deltablue Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Football Manager, bloody hell! Apr 2046 Atletico Madrid 1-2 Milan (CL QF) We went to Atletico for the first leg of our CL tie. The first half was very open, with plenty of chances for both sides, but no goals. Terzi gave us the lead 10 minutes into the second half. I didn’t mind too much when they equalized in the 71st minute, 1-1 being a much better away leg result than 0-0, but as it happened after having to hang on for dear life to that result we still got the win from a Kentsch goal 5 minutes from time. Milan 4-0 Siena (A) We played Siena before the home leg, and took the lead in the 17th minute from Terzi, a penalty 10 minutes later gave him another goal, and he completed his hat-trick in the 43rd. It was like seeing the Terzi of old again! Not that he really faded away, just got slightly overshadowed by Eweka. Richter’s header finished taking them down in the 56th minute. Milan 7-2 (9-3) Atletico Madrid (CL QF) It was a hectic start against Atletico, chances flying about in all directions, but Terzi gave us the lead in the 20th minute. He had another disallowed shortly after, and they equalized in the 27th minute. Pastor restored the lead in the 39th minute, and they had what would have been a second away goal (though we’d still have had the advantage) disallowed before the break, though still pushed hard to get it. In the second half we ran rampant. Wohlfarth had come on for an unusually poor Richter, and got a quick brace. Eweka scored in the 67th minute after a disappointingly average few games for him, and near the end Pastor and Terzi got another goal each before they finally got that second goal long after it would have done them any good, as we won 7-2 (9-3 on aggregate) to go through and face Man Utd. Milan 5-0 Inter (A) After that we played Inter, who we might well face in the CL final if they beat Ajax and we beat Man Utd. On the strength of this match I’d fancy our chances in such an encounter. Terzi gave us the lead in the 13th minute, with Pastor (who had been excellent in the centre, Clement having dominated the right wing) adding another 5 minutes later. They started to really get going, and had a goal disallowed at the start of the second half, but that turned the tide back in our favour as Eweka scored a hat-trick within 15 minutes to take them apart. Catania 1-1 (1-3) Milan (CI SF) We went to Catania in the second leg of the cup semi. In Eweka’s suspension-induced absence, Terzi (who since his brief dropping a couple of months ago had found a consistency that had been lacking in the past couple of years, even if goals hadn’t) gave us the lead in the 39th minute. They had a very good second half, equalizing on the night early on, but failing to get close in the tie. Chievo 2-1 Milan (A) We had a chance to secure the title of we beat often-troublesome Chievo in Verona and Napoli failed to beat Siena. Eweka got us off to a good start, scoring in the 2nd minute. However we failed to dominate them, and they snatched an equalizer before they break. We should have got a winner in the second half, but they started getting very dangerous and snatched the win with 5 minutes left, though Napoli lost as well. Milan 1-2 Man Utd (CL SF) We played Man Utd at home first, with good European memories of them. We beat them in both legs at the same stage when we won a few years ago, plus had a win and a draw from our group games this season. We missed the suspended Terzi, but still grabbed the lead when Adriano headed in a corner in the 32nd minute. They pounded us in the second half, equalizing in the 59th minute, and it looked like we’d hold out for a draw at least but they grabbed an injury time winner, leaving us with a massive task at old Trafford. Milan 5-1 Pescara (A) We could at least console ourselves by securing the title against Pescara. However we started slowly, conceding in the second minute. Eweka had a goal disallowed just before his 9th minute equalizer, and we were lucky they had a goal disallowed just before half-time. In the second half however we ran riot. Eweka scored in the 50th minute, and Terzi also bagged one in the 58th minute. Eweka completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute, and Terzi finished off a 5-1 win in the 81st minute. May 2046 Man Utd 2-4 (4-5) Milan (CL SF) We needed to win by a couple of goals at Man Utd, or score three, which I felt probably wouldn’t happen, and they piled on the misery in the first half. Puncheon saved a penalty but they still took the lead in the 25th minute, and extended the lead 10 minutes later after Eweka had a goal disallowed. I fully admit that I was writing our CL obituary, so I was amazed what happened in the second half. We needed three goals at least, and Richter got one on the hour mark. Terzi got another 7 minutes later and a Richter penalty in the 75th minute gave us the crucial goal. However Terzi’s goal a couple of minutes from time meant we got a clear aggregate victory, completing the miracle of Old Trafford! I must admit I never expected that! Atalanta 2-2 Milan (A) We had a massive comedown from that at Atalanta. They took a 2-0 lead before the 25th minute, and we also had Eweka going off injured. We fought back, with Richter scoring in the 36th minute, and Adriano equalizing in the 52nd minute. However not only did we fail to get a winner (which didn’t matter), but Terzi went off injured as well, which definitely did as while we could managed without one of Eweka or Terzi, being without both was another matter entirely. Terzi was out for 2-3 weeks, and might be alright for the CL final, but Eweka would be borderline at best. Milan 3-2 (aet) Inter (CI Final) We’d miss them both for the Italian cup final, though at least there was no pressure. We didn’t show much life in the first half, and managed to hold out against a few Inter attacks. We roused ourselves enough for Helm to score a penalty in the 63rd minute, but they took control later on, and equalized in the last minute. However we came to life in extra-time, with Adriano and an own-goal giving us a 3-1 lead within 7 minutes, and surviving a late consolation, just after Pastor got sent off. Cup Final Milan 3-0 Parma (A) We had Udinese in the last home league game of the season. Helm and Kentsch were hitting their stride as they were enjoying their time in the limelight. Helm gave us the lead in the 1st minute, which Kentsch having a goal disallowed just afterwards. He eventually got on the scoresheet in the 79th minute, followed shortly by Matthews. Parma 0-4 Milan (A) We finished the league season at Parma, proving that we could play a bit without our front two. Richter scored in the 6th minute, followed by Clement, Kentsch and Helm before half-time, while they got a consolation in the 60th minute. Final League Table Milan 4-2 (aet) Inter (CL Final) That left the big one. As I feared, there would be no Eweka (a reversal of a few years ago when Terzi was the missing front man), but Terzi returned to fitness just in time. I was definitely on for a treble, but was unsure about our chances as they would have the ‘home’ weighting by the match engine, and wouldn’t mind so much missing out if it wasn’t Inter who’d be denying us on the big stage. Still after Old Trafford, anything was possible. From the start we had to resist a number of chances, while having the occasional break that we failed to take advantage of. Oddly while Richter was as creative as ever, and Puncheon was holding firm in goal as only a keeper of his class could, it was Terzi that was the biggest let down, even in a CL final, that meant hauling him off. We managed to start applying more pressure in the second half, and won a penalty which Davalos (having been on the sidelines most of the season and only started playing once Katsikas got tired) scored in the 64th minute. I knew there would be a reaction, and while there was one after they equalized in the 75th minute, better finishing would definitely have given us a winner. My heart dropped when they took the lead at the beginning of the second half, and kept the pressure up. However at the end of normal time I subbed the sub Kentsch to put Pastor on and convert to the 4-2-3-1 formation that we won the last final with. With just 8 minutes left he equalized. I was giddy with excitement when Clement’s header gave us the lead in the 116th minute, and while they threatened to take it to penalties, with just 20 seconds left Pastor set up Helm it make it game set and match to AC Milan!!!!!!!!! CL Final Oh my word! If only you guys could feel what I’m feeling now. It had been quite a treble. The cup was nothing special compared to the other two, but beating Inter with our injuries was still a great feeling. The league seemed set to be ours from the start, despite it looking close near the middle, though having looked like surpassing last year we were a bit short on both goals and points. Still looking at the league table, it was still an excellent season by any means. The CL was just incredible. We tore past Lyon and Atletico, had the amazing Manchester comeback that would have made it a great campaign even if we had lost the final, and that final was just the icing on the cake. There were heroes all around, with 6 players getting an 8 rating or more, from Puncheon in goal to man of the match Richter, amazingly not including (just) Pastor, the greatest hero of all from that night. We don’t just tear teams apart you know, we can fight the epic battles with the best of them. That we’d secured the treble by beating Inter twice in finals made it all the sweeter. The super cup (such as it counts) added to the clean sweep of trophies this year. We were Kings of Milan, Kings of Italy, Kings of Europe, and pretty much Kings of the World! I knew that in the league we would still be vulnerable to a very strong challenge, which had been lacking since we rose to the top, which as why at the start of the season I was unsure about our chances of retaining the title, but obviously we did so easily enough, had a second European title to add to our back to back league titles, and plenty of time for more. We won’t be winning everything going (probably), but there was still plenty of great times to come. Eweka and Terzi were already legends. Helm, Richter and myself were Icons, and Clement was a favourite. Here’s to all the glory we can earn together, though I doubt there would be much that could compare to this. Squad Stats Star man: The player that Eweka and Terzi can't do with out, very reliable playmaker and occasional scorer, man of the match in the CL final without even a single assist, he's just that good an all-round player. Along with Puncheon in goal, probably the most vital player in the team, and it makes a change from me waxing lyrical about the front two all the time Richter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cswalk08 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Congrats on the Treble! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarman Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Awesome treble! Sextuple next season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Massive congrats on the treble,the nerves you must have felt in the CL Semi and final as well as the Coppa Italia final may have been bad for your health Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Congrats on the treble! What are your plans now? Stay for a season and try and defend it whilst going to the Club World Championship or go on to pastures new? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Congrats on the Treble! Awesome treble! Sextuple next season? Since a sextuple would include the Super Cup, then technically it was a quadruple Massive congrats on the treble,the nerves you must have felt in the CL Semi and final as well as the Coppa Italia final may have been bad for your health Not so much the Italian cup final as I knew we had far less chance without either of our awesome frontmen so wouldn't have been that crushed by defeat, definitely the CL final. As for the semi, I sometimes write during matches for eventful games (usually at HT or pausing) but if it seems a foregone conclusion I will while it's going on (though very rarely even then), and I was actually writing about the crushing way we were going out once the second half started, then turned back to the match just in time to see Richter's penalty give us the away goal advantage, which in a way gave it far greater impact than watching it unfold. Definitely got the best of both worlds in that we domianted the league but still had the cups to give us a fantastically dramatic climax to the season. Congrats on the treble! What are your plans now? Stay for a season and try and defend it whilst going to the Club World Championship or go on to pastures new? I'm far too in love with my Milan side to leave while the core of it is still around. If I left I'd very much miss them and probably try and return ASAP, it's happened to be before. Nor am I the sort of manager to feel that I should leave while I'm on top, massive step up aside. There's always the quest to get as much as you can of whatever you already have, especially in a row. Not that I haven't been thinking about what I would like to do next, though a variety of things may interest me. For example earlier in the season I saw Brighton at the bottom of League 2, and going back and saving them from the BSP would appeal if I wasn't so set on staying at Milan for a while. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snootyjim Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Fantastic news! Victories are always sweet, but it's the stories along the way that make the game IMO. What are you aiming to do in the long-term then? Did you mention that you were going to keep going for a few more years and see where the team goes? EDIT: Hadn't refreshed, read your post above now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Great job on capturing the Treble. You've really brought AC Milan to the top of Italian and even European football Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Fantastic news! Victories are always sweet, but it's the stories along the way that make the game IMO. Thats precisely why I have my style, because it captures that amazing story. Great job on capturing the Treble. You've really brought AC Milan to the top of Italian and even European football Yep, it took a while, especially with their poor situation when I arrived, so it feel great. Another reason not to leave Milan soon if that if I so take a step down when I leave, I want to enjoy the success at the very top while I can. Sadly Internationals remained frustrating... World Cup 2046 - Australia After a fantastic season with Milan I hoped to have a good World Cup. It had taken a while but the qualification campaign had enabled me to get to grips with my Spain squad, and depending on how we did I might even stay. Austria, Iraq and Morocco looked comfortable, but there were some very strong players spread among those sides. Spain 2-1 Austria (WC) Austria looked easy at first, despite having some dangerous players. Defender Bermejo (a player I wanted for Milan) scored just 5 minutes into his debut, and Navarro made it 2-0 in the 13th minute. However their threat showed as they scored in the 19th minute, and kept pushing very hard, but we held on to the win. Spain 1-2 Morocco (WC) Morocco had hammered Iraq in their opener, and eventually broke us after half an hour, shortly getting another as the defence were very poor. We fought back in the second half, with a goal disallowed just a few minutes in, and eventually scored in the 80th minute from Navarro. This was one of those days where we could have got something had things gone our way a bit more. Spain 6-0 Iraq (WC) At least Iraq were genuinely weak, which made it frustrating that after a missed penalty 10 minutes in, we kept failing to score, meanwhile Austria beating Morocco meant that we might need a couple of goals as a winning margin. We thankfully woke up in the second half. Navarro scored in the 51st minute, though it took another 20 for the second goal to come from Linares. Ironically Austria had lost their lead against Morocco (and would go on to lose), meaning that one goal would have been enough after all right at the point where we racked up enough goals that we would have won the group had things stayed as they were. Navarro completed his hat-trick along with a pair of Javier goals to win it 6-0. Spain 0-2 Italy (WC R2) Unfortunately the Morocco defeat had condemned us to a second round rematch with Italy, who had knocked us out of the same stage at the last Euros. We actually beat them in extra-time before a laptop crash, and while the replay was a far tighter game, they hit us with 2 quick goals with 10 minutes left. Even if I hadn’t been robbed by technical issues of the initial win over Italy, France (also denied progress that they initially earned) would have been another tough encounter. The trouble being at one of the big nations is that it’s hard to avoid underachievement, especially with the low margin for error or bad-luck of international tournaments. The unlucky Morocco defeat would be a mere blip in a league campaign for my Milan side, for Spain it gave us a mega-tough tie. For that reason, and also because I saw it as a distraction, I decided to leave Spain afterwards, though I might try again with internationals at some point in the future. I did actually consider an offer from Brazil just afterward but decided that I was better off just enjoying Milan right now. WC Groups A-D WC Groups E-H WC Knockouts It wasn't just me, Eweka last year was the first Milan player on the World Player of the Year shortlist, and this tournament Ambrosi making the 'team of the tournament' subs bench was the closest one of my Milan boys got to making an impact. Italy playing one up front meant Terzi didn't get a look in. Pastor and Clement were dumped out in the second round with France by Bamba's Ivory Coast, Davalos and Matthews finished bottom of their groups It didn't help that I have a strong German core who wouldn't play internationally, which partly explains the lack of impact we've had on the international stage, but even those that do haven't had much success. Not all of those were that big a surprise (Davalos and Matthews being bottom of their groups with Paraguay and Australia, Katsikas failing to get through with Greece) but Puncheon didn't even get the chance to play as England failed to qualify, a greater surprise than Sebastiao and Angola missing out, and better was expected of France at least. I guess the message for everyone is 'stick to being awesome with Milan'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Summer 2046 I think everyone was very relieved to reassemble for the new season with Milan after disappointing World Cups pretty much all round. It would be a very quiet summer, the only signing being one I made last year, however it left me with a dilemma. Katsikas was due to go last year before I had second thoughts, then I had a choice between Davalos and Katsikas once the new guy came in, and with the Greek having starred last season, I felt Davalos would be the one to go to avoid squad harmony problems, as whatever happened, one would keep the other out of the side for long periods (which stretched to the squad as a whole with out consistent brilliance as there were far fewer form-based changes), though ideally perhaps I should have held off buying another defensive mid and kept them both, but as the core of first-team regulars shrank I had to think of having players who wouldn’t mind being sidelined while I kept faith with the reliable regulars more than I’d normally do. Even from a footballing point of view, he was supposed to be the ‘defensive’ one but wasn’t much better at that than the far more all-round Katsikas, and the new guy had very strong tackling and passing so was better at distributing the ball as well as taking it. The other departure (comfirmed as early as February) was Hoffman, one of my original signings. Technically he was very poor, and even in tackling hadn’t progressed too much, though was very good physically and mentally, and had been a strong performer but with far greater versatility in defence (and midfield) in the squad he was sidelined, and I felt I needed someone technically more suitable, though as there was no one that good available in any position this year I decided that we could probably manage without (as we’d hardly needed Hoffman last year) rather than get someone for the sake of it. Yildrim (From Feyenoord) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Aug 2046 Milan 3-2 Inter (SC) There were no league games in August, instead we had two super cup matches. The first was against Inter. We got off to a very bad start as defensive weaknesses gave them 2 goals in the first 10 minutes. Subs were made and we started coming back. Eweka had a goal disallowed after half an hour, but 10 minute later he got a equalizer shortly after Richter got one back for us. Eweka eventually gave us a winner with a couple of minutes left, making it the 3rd ‘final’ in a row we’d beaten our city rivals, and as far as 2046 goes, it was a case of ‘4 down, 2 to go’. Milan 3-1 Chelsea (ESC) I hoped to make it 5 when we played Chelsea. Terzi gave us the lead in the 13th minute, and we had to resist a lot of pressure before Eweka snatched another just before the half-time whistle. They got a goal back in the 54th minute but didn’t do much after that, and after a number of missed chances, Eweka sealed it in the 78th minute. We got a reasonably tricky CL group of Dortmund, PSV (the 13th and 17th richest clubs in the world, we’re 8th) and Partizan. Sept 2046 Milan 3-1 Lazio (A) We opened the league campaign against Lazio. Terzi gave us the lead in the 7th minute, and we cruised in the first half. A Clement penalty finally extended the lead in the 49th minute, and though they got a goal in the 70th minute, the French winger gave us another 10 minutes later. Atalanta 0-1 Milan (A) We then went to Atalanta, who along with Juventus were one of two teams (I think) we failed to beat in either match last season, which was odd as they didn’t even finish in the top half, though did hold all of the top few sides at their own grounds so it wasn’t just us. It looked like another frustrating day agains them as there was no shortage of pressure but not much in the way of goals, at least until Terzi broke through in the 68th minute to give us the win. Milan 9-0 Partizan (CL) We opened our second CL defence at home to Partizan. It was merely a warm-up in practice. Eweka opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Terzi and Brighenti added another two before the 21st minute, and Eweka made it 4-0 a couple of minutes later. Clement scored after 10 more minutes, followed by Eweka completing his hat-trick and Brighenti getting his second goal before half-time. We looked to be settling for 8 after Terzi’s 55th minute goal, but Richter got a 9th in the 82nd minute, and Terzi missed a penalty which would have taken it to double figures. Juventus 2-2 Milan (A) On the other end of the scale, we has a trip to Juventus, who had actually lost both games so far. However they were comfortably on top in the first half, taking the lead after half an hour. The second half was more even. Eweka headed in an equalizer in the 57th minute. They retook the lead in the 66th minute but Richter set up Eweka to reply instantly, and we could have snatched a late winner. It was good to get that game out of the way anyway. Milan 5-0 Parma (A) Parma were far more comfortable. Terzi gave us the lead from a Pastor cross in the 36th minute, but we didn’t really get going until the second half where Eweka scored in the 53rd minute, the first of what eventually became a hat-trick (sealed by a penalty), with the other goal coming from a Sebastiao header. League Table Oct 2046 PSV 0-1 Milan (CL) The first CL trip of the year was to PSV, we had all the chances but found them very hard to break through, thankfully we managed that from Brighenti in the 63rd minute. Milan 5-0 Cagliari (A) Cagliari was another easy game back in the league. Terzi got 2 goals in the first 4 minutes. Brighenti made it 3-0 within half an hour, and Terzi completed his hat-trick a few minutes before the break, and having had an earlier goal disallowed, Eweka finally got a goal in the last minute. Catania 0-5 Milan (A) We generally had easy games (Juventus aside) in the league so far. Going to Catania was expected to be a little different, but it wasn’t. Eweka gave us the lead in the middle of the first half, followed by Sebastiao 10 minutes later. Eweka completed a hat-trick within 10 minutes of the second half, and Sebastiao’s second goal in the78th minute easily wrapped it up. Dortmund 1-3 Milan (A) We went to Dortmund for what was probably our toughest CL group game. They had a goal disallowed in the 5th minute, and though we had a few good chances, they took the lead a couple of minute before half-time. Eweka turned things around after an hour with a quick brace, and as we were very much on top, he completed a hat-trick (taking him to 8 European goals already) in the 72nd minute. Milan 7-2 Fiorentina (A) There were often plenty of goals when we played Fiorentina, and we continued the tradition now. Terzi gave us 2 goals in the first 12 minutes. They got a goal back in the 20th, but Eweka and Brighenti put us in a commanding position by half-time. Eweka scored his 200th league goal for Milan just after the break, and while they scored a second goal, Brighenti got a personal second, and Terzi completed a hat-trick at the end. League Table That's much more like it, and definitely feel far more at home with Milan, though admitedly when you're going so strong that's not difficult, and we had an easy fixture list so far. Been taking a look at the Brighton situation. They're only just above the BSP drop zone, and probably won't go down anytime soon, which is just as well as there's no way I'll leave Milan for a few years at least, but if I ever even start to feel I could leave, that could be quite an opportunity, which would be even more tempting if they were in the BSS. If my heart wasn't so much with my Milan squad I'd say it was a 'heart says yes, head says no' situation, but don't be too surprised if that happens eventally, however far in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Aug 2046 Milan 3-2 Inter (SC) There were no league games in August, instead we had two super cup matches. The first was against Inter. We got off to a very bad start as defensive weaknesses gave them 2 goals in the first 10 minutes. Subs were made and we started coming back. Eweka had a goal disallowed after half an hour, but 10 minute later he got a equalizer shortly after Richter got one back for us. Eweka eventually gave us a winner with a couple of minutes left, making it the 3rd ‘final’ in a row we’d beaten our city rivals, and as far as 2046 goes, it was a case of ‘4 down, 2 to go’. Milan 3-1 Chelsea (ESC) I hoped to make it 5 when we played Chelsea. Terzi gave us the lead in the 13th minute, and we had to resist a lot of pressure before Eweka snatched another just before the half-time whistle. They got a goal back in the 54th minute but didn’t do much after that, and after a number of missed chances, Eweka sealed it in the 78th minute. We got a reasonably tricky CL group of Dortmund, PSV (the 13th and 17th richest clubs in the world, we’re 8th) and Partizan. Sept 2046 Milan 3-1 Lazio (A) We opened the league campaign against Lazio. Terzi gave us the lead in the 7th minute, and we cruised in the first half. A Clement penalty finally extended the lead in the 49th minute, and though they got a goal in the 70th minute, the French winger gave us another 10 minutes later. Atalanta 0-1 Milan (A) We then went to Atalanta, who along with Juventus were one of two teams (I think) we failed to beat in either match last season, which was odd as they didn’t even finish in the top half, though did hold all of the top few sides at their own grounds so it wasn’t just us. It looked like another frustrating day agains them as there was no shortage of pressure but not much in the way of goals, at least until Terzi broke through in the 68th minute to give us the win. Milan 9-0 Partizan (CL) We opened our second CL defence at home to Partizan. It was merely a warm-up in practice. Eweka opened the scoring in the 9th minute. Terzi and Brighenti added another two before the 21st minute, and Eweka made it 4-0 a couple of minutes later. Clement scored after 10 more minutes, followed by Eweka completing his hat-trick and Brighenti getting his second goal before half-time. We looked to be settling for 8 after Terzi’s 55th minute goal, but Richter got a 9th in the 82nd minute, and Terzi missed a penalty which would have taken it to double figures. Juventus 2-2 Milan (A) On the other end of the scale, we has a trip to Juventus, who had actually lost both games so far. However they were comfortably on top in the first half, taking the lead after half an hour. The second half was more even. Eweka headed in an equalizer in the 57th minute. They retook the lead in the 66th minute but Richter set up Eweka to reply instantly, and we could have snatched a late winner. It was good to get that game out of the way anyway. Milan 5-0 Parma (A) Parma were far more comfortable. Terzi gave us the lead from a Pastor cross in the 36th minute, but we didn’t really get going until the second half where Eweka scored in the 53rd minute, the first of what eventually became a hat-trick (sealed by a penalty), with the other goal coming from a Sebastiao header. League Table Oct 2046 PSV 0-1 Milan (CL) The first CL trip of the year was to PSV, we had all the chances but found them very hard to break through, thankfully we managed that from Brighenti in the 63rd minute. Milan 5-0 Cagliari (A) Cagliari was another easy game back in the league. Terzi got 2 goals in the first 4 minutes. Brighenti made it 3-0 within half an hour, and Terzi completed his hat-trick a few minutes before the break, and having had an earlier goal disallowed, Eweka finally got a goal in the last minute. Catania 0-5 Milan (A) We generally had easy games (Juventus aside) in the league so far. Going to Catania was expected to be a little different, but it wasn’t. Eweka gave us the lead in the middle of the first half, followed by Sebastiao 10 minutes later. Eweka completed a hat-trick within 10 minutes of the second half, and Sebastiao’s second goal in the78th minute easily wrapped it up. Dortmund 1-3 Milan (A) We went to Dortmund for what was probably our toughest CL group game. They had a goal disallowed in the 5th minute, and though we had a few good chances, they took the lead a couple of minute before half-time. Eweka turned things around after an hour with a quick brace, and as we were very much on top, he completed a hat-trick (taking him to 8 European goals already) in the 72nd minute. Milan 7-2 Fiorentina (A) There were often plenty of goals when we played Fiorentina, and we continued the tradition now. Terzi gave us 2 goals in the first 12 minutes. They got a goal back in the 20th, but Eweka and Brighenti put us in a commanding position by half-time. Eweka scored his 200th league goal for Milan just after the break, and while they scored a second goal, Brighenti got a personal second, and Terzi completed a hat-trick at the end. League Table That's much more like it, and definitely feel far more at home with Milan, though admitedly when you're going so strong that's not difficult, and we had an easy fixture list so far. Been taking a look at the Brighton situation. They're only just above the BSP drop zone, and probably won't go down anytime soon, which is just as well as there's no way I'll leave Milan for a few years at least, but if I ever even start to feel I could leave, that could be quite an opportunity, which would be even more tempting if they were in the BSS. If my heart wasn't so much with my Milan squad I'd say it was a 'heart says yes, head says no' situation, but don't be too surprised if that happens eventally, however far in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpr Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Amazing progress! Nice to see you stop off in Slovakia as well Your AC Milan team seem unbeatable, hoping for a repeat of last season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Amazing progress! Nice to see you stop off in Slovakia as well Your AC Milan team seem unbeatable, hoping for a repeat of last season! Almost unbeatable, got far more competition this time though. Nov 2046 Siena 1-1 Milan (A) A trip to Siena was one of those where we were generally on top but found goals hard to come by. We looked alright when Richter scored just before half-time, but we had to share the points when they headed in a corner in the 82nd minute. Milan 1-0 Dortmund (CL) Richter had a goal disallowed after 9 minutes in the return against Dortmund. For the rest of the half, they looked far more likely to score instead, but Terzi managed to give us the lead in the 47th minute. There was a scary moment as they had an equalizer disallowed immediately afterwards but we were able to hold out without too many more scares, which pretty much secured qualification as well as top spot. Milan 4-1 Udinese (A) We went top (with a game in hand) after playing Udinese. Eweka gave us an 8th minute lead, followed by a pair of Terzi goals before the break. They got a goal back in the 68th minute and looked good value for at least another, but a penalty with a couple of minutes left allowed Terzi to complete his hat-trick. Roma 2-2 Milan (A) Terzi gave us the lead after 15 minutes in a tough encounter at Roma. Ambrosi conceded a penalty which they scored in the 20th minute, but Sebastiao restored the lead a few minutes later. While we were far from comfortable, we looked like getting the win until they grabbed a point in the 81st minute. Milan 2-2 Inter (A) Inter and a few other sides had been giving us a close run so far, and we now faced the first Milan derby. They took the lead after just 20 seconds. 10 minutes later Eweka met Richter’s delivery to equalize. Both sides had their chances but they made the breakthrough in the 68th minute. It didn’t take long for Eweka to equalize again as we had to settle for another draw. Torino 1-4 Milan (A) 1,400th career match! We returned to winning ways at Torino, my 1,400th career match. Eweka scored in the 3rd minute, followed by a rare (he only had 7 in over 8 years at the club) Katsikas goal 25 minutes later. An own-goal made it 3-0 early in the second half, and after they got a consolation, Larsen gave us a late 4th. Partizan 0-3 Milan (CL) We went to Partizan hoping to avoid a repeat of the Vojvodina draw last year. As they were a mere 9th in their own-league, I didn’t imagine it would be that bad. We burned very slowly. A 41st minute goal by Richter looking like all we’d get, but Terzi woke up to give us a quick brace in the middle of the second half. League Table Dec 2046 Milan 3-1 Napoli (A) The first half against Napoli went very poorly. They took the lead in the 17th minute, Katsikas got a straight red card, and I’d accidentally selected a waxwork of Eweka instead of the real thing, well he was so anonymous I might as well have done. I feared for our unbeaten record, but Terzi rode to the rescue. He equalized just before the break (his 20th goal of the season), gave us the lead in the 54th minute (his 15th league goal), and later scored a rebound off his own missed penalty to secure his hat-trick and our win, though there was no shortage of work for Puncheon at the other end either. Chievo 2-3 Milan (A) When Terzi scored in the 2nd minute at Chievo I’d hoped that we’d stopped them before they caused their usual problems. However after 20 minutes they were 2-1 up. We managed to get ourselves together in the second half, Eweka (who was about to be sent off) equalizing in the 68th minute, and Richter converted a free-kick a few minutes later to grab the win. Milan 0-2 PSV (CL) We hoped to secure a 100% record in the CL group stage for the first time when we played PSV. Unfortunately once again (as it was Ajax a couple of years ago) a Dutch side ruined it. They scored in the first minute, soon having another disallowed. We battered them in the second half and even had a goal of our own disallowed but they got a second goal at the end as we fell to our first defeat of the season, still having secured top spot in the group anyway and faced Arsenal in the next round. CL Group Modena 0-5 Milan (A) A trip to Modena was the last league game before Christmas. We didn’t really do much until Adriano gave us the lead on the stroke of half-time. However in the second half Terzi scored after a few minutes. Later on Larsen and Richter also got goals before Terzi finished things off in the 84th minute. Milan 11-0 East Bengal (CWC SF) We still had the CWC to come, and played East Bengal (a club that weren’t even Serie C2 class) in the first game. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t even a contest. Terzi scored in the 3rd and 8th minute, with a goal from Helm in between. He was denied a hat-trick when he went off injured, and who knows how many we’d have got if he’d stayed fit and Eweka hadn’t been sidelined after his suspension (under my selection policy someone has to have a poor game or otherwise be unavailable to let him back in, though usually he’s been one of those players who would be allowed back in anyway, but for a game like this it was hardly a big deal). As it was, Larsen had a goal disallowed, but Helm completed the easiest hat-trick he’ll ever have, along with goals from Richter and Pastor to make it 7-0 at the break. In the second half, Helm got a 4th goal, while Kentsch took advantage of the rare opportunity to play and got a hat-trick to finish off a decent 11-0 win. Milan 6-1 Corinthians (CWC Final) Corinthians in the final wouldn’t be quite as much fun. Eweka was back for the injured Terzi, and gave us the lead in the 27th minute. Having got his first goal of the season against the Indians, it seemed apt that Pastor, whose CL final heroics got us here, got another in the 40th minute. Larsen was compensated for his disallowed goal last time by getting our 3rd, followed by Helm, and he got another after they got a goal back, which was his 11th goal in 4 CWC games. Pastor finished things off in the 77th minute, as we completed a remarkable year where we won all 6 trophies! Winning trophies is a tricky business, but it's what we do, and at the moment, we're the best at it. CWC Final League Table Far tighter contest in prospect this year. Interestingly enough Palermo at home is the last game, but hopefully we can keep it up and get the 3rd title in a row before that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozzer83 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 great read, looking good again this season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Great CWC performance, absolutly smashed every team! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 great read, looking good again this season Looking even better right now. Great CWC performance, absolutly smashed every team! Well, East Bengal were easily one of the worst teams I've faced in the entire career, it wasn't a football match, it was target practice. No matter how big the win there wasn't much credit in it. At least Corinthians was a genuinely good win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Looking good to repeat your success of last year. Congrats on the CWC! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Looking really good in the competitions,unbeaten in the league and causing total destruction in the CWC.Fantastic work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Looking good to repeat your success of last year. Congrats on the CWC! Looking really good in the competitions,unbeaten in the league and causing total destruction in the CWC.Fantastic work Sadly we won't quite repeat last year's success completely. Jan 2047 Milan 4-0 Carrarese (A) We returned in the new year to face Carrarese. Helm got us underway with a goal in the 13th minute. 2 Richter goals before the half-hour mark showed why I’d just laughed a 50M bid from Barcelona out of Italy. Right at the end Pastor set Eweka up for 4-0. Sampdoria 0-2 Milan (A) We used up one of our games in hand at Sampdoria. Eweka gave us the lead in the 7th minute, but there would be no big win today, just one more late goal from Brighenti. Palermo 0-1 Milan (A) We had a crucial game next in Palermo. We just about had the better of a tight game, and snatched a win from Eweka in the 4th minute, taking us a couple of points above them with a game still in hand. Milan 3-0 Udinese (CI) Our first cup game was at home to Udinese. Eweka going off injured in the 5th minute didn’t stop Larsen giving us the lead after 10,or Sebastiao soon adding another. Terzi’s penalty in the 74th minute easily saw us through. Lazio 0-2 Milan (A) Eweka was out for almost a month, but Terzi gave us the lead in the 5th minute at Lazio. They pushed hard for most of the first half, having a goal disallowed, as did Richter, but another Terzi goal sealed it in a second half that was more comfortable, and Kentsch was unlucky to have a goal disallowed himself. That took us 5 points clear, and still with a game in hand. Milan 4-0 Pescara (A) We used that game up at last at home to Pescara. They were often pretty strong, but not this year. Adriano gave us the lead in the 14th minute. It took a while for more goals to come, but in the 66th minute Clement gave us one. Adriano got another 10 minutes later and Kentsch celebrated his first start of the season (well how much of a look in did you expect from a 4th choice forward in a side with Terzi and Eweka up front?) with a goal in the 80th minute. Milan 3-0 Atalanta (A) In a very busy month, Atalanta were easy for the first time in a couple of years. Terzi scored in the 13th minute, with Matthews marking his first game in a while (having been injured then kept out by great form from a suspended Larsen) with a goal on the stroke of half-time. Adriano finished them off in the 71st minute. Juventus 3-2 Milan (CI QF) We went to Juventus in the cup quarter-finals. Terzi went off injured after just a couple of minutes, but Kentsch gave us the lead in the middle of the half, with another disallowed after they equalized. Unfortunately the defence were being very poor, right at the time when I didn’t have Bamba and Sebastiao to make changes. However after they took the lead in the second half, the one spare defender I did have, Hathaway, headed us level with his first goal after a year and a half of very few appearances. However they grabbed a winner in stoppage time. League Table I was just about to mention that the CL a couple of seasons ago was the last time we had failed to win a competition we were in, now that run ended with the cup this year. Still leaving aside the fact that you couldn't predict how things would go in the CL, strolling to the league as things stood definitely made up for that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Tough beat on the cup. And a stoppage time loss to boot! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 Tough beat on the cup. And a stoppage time loss to boot! Thankfully that's been a minor setback. Feb 2047 Milan 2-1 Juventus (A) We had the chance to get our own back on Juventus in the league. They took the lead in the 13th minute, and though Kentsch equalized 20 minutes later, we were very much on the back foot until the early stages of the second half. After that we were able to get forward more, and Adriano headed a winner in the 74th minute, but it had been tough going. However it was our 11th league win in a row. Parma 0-1 Milan (A) We made it 12 at bottom side Parma, but among a train-load of chances (and injuries to both Matthews and Yildrim), Kentsch’s goal in the 34th minute was the only one. Milan 3-0 Sampdoria (A) We were a bit more efficient against second-bottom Sampdoria. Hathaway headed us into a 10th minute lead, followed a couple of minutes later by Terzi, who got another later in the half. Cagliari 1-1 Milan (A) Cagliari were surprising team to end our run of 13 wins, but they scored in the 19th minute, and try as we might, an equalizer just wasn’t coming. However deep in stoppage time we just about salvaged our unbeaten record when Kentsch headed in a Richter free-kick, and we remained 10 points clear. Arsenal 0-2 Milan (CL KO) Went to Arsenal in the CL, and they weren’t that much of a challenge. Kentsch gave us the lead in the 22nd minute, shortly followed by Terzi missing a penalty and Eweka gave us a deserved second goal anyway with 15 minutes left. Milan 2-1 Catania (A) We comfortably returned to winning ways in the league against Catania. Pastor and Larsen gave us a 2-0 lead in the last 10 minutes of the first-half. They got a late goal back but rarely threatened other than that. League Table Mar 2047 Fiorentina 1-5 Milan (A) Going to Fiorentina, where we had only won once in the league in 8 years, was where I was worried our unbeaten run would end. They had a habit of penetrating our defence like it wasn’t even there. We resisted a lot better this time, but they still scored almost 25 minutes in, and Puncheon was having to keep out quite a lot more. His efforts were rewarded when Eweka equalized in the 35th minute, and 10 minutes later another of his shots was deflected in to give us the lead. We very much ran riot in the second half, Kentsch getting a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes, followed by another Eweka goal, and there could have been more. It was probably the best win we’d have all season. Milan 3-1 Siena (A) Siena took the lead in the 3rd minute, and they held out against chance after chance. Richter finally scored in the 75th minute, followed immediately by Kunisch giving is the lead. Eweka made it safe in stoppage time. That took us 15 points clear with 10 games to go! Milan 4-0 (6-0) Arsenal (CL KO) We easily secured progress in the CL against Arsenal. Clement had an early goal disallowed, but Eweka and Kentsch got goals late in the first half, and they each got one more in the second half. We would face PSV again in the quarter-finals. Udinese 1-1 Milan (A) We were a little unlucky at Udinese. Brighenti had a goal disallowed just before half-time, and then gifted them the lead in the 54th minute. 10 minutes later Terzi equalized but we couldn’t quite grab a winner. Milan 3-0 Roma (A) We were surprised at how easy Roma were after that. Richter scored in the 13th minute, followed in the 26th by Eweka, with an own-goal wrapping up a 3-0 win before half-time. League Table The way things are going I might have to make a very difficult decision at the end of the year if Brighton do go down to the BSS and sack their manager at just the right time (if I have nothing left to play for this season at Milan) . I've gone back and forth on this over the past day or two. Am I too bonded to Milan right now to want to take such a leap, especially if it doesn't go as planned and I gave up so much for nothing? Is there really much else to do at Milan compare to the incredible opportunity at Brighton to rise through the leagues, which I've never done before beyond going from League 1 to the Premier League twice (though never with back to back promotions)? Generally I'm confident in myself to be able to decide my own path, and the past times I've regretted leaving I haven't had a specific thing to jump to like this. Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 What fantastic progress you've made over the last couple of seasons. The CL final against Inter was epic- 3 goals in 8 extra-time minutes to complete turn the game on it's head! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 What fantastic progress you've made over the last couple of seasons.The CL final against Inter was epic- 3 goals in 8 extra-time minutes to complete turn the game on it's head! It was indeed, we appear to be making a habit of cutting it close in CL finals... April 2047 Inter 1-2 Milan (A) We faced the ‘away’ derby knowing that we could only afford one more draw if we wanted to hit 100 points, though it wouldn’t be the end of the world, not would losing a league game for the first time in just over a year. We needn’t have worried about that game. Terzi gave us the lead in the 16th minute, but as the game wore on they started getting closer and closer to an equalizer. Brighenti extended the lead in the 62nd minute, just before they pegged it back, but we kept the one-goal lead. PSV 2-3 Milan (CL QF) We went to PSV in our CL rematch. They easily took a 2-0 lead in the first 2-0 minutes, and while we soon stabilized things it took time to really fight back, however eventually we did so. Brighenti got a goal back in the 75th minute, which itself was very useful in the tie, however Schmiedel equalized with a few minutes left, and Eweka managed to complete the remarkable turnaround in the last minute. Suddenly they were the ones in trouble. Milan 5-0 Torino (A) We played Torino before the return match. Richter scored in the 18th minute, with Helm getting a brace by the 50th minute. Matthews got a 4th goal just before the hour, and an own-goal meant we brushed them aside easily. Milan 1-0 (4-2) PSV (CL QF) The home leg against PSV was as comfortable as I thought it would be. We kept them quiet, without really having to exert ourselves, and got a win just before half-time from a corner that was knocked in for an own-goal. We were the last non-English side left as we’d play Everton while the two Manchester clubs played in the other semi. Pescara 3-3 Milan (A) We went to Pescara and were shocked when they were awarded and scored a harsh penalty in the 16th minute. Helm equalized in the 23rd minute but we had about 10 corners before one led to a penalty of our own, scored by Richter in the 72nd minute. They struck an equalizer 5 minutes later, and after Helm thought he had given us a winner, they headed in a corner with a couple of minutes left. Napoli 1-2 Milan (A) We went to Napoli and peppered their goal with chances throughout the first half. Richter broke through early in the second half, also scoring a penalty later. They got a goal back with 10 minutes left, and we held out after Matthews received a second yellow for being annoyed at a Helm goal being disallowed. The following day, Palermo were held by Pescara, confirming our 3rd title in a row. Everton 1-4 Milan (CL SF) With that secured we went to face Everton. My former Spain forward Navarro gave them the lead in the 2nd minute. 10 minutes later Eweka equalized, and it was a very even game until Sebastiao gave us the lead in the 60th minute. They pushed forward but Hathaway scored another header in the 72nd minute, and Richters penalty soon afterwards gave us a big win that made us look far better than we were, but nevertheless gave us one foot in the final. May 2047 Milan 3-1 Chievo (A) Before the second leg, we played Chievo. Helm scored in the 2nd minute, soon having another disallowed. Richter scored another penalty in the 38th minute, and though they quickly got one back from a Larsen own-goal, Eweka’s header early in the second half made it easy enough. Milan 4-0 (8-1) Everton (CL SF) We easily finished off Everton at the San Siro. Helm gave us the lead in the 19th minute, followed by Richter in the 39th. Hathaway got sent off, but while we had a lot of pressure to soak up for a while, including a penalty that Puncheon saved, we got a couple more goals from Helm to take us through to face Man City in the final. Milan 3-0 Modena (A) Helm scored again to give us the lead in the 17th minute against Modena, followed once again by Richter after an hour, though the latter went off injured, and would only just be back for the CL final. Pastor’s 78th minute goal secured the win that condemned Modena to relegation. Carrarese 0-4 Milan (A) A trip to Carrarese passed with little incident. Adriano scored in the 24th minute, followed by Eweka 10 minutes later. Eweka got another in the 55th minute with Helm wrapping up a 4-0 win just over 20 minutes later. Milan 4-1 Palermo (A) The final league game was against Palermo, if we won we’d reach 100 points and either have a 20 point winning margin over them, or 19 over Fiorentina. Even against the league’s tightest defence it proved easy enough. Clement and Helm gave us a 2-0 lead in the first 25 minutes. They got a goal back just after half-time, and looked like they might equalize, but we raced away later in the game with Larsen and another goal from Helm. Final League Table Milan p3-3 Man City (CL Final) We went to Liverpool for the CL final with Man City hoping to retain our title. Eweka’s penalty gave us the lead in the 42nd minute, after we had just about been the better side in the half. They hit back immediately but Katsikas’ header made it 2-1 in the 53rd minute. They pushed hard, and after a few saves from Puncheon, they equalized in the 65th minute. They scored in the 8th minute of extra-time, but we hadn’t quite used up all our extra-time heroics last year, and Helm equalized with 5 minutes left which at least took it to penalties. I wished that Richter hadn’t been so poor earlier in the game and been taken off, or that Helm hadn’t kept Terzi out of the lineup, and with the 3 subs having had to be made for ordinary tactical reasons we weren’t quite at our penalty best. Puncheon saved their second penalty, followed by Eweka giving us the advantage. Puncheon saved their 3rd as well, followed by Clement making it 3-1 after 3 rounds. They scored their 4th penalty but Wohlfarth converted ours to clinch our 3rd CL in 5 years. I wish they wouldn't do this to me. CL Final You can’t say we don’t know how to be dramatic after our last two CL finals, though I longed to have a final much like our first win when we hammered Lyon 4-1. It did mean we had a nice exciting end to an incredible season. We only lost twice all year, and none at all in the league as we picked up everything aside from the cup, making it 5 out of 6, and reached the 100 point mark in the league. One other thing of note is the attack. For a while Terzi and Eweka had strong first-choice status, and I had hoped to keep it that way to see how amazing their final goal count would be, but I have to bow to the depth we have, as while Richter topped the average ratings, all 4 forwards occupied the rest of the top 5 with great goal ratios. Eweka with 43 goals in 46 games, Helm with 20 in 24, Terzi with 35 in 39, and Kentsch with 14 in 16. Amazingly Brighton didn’t sack their manager after a 3rd relegation in a row from League 1 to the BSS (all under the same guy), which made them far more patient than the one I had when I was there, though his contract probably wouldn’t be renewed, however in the past I’ve felt that no matter how strong the temptation, if I feel I’d regret leaving, I shouldn’t so that dilemma was easily fixed, that and Brightons insecure finances which for me makes them a no go. It did raise questions about how long I’d be around at Milan, though certainly it would be a while. It was strange that one of my original signings, Katsikas, would turn 30 at the end of the summer. They grow up so fast don’t they? Squad Stats Star man: I confess to turning this into showing a different quality player each year without them necessarily having the best rating each year (which I'll get back to soon), but I felt that 'Key game heroics' should also qualify so Puncheon in goal deserves recognition, not least due to his saves in the CL final shootout. He still has a poor game or two each year and suffers in the ratings through not being called upon that much in most games, but he pulls through when we need him, either preserving the lead or a draw or allowing us to a strong period of pressure before coming out and taking the opposition down. Puncheon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Congrats on title and a 100 points! The CL final came down to the end too, but way to hold on Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Congrats on the CL and again on an impressive league win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarman Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Unbelievable season! Unlucky in the cup, but you still won all six in one year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Congrats on title and a 100 points! The CL final came down to the end too, but way to hold on Thanks, I actually really wanted to hit the 100 point mark once I saw it was achievable. We certainly know how to fight in CL finals. In fact aside from the PSV defeat at the end of the group stage (and the final as penalty wins are technically draws) we won every single CL game, home and away. Congrats on the CL and again on an impressive league win. I thought Serie A was supposed to be tougher than that, it's been comfortable all three years. Still not complaining Unbelievable season! Unlucky in the cup, but you still won all six in one year! Yep, what a year that was. Anyway not much to mention in terms of pre-season, we're swimming in money (about 300M), budgets so high (over 2M a week for wages and 100M for transfers, both way more than I'll ever need) as to be irrelevant, the league and CL always the two main (and winnable) goals, and in terms of transfers, the only squad change is Wohlfarth out (and I slightly gambled in selling him already) in place of this guy coming in January, 2.7M from Gremio... Rogerio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Another excellent season and a double century in the league,100 points and 115 goals is very impressive Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Another excellent season and a double century in the league,100 points and 115 goals is very impressive Thanks, though it's the 5th season in a row we passed the 100 goal mark in the league (and we were just one goal away the season before that run started), getting 113, 103, 132, 127, 115 respectively, though it is the first century on points. Aug 2047 Milan 0-1 Roma (SC) We started the season at home to Roma, twice. The first was in the super cup. It was a less than super start. We went behind after half an hour in a quiet first half, and had more than enough chances to equalize once we woke up in the second, but failed to do so. Milan 0-0 Roma (A) We also faced them in the opening league game, and were more solid at the back, but no better up front, not helped by Helm getting sent off with 15 minutes left, and we had to settle for 0-0. Milan 1-2 Dortmund (ESC) We were hardly even in the game in the European Super Cup against Dortmund. They went 2-0 up in the first18 minutes, and Puncheon being one of the few players playing decently stopped them getting more. Eweka had looked completely lost up front so far (as had everyone else), but he did finally give us a goal with 10 minutes left. We would face Dortmund again in the CL, along with Real Madrid and Anderlecht. Sept 2047 Triestina 0-2 Milan (A) An easy game at Triestina was a good chance to start firing properly again. We certainly took the game to them from the start, and even had a penalty claim rejected before Eweka gave us the lead. They were surprisingly spirited themselves and could have snatched a goal or two, but an own-goal just before half time clinched a win that admittedly would normally be much bigger. Torino 0-2 Milan (A) A trip to Torino was a similar opportunity, though one that we were much slower to take. Richter finally gave us the lead a couple of minutes into the second half, with another disallowed soon after, and even with Kentsch sent off, Eweka eventually gave us another. Milan 7-0 Real Madrid (CL) We needed to improve against Real Madrid. Thankfully we had shown in recent years how well we could rise to the occasion in the CL. Brighenti scored in the 10th minute, and got another after 20 minutes. Terzi scored another in the 36th minute. Kentsch ran riot with a hat-trick in the second half, and with an own-goal we won 7-0! Not a bad way to start our CL defence. Milan 4-0 Carrarese (A) We followed this up with Helm running rampant against Carrarese. He scored a penalty in the 27th minute after Pastor was fouled. He got another goal on the stroke of half-time, and after Eweka came on to score, Helm completed his hat-trick with 15 minutes left. Pescara 0-1 Milan (A) Pescara away was a tougher test, but Eweka’s goal in the 23rd minute ensured we had a reasonably simple win. Milan 5-0 Cagliari (A) We were definitely getting back up to the pace I expected when we played Cagliari. Helm scored in the 6th minute, followed by Brighenti and Adriano before the 20th minute. Eweka got a pair of goals in the middle of the second half to make it 5-0. League Table Oct 2047 Dortmund 0-3 Milan (CL) We hoped to do better in Dortmund than we did against them just over a month ago. Indeed we proved yet again that the CL brought out the consistent best in us. Helm scored in the 8th minute, followed by Eweka 20 minutes later. The day got worse for Dortmund as they went down to 10 men before an own-goal made it 3-0, but they improved enough to give us much more of a game, if nothing else. Atalanta 1-3 Milan (A) Atalanta were no longer the problem that they had briefly been recently. Brighenti scored in the 17th minute, and Eweka followed quarter of an hour later. Adriano made it 3-0 after an hour, but unfortunately with a couple of minutes left, our former forward Pugliese scored the first goal we’d conceded in the league (or CL) this season. Milan 4-0 Genoa (A) Promoted Genoa were little trouble. Clement scored in the 2nd minute, followed by Brighenti in the 25th, and Eweka in the 40th. Helm went off injured in the second half and was replaced by Terzi who got our final goal in the 79th minute. It took our unbeaten run in the league to 50, and we hadn’t lost at home in the league for over 2 ½ years! Anderlecht 1-2 Milan (CL) Helm gave us the lead in the 2nd minute at Anderlecht, and got another in the 35th minute after they equalized, unfortunately he also collected two yellow cards as well as goals but survived the last 20 minutes alright without him. Udinese 0-6 Milan (A) Terzi gave us an early lead at Udinese. We were slightly lucky that they had an equalized disallowed before a penalty gave Terzi his second goal. Hathaway headed in a third a few minutes before the break, after they went down to 10 men. Eweka and Clement got goals in the second half before another Terzi penalty in the last minute (which also saw them have another player sent off) completed his hat-trick and our 6-0 win. That also made him the club’s record league goalscorer on 212, beating Gunnar Nordahl’s 210 from about 100 years previously. Given that both he and Eweka (on 210) were just 27, it looks like the record might be going back and forth in the next 5 years, with Nordahl being left far behind. Milan 4-0 Palermo (A) The last team to beat us at home in the league was Palermo, on Feb 1st 2045 (this being Oct 30th 2047), and they never looked like repeating the feat today. Eweka’s quick brace made it 2-0 after 15 minutes. Sebastiao got a 3rd in the 39th minute. Richter had a goal disallowed but Eweka completed his hat-trick with and 70th minute penalty. As well as Eweka taking the record league goalscorer tag away from Terzi for now, it was a new record for 12 games won (in all competitions) in a row. League Table I was worried with a bit of a slow start, but on the face of it it's as good a start to the season as any other we've had. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DazRTaylor Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Yes, you drew a game in the first ten league matches. Damn this slowness! On a serious note, you are clearly the team to beat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidmonkey Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I thnk Milan need you in my save, they are a yo-yo club bouncing between Serie A and B Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Making it look easy this year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Yes, you drew a game in the first ten league matches. Damn this slowness! On a serious note, you are clearly the team to beat If we are than the other teams aren't doing a very good job I thnk Milan need you in my save, they are a yo-yo club bouncing between Serie A and B Wow, Until a couple of years ago it was common to see one of the big English clubs go down after 15 years or so (and Lazio after just a few), and I did once rescue Juve from just above the drop zone but didn't imagine the big Italian clubs ever having that happen. Making it look easy this year Looks that way. Nov 2047 Lazio 0-3 Milan (A) We went to Lazio who were taken apart by Clement, who scored after half an hour, and again after an hour, with Terzi finishing them off with 10 minutes left. Milan 7-1 Anderlecht (CL) Terzi gave us the lead against Anderlecht in the first minute. They equalized 5 minutes later but Eweka made it 2-1 in the 8th minute. An Eweka shot was deflected in for 3-1 before half time, but in the second half the pair of them seemed to have entered a ‘synchronized goalscoring’ competition as they each got their second goals in the first 5 minutes, and each completed a hat-trick by the hour mark, the only real event afterwards being a second Anderlecht goal being disallowed. That result secured top spot already as well as qualification. Milan 4-3 Inter (A) Richter gave us a 1st minute lead in the ‘home’ derby. They equalized in the 15th minute but we looked set for a big win when Clement, Katsikas and Sebastiao made it 4-1 at half-time. They got 2 quick goals back before the 70th minute, but though Terzi had a goal disallowed just after, we still got the win. Juventus 1-4 Milan (A) We had a tough time at first at Juventus, but Clement scored on the break in the 18th minute. Helm broke through to snatch another in the 43rd. Clement scored again in the 54th minute, just before they scored, but a penalty allowed the French winger to get a hat-trick and finish Juventus off. Matthews got sent off in the last minute, too late to make a difference. Milan 1-0 Chievo (A) Helm had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute, which was annoying as we were continually frustrated in our efforts to score, and they looked like they might sneak a goal to end our unbeaten run. Thankfully Eweka scored a penalty in the 70th minute to give us the win. Real Madrid 1-5 Milan (CL) We went to Madrid and took the lead after half an hour from Helm. Terzi made it 2-0 in the 40th minute but they got a goal back just before the break. That didn’t stop us from taking them apart in the second half from a Hathaway header and two more Terzi goals. It was out 18th win in a row. League Table Dec 2047 Siena 2-5 Milan (A) Clement set Terzi up to give us the lead at Siena after 5 minute, and Terzi scored again before 15 minutes were up. Helm made it 3-0 after half an hour. They scored in the 50th minute, but Terzi went on to get 4 goals in the match before they got a second consolation. Milan 0-0 Catania (A) All good things much come to an end, we had won every match since the start of September until we went to Catania, who were rather stubborn, and we should have had a penalty, but we had to settle for 0-0. Milan 3-1 Dortmund (CL) We played Dortmund in the final CL group game, with neither side having anything to play for. Terzi gave us the lead in the 19th minute, followed by Helm after 25 minutes. The young German had another disallowed, but finally got that goal in the first minute of the second half, while they got a late consolation as we finally managed 100% in the group stage. I was delighted when in the next round we drew... Zilina. CL Group Table Fiorentina 3-3 Milan (A) We next faced my worst nightmare, a trip to Fiorentina. Terzi gave us the lead in the 17th minute, then set Helm up 6 minutes later. They got a goal bacl before half-time. Richter restored the 2-goal advantage in the 66th minute but they hit back instantly, and eventually got an equalizer. We were unlucky not to get a winner, but the unbeaten run in the league (now 59) was intact, and we were still sitting pretty. Etoile 0-8 Milan (CWC) We still had the CWC and drew the Singaporians of Etoile (though oddly all their players were French) first. Sebastiao got his 50th Milan goal in the 3rd minute, followed by Terzi and Helm in the next 10 minutes. Terzi and Clement each had a goal disallowed before the former and Helm got their second goals before half-time. Terzi had another goal disallowed in the second half, but after Larsen gave us a 6th goal he completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute, followed by Helm, getting his 14th CWC goal in 5 matches. Chivas 0-3 Milan (CWC Final) 500th Milan match! We played Chivas in the final, which would also be my 500th Milan game. It wasn’t a big win this time, though when Helm scored in the 6th minute it looked like it might be. Given the way we won the CL to qualify, it was apt that Puncheon needed to save a penalty late on, then Eweka got a brace at the end to make it safe. Unfortunately Richter was out for 2-3 months, but it was good timing as it was the last match before Rogerio arrived, and would give him instant opportunities. CWC Final It had been a good year, we finally had three players (Puncheon, Clement and Eweka) in the world team of the year, with Richter as a sub, Clement also being 3rd in world player of the year, and runner up (with Richter 3rd) in the World Golden Ball. I was Serie A manager of the year. Eweka was second in European striker of the year and both Serie A and foreign player of the year (Terzi second for Italian player of the year), Puncheon won both Serie A and European keeper of the year, Sebastiao and Hathaway were 2nd and 3rd in Serie A defender of the year, and we head a clean sweep in both Serie A fans player of the year (Richter, Clement, Eweka), and young player (Clement, Helm, Brighenti). League Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 wow you've certainly been workin'! 2 CL's, domestic cups/leagues coming out of your ears as well as the CWC! Wonder if your AC Milan will top the AI AC Milan side in my save game that won Serie A 9 times in a row Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snootyjim Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Grief, you're virtually invincible now! Barring some really major injuries you should walk the league and indeed the Champions League. What on earth has happened to Madrid? Unlucky spell or have they fallen away a bit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 wow you've certainly been workin'! 2 CL's, domestic cups/leagues coming out of your ears as well as the CWC! Wonder if your AC Milan will top the AI AC Milan side in my save game that won Serie A 9 times in a row My personal best is 8 in a row with Metalist in the Ukraine (6 in a big league with Ipswich, on FM10/09 respectively). Don't know whether I should move on to something more interesting anytime soon but as much as I've been keeping an eye on an opportunity to take struggling Brighton back up the leagues, for me the temptation to say 'I was at Milan for X years and I managed to win so many leagues and CL's, including X in a row' is too strong so I want to see how far I can go with that, hope everyone understands. Grief, you're virtually invincible now! Barring some really major injuries you should walk the league and indeed the Champions League.What on earth has happened to Madrid? Unlucky spell or have they fallen away a bit? On paper we're no better than at least a few other sides, and maybe not as good as a couple of sides I've had in the past and been less successful with, so we can't take it for granted. the CL is really never a walk, though we do seem to really turn up the heat in that competition, especially the knockouts in the past couple of years (where we've won virtually every game home and away and really battered a few good sides by large margins), but only won the past two finals on an extra time comeback, and penalties (again after being behind in extra time), so I never count my chickens where that's concerned. As for Madrid, they've never been that strong in this save, just 5 titles (2027, 2028, 2031, 2039, 2042) and only sometimes been runner up, as Atletico and Barcelona have shared the glory though rarely been outside the top 3, so it's hardly the levels Milan were suffering. Got a more decent haul of 8 cups. They are regulars in the CL knockout rounds (with 4 unsuccessful final appearances, last in 2040), this being only the second year they've failed to get out of the group stage (unless you cound not even making it through the qualifier once). So to cut a long answer short... They're still reasonably good but not really one of the best any more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 You seem to be smashing everything in your path once more, another big trophy haul looks likely this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 This is quite a scary Milan side you have going,hopefully you can get another load of trophies this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Looking dominant now! How's Milan's ranking as compared to other European clubs? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 You seem to be smashing everything in your path once more, another big trophy haul looks likely this year. Not quite everything, finally been beaten in the league. This is quite a scary Milan side you have going,hopefully you can get another load of trophies this season. The super cups were both lost so it'll only be 4 at best, still a long way to go. Looking dominant now! How's Milan's ranking as compared to other European clubs? We're top of the rankings thanks to our last two CL wins, 8th in terms of richest clubs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Jan 2048 Milan 3-0 Juve Stabia (A) We had a good start to 2048 against Juve Stabia. Helm scored after 25 minutes, with Terzi adding another in the 49th minute, and Helm got his second goal after 70 minutes, as we dominated and should have done more. Napoli 1-0 Milan (A) We had reached 60 league games unbeaten, but that ended with a whimper at Napoli (thankfully I felt that might happen and screenied the relevant stats screen). We were lacklustre in the first half. We were good value for an equalizer in the second, and Pastor had a goal disallowed in the 62nd minute, but we tasted league defeat for the first time in almost 20 months, just a few games short of my personal best for games without defeat in the league. Milan 2-0 Cagliari (CI) We played Cagliari in the cup and dispatched them with little bother, Helm scored in the 23rd minute, and we definitely warranted more goals, with Rogerio getting his first goal for the club in the 59th minute. Roma 2-3 Milan (A) I hadn’t been looking forward to going to Roma even before the Napoli defeat. A Terzi shot gave us an own goal in the 17th minute, and though they equalized, Rogerio and Adriano made it 3-1 after 65 minutes, and a second Roma goal failed to rattle us. Milan 1-1 Triestina (A) We went behind after just 15 seconds against Triestina, and didn’t do much to try and get back in the first half. Terzi equalized at the beginning of the second half but we failed to turn chances into a winner, droping very surprising points. Milan 3-0 Torino (A) Thankfully we fared better against Torino, or at least Terzi did. He scored 2 goals in the fist 26 minutes, and set up an otherwise poor Kentsch right at the end to make it look good. Milan 0-1 Inter (CI) We went out of the cup in disappointing fashion against Inter. They scored in the 18th minute, then Terzi went off injured (ruling him out for over a month). They went down to 10 men after half an hour, but we didn’t do anything until the second half where we whipped up quite a storm of pressure but had the game carried on all night we wouldn’t have been able to finish anything off. League Table Feb 2048 Carrarese 1-0 Milan (A) The frustration didn’t end at Carrarese. Helm had a goal disallowed after 6 minutes, and we found ourselves going behind, in the 11th minute, after while we seemed to lack much life up front. Cagliari 0-1 Milan (A) We managed to avoid a further slip at Cagliari, Clement’s goal after half an hour being the only one but that hid the fact that we had earned a couple more at least. Milan 2-0 Pescara (A) We battered Pescara for 70 minutes with little effect, but after Helm finally broke the deadlock, Larsen followed up with another just a few minutes later, but yet again we warranted more than that. Zilina 0-5 Milan (CL KO) I was delighted to see the CL return with a trip to Zilina, and the chance to give them a hammering for a change. It took a while to come, Eweka eventually giving us the lead in the 23rd minute, but Helm got a brace before half-time, completed a hat-trick in the second half, and even got a 4th goal in stoppage time. Milan 5-0 Atalanta (A) That helped restore our finishing instincts back in the league against Atalanta. Helm gave us the lead after 15 minutes, followed by goals from Adriano and Larsen in the first half. Helm got another goal a minute into the second half, with a 3rd disallowed, Hathaway finishing off the scoring in the 57th minute in what was probably our best showing for a couple of months. League Table Mar 2048 Genoa 0-3 Milan (A) We had an easy game at winless Genoa. Kentsch gave us the lead in the 3rd minute. Eweka added to it right before half time, and Kentsch made the most of his opportunity (as he was in for a suspended Helm) to get another goal with 15 minutes left. Milan 7-0 Udinese (A) Eweka scored a penalty in the 5th minute against Udinese. Clement and Kentsch made it 3-0 after just over half an hour, but Eweka was the real star. He scored 3 more goals by half-time, and a 69th minute penalty made it 5 for him. Milan 6-0 (11-0) Zilina (CL KO) Eweka also tore Zilina apart, with a hat-trick in the first 40 minutes. Kentsch also scored before half-time. Clement and Rogerio scored in the second half to finish off an 11-0 aggregate win. Next in the CL was Atletico Madrid. Palermo 0-4 Milan (A) Eweka scored again in the 9th minute at Palermo. Kentsch added another in the 16th minute. Brighenti got a goal in each half to easily cast them aside. Milan 5-0 Lazio (A) We were a little lucky against Lazio when they had an early goal disallowed, and we definitely took the chance to grab the game instead. Eweka scored in the 29th and 36th minutes. Pastor scored just before the break, but with the help of a 50th minute penalty Eweka gabbed 4 goals in the end. Inter 0-2 Milan (A) He now had 14 goals from the last 5 games, and it only took him 30 seconds to get one in the ‘away’ derby. Yildrim got his first goal for the club in the 14th minute, and it was amazing that there weren’t more. Atletico Madrid 1-4 Milan (CL QF) We played our first leg against Atletico in Madrid. Rogerio’s headed gave us the lead after 20 minutes, and he got another before half an hour was up. They got a goal back early in the second half, but Eweka’s near inevitable goals came after an hour and in the last minute. League Table Man alive! We weren't looking too hot earlier in the year, but our groove is definitely back, especially Eweka's! The CL seems to really revitalise us, and actually I mentioned being glad to return to CL action because I felt it would, as it did in September. I was going to go to Brighton at the end of the year but far less sure now with the compelling case Milan are making to persuade me otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Absolutly smashing the league! Doing great in the CL so far too, looks like AC are definitly your kind of team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 AC Milan - Italian Giants Looking great as always, deltablue! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Very dominant now! Three league titles in a row beckon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Absolutly smashing the league! Doing great in the CL so far too, looks like AC are definitly your kind of team. Perhaps things are a bit too easy... AC Milan - Italian Giants Looking great as always, deltablue! Hardly 'as always', which is probably why I don't want to give it up yet. Very dominant now! Three league titles in a row beckon. It's actually four. Apr 2048 Milan 6-1 Juventus (A) We had the chance to seal the league if we beat Juventus at home (though we also needed a defeat for Siena). Juventus had a lot of early pressure, but Kentsch and Clement quickly gave us a 2-0 lead after 10 minutes. Kentsch completed a hat-trick with a goal either side of half-time, and their goal in the 56th minute was simply the cue for Eweka to get his first in the following minute, and he wrapped up our 6-1 win 20 minutes later. Milan 2-2 (6-3) Atletico Madrid (CL QF) Eweka’s scoring run continued when he gave us the lead after 34 minutes in the return against Atletico. However they scored twice in the second half to take a 2-1 lead in the 70th minute, which was still nowhere near enough for them, but Clement equalized immediately afterwards. In the semi finals we’d play CSKA Moscow, who knocked Man City out on away goals, the winner meeting Dortmund or Barcelona. Chievo 0-2 Milan (A) We secured the title at Chievo, which is amusing as twice Milan have lost titles by losing to Hellas (the proper Verona side) on the last day. Adriano headed us into the lead after half an hour, and that looked like it until Kentsch also scored right before the final whistle. Milan 3-0 Siena (A) Siena had briefly looked like as big a challenge as we would get this year, but were just as easy as anyone when we played them. Kentsch scored in the 19th minute, and Adriano added another after half an hour. The only thing missing was an Eweka goal, which came in the last minute. Milan 1-0 CSKA Moscow (CL SF) We welcomed CSKA Moscow in the first leg of the CL semi. It was tougher than I thought it would be. The only real breakthrough was Eweka’s 50th minute goal (and he also picked up a suspension), while they had a goal disallowed 5 minutes afterwards, which would have caused a problem. It still meant that for the first time in a while a European tie was still in the balance going in to the second leg. Catania 1-2 Milan (A) We went to Catania before going to Moscow. Eweka gave us the lead after 15 minutes. Terzi (in his first appearance since his injury at the end of January) extended the lead a few minutes into the second half, and although they got a goal back just afterwards, the win was never in doubt. CSKA Moscow 1-1 (1-2) Milan (CL SF) CSKA scored in just the 3rd minute in Moscow, but thankfully we were able to limit their chances to get another. Katsikas scored a crucial goal in the 24th minute to deservedly send us through, as while we both had chances, they were never likely to get the two goals they needed. All eyes were in the final against Barcelona. May 2048 Milan 3-1 Fiorentina (A) There was still some league business to take care of, including maybe another points century if we won all three remaining games. The first was against Fiorentina. Terzi set Helm up after 20 minutes, and Pastor assisted an own-goal before the break. Terzi deservedly got a goal of his own in the 72nd minute, while they got a stoppage time consolation. Juve Stabia 0-3 Milan (A) Helm gave us the lead again in the 23rd minute at Juve Stabia. Terzi had been a bit slow, but inproved to get a second-half brace against his old club. Milan 2-1 Napoli (A) We finished the season against Napoli, hoping to avenge their ending of our 60 match unbeaten run. That, and the points century, was achieved. Brighenti gave us the lead in first-half added time. Helm added to it in the 68th minute, though a late Napoli goal briefly threatened to spoil it. Barcelona 2-1 Milan (CL Final) That left the CL final against Barcelona. A shocking start saw us 2-0 down after 10 minutes. Better finishing would have gotten ourselves back in it, and hopes were raised after Hathaway finally scored in the 59th minute, but we failed to take it to extra-time this time. Final League Table I was amazed to get another 100 point season, among a season of relative disappointment outside of the league, there had been some slow patches but otherwise we showed ourselves to be as strong as we’ve ever been. However most of this season had seemed pretty routine, and the 22 point gap showed how little competition there was. In addition, Brighton had just failed to make the BSS playoffs so it seemed a good time to take that gamble. Quite a few times today have I thought ‘yep, I’m probably’ going, I even delayed posting while I thought about it, and even during the bath I’ve just had I decided one way then changed my mind. The predicent isn’t useful. On my main FM11 save I left my similarly great (within Norway anyway) Aalesund side in their peak (another great bunch assembled when young) to rescue Ipswich from League 1,then after success there backtracked on leaving once and regretted it when I did. My decision is this... I’ll stay at Milan, at least for now. There are a few reasons for this. 1) My bond with the club and the squad, a number of players starting to get old in the next few years may make things easier, however you don’t walk away from a team like this. 2) I’m riding the crest of a massive wave at Milan and I’ll never know what I can eventually achieve in terms of numbers and runs of trophies. 3) Losing the CL final actually gives me a motivation to try to reclaim it, just as I’ve always thought that when we lose the title, I’d definitely want at least one more season to try and reclaim it before wanting to go, and 4) My policy is that if leaving feels in anyway difficult, don’t. The question over wanting to go for a fresh challenge soon won’t go away, but it’s not quite that time yet. Even after writing the above there were another few mind changes, but ultimately point 4) stands, Brighton are pretty close to special circumstances, but not quite enough. Squad Stats Star man: Back to showing the best performers now. The way Eweka blitzed the opposition in the spring makes it pretty easy though he won't necessarily get most games a season anymore to reach the heights of previos seasons. Eweka Can't deny though, it's not just the dominance but the exact format of the season (especially in the cup, entering at the last 16 means facing the same Serie A sides and usually getting a big side just a round later) thats been fostering a feeling of wanting a change of scenery soon. That time isn't quite now, I'd be at Brighton already if I wanted to leave enough, but depending on how next year goes (especially if it's a confortable league win again but not hitting the heights of recent victories) then it may well come in the next year or two, plus I imagine winning loads of easy trophies with Milan gets far less interesting to follow (though I'd hardly leave without there being some other reasons as well). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Congrats on another league title,shame bout the other cups though.Was also interesting to see Zilina in the knockout stage,unlucky for them they got stuck against you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarman Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Another great league season with Milan, pity that the team couldn't do a bit more in the cups though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Pike Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 A magnificent career so far - I'ver never been past 2020 in any of my saves yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Four league titles in a row In hockey, we call that a dynasty. I'd say you're doing pretty good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.