Punch

JUN 2042 - FA Cup Final Our second crack at the big dance, and it was a brave effort against the much more fancied Chelsea outfit. We were not aided by missing six first team regulars, although the Blues were in pretty much the same boat. We probably played better in the first half, but were not able to find a way through their defences. The second half was a much more even, with very few genuine chances created, and neither side was able to find a winner. Off to extra time, and we blinked first as Chelsea took the lead early in the first period. A second goal just before the half time interval broke our spirits, and the contest was just about over. We did push hard in the first part of the second period, but we just ran out of steam, and there would be no comeback miracle. While the end result is disappointing, the effort was brilliant, and to have even made the Final was punching well above our division. A healthy financial boost as we collect our runner up money, while we also receive nearly £2 million from our share of the gate, and a further £1.5 million from the TV revenue. With our season now officially at an end, it's time to go through some reviews.

JUN 2042 - FA Cup Final Preview A capacity crowd is expected at Wembley for our second run at the FA Cup Final. Both sides are missing a string of players who are now on World Cup duty, though Chelsea will start heavy favourites regardless. While we are looking for our first title, the Blues are looking for their 10th. We will need to overturn a poor history against them, as we have never beaten them.

There has been a couple of conflicting reports, even for West Ham, that he wants to go, and that he doesn't see it as a good move at this point in his career...typical media

MAY 2042 A pretty solid finish to the season, winning three of our last five to come home in 11th place. The mid table finish means the Board now considers us an established Premier League team, so I have achieved a club vision early. Awards season begins with Chambers taking out the Young Player of the Year award. Finnegan takes out several Player of the Year awards whit his 32 goal season, bring him in second place in the Golden Boot as well. Finnegan was also our only player in the Team of the Year. We buy no players, so we are always making profit in terms of transfers. We have the lowest wage percentage in the League, not surprising when our wage bill is so far behind the rest of the teams. The Chambers saga West Ham are apparently in the market to go after our young striker Chambers, and in this report, he is interested in a move... ...yet the next report says he wants to stay at his current club. Good reporting A big month financially as we get a large payout for our 11th place finish, putting us in a brilliant position going forward. World Cup We have 11 players, and 9 former players representing various countries at the upcoming World Cup. This of course creates a quandary, as the players have now left to report to their respective camps, meaning they will not be available for the FA Cup Final. Chelsea also have 10 players on duty, so it has made a bit of a mess of both teams.

MAY 2042 - Match Day 38 - Vs Brentford We welcome in a new era, getting to play our second ever game at our new stadium, and we get to celebrate with the Guernsey faithful by putting on a good show in a tight game. Three goals, all scored by Guernsey natives, and we keep a clean sheet to boot. A brilliant result in a great day for the club. We finish the season in 11th place, beating our 14th place finish from last season. Despite Spurs loss, they had already done enough to secure the title. The League season is over, but we still have the FA Cup Final to prepare for.

As of 2022 there was about 65 thousand people on the island of Guernsey, with about 25 thousand of those in St Peter Port, but that was 20 years ago in the game.

MAY 2042 MASSIVE NEWS - We're going home We are finally returning to Guernsey, and will be in our expanded stadium for the final match of the season. Welcome to the expanded Guernsey Stadium, where we can now hold nearly 25 thousand. The island will be jumping as we have a fortress that can be intimidating to our opposition. *In reality, this is BMO Stadium, home of LA FC from Major League Soccer in California, but it's one of my favourites to use as my background when I get a new stadium. Now just got to hope that the Board don't do something silly, like decide to add another expansion so we end up homeless for a third straight season

MAY 2042 - Match Day 37 - At AFC Bournemouth We were the away team at our temporary home ground, and got off to the worst possible start, being two goals down inside 15 minutes. From there however, we staged a massive fightback, and ended up running away with a comfortable win. Another hat-trick for Captain Finnegan, who has now gone past the 30 goal mark, giving him 50% of the League goals we have scored this season. Our win, and a loss for Manchester United means we have secured 11th place, regardless of what happens in the final match of the season. 11th place also betters our performance of 14th in our inaugural Premier League season last year. Up next We will host our final match of the season, which will be a bit of a dead rubber, as Brentford, while safe from relegation, like us, can't finish any higher or lower than where they are.

Thanks mate...although, ironically, we have not been on the island since we joined the Premier League

MAY 2042 - Match Day 36 - At Liverpool We put in a brave performance against the title chasing Reds, but came up short. It was a pretty tight first half, but on the stroke of half time, the hosts took the lead. A second goal near the hour mark wrapped up the three points for them, and left us showing we still have a long way to go to match it with the big clubs. A few make up games played today, and the loss means we can't catch Everton for 10th place. We will now have to concentrate on staying 11th in our final two games. Up next We are the away team at our temporary home ground as we face 15th place Bournemouth.

MAY 2042 - Match Day 35 - Vs Aston Villa Four wins on the bounce at 'home' as we put on a brilliant performance against Villa. The Villans had no answer as we went on the attack early, and had a two goal lead by the break. A third goal early in the second half killed off the game, and we were able to cruise to victory, although we gave up a silly injury time goal. Also pleasing was to see us score three goals, none of which were scored by Finnegan, showing we are learning how to win games without relying on one person to get the ball in the net. With three games to play we sit 12th, almost having confirmed a better finish than 14th, where we ran last season. Up next A tough ask as we travel to Anfield to face the 2nd place Reds, who are still in contention for the title.

MAY 2042 - Match Day 34 - At Chelsea We put up a tough fight but in the end, were no match for a determined Blues outfit, looking to secure Champions League qualification. A tight first half seen us go to the break all square, but we were unable to hang on, two second half goals secured all three points for the home team. Plenty of teams in action while we were on FA Cup duty, but the loss keeps us in 12th place. Forest and Watford are now confirmed relegated, and I suspect Boro will not be far behind. Up next We host 14th place Villa.

APR 2042 With several games rescheduled to next month, it ended up being a very short month, with one League game, which winning confirmed our place in the Premier League for next season, and an FA Cup Semi Final win, which sent us to our second ever FA Cup Final. Stats Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards With rumours continuing to swirl on and off that the Chairman wants out, I was surprised when I went to him and he agreed to upgrades for both the Youth and Training Facilities. Considering the massive financial investment this required, I was happy to see them both get approved. While we are not a big club, we are still one of the most profitable in the League. The Facility upgrades put a dent in the account this month, but we are still in a great place. Our final 5 League matches for the season, and while we have some tough games, we have already secured our place for next season, so we can relax and enjoy ourselves, although with every position up the ladder worth another £2+ million, it is in our interest to continue to push as hard as we can.

APR 2042 - FA Cup Semi Final - Vs Brentford It was a tough battle at Wembley as we hard to work hard to overcome the Bees. With a lesser schedule, we were able to play a near full strength team, and that may have proved the difference, as we were able to hold off the Bees in the first half. We finally found our own attacking groove in the second half, with two goals in 9 minutes breaking the game open, and ending the fight from Brentford. The financial benefits continue. We enter our second FA Cup Final where we will face Chelsea, who overcame Manchester United to book their place. Once again, we will have to overcome a side we have never beaten. Up next Ironically our next League match is also against Chelsea.

APR 2042 - Match Day 33 - Vs Blackburn Rovers After 14 games without a win at our temporary home, we have now won three on the bounce. We made hard work of it, and it looked like we had given away points when we conceded a sloppy goal late in the second half. Our boys stayed at it, however, and were rewarded with all three points when a passage of quality passing resulted in a cracking goal from Finnegan, to complete his brace. This game showed how we have made improvement this season, as this was a game we previously would have settled for a draw, or even conceded another goal and lost all the points. There has been plenty going on in the 22 days since our last match. The end result of all of it is we stay 12th, but we have reached the magical 40 point mark, which is considered the minimum for safety. However, with 5 games to play, we are now 21 points clear of relegation, so we are now also mathematically safe, regardless of how our remaining results go. Up next FA Cup Semi Final time as we head to Wembley to face Brentford.

MAR 2042 - Youth Intake The next intake has arrived, and while the preview gave us very little to be excited about, I am actually pretty happy with some of the prospects that have arrived. While I am still never really convinced about the star system, there are a few players here who look like they could push for first team places. Guernsey native, Marshall, looks like a massive prospect. Marshall rates so highly that he could nearly push for a place in the first team next season. There are several others that also look like they have potential. The Best of them We welcome our first player from the USA, but only two Guernsey natives this year, with the majority coming from the English mainland. For an intake which promised very little, there is certainly enough potential there to keep me happy. With still some improvements available in our Youth rating and facilities, there is still room to these kids reach their potential.

MAR 2042 A cracking month as we win two of our three League matches, before advancing twice in the FA Cup, including our epic upset over West Ham in the Quarter Final. Impressive recognition for our Captain as he is named as our first ever Premier League Player of the Month. Our good form also lead to our young players scooping 1st and 2nd in the Young Player of the Month awards. Internationals An incredible number of players on Senior International duty to end the month, including five debutantes. We have two players in the NXGN awards this year, with regular 1st team defender Jack Brown coming in 12th, while Alhassan Kwame came in at 43rd. An impressive month continues to grow the bank account. With the first half of the month still being taken up by an International break, we have a very short schedule, with just two League games, while we face Brentford for a spot in the FA Cup Final.

MAR 2042 - FA Cup Quarter Final - At West Ham United A crazy match at London Stadium as we secure our first ever win over the Hammers and advance to the Semi Final. We come from behind three times, including injury time goals in both regular time, and extra time. Just when it looked like we were heading for penalties, we scored a second injury time goal to stun the hosts, and send them out of the Cup. A big day for the bank account as we progress. We head to Wembley to face Brentford, who we have a near perfect record against, including a previous FA Cup Semi Final win. Up next After an international break, we return to League action as we host 14th place Blackburn.

MAR 2042 - Match Day 32 - At Newcastle United Our winning run ends at at our furthest League road trip of the season, as the Magpies get the better of us. Despite being down at half time, we did manage to pull level, but we couldn't hang on as they ran over the top of us late in the game. Just a few teams in action this weekend, but we stay 12th, with an 18 point gap to the relegation zone. Up next Another tough task as we travel to London to face West Ham in the FA Cup Quarter Final. Having never beaten them, we will need to put in one of our biggest performances ever if we want to advance to the Semi Final.

MAR 2042 - FA Cup Quarter Final Draw West Ham thumped Arsenal, so we will head to London Stadium to take on the Hammers in the Quarter Final. We have a poor record against them, and they knocked us out of the League Cup as well earlier this season. A tough ask if we want to advance.

I think you already have the Youth thing covered. Just keep an eye on your Youth Team coaching and see if you can make any improvements. Even sending them on Coaching Courses can help some.

MAR 2042 - Match Day 31 - Vs Watford A stunning result as we hammer last place Watford. The Hornets were no match as we put together one of our best attacking performances, with Finnegan netting a club record 4 goals. It was also a solid defensive performance to suffocate the visitors attack, and keep a clean sheet. Not all good news though as we lose O'Connor for a few weeks, although we have plenty of quality options to help soften the blow. For the first time in our Premier League history, we win three games on the bounce, and after taking 15 games to win at our temporary home, we have now won twice in a row. We find ourselves in 12th place, and with a 19 point gap to the relegation zone, it would take a collapse of epic proportions in the next 7 games for us to not be safe. Up next A much tougher assignment as we face our longest road trip of the League season, heading to 7th place Newcastle.

MAR 2042 - FA Cup 5th Round - Vs Brighton & Hove Albion Short turn around between games resulted in a heavily rotated squad being sent out against the Seagulls. The kids put in a great effort, rattling the visitors as we smashed in two goals in the first 6 minutes, from which they never recovered. A third goal before the break, and the match was as good as over, despite their late penalty. Heavy rotation resulted in three debuts for the club, as more of last years intake get their first action in the first team. More money keeping the bank balance rolling, while we break the receipts record. Will be good to try an repeat this in our own stadium. We will travel to London either way for our Quarter Final tie, but we will have to wait and see who we face. The schedule is all over the place, so there are plenty of games still to be played. Up next Back to League action as we host last place Watford.

Usually when you get the email about the training camp, there will be a tan at the bottom giving different options.

In fairness though, we probably were fortunate, as they had an off day in front of goal, and our defence was immense late in that second half. Yes, very relieved to see the whistle go and we get the three points. You are correct, but two points per game is generally a pretty safe mark, and too much of a gap to catch up. Unless we fall in a heap and lose every game for the rest of the season. We are due to move back to Guernsey in May, so we may, like last season, get one game back on the island, if we are lucky. Hopefully the Board won’t do something stupid and pull the trigger on another upgrade, and we end up homeless again next season. I certainly won’t be asking for it.