Thank **** The Wolly with the Brolly has Gone

[mark wilson27]

Final Group Tables:

Group A:

Position¦   Information    ¦   Team           ¦Goal ¦Points¦ 
       ¦                  ¦                  ¦Diff ¦      ¦ 
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦ 
 1st   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Holland        ¦ + 6 ¦  9   ¦  
[b] 2nd   ¦    Qualified     ¦   England        ¦   0 ¦  3   ¦ [/b] 
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 3rd   ¦                  ¦   Slovenia       ¦ - 2 ¦  3   ¦  
 4th   ¦                  ¦   Slovakia       ¦ - 4 ¦  3   ¦ 
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦

Group B:

Position¦   Information    ¦   Team           ¦Goal ¦Points¦
       ¦                  ¦                  ¦Diff ¦      ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 1st   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Romania        ¦ + 3 ¦  7   ¦
 2nd   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Poland         ¦ + 1 ¦  6   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 3rd   ¦                  ¦   Portugal       ¦   0 ¦  4   ¦
 4th   ¦                  ¦   Bulgaria       ¦ - 4 ¦  0   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦

Group C:

Position¦   Information    ¦   Team           ¦Goal ¦Points¦
       ¦                  ¦                  ¦Diff ¦      ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 1st   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Spain          ¦ + 6 ¦  7   ¦
 2nd   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Ukraine        ¦ - 1 ¦  4   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 3rd   ¦                  ¦   Germany        ¦   0 ¦  3   ¦
 4th   ¦                  ¦   Russia         ¦ - 5 ¦  1   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦

Group D:

Position¦   Information    ¦   Team           ¦Goal ¦Points¦
       ¦                  ¦                  ¦Diff ¦      ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 1st   ¦    Qualified     ¦   France         ¦ + 3 ¦  7   ¦
 2nd   ¦    Qualified     ¦   Norway         ¦   0 ¦  6   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦
 3rd   ¦                  ¦   Italy          ¦ - 1 ¦  3   ¦
 4th   ¦                  ¦   Switzerland    ¦ - 2 ¦  1   ¦
--------¦------------------¦------------------¦-----¦------¦

[mark wilson27]

1/4 Final Draw;

Holland v Poland

Spain v Norway

Romania v ENGLAND

Ukraine v France

[gavrenwick]

Mark, how did you manage that haha. Good luck against Romania.

[mark wilson27]

Luck of the devil mate lol

[salkster2102]

Luck of the devil mate lol

you can say that again

[gavrenwick]

Just noticed the big scalps of Germany, Portugal and Italy. Its not a strong last 8. Can see a weaker team getting to the final, Norway or Ukraine vs England

[Spav]

Luck of the devil mate lol

You'll probably win the tournament now.

[The_shocker7]

ive said it before... but i have to say it again... Gary Neville - what?!!!!

how come you dont have any Arsenal players or are they still all foreign?!

[mark wilson27]

ive said it before... but i have to say it again... Gary Neville - what?!!!!

how come you dont have any Arsenal players or are they still all foreign?!

Got it in one mate

[mark wilson27]

June 21st; Holland 3-1 Poland

June 22nd: England v Romania; Euro 2012 1/4 Final (NZSC Olympiyski, Kiev)

My players knew what I expected and how lucky they were to be in this position. Within five minutes we had the first chance of the game as Defoe rifled towards goal but his effort was well saved by the Romanian keeper. We were the better team throughout the game and it wasn't long till we had our next chance as Defoe again fired just wide of the post. It was Rooney who had our next chance but his effort was pretty poor and the ball bobbled wide of the post. Despite all our pressure we couldn't score in the first half.

The second half was much the same as my players controlled a very average Romanian side. It took us till the 66th minute to get our first goal as captain Rooney rose highest to nod past the keeper. After the goal the Romanians heads went down and it looked like they had given in and on the 73rd minute we got our second goal as Brandy fired in. Romania had no reply for us and we went cruised to the end of the game to send us through to the semi finals.

England 2 Rooney 66, Brandy 73

Romania 0

Man of Match; Rooney (England)

Booked: No English player

Attendance: 82,987

Player Ratings:

GK: Robinson (7)

RB; G.Neville (7)

LB: Carragher (7)

CB: R.Ferdinand (7)

CB: Terry (7)

MR: Barnes (7)

ML: J.Cole (7)

MC: Hargreaves (7)

MC: Wright-Phillips (7)

FC: Rooney (cap) (8)

FC: Defoe (7) sub 57 Brandy (8)

June 23rd; Spain 2-0 Norway

June 24th: Ukraine 1-0 France

Semi Final Draw:

Holland v Ukraine

ENGLAND v Spain

June 27th: Holland 2-0 Ukraine

[gavrenwick]

Well done. Best of luck against Spain!

[mark wilson27]

Cheers gav, my team actually played well .. Gonna have to improve though for the Spanish

[mark wilson27]

June 28th; England v Spain; Euro 2012 Semi Final (Slaski, Churzon)

Not the start I wanted as the Spanish were a goal up within four minutes as Albiol fired past Robinson after a poor clearance by Terry. Spain were getting a grip on the game already at this early stage and on the 13th minute they had another chance to score but Robinson as in great form to deny them the chance of scoring. It was looking as though we could get thumped here as Spain played us off the pitch. However just after the half hour we got an equaliser as Rooney fired in from the edge of the area. However Spain continued to pile forward and on the 43rd minute Robinson managed to block a great effort from the Spanish.

The second half was much the same as Spain controlled the play with ease. We were on the back foot throughout the last half and on the 57th minute we had the upright to thank for denying the Spanish attack. On the 63rd minute we went into the lead as Rooney fired in from the edge of the area after the Spanish defence failed to clear the ball properly. Spain continued to pile into our half but luckily for us my defence and especially my keeper managed to block every chance they had.

England 2 Rooney 32, 63

Spain 1 Albiol 4

Man of Match: Rooney (England)

Booked: G.Neville, Rooney

Attendance; 47,966

Player Ratings;

GK: Robinson (8)

RB: G.Neville (7)

LB: Carragher (7)

CB: R.Ferdinand (7)

CB: Terry (7)

MR: Barnes (7)

ML: J.Cole (7)

MC: Hargreaves (7)

MC: Wright-Phillips (7) sub 45 Gerrard (7)

FC: Rooney (cap) (8)

FC: Brandy (6) sub 45 Walcott (7)

June 30th; In a shock announcement Gary Neville has decided to retire from football just days before the Final

[viperk1]

Can't complain really...Neville's not exactly at his best, is he?

Either way, keep it up! Time for revenge against the Dutch, methinks...

[O\'Hara_fan]

Just like the England rugby team in the 2007 world cup, do awful in the groups but play brilliantly in the knockouts.

Nice stuff and good luck!

[gavrenwick]

Excellent result, why does Brandy only ever seem to do well when hes used as a sub? Haha.

Best of luck mate. My dutch mate is with me, and he saw the final line up haha. Give me ammo against him

[mark wilson27]

July 1st: England v Holland; Euro 2012 Final (Stadion Slaski, Chorzow)

We started alot better than when we last met as Rooney fired in brilliantly from outside the area on the second minute. My players looked up for the game and on the 12th minute we had another chance to score but Brandy's effort went just wide of the upright. Six minutes later Holland had there first chance of the game with a rasping effort from Hunterlaar but his effort went straight into Robinson's arms. On the 22nd minute the next goal was scored as Rooney doubled his and our tally for the game. Holland were in a state of shock and three minutes later we added another goal as Barnes fired in after slipping clear of his marker to give us a great 3-0 lead.

The second half was much the same as my players controlled most of the play. Holland looked second best throughout but my players couldn't find a way through the Dutch defence and we couldn't add to our tally and despite the poor start to the tournament we managed to retain our European Crown.

England 3 Rooney 2, 22, Barnes 25

Holland 0

Man of Match: Rooney (England)

Booked: Terry (England), Afellay (Holland)

Attendance; 44,999

Player Ratings:

England:

GK: Robinson (8)

RB: Brown (7)

LB: Carragher (7)

CB: R.Ferdinand (8)

CB: Terry (7)

MR: Barnes (8)

ML: J.Cole (8)

MC: Hargreaves (7)

MC: Wright-Phillips (7) sub 45 Walcott (7)

FC: Rooney (8)

FC: Brandy (7)

Holland:

GK: Stekelenburg (6)

RB: Kromkamp (7)

LB: Bouma (6)

CB: Boulahrouz (5)

CB: Mathijsen (6)

DMC: De Jong (7)

MC: Seedorf (6) sub 61 Afellay (7)

MC: Schaars (7)

AMR; Babel (6)

AML: Van Persie (6) sub 73 Van Nistelrooy (6)

FC: Huntelaar (6) sub 45 Sneijder (7)

I was delighted with my team and the way we tore apart the Dutch. However despite winning the tournament I was less than impressed with the way some of my players performed throughout the tournament.

July 2nd: Rooney has won the Golden Boot after firing in 6 goals throughout the tournament. Rooney has also been named as the best player with Holland Guzman coming in second and Rio Ferdinand grabbing third place.

[gavrenwick]

Wonderful win Mark. Well done on retaining the trophy, I think Spav deserves a medal for psychic ability

[mark wilson27]

Cheers gav, my players looked as though they waited to the final to actually perform... Probably the jammiest Tournament I've played in. We shouldn't of reaslly got to the Final

[gavrenwick]

Yeah, you were dead lucky to escape the group.

[Spav]

Wonderful win Mark. Well done on retaining the trophy, I think Spav deserves a medal for psychic ability

Hear, hear - on both accounts.

[salkster2102]

well done on the win mate. i knew my faith in you was well placed

[mark wilson27]

cheers salkster, much appreciated

so what the prediction for the confedration cup then spav?

[mark wilson27]

September 12th: Hungary v England; World Cup 2014 Qualifiers (Puskas Ferenc Stadion, Budapest)

Our first game since the Euro win and my players did brilliantly as on the 5th minute Owen fired in to give us the lead. It was all us as we controlled the Hungarian team with ease, The only surprise was that it took us till just after the half hour to add to our tally as Owen grabbed goal number two with a rasping effort from the edge of the area. We were all over them but despite this we didn't add to our tally in the first half.

The second half was much the same as we dominated the Hungarians and on the hour we came close to another goal as Rooney rounded the keeper but missed the open goal. The pressure was immense and on the 78th minute we went further into the lead as Owen completed his hat trick. There was one more goal to add as on the stroke of full time we went four goals up as Owen added his fourth to give us a great victory and a great start to qualifying.

Hungary 0

England 4 Owen 5, 32, 78, 90

Man of Match; Owen (England)

Booked: No English Player

Attendance: 29,926

Player Ratings:

GK: Robinson (7)

RB: Brown (8)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Richards (7)

CB: King (7)

MR: Barnes (7) sub 45 Bentley (6) inj 65 Wright-Phillips (7)

ML: J.Cole (7)

MC: Walcott (7)

MC: Hargreaves (7)

FC: Rooney (cap) (8)

FC: Owen (9)

Injury News: Bentley will be missing for around four months after he damaged knee ligaments

October 7th; Second choice keeper Ben Foster will be missing from action for around five months after breaking his leg

[gavrenwick]

Goood start to the new campaign. Should have retitled the match though, Owen 4 - 0 Hungary

[mark wilson27]

true to say he's ageing in the game he's be prolific in front of goal..If only he could do IRL

[salkster2102]

if only he would get the chance to

[mark wilson27]

October 13th; England v Azerbaijan; World Cup 2014 Qualifier (Old Trafford)

My first home game back after the summer victory and we were greeted with wild applause. I told my players before the kick off I wanted them to give the fans something more to scream about and they did just that as within seven minutes we went into the lead as Young fired in a corker from the edge of the area. It got even better as two minutes later we were a further goal ahead as Barnes fired past the keeper with ease. We were running riot over the visitors and on the 17th minute we had the next chance as Walcott rattled the crossbar from 25 yards. We were all over them and on the 26th minute we went three goals up Rooney headed into the open net after the opposition keeper went AWOL in the area. Five minutes later we made it four goals as Terry rose highest to head in Young’s cross.

The second half was much the same as we controlled the game and on the 54th minute Walcott came close to adding a further goal with a shot that rattled the crossbar. My players were looking invincible and on the hour we went five goals up as Owen tapped in.

England 5 Young 7, Barnes 9, Rooney 26, Terry 31, Owen 60

Azerbaijan 0

Man of Match; Terry (England)

Booked: Cattermole

Attendance; 76,183

Player Ratings;

GK: Robinson (7)

RB; Bardsley (7)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Terry (8)

CB: Davies (7)

MR: Barnes (8)

ML: Young (8)

MC: Cattermole (7)

MC: Walcott (8)

FC: Rooney (cap) (8)

FC: Owen (8)

[ssestig]

very good start to qualifying mark and well done on retaining the euros.

[mark wilson27]

October 17th: England v Scotland; World Cup 2014 Qualifier (Wembley)

After two wins out of two and nine goals I was confident in my teams ability to cruise past Scotland. However on the 12th minute we went a goal down as Miller fired in after some slack defending by Terry. My players looked a little shocked and it wasn't long till Scotland had another chance to score but Robinson managed to save well. Yet on the 28th minute we managed to get the equaliser as Young fired in but his goal was ruled out for offside. Scotland then came close again with a long range effort but the shot went just over the crossbar.

The second half was much the same with alot of attacking football by both teams but neither team could score another goal and we ended up losing on home turf against our arch rivals.

England 0

Scotland 1 Miller 12

Man of Match: Miller (Scotland)

Booked: Bardsley, Cattermole (misses next game)

Attendance; 89,987

Player Ratings;

GK: Robinson (6)

RB: Bardsley (6)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Terry (6)

CB: Davies (6)

MR: Barnes (6)

ML: Young (7)

MC: Cattermole (6)

MC: Walcott (6)

FC; Rooney (cap) (6) inj 16 Defoe (6)

FC: Owen (cap 16) (6)

[michael62]

Omg loosing to scotland !!!! Great story

[salkster2102]

can i start the sack campaign now?

[mark wilson27]

I'm surprised Spav hasn't already started the campaign lol

[mark wilson27]

November 17th: England v Colombia; Friendly (Wembley)

I decided to give a few of my fringe players the chance to shine as we faced the South Americans. We started the better as my players showed me what they could do and on the 8th minute we came close to going a goal up as Daniel Sturridge fired towards goal but his effort was well saved by the keeper. It was looking good as my players walked all over the Colombian team and on the 20th minute we had another chance as Sturridge again fired towards goal but this time his effort went wide of the post. Five minutes later though we went a goal behind as Colombia counter attacked us brilliantly and Perea fired past Amos with ease. We tried to get the equaliser but struggled to get through the Colombian defence. At the interval I told my players I wanted more from them.

The second half was only three minutes old when Colombia were reduced to ten men after goal scorer Perea was sent off for a second yellow card. The sending off killed the game as Colombia pulled all men back. We were the better team in the second half but my fringe players couldn't get past the brick wall of Colombia and we ended up losing our second home game in a row.

England 0

Colombia 1 Perea 25

Man of Match; Perea (Colombia)

Booked; Welbeck

Attendance: 66,554

Player Ratings:

GK: Amos (7)

RB: Brown (6) sub 45 Bardsley (7)

LB: Richards (6)

CB: O'Hare (6)

CB: Davies (6)

MR: Jenas (6) sub 45 Barnes (6)

ML: Welbeck (7)

MC: J.Cole (cap) (6) sub 45 Walcott (7)

MC: Wright-Phillips (cap 45) (7)

FC: D.Sturridge (6)

FC: S.Sinclair (6)

[salkster2102]

they are getting louder

[mark wilson27]

I know............

[gavrenwick]

Comeeee on Mark, im sure you can turn it round. It is only two defeats...

[mark wilson27]

November 21st: England v Portugal; Friendly (Wembley)

We started brightly as my players kept the ball well away from the Portuguese but on the 6th minute they had the first effort which was well saved by Amos. We had the next chance with Defoe firing just wide of the upright after breaking free of the opposition defence. It was very entertaining for the fans and on the 18th minute the first goal was scored as Owen fired in after a great through ball by Barnes. The fans joy was short lived as within four minutes Portugal had gotten back onto level terms as Veloso fired past Amos. My players responded well though as we began to control Portugal and on the 37th minute we should of gone back into the lead but Owens effort went wide of the goal. Just before the half time interval we managed to get the lead we deserved as Defoe fired in from inside of the area.

The second half started with us dominating and on the 59th minute we had another chance to go further into the lead but Lennon’s effort went well over. We carried on piling forward and on the 66th minute we added another goal as Defoe fired in his second of the game. A minute later we added our fourth goal with Walcott getting on the score sheet. The scoring continued as on the 72nd minute Quaresma fired in Portugal’s second. However there hopes of a comeback were dashed as Owen fired in on the 78th minute to give us a convincing 5-2 victory.

England 5 Owen 18, 78, Defoe 45, 66, Walcott 67

Portugal 2 Veloso 22, Quaresma 72

Man of Match: Owen (England)

Booked: No English Player

Attendance: 66,591

Player Ratings;

GK: Amos (8)

RB: Bardsley (7)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Brown (7)

CB: Richards (7)

MR: Barnes 7 sub 45 Jenas (7)

ML: Walcott (8)

MC: J.Cole (7)

MC: A. Lennon (8)

FC: Defoe (8)

FC: Owen (cap) (9)

December 1st: It was that time of year again were I had to vote for my World Footballer of the Year. My vote goes as follows:-

1st: Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur/ Bulgaria)

2nd: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan/ Sweden)

3rd: Rafael Subis (FC Bayern/ Brazil)

[O\'Hara_fan]

That's more like it. Fans are liking you a bit more, now do it against Scotland and we'll love you

Nice stuff mate.

[gavrenwick]

Excellent win Mark.

[salkster2102]

That's more like it. Fans are liking you a bit more' date=' now do it against Scotland and we'll love you

Nice stuff mate.[/quote']

I love you just for beating the Portuguese

[mark wilson27]

December 13th; The draw for next summers Confederation Cup has taken place and the two groups are as follows:-

Group A; Brazil (15), New Zealand (56), Nigeria (8), Uruguay (22)

Group B: ENGLAND (5), Holland (1), Iran (28), USA (17)

January 1st 2013; The award has been handed out for The World Footballer of the Year and it goes to Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham/ Bulgaria) with second going to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter/ Sweden) and finally third place goes to Rafael Sobis (FC Bayern/ Brazil)

February 6th: England v Cameroon: Friendly (Wembley)

I gave Robinson his first call up after his injury and he might as well not of turned up as we dominated the Cameroon team with such ease. Cameroon didn't have one single effort on goal. On the 10th minute we went into the lead as Sturridge fired in from inside the area. Two minutes later he should of added goal number tow after he broke clear of the defence but the ball was well smothered by the keeper. Our control was 100% as Cameroon just couldn't get hold of the ball and on the 30th minute we came close again to scoring as Welbeck fired in a screamer from 30 yards but his effort was tipped onto the crossbar by the Cameroon keeper. On the 45th minute we finally got goal number two as Barnes ran clear of the Cameroon defence to slide the ball past the keeper.

The second half was much the same as we piled the pressure on Cameroon yet we could only add one more goal to our tally as Sturridge headed bravely in to give us a convincing 3-0 victory, but in truth we should of won by alot more than what we did.

England 3 Sturridge 10, 60, Barnes 45

Cameroon 0

Man of Match: Sturridge (England)

Booked: No English Player

Attendance: 66,575

Player Ratings;

GK: Robinson (8)

RB: Richards (7)

LB: Lescott (8)

CB: O'Hare (7)

CB: Terry (7)

MR: Barnes (8)

ML: Welbeck (7)

MC: J.Cole (cap) (7)

MC: A. Lennon (8)

FC: Sturridge (8)

FC: Defoe (7)

[gavrenwick]

Good friendly win mark. Sturridge showing his credentials I see.

[mark wilson27]

Very much so, he just needs to do it against the top teams

[O\'Hara_fan]

Tricky litte group you have got, against your old friends Holland

[mark wilson27]

I know, bloody hate the Dutch.(In a footballing sense, before anyone throws a strop)

[mark wilson27]

March 23rd: Poland v England; World Cup 2014 Qualifier (Stadion Slaski, Chorzow)

A real dire game for the fans to watch as there was very little in the way of action. The pitch didn't help as it had more pits on it than a teenagers face. In the first half the only piece of action came as Davies headed in from J.Coles cross to grab his first goal for his country.

The second half was just as poor and the fans left the ground looking like they had been put through 90 minutes of hell.

Poland 0

England 1 Davies 33

Man of Match: Robinson (England)

Booked: Rooney

Attendance: 44,947

Player Ratings:

GK: Robinson (8)

RB: Brown (7)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Terry (7)

CB: Davies (8)

MR: Barnes (7)

ML: J.Cole (7) sub 45 Wright-Phillips (6)

MC: Hargreaves (7)

MC: Walcott (7)

FC: Rooney (cap) (7)

FC: Owen (7) sub 45 Sturridge (7)

[gavrenwick]

A win none the less I spose keep up the good work mark.

[mark wilson27]

True gav, but you know what I'm like lol

[mark wilson27]

March 27th: England v British Virgin Islands; Friendly (Old Trafford)

The press called it a waste of time game but I didn't care what they said. Within four minutes we were a goal up as Rooney fired in. My players made the game look easy and on the 9th minute we had doubled our lead as Owen volleyed home Walcott's cross. As expected it was one way traffic but the fans had to wait till the 42nd minute for the next goal as Owen fired in his second and our third of the game. It got even better as on the 45th minute we were a further goal up as Barnes headed in to give us a four goal lead going into the break.

The second half though was pretty disappointing as we seemed to struggle with our passing but on the 80th minute we went five goals up as Sturridge fired in the final goal of the game.

England 5 Rooney 4, Owen 4, 42, Barnes 45, Sturridge 80

British Virgin Islands 0

Man of Match: Owen (England)

Booked: Davies

Attendance: 76,175

Player Ratings:

GK: Robinson (7)

RB: Brown (7)

LB: Lescott (7)

CB: Terry (7)

CB: Davies (7)

MR: Barnes (8) sub 45 Gerrard (6) inj 58 Welbeck (7)

ML: J.Cole (cap 45) (8)

MC: Hargreaves (8) sub 45 Wright-Phillips (7)

MC: Walcott (7)

FC; Rooney (cap) (8) sub 45 Defoe (6)

FC: Owen (8) sub 45 Sturridge (7)

Domestic and European Results:

Premiership Top Three:

1st: Arsenal 70pts (second year running)

2nd: Tottenham Hotspur 67pts

3rd: Manchester United 66pts

FA Cup: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool

League Cup: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool

Community Shield: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Arsenal

Champions League; Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (aet)

UEFA Cup: Inter Milan 2-1 Roma (aet)

European Super Cup: Valencia 1-0 Arsenal

World Club Championship: Arsenal 1-0 Saitama UTD