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If You Count Your Chickens Before They've Hatched, They Won't Lay An Egg

AK22

By AK22,
in FM Career Updates

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Pangaea

Pangaea

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The Diallos aren't brothers, unfortunately. The defender's from Guinea, and the striker's from Ivory Coast. Actually, thinking about it, I'm not sure I've ever seen regen siblings before; perhaps this should be something that is introduced in the future.

Have never seen it either. Just as getting a son is incredibly rare, maybe this should be possible too, although less rare than a manager getting a son in the game.

Now, I know we like a lot of football over the Christmas period in England, but this is just ridiculous...

LiverpoolFixtures_Fixtures-1.png

Full Premier League fixtures three days in a row! :mad:

Ouch! That is rough. I see FM still mucks up the fixture list then :( Can you imagine playing an evening match and then flying out late that day or very early the next for another match? At least you had two in a row at home.

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AK22

AK22

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Hahahaha I can hear the foreign managers whinging about a winter break from here :D

In my best 'generic' French accent: "Well, er, the players are, er, running on empty. Er, everyone else in Europe has a winter break, but, er, here in England, it is ok to, er, play three matches in three days. This type of fixture congestion is what, er, causes injuries, and it is, er, disappointing, that the powers that be cannot see the benefits of having a, er, break in the winter."

I haven't just conceded a last minute goal to lose 2-1 against Fulham though :D

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AK22

AK22

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Ouch! That is rough. I see FM still mucks up the fixture list then :( Can you imagine playing an evening match and then flying out late that day or very early the next for another match? At least you had two in a row at home.

Just played these three games. Seven points, four injuries, could have been a lot worse :)

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AK22

AK22

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Liverpool F.C.

676.png

Mid-Season Update 2021/22

Barclays Premier League: 3rd

Europa League Group D: 1st

Fixtures

BarclaysPremierLeagueOverview_Stages-1.png

UEFAEuropaLeagueOverview_Stages-2-1.png

A big improvement on where we were at this stage last season. Four points behind the leaders, and defending champions, Arsenal, and comfortably sitting in the top four, I can be satisfied with the progress we're making. So far, we've already beaten Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea at Anfield, showing that we can really cut the mustard against the title challengers. Unfortunately, it has been against the 'lesser' sides where we have let ourselves down; home defeats to Blackpool and Leicester is nothing short of shambolic. Both these games were played out in near enough identical circumstances; we dominated the proceedings, bossing the possession, creating plenty of scoring opportunities, all before conceding from a corner in the last minute. The six points we dropped from these matches could prove crucial, as they would have been enough to put us top of the table. In theory, the second half of the season should prove tougher, as we have to go away to The Emirates, The Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge, for matches that we will do well to take a point away from. Ultimately, the results from these three games could decide if we remain in the title race, or have to settle for battling it out for fourth place.

The Europa League has gone well, with us only dropping points in two thrilling games against Celtic. We've drawn Standard Liege in the next round, so I'm feeling confident about progressing to the latter stages. That being said, I'm still committed to resting as many first-team players as possible in this competition, although there may be a change in policy if we make the semi-finals and we're looking good for a top four finish in the Premier League.

Other News

Blue Square Premier side, Stevenage, have been taken over by an American tycoon. They're going to have to go some (and spend a hell of a lot of money!) to fulfil their new owner's dream of becoming one of the greatest forces in domestic and continental football!

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roganp

roganp

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Horrible defeats to Blackpool and Leicester that you mentioned.

How do you know about Stevenage? I assume it came up in your news feed, but what 'subscription' do you have to have to find these takeovers out? :)

I think you have to subscribe to league they are in and make sure you have 'events' ticked to get takeover news in your inbox.

Good start in the league AK. Less complanacy against the 'lesser' sides in the division and you could have a real shot at winning the title as your form against the sides around you seems to be very good.

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City2000

City2000

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Good first half of the season, just a shame about those few frustrating results against some of the lesser sides but top 4 certainly looks a realistic shout and the title is not out of the question either. Looking good in Europe aswell.

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AK22

AK22

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Horrible defeats to Blackpool and Leicester that you mentioned.

How do you know about Stevenage? I assume it came up in your news feed, but what 'subscription' do you have to have to find these takeovers out? :)

I think you have to subscribe to league they are in and make sure you have 'events' ticked to get takeover news in your inbox.

Good start in the league AK. Less complanacy against the 'lesser' sides in the division and you could have a real shot at winning the title as your form against the sides around you seems to be very good.

I'm subscribe to Kingstonian's news feed, just so I can keep abreast of the ongoings at my former club, and as they, and Stevenage, are both in the BSP, the news of Stevenage's takeover came through in my inbox. I wish there was a way to find out all the tycoon takeovers though, as I find it quite interesting to see how well they do with their newly found wealth.

Looking good at the half way stage and still in with a very good chance of winning the title.
Good first half of the season, just a shame about those few frustrating results against some of the lesser sides but top 4 certainly looks a realistic shout and the title is not out of the question either. Looking good in Europe aswell.
Good start. Need to give the players a kick up the arse though to stop complacency against the lesser teams.
Should have a good Europa challenge, and be in the CL next season.

Cheers guys, our complacency has really been our only downfall this season, so far. I don't know if you feel the same, but since the latest update, it's become a lot more difficult to motivate the team, and even more tricky to eradicate any sloppiness in our performances. Not that I'm complaining, I did make a point of saying that I felt the game was a bit easier than last year's, so I'm enjoying the extra challenge the game is bringing :cool:

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AK22

AK22

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Easily through in the CL and going well in the league. A title challenge is still on the cards so you could still have a very successful season :thup:

Cheers o JaY. I'd be amazed if we win the league, but of course, I'd quite happily accept the trophy! A top four finish will more than suffice for now though :thup:

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AK22

AK22

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Shaping up nicely.

Blackpool fifth!

Yep, Blackpool are having a stonker. This isn't a one-off either, they've made it a bit of a habit recently, finishing in the top ten of the Premier League. A seventh, three eighth places, and one ninth, over the course of the last eight seasons; not too shabby at all!

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Raware

Raware

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In my best 'generic' French accent: "Well, er, the players are, er, running on empty. Er, everyone else in Europe has a winter break, but, er, here in England, it is ok to, er, play three matches in three days. This type of fixture congestion is what, er, causes injuries, and it is, er, disappointing, that the powers that be cannot see the benefits of having a, er, break in the winter."

I'd of thought it'd be in your best 'generic' Egyptian accent ;):D.

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AK22

AK22

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Good stuff, seems like you're right on track for your season. How have your new signings been doing? I'm particularly interested in Eric Diallo.

Diallo started off quite slowly, but with nine goals in his last eight games, he has really started to hit his stride now. He's still on target to score 20+ goals this season, so I can't really complain. All the other signings have been fine; no disasters, but no stand-outs either.

I'd of thought it'd be in your best 'generic' Egyptian accent ;):D.

:D I'm working on it

Good half to begin with! The top of the table is very attainable. Congrats.

Thanks cerud :thup:

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AK22

AK22

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Australia

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World Ranking: 29th

2021 World Cup Qualifiers Playoffs

Fixtures

AustraliavUAEInformation_Overview-2.png

First up was a tricky two-legged affair against the UAE; a unknown quantity, that based on our previous form, could have resulted in a complacent defeat, denying us a place at the World Cup, and costing me my job. Thankfully, we just about did enough over the two games, finding a solitary goal in the home leg, and holding our nerve for the rest of the match. I was dreading an equalising away goal, which would have sealed our fate, but luckily, that never materialised.

NewZealandvAustraliaInformation_Overview.png

After beating the UAE, I had thought we had qualified for the World Cup. In hindsight, this was extremely naive and ill-informed of me, as we then had to compete in another knockout playoff, this time against our neighbours, and main rivals, New Zealand. We completely outclassed the Kiwis in both legs, however, we just couldn't finish them off, and nearly let them back into the tie courtesy of a few twitchy moments. Once Daniel Cooke had scored to make it 3-1 on aggregate, and with only 13 minutes remaining, only then was I confident that had secured our passage to Qatar. After 18 games, and a few upsets along the way, we had finally done it!

Team of the Year 2021 | Overall Best XI

World Cup 2022 Group Stage Draw

FIFAWorldCupOverview_Stages-2-1.png

Having qualified for the World Cup, this was quite possibly the worst possible draw outcome. Asides from drawing Spain as the second seeds, I couldn't have had picked three trickier teams to face in the group stage. Well, at least we won't outstay our welcome in the Middle East!

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AK22

AK22

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You did well to get through only to be rewarded with such a hard group! Especially when you look at groups like Group A! :D

I wish you the best possible look.

P.S. whats with South Korea?

Ha, thanks HC. Regarding South Korea, I moronically took the screenshot before the draw had finished, so had to do a bit of manual 'housekeeping'! Well spotted! :D

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AK22

AK22

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Easily the Group of Death there, although you do have a good chance of sneaking into 2nd Place I would say.

I like your optimism, abulezz ;)

That will be a...."fun" group But still, congrats on qualification.
Unlucky on the tough group - but at least there is no pressure on you to qualify now
Very, very tough group. Hopefully you get a bit of luck and manage to get 2nd place.
Wow!What have you done to deserve a group like that!

On a paper, it's a horrific group, but I suppose we've got a small chance of qualification to the next round. Mexico are a bit of a unknown quantity, so I'm not too sure what we'll be up against there, and we've just beaten Russia in our March friendly, so we could end up with a potential four points. I can't see us getting anything against Brazil, and will just have to hope that our goal difference doesn't take too much of a battering.

FC København being paid £23,5M for a player is nothing short of amazing! :)

He's quite a player, and I think Arsenal got quite a good deal out of it too, considering his value is now £30m+. I'm not quite sure how he ended up in Denmark though ;)

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Pangaea

Pangaea

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Very tough group there, but you got to the World Cup and that's the main thing. I'm sure the Aussies will love playing competitive matches against the likes of Brazil, Russia and Mexico in the World Cup. Good luck. You'll need it ;)

I'm not sure how being outshot 15-8 counts as "completely outclass[ing]" them, mind :D

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AK22

AK22

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I bet you wish you were in Qatar's group.

True. I'm sure FIFA do their utmost to ensure the hosts get an easy passage to the knockout rounds though, just to keep the interest in the tournament.

Very tough group there, but you got to the World Cup and that's the main thing. I'm sure the Aussies will love playing competitive matches against the likes of Brazil, Russia and Mexico in the World Cup. Good luck. You'll need it ;)

I'm not sure how being outshot 15-8 counts as "completely outclass[ing]" them, mind :D

Over the two legs we did ;)

Out of their 15 attempts, they only got one on target, whereas we managed to get two of our eight. That's a 25% rate, compared to their 7%. Totally outclassed :D

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dkpark51

dkpark51

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Diallo started off quite slowly, but with nine goals in his last eight games, he has really started to hit his stride now. He's still on target to score 20+ goals this season, so I can't really complain. All the other signings have been fine; no disasters, but no stand-outs either.

Good stuff, 20+ goals is a great first season.

Really tough draw there for the World Cup. Looking forward to see how you do. Good luck!

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AK22

AK22

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Good luck, sure looks tough but hopefully you can get out of that group.
Good stuff, 20+ goals is a great first season.

Really tough draw there for the World Cup. Looking forward to see how you do. Good luck!

Cheers guys. Although I'm not particularly confident, we may somehow sneak second place; I'm not counting any chickens though! :)

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AK22

AK22

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Liverpool F.C.

676.png

Season Review 2021/22

Competitions

Barclays Premier League: 3rd

Position Graph | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2

BarclaysPremierLeagueOverview_Stages-2-1.png

UEFA Europa League: Winners | FA Cup: 4th Round | Carling Cup: Quarter-Final

Season Summary

Match of the Season Highlights:

That's a lot more like it! Still plenty of room for improvement, but overall, a successful season, and shows the progress we are starting to make as a club.

We remained right in the title race until the last day of the season, needing results to go our way to achieve an unlikely success. Unfortunately, it was all academic, as we lost our final game, at home to Spurs, with the fixture having a distinct 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' feel to it, having won the Europa League four days earlier. That result aside, it is still pleasing to know that we managed to keep pace with the leaders for most of the season, and with a bit more determination, we could have ended up the season as champions. We've been more than competitive against our main rivals this season, having beaten them all at Anfield, and done the double over Arsenal too, so I know we're a force to be reckoned with now.

If we are going to win the Premier League one day, though, one area we need to buck up our ideas is our home form against 'lesser' teams. All four of our home defeats have come against teams we should be beating, and cost us dearly; the twelve points dropped against Blackpool, Leicester, Sunderland and Tottenham would have been enough to have comfortably won the league. Winning 'dirty', in these type of matches, will really make the difference, if we can achieve it next season.

The Europa League was panning out to be a very German affair this season; the final was played in Gelsenkirchen, and three of the final four teams were from the Bundesliga (Werder Bremen, Stuttgart and Schalke), so thank god we won the trophy then! It wasn't plain sailing by any means though, and took the comeback of all comebacks against Galatasaray in the quarter-final to ensure we stayed on track to reach the final. The final itself was a nervy affair, where we did well to stay in the game against a surprisingly competent Stuttgart team. We did, however, manage to stumble into extra-time, and secured victory with a headed goal from a corner, two minutes before the final whistle. Ryan Shawcross was the man of the moment, handing us the trophy, and the first piece of major silverware of my career.

Financial

Bank Balance: £70.1m

Average Attendance: 50308 | Season Ticket Holders: 34994

If the chairman continues to donate £40m a season, I will continue to spend it! Without his investments, we would be in a serious pickle by now, as the club has been minus Champions League money for four seasons. By finishing third this season, this has now been rectify, so the club should be more self-sufficient going forward.

Squad

Squad Overview | Transfer Summary

Team of the Year | Overall Best Eleven

Fan's Player of the Year: Louis Lovett

Manager's Player of the Year: Marco Celic

Top Goalscorer: Eric Diallo (24 goals)

I'm really pleased at how the squad is starting to take shape now, as it feels like my signings are starting to make a difference to the club's performances. On top of the summer signings,

Pedro Correia and Nicolás Hermosilla joined us in January, both adding to the depth of the squad, and contributing well. With three African internationals in the team, we will be affected by Cup of Nations call-ups next season, so I will need to factor this in when deliberating how to spend my future transfer budget. I will definitely need a decent back-up for key striker, Eric Diallo, as the Ivorian's goal threat will be seriously missed when he disappears in January.

Several of the 'dinosaurs' will be retiring in the summer, freeing up a fair chunk of the wage budget. Luis Suárez, Pepe Reina, Ryan Shawcross, Cristian Ansaldi and João Moutinho all decided to hang up their ageing boots, allowing me the chance to blood some younger players into the first team next season. After scoring the winner in the Europa League final, I tried to convince Shawcross to give us one more year, but he was determined to call it a day. It's a shame really, as he was a first team player for us, and very much still in the England set-up too.

Other News

Kingstonian - A superb season for my first club, winning the FA Trophy and the BSP playoff final. They will be back in the Football League next season.

Hull - Unlucky again, losing to Nottm Forest in the Championship playoff final.

Fulham - Another solid season for The Cottagers, finishing 7th in the Premier League. However, due to Leicester and Cardiff winning the domestic cups, there will be no European football next season.

One surprising I have noticed is that Bath have just become a League One. Having achieved back-to-back promotions, they will be facing up against the likes of Birmingham, Reading and Southampton in a very competitive third tier next season.

Career Summary

[size=2]Season     Team              League                   Finish    Cups                             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/12    Unemployed
2012/13    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet South    3rd       FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 2nd Round
2013/14    Kingstonian       Blue Square Bet Premier  3rd       FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 1st Round
2014/15    Kingstonian       npower League Two        16th      FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT 1st Round
2015/16    Kingstonian       npower League Two        17th**    **Resigned 19/12/2015
          Hull City         npower League One        6th       FA Cup 4th Round
[/size]2016/17    Hull City         npower League One        1st       FA Cup 1st Round, Carling Cup 1st Round, JPT Winner
2017/18    Hull City         npower Championship      2nd       FA Cup 5th Round, Carling Cup 2nd Round
2018/19    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  5th       FA Cup Semi-Final, Carling Cup Semi-Final
2019/20    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  7th       Europa League 2nd KO Rd, FA Cup 6th Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd
2020/21    Fulham            Barclays Premier League  8th**     **Resigned 13/11/2020
          Liverpool         Barclays Premier League  6th       Europa League 1st KO Rd, FA Cup 5th Rd
2021/22    Liverpool         Barclays Premier League  3rd       Europa League Winners, FA Cup 4th Rd, Carling Cup QF

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