[FM13] Got 99 Problems But Norwich 'Aint One.

[deltablue]

Mar 2023

Bolton 1-3 Ipswich (FA QF)

Pinera, Mol, Viola

We saw off Bolton with too much difficulty in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Viola had an early goal disallowed but Pinera and Mol headed in corners to give us a 2-0 lead. They pulled one back before the break but Viola made it comfortable with a 3rd.

Spartak Moscow 0-5 Ipswich (EL KO2)

Linias (3), Tupazinho (2)

It was still a bit early in the year for a trip to Moscow to be pleasant but they didn’t stop the ever-fiery (not always in a good way) Linias from giving us an 18th minute lead. Tupazinho and Linias gave us 2 more early in the second half and even though Leon had a 4th disallowed, Tupazinho got it anyway before putting Linias clear for a 5-0 win.

Liverpool 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Tupazinho

Tupazinho fired us ahead at Liverpool just before half-time but we were otherwise on the back foot and had to eventually settle for a 1-1 draw as the best we could do.

Ipswich 1-1 (6-1) Spartak Moscow (EL KO2)

Viola

There wasn’t much at stake in the home leg against Spartak aside from trying to extend our record-breaking run of wins in the competition to 14. Viola eventually gave us the lead but they equalized to deny us but we were still on a run of 21 Europa League games unbeaten.

Apr 2023

Fulham 3-0 Ipswich (PRM)

As the season heated up I expected league form to drop and we fell limply at Fulham. Carrion was in goal as Shoretire was injured and he was beaten twice in the first-half. They had a 3rd disallowed in the second-half but eventually got it late on.

Ipswich 5-1 Leverkusen (EL QF)

Tupazinho (5)

We had a rematch with Leverkusen in the Europa League and while they threatened hard for a lot of the match (like they tore through us early on last year) we managed to pick them apart. Tupazinho gave us the lead after 10 minutes, with his 50th goal for the club, and just kept on scoring, giving us a 4-0 lead after an hour. They got one back but Tupazinho scored again to finish off a 5-1 win with a few minutes left.

Ipswich 1-1p Tottenham (FA SF)

We played Tottenham in the FA Cup Semi-final, with the prize for the winner being a final against Southampton and while I knew we would be on the back foot we took the lead after 70 minutes from Tupazinho. We were so close to doing it but they equalized right at the end of normal time to give us extra-time, and then penalties. Yilmaz was brought on especially for penalties and scored our first but with the score at 2-1 to Tottenham after 3 kicks, Tupazinho’s effort was saved. The 3rd round allowed us to draw level when Carrion pulled off a save and Pinera made it 2-2. Linias and Docherty scored as did their Spurs counterparts to take it to sudden death. The pressure was intense with Pedrinho and Jonas scoring to keep us in it but Nasta’s shot was saved to deny us.

Leverkusen 0-2 Ipswich (EL QF)

Viola, Yilmaz

We went to Leverkusen hoping we weren’t so worn out as to give them a chance to pull off the big comeback they needed and Viola actually extended the aggregate lead after 10 minutes. As expected, the defence was kept very busy but Yilmaz eventually extended the lead as we held firm.

Ipswich 3-1 Arsenal (PRM)

Fanti, Viola, Cotter

Arsenal would be our semi-final opponents, but we also had them in the league. 3rd was looking unlikely so it was a case of cruising home in 4th and while the game was finely balanced for a while, Fanti gave us the lead after 50 minutes. Viola scored another and through they pulled one back, Cotter sealed a 3-1 win. It was the Slovenian full-back’s first goal for the club after almost 5 years.

Ipswich 4-0 Bristol City (PRM)

Yilmaz (2), Fanti, Viola

We needed just a single point from the last 5 games to mathematically secure CL qualification and against Bristol City it was always going to be a case of ‘how many’. Yilmaz gave us the lead in the 15th minute and he got another before half-time when a screamer of a shot from Fanti bounced off the crossbar right to him. Fanti got his own goal after an epic run down the wing and inside which ended in him slotting home and Viola clinched a 4-0 win.

Man Utd 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola

We still had a trip to Old Trafford to go and Viola managed to give us the lead but they soon headed in a free-kick to equalize. Both sides had a player sent off in the second-half and despite plenty of action at both ends it stayed 1-1.

Ipswich 1-2 Arsenal (EL SF)

Viola

The Europa League final would be an Anglo-Spanish contest, ourselves or Arsenal against Valencia or Espanyol. Arsenal’s recent league form had been poor but they looked much tougher here and I was relieved when Viola managed to round the keeper and slot home just before half-time. Unfortunately they equalized, which didn’t suit us very well and it got worse. We seemed to have an issue with South American defenders in European semi-finals, and after Leon’s own-goal against Leverkusen last year (which saw us go out on away goals), Pedrinho got sent off while conceding a penalty for handball with 15 minutes left and they converted to give us an uphill struggle in the second leg.

Ipswich 1-0 Derby (PRM)

Jonas

The game against Derby was an irrelevance compared to what was going on in Europe and we very much went though the motions, even missing a penalty. Jonas eventually gave us the win.

May 2023

Arsenal 2-0 (4-1) Ipswich (EL SF)

We had it all to do at the Emirates and after briefly pushing early on we were on the back foot again. They had a player sent off before half-time and I decided to try and push more but that left us vulnerable at the back and they broke through to get a 3rd goal to sink us, with a 4th coming later. We were worth at least a goal, maybe even the two we needed at bare minimum so didn’t deserve to lose by that much.

Ipswich 1-0 Hull (PRM)

Jonas

That just left a couple of league games starting against Hull and once again we relied on a single Jonas goal to see us through and take us to the 80-point mark.

Aston Villa 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola

We finished at Aston Villa which looked like a reasonably entertaining stalemate before Viola found himself clear to give us a 3rd 1-0 league win in a row.

This is probably the best 4th place in history. Last season 83 points would have been enough for 2nd, two years ago we’d have won the league by a point! We would have been joint 3rd at least any other year (though might have missed out on goal difference sometimes) with a handful of 2nd places thrown in. It was just a pity that with competition being especially fierce at the top of the table, a weakness for dropping points in away games against beatable opposition cost us even greater glory.

The cups also promised much. We succeeded where we failed last time in the league cup and it could have been even better. When we went ahead against Tottenham I was dreaming of a domestic cup double (given how clearly whoever won would be expected to beat Southampton) or even a cup treble but they were never going to be that easy and we only missed out after 8 rounds of penalties. In the Europa League as well we got the toughest Semi-final draw but had already beaten Arsenal twice at home this season and should easily have made it a 3rd. When Pedrinho conceded that penalty the sinking feeling was considerable, especially as we would have been able to play a more suitable way in the second-leg rather than having to try and go for it the best we could.

In Europe we were on course for the best Europa League season imaginable. Before Arsenal we had won all but one game, and set a new record for goals in a season in the competition (53) before it all came crashing down. I took great pleasure when I saw they lost the final and missed out on Europe altogether for next season. They actually approached me at the end of the season but I told them to get stuffed.

Making the Champions League is a big step for us for a few reasons. Firstly it’s the culmination of a few years of lifting ourselves up from mid-table underachievement. Secondly the wage bill had gradually risen with players getting wage rises as they develop so we needed the CL money at this point to get the budget increases to keep pace with that. Thirdly, the international chances of my players are based on their rep, which in turn is reliant on us being successful. I remember my FM11 Ipswich team had my favourite ever keeper, an Italian called Marcelo Caso and he didn’t get his chance for Italy until his late 20’s when we had become a top-class side, though he was pretty much as good as he was when I bought him from Aalesund (which happened to have been my previous club in that career) at the age of 20. I had been surprise that a few more players hadn’t featured on the international level so we’ll see how things change now.

It was a triumph of squad depth as we played 68 matches in all competitions this season, even more than last year since we had a couple of rounds of European qualifiers, with one fewer cup replay. Everyone who made a start got over 7.0, and only Shoretire didn’t get at least 7.12. The latter’s reputation has been rehabilitated. He was a liability in the previous season but was far more reliable this time, the poor showing at Man City and the goal conceded against Trabzonspor when he left his goal exposed being the only blemishes, even if Carrion still outperformed him.

I do wonder if we can make a title challenge next year. Certainly I feel we deserve far more than a couple of League Cups (having not even made an FA Cup final) and 4th. It will help that being Champions League will mean fewer matches even if we have a strong campaign, plus this season is unlikely to be repeated in terms of how well all 3 teams above us did so we should expect to be much closer even with a minimal increase in points. If we can cut down on the avoidable points dropped away to the middling teams and keep up our strong record against our rivals (Tottenham and Man City away being the only defeats. The first was when we were knackered after a shootout and didn’t have many fit replacements, the second was one of two midweek games that very week and could have easily gone our way) then we’ve got as good a chance as anyone. In the Champions League as well, though I don’t expect to challenge straight away, if we can compete with the devastatingly tough ‘Big 5’ in the Premier League, I doubt we have cause to fear anyone else.

Match of the Season: For once I'm spoilt for choice so am going for Leverkusen. This is partly because of the revenge factor, partly because of Tupazinho (and the way the other attacking players were very effective in support). He's still got a long and successful career ahead (even if he has to share a spot with Yilmaz) but it's not going to be easy to top this.

Star Player: The depth and competition up front means that Yilmaz seems to alternate between seasons where he's able to play a starring role and seasons where he has to take a bit more of a back seat. However this was very much one of the former (at least until the final couple of months), though his European tally (especially in the qualifiers) did help his case quite a bit. It took him a matter of months to find his feet at the club but even among the array of attacking talent he manages to stand out as one of our best performers every season.

Squad Stats

[deltablue]

Season Round-up: 2022/23

CH

L1

L2

BSP

BSS

[

BSN

FA

CL

EL

[b101]

Another horror show for Man Utd against Barca . Gutted you didn't finish higher, as you said, I kept reading through expecting at least second place when the league shot was coming. At least you've turned a corner from a few seasons back when you were getting frustrated.

[deltablue]

Another horror show for Man Utd against Barca . Gutted you didn't finish higher, as you said, I kept reading through expecting at least second place when the league shot was coming. At least you've turned a corner from a few seasons back when you were getting frustrated.

While I was hoping we'd be able to get into the top 3 we always remained a step or two behind and by April it was looking unlikely. What's really good about the turnaround is that the replacement of Allione and Tafuto last year with Fanti and Moroni is the only major change to the squad for at least a few years so this is the same core of players coming of age.

[DodgeeD]

Nothing like having a decent young side blossom into a force to be reckoned with

Great season and best of luck with the Champions League!

[deltablue]

Nothing like having a decent young side blossom into a force to be reckoned with

Great season and best of luck with the Champions League!

Thanks. I know that feeling from various other sides I've built and it never feels any less satisfying to see happen.

[deltablue]

Summer 2023

The summer started off with Marcos Paulo going back to his native Brazil (with a hilariously small 'percentage of profit' payment to Cruzeiro, his former club), as someone who had made a strong contribution to our rise but who had come as far as he could with us. Given we were now trying to compete at the highest level I needed to be tough to make sure that we had a top quality side and the Brazilian was the first of a few players I intend to move out to make way for players of a potential quality that they couldn't be, good though they otherwise were. However for now he was the only one. A lack of an ideal full-back spared Coulibaly, Jonas' form (and the fact that he was tutoring) meant he was still very much in my plans for now at least.

In terms of players brought in, I must admit that I set myself up for a lot of tough decisions in the future as there were players in positions we were already well-catered for in the long-run which I still felt I couldn't potentially afford to miss out on. This included two more forwards on top of the 5 we already have (which is only just managable as it is), a 4th winger (even if Jonas may be moved out of the way and Capan may ironically have been signed too young to get opportunities before being eclipsed) and even a 4th goalkeeper! The latter is especially interesting given how up in the air the future of the No.1 shirt is and there is far less ability to accomodate 'excess' players in that position. Making things even more complicated is the fact that I don't want to give up on young players too soon and have them develop in to quality players for rival clubs which means that a lot of decisions on who misses out won't be taken any-time soon.

There was a time where I imagined Shoretire being such a success that we'd win the CL with him in goal though that's looking increasingly unlikely, as he only has a year or two at best as the incumbent No.1. The number of keepers also makes it harder to at least keep him around as second choice (and he's made noises about moving on to a new challenge) and the fact that the others are still teens (though Carrion mught just have turned 20) while he's more experienced (and the fact he's managing to avoid doing anything stupid) is the only thing giving him a short-term edge. Going back to my thoughts of a future CL triumph, it would be an interesting game to predict exactly who will secure the No.1 shirt and be a part of that triumph when it hopefully comes. Will Shoretire hang on for long enough? Will Carrion continue to develop and thrive like he's done so far? Will Colin (who's been the long-term favourite for a while) fulfil his promise? Will new signing Corio demostrate why I decided he was still worth bringing in?

After last season I really hope we'll be in the mix in the title race this time, even if I'm not expecting come out on top quite yet. The CL should also be an interesting experience as we lay down a marker to see how close we are to challenging for that as well.

Signings

[deltablue]

Champions League Draw

We easily beat Besiktas in the playoff. I had wondered if we had done enough to creep into the second group of seeds but we had to settle for 3rd, giving us a tricky group.

This promises to be an interesting group, and a reasonably challenging one though I still feel we're easily capable of getting out of it.

I've been giving the goalkeeping situation a bit of thought and this will probably be Shoretire's last season at the club. I had been thinking of moving him on anyway so he doesn't block the development of the potentially top-class younger keepers and as it happens he wants to leave and won't sign a new contract so it would probably be out of my hands anyway. Looking at Colin (now 17) I do wonder whether he'll be good enough by the time next season rolls around to get his opportunity already, ahead of the older Carrion and Corio as the best long-term bet. That's a bridge to cross when we come it though.

[Lenzar]

Tough CL draw, but you should get 3rd at least. I mean, who'd not beat PAOK twice?

[deltablue]

Tough CL draw, but you should get 3rd at least. I mean, who'd not beat PAOK twice?

Well, so far so good..

[b101]

I always laugh at this surname

[deltablue]

I always laugh at this surname

You have a very dirty mind! It took me a bit of time to get it because of the differing pronounciation

[deltablue]

Aug 2023

Arsenal 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Tupazinho

We had a tough start to the season at Arsenal but we started pretty brightly and could have taken the lead in the first-half. They looked better after the break but Tupazinho pounced on a deflected Viola shot to give us the lead. They headed in an equalizer and I was happy to avoid defeat in one of the hardest games of the year, especially when Mol got sent off.

Besiktas 0-3 Ipswich (CL)

Jonas, Leon (2)

We went to Turkey to face Besiktas in the CL and got off to a strong start with Jonas and Leon giving us a 2-0 lead. The Chilean was once again in the right place, at the right time to seal a 3-0 win in the second-half.

Ipswich 2-0 Liverpool (PRM)

Fanti, Viola

The first home game against Liverpool was a rather quiet affair for the most part but I felt we needed a win so instructed the team to go for it late on, which worked as Fanti and Viola got us goals in the final few minutes.

Ipswich 2-0 (5-0) Besiktas (CL)

Mol, Eraldo

We easily dominated the second leg against Besiktas and wasted chances at leisure. A Fanti corner was headed in by Mol in the 40th minute and Eraldo gave us another at the end.

Sept 2023

Aston Villa 0-0 Ipswich (PRM)

Our league performances so far had been rather unconvincing and we only managed a couple of shots at Villa, and while I wanted to limit the number of points dropped in these games, as we were one the back foot I was just glad we came away with something.

Ipswich 1-1 Derby (PRM)

Ivankov

We looked a little brighter at first against Derby but the defence let them through far too easily to take a surprise lead just before half-time. The 18yr old Ivankov equalized with his first goal for the club but despite pushing hard we couldn’t claim all the points.

Ipswich 10-1 PAOK (CL)

Andronov, Linias (6), Ivankov (3)

We needed to beat PAOK in the first CL group game to have any chance of a strong showing and I needn’t have worried as we really came to life. I had taken a big gamble in giving both Ivankov and Andronov their first opportunities in the team so early but following on from the Ukrainian’s goal in the last match, the Russian gave us the lead in the 6th minute. The PAOK defenders are going to have nightmares about Linias for a while as he slipped easily between their central defensive partnership to score twice in the space of a few minutes, and continued to run rings around them to get two more. Ivanov added a 6th on the half-hour mark, followed up a few minutes later by a heartwarming example of Russian-Ukrainian co-operation as Andronov delivered a cross perfectly for Ivankov to deflect into the net. The Greek tragedy continued as Linias got another pair of goals, one either side of half-time. We seemed to feel that enough was enough but they made the mistake of scoring and admittedly excellent goal in the 78th minute which fired us up enough for Ivankov to complete a hat-trick (as well as a hat-trick of assists) and a 10-1 rout immediately afterwards.

Ipswich 0-0 West Ham (PRM)

Unfortunately we still couldn’t really do it in the league and a frustrating 0-0 with a West Ham side who didn’t have a single shot meant we still just has a single win after 5 games.

Ipswich 2-0 Fulham (LC R3)

Linias (2)

We managed a bit better against Fulham in the League Cup, with Linias managing to score in the 20th minute after another of his trademark penetrating runs. He got another later on to give us relatively comfortable progress to the next round.

Leeds 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Ivankov, Viola, Moroni

We thankfully got a 2nd league win of the season pretty comfortably at Leeds. Again Andronov effectively set up Ivankov to give us the lead, and it was the Ukrainian’s turn to whip n a great low cross for Viola to convert early in the second-half. Moroni sealed a 3-0 win with 10 minutes or so left.

Oct 2023

AC Milan 0-4 Ipswich (CL)

Andronov (2), Viola (2)

A trip to Milan promised to be our first major CL challenge but Andronov gave us a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. We spent a lot of the second-half on the offensive and they had a goal disallowed but Viola scored twice on the break near the end, giving us a winning margin that flattered us considerably but that didn’t dampen my delight one bit.

Southampton 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Stam, Ivankov

An injury to Viola at Southampton allowed Stam to get a relatively rare chance and after we struggled in the first-half, he became the 6th of our 7 forwards to play and score this season already in the 52nd minute. He later set up Ivankov to seal it.

Ipswich 2-0 Hull (PRM)

Tupazinho, Campomar

The forward merry-go-round continued against Hull as a nervy Ivankov and anonymous Stam ended up making way for Tupazinho and Campomar, which finally gave us some attacking life after another slow start. The former headed in a Nasta cross to give us the lead in the 58th minute. Campomar was making his debut (overall, not just for Ipswich) and marked it with our second goal.

Ipswich 4-0 Atletico Madrid (CL)

Pinera, Campomar, Mol, Jonas

We took the lead from a Pinera penalty in the 18th minute against Atletico Madrid and he set up Campomar before half-time. We kept on going with Mol somehow bundling the ball into the net for 3-0 and Jonas finished off another admittedly misleading winning margin.

Ipswich 3-0 Man City (PRM)

Ivankov, Linias, Moroni

Ivankov was probably the breakout star of the season so far and he gave us the lead in the 32nd minute. Yet again I was willing to sit back a little and yet again we kept going with Linias giving us a 2nd a lot later on the break and Moroni even finishing off a 3-0 win.

Sunderland 2-0 Ipswich (LC R4)

We went to Sunderland in the League Cup and despite a lot of pressure went behind to a penalty in the 63rd minute. I must admit to not being too bothered when they scored again and after the past couple of seasons I was almost relieved to have an early cup exit for a change.

I was worried rather early on as we just weren't firing in the league, especially as I had bumped expectations up to qualifying for the Champions League as opposed to the Europa League even though I knew I had some breathing space if we failed. Thankfully we had a knack of performing in Europe (Arsenal last season aside) and while I had a feeling we'd be seeded in the qualifier and get a comfortable draw (as we did) I didn't expect the group stage to go how it has been. We're obviously a lot stronger than PAOK but certainly nowhere near 10-1 better on paper and we were helped considerably by the worst defensive performance I've ever seen. The defenders were like training cones as Linias didn't have to try too hard to wander through and around them with little resistance. Special mention to his first two which were really that simple as him walking between the two cental defenders twice within the space of a few minutes and easily slotting home without any pressure on him whatsoever! As mentioned above the 4-0 wins against the other two made us look a lot more dominant than we were but they still give us a massive advantage in any head-to-head against either and put is in a fantastic position to go through, even if topping the group is still a very open question indeed. In the league it was a relief to pick up the wins (especially against Man City) and get ourselves up to where we wanted to be.

One of the interesting features of the season so far is despite the abundance of players in certain positions, opportunities still abound. As new players who looked exciting, Andronov and Ivankov got a bit of a fast track as the earliest possible opportunity (like Stam a couple of years back) and have very much made the most of it, showing that they are the cream likely to rise to the top in a sea of quality cream. Despite what I wrote above, Yilmaz hasn't actually gotten on the scoresheet (having been injured in the 1st game and not made it back into the side yet) but the fact that everyone has played up front already and only he hasn't scored shows that my 'meritocratic' system still works with that many players, even if it's been rather a revolving door of who has been on the pitch and on the bench for each of the two slots (with Yilmaz being 'next in line' as things stand). I had been thinking that Ivankov, Stam and Campomar were competing for one long-term slot in the squad (as the other 4 were too well established to be jetisoned) but this continues to complicate things. It's nice from a squad depth standpoint though.

[deltablue]

Nov 2023

Fulham 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias, Yilmaz

Our shooting boots were painfully missing at Fulham but Linias finally managed to get the ball in the net from a rebound of his own shot. They equalized early in the second-half as a free-kick found a player with far too much space but they spurred us on to soon retake the lead from Yilmaz as we edged it.

Atletico Madrid 2-2 Ipswich (CL)

Tupazinho, Linias

We could qualify from our CL group already with a draw in Madrid (given we would have a better head-to-head record over Atletico even if they made up the 6 point gap that would follow in the final couple of games) but it did not look good as they easily went 2-0 up after just 25 minutes, and even the head-to-head advantage could be lost if they continued. Thankfully a half-time kick up the backside worked and Tupazinho soon equalized, followed by Linias slotting home after one of his trademark runs to give us the draw we were after.

Tottenham 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

The top 5 in the league were still very tight so a trip to Spurs was important so it was unfortunate that we performed rather limply and quickly went behind. We still managed to salvage a point however. Late on a Spurs player charged got on the end of a great cross and powered it into the net, but as he powered into Shoretire as well it was disallowed, followed by Linias breaking away, playing the ball back from the by-line and seeing it go in off a defender. There’s no point pretending it wasn’t really lucky but just ‘surviving’ these away games against the other top sides suited us nicely.

Ipswich 1-0 Reading (PRM)

Shoretire

The first half against Reading was a classic example of ‘How on earth are we not ahead?’ as the woodwork, keeper and defenders just getting in the way kept denying us. They started to threaten a little in the second-half so I was relieved when we won a penalty which Shoretire converted with a few minutes left.

PAOK 2-4 Ipswich (CL)

Jonas, Linias (2)

We went to Greece to face PAOK and wasted little time adding a few more goals. Jonas and Linias gave us a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes, soon followed by a Jonas corner going in off a hapless PAOK player. Linias made it 4-0 (his 8th goal against PAOK in the 2 games. I wouldn’t advise him to go to Salonika on holiday any time soon) and we eased off after that. Their only goal of the group stage had actually come in the first game and they got two more but we were never under thread. Ivankov had a potential 5th disallowed when he buried a long Moroni free-kick that rebounded off the crossbar only to be done for offside.

Dec 2023

West Brom 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias (2)

This season had been a revolving door as far as the forwards were concerned but Linias was the one near-consistent element and he gave us the lead against West Brom in the 19th minute. They caught us on the hop early in the second-half and it looked like we’d gift them what would be only their 4th point of the season but Linias grabbed a win right in the nick of time to take us top on goal difference!

Ipswich 2-1 Everton (PRM)

Ivankov (2)

Ivankov had had a bit of time off since his initial breakthrough spell in the side but he was back in again to give us a 2-0 lead against Everton. They soon got one back and the rest of the game was more defensive than I hoped it would need to be but we got the win.

Newcastle 0-4 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias (2), Ivankov (2)

Linias rifled us ahead in the 2nd minute at Newcastle and Ivankov scored another before the break. We sat back for a while but Linias and Ivankov set each other up for two more goals late on to seal it.

Ipswich 2-0 AC Milan (CL)

Linias, Ivankov

We just needed a draw against Milan to top our CL group ahead of them and we benefited considerably from a fantastic performance from Shoretire to keep them out. We even took the lead on the break late on when Linias converted an Andronov cross at close-range and there was time for Ivankov to give us another. Like the San Siro game we barely deserved a win of any margin but suited us fine. Amusingly PAOK actually beat Atletico in the other game (not that it made any difference) which must have been quite an indignity for the Spanish side. There are few ‘comfortable’ draws in the knockout rounds but even considering that, Lyon were probably one of the trickiest opponents we could have got in the next round.

Ipswich 4-0 Stoke (PRM)

Ivankov, Linias, Fabiano, Andronov

Ivankov and Linias were making an interesting partnership and they each scored in the first 15 minutes against Stoke. Brazilian defender Fabiano had hardly had a sniff of action so far at Ipswich but I finally decided to put him in recently and he headed in an Andronov corner, the Russian winger getting our 4th himself. They actually put us under a bit of pressure for the rest of the game and I wouldn’t have begrudged them a goal or two had they got one.

Ipswich 4-0 Wigan (PRM)

Ivankov (3), Andronov

Our former Soviet wonderkids shone yet again when Andronov set up Ivankov to give us the lead in the 22nd minute against Wigan. The Ukrainian went on to get a hat-trick with the Russian getting the other goal.

Ipswich 1-1 Man Utd (PRM)

Pinera

The year ended with a top of the table clash against Man Utd and we took the lead from a Pinera penalty in the 33rd minute. Unfortunately Linias chose a very bad game to have an off-day as he wasted a bunch of chances to get another. This proved relatively costly as a penalty of their own gave them a share of the points but as we were 3 points ahead of them with a game in hand.

Ipswich 3-1 Arsenal (PRM)

Linias (2), Yilmaz

We had a second ‘top of the table’ game in 3 days against Arsenal on New Year's Day and took the lead from Linias in the 20th minute. He scored again in the 57th minute soon followed by Yilmaz to make it comfortable, though they swiftly pulled one back and had another disallowed.

Things are pretty peachy right now, and no mistake. I was worried drawing 4 of our first 5 games would leave us with a bit of a chase on our hands to catch up yet here we are sitting reasonably comfortably at the top of the table, which I reeally wasn't expecting at all. We've only dropped 4 points since those early games (at Tottenham and against Man Utd), with the Sunderland defeat and Atletico draw being the only other matches we haven't won. Indeed we're on a run of 25 matches without defeat in the league. I must admit that we have had some pretty close calls where we only just managed to get the win (or the draw in the case of Tottenham) and we were nowhere near as good in the 3 CL wins against Milan and Atletico as the scorelines appear but what matters is we're able to keep on doing the business match after match.

What's especially pleasing is that having played over 130 matches in the previous couple of seasons, our schedule won't be as bad this time. We haven't got the final stages of the League Cup right when we least need them for one thing. In Europe even if we get all the way to the final (and I'm not really expecting to even make the semis) we'd have one fewer European game than both of those seasons, spread out a little more, so it's down to the FA cup to determine just how much easier the fixture list will be, relatively speaking.

We've still got the two trips to Manchester and both Chelsea games to play, and we're bound to drop some points from those, and the differing number of league games played by various sides makes it difficult to make an assessment as to the margin 'in real terms' we've got over our rivals but we're still clearly looking good enough that we can realistically think about possibly claiming the title this season. It would be unusual indeed as normally it takes at least a few years of being 'there or thereabouts' before finally being able to come out on top but I can't help but get a little excited about our chances this time.

[withnail316]

Everything seems to be coming up Millhouse for you at the moment.

[Mark Heath]

Wow, excellent first half of the season

[deltablue]

Everything seems to be coming up Millhouse for you at the moment.

Wow, excellent first half of the season

Thanks guys. It's amazing just how well things just keep going this year.

[deltablue]

Jan 2024

Stevenage 0-1 Ipswich (FA R3)

Docherty

We went to Stevenage in the cup which wasn’t expected to be too challenging but Linias soon found himself getting sent off, which didn’t help. A low header from Docherty was all we managed in the end but I knew it would be enough.

Liverpool 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

The trip to Liverpool was another under-par game which we won from a very bizarre own-goal. A Viola header was not quite caught by the Liverpool keeper and the ball slipped into the net with him falling backwards in as well.

Ipswich 2-0 Aston Villa (PRM)

Linias (2)

Linias had been very lucky in recent weeks in that Viola was injured and taking ages to regain fitness so once again he managed to get straight back in instead of his compatriot and scored once in each half to give us a 2-0 win against Aston Villa.

Ipswich 4-0 Wolves (FA R4)

Linias (3), Andronov

Wolves were our next FA Cup opponent and Linias gave us the lead after one of those runs that would given Usain Bolt pause for thought. He converted an Ivankov cross 5 minutes before half-time and was set up by the Ukrainian again to complete a hat-trick. Andronov sealed a 4-0 win in odd fashion with one of those long and sharply-angled efforts that you never know was meant as a cross or not.

Derby 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias (2)

Linias’ pace struck again as he scored his 50th league goal for the club at Derby in the 24th minute, and managed another after an hour. Both goals were assisted by Ivankov curiously enough.

Feb 2024

Ipswich 2-2 Leeds (PRM)

Ivankov, Linias

We looked to be heading for yet another win against Leeds when Ivankov put us ahead and set up Linias for 2-0 at half-time. However they came back to level it at 2-2 and we couldn’t quite grab a 3rd.

Ipswich 4-1 Southampton (PRM)

Tupazinho (2), Viola, Andronov

Tupazinho was unhappy at being one of the players who had been sidelined but he got his chance against Southampton and he gave us the lead after half an hour, with another a few minutes into the second-half. Viola was another player back on the pitch and he gave us a 3rd. They pulled one back but we got an excellent 4th goal when Moroni pinged the ball all the way across to Andronov to fire in.

West Ham 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Pedrinho

Pedrinho headed in a corner in the 24th minute at West Ham but the rest of the game was surprisingly hard-fought and we had to settle for just that.

Chelsea 2-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Andronov, Yilmaz

We hadn’t actually played Chelsea yet and we now faced a scary-looking side at Stamford Bridge and having lost a narrow 1-0 win to a crash dump we found ourselves severely out played and 1-0 down on in the first-half. I wasted little time using up the subs which paid off when Andronov equalized in the 54th minute, followed by Courtois in the Chelsea goal going out for a clearance and giving Yilmaz the opportunity to lob him and put us 2-1 up. Pedrinho lost possession and allowed a Chelsea forward to round Shoretire and equalize so we didn’t claim the win this time but we still had a decent 8-point lead with 12 games left and our unbeaten run remained intact, which was really what I wanted to safeguard more than anything else.

Ipswich 1-0 Huddersfield (FA R5)

Yilmaz

Huddersfield were next in the FA cup and I knew that the upcoming Lyon game among other things meant we would remain in a fairly low gear but a Yilmaz goal in the 25th minute meant I wasn’t worrying too much.

Lyon 2-1 Ipswich (CL KO)

Yilmaz

For once things went against us at Lyon and we went down in the 5th minute when Shoretire’s sense of positioning severely deserted him during a bit of a goalmouth scramble and they went 2-0 up in the 31st minute. I knew a goal would still give us a decent chance of turning it around at Portman Road but Andronov had a goal disallowed before the break and Viola was one of a few players severely off-form but Yilmaz headed in a free-kick late on to keep us in it.

Mar/Apr 2024

Hull 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

We had a bit of a rest before going to Hull and got an early lead from an own-goal. Again we weren’t comfortable but got another narrow win.

Man City 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Andronov

The trip to Man City was rather poorly timed before the second leg against Lyon. I was fully expecting the team to save themselves for that and surrender our unbeaten record at last (allowing them to close in on us) so I was surprised to see us take the lead from Andronov after 15 minutes at the end of a great team move. What was less surprising was that they still had most of the pressure but we were already set up to resist it rather than create it and while I wouldn’t have minded a draw, we managed to hold on to the 1-0 win.

Ipswich 5-1 (6-3) Lyon (CL KO) 600th match

Yilmaz (4), Ivankov

We couldn’t afford to be as cautious against Lyon and thankfully it didn’t take long for Andronov to set up Yilmaz for the single goal we theoretically needed. Yilmaz got another which was just as well as they got a goal back to level the tie. Yilmaz went on to score twice more. We had a few players go off injured including Linias having to go off for Campomar, who in turn needed to be replaced by Ivankov and the Ukrainian sealed a 6-3 aggregate victory in what was my 600th match in charge.

Ipswich 1-1 Fulham (PRM)

Yilmaz

A Yilmaz penalty gave us the lead against Fulham but once again we failed to get comfortable and they caught us for an equalizer. All Eraldo’s midfield industry couldn’t help us get another.

Ipswich 1-0 Tottenham (PRM)

Yilmaz

We finally stepped up against a Tottenham side that weren’t quite the threat they usually are, and with Yilmaz and Viola up front together once more the former set up the latter to give us the lead, and we could count ourselves a little unlucky not to get one more.

Sheff Wed 0-2 Ipswich (FA QF)

Viola, Yilmaz

We had a comfortable path in the FA cup so far and that continued at Sheffield Wednesday in the Quarter-finals with Viola and Yilmaz both scoring to wrap it up in the first-half. The trip to Everton was yet another in a long line of games where we struggled to assert our superiority and narrowly grabbed the win, from Jonas this time in the 73rd minute.

Ipswich 1-0 Juventus (CL QF)

Ivankov

We were at home first to Juventus in the Champions League Quarter-finals and were constantly frustrated in our attempts to take the advantage I felt we needed to take to Turin. As usual we managed it late on from Ivankov and it helped that their main playmaker was sent off and would be suspended for the return.

Ipswich 4-1 West Brom (PRM)

Pedrinho, Ivankov, Andronov, Linias

We didn’t seem to be focussing too much on West Brom and went behind early on but Pedrinho equalized in the 28th minute and otherwise it was a day for milestones. Ivankov gave us the lead just before the break with his 20th goal of the season, Andronov converted a free-kick early in the second-half for his 10th and Linias wrapped things up with his 30th.

Juventus 0-0 (0-1) Ipswich (CL QF)

The away leg at Juventus was a classic case of holding on to a slim lead. We did threaten once or twice but otherwise we were resisting a decent amount of pressure and while it wasn't great viewing, it was enough for us.

The league title is so close I can almost taste it. It's just as well we have been able to dig ourselves out of a hole so many times because our league lead has only slightly increased since the new year despite racking up the wins so we really couldn't have afforded falling short more than a few times like what inevitably happened a couple of times against Leeds and Fulham. We've now gone undefeated in the league for over a year and have only lost twice all season. The Sunderland defeat in the League cup was almost a relief as it was nice not to have a few extra games for once and while Lyon was more serious, we managed to easily turn it around.

We haven't actually reached the final of any competition other than the League Cup and having made the FA Cup semi-final (for the 3rd year in a row) without breaking a sweat, we have a decent chance of breaking that this time, though Liverpool won't be the easiest opponents and we could still have to face Man Utd in order to claim a potential double. I'm also delighted to have made it this far in our forst CL campaign but just as Juventus were a step up from Lyon, we face Real Madrid who are definitely a step up from Juve. It's definitely a clash to get very excited about especially as we're capable of beating them and reaching the final (where we would face either Barcelona or Man Utd, again) but we'd really have to perform (certainly more than in the last round) to do it so it won't be too disappointing if this is as far as we go for now.

[deltablue]

Apr/May 2024

Ipswich 3-0 Newcastle (PRM)

Viola (2), Fabiano

We took another functional step towards the title against Newcastle with Viola edging us into the lead after 20 minutes. We did at least manage to step up a gear with Fabiano and Viola again scoring in quick succession to make it more convincing.

Reading 1-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Mol, Moroni

We took the lead after half an hour at Reading when a long diagonal pass from Coulibaly ended up right at Mol’s feet for him to convert. They quickly equalized directly from a free-kick but Moroni eventually gave us another and Viola missed a few chances to give us a 3rd.

Ipswich p1-1 Liverpool (FA SF)

Viola

More good news came in the form of Newcastle knocking Man Utd out of the FA cup in a replay so if we beat Liverpool we’d ‘only’ have to face them of Bristol City. However with Real Madrid coming up in midweek we were pretty mediocre and went behind late in the first-half. Despite an injury to Fanti reducing us to 10 men we managed to get an equalizer from Viola but that just gave us an extra-time period we really didn’t want. We won a penalty with 5 minutes left but it was saved so it went to a shootout. We lost on penalties at the same stage last season but this one went rather better. Shoretire made up for missing the earlier penalty by saving their 2nd and 4th affords, while their 1st hit the bar. On our side, Ivankov, Docherty and Viola netted the only 3 we needed to take to go through and face Bristol City, a final that was surely ours to lose.

Ipswich 0-1 Real Madrid (CL SF)

Unfortunately the Liverpool tie had taken its toll with tiredness and injuries (on top of a few we already had depriving us of players I’d otherwise need to put in) which made we worry we’d be subdued against Real Madrid, where we needed to take the initiative. As it happened we put in a great performance… aside from the lack of a goal. As we tired they started to push and snatched a winner.

Stoke 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola

We weren’t too bothered with the trip to Stoke before the return and went behind, and the performance level was such that I brought on a few players I’d much rather save for Spain. Viola eventually managed to score, something he failed miserably to do against Madrid but as a win would clinch the title we remained a bit too attacking and they broke free to end our chance of an unbeaten league season.

Real Madrid 1-0 (2-0) Ipswich (CL SF)

We needed to be a bit more ambitious than usual in Madrid to stand a chance of going through but they scored early on to put paid to that. We barely threatened at all and were a little lucky not to concede again.

Ipswich 0-0 Chelsea (PRM)

Chelsea was our last home game with a defeat for Man Utd the previous day having now sealed the title and we didn’t feel the need to try too hard any more. We were the better of the two sides (which really isn’t saying much) and had to settle for 0-0.

Wigan 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Jonas, Yilmaz, Viola

With the league settled I decided to put Colin in goal for the remaining games (much like Shoretire made his debut when the Championship was sewn up all those years ago), almost 3 years after I bought him at the age of 15. Jonas was set to leave as the immediate impact made by Andronov as well as the previous acquisition of Fanti made him pretty much obsolete but he was still having a good final season and gave us the lead in the 25th minute. One of the main issues in recent games was that we had been very poor up front but Yilmaz and Viola finally remembered how to score and they each got a goal later on.

Ipswich 4-0 Bristol City (FA Final)

Moroni, Yilmaz, Andronov, Viola

Bristol City were stronger than you’d expect a Championship team that didn’t make the playoff to be but we still saw them off easily enough. Moroni headed in a Docherty corner to get things going in the 15th minute, followed by a Yilmaz penalty and Andronov scoring a 3rd after a great run into the penalty area. Yilmaz set up Viola early in the second-half and we could easily have got a 5th at least.

Man Utd 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola

We went to Man Utd on the final day which would have made an excellent title decider but I was rather glad that it wasn’t. There was still some satisfaction in sealing a title-winning season by beating our closest rivals and Viola gave us the lead after just a few minutes with a fine solo effort. It was also his 200th goal for the club. They had the majority of the pressure for most of the game before we showed a bit of life again late on and the won gave us an 11-point winning margin in the end.

Last season we made a strong gesture of intent of what we could do but were up against a few other teams having exceptionally strong seasons. This time we stepped up a little and managed to leave the others in the dust as they couldn’t repeat their previous year’s performances. I'm used to spending ages challenging but falling short before coming out on top and even with our clear emergence as top quality side of the past few years I couldn’t have imagined a comfortable title win just one season after getting 4th for the first time. Given how many points were only barely won we might face a bit of a tough fight to retain our title, especially if Man Utd or another side manages to make a strong challenge.

Having only won the League cup before this season we managed to clinch a domestic double as well. It did help that Liverpool were the only Premier League side we played on our FA Cup run but it was great to avoid a 3rd successive season of going out at the semi-final stage of both the FA Cup and in Europe. In the end though winning the league by 11 points and the cup final 4-0 is undoubtedly something to be delighted about regardless of anything else.

It’s a pity we couldn’t make the CL final as well. I did say that we needed to really perform to beat Real Madrid and it was definitely a case of what might have been if we had grabbed a goal or two to win at home like we really should have, and frustrated them in Madrid just like we did to Juventus (contrary to perceived wisdom I like to be at home first and gain the upper hand in a tie rather than having to chase it). It was still a gesture of intent much like we managed in the league last season as on our day we’re capable of matching anyone, which we had already proven in our record against the top sides in England beforehand.

One of the main stories this season has been Shoretire’s revival. A couple of years ago he was an unreliable ‘never-quite-would-be’ who was living on borrowed time while Colin matured, and Carrion provided an alternative in the shorter-term. He was better last year but even more so this season as he made the ‘team of the year’ and won the ‘Golden Gloves’ award for most clean sheets. I managed to get him to sign a new contract and while Colin still seems likely to take over in a year’s time, that’s a little later than I was considering. That should allow him to pass 500 appearances and he can now claim to have been with the team all the way up to our first title, even if he doesn’t go much further.

We should continue to get stronger as the younger players who made a considerable impression (Moroni, Andronov, Ivankov) continue to develop and the players who have probably come as far as they can are shipped out. There are still a handful of those and if it wasn’t for a desire to avoid letting younger players go who can still grow into dangerous players for the opposition, this summer would see a decent number of sales, but there should still be a few. Our success should also continue to open doors internationally and after having a minimal presence at recent competitions, we should see a lot more players in future competitions, including this year’s Euros.

Match of the Season:I think the massive win over Lyon gets it given they weren't easy opponents and we were turning the tie around in style. Bonus points for Yilmaz showing off what he can do even with other players (Ivankov in this case) limiting his playing time.

Star Player: Ivankov made an impact like few 18yr olds could, especially with so much competition for the forward places where he's very much clinched the '5th' spot in the squad already leaving Stam and Campomar on borrowed time. Of special note was getting the only goal in the Juve tie.

Squad Stats

Oh, and one more thing...

[dllu]

Very well done on winning the title in such a convincing manner!

Now to make Mexico world champions in 2026...?

[DavidBeckham]

Mexico job could be interesting! How's the state of their squad?

[Mark Heath]

congratulations on the double. shame to miss out on an unbeaten season in the league.

[deltablue]

Season Roundup - 2023/24

Championship

League 1

League 2

BSP

BSN

BSS

LC

CL

EL

[Lenzar]

Excellent work!

[deltablue]

Euro 2024

We didn't have quite as big a presence as we thought we could have. Out of those players who could reasonably be expected to feature internationally, Fanti and Moroni were still in the youth ranks, Yilmaz remains a bit part player for France and wasn't selected at all while Andronov and Cotter would have played if their teams had made it. That left just 3 players who all went out in the first-round, Mol for Holland (bearing in mind Moldova and Georgia made it through!), Docherty for Scotland and Ivankov for Ukraine. They still had strong tournaments on an individual level which is a considerable achievement in Docherty's case as a) I think they mainly play him in defence from what I saw at the last Euros and b) they conceded 10 goals without reply in their 3 group games. Ivankov got a goal which I think makes him the first Ipswich player to score in the Euro's or World Cup (Though we're probably doing much better in the Copa America). It seems a little off-putting that we've easily won the Premier League and a player scoring at an international tournament is something to celebrate. However with a strong South American contingent (especially Argentine) I think there'll be a lot more of note at the next World Cup, not least since I'll probably be there myself.

[deltablue]

Very well done on winning the title in such a convincing manner!

Now to make Mexico world champions in 2026...?

Well the point margin was convincing, not so much the manner we got a lot of them

I decided to check Denmark (England and now Mexico are the only playable nations loaded but most of Europe is 'view only') to let you know how your team were doing and I saw this...

Mexico job could be interesting! How's the state of their squad?

Pretty good. In my experience Mexico squads are more 'average' than anything else with a couple of quality players here and there but there are a few more good players than I was expecting, even if the country seems a bit top-heavy with attacking midfielders (of which I just need the one) and aging wingers, a bunch of other players are at least 'enough to be getting on with' and will do at continental level but not so much against the better sides. Having loaded the Mexican leagues precisely with an eye on being national team manager I don't think having enough 'decent' players coming through will be a problem but getting enough stars to go far at a World Cup will be more difficult. There are a few younger players who might be very good but no one to really get that excited about.

congratulations on the double. shame to miss out on an unbeaten season in the league.

I know but even my dominant sides have only managed it once or so and to have done it with our first title would have been exceptional. It helped that Stoke then went on to beat Man Utd which is the result that sealed the title without having played that weekend yet.

Excellent work!

Well it wasn't bad

[deltablue]

Summer 2024

This summer saw a lot more of a focus on players going out then in, as I wanted to do 3 things. a) trim a squad that was vastly overloaded in some areas, b) move on players to give potentially far better youngsters more of an opportunity and c) to slightly lower an ever-increasing wage bill (as more players became established stars and needed pay-rises to reflect their improved status). The first and last were met to some extent (especially given there was only so much that could be done for the latter), b) is something we'll have to wait and see on. Certainly we now had at most 3 players for a particular position (with 2 being the optimal number) where we had 4 in the past, and the greater opportunities for some players didn't end there.

On the wing we no longer had an established first choice so we could cycle through Fanti, Andronov and Capan depending on circumstances, just as we did with Jonas and the first 2 last season, giving the Croat (now 18) a potential opportunity after 3 years at the club. In the midfield playmaker position Perez had been in a similar position to Capan and was way behind at the bottom of the priority list behind Moroni and Eraldo, but the latter's sale gives him more parity in '2nd place' with newcomer Belaid (who benefits as well from being 'joint 2nd' as opposed to 'distant 3rd') behind the Italian. Full-back had been a weak position for a while with only Nasta being top class (though Cotter was still very good). Coulibaly was a servicable alternative on either side but was only a potential stop-gap until we got in the quality we needed, though we also had Pinera who was 'officially' a midfielder but had been considered a left-back for a while before. That allowed another newcomer, Estrella, more of an opportunity already than he otherwise might have had.

I must admit the signings weren't quite what I'd hoped to get but the superior alternatives (such as they were) either wouldn't come or had injuries that would stop them from being signed this summer because of a medical failure (something I've always hated). That meant going for very young players which isn't all bad (especially regarding the wage bill as mentioned above) but as more players become established and trusted first team regulars, it becomes much harder for players with limited development to get more than minimal playing time and they stagnate, as has risked happening to a few players already who still have a bit of a chance now. However the players I could get still had more of a chance than most their age so it could still be money reasonably well spent in the end. The immediate breakthrough of Andronov and Ivankov last year showed that players could still make considerable impact at just 18.

[dllu]

[DodgeeD]

Congrats on a first title and a great run in Europe.

Good luck with Mexico too. I always find them a fun side to manage.

[deltablue]

Congrats on a first title and a great run in Europe.

Good luck with Mexico too. I always find them a fun side to manage.

Well competing in the World Cup is going to be tough and there will be times when internationals may seem to get in the way of the domestic season (though not so far) but there's plenty to look forward to. I take over during the penultimate stage of World Cup qualifying (they have a very complicated system) which is no challenge at all as we're comfortably going to top the group with a likely 100% record over Costa Rica who themselves will easily go through ahead of Guatemala and Haiti. Better yet, the USA are the next World Cup hosts which will make the final stage even more comfortable. Next year is the Gold Cup (every odd-numbered year as a matter of fact) and our first tilt at continental glory with the World Cup the year after that.

[DodgeeD]

Yeah, between the qualifiers, regular Gold Cups, possible Confederations Cup qualification and the chance to be invited to the Copa America as well, there are plenty of competitive games and no urgent need for friendlies.

[deltablue]

Yeah, between the qualifiers, regular Gold Cups, possible Confederations Cup qualification and the chance to be invited to the Copa America as well, there are plenty of competitive games and no urgent need for friendlies.

Actually it's the U23 team that plays in the Copa America, at least on this version. That's probably just as well as I remember a Mexico save long ago where it ws frustrating having both continental competitions in the same year, which is especially problematic as a club manager as well where I'd be waiting for an eternity to get the season properly started some years and one competition in any given year slowing things down is quite enough. As it is only having one 'free' summer in every 4 (plus maybe the Confererations cup occasionally) might not take long to be a pain but for now the prospect of competing in international tournaments is an exciting one.

[deltablue]

Aug 2024

Ipswich p2-2 Man Utd (CS)

Yilmaz (2)

The season started against Man Utd in the community shield, an open and entertaining match. The took the lead in the 32nd minute but Yilmaz equalized just before the break. They had a late goal disallowed and it looked like we won it when Viola set up Yilmaz with 5 minutes left but they still had time to equalize and take it to penalties. Shoretire saved the first penalty with Yilmaz converting to give us an advantage. That was quickly lost when Pinera’s shot was saved in the second round but after both teams converted their 3rd (Moroni scoring ours), Shoretire pulled off another save followed by Fabiano making no mistake. They scored their 5th penalty but Viola gave us victory.

Aston Villa 0-0 Ipswich (PRM)

The league began at Villa and we had a frustrating time in front of goal. They had their chances as well so both sides would be arguably disappointed with 0-0.

Ipswich 1-0 Derby (PRM)

Viola

We were more comfortable in the first home game against Derby as Viola converted an Andronov cross in the 18th minute and we were unlucky not to get more.

Burnley 0-5 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola (4), Andronov

We managed to get goals at a Burnley side who looked clear favourites to return to the Championship once again and Viola gave us a 5th minute lead. Andronov added another before the break after a great mazy run and Viola went on to get 3 more in the second-half, the last one completing a hat-trick of assists for Yilmaz.

Sept 2024

Mexico 3-1 Costa Rica (WCQ)

Rojina, Castellanos

My first competitive Mexico game was at home to Costa Rica and battered them early on but struggled to find a way through and the deadlock was broken by a Costa Rica defender deflecting a corner into his own net. We were a little more comfortable afterward and extended the lead though the veteran Lille winger Rojina, one of a few 30yr olds who were among our best players. I put on the 19yr old forward Castellanos (the closest thing we’ve got to a star of the future) for his debut and he rounded off a great team move to make it 3-0 though they got one back later on.

Guatemala 0-4 Mexico (WCQ)

Rojina, Fierro, Pineiro

The other match this month was at Guatemala and Rojina gave us the lead after 10 minutes. We realistically needed at least a couple more goals to make it respectable against such weak opposition and the Dortmund forward Fierro (theoretically our star striker) finally managed to get the ball in the net shortly before half-time. He soon got another and his strike partner Pineiro finished off a reasonably pleasing 4-0 win.

Ipswich 2-0 Huddersfield (PRM)

Viola, Andronov

Viola was on great form so far this season and he got his 6th goal in 4 league games in the 5th minute against Huddersfield. It was one of those games when further goals seem inevitable but a long time coming and Andronov eventually converted a free-kick.

Real Madrid 0-0 Ipswich (CL)

The CL draw turned up Real Madrid, the one team I didn’t want to face and we went to the Bernabeu first. Unlike last time we were able to set up to survive from the start and did rather better in keeping them at bay with the occasional chance on the break as well.

Stoke 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Docherty, Moroni

We went to Stoke hoping to get revenge for our only league defeat of last season and we got off to a great start when Docherty converted a free-kick. Moroni extended the lead as we managed it rather comfortably.

Middlesbrough 1-2 (aet) Ipswich (LC R3)

Andronov, Yilmaz

We went to Middlesbrough in the League cup and conceded a penalty just before half-time, with Viola getting sent off to make things worse. Andronov equalized with 20 minutes left and though we couldn’t avoid extra-time, Yilmaz broke free to score to take us through without needing penalties.

Ipswich 1-0 Fulham (PRM)

Ivankov

The game against Fulham was a bit of a throwback to last season where we struggled to impose ourselves in the first-half. We were at least much improved after the break but it still took a while for Ivankov to give us the win.

There isn't a massive amount to say so far. We've had very little trouble so far with a comfortable early set of league fixtures, certainly looking better than last season when we were winging it quite a lot. It's funny how when you start becoming successful, going consistently strong almost seems like second-nature. With Mexico as well, comfortable wins are very much expected in most qualifying matches so it's been very much been par for the course so far rather than anything to be that delighted about.

What has been a little more notable is that we haven't actually conceded a goal from open play since the community shield, including a trip to Madrid. I must admit that Real Madrid were pretty much the one team I didn't want to draw (having moved up to the second group of seeds this season) with Barcelona maybe being close but it was otherwise much easier than last year as Trabzonspor and Sheriff are the other teams in the group and qualification should be easy, and the draw in Madrid gives us a shot at being top as well.

[withnail316]

A flying start to the new season

[deltablue]

A flying start to the new season

Well we need to continue flying the way things are going because this is the way the table stood earlier this evening...

That's all of the top 4 sides on the same number of points, and only a few points of GD separating them, and Reading aren't far behind. We had a relative stroll to the title last season but things look potentially a lot more interesting this time.

[DavidBeckham]

So tight at the top but I am sure Ipswich will do fine

[deltablue]

So tight at the top but I am sure Ipswich will do fine

Sadly things haven't been going so well recently...

[deltablue]

Oct 2024

Ipswich 5-1 Trabzonspor (CL)

Linias (2), Andronov, Perez, Mol

Trabzonspor were never going to be difficult in the CL and Linias gave us the lead in the 19th minute. Andronov and Perez (on his debut) made it 3-0 before half-time with Mol and Linias again scoring in the second-half to make it 5-0, though they got a late one on the counter.

Everton 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias

Our tough defence was looking rather softer all of a sudden and we went behind in the first-half at Everton. Linias equalized early in the second-half but they retook the lead a few minutes later and we couldn’t quite do enough to get something.

Mexico 3-0 Haiti (WCQ)

Fierro (2), Rojina

There were a bunch of Mexico players missing through injury for the internationals this month but we still had my first-choice line-up. Fierro gave us the lead after just 5 minutes against Haiti. That promised a demolition but we didn’t get another until Rojina (making up for a lot of missed ranged chances) just before the break. Fierro got his 50th international goal in the second-half but I felt we should have had more.

Costa Rica 1-4 Mexico (WCQ)

Rodriguez, Rojina, Fierro, Piniero

We stepped up in Costa Rica, the first game we couldn’t take 100% for granted given they had a few quality players but Man City playmaker Rodriguez (one of a few star players in their prime) scored direct from a free-kick after 12 minutes, with Rojina wasting little time getting another and Fierro made it 3-0 before half-time. They threatened a little in the second-half and pulled one back from a penalty but we were pretty safe and Pineiro finished off a 4-1 win in stoppage time.

Ipswich 3-3 Arsenal (PRM)

Ivankov, Docherty

We had briefly been top before Arsenal took the place back and looked good to retake it when Ivankov scored twice in the first half-hour. They actually managed to come back and level it before the break but we retook the lead early in the second-half when an Andronov free-kick flew across the area to the feet of Docherty who fired home. We very nearly clinched it when Linias’ pace got the better of the Arsenal defence but he hit the bar, setting up a very hectic late spell of Arsenal pressure that saw them grab an equalizer in stoppage time.

Sheriff 0-4 Ipswich (CL)

Linias, Ivankov, Pedrinho, Morini

We had little trouble beating Sheriff in Moldova, with Linias giving us a 4th minute lead with a header and Ivankov and Pedrinho had made it 3-0 after just 18 minutes. Ivankov had another disallowed but Moroni still fired in 4th in the 65th minute. The really good news however was Trabzonspor beating Real Madrid giving us a great chance of topping the group.

Ipswich 4-0 Leeds (PRM)

Ivankov, Linias (2), Moroni

We had a double header at home to Leeds with the league game first and we quickly went 2-0 up with goals from Ivankov and Linias. Morini and Linias scored quickly after the hour mark as we won comfortably despite a late consolation.

Ipswich 1-0 (aet) Leeds (LC R4)

Ivankov

We had a far more frustrating time in the League Cup, even after deliberately throwing everything we had at them since whether we won or they did wasn’t as important as trying to avoid extra-time/penalties, especially with a trip to Old Trafford coming up. We couldn’t avoid extra-time but Ivankov sealed it at last in the 108th minute.

Nov 2024

Man Utd 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Leon

Unfortunately the trip to Old Trafford was a bad day at the office and we went 2-0 down in the first-half, the first from a penalty. That forced us out of our shell a little bit but we rarely threatened and only got one back from a Leon fluke with a few minutes left.

Ipswich 6-0 Sheriff (CL)

Yilmaz (4), Moroni, Pedrinho

We were always going to have an easy time against Sheriff but the way we took the lead is worth mentioning. Capan played the ball perfectly to Yilmaz in the penalty area. Yilmaz then attempted to run past the keeper, who knocked him off balance enough that though he kept the ball, he was facing the other way by the time he was almost the goal-line. He managed to turn again to knock the ball home despite the fact that there was a defender right in front him. Morini fired in another a few minutes later followed by two more Yilmaz goals and one from Pedrinho to make it 5-0 after just half an hour. Yilmaz got one more in the second-half to wrap up an epic performance.

Ipswich 1-0 Hull (PRM)

Pedrinho

We were rather more subdued back in the league against Hull but Pedrinho met a perfect Moroni delivery to give us the win after 50 minutes.

Ipswich 1-0 Newcastle (PRM)

Viola

The Newcastle game was similar but again we managed to do just enough with Viola delivering another 1-0 win early in the second-half.

Ipswich 1-1 Real Madrid (CL)

Pinera

We played Real Madrid hoping to get a win that would both secure top spot and put them at risk of going out, and after shutting up shop at the Bernabeu we went for it this time, especially as Madrid were without their first-choice keeper who got injured at the weekend (which I know because he’s also my Mexico keeper). However it seemed like a case of déjà vu as like the previous Portman Road encounter in April, we seemed to have the chances but couldn’t get a goal. Viola had missed chances in that game like they were going out of fashion and had a goal disallowed this time due to a foul and they took the lead instead after an hour, which put them in pole position to top the group. This time Pinera soon equalized which meant that a draw in Turkey would see us go through as group winners.

Coventry 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

We went to a Coventry side which looked like having a brief stay in the Premier League and we took a 2-0 lead from a first-half Viola brace. Capan had finally had a run in the side on the wing and repaid the faith with a 3rd at the end. Also notable was the fact that Philippe Colin finally made his first appearance in goal after coming on as a sub for a complacent-looking Shoretire (this was before we took the lead) and had a very solid debut.

Tottenham 0-2 Ipswich (LC QF)

Viola (2)

We went to Tottenham in the League Cup and continued our run of ‘getting the job done’ with Viola putting us ahead in the 25th minute. It was a tight match but Viola made it safe in stoppage time.

Ipswich 2-2 Chelsea (PRM)

Ivankov (2)

Ivankov seemed to be avoiding ‘second season syndrome’ magnificently and he gave us the lead after just a few minutes against Chelsea, later converting a penalty. They started to really threaten in the second-half but trying to hold on didn’t work as they managed to break through twice to get a share of the points.

Dec 2024

Trabzonspor 0-4 Ipswich (CL)

Viola (3), Yilmaz

We easily brushed aside Trabzonspor in the final CL group match as Viola gave us the lead after 10 minutes and had a hat-trick by the 20th. Yilmaz had assisted all 3 goals and added one of his own to finish off a 4-0 win.

Liverpool 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Yilmaz

The trip to Liverpool was one of those games where we were able to do everything except score with some very close calls indeed. Yilmaz was able to give us the lead from a penalty with 10 minutes left but after all that they didn’t take long to equalize and deny us the win.

Southampton 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Yilmaz

We shockingly went behind in the 18th minute at Southampton and throwing things forward only left us open to concede again. Yilmaz eventually got one back but we couldn’t get an equalizer.

Ipswich 2-0 Tottenham (PRM)

Fanti, Yilmaz

We seemed to struggle to score again at home to Tottenham but Fanti finally gave us the lead just before half-time. He had been set up by Yilmaz and repaid the favour when he delivered a cross that was converted by a diving header from the France forward.

Man City 4-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola (2), Andronov

We went to Man City and it was almost inevitable that we’d go behind to a goal from my Mexico star Rodriguez (the only player from either of my teams to be on the WPOTY shortlist). Viola equalized but we were having a poor day defensively and they soon took the lead again. Andronov equalized at the start of the second-half and Viola even broke free to give us the lead but it wasn’t enough and they struck twice more.

Ipswich 2-0 Reading (PRM)

Viola, Tupazinho

December hadn’t been a great month but Viola gave us the lead in the 13th minute, quickly followed by a Tupazinho goal and the Brazilian had another disallowed. That suggested we would go on to a bigger win than we did but it did us nicely.

Ipswich 3-0 Aston Villa (PRM)

Viola, Tupazinho (2)

We took the lead in spectacular fashion against Aston Villa when Viola ran all the way to the line and pulled back diagonally for Tupazinho to give us the lead. Viola soon scored a goal of his own and a Tupazinho penalty finished off a 3-0 win.

Ipswich 0-0 Burnley

We finished the year against Burnley and we threw everything at them. I think there was even a kitchen sink in there as well. As the game wore on our pressure got even more intense but we had to settle for 0-0.

Things have gotten rather stressful in the league. We were already failing to win the key games against the big sides like we did last season (not that there weren't a few epic games) which we were just about able to get away with but a bunch of other dropped points recently has been very costly with things so tight at the top, allowing Man City to comfortably surge ahead (though they lost at Chelsea most recently preventing them from facing even further ahead) and it looks like it'll take a tremendous effort to get close to them the way things are otherwise going. Perhaps we're battling for 2nd at best for now. Still being in the League Cup (and being likely to beat Southampton and reach the final) this time doesn't help but we have to be able to perform without needing an early cup exit and maybe having drawn Chelsea away in the FA cup will mean we don't have to worry about extra games in that competition but I've hardly ever been so 'lucky' in previous years.

In Europe we once again won our CL group having felt it would be a very tough task though Real Madrid are looking like our European arch-enemies. 4 times we've played in the past year losing twice and drawing twice despite the fact that we should easily have won both home games. They looked a lot less convincing so far this season as well. However in the CL winning your group can make big difference as if you do you have a decent chance of getting one of the few relatively easier opponents while if you don't you'll likely run into one of the very toughest teams, and indeed Monaco was one of the best draws we could hope for.

There isn't a massive amount to say about Mexico. We've had easy games and done what was expected of us despite tactical familiarity remaining pretty low. Add in friendly victories (which I wasn't directly on charge of) over Colombia and Greece and that gives us a 100% record for the year, which is still good even when you take the level of opposition into account. There is plenty to look forward to next year with the 10 games of the final World Cup qualifying stage along with the Gold Cup.

Star Player: Fierro easily broke the average ratings record for a calender year and has so far been every bit the goalscorer that I'd hoped. He's one of a handful of our best players who are around 30 and should be good until the World Cup but would be very hard to properly replace beyond that.

[deltablue]

Jan 2025

Ipswich 2-0 Southampton (LC SF)

Viola, Mol

We played Southampton in the League Cup and Viola gave us a 17th minute. I was hoping for a more comfortable win from the home leg and Mol gave it to us eventually.

Chelsea 0-0 Ipswich (FA R3)

We went to Chelsea in the FA Cup and it ended up precisely what I didn’t want it to be. It looked like going to a replay so I went overload hoping the game would be decided one way or another but there was no such luck.

Derby 0-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola (2), Tupazinho

We seemed to struggle to break through at Derby and they even won a penalty but Shoretire saved. Viola and Tupazinho finally gave us a 2-0 lead with a quick double just before the break and Viola didn’t take long to score again in the second-half.

Huddersfield 1-3 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola (3)

We went behind at Huddersfield but it didn’t take long for Viola to level it. Believe it or not I had been considering selling the Argentine but that was before he started to shine this season and he scored twice more to give us a 3-1 win.

Southampton 2-6 (2-8) Ipswich (LC SF)

Fabiano, Tupazinho (2), Moroni, Viola, Capan

We conceded early in the away leg at Southampton but seemed to be going though comfortably with goals from Fabiano and Tupazinho. They equalized after having a goal disallowed and we looked under threat again but we tore them apart in the second-half. Tupazinho restored the lead on the night followed by Moroni and Viola, with Capan sealing an 8-2 aggregate win.

Ipswich 2-1 Chelsea (FA R3 Rep)

Mol, Viola

Mol gave us the lead in the cup replay against Chelsea after 20 minutes, and when Viola added another it looked like we were going through comfortably. They got one back just as we were settling down to defend the lead but still did enough to progress.

Fulham 2-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola

We were looking a lot better in January and Viola gave us the lead at Fulham. However while we were unlucky to get another they equalized and while we threw ourselves forward to try and get another they were able to break and get a winner instead.

Feb 2025

Ipswich 3-2 Stoke (PRM)

Ivankov, Pedrinho, Campomar

We recovered from the shock of Fulham against Stoke, with Ivankov and Pedrinho giving us a 2-0 lead in the first 11 minutes. In fact the Ukrainian’s goal after 23 seconds was a new club record. They got one back just before half-time but Campomar scored a 3rd at the end of an amazing run (something all 3 Argentine forwards had a talent for doing) and while they got a second goal near the end, it was too late.

Panama 0-2 Mexico (WCQ)

Pineira, Fierro

Mexico’s first game in the final stage of World Cup qualifiers was in Panama, easily the weakest of the 6 sides. A few injuries (including to both the first-choice and second-choice keepers after selection) and other fitness issues meant there were a few changes from my preferred side but I deliberately played the Man City playmaker Rodriguez. I was expecting a bunch of goals but our attacking effectiveness left a lot to be desired. Pineira did at least give us a 19th minute lead but it took until late in the half for Fierro to get another. We were talking mid-table Premier League vs BSS/N in terms of the quality gap so the result wasn’t quite as good as I expected but it was still a win I guess.

Ipswich 2-0 Everton (PRM)

Yilmaz, Viola

The only event of the first-half against Everton was Leon going off injured. The second half opened up a little with chances at both ends but it looked like being 0-0 until Yilmaz (just after coming on) and Viola gave us a late win.

Middlesbrough 0-4 Ipswich (FA R4)

Mol, Yilmaz, Viola, Perez

We had 4 cup games in a row starting at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup with Mol giving us a 10th minute lead and Yilmaz comfortably extending it in the 27th minute. They put us under a decent amount of pressure for a while but Viola broke free to score a 3rd and his corner was converted by Perez for 4-0.

Wolves 1-0 Ipswich (FA R5)

We had the next round tie at Wolves immediately afterward and we went behind when Shoretire let a shot slip though after 20 minutes. We only managed 2 off-target shots all game as I suspected we were saving ourselves for Monaco.

Monaco 2-5 Ipswich (CL KO)

Tupazinho (3), Andronov, Moroni

A bunch of players were back in for the CL trip to Monaco and Tupazinho gave us a 2-0 lead in the first-half hour. Andronov made it 3-0 early in the second-half and though they pulled one back Moroni waltzed through to make it 4-1. They scored again but Tupazinho managed to rob the Monaco keeper after a fumble to complete his hat-trick and our 5-2 win, giving us one foot in the Quarter-finals already.

Ipswich 1-2 Man City (LC Final)

Mol

We made a great start to the League Cup final with Mol heading in a Docherty corner to give us the lead. We looked comfortable and set to get another but disaster struck in the 70th minute as Colin was caught badly off-guard and they equalized. Worse was to come as Fabiano lost the ball in a dangerous area allowing them to get a winner.

Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We were lacklustre at Arsenal in midweek and fell to another gifted goal in the 63rd minute.

Mar 2025

Leeds 0-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Ivankov

The defensive comedy show continued at Leeds, which was another below-par display and saw Fabiano hit a real low point. The ball came in and he was in a group of 3 with Colin and a Leeds forward he got the ball and then fell over. It was disallowed but that probably only did so much to lessen the embarrassment. We at least managed to get our act together enough for Andronov to set up Ivankov for a late winner.

Ipswch 2-1 (7-3) Monaco (CL KO)

Linias (2)

We finished the Monaco tie off early on with a Linias brace, no caring much then they got a goal later on as we cruised through with a 7-3 aggregate win.

Ipswich 2-0 Man Utd (PRM)

Linias, Ivankov

Given our difficulties against the big teams this year I was pleasantly surprised against Man Utd when Linias gave us the lead, followed by an Ivankov penalty. Linias was even unlucky not to get another.

Hull 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Pedrinho

We looked to be back on league form and an Andronov cross was slightly deflected by Pedrinho to give us the lead. It wasn’t quite over yet unfortunately as Viola had another costly bad game (which I noticed a lot later than I should have) and Stam gave them an equalizer. At least it gave us the brilliant headline ‘All Square at The Circle’.

Mexico 2-1 Costa Rica (WCQ)

Fierro (2)

Costa Rica were perhaps ‘best of the rest’ in North America and a Fierro brace gave us a 2-0 lead at half-time at the Azteca. They got a goal back late on which made it look a lot closer than it was, which has been par for the course in these games really.

El Salvador 1-2 Mexico (WCQ)

Rodriguez, Fierro

Rodriguez gave us the lead in the 10th minute in El Salvador but they managed to equalize with their only shot in the entire game. Thankfully we always looked likely to win anyway and Fierro saw us though.

Ipswich 3-0 Coventry (PRM)

Andronov, Ivankov, Mol

We had little trouble against Coventry and Andronov gave us a 38rd minute lead. Ivankov pounced on the rebound from another shot by the Russian and Mol headed in a Belaid corner in stoppage time to finish off a 3-0 win.

[deltablue]

Apr 2025

Ipswich 3-2 Juventus (CL QF)

Mol, Ivankov, Viola

For the second year in a row, we drew Juventus in the CL and played at home first. Last season there was only one goal in the entire tie but it was a lot more open now. Mol gave us the lead from a Docherty corner in the 15th minute and though they equalized we looked good for a comfortable win when Ivankov beat his compatriot Koval with a penalty. Viola scored a 3rd in the second-half but a second Juventus goal later on kept the tie close. Interestingly enough all 5 goals were scored in a minute ending in ‘5’.

Newcastle 0-2 Ipswich (PRM)

Ivankov, Moroni

We looked subdued at Newcastle before the away leg once again woke up with Ivankov and Moroni scoring to give us a late 2-0 win.

Juventus 2-2 (4-5) Ipswich (CL QF)

Viola (2)

The epic Juventus tie continued in Turin as I couldn’t afford to risk going defensive this time and concede the single away goal that would likely eliminate us if that failed. It didn’t get off to a great start as they had all the space in the world to take the lead in the 12th minute, and there were some very close calls as they almost got a second that would have given us an Everest to climb. We managed to have some excellent spells of pressure which was nervy for both sides and it was a relief when Viola broke free and finally equalized in the 58th minute. Unfortunately sitting back now (with far less time to hold on) didn’t work and they retook the lead in the 70th minute. Thankfully there was still a decent amount of time to attack again, which we very much did. The atmosphere was tense all around as once again we were in a position where if we scored, we’d likely go through, if we didn’t, they would.

Thankfully Viola came to the rescue again 10 minutes later as Moroni (who I bought from Juve, as it happens), delivered a short, slow cross the through a crowded penalty area, Viola slid it to Fanti (my other ex-Juventus player) but it bounced back to the Argentine who just about did enough to poke into the goal. It was scrappy but I didn’t care. I didn’t immediately realize that we had now cancelled out their away goals and if they scored again it would only be good enough to bring extra-time so things were still scary for a bit but it never came to that anyway. Our luck in the competition continued as we got precisely the draw I was hoping for, a Zenit side who had just knocked out Real Madrid, though I knew we couldn’t book our tickets for the final just yet.

Ipswich 1-0 Southampton (PRM)

Ivankov

A league game against Southampton seemed rather mundane after that but there was nothing mundane about Ivankov’s strike to give us the lead in the 14th minute. Viola had some great runs on goal but couldn’t score out of any of them while there were a few scraps at the other end.

Chelsea 2-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We had a tough trip to Chelsea before going to Russia and I must admit I left out a couple of players who might otherwise be less than 100% for the CL tie. That didn’t stop Viola from giving Courtois a few frights but they still took the lead. They fired home again after 65 minutes to help them keep up the chase on Man City at the top.

Zenit 1-2 Ipswich (CL SF)

Viola, Perez

I was worried about the trip to Russia as Zenit had a few players who were definitely a threat and they took the lead after just a few minutes. They continued to push us for a while but Ivankov centred the ball perfectly for Viola to equalize just before the break. The pressure now fell on them and we got a winner when a Fanti shot was blocked by a defender but it went straight to Perez who lobbed it in spectacularly.

Ipswich 1-0 Liverpool (PRM)

Viola

The pressure to qualify for next year’s competition was still very much on and we faced Liverpool between the legs. Viola gave us the lead in the 34th minute and thankfully a failure to get a second goal didn’t cost us as we dominated easily.

Ipswich 0-1 (a2-2) Zenit (CL SF)

We didn’t have as comfortable a time as I hoped at home to Zenit and they took the lead but they only occasionally threatened to get another and we went through to the final on away goals.

May 2025

Tottenham 1-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We weren’t far off securing a top 4 place when we went to Tottenham. They were a bit of a fallen giant and remained troublesome even when going down to 10 men. A draw still wouldn’t be too bad and even though it was infuriating to go down with 10 minutes left, it still left us 4 points ahead of Man Utd with 2 games left.

Ipswich 1-0 Man City (PRM)

Yilmaz

We did managed to secure our CL place against Man City. I must admit I wasn’t too confident going into the match but Yilmaz gave us a 17th minute lead from a header and with cup final looming for them we did a better job than I expected of being marginally the better side throughout.

Reading 0-5 Ipswich (PRM)

Viola (2), Mol, Yilmaz, Moroni

The final league game was at Reading and we could finish 3rd if we won and Arsenal didn’t at Burnley, which admittedly wasn’t a likely outcome. We certainly did our part with Viola and Mol giving us an early 2-0 lead. Yilmaz pounced on a deflected Viola shot to make it 3-0 and Moroni fired home for 4-0 at half-time. Viola scored a 5th late on and the Arsenal actually lost so 3rd place was ours.

I'm actually going to break with tradition and do the usual 'end of season' bit before it's over, doing the CL final seperately. The season started off brightly enough and our performances seemed to be better than in the title-winning season. However we just weren't doing it in the games that mattered (and wouldn't aside from the home wins against the Manchester side) which was always going to leave us with an uphill struggle and a handful of bad days against other sides creeped in meaning the focus in the 2nd half of the season was on staying in the CL places given the tight top 5. The FA cup exit and League Cup final defeat meant that while it wasn't a bad season domestically there wasn't much to celebrate in the end. However in general it was still a good season given the teenage fringe players had more of a chance and I always like to see everyone have their time to shine, as happened very much this time. This is perhaps exemplified by Perez who had been at the club a few years without getting a look-in but played enough to get a couple of goals including the important winner in St. Petersburg.

In goal, Colin got his first senior international appearance in February which inspired me to give him his first run in the side. He looked good for the most part but is clearly still a work in progress and while it won't be long before he potentially overtakes Shoretire, that day won't come quite yet. Speaking of our French players Yilmaz got his first senior international goal in the spring in his 13th appearance. For whatever reason he's never really had a good time internationally.

In Europe we had gone out at the Semi-final stage for the past 3 years and when we drew Zenit I was confident we would make it 4th time lucky. There was a bit of Deja-vu about the knockout rounds as we faced a French team first, then Juventus, winning by 1 goal at home and drawing away, and I imagine that we'd have gotten Real Madrid again if they hadn't lost to Zenit. Barcelona were beaten finalists last season so we could well have faced them last season as well had we beaten Real that time.

Match of the Season: Despite not actually being a win, the second leg against Juve was unbeatable for excitement. It epitomised all I love about FM really. The fact that you don't have direct control over the players gives the game a lot of dramatic uncertainty, which puts you in stressful situations that you're really emotionally involved in and when you pull-through, the feelings are incredible. One of the things football mostly lacks is the ability of one score to completely turn things around (like in Rugby), though occasionally you do get situations where in really matters if it's a draw and the away goals rule is another thing that gives you a rare bit of drama in that way. Both sides had strong attacking spells and it became inevitable that one team would feel like they could easily have gotten the vital goal that would have seen them through instead.

Star Players: There were 2 players I just can't ignore. Docherty was bought for 15M, easily our largest fee at the time (and only narrowly beaten by the Italians) plus he was a rare example of a signing made more for mental and physical attributes over technical (which I have a heavy bias towards) though in the end he proved to be similarly good across the board. I envisioned a tough 'Keane' midfield general and that's precisely what he's turned out to be. Even from the start his ratings have been consistently very strong and he's been especially excellent over the past few years.

Viola was bought when we had just one season in the Premier League under our belts and I was scrambling around to avoid relying on McGoldrick up front! I didn't imagine him being as long-term a solution especially under an unexceptional 1st season. He was the first player to be a fully-developed star and was our main man for a while but with the rest of the squad catching up and even taking over his star had been on the wane for a few years, which is why he even looked like he might be sold. However he pulled off his best season for a long time, appropriate to celebrate 10 years at the club, and it's odd that perhaps his most important goal (in Turin) was also one of his worst.

Squad Stats

[deltablue]

Champions League Final 2025: Ipswich Town vs Barcelona

Road to the Final

Ipswich

Barcelona

I can't believe that we've reached the big one at just the second-time of asking, though we had been a strong European team in both competitions for the past 4 years just failed to really step up when we most needed to. Barcelona are as tough an opposition as we could imagine. We are very much a squad team, full of very good players but we don't have any of the genuine top class stars. For the most part that's counter-balanced by the other sides being clearly weaker in other areas. However Barcelona are one side not just with a few world-class players but also strong enough across the board to be scary. I was delighted when they lost 3-0 in the first leg of their semi against Man Utd because the latter are a side we're very familiar with and know we have a good chance of beating. We can still very much beat Barcelona but I can't say I have much confidence about it. One thing in our favour was that that had a few injuries, including to their star forward and first-choice keeper, while we had everyone available, something that evened the odds a little.

Ipswich Line-up:

The opening stages of the game saw each keeper face a few minor tests but disaster struck when a Shoretire clearance found the reigning World Player of the Year who volleyed it past the unsuspecting keeper, giving them the lead in the 13th minute. As the old joke goes, Shoretire had his head in his hands, and then he dropped it. We very nearly responded a few minutes later as Andronov set up Yilmaz but his effort was blocked by the keeper, followed by a wayward shot from the Russian himself, which was the best we could do in the first-half as we otherwise looked very shaky. We briefly threatened again at the start of the second-half before they started putting us under some more pressure. Just after the hour mark, Yilmaz recieved the ball just inside our half, started off a run, played the ball perfectly to Viola (who was keeping pace a short distance ahead) and the Argentine ran into the penalty area, slotting home past the advancing keeper to equalize. The dream was still alive! We managed to stop them from quickly regaining the initiative and after a great attacking team move, Viola very nearly scored again after being set up by Yilmaz. The game had been surprisingly quiet in patches and that was the only real chance in the remaining half-hour or so of normal time.

Extra-time started off with a few fouls leading to Barcelona going down to 10 men. I was already taking off Andronov, replacing him with Linias (who went up front while Viola was moved to the wing) who was in theory the perfect player to take advantage and he had the only big chance of the first-half of extra-time, with the momentum of the game (such as it was) going our way now. Moroni skied a free-kick over the bar but the final piece of attacking threat came from them, and so it went to penalties. We had a good record in shoot-outs but I was worried that Barcelona had a rather better penalty line-up than most of the teams we've beaten.

Caballero for Barcelona... 1-0

Yilmaz for Ipswich... Saved!

Mohamed for Barcelona... Saved by Shoretire!

Linias for Ipswich... 1-1

Fiumano for Barcelona... 2-1

Viola for Ipswich... 2-2

Kaul for Barcelona... 3-2

Pinera for Ipswich... 3-3

Muca for Barcelona... Hit the Post!

Moroni can clinch it for for Ipswich... He scores!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my word, I can't believe we did it! When we went behind early on I worried we'd fall to a limo defeat, which was really the last thing I wanted, even had we lost in extra-time or penalties I'd have been at least a little happy that we gave a good account of ourselves at least. It wasn't a classic final by any means with only occasional attacking threat by each side but you can't argue with the dramatic way it ended, especially as being the second team to take means the pressure is on you a lot more. I wonder how much it costs to send a CL trophy-sized package to Carrow Road (and Norwich only narrowly avoided relegation to League 1) as a massive gloat.

I do have a little regret in that I didn't start lower down and have a much longer journey to the top. In fact I might well have gone for Gillingham instead if it wasn't for the expectation to win League 2, early pressure I didn't want and indeed it took a while for them to go up. As it is, going from that forgettably mediocre first season in the Championship to being European Champions 12 years later still seems like it was a decent challenge. I'm especially happy for Shoretire as in the early years I got very excited about the prospect of him being a club legend rising with us all the way to Champions League glory. That seemed a lot less likely after a while but we still managed it, not long before he's due to potentially make way for Colin. Whatever else happens we can celebrate that together at least.

[Lenzar]

I love how you played 1-11 in the CL final.

Keep it up!

[deltablue]

I love how you played 1-11 in the CL final.

Keep it up!

That wasn't entirely intentional. I generally take an 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it' approach to team selection even if it means keeping an player in the side when I could easily put a 'superior' player back in after making a change due to injury, suspension, a bad performance, needing a rest (which is easily the most common) or whatever. It's actually pretty rare for me to play entire 'best 11' beyond the start of the season, that's if I even have them all fit and available to begin with. For the CL final I was always thinking of making sure I had a side that was at least pretty close on my best on paper (there are some players who would have stayed in as long as they were earning that right on the pitch) but as it happens almost everyone was featuring anyway by the end of the season with Leon being the only player I put in specifically.

Unfortunately the career is going to take a back seat for a few weeks. I won't bore you with the details of my life (such as it is, which in a way is the problem) but job-hunting is very much on my agenda (and actually has been for an embarassing number of weeks with nothing really happening) and while FM isn't that much of a distraction I'm very bad at getting the ball rolling on things and it would help if I didn't feel the need to do a decent session and and update if I've had a least a few days without playing much, not helped by the fact that if I don't feel much like playing FM (or I'm out and about, as is sometimes the case) I don't often feel able to do a lot of things so it's not like non-FM time has particularly productive for the most part.

I just feel I need to give myself a clear enough focus to get into the swing of things, that's all. Getting back into regular FM time shouldn't be too big of a problem after that. Ironically because the end of the season was a good cut-off point I actually was playing more in the past couple of days to get to that point It also helps that having won the title (and now the CL) I don't feel the need to 'push on' much though I do intend to continue for a while beyond the short-term.

I happen to know that I've had a Norwich fan as a regular follower in recent weeks, and I hope he's not feeling too depressed. Norwich1982, feel free to say 'Hi' sometime

[withnail316]

Great way to finish (for now, anyway). Best of luck with the job hunt.

[deltablue]

Great way to finish (for now, anyway). Best of luck with the job hunt.

Thanks. Unfortunately abstaining from FM is still the only thing I've really managed to do but I have taken a few baby steps and I might get back on it at some point next week if I'm able to get stuff done first as a sort of condition (though probably only in the evenings for the most part so updates will be slower in coming even then).

I've been putting a bit of thought in to when I'm going to finish up the career since a few FM release really hasn't been a factor for a couple of years and I might continue this a bit longer rather than get down to my FM16 project right away, especially as this is the most recent version I'm familiar with so I might play around a little first to get used to a few years' worth of changes, before setting out on a big project.

At the moment I'm thinking of finishing off with a CL win (even if it means even I won't know a season will be my last beforehand, which isn't ideal), as well as potentially waiting for Shoretire's career to finish (and even when he was breaking through I was thinking ahead to when he would retire and I'd be able to celebrate him) first. He's 28 now for reference so that does seem reasonably well balanced in terms of delivering a decent amount ot seasons left (which career is looking alarmingly short compared to what I'm used to) but isn't so far away as to seem endless.

[deltablue]

Season Roundup 2024/25

Championship

League 1

League 2

BSP

BSN

BSS

FA

EL

[deltablue]

Summer Internationals

Mexico 2-0 Jamaica (WCQ)

Fierro, Pineiro

We had a couple of qualifiers as a sort of warm up for the Gold Cup starting with Jamaica at the Azteca. We usually dominate but take ages to score we managed to get our goals in relatively early this time. Fierro (who else?) gave us a 22nd minute lead with Pineiro getting his 20th international goal before the break, which we seemed happy to sit on. A single off-target shot was all they could manage in response.

Mexico 1-1 Honduras (WCQ)

Amador

We were also at home to a rather rough Honduras side, whose main forward happens to play for Norwich. Our star players Rodriguez and Fierro went off injured in the first-half with the latter having also missed a penalty, though left-back Amador had thankfully already given us the lead. They equalized at the start of the second-half and we really weren’t in much shape to push on again leading to the ending of my 100% international record. Rodriguez was fine (but would miss the first Gold Cup match anyway through suspension) but Fierro would be out for a month. Thankfully the Gold Cup was about that far away so I was easily able to select him, and I’d have been so pissed if I couldn’t.

Gold Cup 2025

This tournament was ours to lose. Neither the USA nor Costa Rica would play their first teams for reasons I'll get into later which devalued it somewhat. Thankfully we had everyone available for selection after the scare about Fierro, given past experience of missing key players for international tournaments.

Mexico 8-0 Barbados (GC)

Reyes, Fierro (2), Pineiro (2), Barragan, Luna, Rojina

We opened the Gold Cup against Barbados, an opponent I knew we wouldn’t need the suspended Rodriguez to easily beat. For once we were able to pile on the goals early on, starting with a 2nd minute header from the Porto defender Reyes (who plays the same ball-playing role in the Mexico team as Leon does for Ipswich) and another header gave Fierro the first of what I hoped would be a good haul of goals this tournament. Pineiro converted another from Rodriguez’s replacement Barragan and Fierro made it 4-0 by the break. Pineiro and Barragan made it 6-0 by the hour mark followed by the appropriately named Juventus defender Juventino Luna (one of two Mexico defenders in the Juve team we beat in the last two CL Quarter-finals) giving us a 7th goal in the 70th minute. Rojina rounded off an 8-0 win though the veteran Lille winger’s tournament came to a pre-mature end with a thigh strain.

Mexico 5-1 USA B (GC)

Fierro (2), Michel (2)

My first clash with the USA was with their B team in the next match and we took the lead when Fierro tapped in a Barragan cross. This was soon followed by a belter of a shot from Galatasaray midfielder Michel. Fierro converted a penalty before half-time and though they got one back early in the second-half, an own-goal restored the 3-goal advantage and Michel’s 2nd goal of the match finished off a 5-1 win.

Mexico 8-0 Panama (GC)

Fierro (5), Barragan (3)

Panama were set to finish bottom of the group and we piled on the misery in the last group match. Fierro showed no sign of slowing down at 31 and fired home 4 times in the first half. Barragan was looking like one of the revelations of the tournament so far. He had very much been a fringe player up to this point but Rodriguez’s suspension followed by Rojina’s injury was really giving him a chance to shine and he scored twice early in the second-half. He followed that up by setting up Fierro’s 5th and finished off by completing a hat-trick.

Mexico 9-0 Surinam (GC QF)

Barragan (2), Pineiro (3), Luna, Fierro (2), Reyes

Surinam were our Quarter-final opponents and Barragan gave us the lead in the 7th minute, followed by a Pineiro brace by the half-hour mark. Luna scored the 4th and Fierro scored either side of half-time as the goals kept pouring in. For the 3rd time in 4 games we made it 8-0 with Pineiro completing a hat-trick and Reyes scoring the 8th, but we went one better this time with Barragan giving us a 9th.

Mexico 4-0 El Salvador (GC SF)

Fierro (3), Luna

El Salvador weren’t as bad as our previous opponents but we still were pretty comfortable. Fierro headed in a cross from Rodriguez after 25 minutes and scored another before the break. Luna got a 3rd later on and Fierro finished off a hat-trick and a 4-0 win.

Mexico 2-1 Jamaica (GC Final)

Fierro, Pineiro

Jamaica were our opponents in the final and might have been a bit more of a threat had their star forward (who plays for Tottenham) not had to miss the tournament with a broken leg. Fierro gave us the lead in the 33rd minute with his 15th goal of the tournament and he set up Pineiro a couple of minutes later. They did actually threaten a few times and a 52nd minute penalty allowed them to pull back to 2-1. Right-back Millan got sent off for a second yellow card but we didn’t have much to worry about and could easily have got a 3rd at least.

I must admit to being a little unexcited about claiming a continental competition at the first time of asking, due to the complete lack of competition. This was because both the USA and Costa Rica were n the Confederations Cup and while there is technically no overlap, the latter competitions end just before the Gold Cup starts so North American sides don't play their first teams in both competitions. This explains a rather odd thing I noticed in the competition history where Mexico either won or didn't make the final at all, and the same applies to the USA in tournaments played in-game as one wins then only plays their B team in the next tournament as they focus on the Confederations Cup instead. This is both a good and bad thing as it pretty much eliminates any sense of competition from what was almost the least competitive continent in the first place but also means it's only something we potentially have to face every 4 years rather than every 2 given the timing of the tournament meant pre-season from an Ipswich perspective really dragged on, with the down side of joint management being sometimes you want to press on with your club but have internationals getting in the way, and at least we don't have 2 tournaments in a single summer which could really be annoying.

Still it's not every manager that get to claim a major international tournament on top of the CL within a couple of months, even if the latter was a rather more exciting and dramatic experience and the Honduras draw is still the only blemish on what's otherwise a 100% record internationally which doesn't do my career stats much harm at all. The squad will remain much the same until next year's World Cup and while I doubt we can make an impact on the global stage it will be nice to face a much tougher challenge for a change in the next 2 summers.

[deltablue]

Summer 2025

Someone's been peeking at my Christmas list. I had been worrying about the full-back situation for a while. We had the fantastic Nasta, the not-quite-as-good-and-now-31 Cotter but beyond that just the decent-enough Coulibaly who wasn't good enough to be a long-term regular and Pinera essentially rounded off the line-up as the 4th full-back though he was otherwise a midfielder and used as such. Good alternatives were thin in the ground which is why I had put a lot of hope into Estrella, who I signed last season and was now 18. I was therefore delighted to finally see a few genuinely talented youngsters in that area and be able to snatch them up to try and shore up that position at last.

In general I was a little more careful about getting players that looked good but really didn't need but that didn't help much. For starters I couldn't offload all the excess players we already had. Secondly there were still players of the quality I did feel like going for (including yet another forward, which was never going to happen lightly even though Campomar was one of those I wanted to see gone by now). There was also the fact that the young age of the new signings (and a few others) meant that I hesistated to move players on to make way for them at this stage. This left us with a squad of 30 and and even more agonizing set of decisions to make as to who survives beyond the short-term, which I guess is a good problem to have.

Signings

CL Draw

Being top seeds after winning the competition didn't stop us getting a potentially challenging group. Inter aren't all that and we hammered them in the Europa League a couple of years back but are still strong enough to be troublesome. We only just beat Zenit on away goals in last season's Semis (admittedly partly due to switching off after winning the away leg, but they had just knocked out Real) so they might be trickier then they seem on the surface, while Sparta are likely to be the whipping boys of the group.

[deltablue]

Aug 2025

Mexico 5-0 Panama (WCQ)

Barragan (2), Pineiro (2), Fierro

The season actually started with yet another international, at home to Panama and Barragan gave us the lead after 5 minutes, set up by Pineiro. He repaid the favour twice as we were 3-0 up after just 10 minutes. Fierro got his 70th international goal less than a year after scoring his 50th and Barragan’s second goal sealed a 5-0 win after just 25 minutes.

Ipswich 3-1 Everton (PRM) 700th Career Match!!!

Tupazinho (2, Linias

The league season started with my 700th career match. It was all change up front as Tupazinho and Linias had been unhappy for ages about a lack of opportunities and as they were arguably superior to Yilmaz and Viola now I finally made them my starting front pair, perhaps a year or two after I should have. It certainly paid off as Tupazinho gave us the lead in the 10th minute from a Nasta cross, and he soon had another from a penalty. They threatened occasionally but Linias got a 3rd at the end of one his trademark runs, and it didn’t bother me that they got a late goal back, but it did that Andronov went off injured early on and would be out for 2-3 months.

Man City 3-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Tupazinho

A trip to Man City was an early big test and while I expected us to soak up pressure, I didn’t like how limply we fell behind in the first-half. A better performance after the break didn’t stop us going another goal behind and while Tupazinho got one back late on, they still ended up 3-1 winners.

Ipswich 1-2 Leverkusen (ESC)

Viola

We didn’t look much better in the Super Cup against Leverkusen as Cotter conceded an early penalty which gave them the lead, and we looked limp up front. Fanti in particular was showing that while he was theoretically just as good as Andronov on paper, in reality he was no match for the injured Russian performance-wise (which is admittedly a tough bar anyway). We were lucky they had a second goal disallowed before the break but further humiliation followed and Pedrinho turned a Leverkusen cross past Shoretire with 10 minutes left. Viola immediately broke to pull a goal back by the damage was done and despite finally stepping up we couldn’t get an equalizer.

Sept 2025

Costa Rica 0-1 Mexico (WCQ)

Barragan

The penultimate round of World Cup Qualifiers started in Costa Rica, who were 4 points behind us. We couldn’t seal top spot yet but wanted to be sure to put it realistically beyond them and Barragan fired us ahead in the first-half, continuing a great year. It proved to be the only goal of the game but it really shouldn’t have been.

Mexico 3-0 El Salvador (WCQ)

Fierro, Luna, Pineiro

We could seal both top spot and automatic qualification against El Salvador and Fierro gave us the lead after quite a few attempted. Luna soon made it 2-0. Pineiro got a 3rd from an angle so tight that it would make a Scotsman blush. They knocked one in late on but it was disallowed.

Reading 1-0 Ipswich (PRM)

We were not starting this season well at all and went behind late in an otherwise positive first-half at Reading. The second-half was appallingly lifeless with Docherty becoming the latest injury.

Sparta Prague 0-1 Ipswich (CL)

Fanti

We even looked slow at Sparta in the opening CL game but Fanti came to life with a 34th minute goal after a great run. We livened up afterwards but a disallowed Tupazinho goal was the closest we got.

Ipswich 1-0 Southampton (PRM)

Viola

Southampton was the first of a couple of home games I hoped we could use to get things back on track since a mixture of the opening win being our only points so far and having played one fewer game than most of the others left us down in 17th! The first-half was very hectic at times (sometimes at our end as well) so it was amazing that the only goal came from Viola with 10 minutes left, the Argentine showing he hadn’t lost his knack for rescuing us from tight spots. Unfortunately Morini also went off injured leaving us even more lightweight in certain areas (though at least Pinera was almost back).

Ipswich 1-0 Blackpool (PRM)

We failed to build on it against Blackpool who actually threatened more early but gradually we found our groove. The goal came from a surprising source as the 17yr old German Papa came on for his second appearance (having blown his first against Reading) and found himself free with the ball in the middle of the penalty area, making no mistake and he nearly got another soon after. I must admit I expected more than 2 1-0 wins but it was something.

Aston Villa 1-1 Ipswich (PRM)

Linias

Having lost both away games so far we very nearly made it 3 in a row at Aston Villa as they went ahead. Thankfully we equalized in stoppage time when Linias headed in a Cotter cross but it only partly helped the sense of frustration.

Ipswich 0-0 Zenit (CL)

Not for the first time, we had two midweek games with Zenit first. We totally dominated but just couldn’t do it as we were denied a goal by any means imaginable (and a few that aren’t), wasting one of the easier games in the group.

Oh dear! I've been easing myself back into the game a little and while it was great to be reunited with my Ipswich side things haven't been so positive since then. This is the worst we've been for a while I feel with the opening day win over Everton being the only time we've been genuinely good. There are probably a few different reasons why and aside from the possibility that this is a minor bump down to earth after things went our way so much for a few years, the injuries haven't helped much.

Theoretically they shouldn't be a problem. For ages I've had a squad built on depth and '2 good players for each position', with good young players coming out of our ears on top of it all, but even with that sort of set-up on paper you often do get a few players who end up being far better and more important than the rest, as well as having inexperiences younger players as the 'alternative', both of which has caused issues. First you've got Andronov, and the fact that a CL winning team ends up missing a 20yr old Russian so much says a lot about how much of a revelation he's been. Even at the time I was worried but I didn't expect Fanti to fail to step up this miserably. This is especially bad in my system with a single winger when the performance level of said winger is crucial for the team as a whole. I've only had success with this formation when the winger has shone (which thankfully seems to be the clear majority) and even in my lesser sides (Verona springs to mind) it's no coincidence that the occasional good team performances came with the winger having an excellent game.

Then you've got Docherty (who aside from the forwards, has been by far our key man for many years) which wouldn't be so bad if Pinera wasn't out at the same time leaving us lightweight in midfield, followed by Moroni who is the creative midfield force and only has 2 inexperienced players as alternatives. That and the mediocre performances of other players has helped the younger lads to get a chance already (which I'd be looking to give them anyway) which may not help much in itself but not to the extent that that it should drag the team down that much and we've hardly impressed even when we've been without them. All those wasted chances against Zenit was very much the exception in the wrong way. Not in terms of wasting the chances specifically (which would be the 'good' way) but having that many to waste to begin with. We can do the work at the back easily enough and build up but there is very little going right nearer the goal. Even when winning we're having to work far harder against limited opposition than we should, the Sparta game contrasting with the fact that we've had little trouble piling on the goals in the CL before now, and not necessarily against the weakest sides either.

We're still pretty close to a bunch of teams ahead of us but we're already using up our 'acceptable set-backs for a team looking to be near the top' quota worryingly fast and if we don't click then we're soon going to find ourselves some way off the CL qualification pace, let alone the title-chasing one.

[deltablue]

Still not much better. Played a few games earlier and the very first minute of the first one saw Shoretire obligingly knock the ball back to an opposing forward to score!

There's also a bit of unrest in the squad with a bunch of players doubting me, (though I'm mostly dealing with it through individual talks) which is really frustrating. FM could use more historical context as while I understand the disappointment of how we've done so far, it's a bit much to ignore how far I've taken the side (with a lot of the same players) over the years, even more so because I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine winning the CL just 5 months ago and the league title the year before that.