After 10 years with FM, my first career update

[trman73]

2036 Off-Season Preview

Three guys that we know of won't be back...

• MC Sergey Tkachenko took over the central midfielder spot when Cesar Meneses went down with an injury, and never gave the position back. But he's 32 years old and was starting to see a ratings decline, and although he was a good soldier for us over the past 10 years, I need to free up his $12.4 million salary.
• F Daniel Boyer was our third forward, and made $11.7 million in that role. I can spend that money much more wisely elsewhere and get the six goals and three assists he gave us in 25 games from someone cheaper.
• Last, right back Ardit Mali wants to start, but he's stuck behind Mirko Stanojevic. So we'll let him and his $4.2 million salary walk.

The board has given me $60 million in transfer money to play with, and the three guys listed above made a total of $28.3 million, so that's a lot of money to bring some new faces in. I'm thinking...

• We need another forward. With Boyer gone, Joel Reed-Dennison and Brad Kretzschmar are all we've got behind Wilson and Barker, and if either of those guys has to play significant minutes I won't feel too good.
• I also want to bring in a replacement central midfielder for Tkachenko who can at worst back up Meneses and at best start in his place.
• We need to replace Mali with someone, although we have some internal options that I may go with, including the youngster who started a game for us at the end of the year.
• Last, I think we can use one more creative midfielder to play either the right or left side.

That's not much. I'm comfortable with our defense at all positions, including goalkeeper. And our attack was third-best in the EPL this year.

[trman73]

I want to note a few weird things that happened at the end of the season.

First, Chelsea played Cardiff City in the FA Cup Final. The game went to extra time, and in the 104th minute Cardiff, a Championship side, scored to win it. So with all that positioning in the last few games of the season, Stoke, the 7th-place finisher in the EPL, is shut out of Euro Cup. Cardiff also got promoted to the EPL for the first time since 2014.

Tottenham won the Euro Cup, so five teams from the EPL will play in the Champions League, and Cardiff City will join us in the Euro Cup.

Last, in Italy, Juventus had finished first or second in Serie A every year but one since 2012. This year... they finished seventh! They will totally miss out on Europe. Wild.

[trman73]

2036 Off-Season Recap

I act quickly, and decisively over the summer. We lose the three guys whose contracts ran out. And we brought in four players...

• Our first signing is one of my former Liverpool men, Jorge Acosta. The 27-year-old midfielder is a quality player who will give us depth in the middle.
• Next we bring in another midfielder, Englishman Angus Knowles from Tottenham. This guy's 24 years old and will get playing time as a reserve and during cup competitions.
• Next, a starter in 26-year-old Argentinian midfielder Clausio Grassi, who comes from Panathinaikos. He's valued at $26 million.
• Finally, we upgrade in a big way from Daniel Boyer, signing forward Alberto Perez from Gelsenkirchen. The 30-year-old is valued at $30 million.

We've got a glut of midfielders now, but I've got some ideas heading into the campaign that I'll try out during our friendlies. I am very happy with this haul.

Edited October 9, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

I'm writing this just after the US loses to Trinidad and Freaking Tobago to get shut out of the 2018 World Cup. USA soccer fans are going nuts on Twitter. Honestly, screw this team. They absolutely underachieved during the final CONCACAF qualifying stage, and don't deserve to be among the 32 teams in Russia next summer. I'm not a huge USMNT supporter, but they're still my nation's team, and I hate this collection of players. I am far less heartbroken than I am completely disgusted. Appalling.

On to more important things...

I make one more move before the start of the season. Tom Butterfield had started to complain about playing time, and as our backup attacking midfielder, there was just no way he was going to see the field behind Oscar Bonet barring an injury. So we honor his transfer request, and ship him to Fulham for a $5.5 million fee. Just a few days later, we sign his replacement, a 23-year-old from Manchester United, Jahmal Overend. He's actually better than Butterfield, and we get him for the low, low price of $1.7 million. He's also content in a backup role.

So we're done for the summer, and I'm very pleased.

[trman73]

I should note that over the summer, Holland advanced to the final of the European Championship in an attempt to win it's third straight title. They played Portugal in the Final for the second straight time, and the Dutch did it, winning on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Three straight for them, the first ever to do it.

We play four friendlies and I up our level of competition from a year ago to prepare us for a more difficult campaign...

• Anderlecht 0, West Ham 1 - A good defensive performance as we hold them to zero shots. Wilson scores right before halftime.
• Juventus 3, West Ham 2 - A poor performance in my return to Juventus Stadium. We give up two second-half goals after taking a 2-1 lead.
• Club Brugge 0, West Ham 1 - Good rebound. Just one shot allowed.
• RBL 4, West Ham 3 - Crazy game where we give up two early, come all the way back to tie it in the 75th, then three goals are scored in the next 10 minutes including the winner for them.

So 2-0-2 in our four. But we are injury-free and our key guys are match ready.

[trman73]

2036-2037 West Ham Season Preview

Board expectations are high this season, to say the least. We're expected to reach the semifinal of the Euro Cup, qualify for it again in the league, and reach the sixth round of the FA Cup. I guess that's the price you pay for a season like the one we had last year.

But we have the talent to meet these expectations. Here's the lineup:

Goalkeepers - Last year I expected Javier Leiva to really step up his game, and he did, giving up 37 goals and posting 13 clean sheets and playing every minute of every game over all competitions. He is firmly entrenched as our starter, and he's become a quality player. Simon Briggs backs him up again.

Fullbacks - On the right side, captain Mirko Stanojevic returns, as does Adrian Marriott on the left. Marriott really blossomed into a quality player last season, posting a 7.16 rating. They are both backed up by youngsters: Dan Donoghue, who saw action in cup play and as a reserve on the left side, and unproven but talented 22-year-old Nick Pratt on the right.

Central Defenders - One of our strengths and one of the best squads in the EPL. I'm going to go ahead and pair Rafik Mahsas and Mario Romero again to start the season, but both Felipe Fidalgo and Ruben Luz will see more time than they did last year.

Midfielders - This is where it gets interesting. I brought in Claudio Grassi to start, and he's going to, on the right side, in place of Sander Drent, who moves to the middle, relegating Cesar Meneses to a backup spot. Juan Pablo Cuevas takes the left side again. Our backups are excellent. Along with Meneses we've got returner Mark Lloyd and newcomers Jorge Acosta and Angus Knowles. I really like this group, although keeping everyone happy may become a problem.

Attacking Midfielders - Oscar Bonet is my favorite player on this squad and he's grown into the perfect player for my system. He's coming off a 10-goal, 14-assist league campaign last year that saw him named to the EPL Team of the Year. Newcomer Jahmal Overend backs him up.

Forwards - Three fantastic options here. I'll start Jack Wilson and new signing Alberto Perez to begin, although Chris Barker will get serious time. Bradley Kretzschmar and Joel Reed-Dennison round out this group.

Predictions

I hate starting the season feeling this good. But man, I feel good. We do have a rough early-going again, as we open at home against Liverpool and our first two road matches are at Arsenal and Man United, and the next two are at Wolves and City. But I see 19-9-10 when I go game-by-game through the schedule. So I'm going with 66 points (one more than last year), fifth place, and another Euro Cup berth.

As for Euro Cup, we absolutely have the talent to make a run. So I am going to go nuts and say we meet board expectations, and reach the semifinals.

Finally, for the domestic cups, it's always hard to repeat, so I'll say we fall in the quarters to either United, City, Arsenal or Chelsea. And finally, I'll say we meet expectations and make the quarterfinals before falling.

I like our chances this season. Let's get to it!

[trman73]

August 16, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham vs. Liverpool

We've really got to get a good result here in our opener, something we haven't been good at in recent years. Liverpool's predicted to have a bounce-back season, but then again they always are, and they never do. Since my 5th-place finish with them four years ago, they've finished 10th, 10th, and 9th.

Grassi and Perez make their debuts for us in this one. Let's see how they fare in their debuts.

The first goal of the season is scored by... Oscar Bonet. In the 13th minute, Jack Wilson fires a shot off a pass from Perez. It's saved, but the rebound goes straight to Bonet, who puts in the easy rebound, and we're up in our opener. We go to the break with that lead, and in the second half we have a number of additional chances. But our defense is the star of this one, holding Liverpool to just three fairly weak shots, and we win our season opener, 1-0. Now we're off to Emirates Stadium for our first road match.

Edited October 12, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

August 23, 2036 - Premier League: Arsenal (0-1-1, 1 pt., 8th) vs. West Ham (1-0-0, 3 pts., 7th)

Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bolton on the road in its opener. I've lost both my road matches against these guys in the year and a half I've been at West Ham. But for some reason I'm feeling confident here. I'm going to bring Chris Barker in to the starting forward spot he occupied last season, and give Alberto Perez a chance to come in as a sub. Nothing wrong here after just a game, but Barker's earned starting time with his play in 2035-2036. Unfortunately, right after I make the lineup switch, Jack Wilson gets food poisoning, so it will actually be Barker and Perez together for this one.

Uhhh, confidence shattered, and quickly. We are throttled in the first half, allowing goals in the 18th, 23rd, and 38th. We stabilize a bit in the second half, but don't come close to scoring, and fall, 3-0.

[trman73]

August 29, 2036 - Euro Cup Group Stage Draw

The board has set a (perhaps unrealistic) expectation that we reach the semis of the Euro Cup. But first we have to get through the group stage, and today we find out who we'll see in our group. First though, we see who we'll face first as we try to defend our EFL Cup title. We enter in the third round, and our first match is at home against Reading. We'll be favored.

On to bigger things...

We're a third seed for this draw, and we're drawn into Group B. The first team we'll face is... AS Saint-Etienne, the Ligue 1 side that has finished fourth or fifth in that league in each of the past five seasons. As top seeds go, I'll take this one.

Next up... PAOK, the third-place finisher in the Greek Superleague each of the last three years. Right now I'd say we're in a group we can emerge from.

And finally... Anji, the Russian side that's finished in the top three of their league in five of the past seven seasons.

I'd say Aaint-Etienne and us have got to be the favorites to emerge. I like this draw for us.

[trman73]

August 31, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (1-0-1, 3 pts., 12th) vs. Bolton (0-1-1, 1 pt., 16th)

We kick off the Euro Cup on the road in Russia to face Anji, but before that we've got two league matches: this home contest against Bolton, then a road game against United. Bolton's had a rough opening schedule, as they drew with Arsenal in their home opener, then got drilled by United. But they've scored four goals against those two teams, so they've got some offensive firepower. We need a better defensive performance than what we gave against Arsenal.

It's the Alberto Perez coming out party in the first half of this one, as he scores on a pretty pass from Wilson in the 25th, then just a minute after missing a clear-cut chance, he scores his second in the 41st, and we're up 2-0 at the half. Early in the second, Perez gets a long lob pass from Cuevas, and he moves in to score his third of the match. He adds an assist in the 64th, finding Barker for his first of the year, and this is a laugher. Bolton ruins the shutout in stoppage time, but it's a solid 4-1 win and we head to Old Tratford next weekend. Unfortunately, Jack Wilson is a casualty in this one, as he'll miss 3-4 weeks with a back strain.

[trman73]

September 13, 2036 - Premier League: Manchester United (1-2-0, 5 pts., 9th) vs. West Ham (2-0-1, 6 pts., 5th)

Of all the teams I've faced as West Ham manager, United is the one where we just haven't played a single good match. I'd love to break out of that rut right now, and United is not off to a good start. They drew 0-0 with lowly Brighton in their last match, and they have a Champions League match midweek against Barcelona, the toughest team in their group. So maybe they'll overlook us here, or maybe, just maybe, we can string together 90 solid minutes and make something happen here.

Ugh. We're outplayed from the opening whistle, and fall hard. We give one up in the 11th, but then play some solid defense, until right before the half, when United scores to make it 2-0. We give up two more in the second half. Bradley Kretzschmar scores late for us, but it's a 4-1 defeat and it's back to the drawing board.

[trman73]

September 18, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 1: Anji vs. West Ham

Anji certainly looks like the weakest team in this group, but they're at home and we've been drilled in each of our road matches in this young season. It won't be the end of the world to not get three points here, but we're the better team and I expect it.

We play a scoreless first 45 minutes. Unfortunately, there's a thing called stoppage time, and Anj scores in it to take a 1-0 lead to the break. We get the goal back on the first of the year from Juan Pablo Cuevas in the 69th, but that's it. We draw, 1-1. Saint-Etienne beats PAOK, and we're in second one match in.

[trman73]

Hey all, thanks to anyone who voted for this little thread in the FM Awards. I truly appreciate it. I can't even tell you how much fun I've had with this. This has really renewed my love for this game, and I can't wait to get started on an FM 18 save. Very exciting to win the newcomer award!!!

[trman73]

September 21, 2036 - Premier League: Wolves (1-2-1, 5 pts., 14th) vs. West Ham (2-0-2, 6 pts., 12th)

Fresh off my FM Community Awards victory, we get our asses absolutely handed to us by Wolves. I had a write up for this one, then moved to the awards thread and lost it. And frankly, after a 4-1 drubbing, I'm not in the mood to relive it.

We're now 2-0-3, and are 0-0-3 on the road and have been outscored 11-2 in those matches. We need to get our act together, and fast.

[kidthekid]

Too much partying, ha ha, but your thread is a great one, well deserved win.

Edited October 15, 2017 by kidthekid

[trman73]

September 24, 2036 - EFL Cup, Third Round: West Ham vs. Reading

Our next two matches are each at home against Reading, starting with the first game of our EFL Cup title defense. I'm going with the strategy I used last year of bringing in reserves to start these early matches, so Ruben Luz plays at center back, Angus Knowles is in the midfield, Jahmal Overend is the attacking midfielder, and Bradley Kretzschmar gets his first start at forward. Let's see if some new blood can break us out of our rut.

We give up a goal in the 41st, and we're really struggling to generate chances. It's 1-0 at the break, then 1-0 through 60, then 1-0 with ten minutes to go, then it ends, 1-0. Our title defense is over after one match. I'm glad the board doesn't consider this an important competition, but that doesn't change the fact that we're really struggling.

[trman73]

September 27, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (2-0-3, 6 pts., 13th) vs. Reading (2-1-2, 7 pts., 11th)

Man... we're terrible right now, and have got to get three points in this quick rematch with a Reading team that we're superior to. I am going back to the lineup I used a year ago. So Sander Drent moves over to the right side of the midfield, Cesar Meneses is in the middle, and Barker and Wilson are paired at forward.

It's a dull match until the 33rd, when Reading's right fullback is trapped in the corner, fires a ball toward the keeper to clear it out, and it's picked off by Jack Wilson, who scores easily to give us the 1-0 lead. That may be just the lucky break we need. It's 1-0 at the half, and in the 70th Reading has a man sent off, so we should be able to hang on. We do exactly that. In stoppage time, Claudio Grassi scores to seal it, and it's a solid 1-0 win that will hopefully get us out of this early bad run.

Now we're home against Saint-Etienne midweek to try to strengthen our Euro Cup position.

[trman73]

October 2, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 2: West Ham (0-1-0, 1 pt., 2nd) vs. AS Saint-Etienne (1-0-0, 3 pts., 1st)

Saint-Etienne took care of business in its opening Euro Cup match, beating PAOK 3-1 at home. A win here puts us in good position a third of the way into group stage.

We come out absolutely on fire. Sander Drent scores on a cross from Stanojevic in the 6th minute, then Oscar Bonet nets one just a minute later, and it's 2-0 just over six minutes in. It's 2-0 at halftime, and in the 54th Bonet heads a ball right to Jack Wilson, who scores easily to make it 3-0. Saint-Etienne gets one back in the 60th, but we push the lead back up to three again just a minute later, as Juan Pablo Cuevas sets up Alberto Perez to make it 4-1. That's the final, and with Anji and PAOK drawing, we're atop the group with four points, Saint-Etienne has three, Anji two, and PAOK one. Next up in this competition is a trip to Greece in three weeks for a match that could see us really put ourselves in great position to advance.

[trman73]

October 5, 2036 - Premier League: Manchester City (1-0-5, 3 pts., 18th) vs. West Ham (3-0-3, 9 pts., 10th)

Whoa. That record above is not a typo. City is off to a shocking start to the EPL campaign and is in 18th place. They won their first two Champions League matches and their EFL Cup match, but after defeating Cardiff 2-1 in their league opener (on a goal in stoppage time), they've fallen to Crystal Palace (4-1!), Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Bolton (also 4-1!). They also fell 1-0 to Bayern in Champions League this week, so they are just reeling. The main culprit has been their defense, as the 14 goals they've given up in their six league matches are second-worst, behind only lowly Brighton. And they've scored just five goals as well. They don't have any injury problems, so I don't know what's going on, but their manager, Tiago Fernandes, has got to be feeling the heat.

Of course we're not exactly tearing things up either, especially not away from home. So something's got to give for one of us. This is a huge opportunity for us to get a crucial road win against a team we thought we'd be looking up at in the standings all season.

It's raining hard for this one, but that doesn't affect us early, as in the 12th minute Stanojevic finds Jack Wilson with a pass and he heads it in to give us the early lead. But that lead is short-lived, as City scores in the 19th to tie it, then just a couple minutes later to take the 2-1 lead. In the second half we generate some good chances, but in the 75th we give up a counter-attack that leads to an easy goal, and they're up 3-1. We give up another in the 80th, and it's yet another bad road loss, this time against a team just begging us to beat them.

[trman73]

October 18, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (3-0-4, 9 pts., 12th) vs. Stoke (2-4-1, 10 pts., 10th)

We've had two weeks to stew over a miserable loss to City, and I've put the team (at least those who aren't on international duty) through some rugged practices. We're really floundering here to start the season, and our -6 goal differential is tied for 4th worst in the league. But we're home for this one, and we're still undefeated at London Stadium. Stoke is just a point up on us, so if we continue to flip-flop wins and losses, we'll jump back up the table. Eventually we're going to either lose a home match or win a road match. I hope it's the latter.

We get terrible news from international play. Chris Barker suffers a hip injury and is out 8-9 weeks. Bradley Kretzschmar will take his spot in the forward rotation, and we'll now lean heavily on Wilson and Perez.

It's a scoreless first half, and then in the 61st Bonet gets a free kick the deflects off the wall and in for an own goal, and we're up. Five minutes later, Bonet gets credit for one, and it's 2-0. But Stoke scores on a corner in the 83rd, and we're not out of the woods just yet. And then in stoppage time, they get another corner, Leiva doesn't grab it cleanly, and it bounces to a Stoke man, who fires it in. Oh no. What a gutting result. We threw this one away. Absolutely terrible.

[trman73]

October 23, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 3: PAOK (0-1-1, 1 pt., 4th) vs. West Ham (1-1-0, 4 pts., 1st)

We've got to get a win here. I was furious at the team in the locker room after the Stoke result, and we've got to turn around our road results. I can't let the room get away from me here. And the bad news just keeps coming in the run-up to this one, as Sander Drent fractures his skull (!!!!!!!!) in training and is gone for 3-4 months. This has not been a good start to the campaign. Argh.

It's another frustrating performance in this one. We manage to secure a road point, which I suppose is something, but it's a 0-0 draw. Anji does us a favor by drawing with Saint-Etienne, and halfway through the group stage, we lead the group with five points, one ahead of Saint-Etienne, two ahead of Anji (which has drawn all three of its matches), and three up on the Greeks. This thing remains up for grabs, and our road match with the Frenchmen to close group stage play may mean something. 

Edited October 18, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

October 26, 2036 - Premier League: Middlesbrough (2-1-5, 7 pts., 17th) vs. West Ham (3-1-4, 10 pts., 12th)

If there's a road game to win to snap our poor streak, this is it. These guys have lost four straight and are 0-1-5 in their last six, and have been outscored 16-1 in that stretch. Injuries aside, poor play aside, we should get this one, and I need it, as the board has gone from pleased to satisfied with my performance. I've said that this will be my last stop in this save, and it will be. But I don't want it to be in the middle of this season.

I pressed all the right buttons with this club last year. This season, nothing's working. I give a passionate pre-game speech, and we go out and give up a goal five minutes in. Down 1-0 at the break, I challenge the team's pride in the locker room, something that led to almost instant results last season. This time, nothing. We lose, 1-0, to one of the worst teams in the EPL.

It's panic time.

[trman73]

November 1, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (3-1-5, 10 pts., 14th) vs. Fulham (0-2-7, 2 pts., 19th)

This is one of those matches where there's nothing for me to write as build-up. Fulham is a horrible team. We simply need this.

We suffer yet another injury early in this one, as Juan Pablo Cuevas goes down in the 11th minute. But just a few minutes later, Oscar Bonet, himself nicked up, finds Jack Wilson with a great pass and Wilson puts us up. It remains 1-0 at the half, and I have to take Bonet out. We're not playing particularly well, but when Fulham has a man sent off in the 75th, this one's over. We win, 1-0, and are now home for our next Euro Cup match midweek against PAOK.

Cuevas is out 3-4 weeks with a groin injury. That's three key players out for multiple weeks.

[trman73]

November 6, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 4: West Ham (1-2-0, 5 pts., 1st) vs. PAOK (0-2-1, 2 pts., 4th)

Just three points separate first from last in the group, so a win here can create some separation for us and a loss could very well see us fall out of the top two spots. Despite the injuries, we're better than this team, and should take care of things at home. The midfield is a problem, as with Drent and now Cuevas out, we're relying on Cesar Meneses (who has not been good) in the middle and Jorge Acosta on the left side of Meneses.

We open the scoring in the 13th as Perez finds Jack Wilson and Wilson scores for the second straight match. PAOK didn't really challenge us offensively in the match in Greece, so I'm feeling good here. When Marriott finds Bonet with a cross in the 33rd to put us up 2-0, I'm feeling even more confident. The scoreboard flashes that Anji leads Saint-Etienne 2-1. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but if these scores hold and we beat Anji at home in our next match, we'll clinch the group. As I'm speculating about that, Jack Wilson finds Alberto Perez for our third goal, and we're routing these guys. We get one more in the first half, with Perez finding Jorge Acosta for his first West Ham goal, and it's 4-0 at the half.

It's an uneventful second half, and we win, 4-0. Saint-Etienne comes back to tie Anji, and we've got a three-point lead over them, eight points to five, with Anji at four and PAOK now a non-factor barring a miracle. We can, in fact, secure our trip to the knockout rounds in our next match against Anji.

[trman73]

We're a quarter of the way through the league season, and the EPL table has some shocking results thus far...

The biggest surprise thus far has got to be the play of Crystal Palace, which finished 15th a year ago and gets through the first quarter in 5th. But the bigger news is the disappointments. We'd be considered a big slop thus far if it weren't for the two teams that bracketed us last season: Tottenham, which has gone from 6th to 12th, and the huge one, Manchester City, which is following up a disappointing 4th-place finish with an absolute disaster. They are in the relegation zone 10 matches in and their hopes for a top-three finish are basically over. I'm actually quite shocked that they haven't fired their manager, but that is clearly coming with a few more bad results. They've got to be the talk of the league, and I'm glad their tank job is taking some of the headlines away from our poor start.

November 9, 2036 - Premier League: Everton (6-3-1, 21 pts., 4th) vs. West Ham (4-1-5, 13 pts., 11th)

Everton has been one of the nice surprises of the season. After finishing 14th last year, they are off to a great start. This is actually their trend, as they are wildly inconsistent from year to year. We're playing good football right now, but we remain without a point on the road in our five matches away from home. This will be a tough one.

We buck recent road trends by not giving up a goal in the first half, and it's 0-0 at the break. But in the 56th, we allow an Everton man to camp out in front of our goal, and a pass finds him for the first goal of the match. This is when we've been folding up, but this time around, we rebound immediately, as just two minutes later Bonet finds Alberto Perez right in front and he nets the equalizer. It's a tense final 30 minutes as Everton generates a number of chances, but we hang on for the 1-1 draw, and pick up our first road point of the league season.

[trman73]

November 22, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (4-2-5, 14 pts., 12th) vs. Tottenham (2-5-4, 11 pts., 15th)

Much like City and, frankly, us, things have not gone well for Spurs in the early going. They haven't won a league match since September 20, and they've scored just 12 goals in 11 matches. But we're without both of our starting fullbacks today, as Stanojevic and Marriott will sit due to yellow card accumulation. So it's young players Nick Pratt and Dan Donoghue in those spots, and we need Romero and Mahsas to help see them through. That's officially five starters out for this one.

This is not a good offensive match. After a scoreless first half, the game slogs on with no one really generating anything. Then in the 87th, we get called for a clear penalty in the box, and Tottenham has a chance to steal it. They step up... and Leiva saves it! We get two corners in the closing moments, but don't convert, and it's a 0-0 draw.

[trman73]

November 27, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 5: West Ham (2-2-0, 8 pts., 1st) vs. Anji (0-4-0, 4 pts., 3rd)

With a win here we're in the knockout stages, and most likely win the group as we'll have a goal-differential lead over Saint-Etienne that they'll be unlikely to overcome even if they beat us in the finale in France. Anji has drawn all of its matches, so if we draw with them we're also in, although it will likely make the final match for group supremacy. We're just a week or so away from getting both Chris Barker and Juan Pablo Cuevas back, and we need them, as our attack has stalled of late save for the easy win over PAOK. Rafik Mahsas is in need of a rest, so 20-year-old Ruben Luz starts in the middle today. I'm also giving Angus Knowles a start in midfield over slumping Claudio Grassi.

Then in training, we lose Javier Leiva for two weeks to an injury. Ugh. Simon Briggs, a decent enough backup, is now our keeper for the next few matches.

Also before this match, I'm offered an interview at Manchester City. I turn it down. I'm serious about this being the last stop of my career in this save.

Well we can smell blood, and we take advantage quickly. Bonet sets up Alberto Perez to open the scoring in the 18th, then Bonet scores on a beautiful setup from Jorge Acosta in the 30th and it's 2-0. That's all we get, but it's all we need. We win, 2-0. Saint-Etienne defeats PAOK, so they will join us in the knockout stages, and they'll have to overcome a 9-goal differential in our match to pass us for first in the group.

[trman73]

November 30, 2036 - Premier League: Brighton (0-4-8, 4 pts., 19th) vs. West Ham (4-3-5, 15 pts., 11th)

We're slowly inching our way back up the table, and we've got a very, very winnable road match here against a Brighton team that's yet to get a victory. We're actually just four points out of seventh place, and we've got a relatively favorable schedule coming up. But If we fall here... I just don't know. This may just be one of those years. We've gone five straight matches without a loss and have given up just one goal in those matches, so we're stabilizing defensively.

You have got to be kidding me. We play another scoreless first half, but then it's Brighton that breaks through, with a goal in the 51st. We're doing nothing, so I go into attacking mode, and we concede a second goal in the 75th. We are going to be this team's first victim of the year. What is happening? In the 80th we give up a third, and I am just disgusted by our form away from home. This was an absolutely pathetic performance, and I tell the team that.

[trman73]

December 7, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (4-3-6, 15 pts., 14th) vs. Watford (5-5-3, 20 pts., 6th)

I hold a team meeting this week and we've got to respond. Once again, nothing to say.

It's a 0-0 first half. Then it's a 0-0 second half.

After the game, I'm called in. I need nine points from our next five, or this career's over.

[trman73]

December 11, 2036 - Euro Cup, Group B, Game 6: AS Saint-Etienne (2-2-1, 8 pts., 2nd) vs. West Ham (3-2-0, 11 pts., 1st)

I'm not sure if this match is included in the mandated nine points from the next five matches, but I feel like we need a win here for morale if anything. We have a nine goal differential lead over these guys, so they'd have to beat us by five to take the group. That's clearly not going to happen... right? Please?

I do start some reserves for this one, as the tough December-January stretch is coming.

Well people, I have a feeling I'm a dead man walking. We give up the first goal, then tie it on an own goal, but then it falls apart, as Saint-Etienne scores two more in the first half, and we're down 3-1. That's the final. We still win the group, but it's looking like I won't see it through come the knockout stage.

[trman73]

December 14, 2036 - Premier League: West Brom (4-2-8, 14 pts., 17th) vs. West Ham (4-4-6, 16 pts., 15th)

It's pretty simple... I've got to win three of our next four matches or else I'll be shown the door. Those matches are this one against a struggling West Brom team, then home against Newcastle, at Chelsea, and home against Palace. I've got to go with the team that led us last year. I need them to step up for me in this game.

This one doesn't look any different than our past few games, as we're just not generating anything offensively. It's a scoreless half, and as the game drags on I'm wondering if I want to take on a final job in MLS to close out my career. But then, in the 77th, Chris Barker leads Oscar Bonet with a pass, and he scores! We immediately go into defensive mode, and we hang on for a win we really needed, and pick up our first road victory of the season. Whew!

[trman73]

December 15, 2036 - Euro Cup First Knockout Stage Draw

Maybe I'll keep my job and manage us in the knockout stages after all. There's the usual mix of good teams from quality leagues and then teams that we should roll if we draw them.

We get a team that's sort of in the middle of the pack, as we draw... Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes. This team has finished no higher than fourth in the Portuguese Premier League in any of the past 10 years. Given some of the other options, I'll take this.

December 17, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (5-4-6, 19 pts., 12th) vs. Newcastle (8-3-4, 27 pts., 5th)

We're a good home team, and we need to show it here as we still need to win two of our next three for me to meet the board's demand. Newcastle's having a great year, but we can only worry about ourselves. With Leiva back in net I'm feeling much better about us defensively. We need to find a way to get something into the net against these guys, and hope we can hold.

In the early going we lose Adrian Marriott to injury, and with no other left back on the bench, Rafik Mahsas needs to move over. We score first on a goal from Alberto Perez in the 22nd, and I'm starting to think we may be able to do this. But Newcastle scores seconds before halftime, then scores again midway through the second. Stanojevic gets hurt in the second half, and we lose, 2-1. Marriott is out for two months and Stanojevic for three weeks, and three weeks is probably two weeks longer than my West Ham career will last.

[trman73]

December 20, 2036 - Premier League: Chelsea (8-5-3, 29 pts., 5th) vs. West Ham (5-4-7, 19 pts., 14th)

There's a great chance this will be my last match at West Ham. With that being the case, I've got to decide what to do. I'm not 65 yet... I'm just a day from my 63rd birthday. But I'm not sure I can get up for another run with a team. Honestly, I'm slightly burnt out, and taking a month break from the game, then spending a little bit exploring the new version before patches come out, sounds kind of nice. So we'll see. Of course, there's a chance we pull of a miracle here, then beat Palace, and I survive. But that's unlikely.

We lose, 4-1, and the game is about as exciting for us as it sounds, as we're down 2-0 at the break and 4-0 10 minutes into the second half. Bonet scores our only goal.

I fully expect to be fired after the match, but I'm not. But I do apply for another job, as when all is said and done I'm just not ready to hang them up. I've got a least one more match with the Hammers... I think.

[ManUtd1]

Catching up after a couple days and I'm dreading the next update, man.

[trman73]

December 26, 2036 - Premier League: West Ham (5-4-8, 19 pts., 16th) vs. Crystal Palace (7-2-8, 23 pts., 10th)

Jack Wilson is added to the list of injured players as he'll miss this one. We're in a terrible rut, and there is no doubt that without three points in this one I will not see it to the new year.

Well, if this winds up being my last match, it's an exciting one. We open the scoring on a goal from Perez in the 4th minute. But Palace pulls even in the 14th, and it's 1-1 at halftime. In the 59th, Barker puts us back up 2-1 with a fantastic individual effort, but once again, we can't hold the lead, and Palace ties it at 2-2 in the 76th. I assume that will be it, and that I'll make a final walk through the tunnel after this draw, but in the 88th, Dan Donoghue lobs a long cross, and Perez gets to it and nails the winning goal! We take this one, 3-2, and now I have to wait to see what my fate is, and if this win was enough to save my job.

[trman73]

Thanks ManU. I'm dreading every time I hit "Continue." But...

December 28, 2036 - Premier League: Cardiff (6-3-9, 21 pts., 15th) vs. West Ham (6-4-8, 22 pts., 14th)

I survive to live another day, or at least another game. Coincidentally, this is my 100th match managing West Ham. I'm 43-24-32, not exactly a stellar record, but if this winds up being my last game I can look back and say I won this team it's first trophy in more than half a century, and took the club to continental competition. So that's something.

This is also the last match of the first half of the season. Despite our terrible struggles, we're actually just five points out of sixth place in the league, which is incredible. It's been one of those seasons in the EPL.

Maybe the board's demand that I take nine points from five matches did, in fact, only include the league. And if that's the case, if I can beat this Cardiff team, I will have gone 3-0-2 in those five matches. So... we're tired, and we're thin with the injuries, but we've got to win this. I am 99.9% sure that if we don't, my 100th match with West Ham will be my last.

For the second straight match we score early. This time it's Barker scoring on a pass from Acosta in the 6th minute. But this time we don't let our opponent pull even, and Barker gets his second in the 36th to put us up 2-0. Barker gets his third in the 55th on a pass from Bonet, and we are back, baby! Barker adds his fourth in the 65th to close the scoring, and if I'm fired after this one it was pre-determined before the game even started, because we dominated today.

The win moves us up to 13th, and just two points back of 6th, and after the game I am informed that I did meet the board's goal, and they look forward to my continued employment.

Bullet dodged, for now.

[BoxToBox]

Jesus, those last few updates were dramatic.... and what a way to save your job!

[ManUtd1]

49 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Jesus, those last few updates were dramatic.... and what a way to save your job!

Seconded!  Glad you saved it, man.  Now, to crack the top 10...

[trman73]

West Ham United 2036-2037 Mid-Season Report

The first half of the season has really been a roller coaster ride. Here's where the league stands at the halfway point, along with our team stats...

Despite my head being on the chopping block for the past few weeks, we're actually just two points out of a European spot. Given that the board set an expectation that we get back to the Euro Cup through league play, I'd say we're doing great! Okay, maybe not. But despite all the bad stuff that's happened, from the injuries (you can see that Javier Leiva is injured again, and he's out 3-4 weeks, or seven matches minimum), to the inability to win on the road (although we've won two of our last three away from home), we're right in the thick of things.

Throw in the fact that, again, despite not being particularly impressive, we won our Euro Cup group, and while it's hard to say we're succeeding in any way, we're not that far from checking the boxes expected of us this year. I'd say we're favored in our first knockout stage matchup, and if we can just win, say, three of the games we lost in the first half in league play, who knows? We simply can't be as disjointed as we were during the first four months.

As for the players, the losses of Sander Drent, Javier Leiva, Adrian Marriott, Mirko Stanojevic, and Chris Barker all hurt at various points. Our first-half MVP is AMC Oscar Bonet, who is really the only player who's playing to the standard he set a year ago. The runner-up is newcomer F Alberto Perez, who's been our top goal-scorer, and honestly I can't name another runner-up.

The transfer window is open again, and I'm giving serious thought to bringing in my former Juventus man, Jonathan Valdes, while Leiva is out. I just can't trust Simon Briggs; he's been poor.

Grades - Premier League: C; Euro Cup; B+; EFL Cup: F. Overall first-Half Grade: C-.

[trman73]

Thanks guys! Yeah, that sucked. Given that we had Chelsea and a good Newcastle team on the schedule, I knew we'd have to win the other three, and we did. But I'm not out of the woods yet as the board is still disappointed in my performance.

[trman73]

January 1, 2037 - Premier League: Liverpool (7-4-8, 25 pts., 11th) vs. West Ham (7-4-8, 25 pts., 13th)

We kick off 2037 with a match against a Liverpool team we beat 1-0 in our opener. Our teams have identical records, but the Reds have lost two straight while we've won our last two. A win here would be a huge boost.

We come out really aggressively in this one and get multiple chances in the first 20 minutes, but my old keeper, Michel Lecomte, saves everything we're throwing at him. Then in the 30th, Liverpool puts one past Briggs on their first chance, and just like that, we're down. We continue to pepper Lecomte with shots, and he continues to stop them. Liverpool has a man sent off early in the second half, but we're still not getting one by the keeper. If he played like this for me, I'd probably still be managing Liverpool now. It looms like it will be one of those matches that we dominate but lose. Finally, in the 77th, we get a corner, and Mario Romero puts it home to tie it. We're the better team throughout the 90 minutes, but we'll have to settle for the draw, and it's a third road match out of four where we get points. The win pushes us up one spot to 12th.

[trman73]

January 4, 2037 - FA Cup, Third Round: West Ham vs. Wolves

I forgot to post the draw for this round of the cup when it occurred, but we get a Wolves team that's had our number throughout my career. I really like how we're playing and would rather have the full week off than deal with this, but I don't have a choice. We get Arsenal at home in three days, which is the far more important match in my opinion.

Prior to this game I sign a 27-year-old backup goalkeeper from Chelsea, Martin Benes. The Czech will take over for Briggs in net until Leiva returns, and may even challenge our starting keeper for some playing time once he's in full health. I make couple of additional changes to the lineup for this one. The board's expectation is that we win three matches in this competition; I honestly don't know if we'll be able to do that.

We play a scoreless first half once again, but we're doing well on both sides of the ball. In the 67th, Oscar Bonet scores off a pass from Jack Wilson to put us up. That's all we need. Wolves get just two shots on net, Benes gets the clean sheet in his debut, and we beat a quality Wolves team to go 3-1-0 in our last four overall.

The next day the Fourth Round draw is held, and we get... a road match against the winner of the Leicester-Watford replay.

Edited October 21, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

January 7, 2037 - Premier League: West Ham (7-5-8, 26 pts., 12th) vs. Arsenal (13-4-3, 43 pts., 2nd)

Arsenal is just three points off the United's league lead, but we've actually done well against these guys at home throughout my career. I'm optimistic of getting a result here and am feeling good about our recent form.

Unfortunately, we suffer yet another training injury as Juan Pablo Cuevas goes down for 3-4 weeks with a hernia. He's our fourth starter out, joining Drent, Leiva, and Marriott. None of them will be back for at least two weeks. On the plus side, I like what I saw from our new keeper Benes and the defense in our last match.

It's an exciting first half that sees us hit the crossbar twice, but it's 0-0 at the break. Arsenal turns the tables on us in the second half, putting pressure on us throughout the final 45 minutes but not scoring. Then in the final few minutes, we get a couple of quality runs, but can't convert, and this game ends 0-0. We drop back down to 13th, but a draw with the league's second-best team is a result we'll take. That's now five straight without a loss, and a road match against a poor Bolton team next.

[trman73]

January 11, 2037 - Premier League: Bolton (4-8-9, 20 pts., 17th) vs. West Ham (7-6-8, 27 pts., 13th)

We've given up just a single goal in our last four matches and are undefeated in five. Bolton is struggling, and with a win here on the road we can move to the top half of the table.

It doesn't take long at all for us to get on the board, and again it's Oscar Bonet, who is led in the middle of the box by a pass from Perez that he nails in just the 2nd minute. But we give it back almost immediately, with Benes failing to make a save at the left corner of the net for an own goal in the 6th. Bolton takes the lead in the 31st, but much like them, we answer quickly, as Barker scores just four minutes later, and it goes to the break 2-2.

There are no goals in the second half, and while it's great that we're now undefeated in six, that's three straight league draws, and we're treading water and falling slightly in the league, as we're now down to 14th.

[trman73]

January 17, 2037 - Premier League: West Ham (7-7-8, 28 pts., 14th) vs. Manchester United (15-4-3, 49 pts., 1st)

United looks like a team headed to its fifth consecutive EPL title. They've got a four-point lead over Arsenal, and have allowed just 15 goals in their 22 matches. We're going to need to put in a great performance today to extend our streak, and we just haven't played well against this team in my tenure. I'm a fool if I think that the board isn't still seriously considering my future, and we've got a tough stretch of games coming. I'm working without a contract past June 30, so we need to continue our quality performances.

Prior to this match Mirko Stanojevic, whose contract is up at the end of the year, signs a contract to play in China next season. I was unlikely to re-sign him, as he's 32 years old and wanted a giant pay raise. Still, he's our captain and has been a good player. We'll need to look for a new right back, either now or later.

We also lose Claudio Grassi to a training injury, as he's out for two weeks with a damaged foot. We'll get Sander Drent back before then, but we're thin in the midfield right now, and Angus Knowles takes his spot today. Even worse, Rafik Mahsas has left the team to join up with his Algerian side for the African Cup of Nations. Man, it's been one long string of absences to key players this season.

United comes out strong in the first half, but in the 22nd we get a counter attack, and Chris Barker hits Alberto Perez with a fantastic lead pass to put us up! Just what we needed! We get stronger offensively from there, and in the 42nd Oscar Bonet scores to give us a 2-0 lead! We hold it at the half, and are 45 minutes away from our biggest win of the season.

The second half moves along and United's not really challenging. With 10 minutes to go, it's clear we're going to win. But Chris Barker makes it an even more emphatic statement in the 90th with our third goal, and we beat the best team in the league in convincing fashion, 3-0. Easily our biggest win of the season.

We pay a big price for this win, as Oscar Bonet (2-3 weeks), Felipe Fidalgo (4-5 days), and Jorge Acosta (12 days-3 weeks) all go down. But for now, we'll relish this victory that sees us move into 9th place in the league.

[trman73]

January 21, 2037 - Premier League: West Ham (8-7-8, 31 pts., 10th) vs. Wolves (11-4-8, 37 pts., 6th)

I got a little ahead of myself saying that we moved into 9th after our last match. We're in 10th, as Watford won after our match to jump us. But we've got bigger things to worry about...

Now that's an injury list. Yikes. That's six starters and two quality reserves out of action. The big loss is Bonet and being without him for two weeks makes me cringe. But we've got to get by with Jahmal Overend.

This is a matchup of the two hottest teams in the league. We've gone seven straight without a loss, and Wolves is 6-1-1 in their last seven in the EPL. We beat these guys in the FA Cup match a few weeks ago, but we weren't playing with six reserves in the starting lineup.

It takes 90 seconds for the guys to put me at ease, as Chris Barker takes a corner and finds Dan Donoghue for his first goal of the season. But Wolves pull even quickly, in the 9th, and it's 1-1 at the half. In the second half, Cesar Meneses gets called for a foul in the box, and Wolves convert to go up 2-1 in the 56th. We go into attack mode, but too many guys are either gassed or just not match fit, and the streak is over as we lose, 2-1.

[trman73]

January 24, 2037 - Premier League: Reading (8-4-11, 28 pts., 15th) vs. West Ham (8-7-9, 31 pts., 11th)

The three-day turnaround is just a killer here, as of our missing guys, only Felipe Fidaglo is back, and everyone who's playing is dead tired. But we have to push on against a team that we should beat, even on the road. Let's do it.

I give Jack Wilson his first start in quite a while in this one, and he rewards me in the 17th with a goal to make it 1-0. In the 26th, Alberto Perez picks up his second assist of the half, setting up Jahmal Overend for his first league goal, and it's 2-0. Reading gets one right before the half to make it 2-1. In the second half, yet another player goes down, and it's Perez, who pulls a hamstring. This will be a really tough one if it's a long-term injury. In the 83rd Chris Barker, on for Perez, puts it away on a great setup from Wilson, and we get back to our winning ways. Reading scores late, but it's a 3-2 victory.

Edited October 22, 2017 by trman73

[trman73]

February 1, 2037 - FA Cup, Fourth Round: Watford vs. West Ham

We get a week off and we desperately need it. We're still without most of our injured guys, although Sander Drent is ready to get some run as a sub. Mirko Stanojevic is also out for this one due to suspension for yellows.

Well, we get a chance to give Drent some game time, because we absolutely dominate this match. Jack Wilson opens the scoring in the 11th, he gets a second in the 32nd, and then Jahmal Overend scores in the opening two minutes of the second half to make it 3-0. We get a fluke goal on a long header from sub Joel Reed-Dennison in the 77th to close out the scoring.

We're on to the final 16 of FA Cup, and just a match away from meeting board expectations for this competition. In the next match, we'll get... a home match with Fulham.

We now have another week off before facing the team nipping at us for 10th place in the league, Man City.

[trman73]

February 8, 2037 - Premier League: West Ham (9-7-9, 34 pts., 11th) vs. Manchester City (10-2-13, 32 pts., 11th)

We're getting healthy. Sander Drent, Oscar Bonet, Javier Leiva, and Juan Pablo Cuevas are all back for this one, leaving just Alberto Perez and Adrian Marriott left as our injured players, and Stanojevic is still out due to suspension. We also get Rafik Mahsas back from Algeria duty earlier than expected, as they flamed out in the group stage of the African Cup of Nations.

We have a quiet transfer deadline, as I made a couple offers but couldn't get anything done. We'll have work to do in the off-season (if I'm retained), as some guys are going to leave. Stanojevic already has a foot out the door, and Mario Romero, our quality central defender, will not accept a new contract offer from me. Honestly, I think the combination of Felipe Fidalgo and Ruben Luz can take over for him next season.

City has slowly inched up the table, but played a midweek match against Arsenal and got drilled, 3-0. Everyone's played 25 games, and we're in the top half. We need to win or draw this match to stay there. I have a good feeling about this one as we're on a nice run, going 6-3-1 in our last 10 matches since Boxing Day. We've also scored seven goals in our last two matches, and City is not a good defensive team this year. Still, these guys slaughtered us earlier in the season.

We get off to another hot start in this one, as Jorge Acosta leaves a long cross onto the foot of Jack Wilson, who sneaks past the defense to score. Chris Barker nets us a second in the 20th, and we cruise to halftime up 2-0.

Honestly, I thought I had paused the game to run a couple errands, but I didn't, and the second half played out with out me making a substitution. Luckily, we hang on for the 2-0 victory, and we continue our great run and pass Watford to move up to 9th with a dozen matches to go.

[trman73]

February 14, 2037 - Premier League: Stoke (11-9-6, 42 pts., 7th) vs. West Ham (10-7-9, 37 pts., 9th)

This is a really big match for us. With a win, we can move within just a point of a continental qualification spot. Of course, with the match on the horizon, we lose another key man, as Rafik Mahsas goes down for a month with a groin injury suffered in training. Felipe Fidalgo played very well in his place when Mahsas was out on duty with Algeria, so I trust him to step in, but still, this guy's our best defender.

Javier Leiva is ready to go in net for this one, but I'm sticking with Benes in net as he's been in place for our great run. I'm also keeping Perez and Drent on the bench to start the game.

A draw doesn't do us too much good here, but it's what we get. Stoke outplays us, but Martin Benes gets us a point, saving two point-blank shots in a row in the 88th minute. He's the deserved player of the match, and it's a 0-0 draw, our third straight shutout.

We now have two weeks off from league play as we play the first knockout round of Euro Cup, with our FA Cup match sandwiched in the middle.