60 to One

canvey!! · May 8, 2011

Update 223

Years: 18, Months: 223, Days: 6782

It’s crunch time in the 2026-27 season, so let’s see how our managers fared in January.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal have been knocked off the top spot in the Premier League, and are now floundering somewhat in second place. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea won their game in hand, and so overtook the Gunners. The Blues then won their next three games, while Arsenal dropped two points in a draw with Leicester. At the end of the month, the two teams met at Chelsea Stadium, and McGuinness’s side put themselves seven points clear at the top with a 3-0 win. Arsenal’s victories this month came against Man United and Everton. The Gunners also booked their place in the FA Cup Fifth Round, beating Bury 5-1 in the Third Round, and Birmingham 4-0 in the Fourth Round. A place in the Last Eight is almost guaranteed – Arsenal host Championship Reading or League 1 Hartlepool next. Chelsea travel to Man City.

In Italy, Lord Weeman’s title campaign continues to go swimmingly, and he has extended Napoli’s lead over Mantova to nine points. In January, the team started with a loss at Catania, but beat Lazio, Sampdoria, A.C. Milan and Modena. Surprisingly, dafuge’s Palermo sit 3rd, with A.C. Milan fourth. Mikael Schøler’s Juventus have had a good month and sit fifth, level on 39 points with Inter. Schøler is still Insecure, but he looks to be out of the woods more or less. In the Coppa Italia this month, Napoli beat visitors Atalanta 3-0, booking them a place in the Semi-Final. There, they’ll play Cool Manager’s Inter. In the other Semi, Robert Boyle’s Udinese face Mantova.

January is, as we know, transfer month. Tom Smith made two new signings, while selling a player. Middlesbrough’s 24-year-old Northern Irish midfielder Kyle Davis arrived for £7M, and Derby’s Irish attacking midfielder Andy Withe joined for £11.25M. Barcelona bought Russian centreback Andrey Mitin for £4.9M. Lord Weeman made one signing, weaking title rivals Mantova by buying their left winger Carmine Fusco for £13.25M. The biggest transfer of the month was Barcelona’s £25.5M purchase of Fulham’s Spanish midfielder José Ángel, while Tyler Burrows at Roma signed four-and-a-half players for a combined total of £54M, raising just £7M through sales.

Can Napoli keep their first place until the end of the season? Can Arsenal keep themselves together and stay in the top four? Only time will tell.

~~ Nostalgia ~~

Update 23

We’ll start with the Premier League, which concluded first. Martin Bojangles’s Hull suffered a very poor month losing 0-3 at home to already-relegated Birmingham and then falling 0-2 at Goodison Park. Still, in the end, the Tigers enjoyed a nice 10-point cushion over 18th-placed Birmingham. Of course, you are more interested in things at the top, where Tom Smith’s Arsenal claimed the title in slightly lacklustre form, with a 1-0 win and two 1-1 draws this month, but it was enough. After 4-3 aggregate progress in the Champions League Semi Final against Lyon, he now has two finals to look forward to in the pursuit of a treble. Second-placed Manchester City were three points behind the Gunners in the end, concluding their season with a win against Crystal Palace and a draw against 9th-placed Newcastle.

~~ ~~

The match was at the Bernabéu, which meant a significantly smaller travelling distance for Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona. The match looked quite steady and controlled in front of its 75,000 spectators, but in 3 minutes Barcelona certainly had the advantage, as Henry’s 30th minute goal was added to by Yaya Touré in the 33rd. Arsenal did little in response, and Barcelona ran out 3-0 winners with Thierry Henry adding a second in the 58th minute.

~~ ~~

Wembley was full but for one person, and Tom Smith was eager to avoid the 0-3 drubbing he was going to receive in the Champions League final. Maurice Jobson knew that a bad performance here could result in his dismissal, but a win would put him so much closer to security. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 29th minute to give the Red Devils the lead. Carlos Tevez converted a penalty in the 37th minute and the misery was completed in the 83rd minute when Tevez scored again to give United the win. Two finals, two 0-3 losses, but a title to ease the pain of Tom Smith and his Arsenal supporters.

~~ ~~

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6782
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6782
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Six – Oldest Managers (I’m gradually reducing these tables to Top Fives – managers leaving the table won’t be replaced until only five are listed)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Age[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+4[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                   65
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+3[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                       64
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+5[/color] PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Roma          63
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+4[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis         62
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+4[/color] TaylorB         Ben Taylor        Fiorentina    Lazio         62
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - NE weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli        62 *[/font]

dafuge · May 9, 2011

Things going well for me at Palermo?

Ah, the irony

el sid · May 10, 2011

Tied for 5th in the table :thdn: Hopefully we can get one over Napoli in the cup semifinal

canvey!! · May 12, 2011

Sorry about the lack of updates - I've been really busy, and am moving today. Things should be back to normal in 60 to One pretty soon.

Update 224

Years: 18, Months: 224, Days: 6810

The season rolls on, and as few as ten games are left in league football. With both of our managers eyeing the league title in one way or another, let’s see how they did in February.

Lord Weeman’s Napoli struggled this month, but still came out of it with six points. That isn’t a great return, given that twelve were to play for, but it maintains an eight-point lead at the top of Serie A. They drew 1-1 with Fiorentina, Vicenza and Ascoli, and beat Bologna 2-0. In the Champions League this month, they travelled to Barcelona, where they lost 1-2 despite having the better of their opponents. Still, they’ll be optimistic of overturning their Catalonian opponents on aggregate, with the teams playing at San Paolo next month.

In England, Arsenal’s steady slide down the table has begun, and Tom Smith’s Gunners currently sit 4th. In February, they drew all three games, against Ipswich, Hull and Newcastle. They beat visitors Hartlepool 2-0 in the FA Cup Fifth Round, and are rewarded with a trip to struggling Liverpool in Round Six. All the remaining sides are from the Premier League, but Arsenal and Chelsea are the only real heavyweights left: Bryan McGuinness’s side will travel to Leicester. Aston Villa host Derby while Sheffield United welcome Newcastle. In the Carling Cup this month, James Salter walked Portsmouth out onto the turf of Wembley for the second time in as many years. Once again, Pompey lost the Carling Cup Final, and once again, it was on penalties. They drew 0-0 with Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham, and, although both sides scored their first two spot kicks, Portsmouth missed their next two while Spurs netted both.

In other Premier League news, Maz Armley has been relieved of his position at Leeds. Losing the first two games of the month, he left the side 14th in the Preier League, eight places below expectations. Super Lampard was appointed as Armley’s successor. But Armley still had his job at England under 19s: the Dream Team were hosting the Netherlands this month, and Armley’s team lost 2-3 at the Bescot Stadium, going 0-3 down after half an hour. dafuge's under 20s beat the Dutch 3-1, scoring in the 10th, 11th and 12th minutes, while Robert Boyle’s under 21s went one better, winning 4-1 with a brace from Liverpool striker Matt Rolls. Brettney Joven’s senior team, despite taking the lead in the second minute, lost 1-2. In other friendly matches, Frederico Canvey’s Spain drew 1-1 at home to Ireland, Neilio’s Italy beat visitors Colombia 5-0, with two goals from Juventus’ Giuseppe Girasole and a hattrick from Juri Rigamonti, and Tim Aubel’s United States won 3-0 away to El Salvador.

Onwards we go, to March!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6810
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6810
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Nine – Youngest Managers

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Age[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Spain         53
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Juventus      53
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+1[/color] Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena         Man United    55
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+1[/color] Neilio          Neilio            Almería       Italy         56
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1[/color] Chimpos         Phill Ewles       Valladolid                  56
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+1[/color] Robert_296      Robert Boyle      Blackburn   Udinese/ENG u21 57
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter         57
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th [color=green]+1[/color] dafuge          dafuge            Torino      Palermo/ENG u20 58
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                    58[/font]

canvey!! · May 13, 2011

Update 225

Years: 18, Months: 225, Days: 6841

For Arsenal manager Tom Smith, March has been a rather poor month. Instead of making up any ground in the Premier League title race, the Gunners picked up just one point from nine, and remain fourth in the league. They started the month at home in the North London derby, and Arsenal fans will have been disappointed with the 2-2 result. Smith’s side then lost 1-2 both at Bramall Lane and at home to Man City. In the FA Cup, Arsenal travelled to Anfield, where a Johan Andersson goal saw them hold the home side to a 1-1 draw. Andersson scored again as Arsenal won the replay 2-0. Newcastle await in the Semi-Final, while Chelsea play Aston Villa.

For Lord Weeman, March was better, even if his Napoli team suffered their third loss of the season this month. They beat Rimini 2-0 and Genoa 3-0, with the two wins sandwiching a 1-2 away loss to Tyler Burrows’s Roma. In the Coppa Italia, Napoli travelled to Cool Manager’s Inter for the first leg of their Semi-Final, and lost 0-2. Robert Boyle’s Udinese also won 2-0 at home, against Mantova. Napoli have a ten point lead over the Mantovanis, with nine games of the season to play.

In the Champions League, Napoli faced Barcelona, eager to avenge a 1-2 loss at the Nou Camp. Lord Weeman’s side ran out 2-0 victors, thanks to goals from Hélder Trindade and Daniel Resino. Juventus were the only other Italian side to win through, progressing 3-1 on aggregate despite a 0-1 loss at Ajax. James Ridley’s Manchester United beat Inter 5-2 on aggregate, with a 4-0 win at Old Trafford, and A.C. Milan were knocked out by the other Manchester side on penalties after both sides won 1-0 at home. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 on aggregate, while Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham thrashed Theo Stigarakis’s Rangers 3-0 at White Hart Lane after a goalless draw at Ibrox. Zaragoza beat Porto 1-0, and Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 3-2. In the Quarter Finals, Napoli meet Chelsea while Juventus play Man United. The other ties are intranational: Man City meet Spurs and Real Madrid take on Zaragoza. Eight teams remain in the Europa League: dafuge’s Palermo play Celtic in the Quarter Finals, while Lars Tommersen’s Betis meet Benfica.

International teams were in action this month, with friendlies and Euro 2028 qualifying. Fréderico Canvey’s Spain won 5-0 in the Faroe Islands in their qualifying match, before beating visitors Ukraine 4-0 in a friendly. Neilio’s Italy won their competitive fixture 5-1 at home to Iceland, before winning 3-2 against Cameroon. Braces from Jozy Altidore and Yoshitaka Kamiya helped Tim Aubel’s United States to a 5-0 friendly victory over Singapore. As for the Dream Team, Maz Armley’s under 19s beat Finland 2-0 and Belgium 2-1, Robert Boyle’s under 20s won those matches 4-0 and 2-0 respectively, and Brettney Joven’s senior team won the Finland match, in European Championship qualifying, 6-2, before beating the Belgians 3-0 in the friendly.

We’ll conclude with a little report from Spain. Sitting 12th in La Liga with thirteen games to play, Real Madrid sacked their manager Manolo Jiménez, despite his having just won 3-1 against Valencia in the Copa del Rey Semi-Final. With a season in need of rescue, Real turned to a manager with plenty of experience, and all that with only being 53 too. Mikael Schøler, after 4262 days in Turin, jumped ship to the Bernabéu. His tenure at Juventus, had it been at his first club Bologna instead, would have been long enough to see him finish sixth in the sign-up. He leaves behind his 23-year-old son Jakob, who plays in the club’s reserves. Former Valencia, Man United and Roma manager Pierluigi Casiraghi filled the vacant hotseat at Delle Alpi.

The season finale is just around the corner. Join us next time, to find out what our managers got up to in April.

~~ Nostalgia ~~

Update 25

Tom Smith’s Arsenal have now completed their pre-season campaign, although they experienced two blips in Italy. AA Gent were beaten 2-0, Barnet were beaten 4-0 and BEC of Thailand were beaten 5-0, but surrounding a 4-1 victory over Pisa in an Italian tour came a 1-1 draw to James Ridley’s Siena and a 1-2 defeat to Lisa Jeffries’s Juventus. Juventus also beat Germans Bielefeld 4-0 in their other friendly match. A team with a much more successful pre-season record than Arsenal are Aston Villa. Mark Cator’s team obviously meant business with their two significant signings and, although the opposition wasn’t top quality, they got business with away wins over Reading, Watford, Charlton, Notts County and Cardiff. Newly-promoted Arnold J. Rimmer’s Bolton too maintain a 100% winning record against some good teams, including a credible 2-0 victory over Wuhan following a 9000km flight to China. Although a rather shorter distance team in Livingston were only beaten 1-0, there was an impressive 3-0 win over Wolfsburg, a 4-0 one over Nancy-Lorraine and a 4-1 one over Fiorentina. This was coupled with a small offload of players, although cash has yet to change hands.

~~ ~~

Brazil would face France in the World Cup Final. Gilberto Silva put the South Americans ahead in the 14th minute from the spot, after Bacary Sagna’s foul. It took just seven minutes for Brazil to double their lead, doing so with Juan’s goal in the 21st minute. A further two minutes in and Robinho completed hell for France with a third goal, surely an unsurmountable lead?

The French team had a good go, though. Before the first half was out the margin was already closed by a goal, thanks to William Gallas’s 28th minute shot. Brazil seemed happy to play out the second half without looking particularly for the kill, but without playing all-out defensively. France doubled their goal-count just over 15 minutes from time with a goal from Yoann Gourcuff but they couldn’t find a third so Brazil won their sixth World Cup.

~~ ~~

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6841
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6841
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Nine – Highest Fee Spent

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Player                Fee[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+1[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      Craig Robson#      £48  M *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        Carmine Bernini#   £40  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+2[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                      Cristiano Ronaldo  £30.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+2[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      Carlos Vela        £27  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+3[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       Davide Donadel#    £23  M *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+2[/color] Chimpos         Phill Ewles       Valladolid                 Marco Bertacchini# £22.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=green]+3[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                  Mario Gómez        £21.5M[/font]

el sid · May 14, 2011

Doing well in the Coppa Italia, hopefully season ends with some silverware

canvey!! · May 14, 2011

Update 226

Years: 18, Months: 226, Days: 6871

Another month gone, and our managers are one step closer to the end of the season. Let’s see how they did in April.

The finish line is in sight for Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who need to get just three points from their next five games to secure their first Serie A win in fifteen years. Mantova, who have challenged the Neapolitan side all season, have fallen away this month, to be replaced by A.C. Milan, Cool Manager’s Inter, and Juventus. In April, Napoli won 1-0 at Inter in a victory as convincing as their 4-0 one against Atalanta, or their 4-1 one against Mantova. They also drew goalless at Delle Alpi. Results like these show that they are champion material. In the Coppa Italia, they beat Inter 1-0 in an undisciplined Semi-Final second leg, and unfortunately that wasn’t enough to secure a Final place. Mantova, on the other hand, were able to reverse their own 0-2 deficit against Robert Boyle’s Udinese, and will be Inter’s opponents in the Final. Elsewhere in Italy, with his Lazio side 13th in Serie A and therefore underperforming, Ben Taylor was given his marching orders. The former Ipswich and Fiorentina boss might have been safer had he not decided to jump ship from Besiktas last January. Bologna’s Vincenzo Italiano succeeded the 62-year-old.

Over in England, Tom Smith’s Arsenal are still in decline. In April, although they beat Aston Villa and drew goalless at Anfield, they also drew at home to bottom-placed Fulham, before losing 1-4 at Derby, who sit 15th. The Gunners are currently 6th, and even though they have matches with Leeds, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, who are all in the Championship in real life, I don’t see them gaining seven points on fourth-placed Manchester United. However, at the same time, I do not see them losing eight points on seventh-placed Leicester. They will have the chance to capture some plaudits this season, however, with an appearance in the FA Cup Final. They beat Alberto Pazos’s Newcastle 2-1 at Wembley in their Semi-Final, while Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea, who lead the Premier League by seven points, triumphed in an eight-goal thriller against Aston Villa (hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t know it!). I can see the Blues doing the Double, and Arsenal leaving penniless.

Because a Double is all they can do now, although they can achieve some sort of Quadruple by adding on their Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup wins from the start of the season. They left the Champions League this month, and if you were paying attention last month, you will know that that defeat was handed to them by Lord Weeman’s Napoli. The Blues absolutely bossed the first leg at Chelsea Stadium, scoring after just six minutes. Five minutes after that, Napoli’s talismanic striker Mattia Silvestri was sent off, but Chelsea were unable to capitalise on that and score again, and that was what cost them. Weeman’s side performed adequate, if not perfect, damage control, and won the tie with a 2-0 home victory in the second leg. In the other Quarter Finals, James Ridley’s Man United ousted Juventus 4-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in Italy, and both Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham and Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid needed away goals, but got past, respectively, Man City after a 4-4 draw and Zaragoza after a 5-5 draw. Schøler had plenty of run-ins with Weeman as Juventus boss (32 to be exact), and he has another one here, as Real face Napoli in the Semi-Final. Weeman’s side won the home leg 1-0, and must be wary as they travel to the Bernabéu. Elsewhere, Tottenham pulled off a major coup with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, and will be optimistic about reaching a second consecutive Champions League Final. Betis boss Lars Tommersen is our only manager in the Europa League, after Palermo’s Quarter Final defeat to Celtic, and a Final place isn’t unlikely after a narrow 0-1 loss at Anfield in their Semi-Final first leg. Meanwhile, Newcastle lead Celtic 3-0.

So, an FA Cup is in the offing for Arsenal, and the Champions League is not too distant a dream for Napoli. Lord Weeman’s side’s recapture of the Scudetto is all but a foregone conclusion, but you’ll have to wait and see if the 62-year-old can pick up Europe’s premier trophy for the third time.

~~ Nostalgia ~~

Update 26

Indeed, the transfer scene is where we shall commence, with this month’s highest transfer costing a pretty penny or two. But Tyler Burrows doesn’t mind, as the £19.5M he received from his sale of Fabio Quagliarella to Clark Aitken’s Roma will fund his own transfer exploits for a while to come. The most he has made of his millions so far is the purchase of Andrés D’Alessandro from Brazilians Internacional, although David Suazo and John Arne Riise were also two results of his cash windfall, joining Udinese for a combined £5.4M. In other big transfers, Ben Cee’s Inter signed Rafael Sóbis from Lyon for £18.75M, and Simão joined Barcelona for £16.25M from Cool Manager’s Atlético Madrid. Lord Weeman’s Napoli splashed the cash with two signings over £10M: a co-ownership for Catania’s Juan Forlin for £12.5M and a £10.25M deal taking Stéphane Mbia from Stade Rennais. But it looks to be working for the Englishman’s team, who are top of Serie A after the first game, having thrashed Cagliari away 3-1. However, they lost to Torino in the Italian Cup 3rd Qualifying Round, disappointing given that dafuge’s former side are in Serie B.

~~ ~~

August is of course the Super Cup month, and in each country, two teams would battle it out for the novelty prize. On top of this, two Spanish teams would fight in Monaco for the UEFA Super Cup. In England, Tom Smith’s Arsenal decided they had had enough of being thrashed 3-0 in finals and so reversed that scoreline against Manchester United in the Community Shield. In Italy, Juventus were victorious over A.C. Milan, but only on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and in Spain, Lucas Volman’s Real Madrid seized the initiative after a 2-2 draw in Valencia, winning their home league to take the cup 5-3. Finally, in Monaco, Volman’s rivals Atlético Madrid lost out to Haowan Madridstas’s Barcelona, who claimed the UEFA Super Cup 3-2.

~~ ~~

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6871
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6871
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – Highest Fee Received

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club  Player             Fee[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham     Keith Smith#    £52  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] brettney1980    Brettney Joven    Wigan         England       Chris Heslop#   £32.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd  [color=blue]0[/color] Robert_296      Robert Boyle      Blackburn     Udine/ENG u21 Redouane Bacha# £30  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th  [color=blue]0[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis         Giuseppe Rossi  £29.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th  [color=blue]0[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                   Davide Fabbri#  £29  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                       Freddy Adu      £27  M
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Roma          Carlos Vela     £27  M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th  [color=blue]0[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                    Michael Essien  £26.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th  [color=blue]0[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea       Mikel Arteta    £25.5M
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th  [color=blue]0[/color] m1234566778     Maz Armley        Racing        England u19s  Adriano         £23  M[/font]

dafuge · May 14, 2011

Lost to Celtic

el sid · May 15, 2011

Just about made it to the Coppa Italia final

canvey!! · May 17, 2011

Update 227

Years: 18, Months: 227, Days: 6902

The end of the season has come around, with all its pomp and circumstance. Let’s see how our two managers did in May, in preparation for their twentieth season in management.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal finished the season fifth, four places higher than the papers said they would. If their form in May had been replicated across the season, they would no doubt have had their hands on the league title. They won 3-0 at Super Lampard’s Leeds, 3-1 at home to James Salter’s Portsmouth, and 1-0 at Middlesbrough. Leeds finished 17th, but avoided relegation by ten points. Portsmouth finished 10th. Hapless Fulham finished last by nine points, and it has been a bleak season for Sheffield, as both their teams went down. Chelsea won the league, with Man City second. Spurs and Man United complete the top four. Queen’s Park Rangers won the Championship, with Huddersfield and Coventry joining them in promotion. For Arsenal, there was hope of the first silverware in six years with the FA Cup Final.

Road to the Final – FA Cup
Tom Smith’s Arsenal started their FA Cup campaign in style, winning 5-1 at League 2 Bury in the Third Round. They continued this fine form with a 4-0 home victory over the Championship’s bottom club Birmingham in the Fourth Round, and beat visitors Hartlepool 2-0 in Round Five. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea won 2-0 at Blackburn, and 4-1 against Huddersfield before coming into difficulty with a Fifth Round tie against Man City. They drew goalless at Eastlands, and won the replay at Chelsea Stadium 3-1. This gave them a trip to high-flying Leicester in Round Six, but that was no match for the Champions, who won 2-1.

Arsenal’s Sixth Round tie came against Liverpool, who had fallen from grace in the past two seasons, after winning the league three years ago. The teams came to a 1-1 deadlock at Anfield, so Arsenal had the opportunity to win it on home turf. That they did, beating the Reds 2-0 at the Emirates. This set up a Semi-Final tie with Newcastle, who were beaten 2-1 at Wembley, sending the Gunners into the Final. Chelsea booked their own place in the Wembley showdown with a 5-3 Semi-Final victory over Aston Villa.

Only one seat was left unoccupied at Wembley, where Chelsea started on the front foot, threatening several times within the first few minutes. Bryan McGuinness’s Blues took the lead in the 8th minute, with Serbian striker Stefan Pejic heading home from Belkacem Renoux’s corner, and doubled it after a further three minutes, with a stunning free kick from club captain Francesc. Against the run of play, Arsenal pulled a goal back just after the hour mark, with Chelsea defender Lee Clark letting veteran striker Craig Robson through to halve the Blues’ lead. The goal livened up the Arsenal team a bit, but they still weren’t able to stop Chelsea creating chances. A chance of Arsenal’s own came in the 53rd minute, with Tony Bozinovski fouling Arsenal winger Joe Jenkins in the penalty area. Could they level the scores? No. Both the spot kick from Marco Baptista and the rebound shot from Johann Andersson were sent straight at the Chelsea ‘keeper. Chelsea continued with their quality attack, and they got their reward just minutes from time, a goal which put the result beyond doubt. Arsenal ‘keeper David Barker was caught out chasing a ball near the corner flag, allowing Chelsea midfielder Matthew Hill to chip a long-range shot into the open goal. To be honest, Chelsea were all over Arsenal today, and should have scored several more. The Gunners were second- or maybe even third-best on the field, and it would have been a travesty had they made it 2-2 from the spot.

Over in Italy, there was elation at San Paolo as Lord Weeman’s Napoli lifted the Scudetto after a fifteen-year estrangement. When they last won it, Inter were managed by Ben Cee, Manchester United by José Mourinho, and England by Fabio Capello. They started the month with a 0-1 loss at home to dafuge’s Palermo, with Argentine midfielder Nicolás Verón both scoring the winner and getting sent off. This was a shame, as the Serie A trophy had been prepared in the wings for a victorious team. Instead, they sealed the title the next week with a goalless draw at Friuli, against dafuge’s fellow England youth manager Robert Boyle. Napoli then went on to mirror this result at Frosinone and beat both Catania and Lazio at home. Juventus finished second, followed by Mantova, who achieved their highest ever league position, and by A.C. Milan. Cool Manager’s Inter finished outside the top four for the first time in 26 years, but did win the Coppa Italia with a 1-0 Final victory over Mantova. Catania, Sampdoria and Atalanta were relegated, with Parma, Cagliari and one other replacing them.

In Spain, Valencia won La Liga for the first time since 2020. Lars Tommersen’s Betis finished fourth, behind Zaragoza and Barcelona, and Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid finished 7th. Zaragoza denied Valencia a double by beating them 2-0 in the Copa del Rey Final.

Napoli had a small but not insignificant chance of winning the Champions League when we left them this month, and they needed to avoid defeat away to Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid, or lose by a one-goal margin other than 0-1. In the end, they lost 0-1, to a ten-man Real, and the match went to penalties. The Spanish side scored their first two, the Italians missed their first two. Both sides scored their next two, which meant Napoli lost 2-4. In the other Semi-Final, Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham were held to a goalless drew by Man United, in a brutal match that saw both sides down to ten men after 37 minutes. Spurs advanced 2-1 on aggregate, and drew their next match, the Final, 0-0 as well. They had to play extra time a man down after Welsh midfielder Brian Saunders picked up a second yellow card in the 90+4th minute, but they weathered the storm and took the match to penalties. In a nervewracking encounter, both sides scored four from their first five, and scored six sudden death spot kicks. Fullback John Howard, who had scored Spurs’ second, scored again, while Ivorian winger Lamine Kone, who had netted Real’s first, missed, giving the London club the victory 11-10. It’s a real credit that after just a year and a half in the job, Bojangles has taken Spurs to Europe’s elite title. The Europa League Final featured two English sides with Spanish managers, as Newcastle met Liverpool. The Magpies won 1-0 with a 25th minute goal from Scottish striker Jamie Mitchell. They are the fourth consecutive different English side to lift the title.

So with all that excitement, you might be lacking in anticipation for next month. But don’t be! There’s plenty still to come, with Tim Aubel featuring in the North American Gold Cup, Fréderico Canvey, Neilio and Brettney Joven playing Euro 2028 qualifying, and two of the rest of the Dream Team playing youth international tournaments.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6902
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6902
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Six – Longest Time at Current Club/Nation

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       6902 *
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      6902 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+4[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        4397
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th NE Robert_296      Robert Boyle      Blackburn     England u21s 3237
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+4[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      2516
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+4[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis        2502[/font]

English Premier League Table

Italian Serie A Table

hasdgfas · May 17, 2011

woo Gold Cup soon

el sid · May 19, 2011

Really mixed month for me!

:thup: Coppa Italia winners

:thdn: Dropped out of the top 4. But incredible consistency tbh, to be in the top 4 for 26 years

Longest time in currect club among all those who have changed clubs atleast once :cool:

canvey!! · May 19, 2011

Update 228

Years: 19, Months: 228, Days: 6932

Our two managers hit the nineteen-year mark at their clubs this month, but this report isn’t about them, even though that is a remarkable achievement. It’s June 2027, and there is international news for you!

We’ll start with Euro 2028 qualifying. We had three managers competing here, and we’ll start with Fréderico Canvey’s Spain. They hosted Craig Gordon’s Scotland, and it was a match littered with fouls, with the Spanish taking the lead through a penalty rebound in the 17th minute. Scotland levelled from the spot just before the hour mark, and Spain won the game in the last minute with Chelsea’s Francesc scoring the spot kick. Spain sit top of their group, level on points with the Scots, who have played a game more. Third-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina are seven points behind. Elsewhere, Neilio’s Italy played two games, winning 4-0 away to Luxembourg, and bettering that with a 5-0 victory in Moldova. Italy are actually second in their group, behind Northern Ireland, who have won all their games. Iceland follow in pursuit. Brettney Joven’s England also played two games, winning 4-0 in Montenegro and beating FYR Macedonia 3-0 at Wembley. England hold a five-point lead over Finland at the top of their group, with the Macedonians one point further back.

And what of the rest of the Dream Team? Maz Armley’s under 19s played both Montenegro and Macedonia in friendly games, winning 5-0 in Berane, and annihilating the former Yugoslav state 9-0 at stadium:mk. dafuge's under 20s started the Under 20 World Cup in Germany, opening well with a 3-0 victory over Guatemala. The United States and Japan are also in their group. Robert Boyle’s under 21s played in the European U21 Championship in Denmark, a competition they won last time. They struggled through their group, albeit finishing in first place, beating both Turkey and Spain 3-2 and drawing 2-2 with the host nation. They would have lost the last match if not for a last minute goal from Chelsea striker Ricky Lescott, which took his group stage tally to five. England faced Portugal in the Semi-Final, and a brace from 23-year-old Sheffield United forward Ben White saw them through 2-1. Spain beat France 2-1, and so England would meet them again. Ben White got yet another brace, leading to another 2-1 victory. Udinese manager Boyle lifts the competition for the third time.

That leaves us with the North American Gold Cup. Tim Aubel’s United States were featuring in a group with Cuba, El Salvador and Honduras. Naturalised Japanese striker Yoshitaka Kamiya opened the scoring against El Salvador after just four minutes, and Jozy Altidore’s 150th international goal, scored from the spot, secured the result just after the hour mark. The Americans doubled that win in their match against Cuba, running out 4-0 winners with two more goals from Altidore and another two from Kamiya too. They also beat the Hondurans with four unanswered goals, with Altidore getting one of them, making it 3-0 after 20 minutes. The results was completed five minutes before half time. This gave the Americans a favourable Quarter Final against Haiti, which they won 5-0. With Altidore not playing, Aldershot striker David Winter stepped up to the plate with two goals. Meanwhile, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines beat El Salvador 2-1, Trinidad & Tobago beat Costa Rica 1-0 and Mexico took extra time to knock out Guatemala by that scoreline.

Saint Vincent were the United States’ Semi-Final opponents, but they offered little opposition, with the Americans outshooting them ten to one. Just like the first game, Kamiya and Altidore scored one each in the 2-0 victory, with the former netting on the half hour, and Altidore doubling the lead in first half stoppage time. Saint Vincent were equally ineffectual in their Third Place Playoff against Trinidad & Tobago, who lost 0-1 to Mexico in their Semi, with the Trinidadans running out 3-0 victors. Current Inter and former Arsenal striker Wesley Oliver got two of the goals. That leaves us with the Final, the tenth time that Mexico and the United States have met in the last match of the tournament. It could be said that the Mexicans bossed the game, but it’s goals that count, and the Americans scored more, with David Winter capitalising on a rebounded shot in the 19th minute. That was the only goal as it happens, and gave Tim Aubel his second piece of silverware as the States’ boss, and his third overall.

We’ll be back to our two managers next month, but until then, adieu!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6932
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Very Secure   6932
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – Shortest Time at Current Club/Nation

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st NE MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid   117
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd NE super_lampard   Super Lampard     Lecce         Leeds         143
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd NE Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena         Man United    522
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th NE Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham     524
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th NE JSalter         James Salter      Reggina       Portsmouth    557
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th NE Robert_296      Robert Boyle      Blackburn     Udinese       558
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th NE PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Roma          562
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th NE canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Spain         725
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th [color=green]+1[/color] dafuge          dafuge            Torino        Palermo       765
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th [color=red]-9[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Rangers       827[/font]

hasdgfas · May 19, 2011

Woo, Gold Cup win :cool:

canvey!! · May 20, 2011

Update 229

Years: 19, Months: 229, Days: 6963

After a short time to collect their thoughts, our managers are off again on their pre-season preparations, and this month, as well as dipping into the transfer market, they have played friendly games. We’ll see how they did, and also comment on the two international tournaments featuring our managers.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal made a bit of a marquee signing this month, bringing in young Portuguese striker José César from Schalke for £22.5M. The 21-year-old has already scored three times in six appearances for his country, and is Smith’s fourth-biggest ever purchase. There were no major departures from the Emirates, and it looks like despite the big signing, it will be a quiet transfer window in Islington. The Gunners played three friendly games this month, touring Portugal with away victories over Belenenses and Marítimo, and winning 2-1 at Premier League new boys Coventry. Arsenal will open the season at Leicester, who finished 7th last year.

Over in Naples, Lord Weeman was very busy. 30-year-old goalkeeper Mario Ferri arrived from Juventus for £1.1M, but that pales in comparison to the £27M signing of Portsmouth centreback Massimo Perri, a former Udinese alumnus. Genoa received a boost to the bank balance when Napoli purchased half of their 20-year-old defender Sérgio João for £10M, and veteran Tunisian goalkeeper Lassaâd Hosni joins the club on a free after his release from Mantova: the 34-year-old has featured 136 times for his international side, and is bound to contribute to training. Several players left the club, not least goalie Maurizio Del Giudice, who was sold to Tottenham for £975k, over £2M less than what he cost Napoli last year, and experienced English midfielder Mike Hay, who signed for PSV Eindhoven for £1M. But the money for the season came from the £28M sale of Davide Donadel to A.C. Milan. The 23-year-old cost Napoli £23M last year, and he made just nine appearances for the club, but at least he was sold at a profit. Napoli started their jetsetting pre-season calendar this month, travelling to Germany for a win over Hamburg, returning to Italy for a win over local side Cavese, and then travelling to the United States for victory over Seattle Sounders. They start the season facing Inter in the Italian Super Cup Final, following their league win last year.

Okay, that’s that, so we’ll briefly cover the international tournaments. Brief is all we’ll need to be, as there wasn’t a lot to write home about. dafuge's England under 20s continued their solid start in the U20 World Cup group stage, beating Japan 5-0 and the United States 2-0. However, they left the tournament in the Second Round, with a 1-2 loss to Italy. Even the Americans got further, losing to Italy in the next round, while Argentina beat Mexico 3-0 in the Final in Dortmund. Maz Armley’s under 19s played in the European U19 Championship in Scotland. They started with a 0-3 defeat to Germany, before a 1-3 loss to Sweden. They beat Turkey 1-0 in their final game, but by then it was too late, and Germany and Sweden went through, with the English finishing bottom. Germany beat France 1-0 in the Final.

The new season is just around the corner, so get those final bids in, managers!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6963
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        6963
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

canvey!! · May 21, 2011

All Star Top Ten – Highest ‘Longest Time at a Club’

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Longest at  Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st NE PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Udinese     6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd NE MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Juventus    4262
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=red]-2[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham     Tottenham   3800
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=red]-2[/color] TaylorB         Ben Taylor        Fiorentina    Fiorentina  3442
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=red]-2[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia      Man City    2937
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=red]-1[/color] JSalter         James Salter      Reggina       Reggina     2710
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=red]-1[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Aston Villa 2591
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th [color=red]-1[/color] Chimpos         Phill Ewles       Valladolid    Olympiakos  2532
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th [color=red]-1[/color] m1234566778     Maz Armley        Racing        Sevilla     2504
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th [color=red]-1[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter         Inter       2502[/font]

Lifespan – 5 to 10 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club       Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina 3442
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City   2783
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th JSalter              James Salter        Reggina    2710
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo    2507
 [/font][font=Courier New]11th BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter      2502
 [/font][font=Courier New]12th super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce      2119
 [/font][font=Courier New]13th Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa      2010
 [/font][font=Courier New]14th Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio      1968[/font]

Lifespan – 2 to 5 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club       Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New][b]15th [/b][/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham     1705
 [/font][font=Courier New]16th ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton    1701
 [/font][font=Courier New]17th rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro 1614
 [/font][font=Courier New]18th ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania    1405
 [/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]

Lifespan – 1 to 2 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]38th conners              Sirus Lannock       Málaga     628
 [/font][font=Courier New]39th MikaelS              Mikael Schøler      Bologna    613
 [/font][font=Courier New]40th Swafe                Saul Goode          Osasuna    551
 [/font][font=Courier New]41st hamilton162          Tom Hamilton        Mallorca   509
 [/font][font=Courier New]42nd kashmirshazad        Shazad Ali          Newcastle  508
 [/font][font=Courier New]43rd DiscoStu94           Da Hoover Man       Sampdoria  501
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ScottT!              Scott Tysoe         Sunderland 501
 [/font][font=Courier New]45th 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]46th corinthiano          Mathias Brunckhorst Chievo     327
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neilio               Neilio              Almería    327
 [/font][font=Courier New]48th Robert_296           Robert Boyle        Blackburn  326
 [/font][font=Courier New]49th brettney1980         Brettney Joven      Wigan      320
 [/font][font=Courier New]50th TigerJoe             Joe Seddon          Getafe     271
 [/font][font=Courier New]51st jack.browne          Jack Browne         Sevilla    250
 [/font][font=Courier New]52nd NepentheZ            Neppo Monster       Cagliari   236
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - dafuge               dafuge              Torino     236
 [/font][font=Courier New]54th KiddingChoc          Zach Machios        Portsmouth 235
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Whoopy D             Whoopy D            West Ham   235
 [/font][font=Courier New]56th d-machine            David Machine       Athletic   229
 [/font][font=Courier New]57th PaulHartman71        Jeremy English      Liverpool  204
 [/font][font=Courier New]58th Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

canvey!! · May 25, 2011

Update 230

Years: 19, Months: 230, Days: 6994

A new season has started, and it’s time for our managers to get their sides into gear. We’ll see how they started in August 2027.

Lord Weeman’s Napoli have played one league game, which they drew 2-2 away to Lazio. Despite taking a 2-0 lead within two minutes just before the hour mark, Napoli squandered victory with two own goals, the second coming in the 90+3rd minute. A.C. Milan lead Serie A at this early stage, after they beat Tyler Burrows’s Roma 3-0 in their opening match. Napoli host the Milan side next, before travelling to Inter. They met Cool Manager’s side earlier this month, beating them 1-0 in the Italian Super Cup.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal have played three league games, but have made a poor start to the season. They opened at Leicester, where last season they won 3-0, and fell in a 0-4 drubbing. They then travelled to James Ridley’s Man United, taking the lead in the 16th minute, losing it in the 82nd minute, and going 1-2 down in the 90+5th minute. 32-year-old forward Danny Martin scored both goals for United. Things did pick up with a home match against Frank Lampard’s Everton, with the Gunners going 4-0 up within half an hour, and holding that lead until full time. At the moment, Smith’s side are 12th, and even though it is early days, August has been indicative of a difficult season to come. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea top the table, and they are joined on nine points by Nottingham Forest, who have made a phenomenal start to the season, including a 3-1 win over Liverpool.

The transfer window has just closed, and there was still a bit of involvement on the part of our managers this month. Arsenal signed ambitious Swiss striker Karsten Lange from Middlesbrough for £7.25M, but the 26-year-old pulled his hamstring in his debut against Everton. Lord Weeman made a huge signing to almost match that of last month; 25-year-old Aston Villa midfielder arrived for £23.5M. Some of that money was made back with the £8.75M sale of defender Nicola Giovanardi to Chelsea.

Tom Smith’s Gunners were involved in the Europa League this month, and they were drawn against Ukraine’s Metalurg Zp in the Fourth Qualifying Round. They won the away leg 2-0, with a goal from new signing José César, and then beat the Ukrainians 5-0 at home, with braces for both Johan Andersson and Craig Robson. That brings me to;

The Craig Robson-o-meter

Goals this Month: 2

Total Goals: 94

Cost per Goal: £510,638.30

Aston Villa, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, Palermo, Leicester, Inter and Roma also won in this round. In the Champions League, Napoli have a pretty straightforward group. Although Zaragoza feature, Sturm Graz and AEK Athens complete the group. Holders Tottenham meet Basel, Galatasaray and Mantova.

Just to conclude then, we’ll cover the remaining super cup Finals. Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Community Shield, turning the tables to take the lead with a double salvo within four minutes at the hour mark. It took penalties, but Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham lifted the UEFA Super Cup after a 0-0 draw with Newcastle. Valencia won the Spanish Super Cup.

I don’t think I’ll be doing nostalgia any more, at least not regularly, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Next month, as well as a continuation of the season, there is an international break, where our European managers will be hoping to qualify for Euro 2028. Smith and Weeman will have been in the same job for 7000 days, so we’ll be celebrating that too.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   6994
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        6994
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Eight – Lowest ‘Longest Time at a Club’

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Longest at  Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+2[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Villarreal  1230
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+2[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    At. Madrid  1263
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+2[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Catania     1405
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+2[/color] Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena         Sampdoria   1594
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+2[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Everton     1701
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+2[/color] hasdgfas        Tim Aubel         Fulham        Fulham      1705
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=green]+2[/color] canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Everton     1749
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th [color=green]+2[/color] dafuge          dafuge            Torino        Besiktas    1847[/font]

canvey!! · May 26, 2011

Update 231

Years: 19, Months: 231, Days: 7024

There’s no doubt that our managers’ 20th season at the same club is in full swing, so we’ll examine their performances in September 2027.

For Tom Smith and Arsenal, there were things to smile about, even though the month as a whole wasn’t the best. The Gunners started with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, which will have steadied the nerves ahead of a trip to Chelsea Stadium. At Bryan McGuinness’s side, despite being dominated, Arsenal grabbed a valuable point with a 3-3 draw, scoring two goals in the last fifteen minutes to settle the score. That brings to an end a string of eight consecutive defeats to the Blues. Arsenal then travelled to Super Lampard’s Leeds for the Carling Cup Third Round. Last month’s signing Karsten Lange made himself useful with a goal, and Arsenal avoided a banana-skin slip by winning the match on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Holders Tottenham lost their away match to Newcastle, while Premier League Ipswich lost at home to Sunderland on penalties. Arsenal travel to Q.P.R. next. Back to the league, where the Gunners played their final game of the month against Newcastle. The Magpies came to the Emirates unbeaten in ten games in all competitions, and won 2-1 despite Arsenal taking the lead in the 23rd minute. The Magpies top the table, sitting joint on 16 points with Hull, while Arsenal remain 12th.

Things are going quite a bit better for Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who sit second in Serie A, joint with Inter and Fiorentina on 14 points. The title holders played five games this month, beating A.C. Milan, Ascoli, AlbinoLeffe and Vicenza, and drawing 1-1 away to Cool Manager’s table-topping Inter. They were also very comfortable in their European games, beating Sturm Graz 2-0 in Austria, and thrashing vistors AEK Athens 8-0. Tom Smith’s Arsenal also encountered little difficulty in Europe, beating TVMK Tallinn 3-0 in Estonia, and Lokomotiv Moscow 5-0 in London, with Craig Robson scoring a hattrick. Rapid Wien complete their Europa League group, but surely won’t be hassling the Gunners.

Time for some international football, then. We’ll start with Fréderico Canvey’s Spain, who played two Euro 2028 qualifying games. First, they beat visitors Bulgaria 2-1, before travelling to Sarajevo to beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-0. They lead their qualifying group, joint on 18 points with Scotland, and have played a game fewer than the Scots. Both nations are guaranteed a place in the playoffs. Neilio’s Italy also played two games, and while they too won their away match 4-0, in Iceland, a brace from Valencia striker Artem Kozyr saw the Italians draw 2-2 at home to Ukraine, and a win for the visitors wouldn’t have been an unfair result. Italy are one point behind group leaders Northern Ireland, and host them next for the right to go top and to qualify. Finally, Brettney Joven’s England travelled to San Marino, where they won 4-1 despite going a goal down after three minutes, and they then hosted Serbia, winning 2-0 and booking their ticket to Sweden. Robert Boyle’s under 21s played the San Marino game, winning 3-0, and Maz Armley’s under 19s played both, winning 5-0 in the principality and 6-0 against the Serbs in Swindon. Croatia are the only other side to have qualified so far.

I feel like giving you a stats burst, in celebration of 7000 days at one club for our two managers. So here are the statuses of all our managers, along with a comparison between now and the last time I did this particular stats burst, which was rougly 100 updates ago (Update 129). dafuge and Robert Boyle are under Italy; their England youth team management is omitted.

At Original Club (2 down from 5):

Now and then: Tom Smith (Arsenal), Lord Weeman (Napoli)

Then: Haowan Madridstas (Barcelona), Lucas Volman (Real Madrid), Tyler Burrows (Udinese)

Managing in England (7 down from 9):

Now and then: Brettney Joven (England was Leeds), Martin Bojangles (Tottenham was Aston Villa), Super Lampard (Leeds was Ipswich)

Then: dafuge (Everton now Palermo), Robert Boyle (England under 21s now Udinese), Lawrence Lazewski (Man City now unemployed), Jellybean Man (West Ham now retired), Liam Ferguson (England now retired), Leo Dodge (Man United now unemployed)

Now: James Salter (Portsmouth was Torino), Maz Armley (England under 19s was unemployed), Bryan McGuinness (Chelsea was unemployed), James Ridley (Man United was Sampdoria)

Managing in Italy (5 down from 6):

Now and then: Cool Manager (Inter), Neilio (Italy was Palermo)

Then: Neppo Monster (Empoli now retired), Mikael Schøler (Juventus now Real Madrid), James Ridley (Sampdoria now Man United), James Salter (Torino now Portsmouth)

Now: Tyler Burrows (Roma was Udinese), Robert Boyle (Udinese was England under 21s), dafuge (Palermo was Everton)

Managing in Spain (remains 3):

Now and then: Fréderico Canvey (Spain was Alavés)

Then: Tim Aubel (Villarreal now United States), Ben Cee (Valencia now unemployed)

Now: Mikael Schøler (Real Madrid was Juventus), Lars Tommersen (Betis was Rangers)

Managing Elsewhere (remains 3):

Now and then: Phill Ewles (Celtic was Besiktas)

Then: Saul Goode (Wales now retired), Lars Tommersen (Rangers now Betis)

Now: Tim Aubel (United States was Villarreal), Theo Stigarakis (Rangers was unemployed)

Unemployed (4 down from 7):

Now and then: Ben Taylor

Then: Scott Tysoe (now retired), Arnold J. Rimmer (now retired), Maz Armley (now England under 19s), Theo Stigarakis (now Rangers), Bryan McGuinness (now Chelsea), Mikey Twigge (now retired)

Now: Leo Dodge (was Man United), Lawrence Lazewski (was Man City), Ben Cee (was Valencia)

Retired (36 up from 27):

Now and then: Mark Cator, Andre da Conceiçao, Jeremy English, David Machine, Whoopy D, Zach Machios, Jack Browne, Joe Seddon, Mathias Brunckhorst, Da Hoover Man, Shazad Ali, Tom Hamilton, Sirus Lannock, Maurice Jobson, Cristobal Blanco, Joe Gleeson, Will de Mote, Wobill Luman, Lisa Jeffries, Neji Hyuuga, Brucie Bonus, Clark Aitken, Andy Morton, bermybhoy, Ricky Nakano, Jonte Rhodes, Cardio Vascular

Now: Haowan Madridstas (was Barcelona), Lucas Volman (was Real Madrid), Jellybean Man (was West Ham), Liam Ferguson (was England), Neppo Monster (was Empoli), Saul Goode (was Wales), Scott Tysoe (was unemployed), Arnold J. Rimmer (was unemployed), Mikey Twigge (was unemployed)

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7024
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7024
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – Highest ‘Shortest Time at a Club’

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Shortest at Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st NE PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Udinese     6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Liverpool   1242
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+1[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia      Chelsea     1059
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=red]-1[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Man United   942
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th  [color=blue]0[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham     Man United   708
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th  [color=blue]0[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Bologna      613
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=red]-6[/color] Chimpos         Phill Ewles       Valladolid    Roma         376
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th  [color=blue]0[/color] Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena         Fulham       353
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter         Man City     353
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th  [color=blue]0[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Man United   341
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] super_lampard   Super Lampard     Lecce         Parma        341[/font]

BenArsenal · May 28, 2011

Unemployed.

el sid · May 28, 2011

Looking like a better season in Serie A this time around for Inter :thup:

canvey!! · May 29, 2011

Update 232

Years: 19, Months: 232, Days: 7055

All is well in 60 to One land, and, unfortunately in some ways, I don’t see any sackings on the horizon. But don’t despair! There’s still plenty to talk about, and this month, we’ll be talking about October 2027.

For a change, we will start with internation football, with the Euro 2027 qualifying groups coming to an end this month. Brettney Joven’s England had already qualified, but in October, they won 2-0 in Finland, and beat visitors Montenegro 6-0. They eventually finished twelve points clear of second-placed FYR Macedonia, but the Macedonians enter the playoff. Elsewhere, Neilio’s Italy jumped ahead of Northern Ireland by beating David McFadden’s side 3-1 in Reggio Calabria. To finish their group, the Italians came just a goal short of their biggest ever win, as they beat Luxembourg 11-0 in Salerno. Napoli’s Mattia Silvestri and Roma’s Eros Brunetti got hattricks, but it is interesting to note that the Luxembourgers placed six shots on target. Italy won the group, of course, with Northern Ireland entering the playoff. Finally, Fréderico Canvey’s Spain won 4-0 at home to the Faroe Islands, before a draw in Scotland which contained just as many goals. 28-year-old Man City striker Diego Carrasco scored five of Spain’s six goals over the two matches. Spain win the group, with Scotland second.

In the other groups, France triumphed over Denmark despite a defeat in Copenhagen in the Final game. The Danes enter the playoffs. Switzerland pipped their neighbours Germany to the post as the Germans stuttered through their final few games. Despite Ireland’s 3-1 victory over Portugal this month, the Portuguese prevailed and the Irish will have to face the playoff, and the Netherlands held off Russia by an impressive seven-point margin. Croatia won their group but Wales did well to finish six points clear of third-placed Belgium, while Norway sealed qualification with a 3-2 home win over the Czech Republic this month, although the Czechs can get in through the playoffs. Finally, Turkey beat Romania to top spot in Group J, with a win over the Romanians on the last day being the icing on the cake. In the playoff, Scotland and Northern Ireland will meet, while Germany play neighbours Denmark. Russia face FYR Macedonia, Wales meet the Czech Republic, and Ireland play Romania. Robert Boyle’s England under 21s beat Montenegro 5-0 in an U21 International at stadium:mk.

Now, we’ll talk about our two club managers. Tom Smith’s Arsenal climbed three places to ninth this month, but certainly didn’t have a month to be proud of. Although they started with victories over Hull and Nottingham Forest, they drew 2-2 at Man City, before losing 0-1 at Middlesbrough. Next month, they play the North London derby and a match against Liverpool, both at home, and face the potential banana skin of a trip to Coventry. In the Europa League this month, the Gunners won 3-0 in Austria against Rapid Wien, with talented Portuguese striker José César scoring twice. Logically, Arsenal top the group. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea sit at the top of the Premier League, holding a three-point lead over second-placed Newcastle.

Over in Italy, Lord Weeman will also be far from satisfied with October performances. Napoli lost at home to Mantova, away to Modena and away to Rimini, before salvaging some dignity with a 1-0 home victory over dafuge’s Palermo. They currently sit 6th in Serie A, a not insignificant six points behind leaders Inter. Modena, by the way, are bottom. In the Champions League, Napoli also lost, 1-2 at Zaragoza.

Ten managers left their jobs this month, including Jim Gannon, who ended a 7971-day spell at Stockport to manage West Brom. None of our managers, past or present, are on the hit list, but I think it’s safe to say that if performances get much worse, they might be.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7055
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7055
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Nine – Lowest ‘Shortest Time at a Club’

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Shortest at Days[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Portsmouth    90
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] m1234566778     Maz Armley        Racing        Blackburn    142
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd  [color=blue]0[/color] dafuge          dafuge            Torino        Everton      145
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th  [color=blue]0[/color] JSalter         James Salter      Reggina       Sporting     153
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th  [color=blue]0[/color] hasdgfas        Tim Aubel         Fulham        Racing       166
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th  [color=blue]0[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Fiorentina   174
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th  [color=blue]0[/color] TaylorB         Ben Taylor        Fiorentina    Nottm Forest 184
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th [color=green]+1[/color] canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Valladolid   285
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th [color=green]+1[/color] brettney1980    Brettney Joven    Wigan         Wigan        320[/font]

canvey!! · May 31, 2011

Update 233

Years: 19, Months: 233, Days: 7085

I am unfortunately in a depressed mood as I write this update, but luckily, the performance of our managers this month fits in with that. I will start with an apology; I thought we were going to have a pretty nice season with very few sackings, but last month must have been the calm before the storm. Many managers lost their jobs this month, of which one was a former protégé of us, and plenty more are in the danger zone.

We’ll start with Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who are struggling along in 9th place, eight places below last season’s finishing position. They got just one point out of a winnable tie at Cagliari, before beating Udinese 2-1. The then lost 0-3 away to Juventus, where they were the victims of poor finishing. On the plus side, they played two home games in the Champions League and won them both 3-0, against Zaragoza and Sturm Graz. Both Zaragoza and Napoli have qualified for the next round. Napoli start next month hosting Cagliari in the Coppa Italia First Round, and hopefully that result will be better than this month’s one. In other Italian news, former Udinese boss Tyler Burrows was deposed from his job at Roma this month. He left the side 14th in Serie A, eight places below expectations, so chairman Rosella Sensi prematurely ended Burrows’s 712-day tenure. Palermo boss dafuge is another manager in trouble in Italy.

Over in England, it is also going poorly for Tom Smith. However, they avoided defeat this month, drawing every game 0-0. First, they hosted Tottenham, then Liverpool, and then they travelled to Coventry. In the Carling Cup Fourth Round, they did win, 2-0 at Q.P.R., and this sets up a Quarter Final tie at Derby. Chelsea have already reached the Semi-Finals after knocking out James Salter’s Portsmouth in the Quarters, while Man United host Liverpool and Newcastle host Middlesbrough in two heated Quarter Finals. In the Europa League, Arsenal beat TVMK Tallinn 5-0 at home, with braces from Víctor Manuel Marañón and José César. This puts the Gunners into the next round after four games played. Elsewhere in England, James Salter, James Ridley and Martin Bojangles are all Insecure or worse. In the Championship, table-toppers Fulham are looking for a new manager after theirs, Iker Casillas, jumped ship to La Liga strugglers Getafe this month.

We’ll finish with the Euro 2027 qualifying playoffs. Two of the four home nations were successful in their playoff, and obviously, one of them must be Northern Ireland or Scotland. Firstly, Denmark got a surprise victory over Germany, losing 0-2 away but winning 3-0 at home. Russia thrashed FYR Macedonia, beating them 5-2 in Moscow and 2-0 in Skopje. Ireland matched the first Russia score in their home leg against Romania, and prevailed 6-4 on aggregate after a 1-2 loss away. Wales were thoroughly beaten by the Czech Republic, 0-3 away and 0-1 in Cardiff. Finally, Scotland prevailed against Northern Ireland, winning 3-2 in Belfast and drawing 1-1 at home.

With four managers in danger, can we expect some sackings next month? Let’s wait and see.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7085
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7085
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Seven – Players Bought (Number)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club No[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+1[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Rangers     122
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=red]-1[/color] Neilio          Neilio            Almería       Italy       110
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+1[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli      105 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th[color=green] +1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter       103
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=red]-1[/color] canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Spain       103
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+1[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham    99
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+2[/color] PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese                    99[/font]

dafuge · May 31, 2011

Things ending badly at Palermo? Who'd have seen that coming

canvey!! · June 1, 2011

Update 234

Years: 19, Months: 234, Days: 7116

Happy new year! It’s 2028, and almost twenty years since our managers started at their clubs. December 2027 has been a month full of sackings, so let’s look at those while we report on the antics of our two bosses this month.

We’ll start in Italy, where there was a vacancy at Roma after Tyler Burrows’s sacking last month. This was filled by former Australia manager Jason Bowman. Roma currently sit 12th in Serie A after a month of Bowman’s management. Six places higher are Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who had a bit of a disappointing month. They beat Parma 2-0, before losing at Frosinone and drawing goalless at Bologna. On the plus side, they beat Cagliari 2-0 in the Coppa Italia First Round, but will face a trip to Serie A leaders Inter in the Quarter Final. They won their final Champions League group stage match 3-1 at AEK Athens, and so finish top of their group.

We’ll head over to England now, where the season has reached its halfway point, and where they were myriad sackings this month. First, there was the issue of the vacancy at Championship leaders Fulham, after their manager Iker Casillas jumped ship to Getafe. Aidy Boothroyd was drafted in as his replacement. In the Premier League, James Salter was the first to go, sacked from Portsmouth on December 11th following a defeat to Derby that left them 17th in the Premier League. Former Fiorentina and Besiktas manager Ben Taylor filled the vacancy at Fratton Park. Next, Zaragoza sacked their manager Jürgen Klinsmann, and turned to Liverpool’s Marcelino as a replacement. Rangers manager Theo Stigarakis made the dream move, taking over the reins at Anfield. Towards the end of the month, the Manchester United board made the decision to sack James Ridley after defeat to Ipswich left them 14th in the league. Valencia boss Raúl takes over at Old Trafford, and Tyler Burrows and Betis boss Lars Tommersen are the two leading candidates for the Nuevo Mestalla vacancy.

At Arsenal, Tom Smith has survived, and has actually had a pretty good month. The Gunners recorded four victories from five games this month, beating Leeds, Huddersfield, Q.P.R. and Ben Taylor’s Portsmouth. They did lose 1-2 at Pride Park, but their performance in December lifts them sven places to 6th. However, Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea have a six-point lead over Newcastle at the top of the table, and are likely to win their fourth consecutive title. In the cups this month, Arsenal travelled to Derby once more for the Carling Cup Quarter Finals. The score was 1-1 after full time, 2-2 after extra time, and Arsenal won it 8-7 on penalties. They also played two Europa League games, winning 3-2 at Lokomotiv Moscow and drawing 1-1 at home to Rapid Wien. Next month, the Gunners host Hereford in the FA Cup Third Round and play Chelsea in the two-legged Carling Cup Semi-Final. While in England, I’ll give a quick mention to Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham, who won the Club World Championship with a 4-0 victory over Argentina’s Independiente in the Final in Morocco.

So the draws have been done for the next stages of European competition. In the Champions League, Lord Weeman’s Napoli meet Lars Tommersen’s Betis, although if the Valencia rumours prove founded, Danish Tommersen will no longer be in charge. Man City face Napoli’s groupmates Zaragoza, while Raúl faced his former club as Man United take on Valencia. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea will play Rangers, Tottenham will play A.C. Milan, and Barcelona will play Bayern Munich. Mantova meet Ajax while Juventus tackle Bordeaux. In the Europa League, Tom Smith’s Arsenal will meet PSV Eindhoven. Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid play Feyenoord, Phill Ewles’s Celtic meet Partizan Belgrade, and dafuge’s Palermo play AEK Athens. Cool Manager’s Inter can get their teeth into their tie against Porto.

That’s all to look forward to in February, but in January, there may be some juicy transfers to write home about.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7116
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7116
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Nine – Players Bought (Value)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Value[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        £982M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=red]-1[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                      £922M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+2[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       £744M *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th  [color=blue]0[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                   £703M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+1[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      £618M *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      £521M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=green]+2[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid  £481M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th  [color=blue]0[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                  £373M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th [color=green]+1[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham    £370M[/font]

canvey!! · June 2, 2011

Writer’s Notes: To make things a bit fairer, I changed the managers’ dates of birth to the ones they put in their application form – when entering them in the database, the game just randomised D.O.B.s for some reason.

Update 235

Years: 19, Months: 235, Days: 7147

The first update of 2028 brings good news: there was plenty to celebrate for our two managers this month, although at the same time, they had a far from perfect time. Before we find out how they did in January, let’s resolve the story of the vacancy at Valencia.

When we left things last month, unemployed manager Tyler Burrows and Betis boss Lars Tommersen were linked with the post at Nuevo Mestalla. In fact, the job went to a third option: former Newcastle, Aston Villa and Portsmouth boss Robert Boyle, who left Udinese for £1M compensation. They say you should never go back, but that doesn’t seem to be a mantra that Tyler Burrows subscribes to, as he returned to fill the vacancy at Udinese. After 6370 days at the club, Burrows left for a pretty poor two-year spell at Roma, but now he returns to his Udine homeland. It is worth noting that Boyle has now completed the treble: managing in England, Italy and in Spain.

Okay, we’ll move on now, to Lord Weeman’s Napoli. They had a good month, which moves them up to fourth place in Serie A. They started with victories over Fiorentina, Genoa, Roma and Lazio, before a 1-1 draw away to A.C. Milan. They lost their final game of the month, 2-3 at home to Cool Manager’s table toppers Inter, who scored the winner from the spot two minutes from time. Still, thirteen points collected and fourteen goals scored represents a good month for Weeman. Napoli did brutally leave the Coppa Italia at Giuseppe Meazza, where Inter won 4-0 in a dominant performance. Inter face dafuge’s Palermo in the Semi-Final, while Roma meet Juventus.

In England, it has been a very interesting month for Tom Smith’s Arsenal. There was plenty to celebrate, not least a 4-3 aggregate win over Chelsea in the Carling Cup Semi-Final, but plenty to rue too, such as defeat in the FA Cup Fourth Round. We’ll cover it all in turn, so we will start with the League Cup. Arsenal managed to hold the Blues to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea Stadium, allowing goals from Johan Andersson and Joe Jenkins to give them a 2-1 home victory which puts them into the Final. After a 3-0 win at the Riverside, Middlesbrough knocked out Man United, and so will be Arsenal’s opponents, in their first Carling Cup Final since 2004. In the FA Cup, Arsenal had little difficult in beating Hereford 2-0 in the Third Round. This sent them to Fratton Park for the Fourth Round, and despite Arsenal having the better of the game, Ben Taylor’s Portsmouth thrashed them, 3-0. However, Arsenal did go one stage further than holders Chelsea, who lost at home to Everton in the Third Round. The month has been a terrible one for Bryan McGuinness, as his side crash out of the two cup competitions and drop down to second in the Premier League for the first time since October. Portsmouth play Cardiff or Theo Stigarakis’s Liverpool in the FA Cup Fifth Round, while Tottenham versus Nottingham Forest is the only guaranteed all-Premier League tie.

As for Arsenal’s league form this month, it was as inconsistent as their cup form. The Gunners beat Leicester 2-0, before they lost 1-4 in a trip to Villa Park, with Villa getting their second goal in the 84th minute and compounding their victory with goals in the 90th and 90+3rd minutes. However, Tom Smith’s side didn’t deserve any points from the game. A single Craig Robson goal then helped them to a 1-0 home victory over Chelsea, before they thrashed visitors Ipswich 4-0 with a brace from José César. However, the Gunners dropped yet more points with a trip to St James’ Park, where they lost 1-4 to Newcastle. They currently sit seventh in the league, but I’d say things will get worse for Arsenal before they get better; with nine first team players out, they are in the midst of an injury crisis. And Smith hasn’t made any moves in the transfer window to try and provide cover – Arsenal’s only monetary exchange was the £550k sale of goalkeeper Marc McDonald to Chelsea.

Lord Weeman was considerably more active in the transfer window this month. Napoli signed Genoa’s ambitious 26-year-old midfielder Salvatore Addona for £14.25M, and bought half of young Fiorentina rightback Mirco Fabbrini for £7.75M, before selling him to Werder Bremen for £2.4M. Goalkeeper Mario Ferri left for Leicester for £1M, £100k less than his purchase price last summer, while forward Marco Spadaro signed for Mantova for £7.75M and midfielder Cosimo Simoncini signed for Elche for £10.5M. Elsewhere in Italy, Inter manager Cool Manager made two big purchases, signing Udinese’s Peruvian midfielder Borja Lorente for £18M, and Nottingham Forest’s strong Nigerian centreback Theophilius Issah for £20.5M.

European football kicks off again next month, while Arsenal will feature in the Carling Cup Final. Is there anything not to look forward to?

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7147
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7147
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Seven – Players Sold (Number)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club No[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter       111
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+2[/color] PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Udinese     104
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+2[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       98 *
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                      98
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+4[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Liverpool    95
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th NE MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid  88
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=red]-1[/color] m1234566778     Maz Armley        Racing        England u19s 85[/font]

el sid · June 4, 2011

Last two reports been very very good for me. Leading in the Serie A, thrashing Napoli in the Coppa Italia and first in the players bought value and players sold number :thup:

canvey!! · June 5, 2011

Update 236

Years: 19, Months: 236, Days: 7176

It’s February 5th, and I’m listening to Dutch music. Let’s see how our managers will do in 17 years time, as we examine their performances in February 2028.

Tom Smith’s Arsenal managed to survive their injury crisis, taking a respectable seven points from a possible twelve this month. Logically, they lost their first game, which was at home to Hull, and they then drew goalless at Nottingham Forest. As injured players returned, they beat Man United 2-0 and Middlesbrough 2-1, both at the Emirates. Centreback Davide Baptista scored three of the four goals. In Europe this month, Arsenal faced PSV Eindhoven, and they won 3-1 in the Netherlands, getting a valuable third away goal in the 90+8th minute thanks to Croatian midfielder Dinko Leovac. At the Emirates, they had run up a 3-0 lead in the first half, and went on to win 6-1 on aggregate. Elche await in the Last 16, while Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid play Cool Manager’s Inter in the tie of the round.

Of course, Arsenal were involved in a different cup this month: the Carling Cup. The Gunners made the ten-mile journey to Wembley to play Steve Tilson’s Middlesbrough. The match was a fiery encounter, but no goals were scored until towards the end. By the time Arsenal took the lead, in the 81st minute, they were a man down; Portuguese centreback Davide Baptista had been shown a second yellow card nine minutes earlier. Swedish striker Johan Andersson got the goal that gave Arsenal the lead, heading home from Congolese midfielder Tanguy Hakkar’s corner. However, in the 90+1st minute, it was Arsenal’s turn to be undone by a corner, with Boro centreback Phil Milton volleying the ball home. Extra time passed without incident, so the match was to be settled by penalties for the fourth year in a row. Both sides scored four from their first five, and both scored their sixth. Goalscorer Phil Milton netted Middlesbrough’s seventh, and reserve defender James Dudley stepped up for Arsenal. He sent his spot kick wide, giving Middlesbrough the Carling Cup after a twenty-four-year estrangement.

Just before we leave England, I’ll give you the news that Man City parted company with manager Roberto Mancini this month. The 63-year-old had been at the club for 1076 days, but with the side being knocked out of the FA Cup 0-3 by Derby, and sitting sixth and therefore far away from their predicted league win, he was relieved of his responsibilities. Former Germany, Tottenham and Zaragoza boss Jürgen Klinsmann takes over, while three other managers in England are fearing for their jobs; Leeds’ Super Lampard and Portsmouth’s Ben Taylor are Insecure and Liverpool’s Theo Stigarakis is Very Insecure. Just a note – I have moved on from Dutch music and am now listening to Finnish music.

Over to Italy now, where Lord Weeman has had a pretty good month. The Napoli boss guided his team to victories over AlbinoLeffe, Rimini and Vicenza, while drawing goalless at Ascoli. They overtook Udinese this month to go fourth, but are currently tied on forty-eight points with Tyler Burrows’s team. In the Champions League, Napoli travelled to Lars Tommersen’s Betis, where, despite having the better of the game, they lost 1-3. They’ll need a 2-0 home win or better to proceed. We’ll check back on them, and the other Champions League competitors, next month.

Until then, I bid you goodbye! Or should that be näkemiin?

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7176
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7176
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Seven – Players Sold (Value)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Value[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                      £579M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        £449M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=red]-1[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                   £429M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+2[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       £414M *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+2[/color] PluckaDuck      Tyler Burrows     Udinese       Udinese      £374M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=red]-1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      £369M
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th [color=green]+1[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham    £321M[/font]

canvey!! · June 6, 2011

Update 237

Years: 19, Months: 237, Days: 7207

The end of the season is just around the corner, although interestingly, things are still close, and neither titles nor relegations nor playoff places have been confirmed yet. For our managers, March was a pretty average month, as they both sit just where they were thirty-one days ago.

Let’s start with Lord Weeman’s Napoli, who played four games this month. They started with a 2-2 draw at Mantova, before beating Modena 1-0. They fell to defeat 2-3 at dafuge’s Palermo, thanks to a 90th minute winner, but ended the month with another victory, welcoming Cagliari to San Paolo and defeating them 3-0 with two goals from Mexican striker Juan Pablo Valdés. Napoli sit fourth, three points behind third-placed Juventus and two ahead of Tyler Burrows’s fifth-placed Udinese. They play both of those teams next month.

Over in England, Tom Smith’s Arsenal also played four games, and also collected seven points from the twelve on offer. They drew 2-2 at Everton, before a disappointing 0-2 home defeat to Jürgen Klinsmann’s Man City. To rectify that, however, they beat Theo Stigarakis’s Catania 2-1 at Anfield, and defeated 19th-placed Coventry 3-0 at the Emirates. Arsenal are currently 7th, and with 21 points available for them, the title isn’t necessarily out of reach just yet! Having said that, they sit eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, so Champions League football looks unlikely. With Derby and Hull close behind, it is possible that Arsenal won’t qualify for Europe, but I think they will have enough about them to accumulate the necessary points.

Speaking of Europe, let’s see how our teams did this month. Tom Smith’s Gunners faced Elche in the Europa League, and they took a commanding 3-0 lead within fifteen minutes of the start of the home leg. The Spanish side did grab a goal back, a vital away goal at that. Arsenal neutralised that away goal within 13 minutes of the away leg kicking off, with Irish midfielder Paul Greaves scoring. Elche equalised with a penalty, but Arsenal scored again with a spot kick of their own. Knowing that Elche would need a further four goals to win the tie, Arsenal relaxed a bit, allowing Basque striker Gorka Jiménez to score a brace for the home side. The Gunners advance 5-4 on aggregate. In other ties, Phill Ewles’s Celtic were humbled in a 1-6 aggregate defeat to Atlético Madrid, dafuge’s Palermo lost 2-5 to fellow Italians Roma, and Cool Manager’s Inter beat Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid on away goals, after a 1-1 draw in an ill-disciplined match at the Bernabéu. In the next round, it’s a return to his former club for Craig Robson, as Arsenal meet Leicester. Inter play holders Newcastle, Atlético Madrid meet Aston Villa, and Roma take on Olympiakos.

Mexican striker Juan Pablo Valdés was in phenomenal form for Napoli in their Champions League match. The 24-year-old scored a hattrick in Lord Weeman’s side’s home tie against Lars Tommersen’s Betis, and so the Neapolitan team eliminated Betis 4-3 on aggregate. Elsewhere, Robert Boyle’s Valencia knocked out Man United 4-1 overall, while the blue half of Manchester ousted Zaragoza by the same scoreline. Martin Bojangles’s defending champions Tottenham squeezed past A.C. Milan 3-3 on away goals, while Chelsea thrashed Rangers 6-0. Juventus beat Bordeaux 3-1, Mantova beat Ajax 2-1, and Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 4-1. In the Quarter Finals, Napoli face a tricky tie with Juventus, while Tottenham play Chelsea in the other all-one-nation tie. Barcelona play Mantova, and Valencia meet Man City.

March is friendly month in international football. Fréderico Canvey’s Spain travelled to Switzerland, where they drew 1-1 in what was a fair result. Neilio’s Italy hosted Belgium, and thrashed their visitors 6-0 with a hattrick from Napoli favourite Mattia Silvestri. Tim Aubel’s United States travelled to Puerto Rico, where they won 3-0. The Dream Team travelled to Sweden; Maz Armley’s under 19s lost 0-1, dafuge’s under 20s drew 1-1, Robert Boyle’s under 21s won 3-1, and Brettney Joven’s senior team won 4-1. That implies that the future England will be a very poor one, or that the future Sweden will be world beaters.

It’s crunch time now; a few points dropped here could be vital. Let’s hope our managers stay alert!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7207
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7207
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – Hall of Fame (Tim Aubel is in the United States and North America Hall of Fame)

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           NAT Original Club Current Club  Nty Ntn Cont Wld[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] Haowan          Haowan Madridstas ESP Barcelona     (retired)     1st 1st  2nd 2nd
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] Romanista1994   Lucas Volman      ITA Real Madrid   (retired)     2nd 2nd  4th 4th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd NE hasdgfas        Tim Aubel         USA Fulham        United States 6th 5th 13th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+2[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  ENG Everton       Chelsea       2nd 3rd 18th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=red]-1[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         POR Arsenal       Arsenal       1st 4th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=red]-3[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski USA Valencia                    1st 6th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th  [color=blue]0[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       ENG Napoli        Napoli        4th 7th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th [color=red]-3[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      ENG At. Madrid    Inter         3rd 8th
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th[color=red] -1[/color] ian_1982        Maurice Jobson    RWA Man United    (retired)     1st
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=red]-1[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           SIN Inter                       1st[/font]

canvey!! · June 7, 2011

Update 238

Years: 19, Months: 238, Days: 7237

Another month goes by in the lives of our managers, and their twentieth anniversary is on the horizon. Let’s see how they did in April 2027, starting in England.

England is the location of a very good month for Tom Smith’s Arsenal. An unbeaten performance in the league lifts them three places to fourth, and Champions League football is tangible for the Gunners. They started the month with a 2-0 win at Super Lampard’s Leeds, before beating relegated Huddersfield 5-1 at the Emirates. Then came victories over Q.P.R., Derby and Ipswich, and a draw in the North London derby at White Hart Lane. The Gunners host Ben Taylor’s Portsmouth, who are 15th, on the last day of the season, so should secure their top four finish. Third-placed Tottenham are at risk, however, as they travel to fifth-placed Middlesbrough. Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea wrapped up their fourth consecutive league title this month, despite pressure from Newcastle. Coventry, Ipswich and Huddersfield were relegated. Middlesbrough are looking to do the Double as they meet Aston Villa in next month’s FA Cup Final.

Arsenal had a good month in the league, but they didn’t do so well in the Europa League. They were drawn against Leicester in the Quarter Final, but could only beat Tony Mowbray’s side 1-0 in the home leg, and that was with a penalty. A brace from 23-year-old forward Paul Stones gave Leicester a 2-0 win at the Walkers, putting out Arsenal 1-2 on aggregate. In the other Quarter Finals, Atlético Madrid were put out 3-4 by Aston Villa, Olympiakos lost 2-4 to Roma, and Cool Manager’s Inter survived a 0-2 loss at St James’ Park to beat Newcastle 3-2 on aggregate. The Final will see an Italian side take on an English side: Villa beat the Foxes 3-2 in the first leg of their Semi-Final, and Roma and Inter drew goalless at Giuseppe Meazza.

In the Champions League, Lord Weeman’s Napoli faced a tricky tie against Juventus. In the match at Delle Alpi, Pierluigi Casiraghi’s side got off to a sublime start with Dutch forward Martijn van Deinsen scoring goals in the 5th and 8th minutes. Juventus won that match 3-0, leaving Napoli with an almost impossible task at San Paolo. Van Deinsen scored again in that match, the only goal of the game, thoroughly embarrassing the Scudetto holders. In other matches, Man City edged past Robert Boyle’s Valencia on penalties after two 1-1 draws, Mantova knocked out Spanish giants Barcelona 4-1 on aggregate, winning 2-1 at the Nou Camp, and Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea defeated Martin Bojangles’s defending champions Tottenham 4-2 with a 3-0 win at Chelsea Stadium. Both Semi-Finals pit an English side against an Italian one: Man City lead Juventus 3-2 after their home match, and Chelsea won 2-0 in their first leg against Mantova in London.

In Serie A, Lord Weeman’s Napoli played six games this month, putting in a decent performance. They lost two away games 0-1, at Parma and at Tyler Burrows’s Udinese, but they won their other four matches, 2-1 against Juventus and Frosinone, 5-1 against Bologna, and 3-0 at Fiorentina. This month, Napoli favourite 25-year-old striker Mattia Silvestri scored his hundredth goal for the club. He is now worth £23.5M, almost five times more than his price when Weeman bought him from Torino in 2020. Napoli are currently fifth in Serie A, joint on 57 points with fourth-placed Udinese and sixth-placed Juventus. They finish the season with two away trips, to Genoa and to Roma, 11th and 10th respectively. A.C. Milan lead the league, but Cool Manager’s Inter are just two points behind with a game in hand. Next month, Manager’s side will take on Juventus in the Coppa Italia Final.

We still don’t know whether our managers will get Champions League football next season. The only way to find out is to tune in next time!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7237
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7237
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – League Titles Won

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club L[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      8 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd  [color=blue]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        6
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+3[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      6
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                      6
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th  [color=blue]0[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid  3
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+1[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       2 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th  [color=blue]0[/color] brettney1980    Brettney Joven    Wigan         England      1
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena                      1
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] ssestig         Theo Stigarakis   Catania       Liverpool    1
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0 [/color]super_lampard   Super Lampard     Lecce         Leeds        1
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                   1
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] canvey!!        Fréderico Canvey  Stoke         Spain        1[/font]

PluckaDuck · June 8, 2011

After a long, long absence, I am back and this is still going!!!

238 updates is simply amazing Canvey, no other words to describe it. Whoever wins this is going to win an epic.

Keep up the amazing work.

el sid · June 9, 2011

With a chance to win a treble this season, fingers crossed! 2nd most number of league titles :cool:

canvey!! · June 9, 2011

Thanks PluckaDuck, and thank you to both you and el sid for continuing to read and post even after your managers' dismissals.

Update 239

Years: 19, Months: 239, Days: 7268

It all worked out okay in the end for our managers, and they have both sealed that ever-so-important top four finish.

For Lord Weeman, who is in charge of Italian team Napoli, it was a case of only just making it in. His team fended off Tyler Burrows’s Udinese, who matched them in tallying 71 points for the season. Napoli’s goal difference, greater than Udinese’s by eight, is what put them in the Champions League and the Friuli side in the Europa League. Weeman’s side played two games in May, winning 4-1 at Genoa, and drawing 1-1 away to Roma. A.C. Milan won the league on the results between teams rule: they beat Cool Manager’s Inter, who also earned 85 points, in both the teams’ encounters this season. Juventus also got Champions League football, finishing third, although they were disappointed in the Coppa Italia Final, which Inter won 2-1. Cagliari, AlbinoLeffe and Bologna were relegated from Serie A, with Sampdoria, Chievo and one other coming up to replace them.

Over in England, not only did Tom Smith’s Arsenal get a top four finish, but they got a top three finish. This month, they beat Ben Taylor’s Portsmouth 2-0 at the Emirates, with a brace from Irish attacking midfielder Andy Withe. Tottenham finished fourth, having drawn their final match goalless at fifth-placed Middlesbrough. Man City and Aston Villa also got European football. As previously mentioned, Coventry, Huddersfield and Ipswich were relegated, with the latter ending their eight consecutive years in the Premier League. Sunderland won the Championship, with Fulham finishing second. A goal in the 90+3rd minute of the playoff final gave Southampton a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, so they spend next season in the top flight too. Another 90+3rd minute goal decided the FA Cup Final, which was won 1-0 by Aston Villa, dashing Middlesbrough’s hopes of a double. Villa had their own hopes, though…

…as they travelled to Rotterdam for the Europa League Final. They beat Fenerbahçe, sc Heerenveen, Atlético Madrid and Leicester on their way there, and would face Jason Bowman’s Roma. Although Villa had more shots, Roma cruised to victory with a solid defensive performance, and they scored in the 25th minute, and then once again in first half stoppage time, to win the match 2-0. It is the second time they have lifted the title, and it comes 67 years after the first. The Champions League also saw an Italian side beat an English side, as Pierluigi Casiraghi’s Juventus dismantled Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea 3-0. Juvé took the lead within three minutes, and were 2-0 up within thirteen. Former Roma forward Giuseppe Girasole got a brace.

La Liga was won by Barcelona for the first time in twelve years, under the management of Luis Enrique, after Bob Bradley’s retirement midway through the season. Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid only just got Champions League football, finishing fourth, while Lars Tommersen’s Betis only just got Europa League football, finishing seventh. Robert Boyle’s Valencia, and Elche also got into the Champions League, with Zaragoza and Atlético Madrid joining Betis in Europe’s secondary competition. Atlético Madrid beat Valencia 2-1 in the Copa del Rey Final.

Next month, Euro 2028 kicks off in Sweden, and Tim Aubel’s United States start their World Cup qualifying campaign. In addition, our managers hit twenty years of management at their clubs. Until then, adios!

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7268
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7268
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

Premier League Table

Serie A Table

All Star Top Nine – Cup Titles

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club CT[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st [color=green]+1[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                   18
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+3[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      15
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd  [color=blue]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        14
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+1[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       13 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=red]-2[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      12 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th [color=green]+4[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham     7
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+1[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                       7
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th  [color=blue]0[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid   6
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th  [color=blue]0[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                   4[/font]

el sid · June 10, 2011

Only ended with one trophy :thdn: Finishing 2nd due to being beaten by ACM ftl

Kutgw canvey!

canvey!! · June 11, 2011

Euro 2028 Preview

Welcome to Sweden, home of the 18th European Football Championship. We return to the stomping ground of the 1992 championship, where Denmark were victorious in the Final, beating a recently-unified Germany. The Germans didn’t qualify for this year’s competition, but Denmark did, and will be dreaming of glory once more.

Let’s start in Group A, where the hosts face some talented, if not exceptional, sides. Sweden are drawn against Ireland and the Czech Republic, and against Portugal, who have recovered in recent years to restore some of their former glory, but still sit 16th in the world rankings. This group is a tough one to predict, but Portugal should win through. Hopefully the home advantage will help Sweden through, although they could lose out to the Czechs, with Ireland finishing last.

In Group B, we find Neilio’s Italy. We also find Norway, Russia and Croatia, some sterling opposition. Norway won’t offer too much of a threat, to the Italians at least, and that leaves Russia and Croatia to fight it out, seeing as Italy will almost surely top the group. Croatia will come second, I believe.

Group C is a bit of a tough one. Fréderico Canvey’s Spain have got to be favourites to win the group, even though France are in the mix. In fact, I predict France will lose out in the race to qualify, with Switzerland and Denmark making up their opponents. 1992 winners Denmark are my tips to come second, with the Swiss unfortunately falling by the wayside and finishing fourth.

And finally, Group D sees the Battle of Britain, with Brettney Joven’s England meeting Scotland. Add the Netherlands and Turkey into the mix, and you have a tough group. I’m going to be pretty patriotic here, but aware that this group could go any way. England will win it, in my view, and Scotland have enough about them to claim second, leaving the Dutch to pick up the pieces with a win against Turkey.

So there you have it, those are my picks. What are yours? To help you, here is a little stats burst that I have prepared. It shows the combined total of international appearances in each nation’s squad, alongside their most capped player. All but one of them are regens, but you might recognise some names.

[font=Courier New][b]  Nation        Caps  Most Capped      Caps[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]Czech Republic 760  Karel Vagner      100
 [/font][font=Courier New]Denmark        731  Michael Hansen     91
 [/font][font=Courier New]Norway         657  [/font][font=Courier New]H[/font][font=Courier New]åvard Nordtveit^ 101
 [/font][font=Courier New]England        642  Lee Taylor         70
 [/font][font=Courier New]Turkey         639  Mehmet Alkan       84
 [/font][font=Courier New]Croatia        634  Dinko Leovac       89
 [/font][font=Courier New]Scotland       594  John Williams      71
 [/font][font=Courier New]Switzerland    572  Sebastian Pröll    65
 [/font][font=Courier New]Russia         538  Andrey Mitin       83
 [/font][font=Courier New]Portugal       537  Celso Mendes       75
 [/font][font=Courier New]Italy          519  Matteo Acquafresca 60                                      
 [/font][font=Courier New]Sweden         501  Conny Jeng         92
 [/font][font=Courier New]Ireland        486  Robin Ridley       83
 [/font][font=Courier New]Spain          443  Ignacio            68
 [/font][font=Courier New]Netherlands    430  Martin de Weerdt   76
 [/font][font=Courier New]France         389  Cédric Giorgi      50[/font]

So there’s a mix of levels there – France have definitely suffered from their policy of playing their veteran players into the ground. We’ll see if that affects their performance in the tournament.

canvey!! · June 12, 2011

Update 240 and Euro 2028 Report

Years: 20, Months: 240, Days: 7298

It’s been an eventful month, during which our two managers completed not just their twentieth year in football management, but also their twentieth year managing the same club. In addition, the European Championships unravelled in all their glory, and fans across England and Italy looked forward to the new season. We’ll start with the events in Sweden.

For some reason, Neilio’s Italy opened the tournament, with their match against Croatia. They took the lead within a quarter of an hour, through Napoli striker Mattia Silvestri, but were equalised in the 36th minute. But that was soon fixed: Roma’s Eros Brunetti secured the points with a goal five minutes later. Elsewhere, Russia beat Norway 3-1 with a brace from Recreativo striker Iljan Timoshenko. In the end, both Russia and Italy won two and drew one: Russia beat Croatia 2-1, Italy beat Norway 4-0, and the teams drew 1-1 in their encounter in Stockholm. Croatia and Norway also drew 1-1 with each other.

canvey!!’s Prediction: Italy, Croatia, Russia, Norway

Actual Result: Italy (7), Russia (7), Croatia (1), Norway (1)

Accuracy: 80%

Hosts Sweden opened their tournament against Ireland, where a close match in Malmö saw the two sides score four goals between them, the result deadlocked. Meanwhile, in Göteborg, Portugal managed to avoid a similar deadlock against the Czech Republic, scoring that all-important third goal. The match was complete by the end of the first half, with the Portuguese taking the lead twice but being pegged back both times, and settling it with Arsenal striker José César’s second penalty of the game. The Czech Republic were on the better end of a 3-2 result in their game against Ireland, but they finished bottom of the group after losing their last match 1-2 to Sweden. Ireland finished with a 2-1 win over Portugal, sealed with a goal three minutes from time. The Portuguese had lost their second match to Sweden, also 1-2, with two goals from Arsenal’s Johan Andersson giving the Swedes the victory, and so they left the tournament.

canvey!!’s Prediction: Portugal, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ireland

Actual Result: Sweden (7), Ireland (4), Portugal (3), Czech Republic (3)

Accuracy: 40%

Now we’ll take a quick break to hop over to North America. There, Tim Aubel’s United States were in action against the Turks and Caicos Islands in World Cup Qualifying. They won 3-0 in Providenciales, wrapping up the victory within half an hour, and matched that scoreline in San José, with Standard Liège striker Yoshitaka Kamiya netting twice. In the Americans’ group for the Second Phase are El Salvador, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, which, while it won’t be easy, should be an achievable qualification.

Back to Sweden now, where Group C opened with a fine performance by Fréderico Canvey’s Spain, and a similarly good performance by France. The Spanish thrashed Switzerland 3-0, but only started scoring in the 62nd minute, and had finished it by the 67th. France beat Denmark 2-0, with similarly condensed goals: in the 74th and 75th minutes. Spain went on to win all their matches, beating Denmark 3-2 in a match that was complete within half an hour, and beating France 1-0, with a goal a minute after the second half restart, from Betis striker Jorge Ramírez. Switzerland drew their two remaining matches, 1-1 with France and 0-0 with Denmark. That does of course mean that France pipped them to the post.

canvey!!’s Prediction: Spain, Denmark, France, Switzerland

Actual Result: Spain (9), France (4), Switzerland (2), Denmark (1)

Accuracy: 60%

And finally, Group D saw Brettney Joven’s England, like Spain, have few problems in winning all three games. They opened with a 3-0 victory over the Dutch, with Napoli forward Dan Shepherd grabbing all three goals. Shepherd scored again as the English beat rivals Scotland 4-1 in their match in Stockholm, with clinical finishing making up for not only going behind but being outplayed. Finally, Joven’s side won 2-1 against Turkey in their Final game, with a fifth goal for Shepherd. Scotland also beat the Turkish 2-1, with eggheaded Man City striker Sam Law netting twice, and drew 4-4 with the Netherlands, where Law grabbed another goal. There were braces in that game for the Netherlands’ Martijn van Deinsen and Paul Eekman, as well as for Scotland’s Allan Chisholm, who got his second in the ninetieth minute to level the scores at the death. The Dutch had earlier lost 2-3 to Turkey, so they were eliminated from the tournament.

canvey!!’s Prediction: England, Scotland, Netherlands, Turkey

Actual Result: England (9), Scotland (4), Turkey (3), Netherlands (1)

Accuracy: 80%

Before we continue with the knockout stages, let’s see what the papers are predicting for the next season in English football. They persist in naming Man City as title favourites, despite the Citizens’ not having won the league for eight years, and despite Chelsea’s four consecutive victories. I would tip Bryan McGuinness’s Blues, or, if not, Newcastle. According to the media, Tom Smith’s Arsenal will finish fifth, but it is difficult to predict, given Arsenal’s erratic form in the past few seasons. Southampton are tipped relegation, but Fulham and Sunderland are believed to be capable of avoiding the drop, with Q.P.R. and Nottingham Forest expected to go down in their place. Forest manager Steve Bruce retired this month, and it is rumoured that assistant manager David Kelly will be promoted to Bruce’s erstwhile position. Ipswich are understandable favourites to win the Championship.

Hosts Sweden were unable to make it any further than the Quarter Finals of Euro 2028, where they met their demise at the hands of Russia. To make matters worse, the Swedes had had the better of the game, and it was an own goal from Partizan Belgrade defender Linus Söderberg that settled the match, which ended 1-0. In the other Quarter Finals, Fréderico Canvey’s Spain beat Scotland with ease, winning 3-0 in Stockholm, with two goals from Betis’ Jorge Ramírez. The other two matches were 2-2 at the end of normal time, with Italy in deadlock with Ireland, and England with Spain.

In the former match, Inter’s Luca Mattioli had engineered his national team a two-goal lead all by himself, scoring from the spot in the 11th minute, and from open play ten minutes later. Another penalty was awarded just before half time, this time to Ireland, and Everton centreback Peter Cairns converted. Ireland made it 2-2 with fifteen minutes to go, with Portsmouth centreback Andy Johnson heading the ball home. Extra time came, naturally, and the advantage swung Ireland’s way, with Tottenham striker Andy Porter weaving through the Italian defence to score. But just five minutes later, the lead was given away by a Dean Phillips own goal. Valencia forward Juri Rigamonti gave Italy the winning goal just before the interval.

In the other match, France had taken the lead in the 19th minute, but were equalised in the 28th. Dan Shepherd gave England the lead in the 77th minute, but France’s 27-year-old midfielder Lionel Schott made it two apiece two minutes from time. Man United’s Paul Woodward gave England the lead again four minutes into extra time, and the result seemed certain when Leeds striker Adam Defoe made it 4-2 in the 112th minute. However, goals from France in the 119th and 120+2nd minutes suddenly gave them a way back into the match, given England’s notoriously poor penalty taking. Both sides scored their first five, and their first sudden death spot kicks. Ironically, it was England’s top goalscorer Dan Shepherd that was the first to miss, while Frenchman Schott scored, which meant that Brettney Joven’s side were going home. The result was made even more bitter by the fact that while England had had 26 shots in the match, and 60% of possession, France had had just four, scoring each and every one of them.

Over in Italy, the papers think that, given a recent takeover by a Scottish tycoon, Juventus can win the Scudetto. That would push A.C. Milan down to second, and Cool Manager’s Inter down to third. Having seen how Valencia coped with their tycoon, I can say that Juventus aren’t clear-cut favourites for the title, but given that there is a bit of a power vacuum in Italian football at the moment, with A.C. Milan, Inter, Juventus and Napoli all having won the title in the last five years, I would say that it is definitely a possibility. Lord Weeman’s Napoli will finish fourth, say the bookies. Chievo and Reggina are favourites for the drop, which means that Sampdoria are believed to be capable of surviving, with Ascoli going down in their place. This month, there were a few transfers of players, but the biggest transfer news was that of a member of staff. Former Besiktas, Everton and Genoa manager dafuge decided to end his tenure at Palermo after three years in the job, and jumped ship to Ajax, whose manager Mark Wotte had just retired. In the last two seasons, Ajax have reached the Last 16 of the Champions League. This year, they enter in the group stage. Palermo appointed Sampdoria’s Roberto Di Matteo, who was replaced by Vincenzo Italiano.

France, following their fortunate Quarter Final, were just as dominant in their Last Four match as England had been in their Last Eight one. With 26 shots and 60% of possession, the match drew close parallels, but France were sturdier than their English counterparts, and beat their opponents Russia 3-1. The Russians went down to ten men very early on, following Pavel Khugaev’s straight red card after 21 minutes. France scored soon after, via 23-year-old Marseille midfielder Johan Hue. Hue made it 2-0 in the 36th minute. In the second half, Russia got a look-in, with a goal from Stuttgart midfielder/striker Vladimir Ivanov in the 53rd minute, but Hue completed his hattrick with a goal seven minutes from time.

In the other Semi-Final, Fréderico Canvey’s Spain met Neilio’s Italy, and it is the first time the two managers have met, despite having managed in Serie A simultaneously and having both managed in all three countries. Italy bossed the game, but they took until first half stoppage time to take the lead, with Eros Brunetti surviving a raid on him by the Spanish defence, and slotting the ball home. Just like England against France, Italy had 26 shots and 60% of possession. But also just like France against England, Spain equalised late in the match, with Valencia attacking midfielder Pedro José Béjar scoring eight minutes from time. It is worth noting that the Spanish had been a man down since the 68th minute, following José Ángel’s sending off. Extra time passed without incident, and the match came down to penalties. Spain missed their first, while Italy scored. But the Italians soon started missing their own, with both sides scoring their second, Spain scoring their third while Italy missed, both sides scoring their fourth, and Spain scoring their fifth while Italy missed. It was Napoli’s Mattia Silvestri who sent Italy’s final penalty straight at the goalkeeper.

Let’s not beat about the bush, and let’s go straight into the Final, where Spain met France, in a repeat of the 1984 Final. Within five minutes, Spain got a golden opportunity to go ahead, with French midfielder Lionel Schott holding back Spain’s Joan in the penalty area. Atlético Madrid centreback Javier Beitia, incidentally a devout Catholic (although the Final was played on a Sunday), converted the spot kick. The second half seemed to repeat the first, in that, within five minutes, Spain had a penalty. This time, however, Beita sent the ball wide. It turned out not to matter, but it did leave Spain and their fans on edge for the rest of the game. Fréderico Canvey’s side won the match 1-0, giving the 54-year-old his first silverware in charge of his country.

The judging panel decided that England’s Paul Woodward was the Best Player of the Tournament, and decorated him with that honour, with Luca Mattioli and Eros Brunetti coming second and third, respectively. Dan Shepherd won the Golden Boot, having scored six goals. France’s Johan Hue scored five and Scotland’s Sam Law scored fourth. It is worth noting that an English player, specifically Craig Robson, won both these awards at the last tournament, too. The Dream Team saw three English players, as well as three Spaniards and three Italians. Andy Johnson represented Ireland and John Williams represented Scotland. Just a quick mention of the rest of the other kind of Dream Team: Robert Boyle’s England under 21s and Maz Armley’s under 19s both faced Greece; Boyle’s side won 3-1 and Armley’s lost 0-1. After the tournament, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands sacked their managers. Denmark had also sacked Michael Laudrup after their elimination: Michael Hansen replaced him, but not the Michael Hansen, who is the most-capped player in their current squad. It is instead a manager 22 years his senior.

It has been a hefty update – I told you it was an eventful month. There wasn’t a lot of opportunity to celebrate twenty years at the same club for our two managers, but that doesn’t make it any less of an achievement. Here’s to the next twenty!

Job Securities

 [font=Courier New][b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7298
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7298
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid               6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese                   6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona                 6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham                 3800[/font]

All Star Top Ten – Awards

 [font=Courier New][b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Aw[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      40 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea      25
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=red]-1[/color] spartans5       Lawrence Lazewski Valencia                   20
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th  [color=blue]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        15
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+2[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       12
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th  [color=blue]0[/color] SCIAG           Leo Dodge         Tottenham                  11
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - NE Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham    11
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th  [color=blue]0[/color] brettney1980    Brettney Joven    Wigan         England       9
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - [color=green]+2[/color] Ridleys         James Ridley      Siena                       9
 [/font][font=Courier New]   -  [color=blue]0[/color] BenArsenal      Ben Cee           Inter                       9[/font]

BenArsenal · June 12, 2011

Excellent stuff canvey. That is just sheer dedication to keep this running for so long. :thup:

dafuge · June 12, 2011

Ajax sounds like a decent move, I wonder if I can fail there as well?

canvey!! · June 12, 2011

Thanks, Ben. In return for your appreciation, have a job. Also have a double update, because today is the day that I know who will win 60 to One. I've just written the final update, so here's how I can show my excitement.

Update 241

Years: 20, Months: 241, Days: 7339

All the excitement of Euro 2028 is beginning to fade into the distance, unfortunately. For me, it has faded long ago, given that I have only written four updates in the last month. It is currently March 3rd, and I am on a train. Despite my busy schedule when not on rails, I have nothing to do at this moment but Afrovision and 60 to One, so that is what I am doing.

Wow, talk about breaking the fourth wall! Let’s get into action by seeing what our two managers did in July 2028, with the new season on the horizon.

Arsenal manager Tom Smith made one big signing this month, lining the pockets of Jürgen Klinsmann’s Manchester City with the £11.25M purchase of their 29-year-old leftback Dean Dixon. In addition, Ghanaian Anderlecht ‘keeper Joe Asare arrived on a free transfer. Arsenal played a whole host of friendly matches, beating Germinal Beerschot and Dundee United, drawing with Fulham and FC Groningen, and losing to Crystal Palace. The Gunners end their pre-season at Modena, and start the season proper at home to Premier League holders Chelsea, who have just splashed the cash on four players totalling £53.25M. Elsewhere in England, Ben Taylor has returned to football management, taking over at Newcastle United after the erstwhile incumbent Alberto Pazos retired this month. The 56-year-old was sacked from his last job at Manchester United, and also counts Lazio, Fulham and Fiorentina among his former employers.

That wasn’t even the highest-profile appointment of one of our managers this month. After a solid seventeen-and-a-half years managing the club, A.C. Milan boss Marco van Basten called an end to his tenure, and to his career in football. Interestingly, the San Siro board turned to a former manager of their fierce rivals, Inter, and chose Ben Cee to fill the vacancy. The 65-year-old will be hoping for a successful tenure, or at least one that is better than his spells at Valencia and Man City were – at both clubs he underperformed.

Elsewhere in Italy, Napoli manager Lord Weeman has been preparing for another season in the top flight, his twenty-first. This month, 27-year-old Juventus goalkeeper Luca Romeo arrived for £2.7M, and 26-year-old Roma midfielder Alessandro Rigamonti signed for the rather bigger £22M. Part of that was recovered with the £20M sale Napoli’s half of talented Brazilian fullback Sérgio João back to Genoa. Napoli arranged another co-ownership deal with Genoa this month, securing half of young ‘keeper Fabio D’Avino for £525k. Finally, Senegalese defensive midfielder Souleymane Sambou left San Paolo for Sampdoria, netting Weeman £1.9M. Napoli played three friendlies this month, winning them all; Cavese were beaten 6-0, Leixões 3-0, and Benevento 2-1.

And so the managers look on, with eager expectations of the year to come.

Job Securities

[font=Courier New]  [b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7339
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7339[/font]

el sid · June 13, 2011

I reckon one of those took their national job. Hmmm, Tom Smith imo

BenArsenal · June 14, 2011

And we've come full circle. I'm back at the San Siro.

canvey!! · June 14, 2011

All Star Top Five – Games Played at Current Club

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Plyd[/b]
  [/font][font=Courier New]1st  [color=blue]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      1189 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 2nd [color=green]+1 [/color]weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       1008 *
 [/font][font=Courier New] 3rd [color=green]+2 [/color]el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter         693
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th [color=green]+2 [/color]~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea       478
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th [color=green]+2 [/color]Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis         448[/font]

Lifespan – 10 to 20 Years

 [font=Courier New] 3rd Romanista1994        Lucas Volman        Real Madrid 6573
 [/font][font=Courier New] 4th PluckaDuck           Tyler Burrows       Udinese     6370
 [/font][font=Courier New] 5th Haowan               Haowan Madridstas   Barcelona   6224
 [/font][font=Courier New] 6th SCIAG                Leo Dodge           Tottenham   3800[/font]

Lifespan – 5 to 10 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club       Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New] 7th TaylorB              Ben Taylor          Fiorentina 3442
 [/font][font=Courier New] 8th fergysafc            Liam Ferguson       Man City   2783
 [/font][font=Courier New] 9th JSalter              James Salter        Reggina    2710
 [/font][font=Courier New]10th mikeytwigge          Mikey Twigge        Palermo    2507
 [/font][font=Courier New]11th BenArsenal           Ben Cee             Inter      2502
 [/font][font=Courier New]12th super_lampard        Super Lampard       Lecce      2119
 [/font][font=Courier New]13th Cardiovascular       Cardio Vascular     Genoa      2010
 [/font][font=Courier New]14th Lower Leagues Rule   Jonte Rhodes        Lazio      1968[/font]

Lifespan – 2 to 5 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club       Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New][b]15th [/b][/font][font=Courier New]hasdgfas             Tim Aubel           Fulham     1705
 [/font][font=Courier New]16th ~Ian~                Bryan McGuinness    Everton    1701
 [/font][font=Courier New]17th rancer890            Ricky Nakano        Middlesbro 1614
 [/font][font=Courier New]18th ssestig              Theo Stigarakis     Catania    1405
 [/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]

Lifespan – 1 to 2 Years

[font=Courier New]  [b] Pos Username             Manager             Club      Days[/b]
 [/font][font=Courier New]38th conners              Sirus Lannock       Málaga     628
 [/font][font=Courier New]39th MikaelS              Mikael Schøler      Bologna    613
 [/font][font=Courier New]40th Swafe                Saul Goode          Osasuna    551
 [/font][font=Courier New]41st hamilton162          Tom Hamilton        Mallorca   509
 [/font][font=Courier New]42nd kashmirshazad        Shazad Ali          Newcastle  508
 [/font][font=Courier New]43rd DiscoStu94           Da Hoover Man       Sampdoria  501
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - ScottT!              Scott Tysoe         Sunderland 501
 [/font][font=Courier New]45th 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]46th corinthiano          Mathias Brunckhorst Chievo     327
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Neilio               Neilio              Almería    327
 [/font][font=Courier New]48th Robert_296           Robert Boyle        Blackburn  326
 [/font][font=Courier New]49th brettney1980         Brettney Joven      Wigan      320
 [/font][font=Courier New]50th TigerJoe             Joe Seddon          Getafe     271
 [/font][font=Courier New]51st jack.browne          Jack Browne         Sevilla    250
 [/font][font=Courier New]52nd NepentheZ            Neppo Monster       Cagliari   236
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - dafuge               dafuge              Torino     236
 [/font][font=Courier New]54th KiddingChoc          Zach Machios        Portsmouth 235
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - Whoopy D             Whoopy D            West Ham   235
 [/font][font=Courier New]56th d-machine            David Machine       Athletic   229
 [/font][font=Courier New]57th PaulHartman71        Jeremy English      Liverpool  204
 [/font][font=Courier New]58th Chimpos              Phill Ewles         Valladolid
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - tadr                 Andre da Conceiçao  Chelsea
 [/font][font=Courier New]   - markcator3006        Mark Cator          Aston Villa[/font]

canvey!! · July 26, 2011

Writer's Notes: I've just come back from two weeks in France, so that's why I've not been around since the forums came back up. Today, I'm off to visit a friend until Sunday, so the sparsity of 60 to One updates will have to continue for a little bit longer - apologies!

Update 242

Years: 20, Months: 242, Days: 7360

The season has started, and our two managers continue to bear back ceaselessly towards the end of their 21st year in charge. Let’s not talk about the end just yet; the night is still young. Let’s instead see how the grandiose gaffers did in August 2028.

We’ll start with Lord Weeman, Napoli boss and fashionista extraordinaire. Napoli made an indifferent start to the season, drawing goalless at Reggina in their opening Serie A match. They had already, by this point, however, secured their place in the Champions League group stages with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Hamburg in the playoffs. Weeman’s side face an easy group; they are joined by FC Salzburg, by Spartak Moscow, and by Dinamo Kiev. Weeman continued his transfer wheeling and dealing into this month, with one incoming signing become the third-most the 60-year-old has ever paid for a player. That signing is Matt Taylor, a 20-year-old Wonderkid from Shoreham-on-Sea, who joins from Everton for £28M. Usually I would say that the big signings don’t offer value for money, but this winger, who can play both sides of the field, looks truly fantastic. Weeman didn’t stop there; Bayern Munich’s 32-year-old Brazilian midfielder Gomes signed for Napoli for £12.5M. In addition, Weeman bought half of Mantova’s youngster Marco Allievi for £500k, raising the funds with the £525k sale of 17-year-old centreback Paolo Rota to Livorno.

Over to England now, where Tom Smith’s Arsenal have had a very, very good start to their league campaign. They sit top of the table, and are the only side with a 100% winning record, and one of just five not yet to have lost. The Gunners opened with what seemed an impossible challenge; hosting Chelsea.

The match was a showpiece event, and marked the inauguration of Arsenal’s new stadium. The fact that Chelsea were the visitors just amplified the crowd, the drama, and the occasion. 76,291 fans packed the Smith Arena, named after one of the club’s greatest managers, Tom Smith, just 29 short of capacity. The match wasn’t the greatest in terms of quality, but in terms of tension, excitement and importance, it had plenty to offer. An own goal gave Arsenal the lead in the 13th minute, and they consolidated that with five minutes to go until the break, with Irish attacking midfielder Andy Withe scoring. 2-0 was the final result, despite Arsenal’s having just three shots to Chelsea’s 10, and having only found the target with one of them. The Gunners then went on to beat Leicester 1-0, with Withe scoring again, and win 2-1 at Anfield. They start next month at Old Trafford, which will be a fierce test of their unbeaten record. In the Champions League, Smith’s side find themselves up against dafuge’s Ajax, as well as dafuge’s former club, Besiktas. Norwegians Lillestrøm complete the group. Smith made one more transfer this month, but it was not insignificant; 29-year-old Romanian midfielder Ioan Dumitrescu arrived from Man City for £20M.

Next month, the season will indubitably be under way. Until then, goodbye!

Job Securities

[font=courier new][b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7360
2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Stable        7360[/font]

All Star Top Five – Games Won at Current Club

[font=courier new][b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Won Percent Chnge[/b]
1st  [color=#0000ff]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      774 (64.9%) [color=#ff0000]-0.7%[/color] *
2nd [color=#006400]+1[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       598 (59.1%) [color=#006400]+0.2%[/color] *
3rd [color=#006400]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        459 (66.0%) [color=#ff0000]-0.9%[/color]
4th [color=#006400]+2[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinnness Everton       Chelsea      332 (68.9%) [color=#ff0000]-0.9%[/color]
5th [color=#006400]+2[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis        260 (57.6%) [color=#ff0000]-0.5%[/color][/font]

BenArsenal · July 26, 2011

Wahay! You're back!

canvey!! · August 11, 2011

Update 243

Years: 20, Months: 243, Days: 7390

It’s September, and the nice summer continues, with rain clouds and grey skies postponed for another month. One would hope that the balmy days that we experienced in August and July would continue to October, November, and even December, although that’s unlikely.

Instead, our two managers will be looking to replace that feeling of warmth with one stemming from football success. With that in mind, let’s see how they did this month, starting in Italy with Lord Weeman’s Napoli.

For Weeman, who turns 61 next Valentine’s Day, it has been a frustrating month. His Napoli team were only able to eke out 1-1 draws at home to Juventus and at Palermo, despite dominating both games. This was after having started the month with a 1-2 loss at Fiorentina. They did get some consolation, however, in the form of a 4-1 victory over visitors Ascoli, with last year’s £23.5M signing Dan Shepherd bagging a hattrick. Napoli currently sit 11th in Serie A, eight points adrift of leaders Juventus. Chievo sit bottom, being the only side yet to pick up points.

We’ll hop over to England now, where things are going a bit better for Tom Smith’s Arsenal. They lead the Premier League, despite having an uncertain month. Victories came over Derby and Sunderland, but the Gunners lost to Man United and Newcastle. On 15 points, the London club lead their nearest competitors, Man City, by a brace of points. Aston Villa join the Citizens on 13 points. At the bottom, Fulham, Liverpool and Sunderland sit in the drop zone. The Carling Cup Third Round was played this month. Smith’s Arsenal welcomed third-placed Aston Villa to Smith Arena, and advanced to the next round 1-0, thanks to a goal from Swedish striker Johann Andersson. Elsewhere, Man City eliminated their fierce rivals Man United on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the City of Manchester Stadium, James Ridley’s Newcastle thrashed Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham 3-0, and Chelsea needed extra time to scrape past League 1 Colchester. As well as United, Tottenham and Aston Villa, six Premier League teams left the competition in this round; Hull, Leeds and Sunderland lost to fellow top-flight opposition, but Q.P.R., Portsmouth and Fulham were felled by Championship teams. Arsenal travel to Reading in the next round, while Middlesbrough host Chelsea in the pick of the round.

September, as usual, saw an international break. Fréderico Canvey’s Spain travelled to Latvia for World Cup Qualifying, and won 2-0. Neilio’s Italy, on the other hand, were at home, and they were playing neighbours Slovenia. Hattricks from Valencia’s Juri Rigamonti and from Napoli’s Mattia Silvestri saw the Italians walk to a domineering 6-1 win. Brettney Joven’s England celebrated victory in Poland, although only one of the rest of the Dream Team played. The senior squad were in Chorzow for their World Cup Qualifying match, and a 4-0 win was assured, with a brace from Dan Shepherd. The under 19s, managed by Maz Armley, won 3-2 in Plock.

Meanwhile, in North America, Tim Aubel’s United States team were busy, busy people. They kicked off their World Cup Qualifying group last month, with a 2-1 win away to Trinidad & Tobago, and continued this month with two more games. Both were at home, and firstly, they beat Jamaica 1-0, before winning 4-0 over El Salvador. The Americans currently lead the group, and should seal progress into the next round next month. Costa Rica and Mexico also top their respective groups.

Speaking of groups, the Champions League group stages kicked off this month. Lord Weeman’s Napoli made a brilliant start, opening with a staggering 7-0 win over FC Salzburg, before beating Dinamo Kiev 4-2 in Ukraine, going 4-0 up within 35 minutes. Meanwhile, Tom Smith’s Arsenal also made a pretty good start to their group, although not one that could match Napoli’s. They travelled to the Netherlands to face dafuge’s Ajax, and the match ended level at 2-2. However, a win came soon enough, when they defeated Lillestrøm 3-0. dafuge's team won their second game 4-1 at his former club, Besiktas, and so the Dutch team top the group. Their manager has now picked up the language, too, after just over three months in the country. Cool Manager’s Inter, James Ridley’s Newcastle, Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid, Martin Bojangles’s Tottenham and Robert Boyle’s Valencia all also lead their groups, as do Barcelona.

So that’s it for this month. It should be an interesting season. See you in October!

Job Securities

[b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7390
2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Secure        7390

All Star Top Five – Games Drawn at Current Club

[b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Drn Percent Chnge[/b]
1st  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      225 (18.8%) [color=#006400]+0.2%[/color] *
2nd  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       215 (21.1%) [color=#ff0000]-0.3%[/color] *
3rd [color=#006400]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        137 (19.6%) [color=#ff0000]-0.1%[/color]
4th [color=#006400]+2[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis         88 (19.3%) [color=#006400]+0.4%[/color]
5th [color=#0000cd] 0[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea       85 (17.4%) [color=#ff0000]-1.0%[/color]

canvey!! · August 12, 2011

Update 244

Years: 20, Months: 244, Days: 7421

It’s November, and one of our managers is cruising on a high at the top of his league. The other is having rather less fun this season. Let’s see how they did in October, starting with the former.

That is, of course, Tom Smith, the 60-year-old Portuguese boss who manages Arsenal. In October, the Gunners played three league games, winning all three. They beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in Nottingham, and welcomed both Everton and Southampton to Smith Arena, beating the former 2-0 and the latter 5-0. Johann Andersson was in decent form, picking up a brace in the second game, and Craig Robson popped up with a rare goal. That brings me to;

The Craig Robson-o-meter

Goals this Month: 1

Total Goals: 109

Cost per Goal: £440,366.97

Arsenal currently sit one point clear at the top, with Man City hot on their heels. At the bottom, Theo Stigarakis’s Liverpool are still in trouble, sitting in 17th place, although the 60-year-old, surprisingly, is still Stable.

One manager who isn’t Stable is Lord Weeman, who is losing the faith of his chairman as his Napoli team sit 9th. That said, however, they picked up an impressive nine points in October, although they dropped a less-than-impressive six. Victories, and dominant ones too, came over Vicenza, Sampdoria and Chievo, with twelve goals scored over the three games (and with Dan Shepherd bagging another hattrick in the third), but defeats came against Inter and Lazio, both away. Another Serie A manager in trouble is Ben Cee, who has the Scudetto’s defending champions A.C. Milan in 7th place.

Each Champions League competitor played another two games this month. Napoli played a brace of games against Russian side Spartak Moscow, winning 3-1 in the northerly capital, with two goals from Portuguese winger Hélder Trindade, and 3-0 at San Paolo. Napoli, alongside Dynamo Kiev, have qualified from their group. Meanwhile, Tom Smith’s Arsenal played their games against Besiktas. In Istanbul, the Gunners won 2-0, but they trebled that scoreline at home in the Smith Arena, smashing the Turkish side 6-0. José César got a brace, as did that on-form Swede, you guessed it, Johan Andersson, who is a real asset for Smith and his team right now. The London club are also in the next round for sure, as are their groupmates dafuge’s Ajax. Interestingly, only these four teams have booked their places in the last sixteen.

There was more World Cup qualifying this month. In a shock result, Brettney Joven’s England lost 2-3 at home to Ireland, in what was a good result for John Sheridan’s side. England did bounce back, however, beating the Faroe Islands 6-1 in Tórshavn, despite going 0-1 down, with three goals from Man United striker Moses Abdulazeez in only his second appearance for his country, and two for Dan Shepherd. The under 21s, managed by Robert Boyle, won their equivalent game 2-0. Meanwhile, Fréderico Canvey’s Spain got two wins in the bag, after a 2-0 victory in Azerbaijan, and a 4-0 one at home to Iceland, where, just like Moses Abdulazeez, Atlético Madrid striker Felipe Medina scored a hattrick in only his second international appearance. Neilio’s Italy won 1-0 in Romania, and 6-0 at home to Estonia. Juri Rigamonti scored four goals over the two games. Finally, Tim Aubel’s United States played two games, beating Trinidad & Tobago 4-2, and drawing 1-1 in Jamaica. They have secured passage into the next round, as have Costa Rica and Mexico.

So there is already a title in sight for one of our managers, and the job centre in sight for another. The only way to find out what happens next is to keep reading.

Job Securities

[b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7421
2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Insecure      7421

All Star Top Five – Games Lost at Current Club

[b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Lst Percent Chnge[/b]
1st  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] weeman27bob     Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli       203 (19.8%) [color=#ff0000]+0.1%[/color] *
2nd  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal      196 (16.3%) [color=#ff0000]+0.5%[/color] *
3rd [color=#006400]+1[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis        106 (22.9%) [color=#ff0000]+0.1%[/color]
4th  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter        102 (14.4%) [color=#ff0000]+1.0%[/color]
5th [color=#006400]+1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea       69 (14.0%) [color=#ff0000]+2.4%[/color]

Lower Leagues Rule · August 12, 2011

Absolutely incredible that this is still going, one of the best sign-ups of all time...and amazing that it is finally slipping towards an ending...

BenArsenal · August 12, 2011

Pssh. I'm probably going to be sacked. Again.

canvey!! · August 13, 2011

Update 245

Years: 20, Months: 245, Days: 7451

It’s that time of year again; our managers are opening the first windows on their Advent Calendars, although as it’s 2028, the calendars are all done online now. Let’s take a look at how they did in November, and what awaits them in the final month of the year.

We’ll commence with Napoli manager Lord Weeman, who managed to save his team from self-destruction this month, and even dragged them kicking and screaming up one place to eighth in Serie A. The Neapolitans did go unbeaten this month, but out of four games, their 2-1 home win over Parma was their only maximum points conversion. They drew 1-1 with Rimini, Modena, and Tyler Burrows’s Udinese. They did, however, reach the Coppa Italia Quarter Finals with a 2-1 victory over Genoa in their First Round tie. Next, they’ll meet Juventus, the Turin-based club financed by Scottish tycoon Kenny Aitken. That isn’t until January, however, and next month, Weeman has nine points available to him in the league. Table toppers Juventus and Inter are ten points ahead of our manager’s team.

Over in England, things are looking a bit brighter for Tom Smith and his Arsenal team, but they still have their fair share of work to do. November was decent, but could have gone better, and a few points dropped have actually seen Arsenal fall from first to second place in the league table. The Gunners beat Fulham and Man City, the latter being the team who lead the league, but they were held goalless at White Hart Lane in the North London Derby, and lost 0-1 at Aston Villa. Man City, managed by Jürgen Klinsmann, are currently one point clear of their London rivals, but with eighteen points up for grabs next month, the situation is far from secure. Arsenal will meet Leeds, Q.P.R., Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Leicester, all in the bottom half of the table, and even a home tie with seventh-placed Hull should yield three points.

Returning briefly to November, however, Arsenal were active in the Carling Cup. This is England’s second cup competition, behind the FA Cup, and was last year won by Middlesbrough, who beat Arsenal in the Final at Wembley. Chelsea count the most victories in this competition, having lifted the trophy on no fewer than ten occasions. This year, those two teams; Chelsea and Middlesbrough, met in the Fourth Round, with the Blues taking a 1-0 victory at the Riverside. Meanwhile, Arsenal travelled to the Madejski Stadium, where they came away 2-0 victors thanks to goals from Karsten Lange and José César. The biggest shock of the round came from Leicester, who beat high-flying Man City 1-0. In the Quarter Final, Tom Smith’s Gunners were drawn at home to Liverpool, and another 2-0 victory saw them through. Leicester and Chelsea also won 2-0, at home to Swansea and away to Nottingham Forest respectively, while Everton won 1-0 at home to Newcastle. The draw is made at the start of December, with the two-legged Semi-Finals played in January. Liverpool’s elimination from the tournament marked their third match lost under new management, for they felt a change of leader was necessary this month. 18th in the league and after a goalless draw at Southampton, the club and its hierarchy saw no more use for boss Theo Stigarakis, who was handed his P45. Steve Tilson, who had served a distinguished eight years at Middlesbrough, taking them to two cup finals last season and winning one, took over, while Jim Magilton stepped into the Riverside role.

It’s time to take a look at European football in November. Tom Smith’s Arsenal met dafuge’s Ajax at the Emirates, and left the former Portsmouth boss a bit embarrassed, as the Gunners destroyed their Dutch opponents 4-0, with Swedish striker Johan Andersson bagging a brace. Still, Ajax follow Arsenal into the next round. In December, the Gunners will face Lillestrøm in Norway, while Ajax host dafuge’s former club, Besiktas. Lord Weeman’s Napoli travelled to Austria for their tie with FC Salzburg, and they came away 2-1 victors with two goals from resolute striker Dan Shephard, who is beginning to pick up a basic grasp of Italian. Napoli are through to the next round, as are their groupmates Dynamo Kiev. The two sides meet at San Paolo next month. Inter, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Newcastle, Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Tottenham and Valencia have all also booked their Last 16 places, leaving room for either Chelsea or AZ Alkmaar, either Celtic or Feyenoord, either Benfica, Zenit Saint Petersburg or Schalke, and either Juventus or Bordeaux, to get through too. Mikael Schøler’s Real Madrid have scored the most goals in the tournament so far, hitting the back of the net no fewer than 24 times. Their most recent match saw them beat Lech Poznan 6-0, with braces for Tiago and Emanuel Páez.

That’s all for this month, so let’s wish our managers a very happy Christmas. For some, it’s their last in the game.

Job Securities

[b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7451
2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Insecure      7451

All Star Top Seven – Goals Scored at Current Club

[b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Goals (Pr/G) Chnge[/b]
1st  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal       2557 (2.11) [color=#ff0000]-0.02[/color] *
2nd  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli        1889 (1.83) [color=#ff0000]-0.01[/color] *
3rd  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter         1411 (1.98) [color=#ff0000]-0.05[/color]
4th [color=#006400]+1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea       1004 (2.00) [color=#ff0000]-0.04[/color]
5th [color=#006400]+1[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis          951 (2.02) [color=#0000cd] 0.00[/color]
6th [color=#006400]+4[/color] Martin_         Martin Bojangles  Hull          Tottenham      263 (1.57) [color=#ff0000]-0.28[/color]
7th [color=#ff0000]-3[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid    221 (2.19) [color=#006400]+0.41[/color]

canvey!! · August 14, 2011

Update 246

Years: 20, Months: 246, Days: 7482

It’s a new day, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new year, and we roll into 2029 with smiles on our faces. We’re deep into sacking territory now, with two of our former managers losing their jobs this month. I will allay Lord Weeman’s fears now in promising him that he remains in employment for the time being, but there is every possibility of his twenty-year Napoli tenure coming to an end, unless there is an upturn in the club’s fortunes. Let’s see how the managers did in December 2028, starting in England.

As I said last month, there were definitely some easy ties for Tom Smith’s Arsenal in December, and of the eighteen points on offer, eighteen were easily attainable. That is indeed the number that the Gunners garnered, with six victories from six. Both Q.P.R. and Ben Taylor’s Portsmouth were beaten 2-0, Leicester were beaten 4-2, both Middlesbrough and Hull were beaten 3-0, and Leeds were beaten 4-0. This of course gave the team’s strikeforce the opportunity to shine, and both Romanian Ioan Dumitrescu and Swede Johan Andersson tallied four league goals this month, with Croatian attacking midfielder Dinko Leovac bagging three. Arsenal kicked off the FA Cup Third Round at the end of this month, rather than at the start of next, beating League 1 Cheltenham 3-0 after taking the lead in the first minute. Next up, the Gunners start their two-legged Carling Cup Semi-Final against Leicester.

England is the location of this month’s two relevant firings. Arsenal’s 4-0 drubbing of Elland Road team Leeds makes up part of greater problems at the club, who, at the time of Super Lampard’s sacking, had gone four games without a win and had just suffered another 0-4 loss, this at the hands of Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea. And so the 61-year-old’s 672-day tenure was brought to an end. In search of an eligible replacement, the Leeds board turned to Scotland, from where they poached Celtic manager Phill Ewles for £1M. Ewles, 58, now moves to his sixth country of management, after having coached in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Scotland. He’s a true journeyman, that’s for sure. Celtic opted for a straight swap, hiring Lampard on a £3,400p/w contract, and the former Newcastle boss completes a hattrick of sorts, with Scotland’s being his third country of management.

The other sacking was in a sense a bit more surprising, given the commendable results this manager had had with his club. Just short of a week after Lampard’s sacking, Tottenham boss Martin Bojangles was given the boot with his side 13th in the league and well adrift of those coveted Champions League places in which Spurs had finished for the past four seasons. During his time at the club, 60-year-old manager Bojangles had won the Carling Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Championship, with second-placed finishes in both the Champions League and the FA Cup. The former Man United boss goes on to pastures new, while prominent Danish manager Michael Laudrup is anointed as the new king of White Hart Lane.

European football groups ended this month, so let’s see how our managers finished their Champions League round robins. Lord Weeman’s Napoli hosted Dynamo Kiev, and seeing as both had already secured progression last month, a 1-1 draw was no heartache. Tom Smith’s Arsenal travelled to Norway, where they beat Lillestrøm 3-0. Last month’s undecided places went to Barcelona ahead of AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord over Celtic, Zenit Saint Petersburg over Benfica and Schalke, and Juventus over Bordeaux. In the next round, Napoli have the unenviable task of taking Barcelona down a peg or two, although the former Spanish giants are in poor form, languishing in ninth place in La Liga. Arsenal also face a tough tie, against Ben Cee’s A.C. Milan, who are faring rather better domestically and sit fourth. Mikael Schøler meets his former club as Real Madrid meet Juventus, while Bryan McGuinness’s Chelsea will play dafuge’s Ajax. Meanwhile, Tyler Burrows’s Udinese, Lars Tommersen’s Betis, and Super Lampard’s Celtic are all active in the Europa League Last 32, against Porto, Lillestrøm, and A.S. Nancy-Lorraine respectively.

We’ll conclude in Italy, then, where Lord Weeman remains on thin ice. Napoli still sit eighth, after picking up five points from nine this month. They achieved a narrow 3-2 victory over Frosinone at the start of the month, but were then held to draws at home to Genoa and away at Roma, although the latter was a fiery encounter, which Napoli rescued in the 90+1st minute via Dan Shepherd, who made it 4-4 with his goal. Still, given their better stake in the match, one might have expected a Neapolitan win. A.C. Milan and Juventus are both in the fixture list next month, as are Fiorentina, who, while diminished, may still pose a threat. Who knows how long Weeman has got left?

Job Securities

[b]Rank Username             Manager             Club        Security      Days[/b]
1st tomsmith1989         Tom Smith           Arsenal     Very Secure   7482
2nd weeeman27bob         Lord Weeman         Napoli      Insecure      7482

All Star Top Six – Goals Conceded at Current Club

[b] Pos +- Username        Manager           Original Club Current Club Goals (Pr/G) Chnge[/b]
1st  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] tomsmith1989    Tom Smith         Arsenal       Arsenal       1090 (0.89) [color=#006400]-0.01[/color] *
2nd  [color=#0000cd]0[/color] weeeman27bob    Lord Weeman       Napoli        Napoli         866 (0.84)  [color=#0000cd]0.00[/color] *
3rd [color=#006400]+1[/color] el sid          Cool Manager      At. Madrid    Inter          531 (0.74) [color=#ff0000]+0.01[/color]
4th [color=#006400]+1[/color] Waghlon         Lars Tommersen    Villarreal    Betis          498 (1.05)[color=#ff0000] +0.02[/color]
5th[color=#006400] +1[/color] ~Ian~           Bryan McGuinness  Everton       Chelsea        351 (0.69) [color=#ff0000]+0.01[/color]
6th [color=#ff0000]-3[/color] MikaelS         Mikael Schøler    Bologna       Real Madrid     83 (0.79) [color=#006400]-0.02[/color]

BenArsenal · August 14, 2011

Ooh, Arsenal!

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