[FM16] Del Olmo - "I tour the world and end up in........Barnsley"

[noikeee]

Wow, I completely missed the cup run, that was excellent. Good luck for the new season and I suspect you might feature in the fight for the Europa League.

[kris0710]

Wow, I completely missed the cup run, that was excellent. Good luck for the new season and I suspect you might feature in the fight for the Europa League.

Was a great run, beat so many top teams. As for Europe the expectations are low but as you've seen - we've exceeded them season after season...

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

Barclays Premier League

I have had a few internet issues and have managed to get through the season. Rather than spend hours writing stuff from a year ago this season will be more of a quick summary then back to monthly updates for the 2020/21 season.

August



The opening day apart it's been an okay start. I expected the players to take a while to settle in so hopefully things improve soon.

September



No improvement here - the main positive was youth team debutant Bradbury scoring against Liverpool.

October



6 much needed points this month. Finally we are starting to play some good stuff.

November



That good stuff didn't last. A terrible month that saw us come from 3-0 down to draw with Swansea.

December



Started terribly then all of a sudden some form. The season finally starts.

Table



Despite an up and down first half of the season we find ourselves 9th and well clear of the drop zone.

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

Barclays Premier League

January



Another decent month, just a single defeat to high flying Aston Villa ruining the New Year.

February



Another month with just a single defeat and our hopes of bettering 10th from last season are high.

March



We are plodding along a bit now, games are coming thick and fast coupled with plenty of injuries we are struggling to keep the same XI on the pitch.

April



After a strong start we have fallen away in the league. A 7th placed finish looked on the cards until the three defeats came.

May



Thats now 5 defeats in a row in the league. The season has come to a disappointing end.



Table



Just one win from those final five would have given us a 7th placed finish and a good season. In the end i am annoyed and angry with a 9th place in the Premier League. How things have changed!

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

Domestic Cups

Community Shield



Defeat to the Premier League Champions in the season curtain raiser.

League Cup



Another early cup exit for us, this time West Brom seeing through in extra time.

FA Cup



Eased past League One Bradford as we started the defense of our cup.



And the defense is over. Leicester won through pretty easy.

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

Our European Adventure

August



Certainly a shot at 2nd place in this group.

September



A huge win to start the group stage, Italian giants Napoli well beaten at Oakwell.

October



Two more wins, two more clean sheets we need just a point to Qualify for the Knockout Stage.

November



We have done it, avoiding defeat in Italy will also see us win the group.

December



A much changed side saw us lose for the first time. It mattered little though.



Knockout Round Draw



Fancy our chances with that draw, Braga.

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

The Adventure Continues



Lost the first leg with a 91st minute goal but with two away goals to our name the chances of going through were good. We were right to be confident, a second leg win of 4-1 kept the run going.



A trip to France in the Last 16 was the reward and again we breezed through, the Quarter Final awaits.



Quarter Final Draw



Avoided Spurs and Man City, the two i really didn't want.



Needed an incredible second leg in Spain and we won 3-1, 5-3 on agg then drew Palermo in the Semi Final. Again we won away from home 3-1 and we are 90 minutes from a European Final.

[kris0710]

Barnsley Football Club - Season 2019/20

90 minutes from the Final. 180 minutes from the Champions League



We did it. The second leg was a breeze and newly crowned Premier League Champions Manchester City stand in our way to European glory and a place in the Champions League.

[kris0710]

Wales - The Road to the 2020 European Championships

September



Eased past Bolivia in a friendly before the real work begins.



An important victory over Bulgaria gets us back on track, a big four games to come.



Beat Romania in the return game is a must.

October



And we did. That result sends us to Wembley high on confidence but really it's Malta and Bulgaria next month that really count.



Almost an amazing comeback but in the end the hosts were too strong.



A win against Malta is a given then we will need to avoid defeat in Bulgaria to Qualify. Easy right?

November



Did exactly as we expected. Now for Bulgaria.



We did it! Lead but were pegged back just before the break. Finished with 10 men as Joe Rodon was sent off in the 70th minute.







It wasn't easy but it's a case of job done. Now comes the wait until April for the Group Draw.

[kris0710]

Wales 2020 - Draws and Wins

The European League draw has been made. Not as easy as it could have been really. Now for the important one.



A local tie then two massive games. A tough group and i think we face a battle for a top two/three finish. We kick off with Ireland, then Sweden before ending against Portugal.

Pre 2020 Championship Friendlies



Probably my best XI started this one and after a slow start we came good.



Totally changed the team around for this one and again some very good performances give me choices to make ahead of Ireland.



The final game saw another win and four players really have played themselves into contention to start the first competitive games. Decisions.

[kris0710]

European Championships 2020

Disappointing. We played well for the whole game and created much the better chances. Changes in the front line for the must win Sweden tie to come.





There we go, a good win and pretty comfortable in the end. All to play for against Portugal but with us the 5th or 6 groups to play we know a point will be enough for 3rd place and get us through.





A fantastic second half come back saw us win the match, and the group!





A nice tie, given the last two results it's a winnable one.

[kris0710]

Wales - Euro 2020 - The Knockout Stage

After taking the lead we failed to build on it and the dream is over, too early in my opinion.



After being in the role for two years i have decided to leave earlier than planned. Initially i wanted to do a four year stint but to be honest i've not enjoyed it all that much. That said i will be back internationally at some point.



A much better record than i thought to be honest. Genuinely surprised at the 66% win rate and the amount of goals scored.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

May 2019/20 - Europa League Final







The Final



Words are not needed here.

[kris0710]

Plenty of money spent on the stadium. The board are good when it comes to facilities.



Yet more money spent. Thank You



Interested offer from spendaholics Newcastle. As a matter of interest i shall attend but will not be moving to St James' Park.

[kris0710]

Once again the seasonal awards go to full backs.



Eggestein ends the top scorer after his £5.25m move from SV Werder Bremen. More news on him soon.



Hard to be upset with that season. But if you break it down we should have finished 7th in the PL and we threw away a spot in the CL.

[kris0710]

A one season wonder at Barnsley. AS Monaco activated Eggestein's minimum fee release of £30m and off he goes. Disappointing to lose him but a £25m profit from a season's work isn't too bad.



Broke the record, just a little.

**With that you are now back up to date as i'm about to take charge of the first pre season friendly.**

[bobhealy16]

I have just spent an hour of my working day reading this thread. It has had me literally on the edge of my seat (especially the gap for the Europe League final). Brilliant work!

[Rikulec]

Nice idea to create some suspense, if that happened to me in the final I'd probably smash the monitor with my keyboard.

[kris0710]

I have just spent an hour of my working day reading this thread. It has had me literally on the edge of my seat (especially the gap for the Europe League final). Brilliant work!

Thanks very much and welcome. That's what i call a productive Friday afternoon!

Not normally one for creating suspense but given the shoddy effort i've put into updating this season i thought i'd better do something.

Nice idea to create some suspense, if that happened to me in the final I'd probably smash the monitor with my keyboard.

I was a wreck watching the Final to be honest, once it went to extra time i thought the game was up but to lead again the blow it was a massive disappointment. Went straight into the Euros with Wales after that and didn't really put much effort in. Stupid moneybags City.

[noikeee]

So I was right you'd be a factor in the Europa League! Unfortunately that didn't go your way, and it must've been heart-breaking to lose it that way.

I think next season without the extra European matches you'll be able to focus more in the league, and that will give you a big boost there. Honestly I think you've got a shot of even making the top 4.

[kris0710]

So I was right you'd be a factor in the Europa League! Unfortunately that didn't go your way, and it must've been heart-breaking to lose it that way.

I think next season without the extra European matches you'll be able to focus more in the league, and that will give you a big boost there. Honestly I think you've got a shot of even making the top 4.

You were right - i think we got lucky for the most part, avoiding most of the top top clubs.

As for next season without Europe i've had to trim the squad a little and going into pre season i've not managed to bring in any of my four top targets despite £70m to spend on transfers. I think we need a worldie keeper and a new centre back but at the moment that's proving too much.

[deltablue]

Fantastic Europa campaign.

[kris0710]

Fantastic Europa campaign.

Much better than expected. Thought we'd crash a burn in the group stage.

[kris0710]

An unexpected offer came in off the back of Euro 2020. Although not enjoying the Wales managing all that much when resigning i made the decision i would only manage countries i'm either from (Spain) or that i've managed in (England currently) so this offer was declined.

[kris0710]

This offer on the other hand....had to be accepted. A chance to manage England with the likes of Sturridge, Stones, Alli and Barkley in their prime was the key to saying yes.

After a disappointing 2020 campaign Roberto Martinez left and in i come.



There will be an early chance for revenge on the Dutch as the draw for the European International League Division A puts us together along with another European giant.





Taken over the 4th best side in the world. No pressure then.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

Pre Season 2020/21





Have to agree with mid table Premier League finish and without the distraction of the Europa League i'm looking for a good cup run in both competitions.



Transfers Out



The biggest deal was no surprise, Eggestein leaving but also out go first teamers Williams, Digby, Schumacher, Mantom, Pennington and Lichnovsky. The last three leave due to two summer recruits while the others leave to trim our large squad.

Transfers In



Just two players in, both of which are centre backs.

Mamadou Doucouré - 22 year old Frenchman comes in from PSG having spent two years at Malaga and Standard on loan.

Xiker - Paid a little more than i wanted for the Spanish defender but overall i think it will be money well spent.



A decent pre season, just the one defeat. That's only the second preseason game i've lost at Barnsley.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

Barclays Premier League -August 2020/21



Just like last season we kicked off with a 4-0 defeat, but just a worrying is that it is the 6th league defeat in a row. We needed to break that at home to Arsenal but that looked unlikely with a straight red card after just two minutes for Björn Van Osch but Arsenal themselves were down to ten men after only eight minutes. From there we matched them stride for stride and took our best chance through Mbappé. The tough start to the season ended with a point at Spurs who battered us from start to finish but couldn't find a way through the back four.



Capital One Cup



League One Coventry were eased out of the competition and that was expected given i chose to play a full strength XI to hopefully boost confidence. Another League One side await next, Bolton.

Transfers Out



Back up defenders leave at the end of the month, O'Donnell on loan at Championship side Walsall with Paul Petrie off to another Championship side, Reading.

Transfers In



The return of a former player ends our summer spending with Mason Holgate back from Everton, 5 years after leaving in a £1.7m deal. He is a player i've tried to get on loan for the last four seasons and although £10m is a hefty price the fact it was transfer deadline day forced my hand.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - August 2020

Squad Announcement



Some shock from the media with call ups for Grant Smalley and Steven Thompson but for me both players deserve to be seen close up over the next couple of weeks. Injury has kept Harry Kane and Luke Shaw out for the trip to Italy and Holland.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

Barclays Premier League -September 2020/21



After a tough August we needed some points this month and six from nine isn't a bad return at all. A tight home win over Sunderland with goals in each half sent us to Newcastle is good spirits but Anthony Martial once again found it too easy against our defence scoring three and setting a fourth. Only victory would do against West Brom and thanks to Björn van Osch we got exactly that. His hattrick took his tally to four in the league, only one shy of his tally for the whole of last season.



Going well at the moment. Aston Villa away next.

Capital One Cup



Just a copy of last month, three goals saw off a League One club and the draw for the next round see's us host another League One side, Portsmouth.

Award



No surprise with that award. Hitting great form following his red card earlier in the season.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - September 2020

Italy (away)



From the European Championships defeat that saw Martinéz leave i have made four changes - Dier, Barkley, Sturridge and Akpom in for Henderson, Ward-Prowse and the injured duo Shaw and Kane.



What a first game! A hattrick from Akpom in a five goal thriller and we come away from the San Siro with a surprise three points.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - September 2020

England vs Holland from Wembley Stadium



Three changes from the Italy win, Phil Jones and Charlie Taylor replacing Eric Dier and Brendan Galloway in defence and James Ward-Prowse coming in for Dele Alli.



Another fabulous performance and result. Akpom scored before going off injured that will rule him out of the October games then Ross Barkley doubled our lead early in the second half. Daniel Sturridge hit a third before young Liverpool forward Steven Thompson scored on his debut.



We have full control of the group. October starts with a friendly against Belgium the we host Italy. Italy have to travel to Holland before that though.



Two good results take us above Spain to 3rd in the world.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - October 2020

Squad Announcement



A few changes to the squad for the upcoming matches. Fit again Luke Shaw and Harry Kane come in along with Michael Keane, Danny Welbeck and Callum Wilson. The final change see's Barnsley right back James Bree come into the squad. His form in the PL last season (10 assists in 28 games averaging 7.45) means he deserves a chance. Out of the squad drop Thompson, Smalley, Taylor, Clyne and injured forwards Akpom and Sturridge.

[DavidBeckham]

Fantastic result against Holland there mate. Looking forward to seeing more Barnsley players break into the England squad

[kris0710]

Fantastic result against Holland there mate. Looking forward to seeing more Barnsley players break into the England squad

Been a great start with England - certainly not regrets taking the job yet.

As for Barnsley players Bree is about the only one warranting a shot so far. Pickford and Davies are decent 3rd choice keepers, defence and midfield is strong enough and Zac Clough isn't consistent enough for us at the moment. But with injuries occurring all the time he's close to a call for November i think.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

Barclays Premier League -October 2020/21



An unbeaten month but also just a single win. Travelled to Aston Villa expecting little but came away with a great draw - almost a win had it not been down to a defensive lapse allowing Villa to score with 7 minutes left. All the action came in the first half with Liverpool, van Osch leveling just before the break. The trip to Everton was just dreadful, our only effort coming from a free kick and theirs from a right wing cross. It certainly would have been last on Match of the Day. The same could not be said for the win over Hull, a hattrick from van Osch taking him to 10 PL goals in 7(1) appearances (bare in mind one of those he was red carded after just two minutes). Further efforts from Cousins, Mbappé and Maupay sealed a brilliant win.



Dizzy heights of 5th although teams have a game in hand over us.

Capital One Cup



Three games, three League One teams, three 3-0 wins and five Maupay goals. On to the last eight we march - hosting Premier League side Newcastle in December.

Award



No prizes for guessing the winner of this award.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - October 2020

International Friendly

Belgium Vs England from Stade Roi Baudouin



Plenty of changes here as i rested my strongest XI before the home tie with Italy.



Maybe i have a new best XI now. A stunning victory away from home saw us lead 5-0 at one point. Defender Keane got the first before captain Henderson struck. Berahino made the most of starting up top then Grealish added a fourth. The final goal was an og, thanks to a James Bree cross.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - October 2020

European League Division A - Group 1

England Vs Italy from Wembley



A couple of players survived wholesale changes from the Belgium game with us knowing a win will seal the group as Italy beat Holland 1-0 just days before.



We are making this look very easy. A Sterling treble with one for Berahino gets us top spot and makes the trip to Holland irrelevant next month.

With that game and a friendly at Wembley against South Africa i am tempted to rest the big names next month and name a squad of untried players.



Down to 4th - Argentina, Denmark and Uruguay ahead of us.

[deltablue]

Woah you're doing well with England!

[kris0710]

Woah you're doing well with England!

So far so good. Will be tested this month though.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - November 2020

Squad Announcement



Couldn't have a named a more changed squad if it tried really. Just look at the lack of caps...



Holland and South Africa will fancy their chances for sure.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Barnsley Football Club

Barclays Premier League - November 2020/21



A terrible month of results as we bring in just one point from nine.



Comfortable mid table position so far. The big shock is struggling Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Job Interview



Underachieving massively but the biggest club to offer me an interview so far. Off to see what they have to offer.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - November 2020

Holland Vs England from Amsterdam ArenA





A much changed side from normal but with the group won now was the chance for back up players to stake a claim.



A double from debutant substitute Ainsley Maitland-Niles saw us win and end with 100% record from the group.



All a little too easy.



The better of the draws from the Semi-Final. Roll on June!

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - November 2020

England Vs South Africa from Wembley



Once again making use of the squad and looking to keep up my perfect record.



One of the easiests 2-0 wins i've had. Goals from Harris and Akpom either side of the break were enough for the win.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Liverpool Football Club

Barclays Premier League - December 2020/21



Surprise.

After attending the Liverpool interview i was shocked to receive an offer to take charge. After looking at the squad and the league position i chose to take on this huge challenge that had 11 players wanting out including big names like Henderson, Clyne, Coutinho, Sturridge and Salah. This is going to be entertaining.

As for Barnsley they have named David Dunn as interim manager. Dunn joined from West Brom as U18 manager in 2019.



Lovely of Liverpool to let me bring in some of my own staff. Frustratingly the only allowed £115k in compensation so the only member of my Barnsley back room coming with me at the moment is Gareth Barry.



A fantastic history but not so good of late. PL finishes of 5th, 8th, 7th, 8th and 6th have hardly set the world alight. The club reached the 2017/18 CL Semi-Final but were beat by Bayern Munich. Two second round Europa League defeats were forgotten with the club lifting the trophy in 2016/17. Domestically the FA Cup has seen only one run getting past the 5th round - a Final defeat to Leicester in 2018.



Top half of the table is a fair expectation but i am looking further than that. We need to be in European football next term.



I have taken charge just hours after the club were hammered 4-0 at home to Manchester City. We are in a real relegation scrap but we must be too good to be down here for long.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Liverpool Football Club

Barclays Premier League - December 2020/21



After going down to Spurs in my first match in charge we have responded brilliantly - winning three in a row scoring 11 in the process. Just as good was the fact Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton were all top eight sides.



Forget a relegation fight. The battle is on to move into a top five space. Europe at all costs.

Awards



A great start from forward Fékir but i have concerns. He isn't in my long term plans but in just four more league goals time we have to fork out nearly £5m in a transfer clause.



And an award for the second of my strikers.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - December 2020

World Cup Qualifying Group Stage Draw



Not a bad group at all. We kick off with Northern Ireland and Cyprus in March.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Liverpool Football Club

Barclays Premier League - January 2020/21



Another good month for us, ending with a vital win over Manchester United. The month was packed with transfer deals and that took away from the results a little.



Up into 8th and just off the 5th placed side Tottenham. The CL places are getting closer too.

FA Cup



Edged past Sheffield United in the 3rd Round and were very disappointing in the draw with West Brom.



Transfers Out



So big money has come in during the month as we have shipped out unhappy players and the rebuild job starts now.

Transfers In



Just as much money being spent to replace the players leaving. Only one raid on former club Barnsley.

Djibril Sow - The only Barnsley player to move to Anfield during this window. I picked Sow in 2019 for £3.5m and he has performed very well in the centre midfield since his arrival. The same is expected here.

Layvin Kurzawa - Loanee left back from PSG is just a stop gap until the summer. Former Monaco player has failed to ever be a regular at his parent club.

Phil Jones - Former Manchester United makes the move across the divide. We need more experience and he has that. He has not played double figures in games for 5 years though.

Inaki Williams - Another loanee, this time up front. Made a huge £63m move from Athletic to Real Madrid but has only featured 26 times, scoring 8 goals.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Came to the fore with his two goal England debut and with him out of the Manchester City side i have overpaid a little but he will become a huge player at Anfield.

Kelechi Iheanacho - The third and final loanne, KI has previously played at Manchester City but spent most of his career away on loan to multiple clubs.

Maximilian Arnold - Another winger signs for the club and this time we have a player who has been a great performer week in week out at a big club. Still unsure why Dortmund were willing to let him leave.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Liverpool Football Club

Barclays Premier League - February 2020/21



Another solid month after disappointment in losing to Arsenal. The Sunderland game was a particular highlight - coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2.



It has to be Champions League spaces for us now. A brilliant run since i've took charge and we are now just three points shy of the top four.

FA Cup



Through the West Brom replay in stunning fashion, 6-0 up after only 11 minutes. With Hazard not in my main plans and unable to play PL football due to a transfer clause meaning one more game results in £3.7m pay out he has taken his chances brilliantly in the cup. Arsenal away is next in the FA Cup Quarter Final.

[Rikulec]

A surprising move indeed, looking forward to see how well you can do there.

[kris0710]

Sergio Del Olmo - Liverpool Football Club

Barclays Premier League - March 2020/21



Not the greatest of months which comes just as we reach the heights of the top five. With a tough April to come we are need of a bit of form going into the final games.



All eyes on the top four yet we aren't exactly well clear of 13th place. This could go one of two ways.

FA Cup



Poor defeat after leading twice. Really annoyed as i wanted to win the cup.