Good Buy Bailly!

Hamburger SV are delighted to announce the signing of Real Madrid star centre back Eric Bailly.

In exchange, the Spanish club will receive the Red Shorts' player of the season, Nikola Kalinic, versatile left-sided defender Nacho Monreal, as well as young starlet Mauro Junior.


Deal or No Deal?



Swift negotiations were concluded last night after der Dino boss Marsden put his little boy to sleep and woke up to the fact that Beddows' PMed counter-offer of Monreal and Kalinic for Bailly was eminently reasonable and to be snapped up at the first opportunity.

Prior to persuading his three year old to attempt to win the World Sleeping Championship Trophy - by lying very still, very quietly, and with his eyes closed - Marsden had wondered if losing his two best players was too big a price to pay. Refreshed from another bedtime victory over Marsden Junior, he decided it was a good buy.

‘Eliaquim Mangala can play at left back, as he has been doing recently, and you can always try to buy a new left back, if necessary,’ his son had told him before falling asleep.

Marsden decided to revise his offer to what Beddows had proposed, only to find that Beddows had already made the same counter-offer, in any case. Marsden gleefully accepted, and gave a prayer of thanks to the SM gods.

15 minutes later, Beddows cancelled the deal.

He had made a mistake. He didn’t mean to make the counter-offer, and - in fact - didn’t know that he had done so, until he saw that the deal had been accepted. He said he ‘had a lot of deals on the table’. I’ve been to houses like like that. Silver foil everywhere, dogs with tattoos, complete chaos.

Juventus, meanwhile, lodged a bid.

After some overnight negotiations involving the corrupt Top 100 officials - including, believe it or not, Juventus boss DP 91 - it was agreed that no deal had been agreed and that Beddows rightfully cancelled the accepted deal within the 5 minute grace period.

Hamburg immediately lodged an appeal, which was successful upon the additional payment of Mauro Junior.

Scandalous, but not unlike real life.


YOU Decide!


This transfer skulduggery comes just a few days after Beddows tried to force Marsden out of Top 100 all together, in order to make room for the return of his trusted lapdog and predecessor at Real Madrid, “Roy Keane”, in a Big Brother-style vote that went hopelessly wrong for the beleaguered Bernabeu gaffer.

In a harrowing turn of events, Marsden earlier this week woke up to find a horse’s head in his bed, with a calling card bearing all the hallmarks of Beddows' poodle “Keane”. It wasn’t a real horse’s head at all, it was a miniature wooden horse, with a gift tag attached. The note read,
K A R M A S (sic) A  B I T C H .   E N J O Y  T H E  S I L E N C E .   L O T S  O F  L O V E ,  P A U L  A N D  F A M I L Y x x x
Inside the wooden horse, shoved right up inside it’s rear end, was a USB memory stick, presumably containing some kind of trojan malware, or - possibly - “Roy Keane’s” eBook, ‘My Guide to Creating New Accounts or Logging into Old Ones to Circumvent SMFA Newsfeed Bans’, or a collection of insults, false accusations and abuse.

Who knows? Who cares?

I shoved it back up the horse’s arse.


Atalanta, a season in review.

ATALANTA, A STRANGE SEASON IN REVIEW.

 

In my first season at Atalanta we enjoyed a roller coaster season, a season which promised so much after a great start yet one which almost saw us drop to Division 5.
LEAGUE REVIEW.

It had started oh so well in my latest crack at not being a failure in this game world. 4 wins and 2 draws in our first 6 games had the fans dreaming of promotion, 10 goals scored and just the 3 conceded had given us the perfect platform to push on and make this a successful season. What followed was just damn right torture of the SM variety, 2 wins followed out of the next NINETEEN games and I now was trying all sorts to pull us out of this mess, tactics and transfers had little effect on the players. Fans were disillusioned, every monday morning they would come smash up the training ground furious at the lack of any wins. I felt just like Alan Pardew, an absolute fraud of a man, everywhere I went in this game world I failed and this was becoming a habit I needed to kick. Finally back to back wins followed for the first time in over 20 games as Olympiakos and Bordeaux were defeated(the latter no doubt would have a huge bearing on how the season ended), a further 1 win in 7 left us deep in relegation trouble and it was down to the last 4 games, just how would we survive? Monaco were next up, and in familiar fashion we were behind within 2 minutes. Flares rained down on to the playing surface and fans were getting angry. HT came 0-1. I tore in to the lads, this wasn't good enough, I promised the ultra's would be allowed in the dressing room should things not improve 2nd half! It worked, kind of, as despite not being at the races 2 vital 2nd half goals from Elkeson saw a 2-1 win. We then went and suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Marseille, a bitter pill to swallow with the late goal from Britos meaning survival was out of our hands. A 2-2 draw at home to Levante in our last game at home was followed by a mass demonstration as the ultra's again vented their frustration at our performances(strangely it had been one of our better games in all fairness). Espanyol were our final game, away, A game which both sides had something to play for. Not what we had hoped for, 6 wins in 31 games and here we were needing a win and a favour elsewhere to survive. New signings had come but was it too late? 5 debutants started the game but it was down to one to steal all the headlines. Paulo Guerrero had arrived as part of the deal which took Camarasa to Ajax, Guarin also arrived to steady up the midfield in the deal. and within 33 minutes we were 2-0 up, Guerrero with them both, we had Hope. It took a dodgy penalty just 8 minutes in to the second half for the nerves to kick in as ex Atalanta player Ocampos slotted home the pen, 1-2!! Guerrero wasn't finished however, smashing a shot past Horn to complete his hat trick. It was at this point I checked my phone, how were Bordeaux doing? we had to better there result to stay up! Shit they were 3-1 up away from home themselves, what were the chances of that? a few minutes passed, ping went my phone Palace 2 Bordeaux 3 Ashley Young had pulled one back. Hope again. Back in our game I had tried to shut up shop, Suchy came on as we went to a back 5, it hadn't worked as planned as with 8 minutes to go Pizzi scored in off the post, 2-3 the same as the bordeaux game. 3 minutes from time BOOM Palace 3 Bordeaux 3, Ashley Young AGAIN!! Now hold on was the cry, Guerrero had a final chance to settled the nerves, played in by Guarin he fired wide with seconds to go. Then we heard of the FT at selthurst park, 3-3, we just had to hold on to stay up and we did with little bother in the end, the back 5 saw out time and we were safe. GET IN!!!!!! The players collapsed on the pitch, half the team had only been here 48 hours yet they had played a huge role in securing 4th division football next season. Guerrero unbelievably become our joint 2nd top scorer of the players who were left in squad for the season, he'd played 90 minutes for god sake. 

TRANSFER REVIEW.

The initial aim was to give all players a fair crack under me, at previous clubs I have been guilty of being far too hasty and being gung ho with transfers. It wasn't until things had gone off the rails before I was panicked into deals, had i made a mistake leaving things so long?  We were slap bang in the middle of a horrendous run in the league when I decided we needed to act. Subasic arrived from Espanyol, a great pick up, finally a class keeper. Previous occupant Hitz and Ocampos headed to Spain. Propper, Badstuber and Elkeson followed about a week later. There was definitely a shift in my ideals, I like to build with youngsters but I knew experience was needed, it didn't mean my policy was completely kicked into touch as Mikel Merino arrival proved there was some blocks still being built, the loss of Valverde in the Merino deal was tough to take but I really like Merino and decided it was a risk worth taking. Malcuit was brought in exchange for Kovalenko, I was lacking a decent option down the right and he fitted perfectly. Giaccherni arrived alongside young Rui Pedro from Hella Verona, Grassi being the makeweight in the deal. It wasn't until the last 48 hours of the season before we went crazy, 6 players arrived on the eve of our last game. Eremenko and Emenike arrived to add a bit solid depth to the side, we said goodbye to our 2 top players in Moreno and Camarasa who left for fiorentina and Ajax and we acquired in return Nani, Guerrero, Guarin and Rodriquez. After our great escape we allowed Rausch and Hoger to move on, Squad players who were not going to feature moving forward. As for our future we have picked up some promising young talent, 4 young English lads followed me to Italy, messers Bayliss, Leko, Maja and Mumba. Talented gk Letica arrived from Hadjuk, Left back Gersbach from Augsburg, Zebli from Sampdoria and young french rb Valery. Not all will make it however I'm happy enough with what we've done transfer wise this season. 

Next Season?? 

We are aiming for mid table, and a respectable showing in the cups. Youth cups will be entered and as always I'm always looking for Transfers. 

Good Luck to all and thanks for reading my patter. 

Real Madrid - 1st Season under Beddows

Beddows sat down this evening to discuss his first season in charge in the Spanish capital and was quite frank and honest about the successes and failure and gave himself a score of 6/10.


1. Transfers
2. Results
3. Evaluation of League, Cup Successes
4. Evaluation of Real Madrid’s Rivals
5. Season 8 Expectations

1. Transfers

As a secondary school teacher we are actively encouraged to get students to self assess their work, but also to allow for peer assessment. As such I have decided to give myself for 6/10 in the transfer market.

Beddows in and outs at Madrid in Season 7

Big deals saw Augero and Pjanic leave for depth, in came Isco, Bailey, Tolisso and Phillip - which added that depth and allowed us to compete on multiple levels - and with 3 of the 4 who came in possibilities for rises in my opinion I feel it was good business. 

My own fault is I don't like doing too many deals at any one team - I am a fan of consistent selection and not too much upheaval - plus my football knowledge is not on par with that of some of the other Top 100 managers.

Some specific transfer highlights - buying Pentz for 70 rated and he rises +10 within a week. Abeiescher from Young Boys for cash and one of my very own former Milan youngster, Yaremchuk, now plying his trade in Belgium in real life and scoring goals for cash.

Some transfer downs - agreeing months ago to move on Mancini to Levante - Ismalia Sarr deal as well I might regret - I am very pleased with my recent deals for Bertrand and Marchisio though - both a gamble as it weakens my depth in first XI but strengthens my Youth side no end... fingers crossed for rises in the coming weeks!

2. Results

This time we give oursleves a 7/10 - you might ask why? Well history - in season 6 Real Madrid under Roy Keane finished 9th - we managed to finish 8th - so progress!

During the season we'd stated the main aim was top 12 - and after a few very indifferent patches where we just couldnt buy results we pulled of some stunning ones - beating DP 3 times in a week, never been achieved, Balotelli scoring a brace in the Nou Camp, winning away at Old Trafford. We have learnt alot this season which we hope to put into action next season.

Biggest lows were losing in the semi-final of the Cup to Villarreal on penalties and over two legs to Bayern Munich in the Youth Shield Final! :(

Biggest high winning the World Club Cup - after beating Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus (in that order) over two legs each and beating Juve 4-2 in the final. Incredible scenes that night!

We also agonizingly lost to PSG in the SMFA Shield Quarter Final as PSG scored a 89th minute winner to go through 3-2 on agg!

Player wise Mr Balotelli excelled at Madrid - scoring 34 goals in all comps including the World Club Cup.

Bonucci consistently had high player ratings - which will be effected if/when his rating falls. Oblak excellent in goal and Mahrez and Greizman stats were exceptional and if we can be tighter next season top 5 has to be the aim.

As the stats show we have a variety of key individuals across the team and consistent goalscorers and assist makers will ensure success - Standout performers as stated are Greizman and Balotelli - but just look at the contributions from the bench of players like Kruse and Philip - both had great seasons.


 3. Evaluation of League, Cup Successes

Following Roy Keane will always be an almost impossible task to follow.
Roy Keane Honours Board


Despite winning the World Club Cup, silverware which is SM recognized is the main prize - we didn't win anything which is deeply disappointing - but we will rally and we will go again next season - we certainly have the players to do it!






4. Evaluation of Real Madrid's Rivals

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha - most of Beddows' favourite rivals failed miserably - much to the delight of the Italian and now Beddows backed Spanish press.

Beddows has decided to review 10 of his rivals giving them each a score out of 10 for their season.

10/10 - Mister TRX Malcolm (Celta Vigo) it hurts Beddows to admit that his old rival, the man who claimed that Beddows was a failure and would finish bottom of Div 1 in season 4 when he finished 6th, has won a Top 100 title - well played old man! Dinosaurs still exist!

1/10 - DP 91 (Juventus) Complete failure as ever, yes he won some domestic cups - but he lost to Beddows 3 times in 7 days!

0/10 Doc  (Atletico Madrid) The biggest failure in Madrid history! A man who has taken down Atletico Madrid - with the SMFA Shield final his only potential saving grace.

3/10 Ryan Chisholm (Roma) Beddows' cousin finished above him for the first time in history. Beddows refused to accept this as legit - claiming that anti-Beddows progrom is clearly still in evidence despite him leaving Milan.

-6/10 Tom Parfitt (Benfica) So bad that he can't even score more than 1. Total failure at a club who should be winning titles!

-4/10 Michael Hudson (Sporting) Survived relegation on the final day when they should have been fighting for the title! 

-5/10 Mike T (Athletic Club) Mike has completed failed and bottled it this season in Spain.

-10/10 golden bear (Boca Juniors) Complete failure!

20/10 Nick Wheels (Sao Paulo) A man who backed Beddows against the authorities in his Milan days and a firm ally and believer in the BMP - Beddows Madrid Project - has led Sao Paulo to promotion - Beddows is expected to be at the promotion party in Brazil as a special guest. 

-2/10 Doug Earle (Espanyol) Another manager with a minus score - somehow he has been given the A.Madrid job despite failing to make the play offs! Beddows has laughed off suggestions that he has any chance of avoiding relegation to Division 3 in season 8.

5. Season 8 Expectations

We haven't set any targets as of yet. We would like to aim for Top 7 - which will be a season on season improvement. 

Rise of Dynamo Moskva?

So here we are, Corey Johns has arrived in the Top 100 gameworld and has been given the chance to take on the challenge of Dynamo Moskva!

Corey’s barely been in charge of the Russian club for 24 hours and has already been extremely busy in the transfer market! 3 strong Characters are currently undergoing a medical in a locate hospital and will be presented at the training ground tomorrow morning! They are:



lautaro martinez : 20 years old, Argentina striker with massive potential on his shoulders! 

Tammy Abraham: 20 years old, Striker, English players with premier league experience with again a bright future! 

Amadou Haidara : Another promising 20 year old with successful European championship experience! 

Will these names make it and do The job for Corey in Russia? Time will tell but the fans are extremely excited with the new mans first day!! 





Division 4 Final Day!

Related image

After 37 games, season 7 will come to an end this Thursday. After an incredibly tight season there are still several potential twists in store for the final fixture which could decide who is crowned champion, who is promoted, who makes the play-offs and who is relegated. 13 teams can still make moves in the table with only 7 in set positions for next season. Three are already relegated while four have guaranteed safety but can't reach play-off spots. They can, however, still play a key role in how
the drama unfolds.

What's still to play for?

The Title

The race to become champions has come down to two teams. Standard Liege and RSC Anderlecht. While Hellas are close enough to catch them on points, their goal difference means they are all but out of it unless a miracle strikes. Currently Liege lead the way with 62 points, however, Anderlecht are just 2 points behind and are on a 4 games winning streak. If Liege were to draw Anderlecht could claim the title due to their higher goal difference if they can win on the final day. Liege face an arguably tougher fixture against Aston Villa who are still hoping to gain a play-off spot while Anderlecht will face Olympiacos who are one of 4 teams who with nothing riding on the final day. Despite still being in the race for the title, Anderlecht aren't guaranteed automatic promotion and could slip into the play-off spots if results don't go their way.

Promotion.

With only Standard Liege guaranteed promotion, there are still two automatic spots available. These are currently held by Anderlecht and Hellas Verona. With Anderlecht on 60 points and with the best goal difference in the division, the only two clubs that could overtake them are Hellas Verona and Sao Paulo. However, the Belgian side only require a draw to secure their promotion. Verona will be feeling more nervous. With 59 points and a goal difference of 7, there are 4 teams who will all be looking to clinch the final automatic promotion spot. Sao Paulo currently have 58 points while Marseille, Espanyol and Monaco all sit with 57 points and equal or superior goal differences to the Italian side. Torino also have an outside chance of moving up to 3rd thanks to their outstanding goal difference. If Hellas were to draw and any of these 5 sides win, then they would drop into the play-off spots. This set of fixtures will surely be exciting due to goal difference likely to play a large role in final positions. One key fixture to watch will be Marseille vs Torino. The winner could gain automatic promotion while the loser could miss out on play-off spots all together.

Play-offs.

Sao Paulo, Marseille, Espanyol and Monaco are currently in the play-off positions . Despite this, all 4 could miss out. While all could potentially move up the table, they could also go down if results go against them. The biggest threats are Torino and Aston Villa. If both win then draws might not be enough for the current teams in play-off positions to retain their spots. However, Stoke and Crystal Palace are both also able to catch up as they are only 2 points behind Marseille, Espanyol and Monaco. If Marseille lose to Torino and Espanyol and Monaco both lose too, all 3 will be at a huge risk of missing out on promotion all together. Sao Paulo are also at risk of missing out if they fail to win and could be leapfrogged by Stoke, who they play tomorrow, if they lose by a big enough margin. The battle for these spots is as tight as it will ever be and is likely to throw up some last minute twists.

Stuck but Safe.

Despite having their destiny next season sealed, two of the four teams can still impact the table. Olympiacos will face Anderlecht who are gunning for the title, while Dinamo Zagreb will play Hellas Verona who can seal their automatic promotion spot or drop below the play-off spots. Partizan and Levante are also safe but can't move out of the league, they will face Dynamo Moskva and Stuttgart who are both already relegated.

Safety.

The battle for safety is still on for two teams. Bordeaux are currently 2 points clear of Atalanta and the drop zone but could be relegated even if they manage a draw. Atalanta have a superior goal difference which could save them if they can beat out of form Espanyol. Looking at the form of Bordeaux will give Atalanta hope as the French side haven't won in their past 5 games. However, the Italian side must win if they want any chance of safety.

Relegated.

While Dynamo Moskva and Stuttgart have unimportant final games, Besiktas can still impact the top of the table as they face Monaco. The French side can still attain an automatic promotion spot but are also in danger of missing a promotion opportunity all together.


The Table

So many clubs have the potential to move up or down in the table. Here are the current standings with the highest and lowest potential finished for each team (Goal difference within 5).



The Fixtures

With the division still so open to change, the fixture list has been key in retaining the excitement for the final day. In all but two of the games, teams are still fighting for a better finish, with many mid table teams facing higher opposition and attempting to sneak into the promotion spots. 



Final Manager Appointments

Please find attached on the blog the list of other managers that have applied to be in Top 100. Can you please view the profiles of the managers and then on the newsfeed post please vote for your Top two.

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=794201 (Chris Hogg)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=3550336 (John James)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=809014 (Mr Ipswich)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=3283055 (Marcos Vitorino)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=6433165 (Giuseppe Glaviano)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=1911263 (Gonzadan)

https://www.soccermanager.com/profile.php?cid=4448337 (Corey Johns)

Additional information from Marcos Vitorino:

19 May 2018 01:39

Hi Mr Beddows, thanks for posting this opportunity.
I’m not going to present a kind of a SM CV with all my achievements until now, it’s not me. I’m pround of some, specially my Newport campaing in EC7777, but that’s not because of them that I should be in Top100.
I’m in SM for the fun but mostly for the social part of the game, and that’s why I want to be a part of Top100. Communication, banter, friendship and the love for football and this game, these are the main assets that I can bring to Top100.
I know a lot of managers that are already in so, I would be active from day 1. I’m present in some of the top setups for quite some time - EC7046, EC7777, Gold1, even EC1 as you know - a lot of people can vouch for me I believe. Even you know me since long ago.
I can also quit some of my teams in order to focus more in Top100. More than a year has passed since I first messaged Frank about Top100!
Well, you tell me. Thanks in any case. Cheers!


MCLEAN IN DREAM JOB AT CITY

A warm welcome at the Etihad for the new 'gaffer'.


It was smiles all round in the McLean household when, after leading Inter to a 3rd consecutive play
off, Khaldoon Al Mubarek pleaded with the wily Scot to take over the reigns at top flight outfit 
Manchester City, with a remit to overhaul the squad and keep the side at the top table.



A lifelong City fan himself, McLean relished the opportunity of a lifetime and gladly accepted.

The Light Blues had just come off the back of a wonderful season from ex-City boss Paddy d. A top 6 finish in his final season would be hard to beat. McLean knew that, despite being where he wanted to be, he would have to pull out all the stops to even match that achievement.

On the first day at the office McLean made a cold hard appraisal of the squad. The 1st team was as
solid as you could get, with the likes of Ibra, Laca, Robben, Gundi and Luis being the stand outs.
Yet outside this majestic XI the squad was as thin as a Kenyan marathon runners cock. It was also
clear that the likes of Ibra, Robben and Ribery would need to be moved on sooner than later and that
the dynamism of youth was severely lacking. 
Some difficult choices needed to be made. McLean bit his lip and went for it.

New City boss McLean reading player analyses.

McLean gathered his team together and laid everything out for them. 'You've had a terrific season lads and you've been, all of you, an absolute credit to the club', he said. 'But the way things stand
in terms of the quality of our squad depth and Academy hopefuls, things are not sustainable', he reasoned. There was a hush around the training ground as the seniors in the squad knew what was coming next. 'We need to bring in new, exciting young talent, but to do that I'm going to have to let some of you go', he went on, 'I've already spoken to those concerned and they have accepted this need for the good of the club, so I want you all to give a big hand to Laca and Mertens for all that they have done to further the ambition of this club, thank you lads and good luck'! A massive cheer went up from the lads. 

McLean was then seen to gather Ibra, Robben and Ribery together. What was said was anybody's guess, but all three nodded in agreement with the gaffers words, and they left with serious, but determined looks on their faces.


Oyarzabel back from a 'clunge' hunt.

True to his word McLean worked all his contacts in an
effort to find suitable quality replacements for the
outstanding Laca and Mertens. A tip off led him to
Monaco and some hard bargaining resulted in Laca
signing for the French principality and coming the other
way would be young Spanish star Mikel Oyarzabel, 19 yr
old Argie whizz kid Maxi Romero and ex- Madrid front
man Mariano Diaz.






The Mertens move was straightforward as you like.
Bentancur - A 'Rolls-Royce' of a player.
Said McLean, 'Chelsea registered an interest in the lad 
and straightaway offered both Bentancur and Perreiro.
I was absolutely thrilled to get both these young talents,
but especially Bentancur - that kid is as cold as ice and
as smooth as silk'. McLean also brought in veterans Alves
and Vucinic for some squad players, reasoning that their
experience could prove invaluable throughout the season. 










The City boss then set about organizing some friendlies ahead of the league opener away to Italian
giants Juventus. It was here, during friendlies and in the training ground, that McLean made clear to his charges that intelligence, hard work, will power, courage and tactical flexibility would see the
team through the season. City travelled to Turin with high hopes and good spirits.
They were thrashed 3-0.

But Mclean was unbowed in his methods and asked the players to trust him. They responded with a tenacious performance against German giants Bayern Munich and earned a creditable 1-1 draw at the
Etihad. The following week saw City claim their first win of the season with a 2-1 home victory over
Gladbach. A surprise defeat to Wolfsburg followed by a dispiriting loss to PSG meant City faced their crosstown rivals in the first derby of the season with just 4 pts from 4 games. McLean brought out the Solis Swiss Perfection hairdryer (£91.50 rrp) and gave the players a full blast. City ran out 2-1 winners at Old Trafford with goals from Ibra and Otamendi. This was a pivotal result that saw the Light blues really push on with 10 matches undefeated in all contests.









Ibra and his doppelganger.
By the time City's amazing run had come to an end at Arsenal, McLean had allowed star man Ibra to leave for Milan. McLean felt that even though he had bagged 5 in 11 that the time was right to move him on. Rumours in the tabloids had suggested that Ibra's 'Man bun' had begun to be a negative presence in the dressing room.There was even suggestions that it had been sneaking into Robben's locker and leaving 'deposits'. McLean batted away these tabloid tattles with customary aplomb, and welcomed young PSV midfielder Ramselaar into the ranks.







Oyarzabel - Back on the 'clunge' wagon.
Soon to follow out the door was Oyarzabel, to be replaced with
PSV sensation Steven Bergwijn and Marseille's French u21
international Maxime Lopez. With Robben playing up top City
went on another streak of 12 matches without a loss in all comps. The team were flying and Robben positively thrived in
his new position as the no.9. Safety seemed assured and even Ribery cracked a grin that aggravated his herpes for a week. 




  
US actor Tom Cruise in 'The Mummy'.
And then it all fell apart like Duncan from next door boasting
that he was a 'wiz sparky' and would sort out your tv connection
problems only to find out that changing from one channel to
another required you modulating your oven by changing the
degree of heat, such that you could be heard calling out ' babe
Match Of The Day is on 180 degrees, be a doll will you'? Much
to the confusion of neighbours. City went fully 7 matches with
not a sniff of victory, ended only by the much fan fared and  
enormous thrashing of Juve, with the team chomping at the
bit for revenge. The match highlights were shown first on Match
Of The Day on channel 180 degrees.  Yet still consistency was
as hard to find as a solid display of attacking football at Turf Moor.   


Following a 3-1 beating by Real Madrid McLean was absolutely livid with his players. He reasoned that the 'Hairdryer' treatment needed upscaling. He brought in the Karcher AB20 (£627.99 rrt). There
was no coming back with that punishment. The players either took it or walked. Fortunately these lads, this little band of merry men, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers fought as one. And
fight we did. It was another 11 match winning spree that took us up to the dizzy heights of 5th and a place in he Europa Cup semis. Brilliant! 


At the end of the run , with City lying 5th and a spot in the Europa League final almost assured, that McLean sought to auction of the likes of Robben, Ribery and Gundi ahead of the new season - with some success.

Following the victory over Sparta in the Europa League semi's first leg and an incredible 12 match unbeaten run in all comps, and a club record 8 wins in a row, McLean rang the changes.
Out was Ribery. Out was Robben.  Out was Gundi. They called it the Europa League massacre.

Fans were adamant that this amounted to a sell off of City's best players. McLean was hurt by these accusations but felt the fans had a point. But what could he do?

Pre-season Robben was sold for Milenkovic and Berghuis. McLean said of the deal, ' It is a wonder I am able to persuade such quality to come to the Etihad. I am thrilled'. Ribery will no longer play for City. He is off to Birmingham. He doesn't deserve this, but needs must.

The biggest pre-season deal will see Gundi move to Monaco in exchange for Traore and Vrsaljko. a magnificent deal.
City have, bit by bit, sold off their very best players. It is unrealistic to expect City to challenge for major honours, or even to remain in the top division. From McLean , ' I have deliberately set out to invigorate the squad. I have done that. I was tasked with bringing in young blood. I have done that. I was asked to maintain position. I have done that. If the powers that be feel I am not right for the job, then fair enough. All I can say is my record speaks for itself.'  

'Next season will be the biggest challenge of my career as a manager. I may have overreached this season, but I am determined, willful and scarily hard working. I will give my best to see this team stay in and then thrive. I will it.'

And there you have it. McLean - legend.













































Interview with Beddows "WORLD CLUB CUP WINNER SEASON 7"

BARCELONA
BAYERN MUNICH
JUVENTUS

So good were Real Madrid in this seasons World Club Cup that they beat the three above in consecutive two legged ties - to lift the World Club Cup vs Juventus - 72 hours on Beddows speaks to Marca about this momentous occasion. Forza Madrid!

With the Italian and Spanish media questioning: Who next for Barcelona? Who next for Juventus?




Post match Beddows sat down to discuss the triumph:

“It was a great campaign - we came out of a tough (fixed group) against Arsenal (Bowes couldnt cope with Balotelli as ever), Villarreal, Arsenal and Liverpool”

What followed was amazing, victories over PARIS SG, BARCELONA, BAYERN MUNICH and JUVENTUS (all over 2 legs) saw Real life the trophy - Beddows was delighted - increible scenes as they lifted the Cup in Turin!


Jobs Update for Season 8 - Update

Jobs update - REMEMBER the following clubs anyone can apply for - even Tom Parfitt. . . . (1) A. Madrid, (2) Liverpool (3) Benfica (4) Sunderland (5) Southampton (6) Wolfsburg. . .  

Currently we have LIVERPOOL (7 applicants) A.MADRID (8 applicants) BENFICA (13 applicants) SUNDERLAND (0 applicants) SOUTHAMPTON (5 applicants) WOLFSBURG (2 applicants) 

Remember the deadline is matchday 33 - so Sunday night. I will be emailing out the spreadsheet of everyone’s applications to the committee - you will only be considered for the jobs you applied for - so still 48 hours if you want to throw your name in there.

Just to reconfirm the process - there are 8 managers who will have their say, including the big boss Frank Hirst - with all 8 managers considered the top 3 candidates for EACH JOB in turn and giving their 1st choice (3 pts) 2nd (2pts) 3rd (1pt) the top candidate being offered the job so to speak. 


Tha Man(s), The Myth

There have been some strange goings on in the West Midlands recently, and the “Paddlefish” has decided that the time is nigh to bring it to a wider audience.


Disturbances have been reported, and a man in strange garb has been identified by various eye witnesses and seen on CCTV. Although their has not been a positive ID as yet, the figure has been described as wearing an Aldi carrier bag with a Benfica crest drawn on the front, and Parfitt scrawled on the back.

Other witness reports also suggest that actually, the man in question walks around listening to I’ll Be Missing You on a boom box, and actually has Parf Daddy engraved on the back of the carrier bag.
The question therefore needs to be asked. Just exactly who is this mad man, or is it in fact, mad men, and what else do we know about them?

Well one of the characters has been heard muttering under his breath about “his” Benfica squad being ripped apart and left in tatters. About how it is not achieving the greatness that should be automatically bestowed upon it.

The (other?) shady character has been heard to say that the squad he built has been left in good shape despite a Parfitt hurricane attempting to tear it to shreds.

Police have investigated the case and have no leads whatsoever. All they have been able to say is that they feel there is a delusional schizophrenic on the streets of the West Midlands, and should not be approached. Not because he is likely to be dangerous, but because he may well talk you into a confused bubble of your own, from which there may be no escape.

Paddlefish PI however has done some research, and drawn his own conclusions. These conclusions are nased on a combination of hard evidence, hearsay (not the band), and simply making things up.



The first thing to consider is this. Who is in the West Midlands? We can immidiately start to narrow down the field here, and we see that Beddows is surprisingly not likely to be a candidate, and Ruts is also likely to be in the clear. Equally as shocking, Josh probably isnt the crazed fool, and Paddy D, PMW and The Linder all seem equally unlikely.

The most likely suspects would all be Midlands based. With that in mind, the shortlist can therefore be narrowed down to Sir Walter Smith, Anthony Maddison, Nick Justice and Nuno.
Now by process of further elimination, SWS and Anthony are based in Leicester & Stoke respectively. The chances of them dressing in a carrier bad and then heading off to Birmingham is possible, but may a little less probable.

That then leaves us with Nuno and Nick Justice. Lets take a look at the two suspects and then make up our own minds.

First off, Nick. Nick Justice is the head of the Justice League, so is therefore on first name terms with the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aqua Man and the Flash.

Image result for justice league

Here we have a man who is completely on the straight and narrow. One who is so anti crime that he has created his own band of vigilantes to fight against it. On the other hand though, his crew all wear capes. Is it possible that they got the idea from a carrier bag wearing nutcase?

In the other corner, we have Nuno. A man so completely overwhelmed by his own self confidence that he completely ignored those wise words “You can’t win anything with kids”. Unfortunately however, Nuno didn’t win anything with kids. Could that crushing blow to his monstrous ego finally have tipped him over the edge?

A “confession” made under hypnosis may hold some clues. A transcript of that session has now been released for puplic consumption / knowledge / awareness (Delete as appropriate)

Prof Doppelganger: So then Nuno, can you tell me a bit about your past?

Nuno: It all started back home in Portugal. I was adored there. Absolutely everywhere I went there were men who wanted to be me, and women who wanted to be with me. As I wondered around the country, the men would be throwing their wives and daughters at me. The women would be throwing themselves at me.

Prof Doppelganger: So what went wrong?

Nuno: That mofo Parfitt. The feckin’ Paddlefish. He came along and took my job. The men started throwing their wives and daughters at him. The women were throwing themselves at him. He became the focus of their love, lust and adoration.

Prof Doppelganger: And how did it make you feel?

Nuno: Unloved, unwanted, washed up, like an orphan at a family reunion, like a dog in a cattery, like a vag in a gay skin flick, like a pork chop on a vegitarian menu, like a fart in a wetsuit, like a mobile phone going off in Anne Franks pocket, like a…..

Prof Doppelganger: Ok Nuno, that’s fine, no need to labour the point. So moving on, the man Parfitt. Do you fear him?

Nuno: My fear is that he will come here after me, and be loved by everybody here. That he will take my place in their hearts, the same as he has done in Portugal.

Prof Doppelganger: Just sum up exactly how you feel about him?

Nuno: Besotted. I’m just a weak minded fool, so I want to be like him. He’s the man. The only man for me.

Prof Doppelganger: And what do you do if you ever feel these impulses towards him?

Nuno: I have to try and surpress it. I know he’s the man, but I have to tell myself I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the mans, I’m mans. I AM MANS!

At this point, the recording comes to an end. There are some hysterical screams, and rustling sound which is reminiscent of a carrier bag, and in the distance a faint Portuguese voice can be heard asking a receptionist if he can borrow a pen. The next thing is the click of a boom box being turned on, and the sounds of Puff Daddy & Faith Hill telling somebody they’ll be missing them.
So kiddos, it’s over to you. Is the crazed schizo of Birmingham likely to be friends with the Caped Crusader et al, or is it more likely to be an under achiever who is far more concerned with worrying about other peoples personal situation rather than his own?

www.youtube.com/watch


The Rhine Runs Red

The Rhine Runs Red

On a beautifully crisp clear Sunday night, the Rhine turned crimson red in a tough tacking, hard-fought battle in the Division 5 playoffs.

There were three red cards in total between FC Basel and River Plate, Joe Allen, Roman Neustadter and Matias Kranevitter all saw the locker room early. 




 Joe Allen

Roman Neustadter 

Matias Kranevitter

Crucially the red cards for Basel were within 2 minutes of each other, and whilst they admirably held on for a further 20 minutes, a sublime Ibrahima Traore free kick decided the match.

Man of the Match - Ibrahima Traore

The crucial win now moves River Plate to within one point of 6th place Basel.

River Plate have a tough run in, with more away games than home games but the club are in a one game at a time mentality.

Next up, Florin Andone's Club Brugge CV




Paddlefish Parfitt - How a man destroyed Nuno's Dream

“I had a dream, a song to sing” blurted out life long Benfica president Nuno Bento on 21st May 2017 as Tom Parfitt, the Messiah, the Chosen One, the One who would bring balance back to Portugal and overtake Andre at Porto was appointed - yet it was not to be as “Nuno’s dream” has turned into a disaster!


The Portuguese press have nicknamed Parfitt “A Paddlefish”

Hirst has caught out "Paddlefish Parfitt" on many ocassions
The name refers to Parfitt's failures in the Portugese captial which have been so many that they cannot be listed due to word limits!

Mr Noisy looks happy as Leverkusen beat Benfica again!
Nuno had built a team so strong that he firmly expected the former King of Spain to reign - yet it appears Parfitt has destroyed the hopes of Nuno, a man so downhearted and defeated by his crushed dreams that he has ended up at West Brom - a place where dreams go to die!

As for the Paddlefish  - a fish that is so primitive and toothless whose infamy for foraging found no success in Portugal - he must now swim elsewhere if he is to survive extinction that befell his Chinese cousins!

FrankBet Job Odds!


With Season 7's end coming upon the horizon it appears that as ever the jobs market will jump into force with sackings left right and centre, some managers moving on - others moving up and some, having failed at the top, moving down... BUT who will end up where is anyone's guess - one thing is for certain though it is likely to yield a flurry of transfer market activity as all managers look to make their new squads there very own and put their own stamp!

A few jobs stand out as "must have's" - Benfica and Liverpool:

Benfica:

With Parfitt struggling to muster anything more than surviving relegation on the final day over the past 3 seasons - the curse of Nuno is set to look for its next victim to see who can next struggle to take Benfica to the top of the world, apparently the place they should be.

So how many applicants are there - well 11 applicants have completed the process and some wish to remain "secretive" but here is FrankBet's odds on a few of them.

Mr "Whats Occurin Mark Stewart" - 3/1 no one can deny what he has achieved at Berlin with successive promotions and potentially a third would be remarkable. Yet his loyalty to Berlin and the lack of trams in the Portuguese capital could possibly count against him.

Rahul - 6/1 - considered by some to be an outsider for the Benfica job - yet the managers talents should not be doubted - had success with numerous Top100 clubs including Aston Villa, Man Utd, Dnipro and Sampdoria - it is thought though that Mr Benfica Life Preisdent and God Nuno if he has any input would question the mans lack of Portuguese and knowledge of Benfica youngsters.

Rob Ryan - 8/1 - a very good pedigree - if Top100 managers were thoroughbred horses then Rob Ryan would be in the running for the national every year - arguably overachieved consistently at Napoli and would be a great shout if the committee choose to give him the job! 

Liverpool:

With Wayne Bullough proving to be a failure at Liverpool and apparently being forced to announce his departure earlier than anticipated as the search for a new man enters  critical stage here is a low down of some of candidates who have presented themselves for the Liverpool job so far.

Garry Crawford - 4/1 - Mr PSV as he has become known is almost as Scouse as Steve Mclaren was Dutch so it appears an obvious choice - a manager who toiled for a while at many SM T100 clubs who has finally found his home and turned an average PSV side into challengers for promotion - he would be a safe choice for Pool.  

Jason Hines - 5/1 - A lifelong Liverpool fan who is freezing his balls off out in Moscow and is said to be sick of the cold shoulder from Putin and the lack of state investment and intervention in helping him to take Spartak back to the promised land - but a good steady season this year could convince the committee to consider his talents

Andrew Kelly - 6/1 - Another lifelong Liverpool fan - done a fab job at Villarreal who have been punching above their weight for the entirety of the history of SM. 

Like I said this is a snapshot of the applicants for both jobs - the talent is immense and applicantons will not be accepted after game 33.

Some managerial appointments for Season 8 can be confirmed tonight:

Werder Bremen: Wayne Bullough has official been unveiled at a Bremen Beer Hall alongside his family when he declared that having previously been at Sunderland and Liverpool he felt living abroad for the first time would be a daunting experience for a man from Accrington but he'd give it his best go and admitted he'd already learnt how to order a sausage and beer in German already!

Also Mr Craig Braidwood - the man behind [ec7046blog.wordpress.com](https://ec7046blog.wordpress.com/) will be going to Sampdoria where he hopes to challenge Mr Frank Hirst for being the top manager in Genoa!




Saint-Etienne: 10 games from a miracle

At the start of the Division Two season, newly-promoted St.Etienne were written off, given no chance of survival in a league where every single side, bar none, had better players, higher ratings, better depth, and everything else needed to stay in a division of this quality. Yet, with ten games to go, as we approach the home straight of what’s been a thrilling season, Les Verts remain outside the bottom four. There’s no doubt it’ll be tight and will go down to the wire, but the French side have proven that this game is not played on paper, and that with the right tactics, the right attitude, and a fair slice of luck, anybody is able to compete.



The season started off with a bang, 7 points in our first 4 matches, including a stunning 5-0 win away at Sunderland, before the wheels started to come off, slightly.

‘We’ve been a side who’s gone on a lot of runs this season, but these runs have tended to be no more than four or five matches.’ said Powell, who took over from Josh McMillan at the start of the season, ‘We’ve tended to go on a little run where results haven’t gone our way, and then all of a sudden ground out a few good results, and it’s been back and forth in that same vain for entire season. It’s worked well for us though. What it has allowed us to do is to avoid ever getting into a situation where it’s been a run of seven, eight, nine games without a win. When things have started to look bad we’ve found a way out. For example, when we won 2-1 away at Internazionale, we’d lost our previous three games in a row. Likewise when we won at Sampdoria, we’d lost our previous three before that as well.'

St.Etienne are, to an extent, on a similar run at the moment, having lost their last two against Villareal and Southampton, after having been on our best run of the season beforehand, where we won 4/6 matches, including an outstanding 3-1 win at Leverkusen.

Powell had this to say about Sunday evening’s home match against high-flying Sevilla ‘They’re an excellent side, having an excellent season. David’s built a wonderful team there and we’ll have to be at our best to get something. I’ve actually been slightly disappointed with how we’ve been at home. We’ve won five at home, which is as many as we’ve won away so we need to try and improve on that. It’s a crucial game for us though. Having lost our last two, we can’t afford to go on a run where we fail to pick up victories at this late stage of the season. I feel if we can pick up three wins, maybe four, that will do it for us and we’ll stay up in the division. I think we deserve it, because we’ve played so well in a league where, realistically, the vast majority of our players would be nowhere near other sides starting XI’s.'


Whatever the last 10 matches bring, St.Etienne will hold their heads high this season, and as they welcome Sevilla to the cauldron of noise awaiting them at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, they are determined to make it count, and pick up three more points on their road to survival.

















The Season 7 Player Stats round-up after 28 games

The Season 7 Player Stats round-up after 28 games

Goals

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 24 in 27 games
2. Gonzalo Higuain (Dortmund/D1)- 22 in 26 games

3. Carlos Tevez (Olympiakos/D4)- 19 in 21 games
4. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Juventus/D1)- 17 in 28 games

5. Alexander Meier (Koln/D5)- 16 in 27 games
6. Marcel Sabitzer (Internacional/D2)- 16 in 28 games
6. Artem Dzyuba (Spartak Moscow/D3)- 16 in 28 games
8. Luuk de Jong (PSV/D3; Sevilla/D2)- 15 in 27 games

9. Luis Suarez (Bayern/D1)- 15 goals in 28 games


Assists

1. Maxime Lestienne (Werder Bremen/D5)- 23 in 28 games
2. Jose Manuel Jurado (Koln/D5)- 19 in 27 games
3. Paulo Dybala (Juventus/D1)- 15 in 25 games
4. Dmitri Poloz (Spartak Moscow/D3)- 15 in 26 games
5. Heung-Min Son (Aston Villa/D4)- 15 in 27 games
6. Leroy Sane (Juventus/D1)- 14 in 22 games


7. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 14 in 27 games

7. Machin Vitolo (Sevilla/D2)- 14 in 27 games
7. Jesse Lingard (Chievo Verona/D3)- 14 in 27 games
7. Yoshinori Muto (Hertha Berlin/D3)- 14 in 27 games


MOTMs

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 21 in 27 games



2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Juventus/D1)- 15 in 28 games
3. Luis Suarez (Bayern/D1)- 12 in 28 games
4. Arjen Robben (Manchester City/D1)- 11 in 28 games
5. Marcel Sabitzer (Internacional/D2)- 10 in 28 games
6. Gonzalo Higuain (Dortmund/D1)- 9 in 26 games
7. Alexander Meier (Koln/D5)- 9 in 27 games


Yellow Cards


1. Davinson Sanchez (Benfica/D2)- 9 in 27 games
2. Andrea Conti (Genoa/D2)- 8 in 22 games
3. Danny Welbeck (Wolfsburg/D1)- 8 in 25 games
3. Romelu Lukaku (PSG/D1)- 8 in 25 games

3. Niklas Moisander (Werder Bremen/D5)- 8 in 25 games
6. Carlos Sanchez (Sassuolo/D2)- 8 in 28 games
7. Ever Banega (Dortmund/D1)- 7 in 22 games
8. Mateo Kovacic (Atletico Madrid/D1)- 7 in 26 games


Red Cards

1. Omar Elabdellaoui (Galatasaray/D3)- 3 in 25 games
2. Kalidou Koulibaly (Dortmund/D1)- 3 in 26 games
3. 30 players on 2 red cards

New Jobs and Application Process for Season 8

As it has been mentioned on the newsfeed in Season 8 Top100 will import a new process of appointing managers.

Here for everyone to see is a download the “process”



Stage 1

All jobs that will 100% be available at the end of the season will be offered here, via facebook or via newsfeed or via whatapp group.

Stage 2

ALL JOBS need to be applied for by messaging me  Stephen Beddows, or Frank Hirst DP 91. In  your PM, application you must state.

(1) job or jobs your are applying for
(2) why you want that job
(3) a brief overview of your T100 career, jobs, honours etc…

Obviously the ‘bigger’ the job then arguably the bigger application will be needed. So for example a Division 5 club could be just a simple “Yes” I want it. 

Stage 3

Your application will be added to the spreadsheet which will at stated time be shared to the “super secret” committee - the SS - who will rate the applicants for the jobs by stating their Top 3 candidates for each role - with the job being offered by the manager who gets the most votes. The committee will judge the applicants as such

1st choice - 3 points
2nd choice - 2 points
3rd choice - 1 point

Therefore with the committee having “5” managers on it - the maximum points anyone could get is 15. The manager with the most will then publicly be offered the job, should they choose to decline it it will be offered to next said candidate and so on.

Current jobs which managers can 100% apply for include:

BENFICA, LIVERPOOL, SUNDERLAND, SAMPDORIA


PSV fans dreaming of promotion


Cast your mind back to last season and the season before when PSV were dominiating games but losing by the solitary goal due to a lack of fire-power in the team and then think back to when Manager Gaz was appointed promising the fans that he was aiming to make his young team a force to be reckoned with by season three and that he would work flat out to give them a team to be proud of if they had faith in him and stuck by him!....



Well season 3 has arrived with a bang and the loyal supporters are finally reaping the benefits for their patience and undying support.
On Sunday PSV beat mid table Locomotiv Moscow 1-0 at home to record their 6th win in a row and climbed to 4th place in the table where they sit only 3 points behind leaders Hertha Berlin who they beat 2-1 away from home only a fortnight ago.
The transformation has been astonishing for the Dutch cracks and shows how believing in a squad and keeping them together will eventually pay dividends.
PSV and Gaz have a non-transfer policy and have been very shrewd in the market selling only 6 players in 3 seasons in deals which seen 4 of them used as part of 2 transfers.
Gaffer Gaz speaking on the Legends show on skysports tonight said.. 'This togetherness and team effort is our trademark and when its mixed with the right tactics it makes us rise above and defeat teams with better players'
Despite a good start to the season, PSV lost 3 games in a row in March leading to a total overhall in tacticschanging from their normal 4-3-3 to a more defensive 4-2-3-1 and after a good 0-0 draw away to Dynamo Kiev, another tweek of the tactics, both formation wise and defensive wise, they seem to have closed the hole at the back and opened up the floodgates in attack.
wins against Leicester, Cruziero, Hertha, Shakhtar, Alkmaar, and Locomotiv got the club and the fans dreaming of automatic promotion and with Sturridgem Bakambu and Kagawa on fire in attack, only a fool would right of their chances of going up this season.
Next up for PSV is Gav Harmer's Chievo Verona who have drawn their last 2 games and currently sit in 8th place in the table in a game that could see PSV go top dependimg on other results.



Youth Cup, Shield and Spoon Knockout Round 1 Results & Qualifiers for Round 2

All the results from last night’s Youth Cup, Shield and Spoon knockout Round 1.

The draw for Round 2 will take place at 8 pm GMT (7 pm BST).

Youth Cup R2 (two leg ties) draw: http://www.randomresult.com/ticket.php?t=637333WYJJ9

Youth Shield R2 (one leg ties) draw: http://www.randomresult.com/ticket.php?t=637336PY2KZ

Youth Spoon R2 (one leg ties) draw: http://www.randomresult.com/ticket.php?t=637337ZGFJM


Youth Cup 


R1 - Round of Sixteen


Real Madrid 1 - 2 Flamengo
Juventus 3 - 2 Atletico Madrid
Manchester United 3 - 1 Sporting Lisbon
Benfica 2 - 1 Bayern
Girondins Bordeaux 1 - 0 Internazionale
Celta Vigo 3 - 3+ Sunderland
Aston Villa 3 - 1 Genoa
Dortmund 0 - 2 Leverkusen

+ Sunderland win 5-4 after Fictional Extra Time (FET)


Teams qualifying for Round 2 - Two-Legged Quarter-Finals:

Flamengo
Juventus
Manchester United
Benfica
Girondins Bordeaux
Sunderland
Aston Villa
Leverkusen

Note that losers in R1 are entered into R2 of the Youth Shield (see below).


Youth Shield 


R1 - Round of Sixteen


Stoke City 3 - 1 Marseille
Everton 1 - 2 Hellas Verona
Newcastle United 3 - 1 Manchester City
Arsenal 3 - 0* Fiorentina
Independiente 0 - 0+ Chelsea
Sao Paulo 0 - 1 Milan
Barcelona 3 - 1 Anderlecht
Hoffenheim 0 - 0** Villarreal
* Fiorentina played overage team

+ Chelsea win 3 - 0 after FET

** Hoffenheim failed to send friendly request and Villarreal failed to send reminder message. Villarreal qualify by virtue of having forfeited fewer games in the tournament to date.


Teams qualifying for Round 2 - Round of Sixteen Again One-Legged ties (including 8 losers from Youth Cup R1):


Stoke City
Hellas Verona
Newcastle United
Arsenal
Chelsea
Milan
Barcelona
Villarreal
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
Sporting Lisbon
Bayern
Internazionale
Celta Vigo
Genoa
Dortmund

Note that losers in R1 are entered into R2 of the Youth Spoon (see below).


Youth Spoon


R1 - Round of Sixteen



Shakhtar Donetsk 0 - 3* Sevilla
Napoli 2 - 2+ Liverpool
Espanyol 3 - 1 Swansea City
Leicester City 0 - 3* Basel
Lazio 3 - 0* Augsburg
Dynamo Kyiv 3 - 1 Cologne
Hertha Berlin 0 - 3* Valencia
Roma 2 - 3 Brugge

* Shakhtar and Augsburg played overage teams. Leicester played overage player (Lavezzi). Berlin played overage subs.

+ Napoli win 5 - 2 after FET


Teams qualifying for Round 2 - Round of Sixteen Again One-Legged ties (including 8 losers from Youth Shield R1):


Sevilla
Napoli
Espanyol
Basel
Lazio
Dynamo Kyiv
Valencia
Brugge
Marseille
Everton
Manchester City
Fiorentina
Independiente
Sao Paulo
Anderlecht
Hoffenheim

Note that losers in R1 are out!

Madrid Celebrates

Following the progression to the Youth Cup knock out stage, quarter finals of World Club Cup and beating Juventus away from home incredible scenes as Madrid release a commerative song!

Hala Madrid!





Youth Cup Groups Final Matches, Knockout Stage Draws and Preview

A quick round-up of all Saturday night’s Youth Cup results in the final round of group matches, plus a preview of the knockout rounds starting next Saturday 31 March.

The final Group Tables are here: https://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/p/youth-cup-group-tables_28.html

Youth Cup draw and fixtures are here: https://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/p/youth-cup_25.html

Youth Shield: https://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/p/youth-shield.html

Youth Spoon: https://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/p/youth-spoon.html

All ties are one-legged, to be played Saturday 31 March.


Group A



Barcelona 1 - 4 Juventus
Bayern 0 - 3* Manchester United
SL Benfica 2 - 1 Genoa CFC


Bayern's reward for comfortably winning the group is a tough away tie at Benfica, who they beat home and away by 1-0 in the group stages. 

Has Bayern's form started to drop, and has beleaguered Benfica boss Parfitt finally discovered the winning formula after announcing he will step down by the end of the season?

Second placed Manchester United will face Group E winners and one of only two unbeaten sides after ten matches, Benfica's Portuguese rivals Sporting, at Old Trafford.

Stuttering Juventus face Group B runners-up Atletico Madrid in Turin, while Genoa face a tricky tie away at Group D runaway winners Aston Villa.

Benfica vs. Bayern
Manchester United vs. Sporting Lisbon
Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid
Aston Villa vs. Genoa

In the Shield, Barcelona face Group F runners-up Anderlecht.

Barcelona vs. Anderlecht

Group B


Chelsea 0 - 1 Real Madrid
Dortmund 2 - 3 Arsenal
Hellas Verona 1 - 4 Atlético Madrid

In an incredible turn of events, Sir Stephen Beddows took temporary charge of Top 100, and has a 100% win record ever since, including this vital 1-0 win at Chelsea. That victory earns them a home tie against Group C runners-up Flamengo - last season's Shield finalists.

Another B vs C tie sees easy group winners Dortmund face tasty all-German tie with Group C winners Leverkusen.

Atletico's reward for finishing second is a tough trip to Juventus.

Real Madrid vs. Flamengo
Dortmund vs. Leverkusen
Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid


In the Shield games:

Arsenal vs. Fiorentina
Independiente vs. Chelsea
Everton vs. Hellas Verona


Group C


Flamengo 0 - 0* Valencia CF
Leverkusen 3 - 0 Hoffenheim
Olympique Marseille 0 - 1 Independiente


As already stated above, qualifying for the Cup knockout stage in Group C earned tough awat=y draws at Group B rivals:

Real Madrid vs. Flamengo
Dortmund vs. Leverkusen

In the Shield:

Stoke City vs. Marseille
Hoffenheim vs. Villarreal
Independiente vs. Chelsea

In the Spoon:

Hertha Berlin vs. Valencia


Group D


AS Roma 3 - 0* SSC Napoli
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Stoke City
Everton 1 - 0 AC Milan

Napoli's slip at Roma let Stoke sneak into the Shield at their expense.

Villa's reward for easily winning the group is a winnable tie at home to a poor Genoa side in the Cup:

Aston Villa vs. Genoa

Shield ties:

Stoke City vs. Marseille
Everton vs. Hellas Verona
Sao Paulo vs. Milan

Spoon fixtures:

Napoli vs. Liverpool
Roma vs. Brugge

Group E



Manchester City 1 - 3 Newcastle United
Sevilla 2 - 0 RCD Espanyol
Sporting CP 1 - 1 Liverpool

Sporting got the point they needed to win the group, and are rewarded with a glamour tie at the Theatre of Dreams.

Manchester United vs. Sporting Lisbon

In the Shield, Manchester City and Newcastle will replay their final group fixture, this time at the Council House.

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City

In the Spoon:

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sevilla
Napoli vs. Liverpool
Espanyol vs. Swansea City

Group F



FC Basel 1 - 3 Dynamo Kyiv
RSC Anderlecht 1 - 3 Sunderland
Sassuolo 2 - 1 Swansea City

In the match of the day, Sunderland won at Anderlecht to take top spot and qualify for the Cup. They face trip to Group I winners, the only other unbeaten side Celta Vigo:

Celta Vigo vs. Sunderland


In the Shield, runners-up Anderlecht also travel to Spain to face the mighty Barca:

Barcelona vs. Anderlecht

In the Spoon:

Leicester City vs. Basel
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Cologne
Espanyol vs. Swansea City

Group G


Augsburg 0 - 3* ACF Fiorentina
H. Berlin 0 - 0* Shakhtar Donetsk
Internazionale 3 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur

Inter's reward for easily winning Group G, is a trip to France to face Group H winners:

Girondins Bordeaux vs. Internazionale

Fiorentina beat Augsburg to claim the Shield qualifying place and a trip to North London:

Arsenal vs. Fiorentina
In the Spoon:

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sevilla
Lazio vs. Augsburg
Hertha Berlin vs. Valencia

Group H



Club Brugge KV 3 - 0* Beşiktaş JK
SS Lazio 1 - 2 Villarreal CF
Udinese Calcio 0 - 3* Girondins Bordeaux

Cup:

Girondins Bordeaux vs. Internazionale

Shield:

Hoffenheim vs. Villarreal

Spoon:

Lazio vs. Augsburg
Roma vs. Brugge


Group I


Celta Vigo 4 - 0 Lokomotiv Moskva
Leicester City 1 - 0 Crystal Palace
São Paulo FC 1 - 0 Cologne

Cup:

Celta Vigo vs. Sunderland

Shield:

Sao Paulo vs. Milan

Spoon:

Leicester City vs. Basel
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Cologne