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


AK22

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The top 6 teams always get one sort of run at the end of the season

Very true. Thankfully, it was us that had the great run of form, and Leeds who had the run of doom.

Looking good for the playoffs again, but a late push for an automatic spot is still possible.

Champions :)

Congrats on winning the title and the JP Trophy :D
Congratulations on promotion :thup:

Thanks chaps, I'm very satisfied how the season panned out. The hard work starts right now though :thup:

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And more importantly, the satisfied the demands of the FMCU community! :D

I will sleep a lot easier now I've pacified the community! :p

Great second half of the season. Well done on winning the title and the JP trophy

Incredible collapse by Leeds, losing 11 games in the second half of the season.

Leeds demise was pretty spectacular by anyone's book. They might even have been relegated if they hadn't such a strong start to the season. Couldn't have happened to a nicer team as far as I'm concerned too!

Great season
Great double! You really did do well to pull back and win the league
Amazing turnaround to win the title!

Cheers! It just so happened that everything clicked at the right time. Mind you, I can't underestimate how much of an impact signing Billy Sharp was too. Without him, I'm sure we would have had to battle through the playoffs again.

Started slowly but met the expectations late on. Now onto the Premier League - or is that asking a little bit much? :D

Now seriously, what's the goal for next year? Mid-table perhaps?

Shouldn't have any worries next year.

The board only expect us to avoid relegation, but I'm quietly confident of a steady lower mid-table finish. The squad's pretty stable, and we look good at the back, so we might be even a decent outside bet for the playoffs if we can carry forward our momentum from last season.

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Hull City A.F.C.

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Pre-Season Summary 2017/18

Wage: £2000 per week | Contract Length: 2 years

The board wanted to extend my contract by three years, but I thought that would be putting all my eggs in one basket somewhat, so I've negotiated it down to two. The £700 payrise is pretty nice though.

Board Expectations

npower Football League Championship: Avoid relegation

FA Cup: Third Round | Carling Cup: Second Round

Transfer Budget: £1.47m

Wage Budget: £155k per week | Current Player Wage Total: £144k per week

Media Prediction: 23rd | Title Odds: 33/1

Disappointingly, there was no increase on our wage budget, as the board want to keep a tight grasp on the finances over the course of our first season back in the Championship. I have reinvested some of the transfer funds to give me more a slightly bigger wage budget to play with, otherwise I would feel too restricted on what transfer activity I could make. The media prediction of 23rd is pretty harsh in my eyes, and I would be disappointed if we got sucked into the relegation dogfight. In my opinion, there are five significantly worse teams in the division than us, so I'll be looking for a lower midtable position as a minimum.

Transfer Activity

Transfer Summary

Club Signing of the Window: Luca Nunziata

Total Amount Spent: £550k | Total Amount Received: £375k

Thankfully, over the summer, the board increased the scouting range, which allowed me to scout the whole of Europe. Due to this, twelve new players joined the club from such exotic locations as Cagliari and Antalyaspor. Mario Mutsch, Richard Boateng, Wágner (not that one!) and Emiliano Sala should bring a touch of foreign class to the squad, whereas Jason Puncheon and Stuart Armstrong will be another couple of experienced British heads. Luca Nunziata was a last minute signing, but has the ability to be a good Premier League 'keeper, so there was no way I could refuse. Potentially, he could keep us up single-handedly.

Tactical Outlook

This is my initial formation and team instructions:

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I changed our tactics midway through last season, and I'm going to stick with it for the start of this one too. It's an attacking outlook, and one that leaves us at risk to the counter attack, as the wingers are so advanced and don't track back, but the results so far have been brilliant. As we push so far up the field, we tend to dominate possession, with the attacking six grinding teams down and creating plenty of chances. This may not work as intended in a higher division, so I may need to revert to something more cautious sooner rather than later, but I'm hoping to take the league by surprise and record a few early victories.

Other News

I've signed a new Assistant Manager. I inherited Phil Neville from my predecessor, and as much as I detest the Nevilles in real life, I decided to let him see out his contract, rather than pay him any compensation. This finally expired over the summer, and has been replaced by Andreas Lindberg, who should be a solid number two.

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Yeah safe mid table will be a good season i think. The Championship is a tough league as you know. Don't underestimate the loan market though - you can pick up some real gems for free for a season from the Premier League.
Congratz on the double :applause:

and like Daz has said, the loan market is brilliant for the Championship

Thanks guys, but I fear I may have overlooked the loan market somewhat. I did ask my assistant to assemble a couple of reports on a few positions, but they never returned with anything worth serious consideration. Depending on results, I may have to reconsider come January though, and bring in a couple of impact players if required, although I'm pretty content with the squad I've assembled so far.

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I use specific clubs. So you can pretty much guarantee Arsenal, Man Utd and Man City have decent players available for loan. They also buy the best youngsters ans the NewGens com through. You can get your Assistant Manager to scout individual clubs for a loan report

Never really crossed my mind before, but will definitely see what's available when January comes around now.

Well done getting Dull back in the Championship.

Cheers Nobby.

Once you're established it'll be a massive task trying to go up again.

True, but we've got a good steady revenue stream from our ticket sales, so even though we won't have the windfall payments of clubs relegated from the Premier League, we've probably got enough financial clout to build a top half side.

Good luck in avoiding relegation

Thanks B.W.G, but I'd be really disappointed if we're anywhere near the bottom three.

How can you hate Gary Neville? He's hilarious, like a teacher's pet/goblin sort of thing crouching on Fergie's shoulder.

I've hated Gary 'You Know' Neville ever since that day he celebrated Utd's last minute winning goal in front of the Liverpool fans at Old Trafford. Absolute disgrace. Terrible commentator too, IMO. When he started on Sky, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but even though his analysis isn't too bad, his voice makes my ears bleed. Hopefully they'll see sense eventually.

Although I still find it hilarious that his father is called Neville Neville! :D

Good luck in the Championship with Hull AK22. :thup:
I LOL'd at this.

Cracking stuff AK, now for a further promotion and the prem! :thup:

Good luck in the Championship. I bet on 17th to start!

Thanks for the encouragement. I think 17th is a decent shout, somewhere between 13th and 19th would suit me fine this season.

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I've hated Gary 'You Know' Neville ever since that day he celebrated Utd's last minute winning goal in front of the Liverpool fans at Old Trafford. Absolute disgrace. Terrible commentator too, IMO. When he started on Sky, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but even though his analysis isn't too bad, his voice makes my ears bleed. Hopefully they'll see sense eventually.

Although I still find it hilarious that his father is called Neville Neville! :D

Are you a Liverpool fan? If so, would it have been funny if Carragher had done it? If not, what if one of your home-grown players had done it following a derby win? I'm not even close to being a Man Utd fan, but if Sammy Ameobi or Steven Taylor did it infront of the mackems I'd find it hilarious.

If it's the "he could have caused a riot" argument then I think the fans should take a look at themselves in that instance. If a wiry little man with a rubbish mustache doing that infront of you sends you into apoplexy then I dread to think how you survive daily life.

Edit: Personally think Red Nev is the best pundit on TV at the moment. He's not afraid to speak his mind and usually actually had a good point.

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Are you a Liverpool fan? If so, would it have been funny if Carragher had done it? If not, what if one of your home-grown players had done it following a derby win? I'm not even close to being a Man Utd fan, but if Sammy Ameobi or Steven Taylor did it infront of the mackems I'd find it hilarious.

If it's the "he could have caused a riot" argument then I think the fans should take a look at themselves in that instance. If a wiry little man with a rubbish mustache doing that infront of you sends you into apoplexy then I dread to think how you survive daily life.

Edit: Personally think Red Nev is the best pundit on TV at the moment. He's not afraid to speak his mind and usually actually had a good point.

It is the inconsistancy though. Adebayor got heavily fined for his antics against Arsenal. Neville got off scot free, as per usual. THAT is what annoys me.

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Are you a Liverpool fan? If so, would it have been funny if Carragher had done it? If not, what if one of your home-grown players had done it following a derby win? I'm not even close to being a Man Utd fan, but if Sammy Ameobi or Steven Taylor did it infront of the mackems I'd find it hilarious.

If it's the "he could have caused a riot" argument then I think the fans should take a look at themselves in that instance. If a wiry little man with a rubbish mustache doing that infront of you sends you into apoplexy then I dread to think how you survive daily life.

Edit: Personally think Red Nev is the best pundit on TV at the moment. He's not afraid to speak his mind and usually actually had a good point.

It is the inconsistancy though. Adebayor got heavily fined for his antics against Arsenal. Neville got off scot free, as per usual. THAT is what annoys me.

I am a Liverpool fan, but that's not the whole point; I was equally appalled by Adebayor's actions against Arsenal a couple of year's ago.

It's not in the spirit of the game, you celebrate with your own fans, not run the length of the pitch to provoke the opposition's. I'm all for rivalries, and players showing passion, especially when playing in derby matches that mean so much to the fans and the club as a whole, and no-one could question Neville's passion and loyalty to Man Utd, but I thought his action on that day were wrong. He knew exactly what he was doing, and the type of reaction it would get, so deserved a more severe punishment than the one he received. If a Liverpool had scored the last minute winner (unlikely, I know) and one of our players had done the same thing, I would like to think I would have had the same reaction. I often go to live games, whether that's Liverpool, England or just one of my local sides, so I appreciate how the atmosphere and tension inside the ground can affect fans and players emotions, but I feel it's important to show it through the appropriate channels.

In regards to his punditry, as I've said, I don't find it too bad. As he's only just retired, he's still very much in touch with how the modern game is played, and can be rather insightful with his analysis, but it's his dull monotone voice and regular 'you know' interjections that tend to annoy me the most. He's much better in the studio doing the half-time/full-time analysis than he is as co-commentator on live matches, I much prefer Alan Smith, or dare I say, Ray Wilkins on play-by-play action.

I'm happy to agree to disagree on this. Everyone has an opinion, and is entitled to share it with anyone willing to listen. That's one of the reasons that makes football such a great sport to follow :)

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Well in that case the blame lies with the FA for the inconsistency rather than with Neville. What he did was (to me) childishly endearing - I bet it's what all the 6 year old Man Utd fans in Surrey dream about doing one day. It's different to the Adebayor situation in that Neville's reaction was one of footballing passion stemming from how much he loves his team, whereas Adebayor was playing for a team who have no historic rivalry with Arsenal - his was a personal reaction in response to perceived slights on his character from the Arsenal fans.

As for as a co-commentator, I've not sat down in front of too many matches he's done but he's not terrible. Certainly not as bad as Mark Lawrenson. Definitely better as a pundit though (the same can't be said for Lawro). I generally like Ray Wilkins, his absolutely hilariously bad coverage of the Real Madrid - Spurs match last season aside.

Agreed on the last point entirely :thup:

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Right, lets get this thread back on track...

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A surprising offer considering I've only just started my first season in The Championship, but still an intriguing one. I quite fancy a few weeks in Sharm el-Sheikh every season, so it would be a hard offer to refuse. It also gives me the opportunity to spread my wings somewhat, and get myself noticed on a wider scale.

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Egypt

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World Ranking: 52nd

Rival Nations: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Libya

Stadium: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo (Built 1960)

Capacity: 74100 all-seater

2017

Fixtures

After failing to qualify for the World Cup, the Egyptian FA decided they needed a new national team manager, and I was apparently top of their list. Two friendlies up first, against Central African Republic and Mozambique. These are then followed by our first competitive game away to Uganda at the end of November, so at least I've got a couple of games to get my head around things first.

FA Expectations

Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers: Qualify easily from group stages

Definitely achievable. We've got Uganda (134th), Sierra Leone (41st) and Swaziland (166th) in our group, so it's really between us and Sierra Leone to battle out for the one automatic qualification place. I'm quietly confident it will be us, but we will need to put in solid performances in every match we play to guarantee it.

Initial Impressions

Squad Overview | Facilities

Overall, the squad looks more than decent, so I'm flummoxed to why they couldn't qualify for the World Cup. From first glances, we look well covered, with at least two decent players capable of playing each position, so I'm feeling very upbeat about things. Goalkeeper Mohamed Ismail looks strong enough, and we should have plenty of goals in us with Mohamed Kamel and Yasser Ramadan in the team.

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Yep, strong ACN progress will help.
Egypt! Not bad. Should be a decent side to do well in the African Cup of Nations.
I used to like Egypt as a country and as a footballing team.

Then they denied me a chance to manage in the World Cup... Good luck nonetheless, lets hope you can do the same to some computerized manager! :D

I don't think we're as good as I originally thought! We've just drawn 2-2 against Uganda. Three home games in a row up next, so this will really define our qualifying campaign.

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Hull City A.F.C.

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Mid-Season Update 2017/18

npower Football League Championship: 10th

Table

Fixtures

Life in The Championship has started very respectably. We sit comfortably mid-table, only a handful of points off guaranteeing safety in the division, and with a decent outside chance of reaching the playoffs. Some of our performances along the way have been pretty pleasing to watch too, no more so than the two games where we found the net six times (against Wycombe and Watford). It appears my attacking philosophy is paying off, as we're the fourth top-scorers in the league, and the fans seemed pleased with our entertaining brand of football. Not that I particularly enjoy watching such hair-raising performances though; I'm much more at home overseeing a tight 1-0 win, taking three points and a clean sheet too.

Two players have really stood out so far, and they should take a lot of credit for putting us in such a good position at the half way stage. Argentine striker, Emiliano Sala, has been a revelation since his arrival, finding the net 16 times, ten of which have come in the last eight games. His emergence as top-sausage has meant last season's topscorer, Billy Sharp, has had to take more of a back seat this season, and has found himself warming the bench more often than not. The other hero of the season so far goes to Jason Puncheon. He'll be 32 at the end of the season, but seems to be at home playing at this level. With 11 goals and nine assists, his contribution has been vital.

Other News

One thing I failed to notice earlier was the fact that Leicester City are now owned by controversial businessman, Peter Ridsdale. For those not aware, this is a chap with a very chequered history in football, and was in charge at both Leeds Utd and Cardiff City during times of severe financial hardship. It could be argued that it was his poor mismanagement of the club's finances that contributed to Leeds fall from grace, and subsequent administration, taking them from Champions League semi-finalists, to League One nobodies in six seasons. He's started in good form at Leicester too, they've spent a net £20m on players this season already. I can see a point deduction coming their way not before long!

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A more than credible start to life with Hull with plenty of time for you to still reach the play-offs :thup:. If Sala can can keep up his rich vein of form then maybe even perhaps a sneaky outside chance of automatic promotion could be on the cards ;) As B.W.G said, shame about Risdale at Leicester...but then again, as a Forest fan...maybe not such a shame ;).

Good luck for the remainder of the season :thup:

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Thanks for all the comments :thup:

At the halfway stage, we're only five points off the playoffs, so it's a possibility we could sneak a place if we have a decent run of form post-Xmas. Sala has been a revelation considering his meagre transfer fee; being able to scout the whole of Europe has been a huge advantage this season.

A bit more info on the Leicester/Ridsdale front. They did actually spend last season in the Premier League, before finishing 19th and getting relegated back to the Championship, so they would have received a sizeable amount of TV revenue from that escapee. They've spent a net £32m on transfers over the past two seasons, and their current wage bill is £19m per season. In comparison, Hull's is £8.5m, and we're struggling to make a profit, so they are surely on a fast-track to insolvency if they don't get re-promoted this season.

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Hull City A.F.C.

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Season Review 2017/18

Competitions

npower Football League Championship: 2nd

Position Graph | Fixtures

npowerFootballLeagueChampionshipOverview_Stages-2-1.png

FA Cup: 5th Round | Carling Cup: 2nd Round

Season Summary

Match of the Season:

Just like last season, the Hull juggernaut became virtually unstoppable in the post-Christmas period. It seems that we really move into top gear once the turkey's been eaten and the decorations have been taken down, losing just the three games out of the 25 we played. We've been sensational at times, playing some very attractive football, and thoroughly deserve the promotion we achieved come the end of the season. Throughout the months of February, March and April, we were the best team in the league, earning me the Manager of the Month awards, and defining us as serious promotion candidates. Automatic promotion was all sewn up with the win away to Swansea in the penultimate game, so it allowed us the luxury of a swansong in our final match against already-relegated Wycombe. Hull will be returning to the Premier League!

Our cup performances have been pretty exceptional too. There was no shame in losing 2-1 away to Aston Villa in the Carling Cup, and reaching the Fifth Round of the FA Cup certainly exceeded all our expectations. And, we weren't too far away from being shock quarter-finalists too. We gave Man City a great game at the Etihad Stadium, having more of the possession and creating more chances than the Premier League outfit. It really would have been the upset of the season, but, in the end, a 4-3 defeat was the best we could manage.

Financial

Bank Balance: -£850k

Average Attendance: 21666 | Season Ticket Holders: 16725

We had the fourth highest attendance in the league, but still struggled to make any kind of profit. I'm not sure where all the money is going too; the wages are well under control, and I've only spent a minimal amount on transfers. Next season's £40m TV revenue should hopefully help right the ship.

Squad

Squad Overview | Transfer Summary

Team of the Year | Overall Best Eleven

Fan's Player of the Year: Jason Puncheon

Manager's Player of the Year: Jason Puncheon

Top Goalscorer: Emiliano Sala (25 goals)

PFA Championship Team of the Year: Jason Puncheon, Alex Pearce and Luca Nunziata

The players have been nothing short of amazing this season. The ability to find the net in nearly every game was probably the main reason we secured promotion, so well deserved praise should be given to Emiliano Sala, Charlie Austin and Billy Sharp, who found the net 61 times between them. Probably the two most consistent contributions came from our attacking wingers, Jason Puncheon and James McLean, chipping in with 26 goals and 37 assists between the two of them. The defence was slightly more porous than I would have liked, but perhaps, this was down to the mentality of the team rather than any technical incompetences of the back four. That said, Alex Pearce was still the leader of the line, and put in another strong showing overall.

Other News

Cardiff have pulled off the shock of the season, winning the FA Cup, after beating Chelsea on penalties in the final. However, they lost their second Wembley appearance of the season, succumbing to Watford in the playoff final. Still, they've got the Europa League to look forward to next year.

Kingstonian- A record high finish of 15th this time around. Still in no danger of challenging at the top of the table, but still comfortably clear of the relegation zone.

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

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Thanks chaps, delighted to get Hull back in the Premier League, but I have a bit of a dilemma now.

Do I try and keep Hull up the Premier League with budgets below? (I can't sing, HotChocolate, but I always give my teamtalks on the pitch at halftime :D)

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Or do I take one of the following job offers?

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I'm also being linked as the preferred candidate for several jobs around the globe, including amongst others, Rayo, Racing, Osasuna, Valenciennes, Puebla and Stuttgart.

I must say I can't find many reasons to turn down the Fulham job. I've been to Craven Cottage a few times in real life, it's an atmospheric stadium with a great history, and feel it would be a great opportunity to test myself at a much higher level. Also, the initial budgets set by the Hull board have set the alarm bells ringing too, as there is no way we'll survive in the Premier League with a wage budget of £210k per week. That's only an extra £40k than what I was spending The Championship, most of which will be taken up by the promotion pay increase several of the current squad will receive. However, I have found myself strangely attached to my Hull team (I never thought I'd ever say that!), and would find it hard to leave Puncheon, Sala and Sharp behind, considering how pivotal they have been to get the side into the Premier League. But then again, I would find it extremely demoralising to be the whipping boys of the league for the entire season too. We're at least five players away from making a decent fist of things at the higher level, and I just don't have the money to bring in the quality I need. Decisions, decisions...

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