was sent off for a second bookable offence i the 1st minute of the second half. Despite this, the game remained tight and could've gone either way. In the end, Horsfield (74) headed home a Clement free kick to secure all 3 points. 6 games to go, and with teams currently above us having a wobble, a finish higher than the current 12th could be possible. WBA boss Liggins signs new contract! Despite unfounded rumours linking Richard Liggins with the Man Utd job, the young West Brom manager has signed a new 3 year contract at the Hawthorns. Speaking to SKY Sports, Liggins revealed his reasons behind this move: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Despite having my own wage cut and knowing that funds are extremely limited, I couldn't wait to sign a new contract at WBA. Rumours linking me with others clubs were just that, rumours. This club has the potential to be playing in Europe in the next few seasons; I've started a job here and I intend to finish it </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Boing boing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 10, 2005 Author Share Posted November 10, 2005 Murphy infers Liggins is "two faced" Birmingham manager Niall Murphy today reacted with incredulity after reading West Brom's manager Richard Liggins claim that he always admits when he's lucky unlike some other managers in the EPL. Murphy stated, <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">All I heard from Liggins after his win at Highbury was how WBA put up an impressive rear guard action to win the game. While that may very well be true, I noted that Liggins ommitted the facts of the game that would suggest WBA were very fortunate and that he is being a little two faced. Not only did Arsenal concede an own goal after only eight minutes, they also lost the services of two class players in Campbell and Henry. Now if that isn't a huge slice of luck for the Baggies then I'm a Dutchman!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> With only six games to go in the season, WBA Are currently pushing Birmingham for a sopt in the top 10. Of course, WBA were dealt a huge slice of luck with the news that Birmingham have lost both Heskey and Forssell for a month leaving them short up front for the season's climax. Murphy however is relaxed about the matter: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">This is obviously a huge blow for the club. All season long we've probably been the most impressive team outside the big five so for it possibly to fall away at the end due to another injury crisis will be disappointing. All season long we've had to cope with players arriving for training as cripples and I was hoping for an injury free run in. However, I'll be happy with victory in the FA Cup semi final against Southampton, as in effect this will guarantee us UEFA Cup football next season. That game is now hugely important for us </div></BLOCKQUOTE> The new midlands rivalry is hotting up nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goat261 Posted November 10, 2005 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Blackburn on course for World Domination! After guaranteeing European football inside 3 years some thought the Blackburn manager had lost the plot however with the backing of the chairman who not only asked but begged the great one to rebuild the squad it is now looking possible. Nilsen So how much we got to spend?…….. COME ON show me the money!! Chairman Errrrrr that’s the problem we have NO money what so ever Nilsen Oh I get it you want me to work my magic of selling then buying a better squad. Chairman Yeah you are the only man for the job. Just be on the look out as we have heard that the guy we sent to the loony bin for harassing me night and day as been set loose. Nilsen Who is this nutter? Chairman Well we don’t want this getting out as being associated with this deranged stalker would cause harm to our friendly family image . Lets just say he as been spotted in the midlands looking to manage the blue side. Nilsen Right…… I should of known who it was but don’t worry if he interferes he will be taking care of GOAT style So after this quick meeting it was time to meet the squad ( the revolution begins!!!). Looking around at the players during training I soon noticed that there was a good squad but that’s just not going to cut it, I want a CLASS squad so its time for those who want to win the premiership to step up or ship out. Pedersen The player we will build the squad around as he is class and the major part of the Norwegian revolution. Not only a great dribbler he also can pass, works extremely hard and of course he knows were the goal is. Emerton Hasn’t had the best time at Blackburn but now that I’m here I and the fans expect to see the old Brett Emerton who was world class at Feyenoord. Kuqi A goal scoring machine when used in the right way who will be back up when I bring in some new strikers. Thompson A lethal right foot who will score crucial goals when he comes on from the bench The rest will have to go for financial reason like Bellamy and Savage who are on 50k PW each or because simply there just not my type of player like Mokoena and Steven Reid. Players Out Bellamy 2.5m need the money + its 50k off the wage bill Mokoena 2.5m a good defender at a bargain price for Wigan, the money will go towards building MY team instead of using Hughes’ squad. Neill 2.1m again he is a good right back but with me planning on brining my own fullbacks in there is no room for Neill and of course 2m is welcomed with open arms Savage 2m Same reasons for Bellamy, FINANCIAL reasons Reid 2m a good player but me and him would just not get on Friedel 1.8m A quality keeper but at 34 his best is behind him so incomes 1.8m to spend on a younger keeper Nelsen 1.4m A good defender on his day but known to make costly mistakes which I cant afford as I’m not the best for defensive tactics as it is The rest of these guys were not needed so I accepted whatever I could get for them Gray 1m Dickov 700k Tugay 700k Enckleman 500k Matteo 500k Todd 500k Kane 400k Jansen 300k Amoruso 100k Flitcroft Free So with the 20m I made by selling those players I went shopping Players in Cesar Delgado 4m not much here to say as we all know how much class he oozes, incase you don’t know though he was hailed as the saviour of Argentine football being compared to Maradona at the age of 20, everyone expected a big move to Europe but none ever materialised so he moved to Mexico were he continued to impress until now!4m is a lot of money for this club but Delgado will earn us more than that when we qualify for Europe with his help. Burdisso 2.8m A bit of a managerial blunder here. He was on loan somewhere so I expected the move to go through next year, that was until I arrived at the training ground one day to find the Argentine chatting away to Delgado. This time unlike Delgado he got his move to Europe when he joined Inter but he failed to impress so he Is another player who will have to look to perform like he has in the past. Baseggio 1.5m + 1.5m future fees An Anderlecht legend who can play as a defensive midfielder but is mostly used (will be by me too) as an attacking mid who can pick 30 yarders out with his powerful left foot (not too shoddy with his right either). He even Popped a ball while shooting which controversially went in but was ruled out as the rules state if the ball pops it must be replaced immediately. Park Joo-Young 1m + 800k future fees Don’t know much about this player but hoping that he performs how his stats suggest. He looks like the complete striker standing in at 6foot with great finishing, great pace and good heading there isn’t much this 20 year old cant do. Eddie Johnson 900k + 500k future fees Expecting him to score bucket loads who much like park can do everything. Unfortunately things didn’t work out thanks to the chairman (more on that a little later). Vilar 1.6m A class goalkeeper who would of done the business if it wasn’t for the chairman, again more on this story later. Deschacht 1.2m Another player from Anderlecht. This time it’s the strong, tireless Belgian left back. This guy is the Belgian version of Stuart Pearce so no doubt 1.2m is a bargain. Gordon 1.2m Scottish international (ok that normally doesn’t mean much) who is already a world class keeper at the age of 22. Klukowski 1m Canadian international who can play anywhere down the left hand side which will add much needed depth. Petit 600k The Portuguese superstar who is still only 28 joins at a bargain price of 600k. Sure you all know what he’s all about so not much more to as here. Guardiola 550k Of course he is past his prime but even at 35 Guardiola is still world class Kevin Larsen 500k The future of Norwegian football as joined Blackburn for a bargain price of 500k. This left winger will no doubt learn a few things from his fellow Norwegian Pedersen which will help him become the world class player everyone expects him to be. Eriksen 500k Another Young Norwegian who we expect big things from, this 22 year old right back was brought in to replace the ageing Lucas Neill. Latka 350k Another bargain!! this time in the shape of a 6’4†Czech republic U21 international. This guy has both the physical attributes and the mentality too achieve big things here at Blackburn. With quality leaders Burdisso and Deschacht as his defensive partners he will learn the game much quicker in what looks to be a strong back 4 along with the young right back eriksen. Glen Johnson Loan Brought in for much needed backup for a very thin squad. AUGUST (inconsistency looks to be the downfall of Blackburn) Everton 1-0 Blackburn A few injuries and players away on international duty didn’t help an already thin squad but still I expected a better performance than this. Ok Everton didn’t create much but we were awful making no chances and only having a few shots from range in a very disappointing start. Blackburn 2-2 Arsenal In a game we dominated and should of easily won if it wasn’t for a lucky pen (still don’t know why the ref gave it) that Lauren slotted home for the unlikely equaliser. Atleast the players showed me what they are capable of and that the loss to Everton was a 1 off. Chelsea 2-3 Blackburn The first EVER manager to beat Mourinho’s men at Stamford Bridge With 10 minutes left with the score at 2-2 and Chelsea starting to dominate I changed tactics and boy did it work. Kevin ‘the boy wonder’ Larsen came steaming in back post (much like perdersen usually does, you see he’s learning from the master himself ) to meet a brilliant cross by Emerton to make it 3-2 in the dying seconds in one of the most dramatic matches in EPL history. After the game even the Chelsea fans were chanting “NILSEN NILSEN NILSEN†as the goat finally made the kind of impact everyone was waiting for. Blackburn 1-2 Wigan After two great performances against the best two sides in the league we then go and lose to WIGAN! Bloody typical of my teams. So in August we pretty much got what was expected and that is the 4 points but how disappointing is it that the 2 games we didn’t get anything from were against Everton and Wigan. SEPTEMBER (can anyone stop Blackburn………apart from there own chairman) Newcastle 0-1 Blackburn Our second victory on the road and again its against one of the top clubs in England. With performances like this we will no doubt be pushing for a top 7 finish. Blackburn 2-1 West Ham Another easy win with the only downside some really poor defending to give west ham the lead the boys showed there character though going on to dominate and winning comfortably even though we did leave till the 90th to score the winner. West Brom 4-6 Blackburn Our third away win on the trot in what as got to be the game of the year. We were 3-0 up and coasting until our keeper decided to let EVERY one of Westbroms 4 shots go in to give them a 4-3 lead. Not for the first time this season we then went on to dominate and win 6-4 after west brom went down to 10 men (they were trying to kick us off the pitch and could of easily had 3 off tbh). 3 wins in 3 gave me the manager of the month award for September Behind the scenes Right lets take a step backwards to the summer for a moment After selling just about the whole squad John Williams faxed me my transfer budget which was 21m for this season. I thought yeah that’s a decent amount even though I do have to buy a whole new squad. Earlier this week I get a call from John telling me we are 4m in debt so you are going to sell some players before we go into administration. Nilsen How? I mean…….. wtf ….. How has this happened? Williams Well you know when I sent you the 21m to spend? Nilsen Yeah Williams Well we actually only had 18m in the bank and then I lost another 1m after that lunatic (Murphy) bribed me. Nilsen So because of your crap I have now got to decimate my team….. Well that’s just grand isn’t it. OCTOBER (we want consistency!!) Blackburn 1-3 Charlton Lost this one thanks to my centre back marking Charlton’s centre back like an idiot which of course left space at the back. Man City 2-4 Blackburn This one could of gone either way but with us having the 3 best goals scorers in the league it was obvious who would take there chances. Blackburn 1-0 Aston Villa Only our second clean sheet of the season in a easy 3 points which makes it 2 out of 3 wins against teams from the midlands, we all know whose next Liverpool 3-1 Blackburn SLAUGHTERED By far the best team we’ve faced up to now You want entertainment? You got entertainment With us being the top scorers in the league but also having the worst defence there is no doubt while other teams playing boring defensive football you will always be entertained at Ewood! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 10, 2005 Author Share Posted November 10, 2005 Still waiting for the Blackburn 3 - 4 Birmingham report. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted November 10, 2005 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Murphy feeling the heat West Bromwich Albion manager Richard Liggins responed to Niall Murphy's comments by saying how the pressure was finally getting to the new Bluies boss. Speaking exclusively to SKY Sports News, Liggins said it came as no real surprise: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Murphy has a habit of lashing out at others whenever the going gets tough. His team have performed well so far, but the season is from August to May, not August to March. His side are on a slide, and if they don't do something about it could find themselves finishing in the bottom half of the league. We've all had injuries, and while he does have his 2 main strikers out at the moment, you have to question his transfer policy of only having 1 other out-and-out striker at the club. It's getting hot in the Birmingham kitchen, can he stand the heat? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> With the season drawing to a close, it's sure to be a tasty run in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 10, 2005 Share Posted November 10, 2005 Sunderland Shocker Mick McCarthy has been shown the door at the Stadium of Light despite exceeding all expectations this season, rumours flying around the paper are that he breached the club's code of conduct severely, or sh*gged the chairman's wife. Regardless of the reason, within 48 hours a smartly dressed Englishman of 29 had been dragged into the press room and declared as the team's new manager. Matt Doughty was the coach of the Milan U18s team that won their respective league, but has otherwise had no managerial experience. He sat down to interview with a bunch of reporters. - James Cahill, The Sun, What are your plans for Sunderland in the immediate future? Well, I plan to stay in the division for this season and the next, and to perform a major overhaul of the playing and backroom staff which will allow this team to compete for honours in a couple of years. My plans take into account the precarious financial state of this club, and as such will rely partially on a good youth system. Edward Barret, The Mirror, what are your ambitions for next season, as this one was nearly completed when you got here? First and foremost, as I stated, I plan to ensure that Sunderland remain a Premiership club, and to start rebuilding my squad. I also plan to get one over on Newcastle, since the fans here are terrific and they deserve more than the lackluster performances of late. Jeromy Cleethorpe, Sky Sports News, which of the players here would you say are certain to keep their jobs after your rebuild? None of them, they will all have to prove themselves to me, I am not going by their past performances, I am only interested in how they perform in my eyes. The players who I would say have impressed me in the two training sessions I have attended are Kelvin Davis, Julio Arca, Dean Whitehead and Matthew Etherington, I will not even promise these players they will keep their positions if they do not continue to play well. Jensen Claud, The Times, Sunderland have previously set one major record, the least points ever gained in a Premiership season... I am not interested in how well or poorly we have played before my management began, I am interested in propelling Sunderland up the table and into Europe, not in discussing our recent disappointments. The players and I do not wish to be reminded of events before our time! - So, the truth? I looked at the squad, and saw very few potential Premiership quality players... Davis, Arca, Whitehead, Elliott, Stead, Le Tallec on loan, Miller and Etherington and that was it. This team was going to need a major overhaul, but first, securing safety. I needed six points from five points to guarantee it, and only three to make it nearly definite, but it was naturally my first concern... - BLACKBURN AWAY Well, we quickly got what we wanted, took the lead early through Elliott and increased it through Miller, Blackburn pulled one back just before half time and I saw Goat flipping me the bird after my overaudacious celebration. At half time I encouraged my players, just to see them concede again, Davis playing an unexpected part in the equalizer. I quickly subbed on Stead who scored within 40 seconds, and Whitehead added the closing goal late on. It was my first experience of the passion of Sunderland's fans. I had always been involved with Italian football coaching since I broke my leg playing for Ipswich U18s and had to leave the game, and in Italy, Italian fans were the only fans considered to have that raw passion about their game. Sunderland's fans were as passionate as Milan themselves, but instead of a glorious anthem, they were crying for success, and I was the man they were to ask to end that barren run. Blackburn 2 - 4 Sunderland - MAN UNITED HOME Not a memorable game, except for Miller's close effort skied over we had little on Man United and van Nistelrooy ran them out 2-0 winners. Rooney went off injured in the 65th minute. My players weren't bad at holding possession, we had 50%, but they weren't taking shots enough when they got in front of goal, this would have to be rectified as soon as possible. Sunderland 0 - 2 Man Utd - I then offered contracts to coaches, why? Because the ones my predecessor had left me with were frankly sub-par, none of them were proven in the Premiership, and none of them were worthy of my youth plan. Sunderland were about to enter a new era in football, no longer the beatsticks of the Premiership, no longer should the fans have to pine for a victory, Sunderland deserved success, and I had every plan to deliver the goods. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 11, 2005 Author Share Posted November 11, 2005 Murphy drives over a black cat then breaks a mirror - not that he was looking in it at the time This is just an excuse. An excuse to what? To moan, to curse my luck and to reassure the Birmingham fans that they will become England's leading side (if the Spurs job doesn't come up ). For the last few games I think I've been putting out the worst sides I've ever fielded in my history. Toothless up front with no main strikers, a young 17 year old keeper by the name of Colin Doyle between the sticks and the walking wounded in the midfield. Birmingham have a problem. Our players cannot complete two games without getting injured...And it's p1ssing me off. As it was the season that was brilliant for months is ending with a whimper and the huge disappointment of defeat in the League Cup Final and the FA Cup Semi Final. Nightmare. Birmingham 2 - 2 Fulham Excellent. A game crash means a 1-0 defeat to D'Ardenne's assistant manager is wiped off the scorecard. As such, the Frenchman made an impassioned but largely pointless speech regarding "justice" and promptly fled the scene like a young girl whose pony tail was pulled too hard in the playground. With D'Ardenne not distinguishing himself at all, the bravery of the Frenchman made it appear as if history was about to repeat itself and the Maginot Line was to be overrun again, but this time by soldiers of the Green Irishman's Brummie Army. Onto the game then, an absolute belter from Julian Gray from 30 yards opened the scoring before Damian Johnston added a second for Birmingham. As the Fulham troops looked for direction, they turned to the main man at Fulham, the ass man who inspired his side to a comeback in a thrilling second half as Birmingham tired. Afterwards Murphy stated, <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Fulham have underachieved this season. They are much better than their current midtable position suggests and we were fortunate to grab a point in this game. In our defence we are far from full strength </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Bolton 1 - 0 Birmingham Another weak side fielded but it took a cracking goal from Nolan who drifted into the box in style to fire home to win the points for struggling Bolton. FA Cup Semi Final Birmingham 0 - 1 Southampton To have come so far in the FA Cup and to be the only human manager remaining in a cup competition for the second time this season, it really was a huge disappointment to go out with a complete whimper. Pre-game I was encouraged by the news that top scorer Emille Heskey was able to take a place on the bench, especially with Forssell still missing but this was tempered by the news that Doyle would be in goal for the rest of the season and that skipper Kenny Cunningham would require an injection to play. As it was I was not confident going into the game as we had been toothless up front for a few games in a row. On the day, Birmingham didn't turn up. Southampton, who look as if they will join Leeds and Crystal Palace in the Premiership next season, played us off the park and totally dominated the game despite several attempts by the Birmingham bench to change the flow of the game. On the hour, the Saints scored a deserved winner and even the introduction of a clearly unfit Heskey couldn't see us back into the game. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Mark my words, we may have had injuries today, but a Murphy team not turning up for the game is unacceptable. We only had to win this game to guarantee European Football next season and I have let the players know in no uncertain terms that I'm now going to be looking at every position in the team in the coming pre-season. Good luck to the Saints, I hope they can do a 1976 once again. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 ahhh "justice" delivered Murphy, i see this game does indeed have some redeeming factors- as for the snide "fulham have underachieved" comment, i can only view this as an irish,potato ridden, attempt to "do down" a manager you clearly have alot of admiration for! Considering i was tasked to avoid relegation, and with a debt ridden club, i have indeed ascended into the realms of managerial greatness. As for you nothing less than automatic qualification for europe is acceptable and a failure to achieve that is a searing inditement of your lack of managerial pedigree Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 13, 2005 Author Share Posted November 13, 2005 Birmingham replace Upson Manager Murphy tonight annouces his quest to replace Upson is complete. Murphy has signed England international Ledley King from Spurs for £5m pounds plus add on's of £2m from Pagi's Spurs. When qwuestioned about the move, EPL Challenge Manager Of the Year had this to say <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Murphy goes to bed a happy if quite drunk man. Tomorrow to work on the beard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 The Doughty Revolution Begins First up was Birmingham, a team for which I hold utmost respect and expect very little against because they are an established Premier League team. I told my lads I would be happy with a point, and that's what they delivered, Stead slotting home the equalizer on 93 minutes to make it 2 - 2 Then was Everton at home, again I specified that I wanted a point, but the Champions League outfit were all over us, slaughtering us 5 - 1 in the end, and we didn't really deserve the 1. Arsenal away proved a worse fixture, at half time we were 1-0 down and looked like coming back but in reality, we were hammered in the second half, Henry grabbing a hattrick finishing with a penalty conceded by Sunderland outcast Collins. 4 - 0. So that left me safe at the end of the season, but desperately needing something for the new term. I offered contracts to dutch Attacking Midfielder Bruggink and Portuguese Goalkeeper Leao, both on Bosman transfers. Both of them agreed to sign early before the transfer window opened, and I transfer listed a number of players, namely: <UL TYPE=SQUARE> <LI>Mansiz <LI>McCartney <LI>Welsh <LI>Collins <LI>Breen <LI>Miller <LI>Stubbs <LI>Grey McCarthy had left me with a lot of Championship players and I needed Premiership level players. The board offered me little in the way of transfer money, but aranged for me to take the vast majority of fees paid for my players. McCartney and Welsh left, for £750,000 to Reading and £400,000 to Barnsley, respectively. I contacted Andy Nilsen and within a day Shefki Kuqi, a player I have admired for a long time, was a Sunderland employee for £1,000,000. Kuqi had been frozen out at Ewood Park, so his career needed a new chance to prove himself with the form he had set up so well at Ipswich. I also brought in Danny Mills from newly relegated West Ham for £275,000. I recieved offers of £400K for Collins from three clubs and £1.3M for Mansiz from a leading Turkish club. In essence Mansiz is a good striker, but with Kuqi's arrival would drop to fourth choice at Sunderland, which isn't enough for someone of his calibur. I accepted the offers and scouted for a DMC, eventually identifying a target who should cost me around £800K. The first team comfortably thrashed the reserves 4-0 with Kuqi grabbing a brace. So, Matt, you've been at Sunderland for a couple of months now, what are your expectations for 2006/2007? Well in truth, I predict a bit of a struggle, but I expect us to be safe six games before the end of the season, we should be aiming to finish around fourteenth and consolidating our position as a Premiership club. And what of the cups? All of the cups will be taken seriously because they are a route into Europe and smaller teams than ourselves have qualified. They are also a good source of income and a chance for some of our less-shown lads to get a run out. And finally, you have signed Shefki Kuqi, who was largely indifferent at Blackburn, what inspired this splunge? We all know what Kuqi is capable of, he scores and creates goals, and that is what we need, having only scored fifty-six goals all season last time around. I will be expecting that figure to raise to sixty-five. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 Sunderland have renewed influential left-back Arca's contract until 2010. Doughty was said to be very happy with Arca this season and sees him as a central player of his side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Ooh 14th and safe six games before the end of the season; the lad is setting himself up for a fall, can't wait for it to happen, but you'll need to tighten up the defence a little...3 a game is a bit much .....Fulham for the title..... ...about the same chance as that happening Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STFC will rule again Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Bueno nochas amigos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Badtime ET...??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Liggins does the business, but is he on his way? A 14th place finish, comfortably away from the drop zone, plus the club's financial position secured; this is a successful season for West Bromwich Albion. I was brought in to keep the club up on a very limited budget, and this was done fairly easily. The squad has also been improved, with some aging high-earners being transferred out, and younger, more talented players coming in. The year of Liggins will go down in history as a happy one. But, alas, every journey must come to an end. Connection problems meant the last 6 games were all controlled by the assistant, meaning any chance of a higher finish were ruled out. With these problems showing no signs of easing, the only thing left to do is offer my resignation to the board. They're considering my plea, and will get back to me soon. Tune in tomorrow for the latest! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by keedo666: Ooh 14th and safe six games before the end of the season; the lad is setting himself up for a fall, can't wait for it to happen, but you'll need to tighten up the defence a little...3 a game is a bit much .....Fulham for the title..... ...about the same chance as that happening </div></BLOCKQUOTE> 3 a game vs Arsenal is reasonable Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 My friendly games were fairly promising, after an unexpected 1 - 0 loss to Serie A Bologna, we toured Cyprus and beat Achna 3 - 0 and Doxa Kat. 3 - 1. We have arranged a tour of Bulgaria as well in order to adjust to my tactical changes and further gel the team after the new signings have come in. I sold young Elliot to Wigan for £1,750,000 because, frankly, he was fifth pick striker. I then added Mansiz to the casualty list, with a move to Bielefield for £1,500,000. I arranged a trade of Nosworthy for experienced midfielder Matt Holland from Charlton. In addition, Charlton have agreed to pay 10% of the next transfer fee for Nosworthy. Holland is a good passer of the ball and will provide a steady experienced man for my young midfield. I bought my identified target, Teemu Tainio from relegated Spurs. The anchorman set me back £800,000 but I believe he will be a staple player for Sunderland in our next campaign. Finally I bought striker Jay Bothroyd from Charlton to provide some competition for places up front. I had a loan offer for Obi Mikel accepted, but the player wanted to go to Birmingham. Feyenoord's centre-back Zuiverloon, however, has been hired at the Stadium of Light on a season-long loan. Well, you've been quite active in the transfer market, but the outstanding signing seems to be Tainio, how did you convince him to join? Well, the lad made it quite obvious that he didn't want to play Championship football next season, but for some reason or other, none of my rivals put in a bid for him. I'm proud to call him a Sunderland player and I know he will be brilliant for us. And of Matt Holland, a firm favourite with the fans of Ipswich and Charlton, maybe Sunderland next? I don't see why not, Matt knows he won't play every game but he provides a good option who can break down defenses with a single cutting pass. He also wants to get into coaching and his next Sunderland contract may well include this role. You've been playing a 4-1-3-2 system recently, quite similar to the England national team, is this likely to continue? It looks quite potent to me, and I will use whatever works. This system allows us to take best advantage of our strongest eleven, and that is my job. I'm not Jose Mourinho, he can buy an eleven to fit a tactic, I have to make a tactic to fit my eleven. And what of your predictions last week? I still believe that we will finish in fourteenth or so, and will avoid relegation with little difficulty. Our squad is too strong to be relegated. EXCLUSIVE: Mackem Man's Beliefs Today, Matt Doughty, manager of Sunderland, gave a brief interviewer to Tom Shackles, in which he revealed his beliefs on how other managers will do this term. Aston Villa "Sam is a great manager, and I can't see him finishing outside of the European scene, although I believe this will be at the cost of any kind of cup run" Birmingham City "Niall is a good manager but it's hard to vision his Birmingham side finishing in Europe this term, he needs more firepower up front, and then he will be pushing, if he does qualify, it will probably be from one of his brilliant cup runs" Blackburn Rovers "Andy Nilsen is a good gaffer, but I think that similarly to Everton in 04/05, his finish in Europe may be a very hard feat to duplicate. I think mid table is a more likely finish, but I certainly don't see them being dragged into anything!" Charlton Athletic "Charlton should have a tough battle on their hands for their European expectations but I think they should stick by manager Dave Williams, he needs time to build a squad that works for him but this season I think he will be stuck in the mid-table" Wigan Athletic "Wigan are like us, they look too strong to go down and although I think they won't go up into the top half, I see them finishing around the 12-15th places" Fulham Athletic "Despite Mark's quality, I can see Fulham really struggling this season, they have lost key quality and look in a terrifying financial situation. They might just avoid the drop but I expect them to struggle" West Bromwich Albion "Liggins did well with the Baggies last season, but the board have done little to allow him to repeat it, and I predict a bit of a struggle for them unless they start to back their manager more" West Ham United "I can't see past West Ham to win the Championship because Dan is a top man and has some fine players. New man Freddy Guarin is a long shot expert and can cause some severe damage to any second-tier defence" Tottenham Hotspur "Pagi had a fairly awful season last term, but I can only see Spurs bouncing right back behind West Ham, they will have learned from their mistakes and the board will expect an instant promotion!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunga99 Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 West Ham go down fighting........ At least West Ham proved themselves a class act on the last game of the season with a 4-1 win against Liverpool football club. The main problem came when I left my assistant manager in charge in the all important game against Manchester City and lost . To add insult to injury my assistant also managed to lost against the slim Mr. Williams which in my book is a sack able offence . There was still hope if we won our final two games of the season and Manchester City dropped 5 points but with Williams promising to start Bent in goal against City in the final game of the season if needed be I knew the season was already lost. In turns the depressed West Ham, raised their hopes, dashed them once again and, despite those sadistic twists, treated them justly. West Ham deserved to be relegated after 1 season in the Premiership. The table states flatly that they finished two points short of Manchester City.. There was, to the credit of their goalkeeper, Roy Carroll. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">We have not been good enough. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> He said. Nonetheless, he also insisted that the side had shown their emotional commitment over the past 10 games or so. They may have taken some of the edge off the criticism. Fans are vindictive at times but there is an inherent charity in their loyalty. They applauded at full-time result at Aston Villa which sent them down. I was a highly entertaining game finishing 4-3 but West Ham backs were against the wall after 20 minutes when Paul Konchesky got a red card but still managed to give Sam’s team a fun for there money . West Ham had spared themselves nothing in the search for a victory that would have been deserved. It is those same supporters who will remain at Upton Park to suffer the Championship next season when the best of the players may have moved to clubs that remain in the Premiership. The parachute payment of £6m will not give West Ham a soft landing. The wage bill can be cut easily as players come to the end of their contracts, but the club was already £25m in debt and the loss of £20m in normal revenue makes transfers inevitable. High earners such as Danny Mills, Lorenzo Amoruso and Yossi Benayoun to cut the wage bill but I promise the fan young stars like Noble, Vitti and Guarin will be staying at this club. There was, at least, no sound of undignified scuttling for the exit when Vitti said. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'm committed to the club and I want to be here next season. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> It is much too soon to gauge whether the club can afford to keep him even if his sincerity is lasting. Even more good news for the Hammers faithful is the news that Italian reject Demetrio Albertini will finally leave the club at the end of this season, as the club has decided not to renew his contract. I’m sure you will appreciate that Albertini performances at defensive midfield have been wholly inadequate, and I am sure in the future Freddy Guarin will develop into an excellent defensive midfielder. My highlights of the season were beating Manchester Untied, Chelsea and Liverpool . My low points were losing twice against “lucky Niall†and getting so many god damn red cards . Finally, my nominations for West Ham Player of the Year: Mark Noble (worth it alone when he scored a last min goal against the goat and hear him moan yet again . More to follow soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelfastNiall Posted November 16, 2005 Author Share Posted November 16, 2005 Predictions: In order of finish last season: Team: Blackburn Rovers Manager: Andy Nilsen Previous League Position: 7th Previous FA Cup: 3rd Round Previous League Cup: 2nd Round First up is Mr Nilsen who had a good final position of 7th last season. No real changes with Andy's approach as EPL's very own "Del Boy" trades away incessantly as he tries to build a top team. The difficulty in making predictions is that as Nilsen changes his players more often than he changes his knickers, it's hard to keep track of all the in's and out's. Probably hard to debate where Goat will come in next season until the transfer window closes. As per usual he has a very good strikeforce with star man Cesar Delgado winning the Player of the Year award. This lead Blackburn to score 75 goals in the Premiership last season. On the other hand, to say Andy's side was "rank at the back" would be an understatement, which explains why he's spent all summer chasing defenders more than usual after his side leaked an incredible 74 goals last season in the Premiership alone, by far the worst defence in the league. No arrivals at time of writing to indicate Andy's back passage will leak any less next season. Well he did buy Burdisso I'm predicting that Andy will sneak through the Inter-Toto tournament into the UEFA Cup which will take it's toll on the playing staff. Andy will struggle in the cups as per usual (which will cost him in the EPL Manager of the Year voting.) In the league I think it's too soon for Blackburn to challenge the big boys and it will be another season of great one week, sh1te the next for the Goat. It could though be a successful year in the bog fest that is the UEFA Cup. Prediction: Premiership: 8th FA Cup: 3rd Round League Cup: 3rd Round UEFA Cup: Semi Final Team: Aston Villa Manager: Sam Bouchard Previous League Position: 9th Previous FA Cup: 4th Round Previous League Cup: 2nd Round Next up is Mr Bouchard with the Villans. Last season was a decent one for Villa as a smallish squad finished in the upper half of the table and just missed out on qualifying for Europe. Sam's side is attacking and on it's day can take any opposition apart, especially at Villa Park. So far this pre-season has seen Sam miss out on many of his transfer targets, including one huge bid for a French based player that was surprisingly rejected. Mr Bouchard was also not a happy camper missing out on Steed Malbranque who moved to my club Birmingham in a pre-arranged deal. However, it appears that Sam has cash to spend and how wisely he uses that in the final month of the window will determine how successful he is this season. Prediction: Premiership: 9th FA Cup: 5th Round League Cup: 4th Round Team: Birmingham Manager: Niall Murphy Previous League Position: 10th Previous FA Cup: Semi Final Previous League Cup: Runners-Up A 10th placed finish for Birmingham last season has to be put down to a thin squad and injury problems knocking Birmingham off course from Europe. However, an excellent run in both cup competitions made it an enjoyable and good season for the midlands outfit. This summer I'm very happy with my recruits. The goalkeeping situation is improved with the addition of Cudicini and Kirkland. Defensively we've added Ledley King, Daniel Bonera and an excellent looking Ukranian although we have lost the excellent Upson. In midfield, we are looking much better with the additions of Steed Malbranque and Dario Silva to the side. Where we are lacking in depth is in attack and we'll be relying heavily once again on Forssell and Heskey bagging the goals. This is the weakest aspect of the team but hopefully Mr Sullivan will come up with some cash in the January window for a new striker. I'm in confident mood so I think we'll break into the top 6 this season and bring home the Carling Cup!! Premiership: 6th FA Cup: Quarter Final League Cup: Winners Team: Charlton Manager: Dave Williams Previous League Position: 11th Previous FA Cup: 4th Round Previous League Cup: 2nd Round I thought Williams did an excellent job at Charlton last season. Though they went on a bit of a slump when the manager missed a few sessions, Williams turned it around nicely when he came back and Charlton went from my tip to slide into trouble to a side that rocketed back up the table to 11th. Williams was probably wishing the season lasted a few weeks longer and he would have got top 10 easily. In the window I haven't noticed any major deals for Charlton so far apart from Brathen who Birmingham and Blackburn were also tracking although something is nagging me that he's bought someone else (mustn't be that good or I'd rememeber ). Overall, I think Williams will be doing well to get into the top 10 again but if the majestic Darren Bent stays injury free and I don't find that diamond down the back of my sofa, the Addicks have every chance of doing so. Premiership: 10th FA Cup: 5th Round League Cup: Quarter Final Team: Fulham Manager: Mark D'Ardenne Previous League Position: 12th Previous FA Cup: QF Previous League Cup: QF Thought Mark also had an excellent season last year with what actually is a good Fulham first eleven. With Briand up front he always looked dangerous and his loss back to France after a year on loan is a big one for Mark. Mark has also sold Malbranque, though he has brought in Jermaine Pennant as a ready made replacement and has retained the services of Boa Morte. Last season the Frenchman had an excellent run in both competitions and only went out when he faced Arsenal and Man Utd respectively. Next year, hmm, hard to call as Fulham's financial restrictions make them a hard club to improve on a year by year basis. I think Mark will have a similar campaign to last year, finishing comfortably in mid table obscurity and having another good run in the cups which with the luck of the draw, he might pick up a cup. Premiership: 12th FA Cup: Semi Final League Cup: Final (beaten by Birmingham!!) Team: Sunderland Manager: Matt Doughty Previous League Position: 13th Previous FA Cup: N/A Previous League Cup: N/A Newcomer Matt is an unknown quantity as he begins his first full season in charge of the Black Cats so there isn't much to go on here. So far, I think he's blundered in selling Elliot but has brought in a decent Dutch U21 RB/CB. Overall, Sunderland will improve I think and may defeat a few of the more highly fancied managers on their day, but over the course of the season haven't got enough in the team yet to make a significant impact. Premiership: 13th FA Cup: 4th Round League Cup: 3rd Round Team: WBA Manager: Richard Liggins Previous League Position: 14th Previous FA Cup: 5th Round Previous League Cup: 2nd Round Ligs has had connectivity issues and didn't take control of many of WBA's games last season where the ass man kept him above water for a lot of it. This has meant Ligs has been unable to strenghten WBA in the window and may be jacking it in. If Liggins stays and sorts out the problems I expect WBA to improve though this may take longer now that time is running out to strengthen for season 2. Premiership: 15th FA Cup: 3rd Round League Cup: 3rd Round Team: Wigan Manager: Ben Jackson Previous League Position: 16th Previous FA Cup: 4th Round Previous League Cup: 3rd Round Wigan were very hit and miss last season in that ET's outfit were out of this world at home and absolutely appalling away from home. However, this is not that surprising given the challenging job and I've been impressed with Ben's capture of an old Murphy CM03/04 legend in Igor Duljaj and Steven Elliot of Sunderland. With a bit more steel in his side I think Wigan will do better than last season in a job that is a stepping stone to the better clubs. Premiership: 12th FA Cup: 5th Round League Cup: Quarter Final Team: West Ham Manager: Danny King Previous League Position: 18th Previous FA Cup: 5th Round Previous League Cup: 3rd Round Well with Danny King swapping Premiership status for a stint in the Championship, I got to admit I'm surprised that the Hammers went down in a poor season for Danny King. Seemed though to have some bad luck with sendings off and refereeing decisions but overall selling the likes of Reo-Coker may just have come back to haunt Cockney King. I can't see Danny doing anything but romping the Championship. With good young players there such as Ferdinand, Vitti, Guarin the nucleus of a good West Ham side of the future is already in place and although a young squad, should in my view win the championship easily. Championship: 1st FA Cup: 5th Round League Cup: 4th Round Team: Totteham Hotspur Manager: David Pagi II Previous League Position: 20th Previous FA Cup: 3rd Round Previous League Cup: 4th Round Pagi is at least a few numerals away from being a top manager once again as he'd admit himself. A very poor season with his favourite club, Tottenham, as Pagi gets relegated for the third successive game in a row. To his credit though Pagi is learning the ropes and knows how to build a team of his own. This will stand the Pagio one in good stead for the future, though with the vultures eyeing up the Spurs job already, despite their relegation, Pagi needs to perform before Bouchard applies for his job.... Spurs are too good to struggle next season (although we did think that about the Premiership.) Should be an interesting battle with Danny for the title but based on last seasons performances, I have to predict a 2nd place finish for Pagi. Any lower and he's in big big trouble.... Championship: 2nd FA Cup: 6th Round League Cup: 2th Round Overall, continued domination by the big three. No one is near the level of Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea and even on their day, Liverpool or Everton yet. Many of the lads will be keeping an eye on the classifieds to see if any juicy jobs come up and a way into the big time makes itself available. Should be another very good season though in a very challenging competition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Season draws to close;Top flight football assured in style In truth we were never involved in the relegation battle, which is a definite positive we can take forward into the future. However this could provide a tougher scenario for us next season, if we are involved in the relegation quagmire as the other teams would have had experience, fighting tooth and nail for every point! I am however confident there quality will shine through . The other main focus of our season was on the financial strife of the club, which became evident as we spiralled further and further into the red as the season went on. My financial problems were further demonstrated by my board, informing me upon negotiation of a new contract, that we had no money for transfers at all . Also my combined season 1 and 2 transfer budgets have been a miserly 500k, i think few other teams have operated under such financial constraints! Anyway more moaning and patriotic flag waving(France 2-1 England..sounds familiar) later in the report. Match Reports Fulham 2-2 Birmingham(away)(fulham 1-0 Brum) My assistant manager took control of this match, after the rat Murphy robbed me of 3 points, and the game ended in a draw...all i can say is that we probably dominated and deserved the points Fulham 0-0 Everton(home) Definitely not a bore-draw as both teams went out to win the match. With home advantage we played some terrific stuff, and thoroughly deserved the lead at half time, Collins John denied by the post twice when the keeper was left sprawling. After the interval we went out all guns blazing and continued to dictate the pace and tempo of the game, having the better of the chances. As it happened the magnanimous Martyn, a veteran at 38, was having a belter of a game and it became evident he was not to be beaten, 2 points lost but a terrific performance that shows much promise. Fulham 0-2 Chelsea(away) goals-Crespo,Lampard This game was more even than the scoreline suggested, with admittedly chelsea holding posession but i made enough chances to score if not win the game. With the frame of the goal hit and a goal disallowed, Chelsea had due reason to be worried at half time, as the teams went in 0-0. However Chelsea's quality shone through as he took a long ball down sublimely and fired past Johnsen. At this stage i decided the best form of defence was attack, and put Briand into the fray, shifting formation to 3 upfront. We pressed forward and struggled to break chelsea down as they played 11 behind the ball and with typical dour luck Chelsea broke and scored to make it 2-0...unfortunate really Fulham 1-0 Arsenal(away) Goal-Briand This was a game of two halves, with Arsenal enjoying complete domination over my side until the interval, but with a mixture of hard graft and luck, we went into the break all square at 0-0. At half time i replaced the tireing Mcbride with Briand, and Boa Morte with Absalonsen. I also played a more attacking formation encouraging the full-backs to rove forward more, as well as Wurtz, previously playing as a restricted anchorman, allowed to go forward at will. This yielded dividends as the shoe was entirely on the other foot as Arsenal, needing a win to secure the title, were now desperately treading water to get a point. Absalonsen was devestating Lauren, highlighting his defensive flaws, and it was no surprise that a mazy dribble, followed by a clipped cross, was stuck in the back of the net by young frenchman Briand. At this point i contemplated shifting to a defensive formation, but in the end decided i'd be better of pressing Arsenal. As it happened there gooners rally never came as i continued to hold posession and the scoreline remained the same until FT. This was a cracking result, and the supporters and the chairman really made sure the team and i knew it. Fulham 0-1 Wigan goal-Veruka(Viduka) I went into this game with a plan, that being that i would allow hard-working Wigan the ball, and in effect i would allow them to run out of steam, before i attacked them more in the last third of the match. this seemed to be working as they did not look like scoring in the first half, but there stamina would have taken a hell of a beating! However just after the interval Goma fell/was pushed by viduka and the oafish striker belted the ball past the keeper...nuts! this forced me to make changes and we then besieged the Wigan goal, but to there credit they held firm and got the points, on another day(and if ET was in charge) i feel i should of won this game comfortably. So that was my final fixture of the season, and with it my objectives for the season had been met, avoid relegation, avoid administration and get some points off Niall-not all bad then. Vital Statistics EPL Finish-12th League Cup-Quarter Final FA Cup-Quarter Final Average Attendance-20692 Top Scorer-Collins John 18 Top Assists-Luis Boa Morte 12 Total Money Spent-£12.5m Total Money Received-£14.5m Looking over these stats myself, im encouraged as everything seems to be above the expectation level of my board and indeed the main "power-brokers", the fans. I was particularly pleased with my cup performance, beaten only by Niall's, indeed going on a cup run is not a bad habit to get into. Also Collins John was explosive in the early months of the season, but his progress was ******** by a series of niggling injuries, and i feel we truly have a world class striker in the making, he has already forced his way into the holland squad, which is no easy task with there quality up top. So with the ending of a season here are the ins/outs at Craven Cottage. Transfers In Sandor Torghelle-Young Hungarian, who is already a full international. He has bruising strength and aerial ability and will offer the "battering ram" approach that i feel will upset some of the teams in the division. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink-ALthough old he still has the stats and the quality to get 20+ goals a season if given the service. A neat finisher and good in the air, i hope he will bring on the development of fellow dutchman John. Denilson- Formerly a world number 1, his star has waned a little in recent years, however a succesful loan spell at league winning Bordeaux, encouraged me to offer the lad a contract. At 28 he has plenty to offer and if i can motivate him, and get him to rediscover his love for the game, he will be a superstar. With the fans isolating Denilson as there pick of my signings the pressure is on. Pennant- signed in exchange for malbranque(and £1m from niall) he is still young and is definitely a true winger. He may not pick a pass as well as malbranque, but he is twice the dribbler. With denilson operating on the left service should be at a premiun for our strikers. Aguilar- A complicated deal this one with me offering udinese £1m to have first option on the lad. So when it became evident his contract was running out, blunder by me there, i bid for the lad in December, and he agreed terms and after an appeal got a work permit. As he was on loan the transfer would not go through until next season. Anyway good young DMC, with potential to beome great. Chairman was glad to see him sign on. Jacques Faty- this DC who can also play DMC, signed from rennes is a player i have admired for many years. At £3.8m he was not cheap but he certainly has bags of ability, and with us shy at centre back, i was delighted to get him, he also took a wage cut to come, which im sure will please the chairman, and is set to become a real fans favourite. I was on the phone to Mr.Boloni and i can confirm that i am in negotiations to bring Briand to the club on a permanent transfer. Transfers Out Following were free transfers:- Mark Crossley Sylvain Legwinski Brian McBride Nick Baker Facundo Sava Ryan Watkins Neale McDermott Daniel White Gary Mabbutt Cyril Chapuis- brought in on a free as my first signing last term, with the added depth acquired this year he was sold to Niort for £1m Luis Boa Morte- The highest profile player leaving for £5m and 20% of next transfer, signed by bundesliga side Frankfurt. He was a great player for me and i was sad to see him go but being a poor club i needed the money, and i have enough depth in his position, with Denilson and Absalonsen. Malbranque- Another good player, but with his contract almost up, and him demanding 45k a week i was not prepared to break the bank for the lad so i sold him to Niall for £1m plus Pennant, maybe not the ideal transfer but, with my well documented financial problems and the prospect of him leaving for nothing he had to go. So looking to the future my aims set by the board are to avoid relegation again, and the fans seem to agree with that, basically try and avoid getting sucked into the relegation dog-fight as with the financial problems of the club it simply would not survive in the championship. I probably do not have the depth to gain europe, but will attempt it none the less, with my hopes maybe set on a cup run. I will also have to continue to sell, apparently were a selling club . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STFC will rule again Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Up Where We Belong So Wigan are still here after all the experts had us down to be relegated so it shows what they know which would be NOTHING!!! . Better teams than us went down but that'll be down their managers who clearly don't have the managerial talent that I do . SEASON ROUND-UP Final League Position - 16th Games Won - 12 Games Drawn - 6 Games Lost - 20 Goals Scored - 54 Goals Conceded 66 Total Points - 38 With our objective to just make sure we would retain our Premiership status and stay up, a final league position of 16th was a great result for us. We scored plenty of goals scoring around 1.5 goals a game but our defensive record wasn't anywhere near impressive as we shipped getting on close to 2 goals a game. Our home record was great and was the reason we managed to stay up as our away record was awful so we were lucky that the home record ensured we stayed in the Premiership for at least another season. I think that the chairman Mr Whelan, the board and fans are very happy about the job that I and the team have been doing so far and I was delighted to sign a new 5 year contract at the club last season as I feel there's still a huge job to do at this club. This club has plenty of potential and with the backing of Mr Whelan, I feel that I'm the man to take this club forward and can see us consistently finishing in the top half of the league at least in a few years time. It'll take hard work and determination to get there but I'm confident that given time, this club will be established in the Premiership like Charlton and Bolton have become. With a total of 13.25m being spent and nearly 6m recouped during the season, I was happy that I improved the squad during the summer and in the January transfer window but still think there's a long way to go before we can start establishing ourselves firmly in the Premiership. TRANSFERS IN Igor Duljaj Coming in for a club record fee of 3m, Duljaj will take over from Kavanagh as the holding midfielder in the team as he's got a great midfield engine for getting up and down the pitch and also has good technical ability too. Roman Bednar A strong targetman bought for a nominal fee, will eventually replace Viduka in a couple of seasons. Surprised that no other teams were looking at him as he'll be great value for money if he continues to play the way he has been. Stephen Elliott Bought in from Matt's Sunderland team for 1.75m, will work well off a targetman striking partner and has plenty of pace to outrun opposing defencders when the team quickly counter-attacks so should be a great signing for the club. TRANSFERS OUT There were no cash sales out but several players left due to their contract expiring which has helped to free up most of the wage bill which have allowed me to potentially bring in better players as I can now offer them the wages they'd want. TARGETS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON 1 - To finish 15th or higher in the league. 2 - To score 60 or more goals in the league. 3 - To get to the quarter finals in both the FA Cup and the League Cup. 4 - To continue to improve the playing squad and move out the players no longer required. 5 - To beat as many EPL managers as possible in coming matches in the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keedo666 Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Still waiting to hear from Pagi with his spurs update-as ever can't wait to see how they have go on Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunga99 Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 King Blasts Jackson After hearing Ben Jackson comments in the media that “better teams than us went down but that'll be down their managers who clearly don't have the managerial talent that I do†West Ham manager Danny King took time out of his pre season training to hit back at the good looking one with a few comments of his own. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So that idiot Ben Jackson reckons better teams were relegated than his own Wigan. The fact is Wigan finished 4 places and had 14 points more than us in the Championship last term so that suggests to me that Wigan had a better team to start with when I took over from Alan Pardew and ET took over from Paul Jewell. All I can say on this matter is we didn’t have a sugar daddy helping us spent 13 million pound to bring in better players in than the ones we our currently have in our squad. In fact we sold twice the amount of talent value than we were able to bring in because of the debt level of this club. I wish people like Ben Jackson would actually think before opening his big mouth to the media because this only affects team morale and not to long ago his Middlesbrough team which had preformed so well under Richard Ligs winning the UEFA cup alone the way took a 9-1 beating at the hands of Rick Boult . </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Could this be a start of a personal battle between two managers ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimony Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Doughty gives Pagi the vote of confidence Matt Doughty was interviewed by Sky Sports reporters earlier and asked for his opinion on the Tottenham manager David Pagi. Doughty responded, "Although I know Pagi has had a bad season with Tottenham, his reputation shows that he will put it right." "I believe that Pagi's board should stick with him, because he can take Tottenham back up and re-establish them as a top team. He has money to spend and has offloaded some complacent players, and now he will be able to show the managerial world what he is capable of." Doughty also added, though, "The board will not accept bad performances, Tottenham cannot financially afford not to be in the Premier League, and as such Pagi will have to make results meet expectations if he is to be given the chance to stay at Spurs." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wi11iams Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Hi, Glad you could make it, this is the low down on the ho down at the Valley. Having missed a couple or 3 sessions due to a ahem "faulty" earth on my extension cord (the fact I used the spare lawn mower lead had nothing to do with it)that fried my motherboard, I found myself battling it out with the the likes of Man City and West Ham, not a nice thought I know . So my pre mid-table mediocraty stood for nothing come Crimbo, as a couple of losses on the bounce thanks to that prat Peacock put me in the fight for survival. Fortunatly I'd managed to sign a few players in the January sales, and thankfully Bent was on his way back from injury; caused incidentally by a dressing room spat with team-mate Danny Murphy which sadly saw his exit to fellow strugglers West Ham for 500k. IN Ali Reza Vahedi Nikbakht - £750,000 - Esteghlal Nikbakht is a young energetic midfield player who managed to grab a regular starting role for his star-studded team, Esteghlal Tehran in a short period of time. His excellent performance for his club eventually lead to his inclusion in Team Melli roster and he made his successful appearance in a World Cup qualifying game against the hapless GUAM in Tabriz in December 2000 and scored on his debut. Nikbakht's performance in Team Melli was instrumental in Iran's progress in the WC qualifying round. However, his disciplinary problems has created difficulties for the National team coaches. His darting runs on the flanks and his pace remains continues to be a great asset for his team. Despite several attempts, he has not managed to find a European club to capitalize on his undoubted talents, until now that is. His last trial was with Atletico Madrid which did not materialize in a contract. Ronald Schmidt - £170,000 - Berghausen A tough left wing back from German Club Berghausen. What can I say that hasn't already been said.... well quite alot, but believe me this guy is going to do for Charlton what Pearce did for Forest. Sergey Kisiliy £375,000 - MTZ-Ripo Again another relative unknown, this 18yr old has the makings of a great player. Seems to have a keen eye for goal and may even push Bent for the lone striker role. Tom Soares - £2,300,000 - Crystal Palace A graduate from the Eagles' Academy, Soares has been tipped by boss Iain Dowie to be a future star. Steve Kember gave him his first-team debut in Palace's home friendly with Brescia in September 2003. After impessive displays in the reserves, he was given a taste of the first team proper with three late appearances in the league at the end of the 2003-04 season. Was named Academy Player of the Year for 2003-04. In 2004-5, Soares showed his worth by being able to play anywhere in midfield and earned rave reviews in his first full season. He ended up scooping Young Player of the Year and won his first England U20 caps. With Rafa on his case I knew I had to move swiftly because, if Rafa got him I'd never get the Pool job. OUT Danny Murphy - £500,000 - West Ham With Dunga grasping at straws I thought I'd chuck him 1 with the end blocked up SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT Charlton 1 Wigan 0 After an enforced absence I was back, so I decided to go for broke and throw in the new transfers, and on 32 mins my tactical mastery paid in spades as new wonderkid Sergy Kisliy bagged his debut goal. Not alot else to say with both managers canceling each other out with each click of the tactics button. Newcastle 2 Charlton 3 It took all of 3 mins for Kisliy to double his seasons tally, but 2 quick goals after half time from Shearer and Owen put the Toon Army firmly in control, until 78 mins that is when Ambrose ghosted in to piledrive an 18yrder past the helpless Given, game on. As if straight out of Scorer, Kisliy popped up on 78 mins to finish the game and put Charlton out of relegation fight. Charlton 1 West Ham 0 Having had a freak crash in which life as we know it ceased to be, Tony Blair declared a state of emergency, and Belfast's own Niall Murphy declared a reload. Prior to this freak occurence we had just had the pleasure of stuffing the hammers 3-0 and was waiting with great Gusto for the returning Dunga, alas twas not to be and the replay ran its course with Johansson grabbing the points on 82 mins after a Ronald Schmidt penalty miss. West Brom 1 Charlton 2 Another fine performance saw Ambrose cement his place for next season along with an again impressive Sergey Kisliy. This lad is gold, allthough next season will see a dramatic turn arounxd squad wise I can see this boy fighting for his place. Charlton 2 Man City 1 All banter aside I would have loved it if we beat them loved it, If I could have kept Dungaq up hed have to kiss my arse for a season or 2, much better than Dunga baiting in the Championship, anyway he'll get an over inflated ego when he wins it so I'll take my pops as I can get em Anyway HAmmers diud **** and were already down so this game was a non-plus. Goals from He ain't heavy He's my Brede and once again Kisliy took us to 11th with a respectable £6,000,000 reward. So all in all a mixed bag, had I not missed those sessions maybe I would have pushed up a few places, maybe not, but 1 things for sure as Yaz and her plastic population would say...... THE ONLY WAY IS UP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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