kevhamster Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 As a Southampton fan I read this with interest. Sorry the Saints job didn't work out, but you've done a great job with the Hammers. I'd like to see Ralph Kreuger's response to the CL qualification and FA cup wins Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 7 hours ago, kevhamster said: As a Southampton fan I read this with interest. Sorry the Saints job didn't work out, but you've done a great job with the Hammers. I'd like to see Ralph Kreuger's response to the CL qualification and FA cup wins Cheers Kevhamster! Yeah, the Saints job was a crash and burn. Being brutally honest, o only had one good season there (the second one). As for Krueger, you haven't seen the last of him. He'll be back soon enough with his response to King's success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 My reputation has shot up 15% as a result of this season! I don't know what the breakdown is. 5 for the CL spot, 5 for the Cup and 5 for the Manager of the Year? Or maybe 5 for the CL spot and 10 for the Cup. Either way, King is on the rise. Also, King has become favoured personnel! And he's on top of the list too. A good season could see him make icon status. Lastly, the season ended with a board confidence of... Jesus. That's the happiest I've made a board in FM by a long stretch. It's temporary of course. It'll drop a bit in preseason once new expectations are set. Just had to grab a screenshot though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Antonio is by far and away the deserving winner of POTS. Martins had a great season and is definitely signing of the season though he didn't have that much competition. Interesting (and also harsh) that there's no place for Hernandez in the Season XI. He was brilliant for us but Maicon had a very good average rating. Adjapong is YPOTS and that's fair enough too. He was very solid. That's our goal of the season. A beautiful strike from Hernandez. r/BetterEveryLoop worthy. Meanwhile, there's the season review. The match of the season was they very first game we had this season. Nice one. 😎 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Interesting appointment. I don't think I've mentioned it before but James Collins in also managing in the PL. He's a former West Ham defender (was retired by the time I got here) and he recently took the Liverpool job! He was previously at Swansea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) Just caught up. Amazing results. Congrats on the cup win. Wonder what your former employers are thinking. Edited March 8, 2018 by kidthekid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 9 hours ago, kidthekid said: Just caught up.be a millionaire Autocorrect get ya? 9 hours ago, kidthekid said: Amazing results. Congrats on the cup win. Cheers! 9 hours ago, kidthekid said: Wonder what your former employers are thinking. You and @kevhamster will have your wish. We'll hear from them soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevhamster Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Could you post a couple of screenshots of your tactics and TI's please? Intrigued to see how you've set up your team, especially as I've been struggling with the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) On 27/01/2018 at 18:09, Fer Fuchs Ake said: These are he tactics we'll be using this season. Against bigger teams, it'll drop to a 4-4-1-1 and the IF will become an IW. We'll also play on the counter with the 4-4-1-1. The side there is hypothetical, not necessarily our starting XI. 26 minutes ago, kevhamster said: Could you post a couple of screenshots of your tactics and TI's please? Intrigued to see how you've set up your team, especially as I've been struggling with the game. As above. They haven't changed at all throughout the season. Against the bigger teams, it's a 4-4-1-1. The only differences in the 4-4-1-1 (other than formation) are that we play on Counter and the LW is an inverted winger as opposed to an IF. Edited February 22, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Clarification Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 As we've qualified for the CL and also won a trophy, I don't think it's appropriate for the title to be about saving West Ham anymore. We're beginning to drop the hammer on opponents and, while this season may go t*** up due to fixture congestion, we may also may be becoming a force. Also, I feel like this may be the beginning of a new chapter for King so it seems fitting to move to Chapter 3. So for that reason, welcome to: CH.III - DROPPING THE HAMMER 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 40 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: As we've qualified for the CL and also won a trophy, I don't think it's appropriate for the title to be about saving West Ham anymore. We're beginning to drop the hammer on opponents and, while this season may go t*** up due to fixture congestion, we may also may be becoming a force. Also, I feel like this may be the beginning of a new chapter for King so it seems fitting to move to Chapter 3. So for that reason, welcome to: CH.III - DROPPING THE HAMMER I hope you intend on paying Ludwig royalties for such blatant theft of his catchphrase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 Ralph Krueger was pissed off. As much as he tried to forget about him, he found himself thinking about King. The fact that he had beaten Krueger's club in all of the three games he'd played against them. The fact that he'd blackmailed him. The fact that he'd ruined his club. He felt that Michael King had damaged Southampton. That he had come in and left the club in a worse position than it was 3 seasons prior. And now, under Fran Escriba's guide, they had recovered. Not only that, they were in the Europa League! It was so unexpected as they had been finishing mid table for the previous 2 seasons. But did the media care? No. Because that dip**** King had managed to qualify for the Champions League and won the FA Cup. And all the media would talk about was West Ham, West Ham, West Ham. “Underdog story” this and “manager on the rise” that. And people were swallowing it up too. He'd tried to complain to Gao Jisheng about him and he wouldn't hear it. The same guy who fired King! “He's a fraud. Look at what he did to this club! And remember what the media said? Now they're all over him. Ridiculous.”, Krueger had said. “Ah, he wasn't that bad. He's a decent manager and he's done very well at West Ham. He deserves the credit.”, Gao had replied. “Wasn't that bad? You're the one who fired him!” “Oh, he had one bad season. Why should that detract from his work at West Ham?” “He got lucky! He's not fit for it and he showed that with us. He inherited that squad anyway.” “He signed about half of the players that he used last season. I don't know what you have against him.” And that had really annoyed Krueger. If only everyone knew what he had against King. His career would be over. If it was revealed that he'd blackmailed his chairman, he'd be disgraced. But Ralph couldn't do that because he would be destroyed too. The information King had would be let out. For now, much to his fury, King had the better of him and his club. And he couldn't complain either because everyone was on the Michael King Hype Train. But then Ralph smiled. And then he laughed. Because he remembered that that wasn't quite true. There was one person who hated King like he did. He whipped out his phone and punched in a number. A voice came through on the other end. “Hello. David Griffiths speaking.” 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) 49 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said: I hope you intend on paying Ludwig royalties for such blatant theft of his catchphrase. That's who I had in mind when I changed it. In fact, I was going to called it ‘Ch. III - Hammer Dropped’ as a homage to Ludwig. The only reason I didn't was because I felt it would be premature to say that we've dropped any hammers just yet. We only gain that right if we win a PL or CL. Edited February 22, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Ideas → I was 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 6 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: That's who I had in mind when I changed it. In fact, I was going to called it ‘Ch. III - Hammer Dropped’ as a homage to Ludwig. The only reason I didn't was because I felt it would be premature to say that we've dropped any hammers just yet. We only gain that right if we win a PL or CL. Ludwig, may he rest in peace, would have considered your caution to be both wise and inspirational. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Lovely easy start. Three away matches to clubs from the Big Six. Also, a Community Shield game against United. Oh God... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneronaldo Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 39 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: Lovely easy start. Three away matches to clubs from the Big Six. Also, a Community Shield game against United. Oh God... Trial by fire then for your lads, lets see what they are made of Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 2 hours ago, oneronaldo said: Trial by fire then for your lads, lets see what they are made of True that. We'll see where we stand early on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 18 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: Lovely easy start. Three away matches to clubs from the Big Six. Also, a Community Shield game against United. Oh God... Pfft. Easy money IMO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 25, 2018 Author Share Posted February 25, 2018 (edited) Transfer Window: Despite the relatively small budget, we've been busy. Very busy. Regards sales, the main one is Oxford. He's a good young English player who is home-grown at the club so normally I'd have been reluctant. However, he was barely playing, stirring up the dressing room with his complaints and the price was right. We also offloaded Cardinale, Jenkinson and Haksabonovic as they simply weren't good enough for us anymore. Ins: Horvath is the first of three players we signed from PSG. I think he'll probably usurp Olsen as No. 1 as he is just slightly better. He's a few years left in him and if he gets injured, I know Olsen can be relied upon. He was transfer listed so we got him for cheap. I like the look of him. Coming in for a strangely low price given his skill and the fact that he wasn't transfer listed, Miranchuk is an exciting signing. We needed some depth in the playmaker department and he has a decent shot at being first choice AMC. Extremely well-rounded, relatively young and possessing a beautiful first touch, I look forward to seeing him play. The obvious one. He comes in as we activated his clause. Not much to say that I didn't say in January. He'll likely be a rotation option as he is able to play on both wings. Time to break out the slip n slide again... We needed better depth at right back given we sold Jenkinson and Veltman isn't fast enough. Bustos comes in as a very well-rounded player. ‘Stays Back At All Times’ is annoying though. He's got decent pace, is a good tackler and crosser and will be good cover for Adjapong. We nearly got him on a free some time last season but they gave him a new deal. He got transfer listed and loan listed but we wanted him permanently. Why? Because Cresswell, despite being good last season, isn't good enough. His physicals have regressed drastically and he's barely good enough for the PL. Shaw is probably first choice ahead of Junior Tavares and is a very good player. Should give us defensive stability as well as being decent going forward. He's a bit injury prone though. On a free from Southampton! Whether they didn't want him and let his contract run or whether he refused to sign a new deal is unknown. Either way, he'll replace Oxford as the new back up Ball-Playing Defender. He's a bit old but he'll do for a year or two. He's fairly well-rounded and will provide decent cover for Tuanzebe and Jedvaj. On a free from Red Star, Pajovic is a nice young talent. He's got some good reflexes and handling for his age and if he improves his positioning and kicking, he'll be good enough for the PL. If not, that's fine. We got him on a free. The final one of the PSG three, Pozo was also transfer listed. He'll also be a rotational option but I see him as a long term replacement for Antonio. He's very quick, he's pretty good at dribbling and crossing and he can play competently on both wings. Very good option for his price. Lastly, Patrik ‘Hatrik Nyman’ Nyman joins us on loan from United. Like Bailey, you've seen him before so I don't have to elaborate too much. Overall, he's just a very, very good player. And that's it. We've made the money go a long way and I'm very happy with what we got done in that window. Everywhere that needed strengthening was sorted out and we've really good squad depth now. Roll on the new season! Edited February 25, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake If → I'd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) Decent signings you have brought in Decent money you got for Oxford. Edited February 26, 2018 by john1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 3 minutes ago, john1 said: Decent signings you have brought in Decent money you got for Oxford. Cheers John! Yeah, I think they're pretty good signings. I'm looking forward to seeing them in action, particular Miranchuk, Bailey and Pozo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I'd have had a hard time selling Oxford, but that's a hell of a window overall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Hopefully Bailey, will produce the goods Pajovic looks really decent Will he be playing in the cups games? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 15 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: I'd have had a hard time selling Oxford, but that's a hell of a window overall. Cheers Selling Oxford wasn't an easy decision but he transfer listed himself by request and RBL came in with a bid above his market value at the time (£14.5M) so it seemed like a good decision. He's only rated by my scouts as being a decent PL player as well. The downside is that he was the only home grown at club player we had which isn't great news for the Champions League. 15 minutes ago, john1 said: Hopefully Bailey, will produce the goods Pajovic looks really decent Will he be playing in the cups games? Hopefully. I'll likely rotate him with Martins as the IF as he did well enough there in preseason (I need to remember to grab a screenshot of our preseason). Pajovic does seem quite good but the scouts don't rate him all that much. He was also wanted by Monaco and Arsenal prior to our signing him though so hopefully he comes good. He'll play cup games if the opponent is easy enough (Mid-table Championship or below). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 “Hello and welcome to BT Sport's coverage of the Community Shield between Premier League champions Manchester United and FA Cup winners West Ham. I'm Gary Lineker and I will not joined today by any co-commentator because BT still haven't replaced Savage. I don't know what's taking them so long to be honest. For now though, I'll be going it alone. West Ham announced the signing of former Manchester United player Luke Shaw two hours ago and pulled an even more unexpected move when they announced that he'd be thrown straight into the starting lineup for this one. Horvath, Bailey and Miranchuk will make their debuts while Maicon starts ahead of Hernandez. United are playing a young midfield and will hope that youth will-” “OH SHUT UP, YOU BORING ****!”, a voice yells from outside the door. “Robbie? What the hell are you doing? How did you get past security?” Robbie tries to kick down the door but to no avail. “YOU'RE BORING THE **** OUT OF EVERYONE! JUST TELL THEM THE TEAMS YOU ****. STOP BEING SUCH A ******* ****** AND BE A NORMAL ******* COMMENTATOR.” Robbie successfully breaks down the door and charges at Lineker. “IT SHOULD'VE BEEN YOU THAT GOT FIRED YOU ABSOLUTE FU-” 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) “Welcome to BT Sport's coverage of the Community Shield. I'm Gary Lineker and I'm your commentator for today. If you're wondering about Robbie, he's currently in custody.” In the studio, a slightly roughed up Gary Lineker smirks. “West Ham have won the toss and they'll kick us off.” 2'- “It's a nice move here from West Ham. It's Miranchuk, he plays it out wide to Antonio. Antonio coming forward. HE SKINS HIS MAN! Antonio with a dangerous cross AND IT'S LEON BAILEY AT THE BACK POST! ONE-NIL TO THE HAMMERS ALREADY!!! WEMBLEY GOES WILD! HE SCORES ON HIS DEBUT! WHAT A START FOR THE HAMMERS!” 7'- “All West Ham so far as they continue to apply pressure. United need to wake up here.” 12'- “Poor tackle from Pellegri on Shaw. He'll go into the book for that. Needless from the young striker.” 13'- “Leon Bailey to whip in the resulting free kick. It's a great delivery. Jedvaj heads it down and it's MAICOOOOOON!!! TWO-NIL TO WEST HAM ALREADY! THIS COULD GET EMBARRASSING FOR THE RED DEVILS! DISMAL MARKING AND MAICON IS ALLOWED ROOM TO SLOT IT PAST PLIZZARI!” 20'- “Manchester United are yet to attempt a shot on goal. Utterly awful performance from them so far. Very lacklustre.” 22'- “West Ham moving nicely here. Some slick passing play. It's Tavares now. He finds a lovely ball to Antonio. Antonio with a short pass to Maicon who find Miranchuk. Miranchuk is eyeing up the shot AND IT'S IN!!! MIRANCHUK WITH A GOAL ON HIS DEBUT! THIS IS A DREAM START FOR WEST HAM!!! HE BLASTS IT ON FROM 20 YARDS INTO THE BOTTOM LEFT! BEAUTIFUL!” 28'- “Antonio with a dangerous cross. He finds Maicon in a dangerous position! Oh that's a brilliant tackle from De Vrij to win it back! OH! HE'S CLEARED IT STRAIGHT INTO THE BACK OF CALDARA'S HEAD! WHAT A DISASTER! THERE'S A GOALMOUTH SCRAMBLE HERE AND MAICON GETS THE SHOT AWAAAAAY! FOUR-NIL!!! WEST HAM ARE FOUR GOALS TO THE GOOD!” 37'- “United finally get a shot on target. It's straight into Horvath's arms from young winger Spencer English.” 45'- “Half time here at Wembley. West Ham, despite not being favourites prior to the match, are cruising here. They're four goals to the good.” Edited February 26, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Wrong English Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 46'- “Maicon comes off at half time, nursing a slight injury. It doesn't look serious and it seems King is just taking precautions. Hernandez replaces him. John English comes on for Pjaca for United.” 58'- ”Lovely move this from Manchester United. Fosu-Mensah plays it to Leclerc. Lovely ball from Leclerc to find Spencer English. ENGLISH SKINS ADJAPONG! HE CUTS INSIDE, THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE! IT'S STRAIGHT INTO HORVATH'S ARMS! Poor finish.” 66'- “Fabio Martins to replace Michail Antonio for the Hammers. Just a fresh injection of pace in that right wing.” 70'- “Kolasinac comes off to be replaced by O'Loughlin. Kolasinac has been poor today. He hasn't been able to deal with Antonio at all.” 77'- “Tarkowski is coming in for his Hammers debut. He'll replace Axel Tuanzebe who has gotten one over on his former club today. The brilliantly named Dick Van Kerkhof will replace Jean-Paul Leclerc for United.” 90+2'- “THERE IT IS!!! THE FULL TIME WHISTLE. MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY HUMILIATED TODAY! WEST HAM WIN FOUR-NIL AND ARE COMMUNITY SHIELD WINNERS OF 2022!!!” The club's first ever! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 At least United can take comfort in the fact that they set a record... Unlucky, Guardiola. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Insane result against Man Utd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 (edited) Luke Shaw will be an unbelievable signing, trust me He has been brilliant for us so far and has not suffered from many damaging injuries! Edited February 27, 2018 by DavidBeckham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 18 hours ago, john1 said: Insane result against Man Utd I know, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Great to start the season with silverware. 11 hours ago, DavidBeckham said: Luke Shaw will be an unbelievable signing, trust me He has been brilliant for us so far and has not suffered from many damaging injuries! He really impressed me against United. In general, he had a good game. Got a 7.2 I think and made some good tackles as well as causing hassle in the final third. However, what really impressed me was the fact that he had this solid game, playing with players he'd never played with, against his former team and just two hours after signing for us. As for injuries, I looked at his history before signing him and it's not too bad. There a lot but none are serious. It was all niggles except for one or two which kept him out for about two weeks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 (edited) Michael King had had his first real taste of success. He'd won the Community Shield and the FA Cup as well as qualifying for the Champions League. Life was good and so was his career. Unfortunately, he learned that success had a price. You know about Joel. He was the West Ham super fan who obsessed over any manager who was in charge of West Ham. However, Michael wasn't just any manager anymore. He was their most successful manager in recent history. And this had meant that Joel's obsession had increased tenfold. He'd gotten a full body tattoo of Michael's face which he'd shown him after ”bumping into him” in the street. He'd also camped overnight only a small bit away from Michael's house, attempted to rush into their training pitch and he'd also taken to frequenting Michael's favourite restaurants and bars. Michaelwas utterly creeped out, so much so that he'd hired a personal bodyguard. He'd taken it very seriously too, interviewing multiple candidates including two men dressed as a shark and a crocodile who claimed to work for one of Germany's best known managers. As if he was falling for that. Instead, he'd hired a Croatian bodyguard called Zoran Bradaric. Zoran, to put it bluntly, was built like a brick ****house. He was 6'7" and as muscular as a UFC fighter. And he joined Michael in Nyon, Switzerland for the Champions League draw. Michael waited anxiously as he watched each ball be drawn out from the pot. Having Zoran around usually eased his nerves but not tonight as he was nervous over something Zoran couldn't protect him against. Pot luck. His side were a fourth seed so he resigned himself to the fact that they'd probably struggle. The board were kind at least. They didn't give him any minimal expectation. He wondered how far he could get his team and daydreamed about reaching the final, someone like Maicon smashing in a last minute winner to win the Champions League for- “West Ham!”, Ronaldinho, who had been asked to officiate the draw, called out. Michael snapped out of his reverie and looked at who his side would play in the groups. He felt aware of cameras panning onto his face, looking for his reaction. To their surprise, he laughed. Then his face grew serious. And he turned to Zoran and muttered “We're gonna get hammered.” Edited February 27, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oriole01 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: He'd taken it very seriously too, interviewing multiple candidates including two men dressed as a shark and a crocodile who claimed to work for one of Germany's best known managers. As if he was falling for that. Why would you pass them up!? The talents they possess are unbelievable. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 29 minutes ago, oriole01 said: Why would you pass them up!? The talents they possess are unbelievable. I know, he really shouldn't have. But I suppose he didn't believe them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Mega ouch, tough group to be in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) 20 minutes ago, john1 said: Mega ouch, tough group to be in Yup. We'll just have to give it our best. We'll probably lose all games to PSG and Bayern but hopefully we can keep it respectable and give them a run for their money. I'd be fairly confident against Ajax which may see us sneak into third place and, as a result, the Europa League. Edited February 28, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 (edited) August Update: Pretty good start. Disappointing to lose to Chelsea but we've come a long way if losing by a one goal margin at Stamford Bridge is considered disappointing. Chelsea (A): G. Alejandro Pozo A: Maicon It's a little bit disappointing though it was to be expected. Our performance didn't merit a loss as we had a similar amount of shots, SOT and possession to them. However, they were just more clinical. It may sound contradictory but they deserved to win while we didn't deserve to lose. We played well but they played better. Debutant Julian Brandt gave them the lead on 45+1'. Paulo Dybala's cross was then diverted into our goal by Adjapong on 60'. Harsh as he had been having a good game up until then. Pozo got our goal on 63' when he latched onto a lovely pass from Maicon. We just couldn't get the elusive equaliser. Watford (H): G. Patrik Nyman (3), Maicon (2), Fabio Martins A. Michail Antonio (2), Patrik Nyman (2), Maicon The best thing about losing in FM is when it inspires your team to completely dick your next opponents. We got off to a bad start when Winks missed a penalty on 7' but led a few minutes later on 18' when Maicon unselfishly squared to Nyman from a scoring position for him to slot home. Antonio then crossed for Maicon to poke home on 21' before he doubled his tally with a mazy run and a deft finish on 42'. Fabio Martins got the fourth on 57' after a poorly cleared cross landed fortunately at his feet. Our fifth came when Maicon played Nyman in on goal and he blasted it in on 74'. His hat trick came on 81' when he latched onto Antonio's cross to tap in our sixth. Brilliant, brilliant performance. Man City (A): G. Maicon, José Tavares A. Maicon, Leon Bailey I didn't expect any point here so I'm delighted our clinical counter attacking gave us all three. I should've saved the first goal because it was a master class from Bailey. He picked the ball up from the left wing, just inside their half, made a sprint where he skinned two players and then he put it on a plate for Maicon who smashed it home. This was after 7 minutes. We kept them quiet for most of the game but suffered a horrific lapse in concentration and allowed Jesus to slot home the equaliser on 53'. Thankfully, we got a very late goal to take all three points. Maicon found José Tavares running through the centre and Tavares took down the pass before drilling it past Ederson. Great win to get. Key Points: • I love Maicon. He's absolutely incredible. He just floats through defences. • We got the exact same points from these games last year, beating City away 4-1, Watford at home 4-0 and losing 3-2 away to Chelsea. • The new signings have all started well. Those that have played that is. We're yet to see Bustos in action and Tarkowski has only made one or two appearances as a sub. • I still don't fully know what our full strength lineup is. Horvath, Adjapong, Tuanzebe, Jedvaj, Winks, Obiang and Maicon would be there but I don't know who's the best out of our wingers or our AMCs. • Champions League next month. Bayern away is the first game. Good start especially considering our fixtures. Southampton have made a rather mediocre start while Liverpool look to be struggling once again. Doesn't mean much this early though. With Champions League matches to play, it will probably take a little bit longer for me to get these updates out. Sorry in advance. Lastly, Good stuff. By the way, we've held onto Yuri this season instead of loaning him out. He'll be a backup striker. I'll try to remember to show you how he and Maicon have developed. Edited February 28, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Fantastic start barring Chelsea defeat. Will be great if you could get a draw against Bayern Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oriole01 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Strong start, but unlucky to lose against Chelsea. Good luck with the CL, you should absolutely be able to get 3rd place and advancing is in no way out of the question. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 13 hours ago, john1 said: Fantastic start barring Chelsea defeat. Will be great if you could get a draw against Bayern Cheers! I'd certainly take a draw away to Bayern. Hell, I'd take a narrow loss happily enough. 12 hours ago, oriole01 said: Strong start, but unlucky to lose against Chelsea. Good luck with the CL, you should absolutely be able to get 3rd place and advancing is in no way out of the question. Cheers mate. I can't see Ajax getting many points and I'd be fairly confident of beating them away and at home so hopefully we might sneak into third. And, as you said, qualifying is possible too. We're decent against bigger teams so maybe, just maybe we might steal points from Bayern or PSG. Probably not but you'd never know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 (edited) I said yesterday that I'd try to remember to show you Maicon and Yuri and here they are. For contrast, I also have their profiles from when I first signed them so you can see how they've developed. Maicon Then: Maicon Now: I know he's white in the first screenshot but he's actually black according to the match engine. He's become a right beast of a player. His pace, first touch, dribbling and off the ball means he can get into great positions or just burn past defenders from deep. Yuri Then: Yuri Now: Hasn't quite developed like I'd hoped but he's still pretty good and has a bit of room to improve. Currently third choice striker. He can hopefully become a decent successor to Hernandez and become our second choice striker. Funny that my scouts rated Yuri more at 17. And, at that age, he was arguably the better player. But Maicon has really developed well whereas Yuri has developed a little but not as much as hoped. Edited March 1, 2018 by Fer Fuchs Ake Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Yuri's still only 19, long long time to kick on yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 1 hour ago, BoxToBox said: Yuri's still only 19, long long time to kick on yet. True I suppose. I'll try to give him some games from the bench in order to develop him a bit more. If his dribbling and first touch improves (and maybe his acceleration) he'll be sorted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 September Update: Great in the Champions League but poor domestically. Man United (A): G. Javier Hernandez A. None I accidentally watched this one in Key Highlights, having forgotten to switch back after watching a replay of a match. There were 2 highlights all game (other than the ones at tip). Hernandez pounced on the ball after it was ping-ponging around in the box to give us the lead on 84'. They replied immediately with a ping-pong goal of their own on 85' when Casemiro slotted home after a corner. Great result to get given the strength of the opposition. Bayern (A): G. Maicon, Alejandro Pozo A. Michail Antonio, Alejandro Pozo Holy ****. This was the last thing I was expecting. We left the Allianz Arena with all three points after a masterclass from new signing Pozo. On 7', Pozo's cross from the left wing was smashed in by Maicon to give us a shock lead. Pozo himself then got on the scoresheet on 30' when he knocked in Antonio's cross at the back post. Their goal actually took a long while to come. Gelson Martins was the goalscorer, notching their goal on 81'. Very, very good start for us. Newcastle (H): G. Alexey Miranchuk, Javier Hernandez A. Javier Hernandez Well, this was disappointing. I didn't rotate the side as Newcastle pose quite a big threat these days and it showed in our lethargic performance. We beat them 3-0 in this fixture last season! Dolberg got their first on 49' after a long ball over the top. We equalised on 60' through a lovely finish from Miranchuk. With just ten minutes left, Hernandez gave us the lead from the penalty spot and I thought we'd wrapped it up. Not to be though as Dolberg leveled things on 90+2'. Gutting and poor from us. Burnley (A): G. Claud Adjapong (2) A. Maicon, Alexey Miranchuk Well, we got through I suppose but we shouldn't need penalties against Burnley. As you probably guessed if you've been following this save for a while, Jonker took this one as it's the Carabao Cup. Mimoun Mahi gave them the lead on 55' before Adjapong equalised on 72'. In extra time, Adjapong got his second on 108' to give us the lead. Somehow, we made it two last minute goals conceded in two games as we let Solanke level on 120'. We won 5-4 on penalties. Burnley (H): Well, this was just dreadful. We were really lacklustre against a 20th (!) placed Burnley side. They parked the bus and we couldn't break it down. They got a lucky break on 77' when Obiang gave away a penalty with Rodrigo De Paul converted. This one was meant to be the dead-rubber game before PSG crushed us! They didn't deserve the win tbh but we certainly didn't deserve it either. Awful. PSG (H): G. José Tavares A. Maicon Of course we lose to the team in 20th but beat PSG! Only we'd do that type of thing. We only had one SOT all game but, to be fair to us, they only had two. We took the lead pretty early on too with Maicon playing Tavares in on goal with a slicing through ball (reminiscent of Tavares's goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup). This happened just 13 minutes in. PSG would go on to have the better of the game but couldn't get that important goal (though they did come close at times). Horvath, Bailey and Pozo all started against their old club. Key Points: • We've started brilliantly in the Champions League. We work well against teams who put pressure on us. • Unfortunately, due to last season, teams in the PL are less willing to attack us which is causing us problems. Hopefully we get back on track. We're not doing badly but we could be doing better. • Miranchuk and Pozo look to be the best of the two signings so far. Shaw has certainly impressed too. Bailey's been decent but no anything more. • Our defence needs to improve. We've been too sloppy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 By the way, it turns out Southampton's 7th placed finish wasn't enough to get them into Europa League as Watford won the Carabao Cup. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Cracking start to the CL! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fer Fuchs Ake Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 28 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: Cracking start to the CL! Cheers! We'vegot the same amount of points from two games as I'd expected us to have by the end of the group. It's going good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 9 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said: Cheers! We'vegot the same amount of points from two games as I'd expected us to have by the end of the group. It's going good. Phones Krueger: "So, our European campaign's off to a flier, how's yours going?" 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Wow who would have thought you would get 6 points out of first 2 games?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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