The Last Real Champions (91-92 Revisited)

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Some of you may remember the 1991-92 database I posted about six months ago. Well, I've since fleshed out the database and added graphics packs. Read more and download here:

FOOTBALL MANAGER 1991/92

I'm a massive Leeds fan and that's why I made this DB. I always wanted to play an FM game featuring the Leeds title winning team so I made it happen. In this world the Premier League will never happen. So, obviously, I'm managing Leeds and aiming to replicate reality and bring home the title in my first season. Here's my squad:

Reserves:

Youths:

Here are my key players:

My main team will look something like this:

Lukic

Sterland          Fairclough          Whyte          Dorigo

Strachan          McAllister          Batty          Speed

Wallace/Cantona          Chapman

John Lukic isn't the best 'keeper in the league, but he is definitely in the upper tier. He's fresh off being Arsenal's number one as they claimed the title. We have great width in the side, with the experienced Gordon Strachan and promising youngster Gary Speed on the wings, and wing backs Mel Sterland and Tony Dorigo overlapping at every opportunity. The service from the flanks will be crucial, because Lee Chapman is an old fashioned target man who thrives off good crosses. While not blessed with great technical ability, Chapman knows where the goal is, and he did, in fact, top score in Division One last season. Alongside him I have two very different options - the speedy Rod Wallace offers a great little and large option, while the mercurial Eric Cantona has all the ability in the world, but a temperament that is suspect at best. In the heart of the defence, Chris Whyte and Chris Fairclough are solid if unspectacular. The central midfield is, in my opinion, as good as anything in the division. Gary McAllister has the vision and ability to change the game in a split second, while David Batty's tough tackling and efficient distribution allows the more attack minded players to flourish. McAlliser, Dorigo and Sterland are all great set-piece takers.

In reserve I have some old pros in Chris Kamara, Glynn Snodin, Carl Chutt, Imre Varadi, John McClelland and Bobby Davison. I also have promising young players in David Wetherall, Jon Newsome, Simon Grayson and Mike Whitlow. In the youth team, Noel Whelan and Gary Kelly are the standout prospects. Another key member of the squad is midfielder Steve Hodge, 24 times capped by England, and a player that will be pushing for a regular starting spot. I have kept Mick Hennigan as my assistant manager, and I have hired Leeds legend Eddie Gray, as well as Terry McDermott and Ray Lewington as coaches. Here's our pre-season schedule:

Obviously the focus is on building up fitness and familiarity with the system. These are my instructions:

Up next - pre-season friendlies.

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PRE-SEASON 1991 (Part 1):

Augsburg 0-1 Leeds:

Cowdenbeath 0-4 Leeds:

Leeds 2-1 Wolfsburg:

Rapid Vienna 1-1 Leeds:

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PRE-SEASON 1991 (Part 2):

Leeds 1-1 Marseille:

Cittadella 0-2 Leeds:

It was a good pre-season with some good results to build morale. Imre Varadi is the only player with a serious injury, he'll miss three months with a hamstring problem. Andy Williams is sidelined for a couple of weeks, and Gary McAllister picked up a groin strain early on in pre-season, leaving him with a race to be fit for the opening day at Tottenham. Here's our first month's fixtures:

It's a tough month, with trips to Spurs and deadly rivals Man Utd, as well as a Yorkshire derby against Sheff Wed. It's a chance to put some big results on the board early doors.

[oliscott]

Ill be keeping my eye on this one, love the idea.

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AUGUST 1991 (Part 1):

Time to get the season underway. Our opening day opponents Spurs were in action before us, losing the Charity Shield to their North London rivals Arsenal:

Spurs 1-0 Leeds:

Not exactly the desired start. Gary McAllister didn't make it, having played 90 minutes in the reserves just a few days before. Steve Hodge started in central midfield. I wasn't too concerned with the result as we created chances and hit the woodwork several times, even with ten men. The red card was harsh as well, I will definitely be appealing it. Mel Sterland picked up a bad gash on his leg that will keep him out for a couple of weeks. Liverpool and Arsenal are off to winning starts, but Brian Deane got Man Utd's season off to the worst possible start.

Leeds 0-1 QPR:

This was a very disappointing result, compounded by an even worse performance. I told the team I expected a win and they never even woke up. Teams that win titles don't lose these kinds of games. Gary McAllister started, while Simon Grayson came in at right back to replace the injured Mel Sterland. I was surprised that Chris Fairclough's suspension was upheld. I opted for Jon Newsome ahead of David Wetherall and Jon McClelland. An early season Steel City derby ended in a draw.

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AUGUST 1991 (Part 2):

Man Utd 1-1 Leeds:

I was really pleased with this. It was vital we didn't lose again, especially here. More pleasing was the performance - I felt we were genuinely unlucky not to win. I let the players know what this match meant to the fans, and they responded. Chris Fairclough came back into the side, and I stuck with Simon Grayson at right back. I had toyed with putting Jon Newsome there, but I felt Grayson offers more going forward, and I wanted that. The downside is a serious injury to Rod Wallace - a separated shoulder that will keep him sidelined for a couple of months. After the match I had a dig at Alex Ferguson and his roughhouse tactics. I have no interest in making a friend there. Our next opponent, Sheff Wed, picked up a hell of a win against Aston Villa.

Leeds 1-0 Sheff Wed:

Things are feeling a hell of a lot better now. In truth, this should have been a lot more comfortable than it was. Eric Cantona, in for the injured Wallace in a trequartista role, scored on his first start of the season. David Batty was suspended, so the ever-reliable Chris Kamara stepped in.

So August is over and it is Liverpool who are setting the early pace. It wasn't a good start for us, but the last two games have been a hell of a lot better than the first two. Player of the Month went to Nottingham Forest's Stuart Pearce, Young Player went to Sheff Wed's Gordon Watson, and Manager went to Liverpool's Graeme Souness.

Next month, after the international break, we kick off our UEFA Cup campaign against Azerbaijani outfit, Neftci. In addition to that are some winnable league matches. I'm looking to put some points on the board. On the injury front, in addition to Wallace, Steve Hodge will be sidelined for a couple of weeks with a groin strain.

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SEPTEMBER 1991 (Part 1):

Neftci 0-2 Leeds:

Knowing that we were much stronger, I took the opportunity to give a few fringe players a run out while still keeping the team strong. Job done, the tie should be over. I decided that having Gary McAllister in an advanced playmaker role with a support duty was hindering him, so I've freed him up with an attacking duty. Chris Kamara played alongside him here, but I think that with David Batty, who is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, alongside him, it should be fine letting McAllister have a little bit more attacking licence.

Liverpool got the better of their bitter rivals Man Utd, who are struggling to get their season going.

Leeds 2-0 West Ham:

A solid win and a goal for Bobby Davison! An old favourite of mine, his goals proving vital in Leeds 1989/90 promotion winning season; by this point he is well down the pecking order - but he's quick and knows where the goal is. The big concern is the lack of goals for Lee Chapman.

QPR brought Liverpool back down to earth with a right drubbing. Man Utd struggled to draw at home to Wimbledon. Maybe our own draw at Old Trafford wasn't such a good result after all.

Norwich 0-2 Leeds:

This was a very pleasing result with the performance to match. I had a word with Chapman about his lack of goal output, and thankfully he ended his drought with a beautiful volley. Another goal for Davison off the bench too. Liverpool were hammered again, this time at Sheff Wed, while Teddy Sheringham tormented Man Utd. Arsenal are hitting top form.

Leeds 2-1 Neftci:

With a 2-0 lead, two away goals, and a much superior level of ability, I took the opportunity to rest some players and give some fringe players a run out. Chapman scored again. The only negative was a lackadaisical second half. The next round has paired us with Dutch outfit Vitesse, a tie which has the potential to be tricky.

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SEPTEMBER 1991 (Part 2):

Man Utd got a much needed win over QPR.

Crystal Palace 1-3 Leeds:

Chapman's drought is well and truly over - he and Cantona are developing quite a partnership. This was a great performance.

Leeds 4-0 Luton:

It's all coming together for us now. Goals up front, tight at the back. From famine to feast for Chapman. I now have three strikers in goalscoring form, with Rod Wallace still to return. Man Utd lost again, and it's champions Arsenal who are setting the pace now.

Player of the Month went to Nottingham Forest's Teddy Sheringham, who scored 5 goals in 4 games, Young Player again went to Sheff Wed's Gordon Watson, and Manager went to me! Here's our fixtures for October:

That's a lot of games in a short space of time. I'll have to manage my squad carefully. We certainly could have done with an easier League Cup tie than QPR. If we pick up points, the visit of Arsenal at the end of the month could have massive repercussions.

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OCTOBER 1991 (Part 1):

Leeds 0-2 Everton:

Everything went wrong here. Gary McAllister strained a stomach muscle before this game and won't feature this month. To add to that, David Batty is suspended again. He picks up too many yellow cards. The performance wasn't bad, but we squandered too many chances. One of those days. Man Utd picked up a much needed win at Southampton.

Vitesse 2-0 Leeds:

This was brutal, just brutal. We didn't get going at all. I knew the tie would be tricky, but we really let ourselves down. At least we're not out of it. Steve Hodge is struggling for fitness, so I moved Gary Speed into the centre of midfield, and brought Andy Williams in on the left wing. After this we have a schedule that sees us play Thu, Sat, Mon, Thu, Sun, Wed, Sat. Trying to keep players fit is going to be a major task. There's basically going to be no training.

QPR 1-1 Leeds:

Not a bad result. I finally had to give Gordon Strachan a much needed rest.

Notts County 0-3 Leeds:

Our morale needed this win. Arsenal march on, as do Nottingham Forest who are starting to look like contenders. Man Utd lost again. Whispers are getting louder that Alex Ferguson is not long for the Old Trafford hot seat. Southampton's 1-3 defeat at Man City saw manager Ian Branfoot sacked. He would be replaced by Bolton's Phil Neal.

Leeds 2-3 QPR (3-4):

Talk about a worst case scenario - not only did we lose, we did so in an extra time we really could have done without. There goes the League Cup for another year.

Leeds 2-1 Vitesse (2-3):

Damn it! I rested some players against QPR because I prioritised this game. At 0-2 I still felt confident we could pull it off. I really wanted a good run in Europe. To be fair, Vitesse turned out to be a better team than I thought they would be. Out of two cups in the space of a few days. Not good.

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OCTOBER 1991 (Part 2):

Poor result for Arsenal. Maybe the rest of us have hope.

Chelsea 1-3 Leeds:

This was a tough fixture, especially given the week we'd just had. To say I was delighted would be an understatement. Nottingham Forest continued their great start to the season, while Liverpool triumphed in the first Merseyside derby of the season.

Leeds 0-2 Arsenal:

In these big games, which are expected to be tight, the one thing you must do is take your chances when you get them. So when you manage to create a hatful of chances, failure to score a single goal is incredibly frustrating. Big, big loss. The lone silver lining is the return of Rod Wallace.

Leeds 1-0 Man City:

I demanded a performance from my team here, and I'm pleased to say I got it. Unfortunately, we once again missed a boatload of chances. Lee Chapman is struggling for goals again. His desire and commitment can't be questioned, but with Rod Wallace back from injury, maybe it's time for Chapman to spend some time on the bench. Arsenal finally lost, surprisingly coming undone at Wimbledon. The big news of the day came out of Old Trafford, where Alex Ferguson was relieved of his duties as Man Utd manager, following The Red Devil's defeat by Norwich.

Liverpool striker Ian Rush claimed the Player of the Month award, after scoring a whopping nine goals in five games. Arsenal's Kevin Campbell claimed the Young Player award, while Norwich's Dave Stringer was the Manager of the Month.

If we win our game in hand we'll be five points off the top. We're not out of the race, but we can't afford many more defeats. Looking at the table, it's not difficult to see why why Southampton and Man Utd both felt a change of manager was needed. Here's our fixtures for November:

That's not the toughest run of games. I'm targeting a big points haul this month. Having dropped out of two cup competitions early, I am deadly serious about being in the title hunt come the end of the season.

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Think I'm going to have to end this as the DB needs a little more work, so I'll have restart. Back with a new one soon.