This Saint Gonna Be Easy: Ch. V - Endgame

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Youth Intake Day:

Oooohhhhh. A generational talent!

Cristobal:

Mmmm, I like him. Looks very solid for his age. Already got decent acceleration, decent tackling and very high determination. I've just gotta get him working on his crossing and he'll be sorted. Gotta get rid of that PPM too. I like that high work rate too.

Hugo Short:

With a name like that, I was hoping he'd be a midget. Only other player worth mentioning and even then he's not great. Cristobal basically saved this youth intake.

[BoxToBox]

Cristobal looks proper handy!

I'd have liked Hugo Short to be 6'7".

[john1]

Sounds like poor youth intakes apart from them 2  Cristobal looks promising  

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

22 hours ago, john1 said:

Hope so!

How is your coaching staff set up? like training stars.

Here ya go. Fairly good overall compared to other teams in the league.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

1 hour ago, BoxToBox said:

Cristobal looks proper handy!

I'd have liked Hugo Short to be 6'7".

He does, doesn't he? Could really become a quality player in the future. 

6'7" also would've been good. Instead, he has the most boring, middling height available! 

48 minutes ago, john1 said:

Sounds like poor youth intakes apart from them 2  Cristobal looks promising  

It was, basically. Even Hugo isn't that good to be honest. Still though, Cristobal is a massive silver lining. Especially given the lack of quality right backs on the market in 2023.

[noikeee]

Cristobal looks like the absolute bomb. I'd focus a little on quickness though, the acceleration is a very nice starting point but pace could do with a little boost.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

1 hour ago, noikeee said:

Cristobal looks like the absolute bomb. I'd focus a little on quickness though, the acceleration is a very nice starting point but pace could do with a little boost.

That's a good point. Would getting someone who's fast and good at crossing (Adjapong) to tutor him help with that? I need to get his pace and his crossing up.

[BoxToBox]

4 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

That's a good point. Would getting someone who's fast and good at crossing (Adjapong) to tutor him help with that? I need to get his pace and his crossing up.

Tutoring only helps Determination and hidden attributes like Professionalism and Ambition.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

5 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Tutoring only helps Determination and hidden attributes like Professionalism and Ambition.

Ah cheers. Alright, I'll just have to train both attributes so.

[BoxToBox]

1 minute ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Ah cheers. Alright, I'll just have to train both attributes so.

That'd be the best, maybe swap between them every few months?

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

1 minute ago, BoxToBox said:

That'd be the best, maybe swap between them every few months?

Yeah, I was thinking of doing something like that. Maybe in 3-month cycles.

[BoxToBox]

Sounds good!

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

March Update:

Very good overall. Disappointing to crash out of the FA Cup though.

Arsenal: G. Harry Winks, Maicon A. Maicon, Yuri

Well we left it late but better late than never. Same as the United match last month really. We set up to counter attack, were poor in the first half but solid in the second. Moise Kean got their goal on 38' after going through on goal. We equalised shortly after half time when Maicon teed up Winks on 48'. The rest of the game was even and it looked like we'd be getting a draw. However, on 86, a lovely first time passing move saw Yuri slip Maicon in one on one and he tucked it away. Really important win to keep us firmly in the title race.

Palermo: G. Maicon  A. Alejandro Pozo

Really just a matter of getting the job done after winning 3-0 away from home. It was a boring game in all honesty. We didn't push forward much given our advantage but they feared us too much to properly attack us. Pozo crossed for Maicon on 46' who tapped in what turned out to be the winner. Routine win which sees us through to the quarter finals where we'll face...

Manchester United. Hmm, it's not easy but it's winnable. We actually have quite a good record against them.

Southampton: G. Alejandro Pozo, Maicon (2)  A. Leon Bailey, Patrik Nyman, Harry Winks

Smashed 'em. Their attack is actually quite strong so to keep a clean sheet was impressive. We started brilliantly and Pozo gave us the lead after 4 minutes after Nyman's through ball. Maicon got the second on 12' when Bailey spotted his run and out him through on goal. Our third came on 50' when Winks played a short pass to Maicon and he blasted it home from 20 yards. They never really threatened us and we brushed my former employers aside with ease.

Stoke: G. Patrik Nyman, Yuri  A. Yuri, Harry Winks

Fairly routine win here. We didn't smash them but they never really challenged us either. The first half was cagey and neither side could break the other down. Nyman eventually gave us the lead on 52' when Yuri picked him out. It took us until the 93rd minute to get our second as Winks put Yuri one on one with Butland. He made no mistake and we rode out the victors.

Stoke: G. José Tavares  A. Fabio Martins

Very poor from us. This was certainly winnable as well which makes it worse. Like the previous game, the first half was cagey and neither side did much. We took the lead on 52' when Martins crossed for Tavares and he slotted home. They equalised immediately when Berahino smashed it in on 53'. The game went to extra time and Adem Ljajic got the winner on 105+1'. Vietto came off injured on 112' so they played the last 8 minutes with 10 men which we should have taken advantage of. But we didn't and we crash out of the Cup.

 

Key Points:

• Maicon's second name is Dos Santos. Yuri's is Pacheco. Just something I found out recently.

• Bailey has been great since Antonio got injured and is now first choice. Solid average rating. Him on the right, Pozo on the left and Martins and Dembele as backup.

• Maicon is in heavy contention for most PL goals this season. His main competitors are Berahino, Kane and a Liverpool regen called Josh Phillips.

• Our defence was solid this month. Three clean sheets.

• We're in the Champions League quarter finals! We have a decent chance of making the semis too.

League Table:

We're top! Albeit not by much but it's still a nice place to be. Thanks to some heavy wins, our goal difference is great. Southampton are just mediocre and boring while Liverpool are recovering somewhat. United are still well off the pace. Not long left to go. Can we hold out?

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Ayyy! I genuinely don't remember the last time that's happened. Interesting that two former players come second and third.

[john1]

Decent month apart from disaster in FA Cup   Hopefully you can beat Man Utd to reach semi final.

[DavidBeckham]

Great position to be in going into the last 7 games! My money is on you to win it! Good luck mate! 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

16 hours ago, john1 said:

Decent month apart from disaster in FA Cup   Hopefully you can beat Man Utd to reach semi final.

Disaster is certainly the word for it. They were very beatable but we stumbled and fell. Still though, at least we can now fully focus on Premier League and Champions League.

6 hours ago, DavidBeckham said:

Great position to be in going into the last 7 games! My money is on you to win it! Good luck mate! 

Cheers!  

Our fixture list isn't as kind as I'd have liked it to be (still have to face Liverpool and Spurs) but I'm hopeful we can hold on.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

From: Warden Gentles

To: Staff of HMP Wakefield

Subject: The Welsh Connection

It's been brought to my attention that Inmate 03774 (GRIFFITHS) and Inmate 58008 (SAVAGE) appear to be starting some kind of faction within the prison. Griffiths seems to be the brain, Savage the brawn. They appear to be recruiting a select number for this group. It's unknown at this time whether it's just for power or whether they'll coordinate an escape attempt. Inmates 53704 (VINE), 77345 (FRANCIS) and 53504 (PEMBERTON) are the only other members so far. It looks like they are trying to recruit a small few more. It could be nothing to worry about but it's best to keep an eye on these things. 

Cheers,

Warden Gentles

 

[noikeee]

Those are the lowest points totals I've ever seen at the top of the Premier League at that stage! 

A title's a title though and it's not your fault all the AI sides are crapping it against each other! Just keep it up, it would be an awesome achievement if you can remain at the top for just 7 more matches. Quite a remarkable turnaround from Southampton!

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

4 hours ago, noikeee said:

Those are the lowest points totals I've ever seen at the top of the Premier League at that stage! 

It's really strange. We've **** the bed against a few of the smaller sides and any time I think we'll get punished for it, Chelsea or Spurs lose to some relegation battlers.

 

4 hours ago, noikeee said:

A title's a title though and it's not your fault all the AI sides are crapping it against each other!

I won't count my chickens just yet. But if we win it, then yeah, a title's a title. 

4 hours ago, noikeee said:

Quite a remarkable turnaround from Southampton!

Certainly  I've done way more in two and a half seasons at West Ham than I ever did at Southampton. 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

In the closing months of his first half-season in charge, Michael King had received advice from Andries Jonker about putting himself out there. The phrasing was strange - some weird metaphorical **** about “transfer listing himself” - but the point was a good one. He hadn't realised it at the time and dismissed the advice but in the past few months, he'd begun to take that advice on board. He'd gone on Tinder, gone to pubs, even the odd night club. He hadn't told Andries about any of this of course. Didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Two months ago, in early January, he'd met someone while on a night out over an international break. Her name was Katie, she was 27 and she was a surgeon. They had clicked and before long they had started seeing each other. Michael had made the mistake of telling Andries about this. This was a mistake for two reasons. 1. He wouldn't shut up about it, 2. He kept bragging about how Michael had finally followed his advice and 3. He kept chipping in with his own ‘advice’. These opinions were about as flawed as his training methods.

Speaking of Jonker's training methods, the slip n slide had been a massive failure. Even Andries had admitted that. The press had got a hold of it a few months back for one and also, it never even worked. Bailey was still cutting inside. However, and Michael would never admit this, it wasn't having too bad an effect on his game. Andries had abandoned that but had since started a new project - trying to improve Cristobal's speed. 

His plan was to bring one of his guard dogs to training, let it loose on Cristobal and call it to a heel after a certain amount of time. If Cristobal was too slow, well... that was his fault, Andries had explained. He hadn't even run it by Michael either. He'd just kept Cristobal behind for a one on one session and let Louis, his vicious rottweiler loose on him. Michael had thought he knew better than to let Andries continue with his methods. But he also thought he noticed Cristobal getting a little bit faster...

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

April Update:

Argh! Two games where we dropped points we couldn't afford to have dropped. Still in the title race though and through in the Champions League. Good overall I suppose.

Bournemouth: G. Claud Adjapong, Yuri  A. Fabio Martins, Maicon

We started the month with an April Fools Day win over Bournemouth. We were a bit slow going forward to start but we eventually took the lead on 45' after a freak Adjapong goal. He tried to cross it and accidentally lobbed the keeper from way out. Haven't seen that since FM16! Ricardo Esgaio missed a chance to get them back into the game when Horvath saved his penalty. We added a second goal on 90+5' when Martins crossed for Yuri who tapped it in. 

Hull: G. Maicon, Patrik Nyman  A. Alejandro Pozo, Tin Jedvaj

This was really poor. We were lucky to even draw tbh. They've been shocking all season as well which makes it even worse. Alberto Soro gave them the lead on 12' before Jarod Bowen doubled their advantage on 39'. We were awfully slow to respond and it took us til the 80th minute to equalise when Maicon latched onto Jedvaj's long ball. Patrik Nyman equalised on 85' after Pozo's pass but it was too late to try and fight for a win. Poor.

Man United: G. Axel Tuanzebe, Maicon  A. Fabio Martins, Alejandro Pozo

A very, very good win given we were playing with ten men for 50 minutes. Yup, José Tavares was stupid enough to lunge in with two feet on 40' and get sent off. Prior to that, on 30', Axel Tuanzebe headed in from a corner against his old club to give us the lead. We dropped back to a 4-4-1-1 once we lost Tavares and looked to hold onto our 1-0. However, we managed to get another on 74' when Maicon curled one in from just inside the box. Great performance.

Swansea: G.  José Tavares, Alejandro Pozo, Maicon  A. Alejandro Pozo, Leon Bailey

We followed that up with a solid win over Swansea. José Tavares made amends for that idiocy against United by giving us the lead on 3'. We pretty much conceded from tip on 4' as Abraham blasted home their equaliser. It took us until just the 8th minute to regain our lead, this time it was Alejandro Pozo who got the goal, after Bailey's cross. We wrapped up the game on 35' when Maicon connected with Pozo's cross to make it 3-1. Pretty good here.

Man United: G. Maicon (2), Paul Pogba OG  A. Alejandro Pozo, Fabio Martins

What a thriller this was! They took the lead very early on as Valentin Vada slotted home after 5 minutes. We equalised quickly when Maicon latched onto Pozo's cross to get us an away goal on 9'. Harry Winks' effort was diverted into the net by Pogba on 14' to give us a surprise lead at Old Trafford. The leveled through Federico Chiesa on 40' to send it into half time at 2-2. Paul Pogba made amends for his error on 53' as he powered the ball past Horvath. We pegged them back on 57' though when Maicon knocked in Martins' cross. Through to the semis!

Huddersfield: 

Zzzzz. Only one thing worth mentioning here and that's that we dropped 2 vital points. That may cost us as it allowed Spurs to get ahead of us, albeit by only a point. Very lethargic and lacklustre from us and we didn't deserve more than a draw.

Sunderland: G. Harry Winks (Pen)  A. None

To be honest, this wasn't any better than the Huddersfield game except we at least won it. It was an ugly win though, to be fair, we were down to ten men after 53 minutes when Adjapong got sent off. Harry Winks gave us the lead prior to that, on 32' as he sent the keeper the wrong way. Not our best performance but we did well to hold on with ten men for the second time this month. And a win's a win.

 

Key Points:

• We face Spurs on the last day of the season at home. It may well be the title decider. 

• Maicon has been in a class of his own up front. Truly brilliant.

• The wingers have been doing well lately. All of them have been chipping in with goals and assists.

• We're prone to the occasional lazy, sloppy performance. See the Hull and Huddersfield games. We really need to work on that.

League Table:

We've as good as qualified for Champions League once again (though not mathematically). We've let our lead slip at the top though which is disappointing. We also have a touch opponent before the Tottenham game in Liverpool. I'd hate to lose that and have the title race over before we face Spurs. It's worth remembering (and I might be jinxing myself here) that we beat them 4-0 in the reverse fixture. We'll see what we can do. 

 

 

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

The other semi finalists:

Bayer Leverkusen: Probably the worst of the remaining teams and therefore the most favourable draw. They've a good squad and have gotten wins where I wouldn't have expected them to but I feel we could beat them.

Atletico Madrid: Dominant in La Liga this season and are currently leading. Reached Champions League finals two years running at the start of this save and lost both to Real Madrid (and one was held at Atletico's stadium). Very good squad which I'd rank about equal to ours. Not a favourable draw by any means but we could certainly do a job against them.

Barcelona: Naturally, the hardest draw available. They're not so hot in the Liga BBVA as they sit in fourth. However, their attack is crazy good. They may not have Messi but they do have Salah, Luis Suarez, Denis Suarez and an insane playmaker regen called Timo Capin. They also still have Busquets. Their defence is aging though and is a little bit suspect. We'll probably be able to score on them but I'm sure they'll score quite a few with that kind of attack. Will probably be a high scoring pair of matches.

In order of draw preference, it's

1. Bayer Leverkusen

2. Atletico Madrid

3. Barcelona

 

 

Well ****.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake
Wrong team

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Most-Of-May Update:

Pretty good. We did what we needed to do. We're through to the Champions League final and the Premier League will go down to the wire!

Barcelona: G. Pedro Obiang  A. Tin Jedvaj

We got ourselves a well-deserved draw at the Nou Camp despite a pretty poor start. And by poor start, I mean we conceded two minutes in. That brilliant Croatian regen playmaker Timo Capin got their goals after we failed to deal with a free kick from out wide. We were quick to equalise when a Fabio Martins corner found Jedvaj's head and he nodded it down for Obiang who smacked in a first time volley on 10'. The rest of the game was very even and both sides had chances to get a winner though neither could in the end. It put us in a great position for the home leg.

Liverpool: G. Maicon, Leon Bailey  A. Harry Winks

Once again, we started poorly but came away with a decent result. They got their first on 15' when Josh Phillips' shot was put into our net by Axel Tuanzebe. We went from Counter to Standard and leveled on 37' when Winks passed it Maicon from deep and he made an amazing, winding run and smashed in the equaliser. 6 minutes later, we took the lead. Leon Bailey robbed a defender in possession and went on to smash it past Alex Meret. Unfortunately, we couldn't hold on to it as Joel Matip headed in the equaliser on 54' from a corner. It was unfortunate not to win but it's enough to keep us in the title race.

Barcelona: G. José Tavares, Patrik Nyman  A. Maicon, Leon Bailey

Clinical. Deadly. Rock solid. A brilliant performance in which we never looked like losing. We played on the counter all game as I felt they would try and push hard for their away goal but they never really did. Maicon nicked the ball off Umtiti on 45' and squared unselfishly to Tavares who slotted home. The rest of the game saw us create a decent few chances while they also got a few half chances. Nothing clear cut from either side. We wrapped up the win in the 93rd minute when Nyman knocked in Bailey's cross. Very good from us and we'll be playing in the Champions League final!

Key Points:

• The Premier League will go down to the last day! We will face Spurs who are first. They are three points clear but we have much better goal difference. It is a must win if we're to win the league. Nothing else will suffice.

• There is added competition to this fixture. Maicon and Kane go into the final game tied for the Golden Boot. They both have 25 goals in the league at this point. One may be able to pull away from the other.

• We're in the Champions League final! I'll have that for you tomorrow.

• The Spurs match will be played later on today hopefully. Most likely this evening.

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Atletico Madrid. The ultimate nearly men. They've reached two CL finals in this save and lost both, one of which was at their home stadium! Both were to Real Madrid. I've mentioned that above when analysing the potential semi final opponents. As you can see from the second screenshot, they've reached 5 Champions League finals and won none! The need a Hakan Telleus/Gunnar Vikander. 

Overall, they're very good. They've usually finished second or third in Liga BBVA in this save. I'd rank their squad about level with ours so it should be a thrilling final.

[kidthekid]

[BoxToBox]

1 hour ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

As you can see from the second screenshot, they've reached 5 Champions League finals and won none! The need a Hakan Telleus/Gunnar Vikander. 

Funnily enough, they're the team, Gunnar/@ManUtd1 nope'd out on as well.

The truest of all nearly men.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

1 hour ago, kidthekid said:

Cheers!

 

40 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Funnily enough, they're the team, Gunnar/@ManUtd1 nope'd out on as well.

The truest of all nearly men.

That's true.  Forgot to mention that. They really are the ultimate nearly men. Hopefully we make them nearly men 6 times over.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Premier League - Final Match

Michael King was absolutely bricking it. Today was the today. The final round of matches for this Premier League season. And as fate would have it, his West Ham side were about to face Tottenham Hotspur. The team who currently led by three points. A win would see Michael King's side take the Premier League trophy home. Anything less would see it go to their London-based rivals. The match, like all other games that day, would kick off at 3pm. 

That vital hour was ticking ever closer. London Stadium was beginning to fill to the rafters. West Ham fans, Spurs fans and neutrals all packed into the stadium, eager to see whether either team could claim their first ever Premier League title. Michael's family were amongst the faces, he knew that. So too were his friends and girlfriend who the media had unfortunately become aware of. Like in the FA Cup final last season, he knew he couldn't let the players know how nervous he was. He shuffled into the dressing room, Andries Jonker following close behind. The players  sat eagerly, some looked nervous, others looked strong and focused. Michael began to address them.

“LADS!”, he began with a slight smile. Most of the players knew what was coming. “IT'S TOTTENHAM!” A roar came up from his team. 

“Now is your moment! This is your time to prove that we should be taken seriously. They're not better than you. Do you remember the score when we played them away?”

Silence. 

“I SAID DO YOU REMEMBER THE SCORE WHEN WE PLAYED THEM AWAY?!”

“FOUR-NIL!!!”, the players yelled back.

“THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THEM! YOU CAN BEAT THEM! FOUR! ****ING! NIL! THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF! NOW GO OUT THERE AND DO IT AGAIN! THIS IS YOUR MOMENT!”, Michael roared. Team talks weren't usually his thing but he'd aced this one. The players looked ready for anything. They sprinted out of the changing room, pumped and ready for the match ahead. And something about their motivation began to ease his nerves. Andries patted him on the shoulder and followed the players out. Michael drew in a deep breath, steadied himself and left the dressing room.  

It was time.

[oriole01]

GWANNN HAMMURSSS

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

“Welcome to BT Sport's coverage of the final games of this Premier League season. I'm Gary Lineker and I finally have a new co-commentator! Welcome José Mourinho!”

“Yes, hello. I sink this will be uh... a good game. Entertainment. Good football. I uh... look forward to working wis you.”

“You too, José. No surprises with either of the lineups today. We have an interesting battle for the Golden Boot between Kane and Maicon today. You're a neutral today José as am I? If you had to pick, who would you want to win?”

“I am not biased. You know that. I don't have a favourite. I sink the viewers would not like if I gave a favourite.”

“What about the battle for the Golden Boot between Kane and Maicon? Any inclination as to who'll win that?”

“I do not know. I cannot say. Either way, it make people unhappy. People complain. I will say nussing about this.”

“Alright er... Fair enough. Honestly, I don't mind what happens as long as we don't have any-”

“Ah, for **** sake.”

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

“Well the players have shaken hands and the anthem has been sung. West Ham have won the toss and they'll kick us off.” 

1'- GL: “And the game starts. West Ham have kicked off. Let's hope for a thriller!”

10'- JM: “Spurs are playing lovely defensive football. It's pragmatic. It's effective. They do not need to attack. A draw will win them the title. It's beautiful to watch.”

17'- GL: “Spurs free kick in a dangerous position. Just on the edge of the box. It's Cervi to take it. It's looking good and IT'S HIT THE POST! So close to Spurs taking the lead!”

22'- JM: “Maicon has uh...made a great run. He dribbled past the de-fence. He makes the cross and it's POZO! SO CLOSE! Brilliant Dave from Strakosha. Poor header from Pozo though. He must do better.”

 

24'- GL: “West Ham have been dominant so far. Spurs yet to attempt a shot on target. The hammers are building something here. It's worked out to the left. Fabio Martins has it. It's a great cross and it's JOSÉ TAVARESSSSSS!!! ONE-NIL TO THE HAMMERS! THEY REGAIN TOP SPOT! A LOVELY TEAM GOAL AND A WELL-DESERVED LEAD!”

36'- JM: “Spurs don't look responsive. It hasn't sunk in that they're losing the match and the title. They're weak mentally I sink. No fight from them.”

45'- GL: “Half time here at London Stadium. West Ham hold a deserved one-nil lead.”

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

47'- JM: “Spurs are moving well here. Some nice uh... passing moves. The ball is sprayed to the left. The cross comes in and it's HARRY KANE! OH HOW'S HE MISSED? Pathetic really. You know he erm... has to uh... do better from there.”

52'- GL: “West Ham have cleared this corner and they're bursting forward on the counter attack. Maicon finds Tavares. He plays it forward to Pozo. Great dribbling from Pozo! He bursts into the box and hits it straight at the keeper! That's an awful finish there. Should've been 2-0.”

60'- JM: “Jedvaj intercepts Fekir's pass. West Ham begin to build from the back. It's launched forward. Beautiful long pass football. Mangala wins it in the air. Maicon dispossesses him! He plays a great ball to Pozo. Pozo Burt's down the right wing. It's a great run! He crosses for Tavares. Great defending  from Alderweireld. West Ham corner. Martins to Winks on the edge of the box. Winks to TAVARESSSSS! BEAUTIFUL SNAPSHOT FROM TAVARES! TWO-NIL. UP HERE! SPURS HAVE NOT SHOWN FIGHT! NO PASSION! West Ham now lead the Premier League.”

74'- GL: “Spurs have been poor so far but they have a free kick in a dangerous position. Fekir to send it in from out wide. He finds Kane's head but it's over! So, so close. Very unlucky for Kane.”

75'- JM: “West Ham erm... coming forward. Lovely long ball to Tavares. He nods it down for Pozo. Great run here from Pozo. BRILLIANT LOW CROSS INTO MAICOOOOOON!!! IT'S THREE!!! WEST HAM ARE THREE GOALS TO THE GOOD AND HAVE SURELY WON THE PREMIER LEAGUE! MAICON HAS ALSO SURELY WON HIMSELF THE GOLDEN BOOT!”

82'- GL: “Spurs just look deflated. They're all out of ideas. They've had just the one shot on target all game. Winks comes off against his old club to be replaced by Patrik Nyman.”

90+2'- JM: “IT'S ALL OVER! WEST HAM ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND!!! THE FANS ARE JUBILANT! THE PLAYERS ARE ECSTATIC! THE MANAGER'S SHOCKED! Spurs were weak mentally today. It's a deserved result.”

GL: Who would've thought we'd see the day? West Ham are Premier League champions! It's a great result for the game.”

 

 

Edited March 24, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake
Picture of third goal in wrong place

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Great year for Maicon! He absolutely swept up the awards!

He was really important to us this year. Average ratings were very solid and he could always be relied upon. Big factor in our success.

Yes!!! Manager of the Year! Apparently King's pulled a reverse Michael Jackson. 

[kidthekid]

Nice

Edited March 25, 2018 by kidthekid

[kidthekid]

3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

GL: Who would've thought we'd see the day? West Ham are Premier League champions! It's a great result for the game.”

Indeed!!

Edited March 25, 2018 by kidthekid

[ManUtd1]

37 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Indeed!!

Football is saved.

[oriole01]

Congrats on the PL win!!! You've done extraordinarily well with West Ham in a short amount of time, it's been a great ride so far. Now go out and get that CL next!

Quote

Apparently King's pulled a reverse Michael Jackson.

Must have been the scouting trip to Yemen...

Edited March 25, 2018 by oriole01

[ManUtd1]

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

9 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Nice

Cheers! 

9 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Indeed!!

 I just had to throw it in there.

6 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Congrats on the PL win!!! You've done extraordinarily well with West Ham in a short amount of time, it's been a great ride so far. Now go out and get that CL next!

Cheers mate! I don't know fully what it is but something's just clicked at West Ham. As for the CL, that'll be posted later on today...

6 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Must have been the scouting trip to Yemen...

Of course. That or it's his new plan to not get spotted by Joel.

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

“Welcome to BT Sport's live coverage of the Champions League final between West Ham United and Atletico Madrid. I'm your commentator Gary Lineker and with me is José Mourinho.”

“Uh yes, hello. I sink zis will be an entertaining game. I look forward to it.”

“Have you got a preference for the winner of this one, José?”

“Yes. Atletico Madrid. I like Diego. He play good football. He's not afraid of defence. He park bus if needed. I will hope for Atletico win.”

“Fair enough, José. I'm neutral personally.”

The words “boring c***” can be faintly heard from one of the cameramen. Lineker glares in their direction before continuing.

“Well José, you're relatively new to the commentary box and people will be eager to hear your thoughts. What do you think of Michael King?”

“I do not like the man. I will not lie. He is a specialist in fraudulence. He fail with Southampton and he eventually fail at West Ham. I think he gets found out soon. The media, the fans, they hype him up. But he does not deserve hype.”

“I think that's a bit harsh José. Also, quite controversial. Maybe it's English bias but I like the lad. He's solid in the transfer market and he's not afraid  to play English players either. His football is entertaining too. Anyway, enough discussions. It's time for a quick ad break and we'll have our match after that.”

 

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

If Michael thought he was nervous before the Spurs game, it was nothing compared to the anxiety he felt now. It was the night of the Champions League final at the Amsterdam ArenA. His West Ham vs Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. And Atletico Madrid were stacked. They had multiple talented players, such as Carrasco the speedy Belgian winger, Munir the talented Spanish striker and Dhiego André a brilliant 20 year old defensive midfielder who Michael had eyed up while Dhiego was at Santos. It wouldn't be easy, that was for sure. But his side was very capable as well. Maicon, Pozo, José Tavares to name a few. He navigated the corridors of the large stadium with Jonker in tow before finding himself at the West Ham dressing room. He began his team talk.

“Right, lads. It's probably the most important game you'll ever play. This stadium is full of expectant fans who've made the long journey for this. Fans who've waited the whole two weeks for this. For a lot of people in this stadium, this game could make their entire year. Now is anyone here comfortable with letting them down?”

Murmurs of “No” came up from his lads.

“I SAID IS ANYONE HERE COMFORTABLE WITH LETTING THEM DOWN?!”

“NO!!!”, the players yelled back.

“GOOD! Well in that case, go out there and beat these ****ers! They're not better than you! They've lost 5 Champions League finals! I know some of you might be nervous. Some of you might be downright cacking it. But you know what they say. Eat nerves, s*** results! NOW GO OUT THERE AND BRING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BACK TO LONDON!!!”

A roar came up from the players. They left the dressing room in high spirits. Michael felt proud of himself. Two good team talks from two now. Maybe, he felt, he should buy a lottery ticket. 

Out on the pitch, the players lined up to shake hands. Michael went over to Diego Simeone to do the same. The two opponents shook hands firmly, both trying to appear powerful. As they did so, Diego pulled Michael slightly closer and angled his head to whisper into his ear, making sure the cameras couldn't pick up on it. 

“We're going to chew you up and spit you out. We'll whip this trophy away from you like I did with Dhiego André. There's a reason he joined us. We're the better side and you'll see that tonight.”, he growled. And with that, he pulled back and strolled over to his technical area. 

“Pretty confident for a manger who's lost so many finals.”, Michael muttered to no one in particular. And he too paced over to his dugout.

The players went to their respective sides. And the ref blew his whistle. The 2023 Champions League final had begun.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

“Welcome back to BT Sport's live coverage of the Champions League final between West Ham United and Atletico Madrid. I'm Gary Lineker and I'm joined by José mourinho.”

1'- JM: “The match kicks off. I sink we are in for a thrilling game between two teams who've never won the competition. Simeone's playing his typical 4-4-2. I love it. Very defensively solid tactic.

6'- GL: “West Ham free kick about thirty yards out. Pozo to take. It's a great strike... AND A BRILLIANT SAVE FROM JAN OBLAK! BUT HIS PARRIED SAVE LANDS AT THE FEET OF PEDRO OBIANNNNNGGG! ONE-NIL TO THE HAMMERS!!! WHAT A GREAT START!”

10'- JM: “Pozo with the free kick now from out wide. The ball is good. But it's headed away by Giovanni Simeone. Shaw picks up on the loose ball. He makes a run to the wing and crosses. Cleared by Arana. Winks gets to the ball and returns it to Shaw. He runs out wide again. He send one in for OBIANNNNNGGG!!! HE'S SCORED AGAIN! WEST HAM ARE TWO GOALS UP IN TEN MINUTES! GOOD CROSS FROM SHAW! WHY COULDN'T HE DO THIS WHILE I WAS IN CHARGE?”

13'- GL: “West Ham have won the ball back. They burst forward on the counter attack. Maicon drops deep to receive. He passed to Winks. Winks to Tavares. Lovely through ball from Tavares to Pozo! OH, HOW HAS HE MISSED?! Straight at the keeper! Awful finish.

33'- JM: “West Ham are attacking. Adjapong now. Lovely long pass to Bailey. Bailey with a great run and it's a brilliant cross to POZOOOO!!! IT'S THREE-NIL. WHY ISNT SIMEONE'S DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL WORKING? THEY'RE BEING TORN APART! I'm so disappointed. People might walk away from this thinking defensive football isn't the way to go.

41'- GL: “West Ham throw in just inside Atletico's half. Shaw to Obiang. He plays it to Tavares. It's back to Winks. Beautiful through ball into MAICOOOOOONNN!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WEST HAM ARE FOUR-NIL UP? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ATLETICO MADRID?! They've absolutely collapsed tonight.

44'- JM: “West Ham building something here. Obiang back to Adjapong. He find Bailey. Lovely pass to Tavares. His cross is cleared and now it's Koke. He passes back to Giminez. Poor touch from Giminez and Maicon is closing in! Maicon steals the ball of him!!! MAICON'S ONE ON ONE WITH OBLAK AND HE MAKES IT FIVE!!! WEST HAM ARE FIVE-NIL UP! I can't bear to watch Simeone's football being tarnished in this way. I'll see you at full time, Gary.”

45'- GL: “Looks like it's just me from here on in. Half time here and West Ham are five goals to the good. It's absolutely incredible. I've never seen anything like it.”

60'- “Very little happening. Atletico Madrid are deflated and are not sure what to do. West Ham are happy to just sit back with their five goal margin of victory.”

76'- “Maicon has come off for Hernandez. Surprising as he was on a hat trick. Probably a sentimental move from King as this is likely Hernandez's last West Ham game.”

90'- “Three minutes of added time here. I doubt it'll change anything.”

90+3'- “FULL TIME!!! WEST HAM HAVE DONE THE DOUBLE!!! THE TREBLE IF YOU COUNT THE COMMUNITY SHIELD BUT NO ONE DOES! THEY'RE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE FOR 2023! A BRILLIANT, CLINICAL DISPLAY!!!”

 

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Safe to say the board were happy. They didn't even expect us to get out of the group! 

And to top of a great CL campaign, Maicon takes home the Golden Boot.

 

[ManUtd1]

Nicely done, man!  What a great season!

What's up next, though?  Staying at West Ham, to see what you can do next year...?  Cashing in on your success and moving on...?

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

8 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Nicely done, man!  What a great season!

What's up next, though?  Staying at West Ham, to see what you can do next year...?  Cashing in on your success and moving on...?

Cheers!

As for what's next, I haven't really decided. My next post was going to be to do with that. Basically asking ye what ye think and seeing if that helps me make up my mind. Would you prefer to see me stay or go? I'm torn personally. Part of me feels it's premature to leave and I should see if I can repeat these successes but the other part of me feels like I've done what I can here and that I should go. I'm really in two minds about it.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake

[oriole01]

First of all, amazing result. I don't think I've ever seen a Champions League final that one-sided, in real life or on FM. Like I've said many times before, you've done an absolutely remarkable job at West Ham in a short amount of time, from relegation threat to CL champions in just two and a half seasons... mental. Congratulations!

Secondly, what's next for the save? I assume you'll go for the CWC, Super Cup, and a repeat of the CL next season? Will you be staying with West Ham and winning as much as you can for the forseeable future, or will you move on to another club? Or a new save? Many questions to be asked and answered! Based on this achievement though, you should do just fine wherever you go.

[BoxToBox]

Moving on to pastures new could be fun, but it'd be harder to torment Southampton from Spain...

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

10 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

First of all, amazing result. I don't think I've ever seen a Champions League final that one-sided, in real life or on FM. Like I've said many times before, you've done an absolutely remarkable job at West Ham in a short amount of time, from relegation threat to CL champions in just two and a half seasons... mental. Congratulations!

Cheers mate! It's been a mental couple of seasons. Everything's just clicked and I could have never expected it to go this good. The main players to thank for that would be Maicon, Antonio, Horvath, Pozo and Winks as well as a good few others. 

11 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

Secondly, what's next for the save? I assume you'll go for the CWC, Super Cup, and a repeat of the CL next season? Will you be staying with West Ham and winning as much as you can for the forseeable future, or will you move on to another club? Or a new save? Many questions to be asked and answered! Based on this achievement though, you should do just fine wherever you go.

As I said to @ManUtd1, I've absolutely no idea. Part of me thinks that I should stay and prove this wasn't a fluke. Maybe try and build a Ferguson-esque legacy. The other part of me thinks I'm not going to be able to top that and I should move to a new club. Any input is welcome because I'm an indecisive ****er. 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

6 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Moving on to pastures new could be fun, but it'd be harder to torment Southampton from Spain...

That's true. The narrative might suffer if I move which is something that I need to consider. If Southampton are going to stay as mediocre and irrelevant as they are currently in this save, then I can affect them from abroad.