ajcardall Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 2019/20 Season - October 2019 Results We had a fantastic month in Europe, but continued our inconsistent form on domestically. The 3-0 win at Roma was helped massively when they were reduced to 10 men within the first 10 minutes allowing us to dominate possession and keep them off of the ball for large spells of the game. The Kiev result was a fantastic performance, but unfortunately we were unable to carry that form into the league or EFL Cup. The 1-4 defeat to Manchester City was exceptionally disappointing and was the result of more suspect defending. It is becoming clear now that our partnership at the back of Lees and Cathcart, which did so well last season, now appears to be struggling. I shall look to strengthen in the January transfer window. League Table Our continued poor form sees us drop down to 5th. We have currently only managed one win in our past five games. Champions League Bayern lost to both Roma and Kiev and are struggling. Roma are also struggling after their defeat to us. The group is still wide open at the midway point and anyone could progress to the next round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 2019/20 Season - November 2019 Results P6, W5, D0, L1 After our recent poor form, this was a brilliant month in which we only lost one game out of 6, away to Man Utd. The triumph over FC Bayern (3-1) was the game of the month and the result was enough to guarantee our qualification to the next round after Kiev beat Roma. Tables Starting Position: 5th Final Position: 4th Change: +1 Our upturn in form came at the right time and ensured we didn't start to drop down the league table. But for the defeat to Man Utd at the end of the month and we would have ended November in 2nd place. Arsenal are unbeaten so far this season in the league and currently look good value for the title, although Man Utd are now picking up a head of steam and it promises to be a good challenge between the two for the crown. Man City have been shocking so far and are way down in 13th place as we enter December. Champions League Proof of our guaranteed progression to the final round. Our final game is a long trip away to Ukraine to face Kiev, which is going to be a tough fixture. Man City Sack Benitez Perhaps unsurprisingly given their poor start to the season, Man City have parted company with Rafa Benitez. Luis Enrique is the bookies favourite to fill the post. Pierre Zebli November Player of the Month Zebli's impressive performance in midfield this month secured him the November Player of the Month award The Softest of Brexits Its like we never left...! Transfer Budget Increase The board invited me to a meeting to gauge my opinion of potentially increasing the transfer budget. I readily agreed to the suggestion, and the board announced later that they have released and extra £29.6M into the transfer funds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 2019/20 Seasons - December 2019 Results P8, W5, D1, L2 A good month overall, but one that could have been nearly perfect. We conceded deep in stoppage time in both the Tottenham and Man City match, goals that cost us 3 points and were exceptionally frustrating to see. The Burnley match was a disgrace. We went down to ten men in the first 15 minutes when Tom Lees saw straight red for a two-footed challenge. Following the sending off we barely had a shot on goal and the 1-3 defeat and flattered us. League Table Starting Position: 4th. Finishing Position: 3rd. Change: +1 End the year in 3rd place, although Tottenham play their game in hand on New Years Day and will pass us should they win. They will stay 4th with a draw as we have a tied goal difference, but we have higher goals for. Champions League Topped our group, knowing a point would see us take 1st place. Kiev were set to finish 2nd but the late goal we scored, and Bayern's win in Rome, means Bayern pass them and take 2nd spot. Poor competition for Roma and Man City, who both are out of all European competitions now after finishing 4th in their groups. A tough draw sees us face German giants Dortmund. Hopefully we can come away with something from the first leg, and take our chances at home, where we have been in fine form this season. FA Cup 3rd Round Draw A home match against Everton, and we should be looking to progress into the 4th Round. Player of the Month Definitely Paco Alcacer. His return for December was 8 goals in 8 games, including a hat-trick against Sunderland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 2019/20 Season - January 2020 Results P6 W5, D1, L0 Probably the best month of my career so far. Goals-a-plenty, including a 7-2 thrashing of rivals Leeds. The only negative was dropped points against league leaders Arsenal, but I would have taken a 1-1 draw if offered before kick off. Premier League Starting Position: 3rd Final Position: 4th Change: -1 The top four has become exceptionally tight, but daylight is starting to open up between 4th and 5th. Liverpool have had a poor run in 2020, not picking up any points, and dropping down to 12th place. FA Cup 4th Round Draw Another cup tie against the club that love to end our participation, Tottenham! Transfers We sold Leander Dendoncker to Man City as he has been moaning about wanting to leave all season. We got £37M for him after signing him for £17M, so a good profit was made. Gylfi Sigurdsson also left the club chasing the money available in China. He was sold to Huaxia Xingfu for a ridiculous £21M (his value was somewhere around £14M). Liam Palmer also left the club and joined Crystal Palace for £8M Barcelona were chasing after our highly rated youngster Raf Van Roy, but we were able to keep hold of him until at least the end of the season when the transfer window re-opens. We have strengthed our defence after the frailties earlier in the season, bringing in Joel Viltman from Crystal Palace, Tin Jedvaj from Leverkusen, and Marvin Renfurm from Utrecht. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 2019/20 Season - February 2020 Results P , W2, D1, L2 If January was one of my best months, February was almost one of the worst. Once again, for the 4th time in 4 seasons, Tottenham eliminated us from a domestic cup competition. Since I took over we have played Spurs 11 times - and only won once. They truly are our Achilles heel. The 1-5 away defeat to Everton led to 8 out of the 13 players who featured in that game receiving a weeks' fine for poor performances. A few complained - I did not listen. It was pathetic. We ended on a high note though, beating Dortmund 2-0 in their own back yard following a rear-guard performance that will be remembered for years. Doubtless the absolute b*llocking the players got after the Everton game had some impact...! League Table Starting Position: 4th Final Position: 4th No change. We lost pace on the leaders and dropped to 4 points behind 2nd and 3rd, but we still hold a 9 point gap over 5th placed Burnley. Youth Team Prospects One definite stand out player in this years bunch... This lad could become something very special. He has the determination - which is always crucial - and has decent natural fitness. I shall monitor him very closely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 2019/20 Season - End of Season Review Results An unbeaten final push in the league with some high-scoring victories of good teams. After the 1-5 defeat to Everton in February I switched to a new tactic that saw us run riot, putting 4 past Chelsea and 3 past Liverpool. We even managed to beat Tottenham, although they made a good fist of it. The draw against Man Utd ended up having a big impact on the table... If we had beaten Man Utd in that game, we would have took the title. As it is, Man Utd secured their second in a row with victory in their final game over Arsenal - which helped ensured we finished 2nd. Review Delighted to have closed the gap so much, and to finish 2nd is a great achievement and shows last year's success wasn't a flash in the pan. Of course, to come so close and miss out by a point is disappointing, but we look like we will be back up there again next season. Also pleased with how we did in Europe. We were knocked out by Dortmund 3-3, losing our home leg 1-3 meaning they went qualified by virtue of away goals. Met our expectations though, and hopefully next year we can push on a little further. Next Season Pierre Zebli has left us to join AS Monaco after they came in with a bid that equalled his minimum fee release clause (£45.5M), so I shall be looking to bring in a replacement for him. Overall I am happy with where we are at. I don't feel like we need a major overhaul, but one or two extra players could be the difference next season. We achieved the seasonal target of qualifying for the Champions League through the league, and did that comfortably in the end. Next season I am going to push for the title. To run Man Utd so close at the end is very encouraging and I don't see why we can't have more of the same next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Wow, so close to the title! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 What a battle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 16 minutes ago, deltablue said: Wow, so close to the title! 13 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: What a battle. It was great to get so close. Hoping next season we go one step further, if for no other reason than Mourinho appears to be hard-coded to be a w***er via the press, and to beat him would feel pretty good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 2020/21 Season - PreSeason Results Good preseason efforts with minimal injuries sustained, the most severe being a twisted knee suffered by Jack Cork, but he is due back in time for the season start. Title Odds Our showing last season means that we are now predicted to be right amongst the mix at the end of the season, and a title is a fairly realistic possibility. Transfers A handful of new arrivals over the summer, with Jorge Luis and Denis Suarez being the most exciting. Maksimovic has been brought in to further strength our defence. Oier Flano was signed by the Head of Youth Development as I allowed him control of bringing in ones for the future. Loaned him out to Burnley as he would be a fringe player at best for us this year, but could still be one for the future. Bjelland was sold in the summer, moving to Chievo. It was a shame to have to move him on, but he has fallen down the pecking order and would have been extremely limited for game time had he stayed with us. George Hirst was also moved on. He has some potential, but he looks more suited to a midtable outfit, and looks unlikely to ever challenge Alcacer for a starting berth. Stadium Expansion The expansion taking our capacity to 55,000 has been completed and we return home with immediate effect after a year of ground sharing with Leeds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 2020/21 Season - August 2020 Results Not the best of starts with 5 points from 9 on offer. How we failed to beat Burnley and Southampton I shall never know as we dominated them both throughout, but as is often the way, they took their chances when they came. Of course it is still early days yet so no cause for alarm, and we have looked extremely threatening in out three games so far, and there is a feeling it won't be long before someone is on the receiving end of a cricket score. Table Here's the league table after the opening three games. EFL Cup Draw A home tie against Liverpool in the 3rd Round, and one we should be winning at this stage. Champions League Draw A decent group with Juventus, Kiev and Celtic featuring. Should be looking to qualify from this group, and failure to do so will be a disappointment. Looking forward to the Juventus tests to see how far we are progressing as a team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 I have a good feeling for this season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 1 hour ago, Keano16 said: I have a good feeling for this season! To get so close at the end last season and to just fall short was so agonising. The way we are firing right now, things are looking very promsing! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 2020/21 Season September 2020 Results P6 W6 D0 L0 Perfect month with some fantastic results and performances. Putting 8 past Liverpool over the two games was good, beating our bogey team Tottenham was brilliant, but to beat Juventus - Juventus! - 3-0 away from home was incredible. To be fair, they have struggled a little so far this season, and only won 2 so far, but I'm still taking it. 3-0 is amazing for us. Table We shoot up to 2nd position, level with Chelsea but a place below because of our slightly inferior goal difference. Man City appear to be struggling again this year. This would make it 3 out of 4 seasons where they have struggled massively. Not sure what's gone wrong there! Champions League Group 2 from 2 and looking good so far. The other teams are yet to win between themselves, allowing us to take a big step towards qualification for the 2nd year in a row. EFL Cup 4th Round And away draw against Watford, and one we won't be taking lightly. Just pleased to have avoided Tottenham. So far! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 2020/21 Season - October 2020 Results P6 W5 D1 L0 Still unbeaten so far this season, and things are really starting to click together. The 4-4 draw against Chelsea was an epic match, both of us displaying our attacking prowess. Our defence is getting itself together now - the Chelsea match not withstanding - and 5 clean sheets in 6 games is an outstanding return. Man City continue their slump and the 3-0 victory we earned could have been much more. As the league table will show, something is going horribly wrong with them. Over the past 4 years - including this one - I've been in the Premier League, they have seriously struggled and under-performed in 3 of them. Table We moved top of the league after Man Utd could only draw against Man City in their final game of the month. We are starting to pull away from the pack and if our momentum and form continues then it will be hard to see the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea being able to keep the pace. Arsenal had a patchy month, which has played in our favour. At the foot, unless Man City get their act together, they are in serious danger of suffering a humiliating fall out of the Premier League. Champions League After just three games we have guaranteed our progression in Europe. The win over Kiev, coupled with Juventus and Celtic playing out a draw, ensures we are into the knockout stages of the contest. Once I can secure top spot, I shall give youngsters an opportunity against the big boys and see how they fair. Victory in the upcoming game against Kiev and we shall top the group regardless of how the other games go. EFL Cup Quarter Final Draw A home match against Southampton. Could be tricky, Southampton are a team who on their day can beat anyone. They have made good progress in this save. I fancy our chances and I now starting casting my glance forwards to securing the EFL Cup. Hjobjerg Injury We have lost Hjobjerg for the rest of the season after he suffered damaged cruciate ligaments in the match against Watford. At only 25 years old, he should come back strong but it will be interesting to see if he can return to his best. He has been an understated rock in our midfield who isn't afraid to chip in with a goal or two. He will be missed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucket Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Qualified after 3 games! That's mental!! Well done. I've read all this in a day and need more!! Well done, surely going to go on and bag the title now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Interesting seeing Juventus struggle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 On 06/05/2017 at 12:17, bucket said: Qualified after 3 games! That's mental!! Well done. I've read all this in a day and need more!! Well done, surely going to go on and bag the title now. Thanks! Juve having a poor (by their standards) season helped. On 06/05/2017 at 12:22, deltablue said: Interesting seeing Juventus struggle. They're 5th right now in Serie A, they just haven't been able to put together a string of wins and are suffering for it. They're already 11 behind league leaders AC Milan and its tough to see them overcoming that with how they've been so far this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 2020/21 Season - November 2020 Results P5, W3, D1, L1 We've had a bit of a sluggish month, especially in the league, and the goals have dried up somewhat with 4 goals in the past 4 games. The 1-3 defeat to Man Utd was frustrating, but they do remain the strongest team in the division so the result has to be expected. In the other games, we dominated throughout in terms of possession and chances, but our strikers appear to be going off the boil slightly and we have been missing chances that previously would have gone in. I'm hoping it is nothing more than a temporary blip and they will re-find their touch and start banging them in again soon. League Table The draw against Watford meant we missed the chance to go top of the league, which makes the dropped points very galling. There is still plenty of football to play, and we are looking good value for our position and should be able to kick on from here, providing we can return to our previous rhythm. Man City had another poor month and have lost 3 from their previous 5. Sitting just five points above the drop zone has to be seen as a disaster for the team who expect success. Going to be very interesting to see if they can put some distance between themselves and the bottom three, because if they don't, then it has to be expected that they will be looking for their 5th manager in just under three years. Their current manager, Francesco Calzona, has been in charge for just over a week, and will surely be under immediate pressure to turn things around for the club. Champions League Table Top spot is well and truly secured, so our final game (home vs Juventus) will feature a heavily rotated squad in order to give some of the youngsters the opportunity to showcase their talents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 2020/21 Season --- January 2021 Results P15, W13, D1, L1 We managed to re-find our top form, and in some style, winning thirteen from fifteen in all competitions over the festive period and into the New Year. Both games where we failed to win were against Newcastle - going 2-3 down in the league, and drawing 3-3 in the second leg of the EFL Cup Semi Final. Fortunately we had won the first leg 3-0, so we advance to the final, 6-3 on aggregate. In the FA Cup, we had a very convincing and comfortable victory over Northampton Town, running away 7-1 victors, followed up by a 4-0 victory over Cardiff City in the next round. With our form and ability to score several goals in matches bode very well and as we pass the half-way mark of the season, we find ourselves top of the league, level on points with Man Utd, but with two games in hand. Table Starting to look very comfortable in the top spot, and Man Utd and ourselves have opened up a 9-point lead over 3rd placed Chelsea, making the title fight looking like it shall be between us and Man Utd. Man City's struggles continue and are struggling to win games, and still linger in the bottom half of the table. They do have a decent point cushion, and the teams below them are, respectfully, lower quality, so City should be safe. EFL Cup Final My first EFL Cup final, and we shall play Man Utd next month. FA Cup 5th Round Newcastle or Brentford await us in the 5th Round, and once again we should be looking to make it through to the 6th Round from here. Champions League First Knockout Round We face Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the first knockout round of the Champions League. It is a tough draw, but if we continue playing the way we have so far this season, I do fancy our chances over the two legs. Key Injuries We have lost first team goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith to a broken hand, and he shall be out for around a month. Franck Kessie was injured while playing for the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations, suffering broken ribs in a game. With Hjobjerg out for the season, we have now lost two of our rocks in the midfield. Thankfully we have adequate cover, but Kessie had been in some really good form before he was injured, so to lose him is a great shame. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 2020/21 Season February 2021 Results P8, W5, D1, L2 February saw us return to European action as we faced Atletico Madrid in the first leg of our knockout round match. We travelled to the Spanish capital in good form and high spirits, although we were missing a few key players. I went with the opinion that coming away with the tie very much alive would be a positive result, and we achieved that with a 1-1 draw. With everything still to play for, we can look forward to the 2nd leg with cautious optimism and stand every chance of progressing at this stage. In the FA Cup we put in a professional performance to over Brentford, winning 3-0 and setting up a 6th Round match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We also had the final of the EFL Cup to contend, and an appalling performance saw us on the receiving end of a 1-3 defeat to title rivals Man Utd. Mourinho took great joy in lauding it over us in the press at the end of the match, to which I responded by showing him the league table. Our league form was solid, despite suffering a shock 0-1 defeat at home to newly promoted Leicester. Despite the blip, our strong performances - notable a 4-0 win over Chelsea - have seen us pass Man Utd in the title race and we occupy the top spot as we enter the final quarter of the season. League Table Our good month in the league means we now enjoy a 5 point lead over Man Utd after 27 games. At this stage we are almost guaranteed a place in Europe, barring a monumental collapse that would make Keegan blush. Tottenham have had a relatively poor season after their strong showings in the past couple of years, but still have every chance of finishing inside the top 4. Man City's struggles continue and they are still at the wrong side of the table, sitting in 15th place. Their 12 point cushion above 18th placed Sunderland means they are unlikely to be under and serious threat of the relegation, but they still face the embarrassment of another bottom-half finish - a far cry from their days as title challengers. It is difficult to see Middlesbrough surviving this season, and one win from their 28 matches is never going to be enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 2020/21 Season March 2021 Results P5, W5, D0, L0 We managed to go unbeaten throughout March as we advanced on all fronts with some strong performances after last month's disappointment of losing in the EFL Cup final. In the Premier League, we maintained our place at the top of the table after picking up a maximum of nine points from the three league games we played in March. Our league fixtures - with respect to the teams - were a relatively easy run and had we dropped points it would have been seen as a disappointment. In the Champions League 1st Knockout Round we entertained Atletico Madrid, and after our 1-1 draw in Madrid, I had cause to be optimistic about our chances. I did not foresee us running away 4-0 winners in what was a magnificent display where all players rose to the occasion and demonstrated just how good they are. The result made it 5-1 on aggregate and we advance now to the Quarter Finals. Our FA Cup run continued as we dispatched Chelsea in the 6th Round, setting up a semi final clash with our old cup demons, Tottenham. League Table Man Utd kept pace with us and we remain 5 points clear with 8 games remaining to play. Stoke have hit a great patch of form and find themselves pushing for a top 4 finish as the season draws to a close. Chelsea have started to fade away somewhat, and Man City remain stuck in 15th position, although they have gained ground on 14th placed Southampton. West Brom have had a torrid time lately and find themselves right in the thick of the relegation battle. Middlesbrough are as good as relegated already, with 36 points being their maximum haul at this stage. Sunderland also look to be in serious trouble, and had a winless month this month. Champions League Quarter Final Draw We have been drawn against fellow Premier League team Arsenal in the quarter finals. Given how strong we have been this season, I have to fancy our chances of reaching the semi final. FA Cup Semi Final As I mentioned earlier, we will play Tottenham in the FA Cup Semi Final - the team who have a knack of eliminating us from cup competitions. At this stage I am targeting regaining the FA Cup after we won the competition back in 2018. Youth Intake Not the greatest of intakes this season, with only two players having any chance of making it for us Bill Gee is the one who promises the most, and has high determination so the foundations are there. Shaun Calcutt is far less determined and will have to really step up if he is to hit his potential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 2020/21 Season April 2021 Results P6, W4, L2 The month started badly as we choked against Man Utd in the league and allowed them to pull back to within two points of us. Thankfully Watford did us a big favour and wiped the smug grin off of Mourinho's face, beating them 2-1 at Vicarage Road and ensuring that if we win our game in hand, we will be back to 5 points clear at the top. The 3-5 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League Quarter Final was another blow, but it was a fantastic game full of attacking football... and dodgy defending! Luckily we gave a more rounded performance in the home leg, winning 3-1 and qualifying for the semi finals thanks to our away goals from the first leg. A late goal from Paco Alcacer against his former club proved to be the decisive goal in a very entertaining and hard fought two-legs of football. We also made it to the FA Cup Final after beating Tottenham 4-1 at Wembley. The score was perhaps harsh on Tottenham, who played a lot better than the score suggests. League Table As I said above, we can return to 5 points clear at the top if we win our game in hand against Everton. With just a handful of games left, the pressure is starting to mount and may even be beginning to affect a few of the younger players. I am still confident we will hold on and clinch a famous league title. Middlesbrough's long expected relegation has been confirmed, and Sunderland look set to follow them. Wigan have found a few priceless victories and have climbed out of the drop zone, with West Brom's continued poor form seeing them replaced them in the relegation zone. Watford are essentially safe thanks to their superior goal difference over the teams below them, but will surely be looking for that extra point that confirms their survival for another year. All told, it is essentially between Wigan and West Brom in the fight to avoid dropping into the Championship next season. Champions League Semi Final Draw We have been pitted against Real Madrid in the semi final. We absolutely need to keep a clean sheet in the first leg, as I don't see us containing the galacticos in their own back yard. Elsewhere, there is guaranteed French representation in the final as Monaco face PSG in the second semi final. FA Cup Final Man City have put their league form behind them and reached the final of the FA Cup. Given their poor season, we have to be considered the favourites at this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Season 2020/21 May 2021 Champions League Semi Final First Leg Prior to kick off, I targeted a good performance in this game as being the key to us making it through to the final of Europe's premier club competition. If we could get a good result at home, then we know that if we can keep Madrid out - or at least restrict them - at the Bernabeu, we would have every chance. I was nervous and excited ahead of, arguably, the biggest game of my tenure at Hillsborough. In front of a sell out 55,000, I challenged the team to put down a marker and make a statement that would be heard around the world. Well. We snatched a late draw but given how well we restricted Madrid over the 90 minutes, it is a disappointing result. We had 4 clear chances, but Alcacer had an uncharacteristic off-day and failed to find the net. I throw Wednesday icon Rhodes on for the last 10 minutes, and he came up good, grabbing the equaliser deep into stoppage time. This didn't feel like a victory, though. We should have been out of sight by that point, and but for Alcacer having a nightmare, and us hitting the woodwork three times, we surely would have been. We now know we have to achieve at least a score draw in Madrid to have any chance of making a historic final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 2020/21 Season May 2021 Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg After the disappointment and missed chances in our home leg, I knew it would now take a lot to overcome Madrid and make it through to the final. With the scores level at 1-1 - but Madrid having a crucial away goal, we needed to earn a scoring draw to at least take the game into extra time. I kept faith with the squad who performed excellently at Hillsborough as we faced a massive game in the club's history.... First Half We started well. We couldn't afford to just sit back - we needed to score. We got off to a very strong start and had Madrid on the back foot in the first ten minutes. While we failed to find the net during the early spells, we did give them pause as they knew we wouldn't be going down easily, or hoping for a lucky break. I thought our moment had come midway through the half when Paco Alcacer was brought down in the box, and the referee awarded us a penalty. Alcacer took a deep breath as he began his run up.... but Navas saved it!! I was about to sink, expecting another night of disappointment until Tin Jedvaj pounced on the loose ball after the save and tucked home to make it 1-0! We had the lead, and we had cancelled the away goal we conceded in the first leg. Could it be....? The rest of the first half saw Madrid come on strong - they knew they had to score. We found ourselves under serious pressure. I called for concentration from the lads, there was still a long way to go. Given the pressure Madrid were under, and the weight of the occasion leading to some questionable decisions, it was no surprise when in the 44th minute youngster Evan Henry picked up his second yellow card and was dismissed! Now we faced a 45 minute onslaught with just 10 men. Fortunately we managed to make it half-time with our slender advantage in tact... Half Time: Real Madrid 0 (1) - (2) 1 Sheffield Wednesday Second Half It was more of the same in second half, and Madrid were all over us. Down to ten, and facing a fierce onslaught, I ordered the boys to tighten up and concentrate. If we could keep them out for the next 45, we would be in the final. We were holding on by our finger nails, but holding on we were. We approached the last ten minutes with our 1-0 lead still in tact, and a famous, famous victory was within our grasp. But then, in the 78th minute, Sergio Aguero found the net and levelled the game at 1-1... We were looking at extra time, and with the effort of a valiant rearguard showing causing some tired legs, I began to fear for our chances. I once again pleaded for calm from the players - they couldn't let their heads drop. If we could get to full time, we could regroup and reassess... could we hold on?! 90 minutes: Real Madrid 1 (2) - (2) 1 Sheffield Wednesday See spoiler for the injury time and full time score Spoiler Injury Time (3 minutes) We entered injury time. The pressure was unreal. We were minutes away from taking Madrid to extra time. The noise was deafening as 80,000 Madrid fans urged their team on. Just as things looked like safe, Gareth Bale struck in injury time... 1-2. After holding out so well, after restricting them, after daring to dream, it was now 3-2 on aggregate. The players sunk as Madrid celebrated the late, late goal. Even though we had a few minutes left, the crushing blow of conceding so late looked to have utterly deflated the boys. However, no-one told Stuart Hanks. Hanks was playing only his second game for the club. On as late substitute for the exhausted Alcacer, during his brief time on the pitch he was isolated up front as we held on in defence. He had barely even seen the ball! That was, until the 3rd minute of injury time. Pereria hit a ball forward. It wasn't an aimed pass - it was frustration. It was a kick of anger. It was a blind hoof... ...it was a defence splitting route-one long ball that Hanks, 19 years old, biggest game of his life, managed to get on the end of. He was now through, one-on-one, the last chance, the weight of an entire club and their fans on his shoulders.... ....and he utterly, absolutely, smashed it home!!!!!!!!!!! We had done it!!! The whistle blew!!!! We were into the Champions League Final!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Incredible! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Hanks will never have to buy a pint again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 6 minutes ago, Keano16 said: Hanks will never have to buy a pint again. Except in Madrid, where he'll never be served one again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 17 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: Except in Madrid, where he'll never be served one again. *Hanks waltzes into a Madrid bar after the game* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucket Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Oh Stuart Hanks scored a f**king great goal....he's now our hero!!! Well done mate!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNokklu Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 I'm new to the site and to FM in general so I'm trying to get as much tips (and entertainment) as I can from these threads. I can safely say that that injury time commentary you gave had me at the edge of my seat!! Great play through and hope to see more of the same p.s. How the f*** do you people manage to turn mid-low level teams around so effectively? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 22 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Incredible! Thanks! It definitely surpass the Inter Milan game as the most dramatic I've had so far. For a youngster only in as cover to smash one in at 90+3 to win it was insane! 21 hours ago, Keano16 said: Hanks will never have to buy a pint again. Plans afoot to build a golden statue outside of Sheffield City Hall 20 hours ago, bucket said: Oh Stuart Hanks scored a f**king great goal....he's now our hero!!! Well done mate!! What a guy!! He's not even one of signings. The Head of Youth Development signed him. I think we owe him a beer 7 hours ago, TheNokklu said: I'm new to the site and to FM in general so I'm trying to get as much tips (and entertainment) as I can from these threads. I can safely say that that injury time commentary you gave had me at the edge of my seat!! Great play through and hope to see more of the same p.s. How the f*** do you people manage to turn mid-low level teams around so effectively? Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it I've played every instalment of FM (and Championship Manager before) right back to Championship Manager 97/98, so almost 20 years experience. Its just a case of making sure all the players are suited to their roles and having a grasp of how team instructions/player instructions work together. I wouldn't even claim to be that good - there are people on the forum (and who chronicle their own careers through updates) who are much, much better than me! I'm about to throw up the rest of the season. Sadly the final isn't anywhere nearly as dramatic as the semi final, but we'll see in a few minutes! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 2020/21 Season End of Season Update Results P5, W4, D0, L1 Our final run-in saw us pick up 12 from 15, dropping points once more against Leicester, who are doing their best to supplant Tottenham as our bogey team. Going into the final stretch we need that 3 wins would secure the league, and perhaps it was the pressure that caused the shock Leicester defeat. It mattered little in the grand scheme of things because a few days later, in front of 55,000 fans, we were crowned champions of England with a 4-0 victory against Everton. For the first time since 1930, Sheffield Wednesday had won the top league in the land. Final League Table There is confirmation of our amazing season, top by 6 points over Man Utd. They gave us a cracking fight and didn't surrender their crown easily, and I look forward to sparring with them again next season. Tottenham and Chelsea completed the top 4, with Stoke, Liverpool and Arsenal all clinching Europa League places for next season. Man City enjoyed a come back and just about secured a top-half finish. It doesn't gloss over what has been a sudden fall from grace for the club, and all eyes shall on them next year to see what they can do. At the bottom, West Brom were relegated from the Premier League. Their second half of the season was abysmal and Wigan did just enough to secure their top flight status for another season. Middlesbrough and Sunderland were also relegated. FA Cup Final We earned a domestic double with a routine and expected 3-0 defeat of Man City. Goals from Alcacer and Sarabia were enough to earn us our 2nd FA Cup victory in 4 years, after we won the competition in 2018. All that remained for us was the small matter of the Champions League Final against French club PSG... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 2020/21 Season Champions League Final Road to the Final This season's final will be played at the Amsterdam ArenA between Premier League and FA Cup victors Sheffield Wednesday, and Ligue 1 and French Cup winners PSG - both teams looking to secure a famous treble. Sheff Weds' road to the final included famous victories over the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. PSG saw off challenges from Monaco, Liverpool and Juventus in their quest for glory. Sheff Weds fans will no doubt remember the heartbreak from two seasons ago, when they reached the Europa League final, only to falter in extra time to Leverkusen. The Final Compared to the late, late drama of the semi final, the final itself was somewhat more straightforward and mundane! PSG missed an early penalty, and we never looked back. Two goals from Denis Suarez and a goal from wonderkid Raf Van Roy were enough to secure victory, and a remarkable rise was completed. Just 10 years ago, we finished 15th in League One, and were staving off threats of administration and even extinction. Milan Mandaric saved the club off the pitch, and the fans had never looked back. When Thai multi-millionaire Chansiri purchased the club, he promised to get Wednesday back into the top flight within two years. We were close in the first season, missing out in the final against Hull. But the second season we did it. The fairytale continued as we grew in the league, winning the FA Cup in 2018, and reaching the Europa League final but cruelly falling short against German side Leverkusen. This year we won the league title, we regained the FA Cup, and now we were champions of Europe, rubbing shoulders with the likes of FC Bayern, Barcelona and Juventus. A long season had borne all the fruits it could. The challenge now is to maintain the success. Author's Note I am obviously delighted to have conquered Europe so soon - it was beyond all expectations. To prevent this save now going stale, I am going to set myself a few personal goals, as follows: Overcome Leeds' European trophy haul: right now Leeds have two European honours to their name - 2x Europa League wins. We have the recently won Champions League. My first goal is to better Leeds' tally, excluding the fluff Super Cup! Overcome Nottingham Forest's Champions League haul: Forest famously won two Champions Leagues. I am setting myself the goal of bettering that by going for three. Pass Chelsea's Modern-Day Premier League haul: Chelsea have won the Premier League 4 times under its modern inception. I will look to outshine them. Pass Liverpool's European Successes: Liverpool have 5x Champions Leagues and 5x Europa League victorys. Let's pass that. I shall keep track of progress via an Excel spreadsheet and post an updated version at the end of each season... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Well, that's fantastic! Good to see you setting further goals to aim for as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Amazing run in Europe, like that you've expanded your goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggi0 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Great threat. Didn't expect Hernandez to be so sensational in his period at Wednesday tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 Sheffield Wednesday - 2021/22 Season Pre-Season 2021 Friendly Results A good, solid set of preseason results, including a 10-0 victory over Shanghai. No injury worries or concerns and things look solid for the upcoming seasons. Community Shield A good game and a marker laid down for the season. Mourinho was left eating his words after his pre-match press conferences that saw him trying his best to wind us up. Always a good feeling to get one up over him. Transfers More young players brought in over the summer, the major transfer being that of Oleg Tyurin from Russian side Spartak Moscow. Pre-Season Title Odds We have been made favourites for the title, with Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham close behind. Wigan are among the favourites to suffer relegation, despite their great escape last season. The pundits also predict Wolves and Leicester will drop out of the Premier League at the end of the season. Pre-Season Expectations Doubtless fuelled by our successes last year, the board have extremely high expectations this year. It will be interesting to see if we can live up to the expectations and repeat the successes of last season. Club Rich List The club is now valued at over £1bn, thanks to the Champions League and Premier League titles we secured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 Sheffield Wednesday 2021/22 Season --- August 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Premier League Results ¦ Table A decent start to our season, despite the 0-2 defeat to West Ham, but we had positive results against Fulham, Wigan and Man City. The August results place us 5th in the league table, but naturally it is still very early days in the season and a lot can and will change, so it is fruitless to attempt to dissect things as they stand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- European Super Cup Sheff Wed 2 - 0 Barcelona We manged to overcome Barcelona in the Super Cup, running out 2-0 victors after goals from Paco Alcacer and Pablo Sarabia. We were able to contain and restrict the normally free-flowing Spaniards, and the performance was extremely pleasing. The Super Cup didn't rank highly in our seasonal targets, but it is nice to win the trophy regardless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Champions League Champions League Group Stage Draw We have been drawn against Inter, Sevilla and Copenhagen in this years' Champions League. Many of you may remember the heroic clash with Inter in the Europa League Semi Final a few seasons ago. We also managed to overcome Sevilla in that memorable run, so my confidence of reaching the 1st Knockout Round is high, although the group remains a tricky one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Injuries Injury Table We have suffered injuries to two of our key players - flamboyant winger Matheus Pereria is out for a couple of weeks with a pulled hamstring picked up against Fulham, whilst Joel Veltman will be out for around 3 months after suffering torn knee ligaments picked up during training. The loss of Pereria is a blow as he is a major part of the way we play. Fortunately we are now in the September international break, so he shouldn't miss too many fixtures for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 Sheffield Wednesday September 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Premier League Results ¦ Table We had a good, solid month in September that culminated in us hitting top-spot at the end of the month. Defeats for our main rivals for the crown allowed us to finish in 1st, although West Ham are 2nd only by goal difference. Other things to note are that Man City are yet to win a game in the league, registering 6 draws and 1 defeat so far. They find themselves in 15th spot and, although early days, it looks like another disappointing season could be in store for them. Also to note, Man Utd have struggled somewhat, and the team I most expected to push us for the title are currently down in 11th. West Ham have made a great start to the season, beyond all expectations, and look good value for a title challenge so far. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Champions League Results ¦ Table Two victories in our opening two games leave us in top spot, and interestingly, the only team in the group with a positive goal difference. Definitely looking to strengthen our grip on the group and hoping to confirm our progression into the knockout phases as soon as possible. Prior to the start of the competiton, we were given odds of 10-1 to retain the Champions League crown, with Real Madrid and Barcelona ranked as the joint favourites for this years competition. Meanwhile, Paco Alcacer is the bookies' 2nd favourite for the golden boot, with odds of 6-1 to be the contest's top scorer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EFL Cup Sheff Weds 4 - 0 Arsenal I used the EFL Cup as a chance to give some younger players a start, with Oakes, Shaw and Hanks all starting the game against Arsenal. In the end we ran away 4-0 victors, with Pablo Sarabia scoring all four goals for us in the game. We have been drawn against Watford in the 4th Round of the cup, and once again I shall rotate some of the players to give them exposure and game time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Injury Table Injuries Update The only major injury suffered this month was picked sustained by Franck Kessie while on international duty. He suffered shin splits and can expect to be out of action until around Christmas. It is another blow to our midfield, but there is a positive in that Matheus Peraria returned from injury this month, and looks no worse for wear. In the end he only ended up missing one game for us thanks to the international break. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcardall Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 Sheffield Wednesday October 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Premier League Results ¦ Table An unbeaten month in October, and we strengthened our grip on the top spot, carving out a 4 point cushion over 2nd placed Tottenham. We were sluggish in our opening game, labouring to a 0-0 draw away to Watford, but things improved thereafter, with victories over Norwich, Bournemouth and Everton. West Ham have hit a bit of inconsistent form, unable to string results together like they did earlier in the season. Their tendency to drop points lately has seen them fall away to 4th place. Arsenal and Watford both had good months and have moved up the table during October. Elsewhere around the league, Man Utd have posted a few extra victories on the board and will now be hoping to kick on and make up on lost ground against the teams above them. Chelsea had a poor October and have lost their last 3 games, and they now find themselves down in 10th position. Man City have improved after a very poor start, and are now starting to climb in the right direction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Champions League Sheff Weds 2 - 0 FC Kobenhavn¦ Table We played just one game in Europe this month, recording a comfortable 2-0 victory over Danish outfit FC Kobenhavn. The result leaves us in a very strong position at the top of our group, and barring a massive collapse, we will be progressing into the knockout stages of the competition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EFL Cup 4th Round Watford 0 - 2 Sheff Weds Once again, I rotated some of the players around for the EFL Cup match, and we had enough about us to come away with a 2-0 victory at Vicarage Road. Rhodes, whose playing time has fallen away as he now starts to decline in ability, proved their is still life in the ageing legs, bagging a brace. The victory in the 4th round has set up a quarter final tie against Fulham. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other News Other notable events from the month include Matheus Peraria being recognised for this outstanding performances by picking up October Player of the Month award. It was richly deserved; he earned an average rating of 8.35 and scored 2 goals in his four games this month. Raf Van Roy picked up a minor injury in the opening game of the month, ruling himself out for a couple of weeks with a twisted ankle. He returned to action by the end of the month, along with Joel Veltman and Franck Kessie, brining us back to full strength. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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