60 to One

[Almondo]

Ah well fired but I had a good run.

[el sid]

Unlucky WW

Still stable

[Walcott\'s Wonderkids]

Ahhhh balls!

So much for my supposed loyalty to West Brom, haha.

Ah well, at least I can say that I wasn't sacked at least and have given West Brom a great start to their campaign to get back in the Premiership.

Will still follow the thread, hopefully I can save Bolton from relegation.

[PluckaDuck]

Sitting a top of the table in the Serie A, I seem to have built a really good unit at Udinese.

Unlucky Brucie

[Cardiovascular]

That would be my first mention in a manager of the month update I believe

[hasdgfas]

Ugh, I'm way too close to the drop zone to feel safe either in the league or in job

[bermybhoy]

Oh no /o\

This looks very, very bad. Always been consistently mid-table, one bad run and the board start to lose faith. So fickle.

[SCIAG]

Some nice attacking play there, we're into the top four!

Great writing canvey!!

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Gutted for Brucie Bonus, why would he leave his club, doesn't the silly boy know we are trying to see how long we can stay at one club?

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 10 Tyler Burrows, Udinese
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 10 Mikey Twigge, Palermo
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 10 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 10 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 11 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 11 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 11 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 11 Mark Cator, Aston Villa
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 11 Bryan McGuiness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom[/font]

Top Ten – Goals Conceded (Pr/G = Per Game)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username          Manager          Club          Gls (Pr/G)[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+2[/color] Martin_           Martin Bojangles Hull          226 (1.60)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] IlikeJellybeans   Jellybean Man    Numancia      225 (1.65)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+1[/color] hasdgfas          Tim Aubel        Fulham        224 (1.57)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+4[/color] SCIAG             Leo Dodge        Tottenham     213 (1.18)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+3[/color] rancer890         Ricky Nakano     Middlesbrough 209 (1.50)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th NE Greasy Chip Butty Andy Morton      Sporting      204 (1.52)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=red]-2[/color] el sid            Cool Manager     At. Madrid    203 (1.10)
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] Waghlon           Lars Tommersen   Villarreal    203 (1.08)
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th NE JSalter           James Salter     Reggina       196 (1.45)
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th NE ~Ian~             Bryan McGuinness Everton       193 (1.21)[/font]

[spartans5]

I call shenanigans on Walcott's Wonderkids. But a decent month for me, hopefully we build on in for the next one

[IlikeJellybeans]

hey canvey I'm really sorry but I have not come on this forum for a really good while I just spend the last 45 minutes catching up

KUTGW I will comment a lot more now since I just got FM10

[canvey!!]

After this update, we’ll pick up the pace, perhaps to an update every three days (that is, two days in between each update). Although, I'm going on holiday very soon so I will then give you a bunch of updates and let you read at your own pace.

Update 41

Years: 3, Months: 41, Days: 1241

Our 25 managers are opening the first windows on their advent calendars, or will be in a few hours at least. That’s right, it is at present midnight on 1st December 2011, and that’s right, we have two managers fewer than when we last met, due to the inconvenience of the professional dismissal of a brace of our managerial minions. Whereas I normally like to keep you waiting for news of who might have found themselves out on the street, this time I’ll cut right to the chase with one, and then leave you waiting for the other.

With 1230 days of service at his club to his name, Lars Tommersen’s employers found that current results were not living up to expectations. And I don’t blame them: the club sat 15th at the end of Tommersen’s reign, in contrast to an expectation of fourth, that being their finishing place in two of the last three seasons. However, Tommersen could have turned things around given some more time; he had already beaten Rapid Bucharest 4-0 and Murcia 4-1 in the month, and had progressed in the Spanish Cup, and then faced a relatively simple game at home to Mallorca. Yet a 1-2 loss away to Recreativo meant the board couldn’t afford to cut Tommersen any more slack, so he becomes the 34th of our managers to leave the competition.

Elsewhere in Spain, Andy Morton’s Sporting find themselves predictably against the wind. They are hanging six points above the drop zone, so are safe for now, but if results worsen from the four points from nine picked up this month, Morton will need to be careful or else he’ll be signing on. The club’s fans will have to grit their teeth as this month they also had to endure a cup elimination by Deportivo. Villarreal, with their newly-appointed manager Juande Ramos, look to encroach upon the 11th place of Maz Armley’s Racing, who could only accumulate four points this month despite much cup success, which we’ll come onto later. Meanwhile, in Spain’s second division, Jellybean Man has fallen off the pace somewhat with an absolutely awful month. Three straight defeats were followed by three straight deadlocked draws, and Man will hope that his Numancia team do not carry that torrid form into merry December.

Now, just a trip through France and a channel crossing away, and we find ourselves in England, where the Carling Cup saw its Fourth Round and Quarter Final this month. The most exciting Fourth Round match for readers will be Liam Ferguson’s Man City trumping Ricky Nakano’s Middlesbrough 5-3 at the Riverside, with seven different players scoring. Poor Nakano’s month could have been much better: aside from this loss, league losses came to Aston Villa and Sunderland, and a home tie with bottom-placed Cardiff saw just a 1-0 victory. All of our other sides found themselves in the Last Eight, where Arsenal knocked Ferguson’s side out 3-2 after extra time. Sunderland knocked out Man United and Liverpool knocked out Portsmouth, both by 1-0 scorelines, with the big match impending: Everton hosting Tottenham.

Elsewhere in England, it looks like Arnold J. Rimmer will not be alone this season in underperforming in the Premier League and consequently getting fired. Martin Bojangles’s Hull see relegation looming, and they picked up three points this month, with a heavy loss at Fratton Park. They like Middlesbrough, lost 3-5, with the Tigers’ loss coming at home to Galatasaray in the Europa League. So, on the 22nd November, the board decided that they needed more cakes in the boardroom, and no positive or negative outcomes of that have yet been observed. If I’ve written this right I’ll have had you thinking Bojangles was to lose his job. That hasn’t come yet, but he clings on as Insecure. Hull and Middlesbrough make up the lowest two of our sides, but just a place above Boro in 12th are Tim Aubel’s Fulham. The American has had a decent month but not one good enough to break into the top half: four points with the win coming at home to Newcastle.

Over to Italy now, where Cardio Vascular’s Genoa top the league but Theo Stigarakis’s Catania have dropped into the bottom three. Genoa had a solid month: a 2-0 victory at home to Inter, a 4-1 one away to Sampdoria, and an away draw to title rivals Udinese. Sadly, a trip to face Ben Taylor’s Fiorentina in the Italian Cup saw a 2-0 win for Taylor’s team. Down bottom, or 18th to be exact, Catania came pretty close in all three of their games this month but couldn’t grab a single point. Just clear of the drop for the moment, by two points, are Lecce, and above that with a six-point cushion are Jonte Rhodes’s Lazio. They looked set to lose all their games this month, including the Europa League tie in Greece against Panathanaikos, but a 2-0 win over Livorno salvaged the month, or at least Rhodes will hope it did.

The Champions League groups are close to conclusion, and in fact some have already confirmed their two qualifiers. Man City and Porto will progress from Group A, leaving Lawrence Lazewski’s Valencia to challenge for the Europa League. Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk qualified from Group B, with Liverpool and Udinese progressing from Group G and Barcelona and Benfica having secured first or second place in Group H. In the groups in between, Real Madrid, Inter, Roma and Bordeaux have qualified, with Fiorentina being the only team of ours to have yet to do that. In the Europa League, two sets of fixtures were played, with the highlights being, as well as those discussed earlier, Leo Dodge’s Tottenham beating Legia Warszawa 4-0, A.C. Milan beating Sparta Prague 4-0, and Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid beating Salzburg 5-0. This was in addition to the Englishman’s team sitting 3rd in La Liga, just conceding a solitary goal this month. Valladolid, Valencia and Zaragoza were all beaten, as were Hércules 5-0 in the cup. In the second set of games, which was a mini-set, if you will, Bryan McGuiness’s Everton beat Rapid Wien 5-0 in the match with the biggest scoreline. With two games still to play, we have a number of sides through, but none yet eliminated.

Now, we pop straight back to Italy for a final league report of the update. Of course, you’ve all been dying to hear the identity of the 35th manager leaving us. As I earlier said, Genoa top the table. They have 29 points, a figure they share with Lord Weeman’s Napoli. This month was a very good one for Napoli: three away ties saw seven points accumulated, with the ones dropped being against Juventus. That’s a solid performance and one that Weeman will have been glad to have gotten behind him. Udinese sit behind Napoli with Inter in 4th place, while James Salter’s Reggina are still flying high and are 8th. They won both their home games and travelled to 13th-placed Atalanta for their away game, which they drew 1-1. Slightly lower than Reggina in 10th place are Clark Aitken’s Roma, or should I say Luciano Spalletti’s Roma? A 1-1 away draw to Lecce saw the chairman become impatient with Aitken and sack the Canadian, after the month in which the team had lost at home to A.C. Milan after beating Lazio 4-1 in the same venue. They’ve also qualified for the next round of the Champions League, which will be seen as a proving ground for Spalletti rather than a saving grace for Aitken. The truth be told, the team were sitting eight places below their expected position and the chairman felt he had to act. Spalletti has so far guided Roma into the Italian Cup Quarter Final with a win over Brescia. Inter, Udinese, Atalanta and Fiorentina will also be there, with three more matches determining the other Quarterfinalists.

There is more news cupwise from other countries. The Second Leg of the Spanish Cup Fourth Round saw no spectacular results but saw most La Liga sides progressing comfortably, with Andy Morton’s Sporting being the only exception we’ll take an interest in. In England, the FA Cup Third Round draw is already out, where Leo Dodge’s Tottenham will host Coventry, Grays or Oxford will get their chance to shine against Blackburn, and Middlesbrough will host Brighton. Arsenal will face Swansea, a team I could have sworn they had faced last year, but it turns out I was thinking of Everton having played Swansea this time last year. Still, Swansea fans can feel a bit aggrieved about having tough ties for these two years and in fact the two years prior.

Advent begins, and the aim of the panic-stricken managers will be to make it to Christmas!

Manager of the Update

I swear it is getting harder and harder to give this award.

Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid

takes the November award for having just conceded one goal in an impressive month, but the competition was fierce and broad. Lord Weeman and James Salter were representing the Italian teams, as both had very good months in the face of what could be described as adversity, while Leo Dodge is one of a number of other managers who did well this month.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Very Secure   1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Very Secure   1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure   1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Very Secure   1241
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting    Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid  Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Secure        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]12th ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia    Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Stable        1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]22nd m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Insecure      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull        Insecure      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]24th Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Very Insecure 1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Very Insecure 1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]26th clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma                      1237
 [/font][font=Courier New]27th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal                1230
 [/font][font=Courier New]28th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom                 1210
 [/font][font=Courier New]29th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton                    1208
 [/font][font=Courier New]30th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo                  999
 [/font][font=Courier New]31st Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus                   925
 [/font][font=Courier New]32nd pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis                      889
 [/font][font=Courier New]33rd AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan                 882
 [/font][font=Courier New]34th JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol                   873
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo                 873
 [/font][font=Courier New]36th ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United                 852
 [/font][font=Courier New]37th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena                      843
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

[Cardiovascular]

Top of the league?!?!

[hasdgfas]

Doing pretty well, actually, up to 12th, not too disappointed there.

[super_lampard]

2 points clear of the drop is good enough for the moment

[PluckaDuck]

Moved up to secure now, seem to be continuing my great spell at Udinese, KUTGW Canvey!!!

[IlikeJellybeans]

Im scared that i will be sacked really soon

[el sid]

Manager of the month

Just my second MoM iirc. KUTGW canvey

[rancer890]

Still stable for now...but might be insecure if I don't start winning.

[fergysafc]

Secure 1st time after 5-3 win

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 10 Tyler Burrows, Udinese
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 10 Mikey Twigge, Palermo
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 10 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 10 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 11 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 11 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 11 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 11 Mark Cator, Aston Villa
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 11 Bryan McGuiness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 11 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid[/font]

Top Ten – Goal Difference

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username      Manager           Club        G.D.[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] Haowan        Haowan Madridstas Barcelona   +313
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] Romanista1994 Lucas Volman      Real Madrid +245
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+1[/color] tomsmith1989  Tom Smith         Arsenal     +236
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+3[/color] BenArsenal    Ben Cee           Inter       +188
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+3[/color] spartans5     Lawrence Lazewski Valencia    +179
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th  [color=blue]0[/color] fergysafc     Liam Ferguson     Man City    +166
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th NE el sid        Cool Manager      At. Madrid  +136
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th NE SCIAG         Leo Dodge         Tottenham   +117
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th NE PluckaDuck    Tyler Burrows     Udinese     + 99
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th NE TaylorB       Ben Taylor        Fiorentina  + 74[/font]

[canvey!!]

Right, I'm off for a week of skiing in Switzerland! So I will give you the next three updates and it is up to you to read them at whatever pace you wish. For those of you who want to space them out, this update is the one that would have been published on January 13th.

Update 42

Years: 3, Months: 42, Days: 1272

My goodness, what a month! Four of our managers have had to bow out of the competition this month, but only one of them was fired! It’s lamentable now that managers are penalised for moving clubs, but that’s the name of the game and the game is 60 to One. I am still in a state of shock after the pandemonium that awaited me upon returning from my holiday man’s holiday to find an inbox full of managerial casualties and, for want of a better word, suicides.

In a change from the norm, we’ll commence this report with a look to European football, specifically the Champions League, which played its final game this month. Tuesday 6th December saw the first set of games, in which some notable results were Lawrence Lazewski’s Valencia’s 5-0 win over CFR Cluj which served no purpose, Tom Smith and Arsenal winning 3-1 in Denmark over FC København, and both Real Madrid and Fiorentina winning 3-0 in Group C. The cream of Wednesday’s results were Liverpool’s 6-1 win over CSKA Sofia, while Tyler Burrows’s Udinese beat the other CSKA, from Moscow, 3-0 in the same group. There are no surprises as Valencia remain the only one of our sides to not progress, but the next round holds some juicy ties, including three pairings of our managers. Burrows’s team will play Smith’s, that is Udinese will battle against a team at the opposite end of the alphabet, Arsenal, and Man City and Inter and Fiorentina and Barcelona will also play each other. Real Madrid face a tie against Scottish team Celtic.

We’ll move onto Italy as once again it has upheld its reputation of being very welcoming, retaining so far 11 of its initial 20 managers, while the other nations had, before this update, seven of theirs. Cardio Vascular’s Genoa no longer top the table, and have actually fallen away slightly, and are now fifth, six points behind the leaders. That’s because this month, they picked up just one point from a possible nine. Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who are in 1st place, had a 78% conversion rate, drawing at home to Palermo but beating both title rivals Fiorentina and Genoa themselves away. However, they crashed out 1-3 away to Lazio in the Cup. In between Napoli and Genoa sit Udinese, Inter and Fiorentina. At Ben Cee’s club, all is fine but that drive and ambition for the title seems to be lacking. This month, the team did well, but again they seemed to lack that cutting edge, picking up 7 points with away wins over Lecce and Reggina, but crucially dropping two of them at home to A.C. Milan.

Before I go any further I will have to recount to you the two chains that led to four of our managers leaving their jobs. One was fairly simple, one manager sacked and a new one brought in. The other was more complex, but still only involved two of our managers being eliminated. The first one was kicked into action on the first day of the month. After a trip to Greece saw Hull lose 2-4 to Olympiakos, chairman Paul Duffen decided the fans’ anger had become too strong and that Martin Bojangles was no longer the right man for the job. The Anglo-Italian was given the push after 1241 days of service. Roy Hodgson, Paul Ince, Mikael Schøler and Neppo Monster were all linked to the vacancy so it was a bit of a surprise when Andy Morton showed up at the KC in his new role as Hull manager. He left Sporting on a high having just beaten Valencia 3-2, which is a good time to leave. Perhaps he had worries that his Spanish team would go down, whereas he might have felt more confident at the reins of Hull. If that were true, that confidence was misfounded, as his first few results at Hull were 1-3 at home to Cardiff, 1-2 away to West Ham, 1-4 at home to Sunderland, a stunning 0-6 away to Stoke and a 0-2 loss at home to Newcastle. Sporting hired unemployed Víctor Muñoz and so terminated the chain.

Yet the other reaction went on for longer, and ironically it didn’t actually start with one of our managers, at least not one we like to talk about any more. It was on the 17th that Roman Abramovich sacked Andre da Conceiçao whose Chelsea team were struggling to challenge for the Premiership. Thus far in the month, they had lost to Liverpool, Man United and Fulham, that being all three of their league games. So, as a replacement, where better to look than one of the powerful clubs of Spain, but one that was not so powerful as to be more enticing to a manager than Chelsea. Abramovich looked to Valencia, where he plucked out manager Lawrence Lazewski in compensating the club £800k. Up to that point, Valencia had lost to Sporting, of course, but beaten Valladolid and Racing in the league. Lazewski has had magnificent success so far at Chelsea, thrashing Tottenham 5-0, and beating Middlesbrough 2-1 and Aston Villa 1-0. However, we will have to wave goodbye to the manager. His move left Valencia without a manager, so who better to turn to than former manager Rafa Benítez, who was Jeremy English’s replacement at Liverpool, and who was doing well. This therefore left Liverpool without a boss, and so who better to turn to than once again a Spanish club, this time Atlético Madrid, whose manager had just won the Manager of the Update award. Cool Manager made his way to Anfield for the managerial chance of a lifetime, but following such a dream bars him from his dream of winning 60 to One. Manager had smashed Real Sociedad 6-1 in his first December league game, and also beaten Betis and drawn with Barcelona. He was doing well, but obviously breaking Liverpool’s drought looks an easier task than overcoming both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Flailing Sociedad, by the way, invited Arsène Wenger to be their new manager.

With all of that dealt with, we can go to England without any confusion as to how things are. This season looks like it might be the one for Liam Ferguson and his Man City team, as they sit four points ahead of Cool Manager’s Liverpool. A 0-2 away loss to Aston Villa was a blip this month, where they beat beat Fulham, Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Cardiff convincingly, while drawing with José Mourinho’s Man United. Tom Smith’s Arsenal are looking to stake a claim to the title after a poor start, and their month was a microcosm of their season, or at least they may hope that will be how it will turn out. They started with two draws, the second a dazzling 5-5 with Benitez’s Liverpool, but then beat Man United, Fulham and Middlesbrough. Fulham and Middlesbrough certainly have been in the wars this month, and they have slipped down to 14th and 15th. Tim Aubel’s team have fared worse, in 15th and having lost the last three games by a combined 0-8. Before that, though, the month was going well; a draw at home to Bryan McGuinness’s Everton, and a 1-0 win over rivals Chelsea, interspersed depressingly with that 0-4 loss to Man City. McGuinness’s team, by the way, beat Tottenham to reach the Carling Cup Semi Final, where they’ll face rivals Liverpool. They have also gained 12 points in a tough month in the league.

Over to Spain now, a place which you’ll find barren after the departure of three of its managers, all of whom were poached rather than fired. It’s strange to think it, but we have only four managers left in Iberia, and so I see no reason not to comment on all of them. Of course those managers of the big two teams are among those four, and both of those teams are tied on 33 points. This month, Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid did pretty poorly, drawing and losing away, and winning in their home game. Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona did much better; not only did they play three league games and accumulate 7 points, but they travelled to Japan to thrash Shandong 5-0 and then Boca 3-1 to claim the Club World Championship crown. The month of Maz Armley at Racing seems tame in comparison: he got one of each result, beating Recreativo 5-2, drawing 0-0 at Valladolid and losing to Valencia. In the second division, it looks likely that we’ll be down to three managers before long as Jellybean Man’s Numancia lost two and won just one of their games. He is currently Very Insecure: I don’t tip him to make it past January.

Now for news on the Europa League, where two sets of games were played this month. In the first, Bayern Munich beat Roda JC 6-0, Super Lampard’s Lecce beat Aris 2-0, Panathanaikos won 4-3 at Ajax and Zaragoza beat FC Twente 6-1 in some selected games. In the second, the highlights were PSV Eindhoven’s 5-0 win over Dinamo Bucharest and, without a doubt, Bayern Munich’s 12-0 away victory over Latvians Ventspils. Lecce lost to Sporting CP but still progressed in second place, but Jonte Rhode’s Lazio concluded their group stage nicely with consecutive 2-0 wins over Hearts then Ajax. The next round’s draw has been made, and none of our six teams face each other. Palermo host Atlético Madrid, Racing play AEK Athens, Lazio face Braga of Portugal, Lecce play Rangers, Tottenham meet HSV of Hamburg and Everton have a tough clash with Dinamo Kiev.

So, it has been an electrifying month which makes one realise just how close the end may now be. I’m afraid I cannot guarantee a January that is this exciting, but as the transfer windows have opened, it will be something to look forward to. Also, I’d be willing to place a bet that Jellybean Man will see himself out of a job next month. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve written the next update, because a) that would be a paradox, and b) I haven’t. But I am really looking forward to writing it as I write this (03/02/10), and I hope you are looking forward to reading it as you read this!

Manager of the Update

I’ve done it before and I’m going to do it again, giving the award to;

Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia

even though he left his job this month. Some brilliant results at Valencia were followed by some brilliant ones at Chelsea, and Stamford Bridge is a place where the American can be confident of getting lucrative payment for his abilities. It’s a nice career step, and one that could propel him to the next level. Meanwhile, Haowan Madridstas’s performance in the Club World Championship got him close to the award, while Jonte Rhodes, Bryan McGuinness and Tom Smith had solid months without any explosions of fireworks, but making a fundamental groundwork while building up the wins. Even Jürgen Klinsmann could have won the award for truly entertaining us in the Europa League with Bayern Munich. In the end, Lazewski represents hope for many managers, so we’ll give him this as a farewell gift.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Very Secure   1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Very Secure   1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure   1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Very Secure   1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   1272
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing      Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Secure        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]13th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable        1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]21st IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Very Insecure 1272
 [/font][font=Courier New]22nd el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid                1263
 [/font][font=Courier New]23rd spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia                  1259
 [/font][font=Courier New]24th Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting                  1244
 [/font][font=Courier New]25th Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull                      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]26th clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma                      1237
 [/font][font=Courier New]27th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal                1230
 [/font][font=Courier New]28th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom                 1210
 [/font][font=Courier New]29th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton                    1208
 [/font][font=Courier New]30th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo                  999
 [/font][font=Courier New]31st Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus                   925
 [/font][font=Courier New]32nd pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis                      889
 [/font][font=Courier New]33rd AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan                 882
 [/font][font=Courier New]34th JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol                   873
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo                 873
 [/font][font=Courier New]36th ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United                 852
 [/font][font=Courier New]37th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena                      843
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 10 Tyler Burrows, Udinese
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 10 Mikey Twigge, Palermo
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 10 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 10 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 11 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 11 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 11 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 11 Mark Cator, Aston Villa
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 11 Bryan McGuiness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 11 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia[/font]

Okay, we’re back to the start of the ranking categories, so now is a good time to cut it from a Top Ten to a Top Eight.

Top Eight – Age

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Club       Age[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] Cardiovascular  Cardio Vascular   Genoa       52
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+1 [/color]Romanista1994   Lucas Volman      Real Madrid 51
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1 [/color]IlikeJellybeans Jellybean Man     Numancia    51
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+5 [/color]SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham   50
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1 [/color]Haowan          Haowan Madridstas Barcelona   50
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+3 [/color]BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter       49
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th NE TaylorB         Ben Taylor        Fiorentina  47
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - NE weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli      47
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - NE PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese     47[/font]

[canvey!!]

This is for February 16th.

Update 43

Years: 3, Months: 43, Days: 1303

With just 21 managers left, it looks like-

Wait a minute, scratch that.

With just 20 managers left, it looks like we may well see a mad frenzy to the finish line. The past two months have seen plenty of our managers bow out of the competition, and with any luck the next few months will see some more. This month was relatively uneventful, but fascinating nonetheless. Let’s start in Italy, a nation which still refuses to see its managers out of jobs.

Super Lampard’s Lecce are struggling to pick up the points, sitting as they do in 18th place. They picked up only four points this month, mind Theo Stigarakis’s Catania, the team they beat, aren’t much better and hover outside the relegation zone, 17th with two more points than Lecce. The Rossazzurri, as they are affectionately known, won twice and lost four times this month. bermybhoy's Atalanta, who were flying high last season, have been brought back down to earth and are currently 14th. This month, they picked up four points which means plenty of work still needs to be done if relegation is to be avoided.

In England, the FA Cup accelerated into action with its Third and Fourth Rounds taking place. The Third Round gave us three 8-0 victories and plenty more 4-0 or other big ones. Bryan McGuinness was the only one of our managers to win 8-0, with his Everton team beating Plymouth. Aston Villa and West Brom were the other two teams. It will do no good to Tim Aubel’s job prospects to have been knocked out in the Third Round with Fulham, as he was to Sheffield United. Aston Villa’s bubble was burst by Tom Smith’s Arsenal in the Fourth Round, as the Gunners won 5-0 at Villa Park. If Arsenal had played Yeovil, Aston Villa’s Third Round victims, might we have seen a 13-0 victory? West Brom’s bubble was not burst, however. They won 1-0 in a frenetic game at White Hart Lane, knocking Leo Dodge’s Tottenham out of the cup. In the Fifth Round, none of our sides will meet each other: Middlesbrough travel to Blackburn or West Ham, while Man City, Everton and Arsenal will host Hull, Bolton and Leeds respectively. This month also saw the Carling Cup Semi Finals. Everton and Arsenal both lost, meaning Liverpool will face Sunderland in the final.

Over to Spain now, a country which has been a hive of activity. We are perilously close to losing all of our Spanish managers, as this month our already minimal number of four decreased to a precarious three. Once again, there was a chain, but the manager comes pretty early on in the chain unlike some of those last month. Sevilla sacked Joaquín Caparrós, who had joined the club as Jack Browne’s replacement, and for Caparrós’s own replacement they headed to Racing to negotiate terms with Maz Armley. The Englishman took the job on January 17th, after having picked up seven points from nine in the league with Racing. He took Sevilla to a 3-1 away win over Recreativo which was followed by a 0-0 draw at home to Getafe. Either way, he is now out of the competition. Racing, meanwhile, hired Olympiakos’ manager, who then hired Valladolid’s Phill Ewles. Fréderico Canvey then got the chance to manage in his home country as Valladolid let him take the reigns. Jellybean Man has managed to hold onto his job for another month, but he is still far from safe. This month, ten points from a potential 15 makes for a good return, and if he can provide that month on month he will be a lot closer to achieving promotion with Numancia, rather than their current position of 7th.

Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid were the team splashing the cash in the transfer window. Jean Il Makoun joined from Lawrence Lazewski’s Chelsea for £22M, and the same price was accorded to Philippe Senderos from A.C. Milan. The next biggest transfer was Ben Taylor’s import of Thiago Neves from Juventus for £17M. Fiorentina are doing well in Serie A and looking for that extra edge. Juventus also spent a lot, bringing in three high-valued players, including Antonio Cassano for £16.25M from Arsenal. Tim Aubel sent Valeri Bojinov from Fulham for £16M – he joined Portsmouth. Arsenal brought in Henri Saivet as Cassano’s replacement, and the Frenchman cost Tom Smith £14M as he joined from Bordeaux. Tottenham sold Darren Bent to Portsmouth for £13.5M, while Inter sold Lorik Cana for £9M to Lyon.

Back over to Italy now, where we’ve already dealt with those teams in danger at the bottom, but have yet to deal with those excelling at the top. Amazingly, Lord Weeman’s Napoli have carved out a five-point lead atop Serie A, facilitated by an almost spotless month, with wins over A.C. Milan, Lecce, Brescia, Reggina and Lazio. Tyler Burrows’s Udinese, in second place, also did just as well, and added to this progression to the Italian Cup Semi Final with a 1-0 win over Lazio in the Last Eight. Mikey Twigge’s Palermo went out in that round away to Fiorentina, and Fiorentina will face Roma in the Last Four and Udinese will play Inter for their chance to reach the final. The league remains a very tight affair, and if Napoli were to find a banana skin and slip on it, their title ambitions could collapse while any of a number of teams could sneak in and grab the Scudetto.

The English pole position has changed hands once again, with José Mourinho’s Man United now being the team to possess it. Man City have dropped to second, with Leo Dodge’s Tottenham a surprising third-placed team. Spurs won every single game this month, so that juxtaposes their FA Cup Fourth Round misery and makes it so much worse. A 3-1 victory over Arsenal will have been the highlight, for sure, but there were other derbies in that both West Ham and Fulham were beaten 3-0, the former at home and the latter at Craven Cottage. Ricky Nakano’s Middlesbrough also had a good month, although the expectations were certainly different. Nonetheless, the Teeside team did not lose this month, and that includes the FA Cup. They beat Wigan 2-0 away, but drew all five of their other games. Brighton were beaten 4-0 in the Third Round and Ipswich 3-1 in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, with the latter seeing Boro away from home.

The Spanish Cup lurched two steps closer to its conclusion this month, playing both the Fifth Round and the Quarter Final. In the Fifth Round, Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 on aggregate, with their rivals beating Mallorca by one goal better: 4-1. Deportivo, who at the end of the month hired Mikael Schøler as their manager, fell at this hurdle to Valladolid, who lost their Phill Ewles and went on to replace him with Fréderico Canvey. That’s just a friendly reminder, as I’m desperate to make sure Canvey’s second permanent appointment is well-documented. Numancia, of course, had lost two rounds prior. In the Quarter Final, Real Madrid, under the management of Lucas Volman, crashed out to Zaragoza, while Barcelona beat Valladolid to reach the Last Four, where they have their own opportunity to face Zaragoza, while Atlético Madrid play Valencia. While this month Real Madrid did well in the league, topping it, they did badly in the cup and it was the other way around for Barcelona, who are currently 3rd in La Liga.

So, with one manager close to dropping off, and a few more slightly further, and with one fewer after this month, the tension builds and the pressure is on everyone. As far as they’re concerned, they all have the guillotine poised over their neck. Even the tactical geniuses, the Lavoisiers of football, will get the chop sooner or later. The question is: would we rather sooner or would we rather later?

Manager of the Update

This month’s winner is;

Leo Dodge, Tottenham

for winning all league matches despite a blip in the FA Cup. Tottenham have sought for so long to break into the Top Four and Dodge is trying to make this the season that that is done. Lord Weeman and Tyler Burrows also had good months, but Dodge’s was definitely one that could be considered excellent.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Very Secure   1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Very Secure   1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure   1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   1303
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Secure        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]11th Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Stable        1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]19th bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta    Insecure      1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia    Insecure      1303
 [/font][font=Courier New]21st m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing                    1288
 [/font][font=Courier New]22nd el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid                1263
 [/font][font=Courier New]23rd spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia                  1259
 [/font][font=Courier New]24th Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting                  1244
 [/font][font=Courier New]25th Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull                      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]26th clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma                      1237
 [/font][font=Courier New]27th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal                1230
 [/font][font=Courier New]28th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom                 1210
 [/font][font=Courier New]29th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton                    1208
 [/font][font=Courier New]30th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo                  999
 [/font][font=Courier New]31st Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus                   925
 [/font][font=Courier New]32nd pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis                      889
 [/font][font=Courier New]33rd AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan                 882
 [/font][font=Courier New]34th JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol                   873
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo                 873
 [/font][font=Courier New]36th ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United                 852
 [/font][font=Courier New]37th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena                      843
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 10 Tyler Burrows, Udinese
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 10 Mikey Twigge, Palermo
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 10 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 10 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 11 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 11 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 11 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 11 Mark Cator, Aston Villa
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 11 Bryan McGuiness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 11 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 12 Leo Dodge, Tottenham[/font]

Top Eight – Highest Fee Spent

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username      Manager           Club          Player               Fee[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] Haowan        Haowan Madridstas Barcelona     Nani             £28.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] fergysafc     Liam Ferguson     Man City      Mikel Arteta     £25.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal    Ben Cee           Inter         Lúcio            £22.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+1[/color] Romanista1994 Lucas Volman      Real Madrid   Jean Il Makoun   £22   M
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=red]-1[/color] tomsmith1989  Tom Smith         Arsenal       Andrés Guardado  £22   M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+3[/color] SCIAG         Leo Dodge         Tottenham     Mario Gómez      £21.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th NE TaylorB       Ben Taylor        Fiorentina    Thiago Neves     £17   M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th NE rancer890     Ricky Nakano      Middlesbrough Clément Chantôme £11.75M[/font]

Lifespan – 1 to 2 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]41st conners              Sirus Lannock       Málaga     628
 [/font][font=Courier New]42nd MikaelS              Mikael Schøler      Bologna    613
 [/font][font=Courier New]43rd Swafe                Saul Goode          Osasuna    551
 [/font][font=Courier New]44th hamilton162          Tom Hamilton        Mallorca   509
 [/font][font=Courier New]45th kashmirshazad        Shazad Ali          Newcastle  508
 [/font][font=Courier New]46th DiscoStu94           Da Hoover Man       Sampdoria  501
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ScottT!              Scott Tysoe         Sunderland 501
 [/font][font=Courier New]48th canvey!!             Fréderico Canvey    Stoke      476[/font]

Lifespan – Less than 1 Year

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]49th corinthiano          Mathias Brunckhorst Chievo     327
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neilio               Neilio              Almería    327
 [/font][font=Courier New]51st Robert_296           Robert Boyle        Blackburn  326
 [/font][font=Courier New]52nd brettney1980         Brettney Joven      Wigan      320
 [/font][font=Courier New]53rd TigerJoe             Joe Seddon          Getafe     271
 [/font][font=Courier New]54th jack.browne          Jack Browne         Sevilla    250
 [/font][font=Courier New]55th NepentheZ            Neppo Monster       Cagliari   236
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - dafuge               dafuge              Torino     236
 [/font][font=Courier New]57th KiddingChoc          Zach Machios        Portsmouth 235
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Whoopy D             Whoopy D            West Ham   235
 [/font][font=Courier New]59th d-machine            David Machine       Athletic   229
 [/font][font=Courier New]60th PaulHartman71        Jeremy English      Liverpool  204[/font]

[canvey!!]

This is for February 19th, and is the last of my surplus. I return late on February 20th.

Update 44

Years: 3, Months: 44, Days: 1332

February has been a relatively quiet month after the frenzy of these past few months, that is, we have seen no complex chains of manager firings and hirings that have seen some old faces back into the game. That is not to say, however, that the firings have stopped. In fact, we have had twice as many eliminated managers this month as during January, and in three fewer days as well. You can probably already guess the two managers that lost their jobs, but I’ll keep you in suspense anyway.

We’ll start off in England, and with the FA Cup Fifth Round. Ricky Nakano’s Middlesbrough lost away to West Ham, but our other three teams are through. Liam Ferguson’s Man City had the best result of the three, beating Hull 3-1 although only in a replay, while Everton maintained that two-goal margin with a clean sheet win over Bolton. Everton will travel to the Emirates in the Sixth Round for a tricky tie, while Man City also have no easy ride, travelling to Old Trafford for a heated derby match. However, for the moment at least, City have the upper hand, being as they are top of the Premier League. They played five league games this month, winning them all without conceding a goal. Leo Dodge’s Tottenham, who had a good month, are now actually nine points behind. They slipped up once, 1-2 at Anfield, but 3rd place is a good place for them to be right now. A bad place for one of our teams to be is 16th, and it is Tim Aubel’s Fulham that are there. They won once this month, at home to Liverpool. It was a morale-booster, but it was not much of a points-booster.

Lord Weeman’s Napoli are maintaining their five-point advantage at the top of Serie A, and some strong work will now be needed to take that away from them. Napoli dropped just two points from twelve this month, winning two games 3-0, one 3-1 and drawing away to Tyler Burrows’s Udinese 1-1. Udinese are fourth, looking unlikely to secure that desired league title. This month they won once, drew twice and lost once. In second place are Ben Taylor’s Fiorentina. They won all games in all competitions, including a 3-1 away win over minnows Frosinone. Ben Cee’s Inter complete the top four in 3rd place, and they also won all of their games, including a 5-0 win over Empoli.

Into Europe now, with the Champions League to start. There aren’t very many amazing results so far, with just one match having been played this month, but Ben Cee’s Inter lead Man City 2-1 after they won the first leg at Eastlands. Fiorentina lead Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona 2-0 after the first leg in Italy, and if Barcelona do not make the next round it could be dangerous for Madridstas. Arsenal won the first leg in Italy against Udinese 1-0.

The end is sure nigh in Spain, where three have become two. With a team that needed to start winning but a torrid performance at the start of the month, picking up just a sole point from nine, it was absolutely understandable that Numancia show Jellybean Man the door. He and our other fired manager, who lost his job on the same day, will finish in joint 19th place. As well as seeing their Champions League hopes in slight jeapordy, Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona also crashed out of the Spanish Cup 7-3 to Zaragoza, with a shameful 5-0 drubbing in the away leg. They find themselves 3rd in the league and surely nothing but a trophy could keep Madridstas safe? Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid, on the other hand, are having a whale of a time, with the month ending on a 7-0 thrashing of Racing. They won all league games this month and drew 1-1 in Scotland against Celtic, leaving a solid base to build on back in Spain.

Back over to Italy, where Ben Taylor’s Fiorentina added to their exquisite month with a 4-1 win over Roma in the first leg of the Italian Cup Semi Final. Inter lead Udinese 4-2 in the other match. In the league, Genoa’s early form has abandoned them as Cardio Vascular’s team sit 9th. This month they won twice, drew once and lost once. Just below them are Jonte Rhodes’s Lazio, who had the same set of results, including a 4-5 loss away to Atalanta, who were revitalised under their new manager. Yes, that’s right, the board at the Italian club saw fit to relieve bermybhoy of duties, after he lost his first three matches of the month, all 0-1. The team are in 14th, as they were when the Scotsman parted company.

The report shall conclude with a Europa League report. Mikey Twigge’s Palermo crashed out in the Round of 32 to Atlético Madrid, as did Lecce to Rangers. Lazio, Tottenham and Bryan McGuinness’s Everton all progressed, the latter needing away goals to do so. In the Last 16, Tottenham face Villarreal, Everton face CSKA Moscow and Lazio face rivals A.C. Milan. Zaragoza also face Atlético Madrid in the battle of the Spaniards. There’s plenty therefore to look forward to!

Manager of the Update

This month, there is little doubt that

Ben Taylor, Fiorentina

deserves the award. He won every single match, in all competitions, including a Champions League win over holders Barcelona. Liam Ferguson also went through the month without conceding a goal in the league, a formidable record, but proved he lacks some flexibility, in losing the first leg of his Champions League match and in needing an FA Cup replay to beat Hull. Ben Cee did very very well, and came the closest to the award out of all the other competitors, including Lucas Volman.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Very Secure   1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure   1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   1332
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Secure        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]13th tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable        1332
 [/font][font=Courier New]19th bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta                  1320
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia                  1320
 [/font][font=Courier New]21st m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing                    1288
 [/font][font=Courier New]22nd el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid                1263
 [/font][font=Courier New]23rd spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia                  1259
 [/font][font=Courier New]24th Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting                  1244
 [/font][font=Courier New]25th Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull                      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]26th clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma                      1237
 [/font][font=Courier New]27th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal                1230
 [/font][font=Courier New]28th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom                 1210
 [/font][font=Courier New]29th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton                    1208
 [/font][font=Courier New]30th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo                  999
 [/font][font=Courier New]31st Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus                   925
 [/font][font=Courier New]32nd pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis                      889
 [/font][font=Courier New]33rd AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan                 882
 [/font][font=Courier New]34th JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol                   873
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo                 873
 [/font][font=Courier New]36th ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United                 852
 [/font][font=Courier New]37th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena                      843
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

[canvey!!]

Manager of the Update – Previous Winners

[font=Courier New]  [b]Update Winner, Club                [/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 08 James Salter, Reggina
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 08 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 08 Clark Aitken, Roma
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 08 Clark Aitken, Roma 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 08 Leo Dodge, Tottenham 
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 08 Maurice Jobson, Man United
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 09 Bryan McGuinness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 09 Robert Boyle, Blackburn
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 09 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 09 Neji Hyuuga, Deportivo
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 09 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 09 Jonte Rhodes, Lazio
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 09 Wobill Luman, Betis
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 09 Liam Ferguson, Man City
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 09 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 09 Lisa Jeffries, Juventus
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 09 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 10 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 10 bermybhoy, Atalanta
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 10 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 10 Will de Mote, A.C. Milan
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 10 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 10 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 10 Tyler Burrows, Udinese
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 10 Mikey Twigge, Palermo
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 10 Lord Weeman, Napoli
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 10 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Mar 11 Lucas Volman, Real Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Apr 11 Tom Smith, Arsenal
 [/font][font=Courier New]May 11 Haowan Madridstas, Barcelona
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jun 11 Super Lampard, Lecce
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jul 11 Mark Cator, Aston Villa
 [/font][font=Courier New]Aug 11 Bryan McGuiness, Everton
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sep 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Oct 11 Brucie Bonus, West Brom
 [/font][font=Courier New]Nov 11 Cool Manager, Atlético Madrid
 [/font][font=Courier New]Dec 11 Lawrence Lazewski, Valencia
 [/font][font=Courier New]Jan 12 Leo Dodge, Tottenham
 [/font][font=Courier New]Feb 12 Ben Taylor, Fiorentina[/font]

Top Eight – Highest Fee Received

[font=Courier New]  [b]Pos +- Username            Manager           Club        Player                 Fee[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] ~Ian~               Bryan McGuinness  Everton     Mikel Arteta       £25.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New]2nd [color=green]+2[/color] PluckaDuck          Tyler Burrows     Udinese     Fabio Quagliarella £19.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New]  - [color=green]+2[/color] fergysafc           Liam Ferguson     Man City    Nigel de Jong      £19.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New]  - NE Lower Leagues Rules Jonte Rhodes      Lazio       Paolo Sammarco     £19.5 M
 [/font][font=Courier New]5th NE Romanista1994       Lucas Volman      Real Madrid Pepe               £18   M
 [/font][font=Courier New]6th  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal          Ben Cee           Inter       Nicolás Burdisso   £17.75M
 [/font][font=Courier New]7th [color=green]+2[/color] Haowan              Haowan Madridstas Barcelona   Diego              £17.25M
 [/font][font=Courier New]  - NE mikeytwigge         Mikey Twigge      Palermo     Mancini            £17.25M[/font]

[hasdgfas]

Oh dear, a bit of a rough patch for me at Fulham. I really need to turn it around.

[Greasy Chip Butty]

Damn stupid Morton! Why go to City Hull you fool?!!!!!!!

Well, at least I can claim that I would have won had it not been for the stupidity of my manager!

[tomsmith1989]

Great updates as usual canvey!! A slip in job security down to just stable is worrying me a little. Hopefully I can see out the season, and carry on for a few more years. Not too sure if I condone the £14m purchase of Saivet or not. I suppose only time will tell if he's any good or not. With just 18 left, it's beginning to get very interesting and very nervy. I do hope I can hold out until the end.

[rancer890]

Phew, still safe with Boro...just don't drop down into the relegation zone...

[super_lampard]

Great updates canvey as usual shame Leece aren't doing well in serie A, although despite our exit from europa league i am proud of our performance

[PluckaDuck]

That maiden title for Udinese is looking increasingly unlikely, but I'm still doing very well with them!!

KUTGW Canvey!!!

[ssestig]

Still in \o/ Dangerously close to the dropzone though. KUTGW Canvey!!! and enjoy your break.

[BenArsenal]

Bummer. I NEVER win the Manager of the Month award.

Have fun in Switzerland!

[fergysafc]

great updates there doing better as it gets on

KUTHW

[el sid]

Jesus, Liverpool? This can't be happening

Fantastic updates though canvey, I will keep following this until the end of the sign up, even though my participation has ended.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Wow a great European Cup run going for Lazio, though it may just come to an end against the Italian heavyweights. Hopefully I can pull some sort of trick move out of the bag and continue. Good to see my status move up to secure even though I am behind my finishing spot in the league last year.

A huge set of managers leaving clubs lately, good to see the numbers coming down, will be interesting to see how many can make it to 4 years.

[IlikeJellybeans]

nooooooooooo, oh well 19th out of 60 is pretty good!

KUTGW

[m1234566778]

21st

KUTGW

[canvey!!]

Not an update - that will come on Monday - but a little advertising seeing as my latest sign up is floundering in the sign-up stages. In the style of the Eurovision Song Contest comes the Afrovision Managerial Contest, where 53 managers will control the nations of Africa and decide a winner based on each year's performance. The sign-up thread is here.

[canvey!!]

After this update we’ll move onto an update every two days, that is, one day between each update.

Update 45

Years: 3, Months: 45, Days: 1363

April Fools’ Day is upon us, but there will be no tricks coming from me this time around. This month, Jellybean Man put his Numancia woes behind him to take the vacant position at Mallorca. Other than that, the month was uneventful in terms of the job market, but we’ll see what we can find in terms of football results, starting in England with the Premier League.

Liam Ferguson’s Man City top that particular football competition, and they lead their cross-town rivals by two points, with just five games left to be played. This month, City won two of their games, beating Stoke and second-placed United, but a trip to Anfield saw a 3-3 draw with Cool Manager’s Liverpool. The Sky Blues, however, saw their hopes evaporate in other competitions, but we’ll move onto that in due course. Leo Dodge’s Tottenham are third in England’s top flight, just four points behind Ferguson and his team, and they had an extremely profitable month. Cardiff, Newcastle, Bolton and Sunderland were all beaten without conceding a goal, and a 0-1 first leg defeat in the Europa League was overcome at White Hart Lane to beat Villarreal 2-1 in the Europa League Round of 16. Tom Smith’s Arsenal follow in fourth place, having also won all of their games, with a 4-0 thrashing of West Ham and a 5-0 thrashing of Wigan.

Over in Spain, Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid top the table with Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona just one point behind. The two teams drew against each other at the Nou Camp this month, but both teams won all other games. Barcelona overcame that 0-2 deficit against Fiorentina in the Champions League with a 4-0 home victory, while Real beat Celtic 2-0 to seal a 3-1 aggregate progression. There are still nine games for Barcelona to play and ten for Real Madrid, so the league title’s destination is still undecided.

Over in Italy, Lord Weeman’s Napoli are blowing away the competition. They sit top, with 13 points over nearest opponents Udinese. They beat Inter, Parma, Empoli and Juventus this month, and drew 3-3 in a fearsome encounter with their away trip to play Livorno. Tyler Burrows’s second-placed side won three and drew one this month, which included the 3-0 defeat of A.C. Milan and the 2-1 away one of fourth-placed Fiorentina. Udinese are tied with Ben Cee’s Inter on 62 points, but with the Singaporean’s team having lost three matches from five this month, March could not be deemed a success.

A venture into Europe now, starting with the Europa League. I already mentioned Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Villarreal. Fellow English team Bryan McGuinness’s Everton are into the Quarter Final after beating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in Russia, following a goalless Goodison Park match. Racing and Zaragoza progressed to represent Spain, with the other four coming from four countries. Jonte Rhodes’s Lazio overcame their fellow Italian hopefuls A.C. Milan 4-3 to make the Last Eight, where they will be joined by Ajax, Olympiakos and Bayern Munich. The latter will face Lazio, while Everton will play Ajax and Tottenham Zaragoza. In the Champions League, Real Madrid and Barcelona progressed as was already discussed. Tom Smith’s Arsenal beat Udinese 2-1 at the Emirates to seal progression and Man City’s dreams were ended, as previously mentioned, by Ben Cee’s Inter, who won 3-1 at home which coupled with their 2-1 away victory for a 5-2 ticket into the Quarter Finals. There, they will meet Arsenal, who they knocked out in last year’s Round of 16. Barcelona will face Roma and Real Madrid will face Lyon. Chelsea and Liverpool will match up and try to find out which poached the better manager from Spain.

The FA Cup Sixth Round was played in England, and as previously mentioned, Man City were left devastated, this time by rivals Man United at Old Trafford. The Red Devils won 2-0 to progress, and they will face Portsmouth in the next round, after Pompey beat West Ham 5-3 in London. Bryan McGuinness’s Everton are out after a tough battle at the Emirates which Arsenal won 3-2. The Gunners will face Stoke in competition for a final place. In the Premier League, Tim Aubel’s Fulham are still lurking too close to the relegation zone for their own good, in 15th place with 5 points separating them from the bottom three. They drew three times and lost once this month.

Back over to Italy now to conclude the report. Super Lampard’s Lecce are on a knife edge, sitting in 18th place with relegation looming. They did manage to beat Atalanta this month, and collect a further two points, but they will really need to work hard to avoid the bottom three come the end of the season. For Theo Stigarakis’s Catania, the work will be slightly easier, as the Englishman has four points more than Lecce. This month, two wins and two losses will be considered ample, and will be the desired form heading forward. James Salter’s Reggina are in unlucky 13th place, and while they beat Lampard’s Lecce 3-0 this month, those three points were their only three points. But with 14 points between them and Lecce, they are looking safe to avoid relegation.

So, a quiet month. I don’t want to be a fearmonger, but who knows if this is the calm before the storm?

Manager of the Update

There were three very good performances this month, and I will give it to;

Leo Dodge, Tottenham

as my choice out of the three. Him and Tom Smith had very smooth win-full months, and I chose the Tottenham manager over his cross-town rivals as not only does he hold a higher position in the Premier League, but he does so with an arguably worse team. Lord Weeman could feel aggrieved, after his efforts with Napoli this month, but I expect them to claim the title soon, and then perhaps this distinction will be heading his way.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   Very Secure   1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid Very Secure   1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   1363
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th JSalter              James Salter        Reggina     Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton     Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo     Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa       Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio       Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro  Secure        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]12th fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City    Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina  Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter       Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania     Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham      Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce       Stable        1363
 [/font][font=Courier New]19th bermybhoy            bermybhoy           Atalanta                  1320
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - IlikeJellybeans      Jellybean Man       Numancia                  1320
 [/font][font=Courier New]21st m1234566778          Maz Armley          Racing                    1288
 [/font][font=Courier New]22nd el sid               Cool Manager        At. Madrid                1263
 [/font][font=Courier New]23rd spartans5            Lawrence Lazewski   Valencia                  1259
 [/font][font=Courier New]24th Greasy Chip Butty    Andy Morton         Sporting                  1244
 [/font][font=Courier New]25th Martin_              Martin Bojangles    Hull                      1241
 [/font][font=Courier New]26th clrkaitken           Clark Aitken        Roma                      1237
 [/font][font=Courier New]27th Waghlon              Lars Tommersen      Villarreal                1230
 [/font][font=Courier New]28th Walcott’s Wonderkids Brucie Bonus        West Brom                 1210
 [/font][font=Courier New]29th Almondo              Arnold J. Rimmer    Bolton                    1208
 [/font][font=Courier New]30th Neji                 Neji Hyuuga         Deportivo                  999
 [/font][font=Courier New]31st Jack Rudd            Lisa Jeffries       Juventus                   925
 [/font][font=Courier New]32nd pnefc22              Wobill Luman        Betis                      889
 [/font][font=Courier New]33rd AtilasMiserly        Will de Mote        A.C. Milan                 882
 [/font][font=Courier New]34th JoeLatics            Joe Gleeson         Espanyol                   873
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Blanco               Cristobal Blanco    Recreativo                 873
 [/font][font=Courier New]36th ian_1982             Maurice Jobson      Man United                 852
 [/font][font=Courier New]37th Ridleys              James Ridley        Siena                      843
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

[hamilton162]

Getting exciting now, down to the final 18. This is/has been phenominal canvey

[super_lampard]

Looks like I could be going down, although would be pretty good if i kept my job especially with so little people left in

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Hmmm a great effort in Europe, the Top 8 of the Europa league is nothing to be sneezed about for Lazio, that makes us into the top 24 teams in all of Europe. Surely I will hold my job unless a better offer comes in. Clearly midtable is where I really want to be, achieving targets but never too far above them.

[BenArsenal]

Ooh, Arsenal in the Champions League quarter final...

[PluckaDuck]

Again in with a chance to win the title, during March.

Lets hope that unlike previous seasons, we stay strong and don't lose our way as we approach the end of the season!

[tomsmith1989]

Ooh, Arsenal in the Champions League quarter final...

I wouldn't expect any less.

I was looking forward to being Manager of the Update, but just pipped, and it's fair enough too.

A really solid month.

[el sid]

Only 18 left, I give it another 2 years before all the managers are sacked/move.