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Part 5 - Premier League Act II...
Premier League (2023/24)
Pre-season
Our first season back in the top tier of English football went rather well. We overcame our financial issues and left the 22/23 campaign on a solid footing, ready to go again with a summer overhaul of the squad.
As always it was a case of sell to buy as once again we removed a gaggle of players who had no further part to play in our future. Deals to sell the likes of Danny Ings for £9,500,000 saw us take a £30,000,000 loss on our investment the previous summer, but we had to be committed to the project.
Once again we ramped up our purchasing department offerings. We would spend £208,000,000 as Juan Foyth at £50,000,000 became the club record signing, whilst Zouma, Klostermann and Diop all came in at around the £40,000,000 mark as we focused on rebuilding the defence.
However all our spending came to an abrupt end with the news that for the 3rd time, the club would be place into the hands of the administrators...
The obligatory -9pt deduction was to come, but before that we would suffer 3 player losses as those in charge took control of our transfer dealings. Most importantly we would see Justin Kluivert make a £35,500,000 move to Spurs, as one of our better players from last year moved on without a fuss. We also lost the young Trevor Chalobah as Brighton took him on for just over £15,000,000.
It was a harsh end to our summer dealings, fortunately the club once again secured its future with yet another CVA, but maybe there is a reality check in there for us as we again will start the season playing catchup with the rest of the league.
The Season (pre-January Window)
The squad was easily capable of good things this year, we just needed to work that bit harder to get on par with our peers. We began with a pair of defeats, before the first Second City Derby came our way with a trip to Villa Park. Once there, we had little to fear as Aston had very little change from us, leaving Paco Alcacer to score the games only goal and give us our first points of the campaign.
We put on a typical lower half team run of results, nick a win or 2 (Reading and Brighton 1-0) before losing to the better sides, 1-4 at Anfield, 0-3 at the Etihad and losses at home to the EPLs North London residents. There was some joy at Christmas when we edge Manchester United out 2-1 to end the year on a high, but we remained in the dropzone thanks to our points deduction
The January Window
With the summer being a focus on our back line, in January we added quality to our attacking options. The experienced England star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his way to St. Andrews in a £42,000,000 deal, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning from Germany as we doubled up on our double-barrel signings. We then added a youthful look to the squad with Joe Willock coming in from Arsenal and Jovan Cabral from Sporting, to bring our winter spree to over £130,000,000.
Pushing on
The challenge now was to kick on in the 2nd half of the campaign. Sadly we won just twice going through February as we continued to kick the can around the relegation zone. Back to back home wins over West Ham and Leicester seemed to ignite a fire in the squad, but a tough run of fixtures saw us lose 4 on the bounce, to Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal, scoring just twice and conceding 11.
With 3 to play we needed results and thankfully Villa were up next, as our gimme 3pts come in handy at the right time. We then knew a win over Southampton would be enough to remain a Premier League club, something we sealed with a comfy 2-0 win as we did enough to come in 14th, again without the points deduction our form would have rewarded us with a Top 10 finish.
Second City Derby
Oh dear Villa! Not only did we do the double, thanks to a pair of 1-0 wins, we also watched the 'Vile' go back down, 24pts adrift of us in 20th place.
The F.A. Cup
We are a little upset here as we should have had at least 1 trip to Wembley out of the FA Cup. We thumped our way past Huddersfield, Bristol Cuty and Forest to setup what should have been a winnable Q/F at Bournemouth. For some reason we failed to turn up and an early Lerma strike ended our cup hopes at the worst time.
Capital One Cup
There is something special about winning your first major trophy at a club and this was it! A run started back in August with a 5 goal shovelling of Bristol City, would come to a dramatic climax with a penalty shootout Semi Final win over Man. City and then a special 2-0 win in the Final over Man. United.
Our English duo of Zaha and Loftus-Cheek would be the heroes of our Final win, but all round it proved to be a special night in Birmingham and a well deserved bus parade for the returning victors.
Player Stats
Position Selected | Inf | Name | Position | Morale | Last 5 Games | CON/SHP | Playing Time Happiness | Apps | Gls | Ast | Av Rat| | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Spt | Arijanet Muric | GK | Poor | 7.10 | 100% | Happy | - | - | - | - | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Int | Nick Pope | GK | Really Good | 6.82 | 95% | Delighted | 49 | 0 | 0 | 6.84 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ben White | D (RC) | Good | 6.90 | 100% | Concerned | 7 (9) | 0 | 0 | 6.91 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Issa Diop | D (C) | Very Good | 6.96 | 89% | Delighted | 34 (5) | 1 | 0 | 6.99 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | PR | Juan Foyth | D (RC), DM | Excellent | 6.76 | 89% | Delighted | 43 | 3 | 1 | 6.95 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Int | Pierre-Emile Højbjerg | D (C), DM, M/AM (C) | Fairly Good | 6.64 | 95% | Concerned | 4 (27) | 0 | 3 | 6.71 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Bryan Cristante | D (C), DM, M/AM (C) | Really Good | 7.02 | 85% | Delighted | 29 | 2 | 2 | 6.98 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Kurt Zouma | D (RC), DM | Quite Good | 6.66 | 99% | Concerned | 17 (9) | 1 | 0 | 6.88 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Brandon Williams | D (RL), WB/M/AM (L) | Fair | 6.78 | 100% | Concerned | 20 (7) | 1 | 1 | 6.78 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Spt | Luke Shaw | D/WB (L) | Okay | 6.82 | 84% | Happy | 23 (6) | 0 | 1 | 6.94 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Diogo Dalot | D (RL), WB (R) | Poor | 6.88 | 100% | Alienated | 18 (4) | 0 | 2 | 6.89 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Agn | Lukas Klostermann | D (RLC), WB (R) | Good | 6.84 | 92% | Delighted | 34 (6) | 0 | 1 | 6.80 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | PR | Fred | DM, M (C) | Very Good | 6.62 | 95% | Happy | 32 (8) | 2 | 6 | 6.86 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | DM, M/AM (C), ST (C) | Extremely Good | 6.82 | 90% | Delighted | 20 (2) | 4 | 0 | 6.95 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | DM, M (RC), AM (RLC) | Very Good | 7.24 | 71% | Delighted | 19 | 1 | 2 | 7.12 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Joe Willock | DM, M (C), AM (RLC) | Good | 6.78 | 100% | Concerned | 0 (4) | 0 | 0 | 6.70 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Marko Pjaca | M (L), AM (RLC), ST (C) | Abysmal | 6.68 | 100% | Concerned | 6 (7) | 2 | 0 | 6.76 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Wilfried Zaha | M/AM (RL), ST (C) | Good | 7.04 | 94% | Delighted | 41 | 15 | 4 | 7.15 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Demarai Gray | M/AM (RL), ST (C) | Really Good | 6.70 | 81% | Delighted | 39 (1) | 7 | 7 | 7.04 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Jovane Cabral | M/AM (RL) | Excellent | 7.66 | 80% | Delighted | 24 | 4 | 11 | 7.38 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Eddie Nketiah | AM (RLC), ST (C) | Abysmal | 6.64 | 95% | Delighted | 34 (12) | 6 | 4 | 6.82 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | PR | Rhian Brewster | AM (RL), ST (C) | Extremely Good | 6.78 | 100% | Satisfied | 2 (25) | 3 | 0 | 6.72 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Paco Alcácer | AM (L), ST (C) | Superb | 6.74 | 92% | Delighted | 42 (3) | 13 | 5 | 6.86 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Transfers In/Out
IN
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/7/2023 | Juan Foyth | RB Leipzig | £50M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4/7/2023 | Kurt Zouma | Bournemouth | £40M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2023 | Lukas Klostermann | RB Leipzig | £40M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/7/2023 | Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace | £28M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2023 | Arijanet Muric | Man City | £2.1M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/8/2023 | Issa Diop | West Ham | £38M | | 1/1/2024 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Liverpool | £42M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/1/2024 | Jovane Cabral | Sporting CP | £30M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/1/2024 | Joe Willock | Arsenal | £19.25M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/1/2024 | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | Wolfsburg | £40M | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
OUT
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2023 | Loris Karius | Genoa | £4.2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2023 | Matty Cash | Huddersfield | £275K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2023 | Danny Ings | Olympiacos | £9.5M (£11.75M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2023 | Moise Kean | Torino | £5.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2023 | Isaac Hayden | Brighton | £6M (£7.25M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2023 | Bradley Dack | Bristol City | £1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16/8/2023 | Antonee Robinson | Norwich | £15.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19/8/2023 | Wesley Hoedt | AEK | £2.9M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 26/8/2023 | Justin Kluivert | Tottenham | £35.5M (£43M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/9/2023 | Andreas Pereira | Everton | £5.25M (£6.5M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/9/2023 | Trevoh Chalobah | Brighton | £15.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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Part 4 - Can We Survive...
Barclaycard Premiership (2022/23)
Pre-season
We have reached the promised land, the pot of gold, riches that only the rich can dream of.. so with that in mind we had to ensure we remained at the dinner table to continue to feast with the others.
The only way to do that? Spend big but wisely. As always we would balance the books with our departures, 16 left in the summer, 2 of which we didnt want to lose, that being Jack Butland on a bosman as he moved on to Spurs, whilst for some reason the board went over my head and let Harry Wilson move on to Norwich as we lost our top creative outlet. In total we would raise the best part of £70,000,000 in the clearout.
Our incomings came in at another level. We looked for Premier League experience and we got that in waves. Lets get this out of the way, our spend was £340,000,000, a pittance compared to the TV money we will get, but still a significant outlay for Premiership debutants.
The names would roll of the tongue as one by one they came through the hallowed halls of St. Andrews; Hojberg, Fred, Danny Ings, Danny Rose, Justin Kluivert, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Paco Alcacer to name but a few. We made clear our intentions, we are here to finish 17th and go again next year. The board fully backed the ambitious nature of our dealings and with our weekly wage bill now at £2,600,000 we are committed to survival.
The Season (pre-January Window)
It was a tough start for us, the Manchester clubs came to Birmingham and battered us 1-3 (City) and 0-5 (United) as we split those beatings by winning at the Dell. We followed that up with 3 straight draws, finally stopping our home setbacks by nicking a point off of Liverpool in a 2-2 thriller... then came the news...
Here we go again!
Just 12 days after the transfer window had closed, the board caved in. The ambitious move they made in order to give me a competitive team, appeared to have backfire... for the 2nd time in 2 years the Administrators made their way to St. Andrews and set up shop.
Yet again we had been punished for daring to dream, our £500,000,000 debts needed clearing but on the field the team would face a -9pt deduction, leaving us on -3 for the season and looking up.
The Players React....
If administration gelled the team in the Championship, the same couldnt be said for the Premiership. 4 straight defeats from the news left us in tatters. Home hammerings by Palace (0-3) and Chelsea (0-4) compounded our misery, as we would pick up 2 points from the 18 available.
Fortunately we would stuff Newcastle before the World Cup break, but we would head into the new year on just 2pts and well adrift of the pack above. The better news coming from this break would be our exit from admin and a new CVA arranged for a mere £31,500,000 as we moved forward on a sound financial footing.
The January Window
We bode our time in order to get the right players here, January began with 3 straight defeats, before the biggest deal of our season was made as Nick Pope arrived from Burnley for £30,000,000 and things began to get organised. We would also cash back in on Danny Rose who never played a game for us whilst earning over £120,000 per week as we set out to make the squad more manageable.
It was a dramatic change! We would win 4 on the spin all with clean sheets, as our gap to survival was closed and hope ignited. Burnley, Leicester and West Ham fell as we won 3 straight home games, before a confidence boosting win at Palace put us in charge of our own destiny.
Can we stay up?
7pts from 15 in February was a decent return, highlighted by a 5-0 win at West Ham as we now could look down on the teams around us. March saw 2 wins from 3, that included a 3-2 home win over the Gunners, before April sealed our survival as we beat Tottenham and Wolves at home, coupling that with solid points at Blackburn and Newcastle.
Our final pair of home games became goal gluts as we enjoyed pressure free football, stuffing Reading 4-0 and then a 6-1 beasting of Bournemouth inspired by 5-goal Brewster. Our season would end on the low of away defeats at Manchester United and Liverpool, but they were irrelevant, we had done enough and the fans enjoyed their days out.
From the fear of being new, to the horror of administration and staring a negative points tally in the face, we turned things around in the new year to comfortably avoid the drop by 10pts, as our record (without the deduction) would have seen us finish 10th as we upset the applecart and established ourselves as a worthy Premiership foe.
Second City Derby
Here we go... not this year, but next.. the Vile are up, they blagged it in the playoffs but its on next year, the Second City Derby is back and its our time to shine.
The F.A. Cup
In and out as Liverpool conquered us AET. Disappointing but it came at a time when our form was poor and league survival counted for more.
Capital One Cup
Liverpool also beat us in the early stages of the League Cup. The 2-3 loss in front of the cameras gave the nation some enjoyment but we had bigger fish to fry.
Player Stats
| Position Selected | Inf | Name | Position | Morale | Last 5 Games | CON/SHP | Playing Time Happiness | Apps | Gls | Ast | Av Rat| | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Loris Karius | GK | Quite Good | 6.84 | 100% | Concerned | 23 | 0 | 0 | 6.85 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Nick Pope | GK | Fairly Good | 6.88 | 95% | Very Happy | 18 | 0 | 0 | 6.85 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ben White | D (RC) | Fair | 7.24 | 91% | Delighted | 38 | 2 | 0 | 7.04 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Wesley Hoedt | D (C) | Okay | 7.48 | 99% | Happy | 20 (2) | 0 | 1 | 7.01 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Matty Cash | D/WB/M/AM (R) | Poor | 6.88 | 100% | Alienated | 6 (1) | 0 | 1 | 6.88 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Pierre-Emile Højbjerg | D (C), DM, M/AM (C) | Slightly Poor | 7.02 | 87% | Satisfied | 9 (23) | 1 | 2 | 6.83 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Isaac Hayden | D (R), DM, M (C) | Fairly Good | 6.72 | 100% | Concerned | 1 (11) | 0 | 0 | 6.71 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Trevoh Chalobah | D (RC), DM, M (C) | Slightly Poor | 7.08 | 92% | Delighted | 29 (2) | 2 | 1 | 7.05 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Bryan Cristante | D (C), DM, M/AM (C) | Fairly Good | 7.10 | 77% | Delighted | 32 | 1 | 2 | 6.96 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Brandon Williams | D (RL), WB/AM (L) | Fairly Okay | 7.14 | 91% | Delighted | 33 (1) | 3 | 3 | 7.13 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Luke Shaw | D/WB (L) | Fair | 6.82 | 100% | Satisfied | 7 (4) | 0 | 0 | 6.83 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Diogo Dalot | D (RL), WB (R) | Fairly Poor | 6.74 | 78% | Delighted | 31 | 0 | 3 | 6.88 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Fred | DM, M (C) | Fairly Poor | 6.74 | 88% | Delighted | 39 | 4 | 0 | 6.96 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Marko Pjaca | M (L), AM (RLC), ST (C) | Quite Good | 6.80 | 100% | Concerned | 4 (15) | 2 | 0 | 6.70 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Andreas Pereira | M/AM (RLC), ST (C) | Quite Good | 6.62 | 99% | Very Happy | 12 (17) | 4 | 4 | 6.78 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Demarai Gray | M/AM (RL), ST (C) | Slightly Poor | 7.60 | 81% | Very Happy | 18 | 3 | 2 | 7.12 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Justin Kluivert | M/AM (RL) | Fairly Good | 7.52 | 84% | Delighted | 40 | 4 | 14 | 7.05 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Joshua King | M (L), AM (RLC), ST (C) | Fairly Okay | 6.70 | 100% | Concerned | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 6.70 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Rhian Brewster | AM (RL), ST (C) | Fairly Good | 7.86 | 96% | Delighted | 25 (10) | 17 | 1 | 7.05 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Moise Kean | AM (RL), ST (C) | Superb | 6.66 | 100% | Satisfied | 11 (8) | 1 | 0 | 6.64 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Paco Alcácer | AM (L), ST (C) | Quite Good | 6.84 | 90% | Delighted | 32 | 9 | 1 | 6.95 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Neal Maupay | AM (L), ST (C) | Perfect | 6.68 | 95% | Satisfied | 11 (10) | 1 | 4 | 6.85 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Prm | Danny Ings | ST (C) | Okay | 6.56 | 100% | Alienated | 2 (6) | 0 | 0 | 6.60 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Transfers In/Out
IN
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Fred | Man Utd | £22M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Danny Ings | Southampton | £40M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Neal Maupay | Brighton | £40M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu | Birmingham | £175K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Loris Karius | Liverpool | £8.25M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Danny Rose | Brighton | £20M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Ben White | Brighton | £30M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Brandon Williams | Newcastle | £30M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2022 | Justin Kluivert | Roma | £18M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11/7/2022 | Diogo Dalot | Man Utd | £15.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2022 | Luke Shaw | Man Utd | £10.25M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17/8/2022 | Bryan Cristante | Roma | £17.25M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/9/2022 | Paco Alcácer | Villarreal | £29M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2023 | Demarai Gray | Wolves | £15M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2023 | Nick Pope | Burnley | £30M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
OUT
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Sean Morrison | Portsmouth | £1.4M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Britt Assombalonga | Swansea | £7M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/6/2022 | Diego Rico | Bristol City | £1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11/6/2022 | Ebere Eze | Reading | £8.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2022 | Jack Butland | Tottenham | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2022 | Harry Arter | Alavés | £725K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2022 | Jonjo Shelvey | Genoa | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2022 | Ben Gibson | Crotone | £2.2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4/7/2022 | Harrison Reed | Norwich | £10.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2022 | Robbie Brady | Rangers | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2022 | Bright Osayi-Samuel| Stoke | £1.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2022 | Lloyd Kelly | Watford | £2.7M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14/7/2022 | Ryan Fredericks | PAOK | £3.6M (£4.4M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 28/7/2022 | Bradley Dack | Real Valladolid | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4/8/2022 | Antonee Robinson | Getafe | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/9/2022 | Harry Wilson | Norwich | £26.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6/1/2023 | Danny Rose | Chongqing | £10.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/1/2023 | Josh Brownhill | Nottm Forest | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15/1/2023 | Philip Billing | Watford | £975K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21/1/2023 | Joshua King | Molde | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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Part 3 - Project Promotion...
Nationwide Football League Division One (2021/22)
Pre-season
After 2 consecutive heartbreaking playoff losses we knew that the only way to overcome that was to re-charge the squad with quality and depth that we have lacked. Sadly our pre-season got off to the worse start possibly as Ismaila Sarr was snatched by Burnley on a free transfer, as they activated his £0 non-promotion release clause as soon as our Wembley loss was confirmed.
We then proceeded to shake things up, raising just shy of £60,000,000 in sales as we cut our losses on some of our squad players, whilst also letting Karlan Grant move on to Cardiff in a deal rising to £19,000,000.
All these deals allowed us to make our own moves and although we only spent £131,000,000 this window, we added alot of quality as we raided Premier League squads to sign players of the ilk such as; Josh King, Philip Billing, Wesley Hoedt, Josh Brownhill, Marko Pjaca, Andreas Pereira and excitingly the young Moise Kean to lead our line.
We also added 43 year old Gianluigi Buffon to the mix as he chose to finally end his career with a spell in England as our number 2.
The Season (pre-January Window)
We started well, very well in fact winning 7 of our opening 8 games, keeping 6 clean sheets and racing to the top of the table as we head into October. We did then stutter with away defeats at Blackburn and Wigan, but they were mere blips as the goals rained in with Barnsley and WBA going down 3-0, whilst Millwall took 5 from our rampant attack.
A Setback?
Everything was rosey at St. Andrews but things behind the scenes began to hit the headlines, then after we had beaten WBA the news broke...
Administration was confirmed, the club mired in a unsustainable £550,000,000 debt (and rising) the ownership had no other choice than to call in Administrators and the PFA to pay the players wages. All of this destroyed our hard work, the league imposed a 12pt deduction and we dropped from 1st to 8th as the clubs future looked uncertain.
The Players React....
Now things could have gone either way at this juncture, fortunately the squad remained united in their goal to put right the wrongs of the past 2 years. With their wages guaranteed we would go on a 7 game winning streak as we collected 29pts from an available 33 to end the year and end it on top of the table!
The January Window
There was no room for us to do anything, our budgets were frozen and infact we were now liable to rogue transfers out, as the administrator looked to sell off anything he could. Fortunately the only major loss was Ethan Pinnock to Fulham, before a CVA was put in place to consolidate our debts down to just £150,000,000 and allow us to function as a club once more.
Promotion Chasing...
With the financial monkey now off our backs, thoughts returned to the pitch and how! January saw us go unbeaten, stretching our run to 16 games, before February rubber stamped our ambition as 6 wins and 5 clean sheets allowed us to romp clear, even with the 12pt handicap imposed.
March again saw 0 losses, 26 games in total, leaving us just 1 win away from winning promotion and the title. However the bubble suddenly popped, Preston and Wigan beat us and we were left hanging on.
Then on a Friday night, infront of the Sky cameras, Middlesbrough arrived at St. Andrews. The packed stadium sensed something special and it wasnt long before they would be on their feet singing... Wilson, Brewster, Pjaca and then Assombalonga all chipped in to seal a 4-0 win, promotion and the title.
Our celebrations continued with 6 more goals at Millwall, but with our foot well and truly off the gas and our 2nd team given the honour to finish the season, we lost twice more (including a 1-6 humbling by Brentford) but nothing soured the mood as the Premier League would finally have the real Brummies in town.
Second City Derby
Now if promotion wasnt special enough, it was made even sweeter as the stupid 'Vile' are coming down. Birmingham is well and truly Blue once more!
The F.A. Cup
Last year our mazy cup run started by beating QPR in the 3rd Round, this year we started there again... and also ended there.
The Rumbelows Cup
A solid cup run as we edged past Southend on penalties, before scoring for fun in wins over Ipswich and Watford. We should have beaten Brighton in the last 16, but would fall foul of a Wilshere red card as our 1-0 lead was overturned and our hopes ended.
Player Stats
| Position Selected | Inf | Name | Position | CON/SHP| Playing Time Happiness | Apps | Gls | Ast | Av Rat | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Ret | Gianluigi Buffon | GK | 99% | Happy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Jack Butland | GK | 98% | Delighted | 50 | 0 | 0 | 6.87 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Ben Gibson | D (C) | 91% | Alienated | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 6.70 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Sean Morrison | D (C) | 100% | Alienated | 9 (5) | 1 | 0 | 7.09 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Wesley Hoedt | D (C) | 95% | Delighted | 48 | 2 | 0 | 7.15 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Lloyd Kelly | D (LC) | 95% | Alienated | 3 (8) | 0 | 0 | 6.70 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ryan Fredericks | D/WB/M/AM (R) | 93% | Very Happy | 36 (2) | 5 | 8 | 7.36 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Matty Cash | D/WB/M/AM (R) | 98% | Satisfied | 15 (3) | 2 | 4 | 7.00 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Isaac Hayden | D (R), DM, M (C) | 94% | Delighted | 47 (1) | 7 | 5 | 7.12 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Trevoh Chalobah | D (RC), DM, M (C) | 95% | Delighted | 42 | 4 | 1 | 7.12 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Lst | Robbie Brady | D/WB (L), M (RL), AM (L) | 80% | Concerned | 29 | 1 | 1 | 6.71 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Antonee Robinson | D/WB (L) | 96% | Delighted | 31 (1) | 2 | 2 | 7.14 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Loa | Diego Rico | D/WB (L) | 99% | Satisfied | 20 (1) | 1 | 1 | 7.05 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Jonjo Shelvey | DM, M (C) | 99% | Concerned | 1 (4) | 0 | 0 | 6.66 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Harry Arter | DM, M (C) | 100% | Concerned | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 6.50 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Harrison Reed | DM, M (RC), AM (R) | 95% | Concerned | 1 (24) | 2 | 0 | 6.77 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Loa | Josh Brownhill | WB (R), M (RC) | | Concerned | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 6.70 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Philip Billing | DM, M (C) | 96% | Satisfied | 21 (14)| 2 | 1 | 6.86 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Wnt | Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu | DM, M (C) | | Concerned | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Agn | Bradley Dack | M/AM (C), ST (C) | 98% | Concerned | 1 (5) | 0 | 0 | 6.60 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Spt | Jed Wallace | M (R), AM (RC) | | Concerned | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Marko Pjaca | M (L), AM (RLC), ST (C) | 86% | Delighted | 41 (1) | 9 | 10 | 7.14 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Andreas Pereira | M/AM (RLC), ST (C) | 96% | Delighted | 44 | 5 | 17 | 7.37 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Harry Wilson | M/AM (RLC) | | Delighted | 44 (1) | 14 | 9 | 7.27 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Jack Wilshere | M (LC), AM (RLC) | 97% | Concerned | 3 (12) | 0 | 2 | 6.67 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Ebere Eze | M (LC), AM (RLC) | 94% | Unhappy | 2 (17) | 1 | 3 | 6.72 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Joshua King | M (L), AM (RLC), ST (C) | 98% | Concerned | 2 (20) | 3 | 0 | 6.71 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Rhian Brewster | AM (RL), ST (C) | | Delighted | 45 (1) | 18 | 7 | 7.11 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Moise Kean | AM (RL), ST (C) | 94% | Delighted | 50 | 19 | 8 | 7.09 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Britt Assombalonga | ST (C) | 100% | Very Happy | 3 (25) | 6 | 0 | 6.82 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Dwight Gayle | ST (C) | | Concerned | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Transfers In/Out
IN
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Philip Billing | Bournemouth | £6.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Wesley Hoedt | Southampton | £5.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Bradley Dack | Blackburn | £18M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Gianluigi Buffon | Free Transfer | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Trevoh Chalobah | Chelsea | £11.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2021 | Ben Gibson | Burnley | £8.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 25/7/2021 | Josh Brownhill | Burnley | £3.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 25/7/2021 | Isaac Hayden | Newcastle | £10.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 25/7/2021 | Marko Pjaca | Leeds | £15M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Antonee Robinson | Wigan | £15M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Andreas Pereira | Man Utd | £12.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Ben Osborn | Birmingham | £800K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Robbie Brady | Birmingham | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Moise Kean | Everton | £20M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
OUT
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21/6/2021 | Bryan Mbeumo | QPR | £9M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22/6/2021 | Bright Osayi-Samuel| Bristol City | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2021 | Sofiane Boufal | Angers | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2021 | Luke Ayling | Blackburn | £2.3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2021 | Kyle Bartley | Bristol City | £1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2021 | Josh Murphy | Famalicão | £4.6M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2021 | Álvaro Giménez | Millwall | £2.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2021 | Connor Mahoney | QPR | £10.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2021 | Emyr Huws | Millwall | £3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2021 | Saïd Benrahma | Huddersfield | £3.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14/7/2021 | Dominic Iorfa | Sheff Utd | £7.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16/7/2021 | Karlan Grant | Cardiff | £11.5M (£19M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17/7/2021 | Cauley Woodrow | Rotherham | £825K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17/7/2021 | Simone Scuffet | Portsmouth | £1.3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Ben Osborn | Stoke | £800K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2021 | Robbie Brady | CS Marítimo | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22/1/2022 | Jake Cooper | Nottm Forest | £425K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2022 | Ethan Pinnock | Fulham | £6M (£7M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
0 -
Part 2 - We Go Again...
Endsleigh Football League First Division (2020/21)
Pre-season
There is usually only one way to cure heartbreak and thats to spend a fortune on ice cream and chocolate. Well in football food isnt going to get you anywhere, so we decided to invest into the squad instead, spending over £200,000,000 (3rd highest in Europe) as our summer spree re-invigorated everyone at the club.
As usual the incomings were tempered with outgoings; notably we sold on Ivan Toney, Barry Douglas and Alex Mowatt all to newly promoted QPR. Other big sales saw Ollie Watkins and Lyle Taylor swap Brum for Derby as in total we raised just shy of £60,000,000 on shifting out deadweight from the squad.
However the real excitement was who was arriving at St. Andrews. We would smash the club transfer record by spending £38,500,000 on Rhian Brewster, whilst adding Harry Wilson in another £30,000,000 deal from Liverpool. Boufal and Reed arrived from Southampton, as well as the enigmatic Ismaila Sarr from relegated Waford. In total 15 new faces joined the squad, the cost puts our total spending since arriving at the club to over half a billion, whilst we now sit on a £1,600,000 per week wage bill.
The season (pre January Window)
Our start was almost perfect. 5 wins from our opening 6 fixtures saw us well in place alongside favourites Newcastle and Watford. Yet that was as good as it would get, as once again our run toward Christmas was littered with mis-fires and inconsistency. Only 6 more wins would come before the year was out as both November and December saw us collect just 1 win as we became easy pickings and sat crammed in a congested mid table place.
The January Window
Was boring, why? Well the club announced that its debt situation had become overwhelming. Rumours swirled that the club was to go into Administration. The current owners took out a £60,000,000 loan to combat the problem, but all that saw was the club remove all transfer budget and slash the 'allowed' wage bill to under £500,000 per week... something we would never be able to meet.
Fortunately we were able to prevent any players leaving, but once again, a huge turnaround would be needed to get us back into the promotion picture.
New Owners!
It had to come as the Chinese just couldnt drum up the funds to keep the club going. So with rumours abound, it was a consortium backed by Rosemary Johnson who took charge of proceedings. The hope was that money would wash over the club, sadly that came to nothing and instead a £267,000,000 loan was taken out to secure the clubs immediate future.
We wont know the full impact of this takeover until the summer, but depending on what league we are in, it could be a green sprout of hope for all Bluenose supporters.
Chasing the Playoffs and more...
We came back and a draw at Watford would be seen as a good result. The ripple of confidence began to swell and 7 wins from our next 9 put us right back into the mix. That run would see us win 4-0 at Forest and then stun Newcastle 5-1 at St. James to really signal our intent.
A stuttering 0-2 loss at Luton slowed us down, but that would be the last league defeat of the year for us as we would go on a 10 game unbeaten run to clinch our playoff place. Infact with 3 to play there was an outside sniff of the automatic places... however a 1-1 draw at home to Reading put paid to those hopes, leaving us in the playoff lottery for the 2nd straight season.
Playoffs
Deja-vous... why? Well its Brentford again as they will look not only to get revenge but also punish us for signing any decent player they have had!
1st leg at the Bees new ground and an early strike from Karlan Grant set the table, as the hosts couldnt live with our up tempo game as we all but sealed another trip to Wembley on the back of a 3-0 win. Back home and a sellout saw us see the tie out, it was goalless on the night but we were ready to line up the coaches to London once more.
Our foe in the Final this time, Nottingham Forest. During the season we had beaten them both times, 1-0 at home and that 4-0 away win at the turn of the year. Now you may remember last year penalties ended our chances and this year a penalty would again sway the tie. Unfortunately for us, it was a Lewis Grabban strike that would earn Forest a 1-0 win and a return to the Premier League.
Back to back playoff final losses sting, but with new owners and a potential stable financial outlook, the hope is that we can add some more quality to the squad and Go Again! To bring top flight football back to Birmingham.
Second City Derby
Still no derby and again Villa stayed up, this time by 4 points so we will continue to wait for our chance to get one over 'that lot'
The F.A. Cup
A dream run that ended in what would be a 2nd of 3 Wembley defeats suffered under my tenure. We edged out top flight QPR in the 3rd round, before romping past Rotherham to setup another Premier League opponent in Burnley.
The Clarets had little to trouble us and our 2-0 win put us into the last 8 and a dream tie at home to Manchester United. St Andrews was rammed, there were kids hanging off the floodlights as the unofficial attendance was rumoured to be nearer 50,000. Those fans would leave with huge smiles as we held our nerve to beat them on penalties after a pulsating 0-0 draw.
That sent us off to Wembley and for 80 minutes we looked as if we could push Chelsea all the way. Sadly tired legs crept in and Giroud would score a 10 minute hat trick to end our dreams and continue our Wembley hoodoo....
The Milk Cup
A changed lineup and a sloppy performance saw us lose to the MK Dons on penalties to cut our run very short.
Player Stats
| Position Selected | Inf | Name | Position | Morale | Last 5 Games | CON/SHP | Playing Time Happiness | Apps | Gls | Ast | Av Rat| | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Wnt | Jack Butland | GK | Good | | | Delighted | 55 | 0 | 0 | 6.79 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Jack Wilshere | M (C), AM (RLC) | Excellent | | | Very Happy | 28 (8) | 2 | 2 | 6.85 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | FtT | Jake Cooper | D (C) | Extremely Good | | | Delighted | 42 | 3 | 1 | 7.13 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Inj | Dwight Gayle | ST (C) | Excellent | | | Concerned | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Prm | Jed Wallace | M (R), AM (RC) | Really Good | | | Concerned | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 6.83 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Luke Ayling | D/WB (R) | Excellent | | | Concerned | 3 (2) | 0 | 0 | 6.78 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Jonjo Shelvey | DM, M (C) | Perfect | | | Satisfied | 14 (16) | 2 | 3 | 6.86 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Robbie Brady | D/WB (L), M (RL), AM (L) | Superb | | | Concerned | 11 (14) | 3 | 2 | 6.78 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Ryan Fredericks | D/WB/M/AM (R) | Very Good | | | Concerned | 16 (10) | 1 | 2 | 6.87 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ben Osborn | D/WB (L), M (LC), AM (L) | Excellent | 6.74 | 100% | Concerned | 1 (6) | 1 | 0 | 6.77 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Cauley Woodrow | AM (C), ST (C) | Superb | 6.62 | 100% | Concerned | 4 (22) | 5 | 1 | 6.86 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Harry Arter | DM, M (C) | Extremely Good | 6.78 | 91% | Concerned | 20 (4) | 2 | 5 | 6.88 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Sean Morrison | D (C) | Excellent | 6.96 | 100% | Satisfied | 25 (4) | 0 | 0 | 6.92 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Bright Osayi-Samuel | M/AM (RL) | Extremely Good | 6.98 | 89% | Concerned | 21 | 5 | 4 | 7.09 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ebere Eze | M (LC), AM (RLC) | Extremely Good | 6.86 | 74% | Delighted | 39 (11) | 10 | 3 | 6.99 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Lloyd Kelly | D (LC) | Extremely Good | 6.98 | 84% | Concerned | 17 (7) | 0 | 0 | 6.83 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Simone Scuffet | GK | Good | 6.74 | 100% | Alienated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.80 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Saïd Benrahma | AM (RL), ST (C) | Extremely Good | 7.16 | 100% | Concerned | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 6.60 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Bryan Mbeumo | M (L), AM (RL), ST (C) | Excellent | 6.70 | 100% | Concerned | 1 (7) | 0 | 1 | 6.66 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Diego Rico | D/WB (L) | Very Good | 7.20 | 80% | Delighted | 48 | 5 | 2 | 7.06 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Sofiane Boufal | AM (RLC) | Poor | 6.60 | 100% | Alienated | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu | DM, M (C) | Extremely Good | 7.26 | 100% | Concerned | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ethan Pinnock | D (C) | Good | 7.24 | 96% | Concerned | 9 | 0 | 1 | 7.29 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Britt Assombalonga | ST (C) | Really Good | 7.14 | 92% | Delighted | 23 (15) | 12 | 5 | 6.96 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Dominic Iorfa | D (RC), WB (R) | Extremely Good | 7.08 | 80% | Delighted | 37 (2) | 0 | 0 | 6.98 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Harry Wilson | M/AM (RLC) | Exceptional | 7.20 | 86% | Delighted | 35 (6) | 4 | 16 | 7.30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Rhian Brewster | AM (RL), ST (C) | Perfect | 6.50 | 94% | Delighted | 45 (3) | 8 | 7 | 6.85 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Harrison Reed | DM, M (RC), AM (R) | Extremely Good | 6.88 | 89% | Delighted | 49 | 1 | 9 | 7.10 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Josh Murphy | M (L), AM (RL) | Excellent | 6.84 | 100% | Concerned | - | - | - | - | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Karlan Grant | AM (RL), ST (C) | Really Good | 7.56 | 84% | Delighted | 36 (4) | 18 | 4 | 7.21 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Matty Cash | D/WB/M/AM (R) | Superb | 6.92 | 87% | Delighted | 47 (2) | 1 | 7 | 6.96 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Ismaïla Sarr | M (R), AM (RL), ST (C) | Very Good | 7.08 | 78% | Satisfied | 16 (12) | 4 | 3 | 7.00 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Transfers In/Out
IN
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Sofiane Boufal | Southampton | £7.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Diego Rico | Bournemouth | £8.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Bryan Mbeumo | Brentford | £15M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Simone Scuffet | Udinese | £7.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Karlan Grant | Huddersfield | £16M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Dwight Gayle | Newcastle | £2.6M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Harrison Reed | Southampton | £19.25M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Harry Arter | Bournemouth | £3.9M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Rhian Brewster | Liverpool | £38.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Harry Wilson | Liverpool | £30M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Ben Osborn | Sheff Utd | £2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Ryan Fredericks | West Ham | £5.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Robbie Brady | Burnley | £7.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Kyle Bartley | Birmingham | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Ismaïla Sarr | Watford | £28M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
OUT
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20/6/2020 | Odin Bailey | Newcastle | £1.4M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20/6/2020 | Steve Seddon | Sunderland | £450K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20/6/2020 | Josh Dacres-Cogley | Lincoln | £45.5K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21/6/2020 | David Davis | Swansea | £89K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22/6/2020 | Clive Beale | Burnley | £2.3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/6/2020 | Lukas Jutkiewicz | QPR | £2.6M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/6/2020 | Barry Douglas | QPR | £4.5M (£5.25M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/7/2020 | Rico Henry | Bournemouth | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2020 | Fran Villalba | Famalicão | £4.6M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2020 | Alex Pritchard | West Brom | £1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2020 | Jérémie Bela | Alavés | £4.3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2020 | Alex Mowatt | QPR | £11M (£12.75M) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5/7/2020 | Ivan Guzmán | Portsmouth | £350K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7/7/2020 | Kerim Mrabti | Inter Miami | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7/7/2020 | Dan Crowley | Inter Miami | £3.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2020 | Darren Humphreys | Newcastle | £300K (£825K) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2020 | Lee Maxwell | Southampton | £35K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2020 | Adam Siviter | Livingston | £14.25K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2020 | Michael Luyambula | Sheff Utd | £50K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2020 | Marc Roberts | Famalicão | £2.3M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2020 | Agus Medina | Portsmouth | £275K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2020 | Charlie Lakin | Blackpool | £46.5K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10/7/2020 | Clement Bouvier | Scunthorpe | £41.5K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15/7/2020 | Jeffrey Schlupp | Brøndby IF | Free | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15/7/2020 | Marcus Bettinelli | Famalicão | £2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19/7/2020 | Connor Mahoney | Burnley | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22/7/2020 | Ollie Watkins | Derby | £7.5M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 25/7/2020 | Zach Jeacock | Middlesbrough | £25K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Álvaro Giménez | Preston | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Lyle Taylor | Derby | £4M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30/7/2020 | Emyr Huws | Bristol City | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
1 -
17 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said:
Very good effort in season one.
For a complete rebuilding job and from where we were in January, I was happy to make the playoffs, we just fell shy of success at the last hurdle.
23 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:I see Toney didn't score many for you. He only scored 9 goals for me in my Brentford save. Maybe Championship is too much for him or maybe I wasn't using him properly. I sold him in 2nd season.
Toney wasnt as good as I hoped... change may be coming on that front, especially as Assombalonga slotted in nicely to our front 2.
Thanks both for reading
1 -
Part 1 - The Gamble...
Today Football League 2nd Division (2019/20)
Pre-season
The premise for our season was plain and simple, ship out the dross (i.e. everyone) and rebuild the squad top to bottom with experienced Championship talent. We would raise the best part of £40,000,000 towards that effort, notable sales seeing Jude Bellingham leave for Man. City (£7.75m) and Maxim Colin take his chances in China with DL Pro for over £8m.
It gave us enough room to start the new era at the club as we would invest over £150,000,000 into the playing staff to give us a small yet quality looking squad. In no particular order, the arrivals included; Tom Ince, Jack Butland, Ivan Toney, Alex Pritchard, Lyle Taylor, Jed Wallace, Said Benrahma, Barry Douglas, Alex Mowatt, Jake Cooper, Ebere Eze, Pelly Mpanzu, Kyle Bartley and Rico Henry (individual fees listed below in Transfer Centre).
In total near on 50 players would leave the club either for a fee or released from their contract, the streamline approach focused on 1st team ready footballers but they had to produce.
The season (pre January Window)
Lets be honest here, it was tough trying to gel a new bunch of players together into an old fashioned 4-4-2. Our opener saw Brentford rattle us 1-4, as we began the season 4 without a win.
That first victory came at the expense of Stoke, shortly followed by wins at Charlton and Derby as things looked to piece together heading towards the meat of winter. Alas October and November were a shambles. We would go on a 4 win, 8 loss skid as we flirted with relegation as any talk of 'form' was well and truly out of the window as we trudged toward the new year.
Back to back away wins over Christmas brightened the mood as Hull and Blackburn showed pity on us, but as January came and went, only a 4-0 home win over Cardiff kept the wolf from the door as we languished in 15th and in desperate need of change.
The January Window
And change was a coming. The owners knew that leaving it as a £150,000,000 punt was silly, if you want to win big, you go big and you hedge your bets... that hedge would cost them another £200,000,000 as Sky Sports began to broadcast their deadline day specials from St. Andrews.
Again with fees listed below, our signings included; Lloyd Kelly, Ollie Watkins, Jeffrey Schlup, Conor Mahoney, Cauley Woodrow, Britt Assombalonga, Marcus Bettinelli, Josh Murphy, Matty Cash, Dominic Iorfa, Emyr Huws, Luke Ayling, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Sean Morrison and then most excitingly of all, the English International midfield pairing of Jonjo Shelvey and Jack Wilshere.
Chasing the Playoffs
We had a new look squad, the board had agreed that we needed to up our stakes and that our now eye-watering £1,400,000 per week wage bill was the right thing to do in order to reach the promised land of First Division football.
There were 16 games to go, so no time to slack. We got off on the right foot, beating Forest and Bristol City, whilst a 3-3 draw at Barnsley was a mere stutter as Brentford and Sheff Weds were dealt with at home.
Yet draws would become a problem for us. 3 of them coming in a row as we left London with work to do as Millwall, QPR and Fulham all kept us at bay. However we were becoming hard to beat and that run broke the 10 game mark as we beat Huddersfield at home to move into the Top 6 for the first time this season.
Things would again fluctuate as draws once more slowed us down, Stoke (a) and Charlton (h) the culprits here, but the reality was if we beat Preston and Derby to finish the season, we would have done enough to make the lottery of playoff football.
PNE showed little threat as our 2-0 win at Deepdale left things nicely poised for a final day showdown. St. Andrews would be packed to the rafters as relegated Derby arrived and soon wished they hadnt, as Premier League quality Shelvey started the scoring, before Premier League quality Wilshere finished it as our 5-0 romp proved to be our best win yet and a sealing of our place in the playoffs.
Playoffs
Here we go then, playoffs or pray-offs as they are commonly known. Its Brentford for us as Assombalonga does the business in the home leg as we take a slender 2-1 lead to Griffin Park.
Leg 2 and its 3-1 on agg. as Matty Cash roasts one home, the hosts gain hope late with another penalty strike but its not enough for them as we put them to one side and gear up for a trip to the Twin Towers and a tie against QPR.
Nearly 50,000 Brummies invade the capital, expecting their dreams to be realised... yet they were soon in tatters as QPR led thanks to a Jamie Paterson dink. The 2nd half had to be different and it was, Ollie Watkins who barely featured for us since his move, would tie things up as 1-1 would be the scoreline heading through FT and then ET.... Promotion would be decided from the spot!
QPR first and when Marc Pugh missed with their 2nd kick the Blues were singing... it didnt last long as Woodrow scuffed our 2nd and we were back to square one. The ball hit the net through the next 5 takers, then when Grant Hall scored for the Hoops to make it 7-6 it was our turn.
We wished it wasnt, Jake Cooper stepped up, missed and that was it. Promotion didnt happen, our miracle run of 16 undefeated counted for little. There would be time to reflect and dissect in the coming weeks, but for now, its heartbreak for the Love-able Blues.
Second City Derby
Nothing to see here, somehow Villa are in the top flight and a quick nosey at how they got on this season, shows me that next year (unless drawn together in the Cup) we will not play 'the Vile'.
The F.A. Cup
A straight forward 3rd Round exit here, we drew Chelsea away and fell short losing 1-3 with all the goals coming before the half.
The Milk Cup
A mazy run to the Last 16 here saw us dispatch lower league Ipswich (via penalties), Newport (also via penalties) and then Stevenage as Benrahma spared our blushes with a hat trick in the final 10 minutes.
Our hopes of progressing were dashed in the 4th Round as the Baggies shut us out 0-1 as one of our minor rivals got one over us here.
Player Stats
Transfers In/Out
IN
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22/7/2019 | Jack Butland | Stoke | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/7/2019 | Ivan Toney | Peterborough | £5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/7/2019 | Alex Pritchard | Huddersfield | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/7/2019 | Lyle Taylor | Charlton | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23/7/2019 | Jed Wallace | Millwall | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24/7/2019 | Saïd Benrahma | Brentford | £20M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 26/7/2019 | Barry Douglas | Leeds | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 26/7/2019 | Alex Mowatt | Barnsley | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 26/7/2019 | Jake Cooper | Millwall | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2019 | Ebere Eze | QPR | £20M | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/8/2019 | Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu | Luton | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/8/2019 | Kyle Bartley | West Brom | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4/8/2019 | Rico Henry | Brentford | £15M | |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Lloyd Kelly | Bournemouth | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Ollie Watkins | Brentford | £18.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Jeffrey Schlupp | Crystal Palace | £4M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Connor Mahoney | Millwall | £17.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Cauley Woodrow | Barnsley | £10M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Britt Assombalonga | Middlesbrough | £14M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Marcus Bettinelli | Fulham | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Jonjo Shelvey | Newcastle | £7.75M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Josh Murphy | Cardiff | £18.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Matty Cash | Nottm Forest | £18.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Dominic Iorfa | Sheff Wed | £14M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Emyr Huws | Ipswich | £7.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Luke Ayling | Leeds | £15M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Bright Osayi-Samuel | QPR | £18.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Jack Wilshere | West Ham | £8.75M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Sean Morrison | Cardiff | £14M |
OUT
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/6/2019 | Harlee Dean | Bournemouth | £6.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2019 | Joshua Bradley-Hurst | Ross County | £10K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/7/2019 | Adan George | QPR | £90K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2/7/2019 | Maxime Colin | DL Pro | £8.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/7/2019 | Jude Bellingham | Man City | £7.75M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/7/2019 | Oumar Traore | Derby | £34.5K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3/7/2019 | Ryan Stirk | Middlesbrough | £59K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6/7/2019 | Ryan Burke | Fulham | £32K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/7/2019 | Kristian Pedersen | Frankfurt | £3.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9/7/2019 | Cheick Keita | Atlanta United | £450K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13/7/2019 | Jérémie Bela | Preston | Ln Fee £150K p/m | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20/7/2019 | Ivan Sunjic | Al-Ahli (KSA) | £3.9M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2019 | Wes Harding | NY Red Bulls | £1.5M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2019 | Josh McEachran | Stoke | £1.9M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29/7/2019 | Lukas Jutkiewicz | QPR | Ln Fee £150K p/m | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2/8/2019 | Kerim Mrabti | West Brom | Loan | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/8/2019 | Jacques Maghoma | Huddersfield | £925K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/8/2019 | Connal Trueman | Stevenage | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/8/2019 | Dan Crowley | Barnsley | Ln Fee £150K p/m | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8/8/2019 | Marc Roberts | Bristol City | Loan | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/1/2020 | Maikel Kieftenbeld | Brentford | £1.8M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1/1/2020 | Tom Ince | Crystal Palace | £6.25M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31/1/2020 | Alex Pritchard | Middlesbrough | Loan | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12/2/2020 | Gary Gardner | Vancouver | £1M | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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BIRMINGHAM CITY
Its Brum or Bust with one of Englands biggest clubs. The journey to the top begins here, the Blues rightful place is in the Premier League... the City deserves top flight football, forget the impostors.....
Its Blues or nothing!
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The passion in Argentina and South America as a whole is off the scale compared to Europe. And you are right, money hasnt really ruined their teams.. there are the massive clubs in each country who win more often than not, but thats part of the intrigue in many ways.
Argentina has the obvious big 2, but until recently (Boca have dominated in the past 5 years) there is usually a different Champion every year.
Its an exciting league, its not a closed book and the Libertadores is full of stories and hope that a team from any of the nations can have a good run in it.
Enjoy it whoever you take on
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Independiente, Racing's rivals are a big story to rebuild on the Continental Stage. They won the Libertadores 7 times, including 4 on the spin.
Most of the known teams are in and around Buenos Aries. You have the La Plata duo of Estudiantes and Gimnasia (Maradonas club) who have a great rivalry... maybe trying to better Estudiantes as Gimnasia is a challenge to take on?
Tucuman would be an interesting take, like you say, try and break the dominance of the bigger clubs.
As you say, their stadiums and fans are so unique its what I love about them. A few years back all the Primera games were live on Youtube every week which was brilliant. Sadly that stopped, but it was a way into it all. I even watch documentaries about the teams in Spanish, not that I know the language, I just enjoy the atmosphere of it all!
Would love to hear how you get on and who you choose
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I love playing in the Argentine League and it can be complex to understand. The league has gone through so many format changes recently that year on year its a new look.
The toughest part is the competitiveness, at the beginning at least as alot of teams are close in terms of talent.. bar the obvious River/Boca but even they can fall into the mix as there are plenty of big clubs in the league.
The Libertadores will probably pit you against the bigger Brazilian clubs down the line, but if you can, run all South American leagues in the game to get a full picture of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019–20_Argentine_Primera_División
Thats a good place to start as to how the league is structured.
The exciting part is picking a team that has a 'Clasico', its not just River/Boca but you have NOB/Rosario, Independiente/Racing and many more that can be a nice sideline to how your save goes.
As for teams, is there anything you look at in particular? Generally each team produces a decent intake of youth, thats part and parcel of Argentine football. If you are looking for a sleeping giant? Team with money (pretty limited, but sales long term will be your friend there) etc ill try to help.
There is alot of fun to be had in Argentina, might even go back there myself now
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Doing 'Well'...
Good to see a Motherwell save and you are doing better than the AI did in my current save. Motherwell sank to League One for a couple of years at one point, they have bounced back to the SPL and just this year made Europe.
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Dundee's Financial Woes...
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2031/32 - Part 3
Off the Field and Beyond...
Transfers
The biggest deal for United this term was the signing of Job Jalving, a Dutch striker who was on the radar of rivals Dundee over the past 18 months. United managed to get the deal done for £20M as Jalvings 'Job' was to replace...
Gvardiol! Yes the hitman lasted just one year at United, banging in 39 goals before seeing his release clause triggered by Benfica at £48M. Another player leaving for £48M would be 21 year old Argentine defender Marcos Frutos. Frutos lasted 2 years with the Tangerines before Real Madrid made their move, as United would rake in over £110M to further enhance their finances, a stark contrast to the Blues across the City.
This may well be the end of the spending at Dundee as their financial position is increasingly precarious, yet Dunny was allowed to pump another £60M worth of talent into his squad as a fresh batch a faces found their way to the club.
A South American influence highlighted Dundee's dealings with Pias, Zulu and Barcelo contributing for half of the clubs spending.
Best XI
Awards
As expected, the awards were cleaned up by United players. Potent (as his name suggests) cleaned up with the Football Writers award as well, thanks to his record breaking 26 assists in the SPL this year.
How many of these United players will be in Tangerine next term, that is the question many will ask...
Next Season
United are fast tracking their way to success and now the players can get involved, as the club sign a big sponsorship deal that will provide Cars for all their players!
Other than that, United are coming off the back of a Domestic Treble, 3 straight SPL titles and a season that saw 100 goals and 100+ points. Conquering Europe has to be the next aim, but maintaining domestic dominance will be the challenge facing Tanner Dice as United look to continue their vice like grip on the Scottish game.
Dunny Dee has arguably the toughest road ahead. The club are sinking in their debt, the board have announced a halving of their wage budget, which means the club are well over what they should be spending and there is little money available to add to the squad.
The chances are Dundee will sell in order to balance their books, or at least free up more funds to have another gamble in the market. However the squad is already good enough to put up a better challenge domestically, so its on Dunny's shoulders to get his team competing with United once more.
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2031/32 Part 2
Cup Fitba'
Goals galore and for United their win in this competition would complete a domestic treble as United would be the first team outside of the Old Firm that cleaned up all the Scottish honours in the same season.
Uniteds cup run would see them smack Stenhousemuir for 7, then score 8 past Dundee over 2 ties, 4-4 and then 4-2 at home to see of their rivals. Aberdeen also saw 4 at Pittodrie, whilst Celtic and then Hibs in the Final saw 3 a piece as the Tangerines hit 25 goals in this years Cup.
Dundee as you will know, lost out to United once more. They rallied to a 4-4 draw at home, but succumbed in the replay as Sapa saw red against his old team in a frustrating evening for the Dee.
This would be the first piece of the treble for United, as they imposed themselves over the Old Firm, doing Rangers in the Semis, before Celtic were toppled in the Final, a reverse of last years outcome.
Domestic cup football is beginning to gripe for Dundee fans as they are starving for a trophy and this year the League Cup saw them fall early in a beatdown by Hearts.
United had another solid outing in the Champions League this term, with the highlight being a 3-2 win at home to Liverpool that all but ensured their place in the last 16. The Tangerines would stumble in winnable games at Hertha Berlin and Ajax, but did just enough to go through with 3 wins and 3 defeats.
In the knockout phase United came up against Barcelona. A 1-1 draw at home was respectable but not nearly enough, as a 0-4 beating at the Nou Camp ended their run on a low note.
A tough group for Dundee and it showed on the pitch, as they would lose 5 of their 6 ties, salvaging just a draw at home to Feyenoord, which ensured their European adventure was over before the year was out.
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2031/32 - Part 1
All the 3's
Theres little to put here other than, United dominated and have now won 3 straight SPL titles. Id love to detail a frantic title race, where United over came the odds and beat Dundee on the final day of the season to edge out their City rivals to the title, however that final day win over Dundee held a different significance.
You see Tanner Dice has put together one of the best teams seen in Scotland, its easy to argue that case as the final day win over Dundee saw United put up 100 goals and over 100 points on the year. The title was won by a whopping 34 points, United lost just 2 games all year and their 3rd title was a procession in which the whole of Scottish Football sat back and admired.
The battle behind United would be for the remaining 2 Champions League slots. Of course Dunny had has Dundee side involved and the reality for them was the final day defeat at United would see them lose their grip on 2nd place and an automatic place in the group stage.
A scenario that could escalate their deteriorating financial position as the club now sit on a net debt of £150,000,000 and are likely to put in measures to curb this dangerous slide towards Administration.
Final Table
Ding Dong Dundee DerbyIts all United...
#1 - Welcome Home
United led, then had a player sent off late, before former Tangerine 'Sapa stole the show with a last minute strike to share the spoils in the season opening Derby.
#2 - United on Top
Another tight affair, but United were dominate at home this year as a 26500 sellout saw their team edge past 'Dee/
#3 - Dundee See Red
A crazy early red card set the tone here as Dundee would play the whole game with 10-men, something you cant do against the nations best as United waltzed to a 2-0 win.
#4 - Double Centurions
The irony here saw not only United score their 100th league goal of the year (Bowie 5th minute), but also hold out to win and move to 102pts, as well as spoil Dundees hopes of 2nd place in the table. It really is 'All United'...
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2030/31 - Part 3
Off the Field and Beyond...
Transfers
As mentioned, United spent heavily this summer (and winter) to recruit a squad that would not only challenge domestically, but also put up results in Europe. The majority of their spend went on a pair of strikers, as Gvardiol (record signing at £40M) and Fuchs (signed in January) would combine for 80% of the clubs spending.
Club stalwart Antonio Marin would finally leave, as he challenged himself with a move to Fiorentina, following the best part of 150apps and 50 goals for the club in the SPL. Other notable sales saw both Sapa and Wendling trade colours in the City, as Dundee tempted them across as they both found themselves frozen out of the 1st team picture under Tanner Dice.
Dundee also spent more than they received and as mentioned would raid United for the duo of Sapa and Wendling. Another ex-United player also joined their ranks as Lewis Morgan, released by the Tangerines, found himself apart of the Dundee squad come the start of the campaign.
The Dee would also see key players leave during this season, as Flemming Cliford, the prolific Danish hit-man rejected a new deal and took on a move to Krasnodar after scoring 95 goals in all competitions for the Dee in 5 seasons. Another player refusing a new contract would be Massimo Gattelli, the Italian Stallion. Dundee cashed in on him early as he signed for Spurs in a bargain £1M deal, signalling the end of his 4.5 year love affair in the City where he scored 105 goals for the club.
Best XI
Awards
United expectedly lined up the majority of the leagues best XI, with just Tambon (Celtic) and Dundee's Boswell spoiling the sweep.
Gvardiol also top scored in his debut year in Scotland, justifying (just) his massive £40M fee as his 26 goals is a top flight best for United under Tanner Dice.
Next Season
2 down, more to come? United will now aim for a 3rd straight SPL but with success coming in all domestic competitions and a taste of European football deep into the season, you could be forgiven for expecting too much.
Financially their debts may weight them down and it may see a fair bit of movement in the squad once more. But Tanner Dice has been adept in rebuilding his team at short notice to maintain its competitive edge.
For Dundee, its almost becoming a burden around their necks... another Runners Up slot in the SPL and another chance to win it spurned at the last. The Dee are watching their rivals mop up trophy after trophy, whilst they have now gone 4 years since their last silverware.
Again the club may look to cut its cloth a bit here, but can they afford too much upheaval on the pitch if they want to match Uniteds success?
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2030/31 Part 2
Cup Fitba'
4 times in 6 years and you get the feeling that the good times are just going to keep on rolling for United. This win secured them their first ever double and they did it in style, not conceeding all competition and romping to a 3-0 win over Falkirk on a sunny afternoon at Hampden.
For Dundee, a year to forget as Championship upstarts Inverness did the damage in and 1 and done year for the Dee.
At the time it wouldnt have been thought about, but now, looking back, United were a penalty shootout win away from a historic treble. Celtic played the spoilers here, winning the shootout 2-4 and not only stopping United winning 3 straight League Cups, but also denying them the treble.
A penalty loss for Dundee as well ended their cup interest. However the 2nd round loss to Partick is hardly something to write home about.
What a wild and mazy run for Dundee United this year in the Champions League. They looked all but dead in the Group Stage after collecting just 1pt from the Ajax fixtures, yet a dramatic late win at home to Manchester United would setup a finale in matchday 6. United had to win, they did just that, 5-0 in Turkey, whilst the 'Other United' in the group did their part in beating Ajax to help send the Tangerines into the knockout phase.
A 4 goal salvo would help see off Monaco in the last 16, but the United fairytale would end there as Italian behemoths AC Milan needed no invitation to beat the Tangerines with a pair of old fashioned Italian 1-0 wins as United can hold their heads the highest from this years competition.
Dundee also had a lengthy run in Europe, as they waltzed through to the Quarter Finals, beating everyone in their path, including a 4-2 agg. win over Torino that saw the Dee win in Italy 2-0. Sadly a sloppy home performance in the Quarters saw them come up shy 0-0 against AZ, a result that they would rue as the Dutch side turned it on in the return and stopped Dundee in their tracks.
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2030/31 - Part 1
Is it Dundee's turn....
Dens is gone and the Rab Douglas Stadium is here, the Dundee skyline has gone through a dramatic change in the past couple of years and with all the relative success of the Cities football teams, its only right they have the modern stadia available to them to push on a maintain that success.
Now its only right we talk about the cost of all this and how we are here. Dundee are just about afloat, it may seem dramatic to say that, but the club is in the can for the best part of £100M, due in part to a new stadium but also transfers and wage dealings. Across the way and United are in a hole for around half of that (£50M) whilst also sporting the 2nd highest annual wage bill in the league at £30M per, half of what Celtic spend, yet almost as much as Rangers and Dundee combined.
To maintain the status quo of the clubs competing, its imperative both hit Champions League football on a consistent basis and with the SPL now having 3 slots for next year, there is no better time for the City to send both its sides into the top table of European football.
So with money seemingly tight, the transfers should be controlled right? Wrong! United went for it in an attempt to consolidate their position as Champions. A season high £109M would be spent, including a record breaking £40M on Croatian youngster Gvardiol from Manchester United, with another £38.5M going on Fuchs in the winter window.
Dundee would also gamble at £59M spent, almost half of that going to United as the first transfer deal involving the teams since Lawrence Shankland, saw Sapa and Wendling swap the Tangerine for the Blue of Dundee.
The reality is, for 33 games the City of Dundee was gripped by the tightest of title races as both Dunny and Tanner eyed each other up and let their teams slug it out. United had the slender upper hand going into the league split, part due to their 2-1 at Dundee, then for Dunny to watch his team slump 0-3 at Hibs, as United took control with 5 to play.
The split is rarely kind to Dundee and once again it began to bite, back to back home draws with Hibs and Celtic, allowed United to edge 4pts clear as their 4-1 win at home to Hearts, drove a stake into Dundee hearts. Then with both teams in Glasgow, United would lose to Celtic, giving the Dee a chance at Ibrox... they failed to take it and once again saw their title dreams slipping out of their hands.
A penultimate day win for Dundee would potentially setup a final day decider at United, but with Hearts playing the spoiler in that tie, a United win at Hibernian would send the Tangerine faithful wild as they would clinch their 2nd straight title and 3rd under the stewardship of Tanner Dice.
Dunny Dee would once again wear the bridesmaid dress, his team again failing to get over the hurdle and coughing up a leading position in a miserable finale. There was also no consolation for the team in their 1-0 final day win over United.. a bitter guard of honour was held as United prepared themselves to hoist the flag to open next season.
Final Table
Ding Dong Dundee DerbyRab Douglas Stadium, a new home for the derby... what can it bring to the table...
#1 - Welcome Home
Just as United won their first derby in their new digs, so do Dundee and in dramatic fashion with McInnes slotting in the 90th minute.
#2 - Thriller at Dens
McInnes got involved in the scoring once more, but it wasnt to be for Dundee as United squared up the season series.
#3 - Rab is Toppled
Sapa saw red against his former team as the Dundee unbeaten run in their new stadium ended at 1. McInnes loves a derby goal, but its not reaping the rewards just yet.
#4 - BIttersweet
There is little to celebrate here for Dundee as they watch United lift the SPL trophy, its a painful 1-0 win for the Dee.
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Flying along in Paisley. I see you have Kyle Magennis, been solid for me at Dundee.
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Recap as we enter a new decade:
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2029/30- Part 3
Off the Field and Beyond...
Transfers
United would withstand yet more upheavel as the team would lose key players Alex and Facundo Gomez in the summer, before Cotello, Yao and Fedel all had their minimum fee release clauses matched as they left the club in January.
Tanner Dice did spend to ensure his team would be able to entertain at the clubs new home, £30M on Van der Spek highlighted the clubs dealings in the summer, whilst Swiss starlet Bernhard Josi made Dundee his new home in a £25M switch from Young Boys as United countered their January losses.
Dundee would add 4 faces across this season with Denis Yudin would add more firepower with the Danish legend Flemming Clifford preparing to leave as he refused a new deal. Scottish Internationals Cochrane and McElhatton would leave the club, notably the latter as Barcelona snapped up the defender for a paltry £15M.
Best XI
Awards
A raft of awards for United as expected as they cleaned up all the major individual honours. On top of this, De Nicola, McCart, van der Spek, Marin, Bowie and Romero all found a place in the Team of the Year honours.
Next Season
Its all change in Dundee next year as Dens is gone and the Dee will move into the Rab Douglas Stadium. The Blues will hope this change of scenery brings them as much success as United had after their move. There may well be a cull in the Dundee ranks this summer as Dunny was furious as his team slumped to 5 losses to end the season and rumours of dressing room rifts persist with under-performing high earners potentially on their way out.
Can they defend their title? Thats the challenge that Tanner Dice will face as the new stadium bounce is now out of the way. The squad is better than ever and funds remain healthy to add once more, however as always, its the vultures taking the meat off the bones that will cause the biggest problem for United as they head into the new decade.
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2029/30 Part 2
Cup Fitba'
There was a chance for United to win the domestic treble, but it would sadly come to a close in the Semi Finals here as Celtic (a team United fought with over 4 trophies) would edge them in extra time. Small revenge for the Hoops.
Dundee would compound their poor showing in the domestic cups by losing at Hamilton early on.
Back to back League Cup triumphs for United as they repeated their 80-81 success in this competition. Late wins over Dundee and Celtic would set them up in a Final against Rangers, as a tense 1-0 win would ensure Tanner Dice saw his side lift a 3rd straight Cup.
Dens Park would say goodbye to the League Cup in the worst way possible. An early lead over Dundee United had the fans dreaming of dethroning the Cup holders, yet a pair of late strikes would end those dreams and leave Dundee potless once more.
An unfortunate end to the Champions League for Dundee as although they managed honest draws with Chelsea x2 and PSG. It failed to be enough to get a top 2 finish. Progress however for Dunny Dee, but how long before they are back to compete at the top table of European competition...
A crazy run for United here that would see them lose to a familiar face just shy of a European Final. The Group Stage would see United collect their biggest European win as the Tangerines went mental in France, smashing Nantes 10 (TEN) -0. Other wins saw United beat Lazio and Sporting in the Groups, whilst Real Sociedad and Borussia MGB were dispatched in the knockout phase.
Celtic of all teams awaited in the Semi Finals (United faced them in the Semis of all Cups this year) and with Pochettinos team winning 3-1 in the 1st leg, it left United a mountain to climb back home. And so it proved, 20 shots yielded very little and the goalless return was all she wrote.
Dundee fell into this competition as par for the course, smashing Lokomotiv Moscow in the last 32, before letting slip a 3-1 lead over Everton to lose 0-5 at Goodison and collapse out of Europe.
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2029/30 - Part 1
New Stadium, New Hope?
The rumour of a new stadium for Dundee United had been in the pipeline for the past 18 months, yet nothing concrete had been put in place. Yet out of nowhere, the club decide to purchase the Dundee Community Stadium, a 26000 all seater complex built for the City but now renamed the David Narey Park and new home to the Tangerines. Its not often a club ups sticks this quickly, but Tannadice is now a building site and United begin a new era.
Matters on the pitch would be dramatic once more, United invested best part of £100M as they recouped the same amount in a rebuild of their squad which fell shy at the climax just a year ago. Dundee also gambled on recruitment, adding fresh faces that they hoped would compliment what they have, however once again, Champions League commitments would stretch them to their limit.
United immediately took to their new home and would start at an insatiable pace, winning their opening 7 fixtures and drawing just once in their first 15, as they took the challenge straight to Celtic. Goals were flowing, Partick, Aberdeen, Killie and St. Mirren all saw 4 or more as United were rampant. Come the end of the year, they would lose for the first time in over 30 games (combined with last season), that coming at Celtic, but United still held slender lead over their Glasgow foe.
Dundee hoping to build off another title challenge disappointment would fall well short of expectations. They would lose their first 3 away games of the year, before back to back home defeats to Kilmarnock and Celtic left the team firmly rooted in mid table with 5 wins and 5 losses. A brief uptick in form would see Dunny Dee's men lose just 2 more before the years end, but by this time and lingering title hopes had been vanquished and the race for 3rd was all they had left.
Things never really picked up either for Dundee after that. There was a run of 5 straight wins in March, but the reality of their situation came to the fore after the league split. 5 fixtures, 5 defeats, including the shipping of 5 to both Rangers and Celtic as 4th place was all the Dee could muster and a slot into the Europa Conference League.
Across the City things took a different road. United thriving in their new home, carried on their form into 2030. 10 games undefeated looked good on paper, alas 4 draws allowed Celtic right back into the title race and it would become a tooth and nail battle to the last.
United would lose to Dundee at home, a surprise result that could have been a disaster for the clubs title chances. However just a week later and United would rebound with one of their best league wins in years, clubbing Celtic 5-1 and putting their hopes in their own hands.
A 2nd win over Celtic to start the split all but settled things for United, as they moped up wins over Dundee and Hibs to leave them needing just 1 point in a home game with St. Mirren to make sure. 26000 fans would see United go 2 up, before late goals allowed the Paisley club back into the tie. Yet for all the drama, that is how it stood and United had done enough to secure just their 3rd SPL crown and 2nd in 4 years under Tanner Dice.
The perfect christening of a new stadium.
Final Table
Ding Dong Dundee Derby
No more Tannadice and the last year of Dens... there will be a new look to the Derby in years to come.
#1 - Welcome Home
The David Narey Park soldout to a rabid 26000 Dundee inhabitants and it was only right the home team took the honours here, romping to a 3-0 win and setting the tone for the year ahead.
#2 - Thriller at Dens
A 6-goal thriller saw Dundee salvage a late point and with just one more tie at Dens Park to come, they cannot sign off with any derby defeats this term
#3 - Revenge
It didnt take long for Dundee to overcome any new stadium hoodoo. A crucial 1-0 win saw Dunny's men be one of just 3 teams to beat United this year.
#4 - Dens is Done
The final derby at Dens and its United who can celebrate. Its a double delight for Tanner, as not only does he have this scalp, his team is now well on its way to becoming Scottish Champions once more.
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Cracking run with Corinthians, will be a hard pull to leave them no doubt... will be interesting if you go to another big team to win in Rio, or try your luck with a smaller team in one of the more obscure States.
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[FM20] Brum or Bust!
in FM Career Updates
Posted · Edited by bestbrother
Part 6 - Pair of Kings... Twist!?!
Premier League (2024/25)
Pre-season
They say a good gambler knows when to stop, I say a good gambler goes home knowing he left a fortune on the table. Once again our transfer policy was to rip it up, start again, but bigger and better!
Outgoings this year bought £97,000,000 into the coffers, a relief for some... but for us an excuse to go bigger. Out would go Fred, Demarai Gray, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Issa Diop, the latter bringing in a cool £45,000,000 from Chelsea.
We had to go hard in replacing them and did so by smashing the clubs transfer record by giving the aforementioned Chelsea £74,000,000 of our hard earned for the lively Ethan Ampadu. He was joined by a raft of experience from home and abroad with the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Gabriel Barbosa, Harry Maguire, James Maddison and Marco Verratti all joining the Blues revolution.
In total we would blow past the £300,000,000 mark for the summer window, our biggest single window spend as we have easily surpassed the £1,000,000,000 barrier in my 6 years at the club.
The Season (pre-January Window)
We began on an even-keel, but may as well not have as just 1 win in the opening 7 games left us in the drop zone, as hefty 1-4 and 1-5 defeats to the pair of Manchester clubs put us well and truly in place.
2 wins from 3 in October appeared to signal a revival, but 6 defeats and just 8 more points collected before the turn of the year left us facing another relegation battle. It was a case of nearly but not quite enough on the pitch, whilst off of it...
Another financial crisis sparked a dramatic decision by the board. Our £4,000,000 per week spend on wages was considered an issue, but the plan to restrict us to a squad spend of £80,000 per week is going to be hard to adhere to, given that only 4 of our current squad earn under that amount on their own!
The January Window
What a boring time to be alive. There was nothing but cobwebs in our warchest, the board failing to see the long term objectives. We did move Hojberg out on loan, but i held off on any further sales as without being able to replace players, there was little point in weakening the squad.
What Next?
Once again man management would win the day, the squad came together and decided to fight our way out of the problems we faced. 3 straight wins saw us open up 2025 in the best way possible, as even Chelsea fell to our charms.
In total we would go 8 undefeated, before a loss at the Dell only triggered a further run as we would win 3 from 4 and surge into the top half of the table. There was a glimmer of a European place ahead, but it wasnt to be as we lost out in a 7-goal thriller to Spurs, but wins over Norwich and Watford in the run in ensured a finishing place of 11th, our best finish since our return.
Second City Derby
Hang on? No Villa? Up the Blues! And guess what, no Vile next year either.
The F.A. Cup
Im fuming here because we should have put Ipswich away, but the whole situation was a farce. First off we played without a recognised GK as both Pope and Muric were sent on International duty. Then after going 1 up, we would miss an 82nd minute penalty, only to concede an equaliser in the 90th minute.
Finally to top it off, we lost on Penalties as our League One opponents had one of the greatest days in their history.
Worthington Cup
We love a penalty shootout and won another by beating Reading. Sadly Championship side West Ham ended our short reign as Worthington Cup holders at St. Andrews.
Europa Conference League
Our first foray into Europe and it proved to be eventful and in the end unlucky. It began with a 7-2agg blitz of European stalwarts Nantes as we moved into the Group phase with ease. Once there, Besiktas, Genk and BATE awaited as once more we topped a bunch of regular continental outfits, winning the group with 4 wins that included a 3-2 clip at Besiktas and a 5-0 home win over Genk.
In the knockout phase was smashed Malmo 7-1 on agg, but then with only 1 team everyone wanted to avoid in the Q/F, we would obviously draw them.... AC Milan! We gave it our best shot, but in the end we just lacked the experience to compete and lost both ties to crash out when a little bit of luck with the balls would have seen us reach the Final at least.
Player Stats
Transfers In/Out
IN
OUT