The Story So Far!


Just over 3 weeks have passed since the start of the season and its been a mixed start for Espanyol. Tipped as one of the favourites in Division 5 expectations have been high for the Spaniards. Being transfer banned at the start of the season made it difficult but Earle was quick to make changes as soon as possible. Results have varied across competitions and appear as followed.



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.

Benjamin MOUKANDJO Photo
3 goals, 2 assists
Heading into the league with no momentum and no wins fans were unsure what to expect against West Brom but a goal from outbound Leonardo Pavoletti after just 5 minutes changed their hearts. The lead was cut, however, and the game ended 1-1 for a point to start the season. Next was Standard Liege who were 2-0 within 20 minutes. Despite another goal from Leonardo Pavoletti the Spaniards couldn't pull back and ended as the losing side. A Spanish derby followed with Espanyol facing former Division 4 rivals Celta Vigo. A slow start to the game saw the game level for the first half hour but a surprising goal for Ragnar Klavan saw the game kick off. Jose Reyes then made it 2-0 before half time. Within seconds of the second half Edin Visca scored to pretty much seal the game. The game ended 3-1 following a late goal from Antonio Cassano which was too late for a comeback. This marked first win of the season and seemingly a changing point for the team. Following the win the squad travelled to Belgium to face Twente. A very slow first half left a few slightly disappointed, but 4 minutes into the second half Twente gave away a penalty which was tucked away calmly by veteran striker Claudio Pizarro. 15 minutes later another surprise goal from defender, Ragnar Klavan made it 2-0 which was held until full time. With momentum behind them Espanyol then headed to Russia to match up with Rubin Kazan. Another Claudio Pizarro penalty saw the Spanish side take the lead after 26 minutes. Kazan then equalised and the game looked to be heading to a half time draw, however a late first half goal from Ricky Alvarez sent the Spaniards in ahead at the break. New signing Abdoulaye Doucoure came on off the bench and scored his first goal within 2 minuted to seal a third win in a row for Espanyol. With a string of form beginning to form Espanyol took on a strong Bremen. A poor start saw the Germans take an early lead before Edin Visca equalised. Bremen then took the lead again just before half time. Midway through the second half Nathan Redmond made it 2-2 with his first goal of the season. Neither team could claim the win and the game finished a draw. League leaders Dynamo Kyiv were the next opponents for the Spaniard who were looking to carry on their form. An incredible first half saw Earles most expensive signing, Benjamin Moukandjo, run riot scoring his hat trick in just over 30 minutes. With a 3 goal buffer the game slowed until Kyiv scored back in the 73rd minute, however, any hopes of a comeback were cut out by Nathan Redmond scoring for the second week in a row. Despite another late goal from Kyiv the Spaniard ran out winners and are now sat 2nd in the table. Anderlech are next up for Espanyol in the league.

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.
Claudio PIZARRO Photo
2 goals, 5 assists
Striking duo Claudio Pizarro and Benjamin Moukandjo have both been outstanding so far. With 5 goals and 7 assists in 10 games between them they are one of the most threatening partnerships in the Division at the moment. Edin Visca has provided 2 goals and 2 assists off the wing while Nathan Redomond has contributed the same off the bench. Ragnar Klavan has also been very good offering solidity in defence but also providing an unexpected source of goals with 2 so far. Ricky Alvarez may not have the goals or assists but has played a solid play making role in the centre.

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

Milan beat Ryan Chisholm’s poor Celta side in gameday 1 by a score of 5 goals to 0.

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.
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