2016
The Story So Far!
Preseason.
A shockingly poor preseason saw Espanyol register 1 draw and 4 losses with no wins. Early losses to Bordeaux and Cologne left the squad scrambled. However, an impressive and unexpected 1-1 draw to Arsenal looked as though it would change their fortunes but they were quickly sent back to reality by Celtic who beat them comfortably. The last fixture saw them face fellow Division 5 side Augsburg which was their best chance for a win, this didn’t happen. Another poor performance saw Espanyol fall to the Germans and with no confidence entering the new season.
League.
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| 3 goals, 2 assists |
Champions cup and Youth cup.
With low expectations in both competitions the second and youth teams have been very poor. With two games in each cup already played no wind have been registered. The Championship team have conceded 10 goals in their 2 games and scored only 2. Similarly the youth side have also only scored 2 and have conceded 7. It's tough to see how the squads can turn this around but the championship team will face Augsburg tomorrow after beating them today in the shield.
Domestic Cup and Shield.
A tough first round draw in the cup saw Espanyol fall as 2-0 losers to Manchester City. However, with Augsburg in the shield, it offered a real opportunity to progress. This opportunity was taken with a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Salvador Agra, Fernando Bob and Sandro Wagner. Liverpool will be their opponents in round 2.
Stand out players.
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| 2 goals, 5 assists |
If this league form continues, promotion is a real possibility. Earle will hope his key players can continue to produce top performances and push for a top finish.
Division 5 the only way is up Stats and Facts
Olympiacos, Kiev and Celta Vigo should claim the top 3 spots leaving a scrap for the play off spots.
While not doing so well at the moment Olympiacos are a cut above the other teams. Virtually an 89 all round team , they could compete in any division.
If one suggests that above 86.50 would be enough to fight for and gain promotion, any team down to Berlin has a chance. Celta Vigo and Kiev should be top candidates for auto promotion. With the exception of Hertha Berlin all the top 10 or so have fair depth in their squad.
It might just be me , but I can't understand D5 teams have 4 or 5 players in one position , who never play but then have an obvious weakness elsewhere, I'm sure an exchange could easily be arranged. With no relegation the sack race should be between any of the lowest 6 rated teams. FK Partizan and Augsburg may be over performing at the moment but as the season goes on I expect Levante and Bremen to rapidly improve.
It may seem obvious but as time goes on Division 5 will slowly lose quality teams. 4 go up , 4 worse come down etc each season until you rinse and repeat those already promoted.
Good luck to you all.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top15 | Top21 | Ave | |
| Olympiacos | 89 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 88.00 |
| Celta Vigo | 87 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 87.17 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 87 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 87.00 |
| Celtic | 88 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 86.83 |
| Santos FC | 87 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 86.83 |
| RCD Espanyol | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.67 |
| Standard Liège | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.67 |
| H. Berlin | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 82 | 86.67 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.50 |
| Flamengo | 87 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 86.50 |
| FC Twente | 87 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.33 |
| Bremen | 86 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.33 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 89 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 86.17 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 86.17 |
| Club Brugge KV | 87 | 86 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 86.00 |
| Levante UD | 88 | 88 | 86 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 86.00 |
| Independiente | 87 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 82 | 85.83 |
| Rubin Kazan | 87 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 85.83 |
| FK Partizan | 87 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 80 | 85.50 |
| Augsburg | 88 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 83 | 80 | 85.00 |
Division 4. Stats and Facts for Season 3
The World has gone mad ! , no not what you are thinking Division 4 is almost as highly rated than Division 3 really!
While only marginally so, the average Division 3 club is only slightly higher rated than the average Division 4 team.
If we take the average survival rating in D3 as around 86.5 this would lead to virtually the whole of D4 being eligible for promotion. So what has happened?
Well the simplest and perhaps crudest answer is the bulge factor in D3. There are 2 seasons worth of teams on the slide and 2 seasons worth of teams from divisions below which is half the league in that division. In addition as stated last time, d3 managers seem to be willing to sacrifice more , while D4 managers maybe are playing the long game.
In addition one has to look at why Dnipro one of the potential best team in D4 are 15th and Cologne the potential worse team top. You can draw your own conclusions from that.
D4 also suffers from the recycle factor of D5 , ie teams can't exit D5 so teams will get relegated and promoted too and from ,probably the better teams , so the overall rating may be less variable.
Anyway enough conjecture what do the stats say. Torino should take a top 3 spot with little problem once they get their act together, the best attack and keeper should be a unbeatable combination. Chievo should snatch another spot and then there are then a whole bunch of almost identical teams , From Dnipro - Lille ., not even 1/6 of a rating point between them , with deep squads. This will tend to mean the better managers should progress . There is no big tail to this group and realistically , down to Dynamo Moscow could get a play off spot.
It would be cruel to call any team relegation favourites, as probably favourites Cologne are top. They can't keep it together with such a small squad , can they ?
Well lets see.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top15 | Top21 | Average | |
| Torino | 89 | 89 | 88 | 90 | 87 | 85 | 88.00 |
| Chievo Verona | 88 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 87.67 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87.33 |
| West Ham United | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 87.33 |
| Stuttgart | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87.33 |
| Hamburg | 88 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 85 | 87.17 |
| AZ | 89 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 87.17 |
| Villarreal CF | 88 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 87.17 |
| Lille OSC | 89 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 87.17 |
| Sampdoria | 88 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 87.00 |
| Montpellier HSC | 87 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 86.83 |
| Hellas Verona | 87 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 86.83 |
| Málaga CF | 87 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 86.50 |
| Atalanta BC | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 82 | 86.50 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.50 |
| River Plate | 88 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 86.33 |
| Sassuolo | 88 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 83 | 86.33 |
| São Paulo FC | 87 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 86.17 |
| Feyenoord | 88 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 84 | 84 | 86.00 |
| Cologne | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 84 | 79 | 85.67 |
Youth Cup Review AND Youth Cup TOTW
We are now into week 3 of the Season 3 Youth Cup and there have been a few surprises so far and a few certainties but which managers have succeded, which have surprised? And who has failed?
Lets take a look.
TOP 3 YOUTH MANAGERS (MOST SUCCESSFUL):
1) Stephen Beddows (Milan) - Who else - 6 points from 2 games, masses of goals and brilliant football. Top stuff and Beddows will surely feel that his side need to capture a home tie in the 2nd round to ensure as much progress as possible. Forza Milan!
2) Attila Olah (Udinese) - Also in Beddows' group and a manager who has won 3 out of 3 - someone really needs to explain to him that this is Milan’s Cup and hopefully this will be reflected when Milan face Udninese in the coming weeks.
3) Gordon Kinnear (Liverpool) - Even though the L word is considered a swear word in Italy we must acknowledge the fact that Gordon has actually achieved 2 wins out of 2 - almost unheard off. Gordon has put this down to the atmosphere at Prenton Park which is 100x better than that at Anfield - Could Liverpool actual qualify for the later stages?
TOP 3 YOUTH MANAGERS (MOST SURPRISING)
1) Ryan Chisholm (Celta Vigo) - Beddows laughed when he drew his cousin out in a difficult group yet Celta have done well to take 5 points from their opening 3 games to sit 2nd in their group and unbeaten - well done Ryan.
2) Kun Al (Galatasaray) - In a difficult group with The Doctor and Kinnear is tough yet Gala remain unbeaten so far and after recording only 1 point in last seasons competiton they deserve a mention in Top 3 most surprising managers.
3) Norman Little (Twente) - Norman like his idol Steve Mclaren has quickly picked up Dutch and has the fans love him - a manager who failed at a number of Top 100 clubs has found a home - sound familiar to the real Brolly man? Decent start for Twente in the Youth Cup in a tough group and they are also unbeaten in the first three games.
TOP 3 YOUTH MANAGERS (BIGGEST FAILURES)
1) Noisy (Bayer Leverkusen) - DISASTER read the back pages in Leverkusen news this morning as Noisy is failing to cope with building a Youth side minus some of last seasons key players - 1 point from a possible 9 is nothing short of disgraceful and could Partington be about to be sacked? Some certainly think so! For a team who reached the Youth Cup QF’s last season playing attractive football this season is not good enough.
2) DP (Juventus) - BIG DISASTER - 2 defeats in 3 games and the Group of Death is proving difficult for the defending champions who will have to pull their finger out if they want to progress and have any chance of defending their title.
3) Gary Naylor (Paris SG) - The Youth Cup authorities have rejected that Naylor has received preferential treatment reminding him to set his youth side on numerous ocassions and a suspiscious transfer of 25 SM credits is being investigated - yet Paris SG are better than 0 points from 2 games - he clearly needs to work on the balance of his side if he is to have any chance of progressing in this competition.
YOUTH CUP GROUP TABLES HAVE NOW BEEN UPDATED.
YOUTH CUP TOTW below…
Tripe Champion - Benfica
Outflow of a triple Champion!
Hope you all could understand Portuguese!
Its about Benfica season 2015/2016 where we lost our coach and one of our captains to Sporting and Porto. We start loosing and had to heard alot of insults and shit from the other supporters!
But in the end we finish in our place!
Amazing Season!
Benfica <3
World Club Championship - Milan Report
Gino Kinnearo has been a little busy of late, marking the other managers out of 100 for their performances so far, trying to assess the youth cup eligibility of others and speaking daily to Mr President Frank Hirst… but he has never taken his eye away from his beloved Milan and their stunning form under the greatest manager in all of SM Top 100 Stephen Beddows
And tonight Gino Kinnearo was more happy than an Irishman in Lille as his beloved Milan kept another clean sheet to make it 6 points out of 6 to stay top of the group which apparently contains the self loving Michael Bowes at Arsenal, a manager who in the opinion of Kinnearo is about as talented as a the Austrian national team manager…
Post match Kinnearo and Beddows could not find the words in either Italian or English to describe Balotelli’s performance which was comparable to that of Robbie Brady’s against Italy - pure class, pure passion, pure brilliance and a performance that left grown men crying in the stadium tonight.
Beddows was questioned whether Rahul was really “Manager of the week” and Beddows laughed… “I am clearly manager of the season so far - who wants to win Manager of the week?” Kinnearo echoed these thoughts with a manager as good as Beddows surely he should be just awarded Manager of the Week in advance every week?
Kinnearo refused to comment on the fact that in Week 1 that despite his (Beddows') nomination there was clearly some sort of conspiracy against Beddows as he only received 2 votes.
Milan have also made a solid start in Division Two and also in the Youth Cup - next up Inter Milan at home tomorrow. Roy Keane’s brother, Brian Clough, visiting the San Siro. Kinnearo has said that he expects wholesale changes to the side that won tonight as players like Balltelli and De Sciglio are clearly very tired.
Kinnearo also added that he is awaiting the publication of the “World Club Cup Group Tables”
In other news Kinnearo decided some managers who have failed in the World Club Cup tonight and generally so far this season…
Gordon Kinnear (Liverpool) - ironically Gino’s cousion - 1/10 failed so far to inspire his side to achieve anything - anyone would think he is a Scot.
Roy Keane (Real Madrid) - 1/10 Keane’s inability to beat Villarreal (Andrew Kelly) is abysmal - he should be sacked.
Doug Earle (Espanyol) - 1/10 Earle of what? His 0-5 defeat clearly shows he doesnt below in the World Club Cup and should resort to the Youth Cup!
Tom Parfitt (Levante) - 2/10 Another failure - no words can describe how little he has achieved this season!
FANNIE TO FANNIES: The Interviews, number 7, MICHAEL BOWES (Arsenal)
Good day to you all and welcome to another of Fannie Licker's interviews with managers from the TOP 100 game world. This is number 7 in the series and Fannie has an announcement to make about the future of the interviews. As you know, Fannie has been desperately trying to lose weight and she has been doing very well. In fact, Houston, we have a problem! Just over a week ago, Fannie reached her target weight to the delight of everyone connected to her but when it was time to come off the diet, she couldn't do it. She turned her nose up at every little thing that contained sugar or had too many calories, so she stayed on the diet. The result? well you will see soon enough as I believe she is so delighted with the amount of weight she has lost that she had to post a photograph of herself as of yesterday. Also, here is the part I have been contracted to do, Fannie has released a cook book with all her favourite recipes. There is also a part where she takes you through step by step on how to make her special do-nuts. So, I hope you buy the book just for that part alone and I really do hope that all of your do-nuts look like Fannies.
Anyway, for now, it's time to get on with the show. So, ladies and gentlemen!! well ok just gentlemen. Oh ffs, ok .... Gentlemen and Roy Keane, I present ..... Miss Fannie Licker!!!!!!
Wooooooooooo!! Hi guys, Hi Roy, it's me Fannie Licker. You may not have recognised me straight away because all my fat is a thing of the past and I have this new slim look. I hope you like it. Some say I have went to far but I luuuuuuurrrrrrrrvvvv it!!
Fannie in her white dress
Anyway, lets move on to today's guest and I must say he is a bit of a looker. He is in line to be my next stud muffin. I am sure you all know who I am talking about already :)))). Yes it's Mr Cristiano Ronaldo, woooooooooo!!!!.
Oh welcome Cristiano, you are looki....... Wait a minute, you are not Cristiano Ronaldo!! You don't even look Spanish!! Who are you? right wait there a minute, I will be back.
Ok let's do this anyway. Right guys I present to you the next manager to be interviewed. It's some dude named Michael Bowes. Yeah whatever.
Hahahaha, I am only joking Michael, I knew it was you all the time hahaha. Just my little joke.
Ok lets go and here we will look at Michael's personal profile
MICHAEL BOWES - PERSONAL PROFILE
Full Name: Michael Bowes
Born: 1992 (Bedford)
Height: 6ft 2in
Marital Status: Girlfriend
Nickname: All my friends just call me Bowes
Favourite Sports teams: Manchester United
Favourite food: Mexican
Favourite drink: Koppenberg
Favourite band/singer: Drake
Favourite all time song: Kano - Ps & Qs
Favourite Colour: Electric Blue
Favourite animal: Haven't got one
Favourite film: Any Fast and Furious
Your Car: Currently dont drive
Best Friend: Ellis
What phone do you have: Samsung Galaxy S5
Best sport to watch: Football of course
What scares you most: Spiders & losing people close to me
Phone, iPad or laptop to play SM: Phone
Embarrassing moment: Haven't got one of the top of my head
Ever won anything on the lottery: Played it 3 times won £25 every time, would say thats good going
If you could have any job in the world what would it be: Apart from a footballer i would say a lorry driver
Who would you most like to meet (dead or alive): David Beckham
If you could attend any sporting event in the world what would it be: A high profile football final or even the Olympics when it was in London would had been good
Thank you Michael. I see we have quite a lot in common. I currently don't drive either and your favourite food is Mexican, while mines is American. That's right next door to each other if you look at a map.
Next we have the main event. It's the interview of course and here is how it went.
FL: Michael, handsome Michael, you are entering your first full season in charge of Arsenal. Do you feel that there will be added pressure because of that and that the fans will be looking for the team to make advances after two 8th place finishes?
MB: Oh Fannie, what a pleasure it is to see you after all of these years, How are you? We've had two solid seasons now and two very respectable finishes in a league which is very well built around excellent teams. The club, the fans and of course myself want the club to progress so of course there's pressure to do better but it's those pressures that want me to be a manager.
FL: I am very well Michael, also very slim as you can see. After a credible 2-2 draw at Bayern, things have went downhill with two home defeats and another draw leaving Arsenal in the bottom 4. Its not the start you wanted or expected. Have you pinpointed what the early problems are? Are there players that have not produced the goods and how long are you prepared to keep patience with them?
MB: After a promising opening day result against a title favourite it certainly raised expectations for the season among the fans, sadly we haven't been able to build on that and I do think it's come down to fire power. It's no secret I've been after a striker for some time now. We've only managed to find the net 3 times this season which is dreadful. Defensively were quiet solid just lacking that finish to seal the game.
FL: Of your signings made during the close season, have the players settled in to your approach to the game and who are you most pleased with?
MB: We were quite quiet on the transfer front compared to what I usually am. None have really been given the chance to showcase there talent as of yet but I was pleased with the performances of Victor Wanyama in pre season and I'm sure he'll turn out to be a valuable player here at Arsenal.
Victor Wanyama
FL: The two home defeats are, without any offence to the opposition, games you would have expected to win but the team failed to even score. Are you worried that Arsenal could once again be looked upon as too negative and become known as boring Arsenal?
MB: I certainly don't think we're a boring Arsenal. We play some good attacking football, keeping possession well and creating chances. The problem lies in our finishing, we just haven't got someone who can hit us 20+ goals a season. Problem is everyone only wants either of the talented trio of Ross Barkley, Hector Bellerin or Luke Shaw and that's just not something we as a club want to entertain at the current moment in time.
FL: The target before the season started of finishing top 6 would have came as no surprise to anyone. From what you have seen of your team, have you reviewed that target to a lesser aim and maybe decided to concentrate on bringing some silver to the Emirates via one of the cup competitions? Failure to at least come close in any of the domestic competitions would surely raise questions about whether you are the man to take Arsenal forward. Do you feel there is pressure on you to deliver this season?
MB: The first 4 games have certainly damaged our aim of getting to our target of 7th place but we're only 3 points off getting into the top half which I certainly feel is very achievable this season. The cups are always at the back of my mind when it comes to management, the league is and always will be the most important competition for us.
FL: There is a good core of youths at the club YET Arsenal are not involved in the Youth Cup. I find it surprising that one of the better youth academies do not have a team entered into a competition that they would have a good chance of reaching the latter stages. What are the reasons for this?
MB: We do have a good bunch of lads here and probably would do quiet well in the competition, I feel for the best interests of the club with all the added fixtures, that it would be best to sit out in case it effected our league form. I'm not writing off ever competing in this excellent run cup though in the near future.
FL: Arsenal are competing in the World Club Cup. Do you not think that with the domestic competitions and the Euro Shield that you are putting too much pressure on the players and that come the last few games of the season they will be exhausted and unable to perform to their full ability?
MB: We have quiet a good squad together now where I feel we can compete while still changing the squad round, certainly in the midfield area where were been at our strongest under my leadership. Competition for places is intense and makes my decision every game extremely hard. In regards to the Euro Shield we've been very poor and a meeting is in place to speak to Ian Wright as to where we feel has been the problem to gain results against, no disrespect to opposing teams, but less talented squads. We are Arsenal though and we will come out fighting!
Arsenal squad
FL: We always like to keep an eye on the young boys behind the scenes. Well that is certainly the case for Rolf here, if you know what I mean (wink). Is there any of the lesser known youngsters that you have big hopes for and that we should maybe keep an eye on?
MB: Oh Rolf, that's why he's been hanging around the training ground recently with close friend
Mr Saville? We've got some talented lads in the youth setup. Lorenzo Pellegrini is a regular in the Sassuolo team, Gabriel Suazo recently got called up for Chile national team for the warm up games for the Copa America so there be the two less known lads to keep an eye out for over the next few seasons.
Mr Saville? We've got some talented lads in the youth setup. Lorenzo Pellegrini is a regular in the Sassuolo team, Gabriel Suazo recently got called up for Chile national team for the warm up games for the Copa America so there be the two less known lads to keep an eye out for over the next few seasons.
FL: The final question is standard for all managers. If you could manage any club in the Top 100 who would it be?
MB: I'm rather happy here at Arsenal and proud of what I've built. I'm a United fan but I always hate managing them on SM for some reason so would chose my old club Everton. It was a hard decision at the time to leave as I felt I was building something good but they've got a good man in charge now in David and I have been in close contact with him trying to bring as many lads with me as I can.
FL: Thanks Michael. Some good answers there and I also think you might make a good politician in the future.
So, Michael seems to be satisfied at how things are coming along at the Emirates but getting away from that bottom four should be a priority before he gets caught up in a relegation battle that can be tricky to escape from. We wish him well though and I am sure that Arsenal will be climbing the table before very long.
Myself and the producers of the Fannie Licker interviews had a meeting a few days ago and we have came to an interesting decision as far as I am concerned. We have decided to do three more interviews, which would bring the series to ten, before moving on to pastures new. We are currently putting some ideas together and I can guarantee that while the interviews will come to an end, for a while anyway, you will not be getting rid of me that easily. We will come up with a new idea for a new Fannie Licker series and we will announce the name of the show and what it will be about during the tenth and last interview of the Fannie to Fannies show.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed our latest show and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my little article. I wish you all the sex you can get and I hope you enjoy it. From me, Fannie Licker, I bid you good night and I will see you next time.
Ciao
Besiktas Woes ???
besiktas woes??
with the league season 5 games in its been a pretty frustrating time for besiktas fans with 1 win 3 draws and 1 loss. this evening we spoke to the besiktas manager as they prepared for there cup game tomorrow against celtic.
Q.THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO SPEAK TO US TONIGHT. AFTER A TRANSFER MERRY GO ROUND WHY DO YOU FEEL YOUR TEAM IS STRUGGLING SO FAR?
P.well thank you for having me tonight.the reason we are struggling is my fault and thats because i cant quite decide what is my best formation or best 11 for that matter. i think the quicker i sort this out i feel we will start to get the wins we need.
Q.DO YOU FEEL ANY CLOSER TO FINDING OUT YOUR BEST 11?
P.yeah i dont feel far away from it.im sure there will be some upset players but thats why im manager. i have to make big decisions.
Q.WHY DID YOU BUY SO MANY NEW PLAYERS ESPECIALLY ATTACKING OPTIONS?
P.i always felt i wanted to change half the team and make it my own.its hard to know whats around the corner so i made a decision on certain players at that time as i wanted some depth to deal with injurys etc.
Q.ARE THERE ANY MORE PLANS TO SIGN ANY MORE PLAYERS?
P.not really i have plans to offload 2 players an i do have luis hernandez coming in soon but unless something jumps out at me then this team will be given the chance to press on this season in the hope of securing a possible play off place.
Q.WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE BESIKTAS FANS?
P. my message to them will be to get behind the team an support them even if times get hard and i'm sure we will have success in the future.we as a club will continue to work hard for the club and fans
THANK YOU PRINCE OF PERSIA FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AS IM SURE YOUR MORE INTERESTED IN WATCHING SPAIN PLAY.
with so many new signings only time will tell if the besiktas manager did the right thing or even if the board should of given him the financial backing after is failure at rivals galatasaray. i'm sure the besiktas fans are in for a bumpy ride this season
Levante News
After taking 4 points from the opening three league games, Levante’s form has suffered with successive defeats to second placed Celtic, and then on Sunday a dissapointing 2 - 1 defeat at Club Brugge. It was the Belgian sides first win of the season, and a game that the visitors felt they were capable of winning prior to kick off.
The first goal was scored on 14 minutes. The home side going ahead via a free kick from Guillaume Gillet. The first half was fairly even, Damiao and N’Jie both spurning opportunities for Levante, but Gillet’s free kick split the sides at the break.
At the start of the second half, Brugge came out strongly. Meunier and Vossen bith missed opportunities within a couple of minutes of the kick off, and Levante soon made them pay. Last season’s player of the season, Brazillian midfielder Diego Souza expertly finished after a great ball from Clinton N’Jie.
On 64 minutes though, Brugge were back in front. This time Vormer smashed home to send the home fans into party mood.
Brugge go ahead for a second time
In a fairly even game, Brugge took their chances, and Levante’s age old issue of conceding came back to haunt them once again. Brugge manager Davy Vandendriessche will be happy with his side’s win, and Parfitt will have some more homework to do.
It wasnt just the first team that dissapointed this weekend however. The youth side were in action again. This time against Greek side Olympiacos. A
After winning their first game 4 - 2 in Moscow against CSKA’s youngsters, spirits were high in Levantes' youth camp. A drab affair finished 0 - 0 however. Parfitt said afterwards that he was pleased his side had kept a clean sheet, but that the forward players would need to work a bit harder next time.
Some of them wont have long to wait however. It is a very busy period for Levante as tonight they face French side Montpellier in the Top 100 Cup. Parfitt has named his side early, and shows 10 changes from Sunday night. Only goalkeeper Jiminez Roberto retains his place.
The back four will be the same one that turned out for Levante’s youth team. Eibar, another of the younsters, will anchor the midfield. Ikechi Anya and Slavoljub Srnic make their debuts tonight. Along with Gambian Modou Barrow they will be expected to create chances for front pair Isaac Success and Adam Szalai.
The Hungarian will be hopeful of a good performance tonight to get himself into the shop window for a move as soon as his TB is up at the end of the week.
It is unlikely to be his only opportunity to shine this week however, as the club have a World Club Cup game tomorrow againts Fenerbahce, they then face table toppers Dynamo Zagreb on Thursday, and Augsburg on Sunday.
Sandwiched in on Saturday is another fixture for the youngsters, as they also head to Germany to face Hertha Berlin. Across all competitions, the Augsburg game will be Levante’s seventh game in eight days. It is a tough time for the playing squad, but it is also an opportunity for those who havent really had an opportunity so far this season to stake a claim for a starting berth.
Off the pitch, Mohammed Rabiu has come in from Kuban Krasnodor. There wasnt really any plans to bring in any more first team players, but Mozambique international Mate Simao, the only player still at the club since Parfitt’s arrival, picked up a knock in Belgium and will be out for a couple of weeks.
At this moment, no more first team players are expected in, the focus will be more on shifting a few out of the exit door. There may be a few more youth players that sign however. Pre contract agreements have been made with players at another club, and both sides are happy with the agreement. There is also a bid in for another potential youth arrival.
Young goalkeeper Felipe Carvajal has also left on loan. He is in Italy with Hellas Verona, and was Verona’s MOTM in last Saturdays game against Genoa. Levante also have a couple of other youth players available on loan, and would like to see thm go and get a few minutes game time somewhere if at all possible.
Wheels Wonders #3 - Diets
Wheels Wonders #3
This week Wheels wonders about diets - are they a good thing in football?
Diets. We see them on the telly everyday & now the footballing world is eating them up with relish, but what are the implications for the game?
Well, if you listened to Mrs Wheels you'd think everything from Diptheria to a fault on your rack & pinion can be cured with some diet or other. I even heard of some German club giving their players coffee enemas before every game, coffee enemas? Not for me, I'm a tea man & always will be.
Having said that when I coached at Arbroath we swore by our pre-match diet, it was mainly pasta, yeah, pasta the fuckin chips yer bastard! But seriously diets are part of the game & are here to stay so lets examine a few.
Well, over at Genoa the gaffer there, Sir Frank Hirst has them on a pre-match of Champagne, caviar, snails eggs, fava beans & truffles.
Then he takes the players on a tour of his Pre-Raphealite collection in the study before they head off for their monacle fitting.
A bit hoity-toity for my liking but it's his money & he's entitled to spend it as he will. As long as they don't start digging around his offshore Cayman Island accounts I'm sure he'll be fine.
At Fernerbahce however things are very different. A player who owes me a few kilos currently plays there (mentioning no names Macedo, you've got 5 days you cnut or its wheelchair netball for you), & he revealed their daily diet which is strictly adhered to:
BREAKFAST:
1 large bottle Pepsi &/or 12 Panda Pops, 5 rounds of toast, 4 rashers of golden syrup, 1 washing up bowel of Golden Grahams.
LUNCH:
19 Dairylea Lunchables & an enormous twix
TEA:
Fish, chips, mushy peas, faggots & gravy, chicken Bhuna Madras followed by sticky toffee pudding, cheeseboard, 5 pints of lager and a box of Thorntons.
BEFORE BED SNACK:
Nothing, the players each have pizza duvets.
Liverpool under manager Gino have a completely different, more existentialist approach to the whole concept of food.
They fly in a top chef from a different capital of the world for each mealtime. Today for instance, if we look at Gino's online blog we can see: 'Today I flew in Monsieur Cardimon from the gastronomic paradise that is Calais. I had told the lads they were in for a proper treat today and I wasn't mistaken. The starter consisted of a hollowed out ashtray filled with celeriac baking soda & topped with an aluminium jus. The lads went at it like there was no tomorrow, the clashing of spoons was defeaning!
Then followed ionised Haddock, Cuthulu cheese (cheddar that had been heated to 1000 degrees C, then exorcised by a genuine Jesuit priest), a pea foam and scrapings of turnstile. It was like Xmas for the lads, a bit of salt & pepper & it was gone in no time.
Finally the pudding. What a triumph this was! Yep, one whole Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, braised, poached, oiled, MOT'd and served on a bed of lemon cursors, magnifique!
After that, it was a quick glass of juiced donkey cocks and then to bed, superbly prepared for the game to come.'
Well as you can see, clubs do things different ways these days. I had to change a lot at Sao Paolo but I can safely say that the lads have really taken to the strict Paelithic Vegan + chips diet, and their recent results bear testimony to that.
So, until next time friends, adious and be lucky
Nick Wheels, gaffer
Division 3 Season 3 Stats and facts
Stuck in the middle with you !
The league where there has to be a price to pay.
Almost half of the managers in Division 3 have decided to sacrifice depth of squad for a strong starting team.
You would expect those managers to have made a good start and to a large extent they have.
However as the season progresses 1 or 2 injuries, rating changes or suspensions will start to hit home meaning blips along the road.
Monaco and Marseille have the strongest overall squads if not the best starting teams, they haven't had the greatest starts but are still within distance of the top contenders. Bilbao , Besitkas and current leaders Aston Villa also have strong balanced teams with a good depth to the squad. Ready reckoning suggest you need an average rating of 87 to gain promotion. This gives over half the teams a fighting chance. Of the teams who don't have a great deal of depth Genoa or Stoke look best placed to gain an automatic spot if all goes well.
Then we have the enigma of Leicester. Never has it been so easy to sit on a team of players and wait for them to rise. They will do as well as their team does in real life at the start of the next premier league season , they could well gain automatic promotion or quickly fall by the wayside.
Of the relegation candidates there is little to choose between them , although Bordeaux have the better keeper , which could be crucial.
Division 3 soon becomes a division to pass through on the way up or down and naturally has the biggest through put of teams. What has occured already is that with 6 better teams coming down from above and 6 improving teams coming up from below there are a dozen or so teams more than able to fight out for the elusive promotion spot, this makes it increasingly tough for the lesser lights to pick up the scraps and avoid relegation.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top15 | Top21 | Average | |
| AS Monaco | 88 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 87 | 86 | 88.17 |
| Olympique Marseille | 91 | 88 | 89 | 89 | 86 | 85 | 88.00 |
| Athletic Club | 90 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87.83 |
| Besiktas JK | 88 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 87 | 87.67 |
| Aston Villa | 88 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 87.33 |
| Genoa CFC | 89 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 86 | 82 | 87.33 |
| Stoke City | 89 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 87.17 |
| Hoffenheim | 88 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 87.00 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 89 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 87.00 |
| SC Internacional | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 87.00 |
| Swansea City | 88 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 83 | 86.83 |
| Udinese Calcio | 87 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 86.83 |
| Sunderland | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 86.67 |
| Leicester City | 89 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 84 | 80 | 86.50 |
| PSV | 87 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 84 | 86.50 |
| Southampton | 89 | 89 | 87 | 89 | 85 | 80 | 86.50 |
| Cruzeiro | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 86.50 |
| Crystal Palace | 87 | 87 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 86.00 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 88 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 80 | 86.00 |
| Galatasaray SK | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 84 | 80 | 85.83 |
Espanyol: New and Improved.
After their month long transfer ban ended, Espanyol have been very busy making up for lost time. Since the start of the ban several players were sold externally to make room in the squad for the planned recruits. Lasse Sobiech moved back to Germany for a fee of £3 million to join St Pauli. Vitória de Setúbal made a trio of signings from the Spanish side spending just over £5 million to gain the services of Joao Costinha, Lukas Raeder and Andre Claro. Zinho Gano was the 5th player to be sold this season sealing a £1.1 million move back to Waasland-Beveren after a poor two and a half months in Spain. Rafael Marquez also departed Espanyol. The veteran defender had fallen out of favour under Earle and wanted to return home to finish his career. Following the end of the ban a further five players were sold. Jan Kliment made a £3 million move to Sao Paulo while Alvaro Arbeloa has joined Besiktas for around £2.5 million. Danny Simpson, Marko Vejinovic and Leonardo Pavoletti have also departed in part exchange deals.
Since the end of the ban Espanyol have made a number of signings. Here we will take a brief look at these players including in game expectations and real life statistics.
Players in as Part Exchange
- Christian Kabasele – (Joining as one of three players in exchange for Leonardo Pavoletti)
Real Life – Currently playing for KRC Genk, the Belgian defender has played every minute of every league game this season and has only missed one game in all competitions contributing 5 goals. This impressive season has led to him being selected for the Belgian Euro side and has been named in the Pro League team of the season.
In Game – With a rating of 85 he may not be an immediate starter, however the 25-year-old will play a big role in cup and championship matches. It is also expected that he will get a decent rise soon as a result of a fantastic season and international selection.
- Onyinye Ndidi – (Joining as one of three players in exchange for Leonardo Pavoletti)
Real Life – Also playing for KRC Genk, the 19-year-old has made 43 appearances this season with a total of 3688 minutes under his belt. He is primarily a defensive midfielder but has filled in at centre back when needed. He has also represented Nigeria on three occasions and has been voted into the Pro League team of the season.
In Game – Despite being of little significance to the first team, he will play a large role in Earles youth cup push. With the ability to play at centre and left back along with defence midfield, the 82 rated youngster will be a regular in the youth squad.
- Jean Luc Dompe – (Already joined for £4 million as part of Leonardo Pavoletti deal)
Real Life – Having signed for Standard Liege in January the 20-year-old winger was one to watch. He initially struggled to get into the squad but came on as a sub against his former club, Sint-Truiden, to make his debut. He has contributed two goals and an assist in his 10 games for Liege and has played a number of attacking roles. He has also represented France at Under 20s level.
In Game – Similar to Ndidi, the Frenchman won’t push for first team football but will play a key role in the youth squad. With a rating of 82 he is likely to be one of the major players in the Espanyol youth cup team.
- Azevedo Silvio – (Joining as part of the deal for Marko Vejinovic)
Real Life – Having spent two seasons on loan at Benfica from Atletico Madrid, the full back has played only a minor role at the Portuguese side playing only 1129 minutes in 14 games this season. Returning to Atletico for the season to come could see a change of fortune for the 28-year-old. He has made 11 appearances for Portugal since 2010, the last of which was in 2013.
In Game – With a questionable rating of 87, and the ability to play at left and right back, Silvio will play a big role at Espanyol. With Simpson departing the staring spot will be his.
- Abdoulaye Doucoure – (Joining as part of the deal for Danny Simpson)
Real Life – Starting his season at Stade Rennes, Doucoure made 16 Ligue 1 appearances before joining Watford for just under £8 million in February. He then joined Grenada on loan appearing in 15 La Liga games. The 23-year-old Frenchman will return to Watford for next season and can hopefully perform well in the Premier League.
In Game – With Marko Vejinovic leaving, Earle will look to Doucoure to fill in at centre midfield. With a rating of 86 his position will be far from secure but if he plays well he can make it his own.
Cash Transfers from Managed Clubs
 |
| Earles new most expensive signing |
- Benjamin Moukandjo – (Joining from Atalanta for £6.2 million)
Real Life – Having joined FC Lorient this season the forward has had an outstanding first season. With 13 goals and 2 assists in his 31 Ligue 1 matches the 27-year-old has been linked with Sunderland and Crystal Palace. He has also been a regular in the Cameroon squad since 2011 with a total of 36 international caps.
In Game – With a rating of 87, and the potential for more, the versatile forward will fill in for Leonardo Pavoletti. He is now Earles mos expensive signing and is likely to be a key asset up front.
- Pablo Armero – (Joining from Boca Juniors for £4 million)
Real Life – The Columbian left back is far from what he once was back when he first signed for Udinese back in 2010. Having moved to Napoli and back and having had around 4 loan spells at clubs ranging from West Ham to Flamengo the 29-year-old has certainly got experience. However, he has only played 5 games this season and, despite having 66 caps, hasn’t represented Colombia since June 2015.
In Game – Another questionable rating of 87, the left back will be a starter but will face competition from current left back Jony. A good short term solution but is likely to fall soon.
Cash Transfers from External Clubs
- Salvador Agra – (Joining for £2.8 million from CD Nacional)
Real Life – Having joined Nacional from Braga for free, his former club will be kicking themselves. He has appeared in 41 games throughout all competitions, and the 24-year-old winger has been nothing short of extraordinary. 13 goals and 14 assists made him one of the most impactful players in Portugal. As a result, he was named in the Liga NOS team of the season.
In Game – He is only rated 85 at the moment but should certainly rise following an outstanding season. He could make a good impact on the cup team and, depending on a rise, could push for a starting spot.
- Aleksandr Erokhin – (Joining for £2.6 million from FK Rostov)
Real Life – Starting the season at Russian side Ural, the attacking midfielder played 12 games scoring 4 goals and assisting a further 5. In February he completed a free transfer to league rivals FK Rostov where he has featured in a further 11 games bagging another 2 goals and helping his new team to 2nd in the league.
In Game – Another potential riser who currently has a rating of only 85. With the ability to play central midfield, attacking midfield and centre forward Erokhin will be a strong asset for the cup squad and possibly the first team depending on rating changes.
- Michael Santos – (Joining for £2 million from River Plate de Montevideo)
Real Life – With 30 played games this season in all competitions, the Uruguayan forward scored 15 goals. After a fantastic season and with time on his side, the 23-year-old will move to Malaga for next season where it looks as though he will play a large role up front. He has also represented Uruguay twice.
In Game – Rated only 83 for now, the young forward will play a small role at Espanyol. With the likes of Pizarro, Moukandjo, Demir and Wagner all rated better and with Demir rated the same it will be tough to make an impact.
- Omer Ali Sahiner – (Joining for £2 million from Konyaspor)
Real Life – Aged only 24, the Turkish speedster can play anywhere from right back to right wing. Moving up and down the right side throughout his 33 league appearances for Konyaspor this season has resulted in 3 goals and 6 assists for Sahiner. Due to this he made it into the Super Lig team of the season.
In Game – With Silvio coming in, it is unlikely the 83 rated Turk will start. However, with Espanyols next best right back being youth defender Ntim, rated 76, Sahiner would be the first choice back up in case of injury or for in cup games. He is also likely to see a decent rise anytime soon.
 |
| Key youth member |
- Sergio Gonzalez – (Joining for £1.4 million from Lanus)
Real Life – Currently playing in Argentina for Lanus, the 21-year-old is already showing potential. With over 1000 minutes last season and 4 goals he is surely one to watch.
In Game – A steal for the youth squad of Espanyol, the Argentine youngster will be a first choice youth cup player up front with a rating of 80. He will be the final piece in the Spanish youth squad which will look to cause an upset in the tournament this season.
- Fernando Bob – (Joining for £1.2 million from Free Agency)
Real Life – Having spent last season on loan at Ponte Preta and making 47 appearances, the Brazilians market value went up from £450k to over £3.3 million. A transfer to Internacional then followed where he has played 22 games and has helped them to become current Serie A leaders. This has seen a further rise in value to over £4 million.
In Game – A low rating of 83 means the 28-year-old won’t play much of an impact on the squad. But surely a rise is soon to come for the central midfielder who has had a very strong season and has got a decent market value.
That sums up the recent transfers for Espanyol. Some have suggested the moves are negative with Earle letting go some of the clubs most highly rated players. However, Earle has assured fans that changes were needed and the new recruits will provide enough ability to fill the first team while offering developmental depth at the same time. He has previously said he would happily remain in Division 5 for as long as it takes for the team to take shape as he does not wish to be rushed and make desperate signings to cope with higher pressures. He said he feels the team he has built has the potential to gain promotion, it’s just a matter of time for the players to settle and clear leaders to be established.
With these moves we have put together the expected starting XI for now.
GK - Volkan Demirel - After a lot of speculation it looks as though the veteran will start in goal.
RB - Azevedo Silvio - The best right back in the squad by some distance should be a regular.
LB - Pablo Armero - Despite pressure from others we expect Armero to command this position.
CB - Robson Weligton - With a move away looking less likely the Brazilian will be key in defence.
CB - Ragnar Klavan - Already with 2 goals this season, Klavan looks to be ahead of Rolando so far.
DM - Abdoulaye Doucoure - A young spark in midfield could be key to the teams season.
RM - Jose Reyes - After a good season last year the Spaniard should be a leader in the squad.
LM - Edin Visca - Should offer creativity down the flanks but could face competition.
AM - Ricky Alvarez - Should be the first name on the team sheet every week.
CF - Claudio Pizarro - Providing a target in the box as well as experience in tough games.
CF - Benjamin Moukandjo - Offering pace and power along with a bit of flair to keep fans excited.
Other players threatening for a first team spot could include the following;
CB - Jorge Rolando - Having made one start already, the Portuguese could push for a bigger role.
LB - Rodriguez Jony - With 4 starts this season, Jony could look to outclass Armero at full back.
DM - Federico Mancuello - With a new unproven midfielder starting, the spot is far from secure.
CM - Lukas Rupp - Similar to Mancuello, Rupp could push for a starting midfield role.
CM - Aleksandr Erokhin - A more attacking option for games where they need a boost.
AM - Nathan Redmond - Was a regular last season and impressed many.
CF - Andy Delort - Has already showed his worth scoring twice in the championship match.
CF - Sandro Wagner - Yet to make his full debut but could impress in the cup and get into the team.
A number of others sit in wait of their opportunity with a number of youngsters in the squad. Earle is unlikely to make many changes now and says he is very happy with how the squad has shaped up. With two wins in a row Earle will hope their form can carry on and that the new players will integrate well with the existing squad.
PSV Life
Life at PSV has been fantastic these past two season, we managed to avoid relegation last season when I took them over late on in the season, a brief spell out of management after looking after WBA in season 1.
A good full season with PSV and we nearly made the play offs last season after missing out in the last game then, a difficult time followed as bids came in for my prize players. Bids turned down for the following.
Zoet
Willems
Brum
Mayher
Moreno
Brenet
Bergwjin
Hendrix
De Jong
Periero - pictured only recently signed is in high demand.
Not the happiest squad (they look it though).
I promised the team we will be pushing for promotion this season and we are capable of winning this league.
I also wanted to look at entering the Youth Cup this season and along with some shrewd signings for the first team. I have added some excellent youth, We are really looking forward to the game on Saturday, we have a strong 9 a little week in goal and the middle of the park but exiting times.
GK Bertrams 78
Def - Henley 80 Hendrix 85 Koch 80 Ashong 81
Mid - Havlik 80 Pais 80 Lukovic 78
Att - Umarbaev 81 Fierro 83 Pereiro 85
A min run three games unbeaten and looking forward to all competitions this season really are exiting times at PSV with a young capable squad and fanatastic modern stadium we look forward to your visits.
The Doctor's Office - Good to be Back
Hi all,
Unexpected to many, including myself, that I am back in the Top 100. A lot has changed since I left but I am delighted to be part of a truly exceptional setup on SM. The blog, existing in somewhat of an embryonic phase, was an inspired decision by Frank and the gang. Along with The Ash, it set a precedent to really create a community with a game world in SM.
The Facebook page didn’t existing during my first run but with a little time and patience, I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.
So without further ado, let me give you my initial thought on the club I have taken over, Sporting CP.
I figured that initially there would be offers for some of the key talent at the club and indeed there also looks to be a couple of holes in the first 11 I am hoping to address. That and the fact that the club has a commitment to the Youth Club (being represented in Group G along with Twent, Chelsea, West Brom and Sassuolo) means that there is plenty going on and to get involved with. I will be kept on my toes that is for sure.
I haven’t had a great opportunity to look at all the clubs roles and responsibilities, something I am hoping to get sorted over the coming weekend. While I appreciate offers that have been coming through, there will be little chance for me to even look at offers, let alone accept/reject them while I am comfortable with the first 11, a benched 7 and 5-6 squad players.
I still haven’t got a formation I am 100% happy with but I think I am getting close, certainly something that covers all bases, though the bench does need a bit of work for some impact players or players who can help defend a lead a little more comfortably should we be fortunate enough to get to that position.
Anyway, pleased to be back, lot of work ahead, looking forward to getting cracking in a tremendous setup once again.
Cheers all,
The Good Doctor Fox
Division 2 Season 3 do you have what it takes to make the big leap
Division 2 the edge of greatness or a fall into darkness.
Four defensive teams lead the pack.
If you take 90 as the gold standard there is one team a cut above the rest which is clearly Tottenham who should easily gain promotion. They should fear no team and with strength in depth should put a good cup campaign together. Roma should also push them hard but lack a little in depth ,which deep in the season will count against them. After the obvious 2 favourites a pack of others have little to split them. Zenit or Everton should fancy the 3rd spot.
Ajax and CSKA may well finish higher than predicted if they can keep a full team out most games.
However to secure promotion and your place in D1 you really need to top 89 as your average here which means the rest really have some building to do if they are to go up and stay up.
Spartak are off to a flying start but with a weak keeper that won't last . Of the relegation favourites Lokomotiv have the strength in depth to avoid the drop where as Benfica look well adrift of the rest.
GK |
Def |
Mid |
Att |
Top15 |
Top21 |
Ave |
|
Tottenham Hotspur |
92 |
90 |
92 |
90 |
88 |
87 |
89.83 |
AS Roma |
90 |
89 |
92 |
91 |
88 |
84 |
89.00 |
Monchengladbach |
90 |
89 |
90 |
91 |
87 |
86 |
88.83 |
Internazionale |
91 |
90 |
89 |
90 |
87 |
86 |
88.83 |
Zenit |
90 |
89 |
89 |
89 |
88 |
87 |
88.67 |
AC Milan |
89 |
89 |
90 |
90 |
88 |
85 |
88.50 |
Everton |
90 |
90 |
90 |
89 |
87 |
85 |
88.50 |
Sevilla |
88 |
89 |
89 |
90 |
88 |
86 |
88.33 |
Ajax |
91 |
89 |
89 |
89 |
87 |
84 |
88.17 |
CSKA Moskva |
90 |
88 |
89 |
89 |
87 |
85 |
88.00 |
Shakhtar Donetsk |
89 |
89 |
90 |
89 |
87 |
83 |
87.83 |
Olympique Lyonnais |
88 |
89 |
88 |
88 |
87 |
86 |
87.67 |
Boca Juniors |
88 |
87 |
89 |
88 |
86 |
86 |
87.33 |
Wolfsburg |
89 |
87 |
89 |
89 |
87 |
83 |
87.33 |
Spartak Moskva |
86 |
88 |
88 |
88 |
87 |
86 |
87.17 |
Newcastle United |
88 |
87 |
89 |
89 |
86 |
84 |
87.17 |
Sporting CP |
88 |
87 |
88 |
88 |
86 |
84 |
86.83 |
FC Basel |
87 |
87 |
87 |
89 |
86 |
85 |
86.83 |
Lokomotiv Moskva |
87 |
88 |
88 |
89 |
87 |
82 |
86.83 |
SL Benfica |
88 |
87 |
88 |
89 |
85 |
83 |
86.67 |
World Club Cup Round Up
A quick round up of the World Club Cup - Gameday 1 which saw masses of action across all divisions as each side looked to get of to a flier as brought to you by the Italian journalist Gino Kinnearo.
As ever a run-down of the Top 8 performers/managers:
1) Athletic Club (Gareth Crisp) - Many manager who have lost two World Cup finals in a row would be down and out, would have given up on life, would have sought an alternate career in retail, but not Gareth Crisp. Maybe his life in football management over the last 3-4 months has been a living hell but not tonight as his Athletic Club side scored FIVE (5) away to Espanyol to get off to a great start in the World Club Cup.
2) Milan (Stephen Beddows) - Who else? The No 1 manager in the Youth Cup from the weekend proved again why he is so good with an amazing 5-0 away win in Vigo. Mr Chisholm, cousin of Beddows could only bow down to Beddows at the end of the game asking “WTF” “How did you do that?” It was Mr Andy Carroll (apparently available for transfer) who set them on their way but Candreva who was the star of the show with 3 goals and 1 assist to give Milan a massive start to the World Club Cup and left Chisholm wondering if he could ever be as good as his cousin.
3) Real Madrid (Roy Keane) - A manager who parades the World Club Cup trophy before every home game, getting rounds of appaluse from everyone and tonight was no exception but the performance of his Madrid side against a tough looking Sevilla under the leadership of Rab Kennedy who had no answers to Keane’s brilliance. Rab is apparently still working on his Spanish and regularly messing it up with his French/German/Italian that he spoke in Switzerland and for such a talented manager to be such a failure thus far in Spain surely communication is the No 1 problem.
4) Celtic (Ruts) - Another manager who is about as dull as watching paint dry or doing the gardening on a lovely summer’s afternoon - yet he managed to lead his Celtic side to a dull 2-1 win over VFB Stutgart to show that perhaps the Scottish side are the ones who should be in the higher division and not the Irish Germans.
5) Leverkusen (Noisy) - The German side almost produced a performance comparable with Milan, but not quite good enough to be No 2… yet Noisy can be mightly proud of his side’s start to the World Club Cup with a 4-0 win at home against Chievo Verona.
6) Anderlecht (Prince Michael William) - The so-called No 1 manager in that little country called Belgium, and a manager who could not cope in Top 100 Division 1 has made the Top 10 managers of the day in the World Club Cup after a good 1-1 draw against the poorly managed and put together side that is Arsenal. Prince was delighted with the point but rather pessimistic about his sides chances against the bigger clubs like Milan.
7) Valencia (David Senior) - A great start by Valencia under the leadership of the Warden Mr David Senior - he is a wise man and a great manager of his players - he communicates what he wants and they produce - a great 4-0 win tonight and he is unlucky to not have any players in Team of the Week.
8) Juventus (DP) - It is mightly difficulut to manager a top side when under pressure but Dan has shown that his relationship with all his palyers such as Coman for example is fantastic and despite the pressures of impending failure in the League and the Youth Cup the bond and morale within the squad remains high as his side overcame a difficult trip to Ukraine to win 2-1.
There is your Top 8 Managers this week.
Here is Team of the Week
Division 1 Stats and Facts season 3 where will you finish.
The true state of Division 1 in the Top 100.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern top the list once again.The top 3 suggests a similar result to last season Barcelona perhaps lack a little strength in depth , with Real performing better in that respect Bayern have a more of a problem with a weaker if improving keeper.
Juventus down to Chelsea should be able to field a team of 90+ players most weeks, have Chelsea decided to go for broke this season , the stats suggest so, short term gain could mean long term pain. In the lower reaches the teams tend to become less balanced favouring an attacking or defensive approach. Of the relegation contenders. Dortmund should start well but the fade. Leverkeusen have a good keeper if they wish to play the defensive game. Fiorentina look set for the chop, but the manager has built a deeper team this season and it will be interesting to see how that works for him.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top15 | Top21 | ||
| Barcelona | 96 | 93 | 94 | 97 | 88 | 85 | 92.17 |
| Bayern | 89 | 93 | 94 | 98 | 93 | 84 | 91.83 |
| Real Madrid | 92 | 93 | 94 | 94 | 90 | 87 | 91.67 |
| Juventus | 94 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 89 | 88 | 91.17 |
| Arsenal | 92 | 92 | 91 | 92 | 89 | 88 | 90.67 |
| Manchester United | 94 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 89 | 85 | 90.33 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 90 | 91 | 92 | 94 | 89 | 85 | 90.17 |
| SSC Napoli | 90 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 89 | 87 | 90 |
| Manchester City | 91 | 90 | 91 | 93 | 88 | 87 | 90 |
| Liverpool | 90 | 90 | 92 | 91 | 88 | 86 | 89.5 |
| Chelsea | 93 | 90 | 91 | 94 | 87 | 82 | 89.5 |
| SS Lazio | 89 | 89 | 90 | 93 | 88 | 87 | 89.33 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 89 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 88 | 88 | 89.17 |
| Valencia CF | 90 | 90 | 91 | 90 | 89 | 85 | 89.17 |
| FC Porto | 91 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 88 | 86 | 89.17 |
| Atlético Madrid | 91 | 90 | 89 | 90 | 88 | 87 | 89.17 |
| Dortmund | 89 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 87 | 82 | 88.83 |
| Leverkusen | 90 | 89 | 91 | 90 | 87 | 85 | 88.67 |
| Schalke | 89 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 88 | 83 | 88.5 |
| ACF FIORENTINA | 88 | 89 | 88 | 90 | 87 | 86 | 88 |
Wheels Wonders #2
Wheels Wonders #2
This week: How would the young footballers of today coped back in footballing world of the the 1970's?
I was watching these Euro's whilst enjoying a bottle or two of finest Jamesons' Irish & I got to thinking: How would the young players of today coped in the footballing world of yesteryear?
Bottle
Well, for a start there was non of this rolling around nonsense when tackled. Back in the black n white days it would take more than a knee trembler to knock us off our stride I can tell you.
At Arbroath I had the good fortune to play alongside Nobby Nobson, arguable the hardest footballer of the 1970's. I remember once against East Fife, I think it was, 63 minutes gone, we're 2-0 down & Nobby is violently ramming a dead otter up our keepers arse to encourage him not to fumble another cross. All of a sudden a young Italian winger jinked past Nobby and caressed the ball into the onion bag. It was non other than a certain Mr D. Piero making his loan début for Fife. Of course Nobby was livid. 'I'm not avin' that from no eye-talian ponce' he raged before smashing a Manns' brown ale bottle against the goal post & heading straight for Del-Piero.
Piero thought he'd got one over on Nobby by sprinting into the St John's Ambulance corner but little did he know they all drank with Nobby down the Faecal Duck after (& before) every game and were more than handy themselves. Suffice to say Del Piero never played for East Fife again, in fact his playing career only recovered once the physio at Grimsby managed to carve his wooden stump into a new type of instep and the rest is history.
Miss World
I met Georgie best when taking raining with Cobh Ramblers back in '79, what a legend he was, no-one can touch him even to this day. He turned up on a Friday afternoon at our rough, unkempt training pitch, Miss World Anna Kimberley-Blake in tow & proceeded to dazzle us with his silky drinks mixing skills. 10 Whiskey Sour & a couple of dozen Redditch Sunrises later he flew us all to the Old Bulls Head in Dublin where we drank till we puked up our stomach linings......what a guy.
Barm Cakes
The trouble with kids today is they go down to easy, one tiny shattered ACL & they're expecting stretchers, oxygen tanks, trips to the States, absolutely ridiculous.
I was lucky enough to be involved in the Cup final of 1956 – the Stanley Matthews Final – between Torquay Utd & Chesterfield Sofas. Matthews was a good solid old fashioned centre forward – he stood no nonsense from anyone.
He was known for wearing a pistachio nut on his chin for good luck, something he'd got from his dad, Albert Spinney who would go down the pit with a barm cake up his arse as a kind of a lucky charm. Indeed it worked a treat until he was killed in the Great Mine Collapse of '34 aged 21.
And Firearms
Matthews has been on the piss for 3 days solid before the final (he'd laid off the booze a bit for the big game) & was in fine form, not even spilling his pint when chopped down at the halfway line by Mad Machete Morrison, the maverick centre half & part time morris dancer from Morecambe Bay. It was a game we should have won, George Lardcastle missing a sitter when he stopped to sign a young lads autograph with the goal at his mercy & young 'Pickles' Harrison put clean through with just the keeper to beat converting to militant Islam & renouncing all forms of Western competitive sports when it would have been easier to score.
We, in fact lost, to a soft last minute penalty when wee Scots winger Jock McTavish shot their keeper in the neck with an ex WW1 rifle that a tsuicidal groundsman had left lying by the side of the pitch. Unfortunately for us the referee was perfectly sighted and awarded the spot kick – and the rest is history. Bugger that groundsman!