2018
One small step for man, one giant leap for St.Etienne
Les Verts hit the ground running
St. Etienne claimed their first victory of the season last night, if quite fortuitously, with an impressive 3-1 home win over Ajax at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, and manager Ted Powell, as well as the whole squad, are brimming with confidence after a steady start to the season, which has shown that, hopefully, they’ll be more than capable of pulling their weight and competing in Division Two, rather than make up the numbers.
Things got off to an incredible start, with Andre-Pierre Gignac firing the hosts in front in the 1st minute, but from then on, Ajax’s quality really came to the fore, with the likes of Stindl, Radu and Wernbloom coming close. Eventually, Inaki Williams rifled home a deserved equaliser after 24 minutes, and at this point, having dropped points from a winning position vs Sampdoria on Thursday, the home fans must have been fearing the worst.
However, their despair was to be short lived, when just two minutes later, the front two combined beautifully yet again, with Haraguchi playing in Gignac, and the Frenchman restoring the hosts lead to smash home his 3rd goal of the season. Just eleven minutes later, the roles were reversed, with Gignac playing in Japanese new signing Haraguchi, and the former Monchengladbach man slotted home to give the hosts some breathing space, whilst providing the catalyst for sheer jubilation and disbelief amongst the home crowd.
The second half was a bit of a backs to the wall job. When looking at the stats, it looked like Ajax dominated the game. They had 16 shots, 11 on target, while ASSE had 9 shots, with 3 hitting the target, and all hitting the back of the net. However, when you look at the game itself, it was actually far from a dominant performance. Each side had 7 pieces of attacking commentary each, with 5 of Ajax’s coming before the half hour mark. So while stats may make it look like we were lucky, we feel it was a good defensive performance, and more to the point, we were absolutely lethal with our finishing. This is what Powell had to say after the match-
' I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a fantastic result for us. Before the match, when you looked at the two teams there was a big difference in quality. Ajax had the likes of Sokratis in defence, Strootman in midfield, and Williams, Bernadeschi and Fekir going forward. They’re all players we could only dream of having at ASSE. However, we showed tremendous fight, grit and determination to get the win. We’ve got four points so far, and we’re showing signs of improvement game on game at the moment. We’ve shown brilliant determination in every match so far and the team’s only getting stronger and stronger. While it’s still early days, it’s vital to get off to a good start to the season. If we’d lost today, with an away game up next, you don’t want to be heading to Sunderland with only 1 point in 3 matches. If we had that, and then failed to win at the Stadium of Light, that leaves you on 1 or 2 points, 4 games in, and that’d be regarded as a poor start. Confidence would get lower and lower and we’d be really struggling. But we’ve managed to prevent that today and I’m over the moon. Some may say we didn’t deserve to win today but truth is, we couldn’t care less. There’ll be games this season where we play much better than today and still lose. That’s how football works. We created as many, if not more, clear cut chances than Ajax. Nobody scored in the 2nd half, yet we came closest when Amrabat struck the woodwork. Our front two of Gignac and Haraguchi are working wonders right now, and 100% of our goals so far this season have been scored by them. They did well in pre-season and have carried that form on, and long may it continue. ‘
Les Verts visit struggling Sunderland on Thursday, but before that, open their campaign for the World Club Shield with a visit to Division 5 Club Brugge. Partizan and Crystal Palace make up the group, and ASSE are feeling confident of progression, but keen to get off to a good start in Belgium. There’s no doubt St. Etienne are one of the favourites to go down this season, and we are heading into almost every game at the moment with much lower-rated starting XI’s. However, it’s been a very promising start to the season, and Les Verts really are showing that, so far at least, that they’re capable of showing why David beat Goliath in the end.
Villa and Villarreal Hit Four, Bowler Hat-trick
A busy night in the opening round of fixtures in this season’s new look Youth Cup saw 27 matches produce 24 wins, 3 draws, 65 (legitimate) goals, almost as many yellow cards (54), and 7 reds.
Biggest winners were Aston Villa and Villarreal with 4-0 wins each (biggest losers, Roma and Udinese). Sunderland’s Josh Bowler tops the scoring charts following his splendid hat-trick in Kyiv.
Four teams - Sassuolo, Shakhtar, Besiktas and Koln - fielded overage players and recorded 0-3 defeats by default.
Group A
Juventus lost their opening re-run of last season’s Youth Cup Final. The Old Lady fielded 9 of the 11 who lost to Bayern in the first leg of that final, with new signings Arana and Diop appearing to strengthen the tournament favourites. Bayern, meanwhile, lost their captain Henrichs to Arsenal, and Castagne to age (and Atletico).
An even first half saw the sides level at one each. Bayern came out all guns blazing in the second half, and could have easily been three or four one up, by the hour mark. They sat back on their 2-1 lead, and soaked up all Juve’s pressure to hold on to yet another surprise result, leaving the Turin club’s boss Dan Payne scratching his head for answers.
Group B
Great win for Hellas at The Emirates, and Doc remembered to set his team, the headlines in Group B.
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Gregg Robinson reports live from Buenos Aries:
Flamengo take the early lead in the league after an impressive 2-0 win at Independiente. Leverkusen fill second spot with a good 2-1 win at Marseille. And Valencia in third after beating Hoffenheim 1-0 at home.
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Group D
Group E
Magpies supremo Greg Bilboa was understandably over the moon with victory at Liverpool, and especially his young goalkeeper's man of the match performance.
Meanwhile, new City boss Alex McLean seems to be cracking under the pressure:
Group F
Our Group F correspondent Lee Adams updates from The Liberty Stadium:
Youth Cup Group F kicked off last night with 10 goals in 2 matches. Basel and Sunderland got decent away wins at Swansea and Kiev, both 3-2. Anderlecht though sit in pole position and get a 3-0 win after Sassuolo fielded over aged players. Anderlecht were surprise 1-0 winners anyway.
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* Sassuolo played overage team
Group G
Hertha Berlin boss Mark Stewart started the mind games early and conceded defeat before the kick-off of his team's match against Augsburg. Claiming that he 'forgot' he had no eligible central defenders, he said he hoped for anything better than a 3-0 defeat, as that would feel like a victory.
H. Berlin 0-2 Augsburg: Svendsen 18' (assist Medina), Repas 39' (assist Svendsen).
Sander Svendsen MOTM rat. 8.
Tottenham H. 0-1 ACF Fiorentina: Allende 63' (free kick).
Marcelo Allende MOTM rat. 7.
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-->* Shakhtar played overage team
Group H
* Besiktas played overage player (Dompe)
Group I
* Koln played overage player (Hendry)
T100 Return for Little
Much Travelled Little Returns To T100
The return of seasoned manager Norman Little to T100 was announced late on Saturday night when the Italian club Atalanta BC announced the replacement for Gregg Robinson who left for Independiente. This will be another notch on the CV for Little whose tour of T100 has seen spells at West ham(x2), Newcastle, Fenerbache, and West Brom.( conceivable I might have missed out a club).
Little returns after taking a spell away from all things in life to try and sort himself out, without going too deep I've suffered with some mental health problems for a long time in my life and added with a severe gambling addiction it nearly took my life in late September. Thanks to the support of my family and some close friends I'm in a much better place mentally and receiving counselling. More importantly I'm 108 days and counting gamble free. Advice for anyone suffering out there, there is help available if you want it. Talking helps.
Back to the game and I'm approaching Atalanta with a new outlook on the game, no longer going to get irate at the match engine and just enjoy being back amongst the best set up in the game. You lads make it a great game, I've been back on SM about 2/3 weeks and its been a bit stale, this game world makes the rest bearable.
Atalanta have been left in good shape by Gregg, I will be looking to put my own stamp on the team and I need to do some serious researching on players as I've missed most of what is happening in world football of late. As such I won't be selling many players till I've done some studying. Most youth team players are unavailable, although as I'm not in youth cup(I think) they could be available to loan once I decide who could be of use in first team. I've put 4 players on list who I am willing to deal with and can use them together for a player.
Thanks for listening and its great to be back.
Norman
FrankBet Odds Season 7 - Division 4
Here we are with Division 4 odds for Season 7 from FRANKBET
Former Monaco manager Andre is installed as firm favourite to win the league but with a plethora of top managers including Brar, Scallotti, Wheels etc it is going to be incredibly hard to pick a winner from this division.
Linder has improved season on season but FrankBet feel the new boys in the division will be too much for the likes of him and Wheels who could once again become "also rans".
FrankBet predict other relegated sides like Marseille and Villa should comfortably finish mid-table, likewise for Earle's Espanyol.
Relegation specialist, Gerrit is odds on for another relegation as is Ben Clifford.
| Hellas Verona | 1/10 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 1/2 |
| Standard Liège | 3/1 |
| Olympiacos | 6/1 |
| São Paulo FC | 7/1 |
| Crystal Palace | 10/1 |
| AS Monaco | 10/1 |
| Olympique Marseille | 14/1 |
| Atalanta BC | 14/1 |
| RCD Espanyol | 16/1 |
| Aston Villa | 20/1 |
| Beşiktaş JK | 20/1 |
| Torino | 22/1 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 22/1 |
| Levante UD | 25/1 |
| FK Partizan | 25/1 |
| Stoke City | 33/1 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 50/1 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 66/1 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 100/1 |
FrankBet Odds Season 7 - Division 5
Well it is time for the odds for Season 7 - lets start today with Division 5 with our specialist sponsors - FRANKBET
No one will be surprised to find Mister Malcolm’s Celta Vigo as the favourites for the title, after a strong season last time around and despite rumours linking him with a move away Warren Livesey finds himself as 2nd favourite.
West Ham (Aldridge) and Basel (Matt “Chopper”) should both be in the mix with the former of the pair having undertook a rebuilding job at the end of last season.
Other teams who should do well are Twente, under their long-serving manager Bal Gil and will season 7 see Ignazio (Udinese) show his managerial talent - FrankBet think not so with them out at 20/1.
Davy, PMW and Nuno according to FrankBet should all struggle.
| Celta Vigo | 2/1 |
| Werder Bremen | 5/1 |
| West Ham United | 6/1 |
| FC Basel | 6/1 |
| FC Twente | 7/1 |
| River Plate | 9/1 |
| Málaga CF | 10/1 |
| Feyenoord | 12/1 |
| Montpellier HSC | 16/1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 16/1 |
| Udinese Calcio | 20/1 |
| Independiente | 20/1 |
| FC Augsburg | 20/1 |
| Flamengo | 22/1 |
| Lille OSC | 25/1 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 25/1 |
| Santos FC | 25/1 |
| Club Brugge KV | 33/1 |
| 1. FC Köln | 33/1 |
| Rubin Kazan | 50/1 |
Season 7 Youth Cup Fixtures
Just a quick post to remind anyone who hasn’t seen it on the newsfeed or the blog page.
The fixtures for the Youth Cup Groups Stage are on the main blog pages:
All managers should send out friendly requests for their home games as soon as possible.
The first week of matches is scheduled for Saturday 20 January.
I've used a website called FixtureList.com to generate the fixtures this season. I'm hoping it makes it easier to manage the scheduling of fixtures, as well as recording the results of matches, and updating the tables each week.
One possibly useful feature of the FixtureList.com website for organising your fixtures is that you can see them in different views:
- week by week for the three groups at a time
- all ten weeks for each group (as above on the main blog pages, e.g., Group A)
- all the fixtures for each team (Groups A, B & C - click on any team and you can view all their fixtures)
- For example, here are all Benfica's fixtures
- No games played yet, of course, but here are the tables
You can find all the Groups just by searching for Top 100.
The Depth Of Fear - How New Man City Manager Alex McLean Views The Season Ahead.
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City Boss McLean With Club Legend Shaun Goater Secondly, I'd like to wish new Inter manager Josh the very best of success at my old club. I sincerely hope you succeed in areas where I have failed. Very best wishes to you Josh. It has been some time coming, although not altogether unexpected, when it was announced that I would be leaving Italian giants Internazionale for the club I support, Manchester City. Indeed the optimism and joy I felt at knowing I was taking over informed a last gasp finish for Inter into the play-offs for the 3rd season in a row. I had appraised myself (somewhat) of the squad at City before taking over. When I fully took over and gave a full appraisal my early optimism turned to dread then fear. The fear of relegation and losing hold of the club of my dreams. The main striker was 36. The main winger was 34. The main 'hotshot star' was playing for Arsenal. My second string included 34 yr old Ribery and a bunch of nobodies. I looked at my youth. Komar stood out. Vitinho? Jury's out. Di Mariano? Possibly. Other than that another bunch of nobodies that I would have to wait until February to get rid. This task, this job, although not beyond me, was a long term effort that needed care, love and attention - requirements needed to build this club into a strong force for the future and one that could play to its heritage of attacking football. I love this club. It is the job of my dreams. I am fully confident in my own abilities to turn this club around. But it will not happen overnight in a frenzied burst of transfer activity. It will take a real effort, a balancing act. The players I want to sell the most I have had to keep to remain competitive. The players I've least wanted to sell I have had to sell to bring in depth and hope for the future. A shred of hope was brought buy the sale of lacazette to Monaco. Negotiations which started in September 3rd 1926 were finally concluded almost a century later. In came some REAL talent. Spanish winger Oyarzabel, much in demand across Europe signed. As did Lyon phenom Mariano Diaz and new PSV wonderkid Romero. Brilliant. Next to go was free scoring converted striker Mertens in exchange for PSV star Pereiro and another wonderkid in Juve's Bentancur. Absolutely thrilled. And that's where it ends. Our hopes of bringing in much needed defensive cover in exchange for Gundogan have been cruelly dashed. Likewise with Robben who was shown firm interest before being completely brushed off with a terse rejection. I have had to reject what were decent bids for both in terms of quality, but not in terms of what I needed, and will now hold onto the squad as is, as recruitment efforts have come to a grinding halt. More galling is having to rebuff managers efforts for minor players as I have sought and waited to conclude deals I thought close to fruition, only to see them dashed and with them the deals for said minor players. I look to the season ahead, not with optimism, not with a jolly and carefree attitude, because I cannot. My goal now is simply to avoid relegation before season's end, such that I may transfer out the oldies in search of brighter, younger talent and continue the regeneration of this great club. Fear abounds. |
Espanyol: On the Up!
After finally gaining promotion from Division 5, Espanyol will be looking to push up the leagues and make up for lost time. Last time Earle was in Division 4 he took over an aging, deflated Espanyol squad destined for the drop. Despite a valiant effort from the newly formed squad they were relegated on the final day of the campaign to begin a 4 season stay in the bottom division. However, after losing in the playoff final the previous year, Espanyol clinched their promotion spot in season 6 to return to where it all started, but with a majorly improved squad. This season promises to be one of the most exciting and successful in the clubs history for a number of reasons ranging from the talent in the first team to the number of tournaments to the development of players.
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3 seasons of waiting will finally
pay off: Benjamin Hubner.
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While improving their defence, Espanyol have also managed to bolster their attacking options adding Brazilian duo Alex Teixeira and Goncalves Jonas to their ranks. Teixeira has already shown some promise at the club, helping them to victory in the playoffs, while Jonas is due to arrive just as the season starts. The additions of these two stars seemed to put question marks over the future of Iago Aspas who was heavily linked with a move to Hamburg. Despite this, Aspas remained at the club and is expected to take up a wider role than last year. The 30-year-old has also been named club captain once again.
Jens Toornstra has also arrived at the club after 6 seasons at Feyenoord. The 29-year-old offers added depth in the midfield after the sales of Roberto Pereyra and Joshua Guilavogui. Edin Visca has re-joined after arriving back in Earles debut season. In his two seasons with Espanyol, Visca played 48 games scoring 7 and assisting 13. Earle has said he is delighted to have brought him back and is excited to work with the Bosnian again.
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The man in demand:
Guido Burgstaller
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With the notably stronger squad and improved depth, the chairman has told Earle that promotion is the target yet again. Earle has said he has the same target and that the players are motivated and determined to get back to back promotions. The club also aren't fully done in the transfer market. Several more players are set to arrive in the next few days after previously agreed deals. It is also believed that Espanyol are still on the hunt for on more midfielder.
The improved squad has also lead to the club opting to participate in five club competitions this season. These will include Division 4, Top 100 Cup, Top 100 Shield, World Club Cup and Youth Cup.
With the option to join the youth cup, a vigorous recruiting process began. With just a handful of youth stars, the recruitment team had to bring in almost an entire squad. Earle said he wanted to keep Andriy Lunin and Ezequiel Barco in the team after the duo impressed on their loan spells last season. Earle has been able to bring in three key defenders for the tournament with right back Silvan Hefti and centre back Ertugrul Ersoy both joining from Liverpool. Bogdan Mykhaylychenko also arrived to fill in at left back. The 20-year-old free agent was snapped up on a 3 year deal and Earle has said he has high expectations. Both Stefan Posch and Boubacar Kamara will hope to fill the final defensive spot although it looks more likely that the club will attempt to bring in someone on loan for the tournament. Jerry St. Juste is rumoured to be their number one target and initial reports claim that Southampton are willing to let him join Espanyol on loan if he is still at the club come the start of the tournament.
Espanyol are also one of nine clubs who are attempting to sign centre back Lucas Martinez Quarta from Los Andres. The 21-year-old was put up for sale for bids of around £5.5 million and is now set to pick between teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and many more. The Argentine was previously at Espanyol but left for Internazionale two seasons ago.
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| Taking the number 11 shirt: Andreas Pereira. |
Earles crown jewel of the youth squad is new arrival Andreas Pereira who will act as the central attacking midfielder in the squad. The Brazilian wasn't initially expected to be eligible for the tournament but slipped just inside the brackets by a few hours. Espanyol also picked up Isaac Mbenza from Liverpool who will act as the primary youth striker. One further big youth signing is the exciting Hassane Bande who will join from Hertha Berlin at the end of the month.
So far in their pre-season games Espanyol have faced Lokomotiv Moskva and Wolfsburg. They beat Lokomotiv 1-0 with a goal from Pizzi and earned a respectable draw against the Division 1 Germans. They will now face FC Porto, Sampdoria and Stuttgart before kicking off the season away at Torino. Other big games in the first half of the season include Hellas Verona on the 8th, Standard Liege on the 11th, Anderlecht on the 22nd and Monaco on the 25th all in February.
Whether Espanyol can go on and earn a second successive promotion remains to be seen but currently they look in good shape to challenge for a high finish this season.
The infamous SPOON ARMY in Munich - BANNED TV News report
SAO PAULO VS BOCA JUNIORS DIV 4 PLAY OFF FINAL…..MUNICH CENTRE DESTROYED…..BILLIONS OF EUROS DAMAGE……ARSON…LOOTING…VIOLENCE…….POLICE OUTNUMBERED…….T100 SUPREMO FRANK ‘PATTY’ HIRST KIDNAPPED………………..
This is the live new report brought to you by fearless eporter Python Lee for the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk news organisation in Germany. It was never broadcast due to EU Government fears of copycat actions in European Capitols.
Here it is in full because we deserve to know the truth.
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch
Winshill Green Under 9 - Mid-season report
So back in August I decided to take on a Winshill Under 9’s football team - it wasn’t an easy decision if I am honest - my workload is heavy, and it would mean taking Persephone away from her current team to play for a 2nd team - something which she wasn’t too keen on doing - but pressure from the club mounted, there were too many “new” players who were good enough to be in a side and my love of football saw me capitulate and I said YES - and thus began my official life as a Winshill FC manager.
Here follows - for the sponsors benefit (honest) - a half-time report!
My association with Winshill FC officially goes back to 2010/2011 when my step-son, Alessandro signed for Winshill and played under John Grangier - every season since then 1 or in some cases BOTH of my children have pulled on that famous yellow jersey.
August
So starting a new football team - what would I need - players, kit, balls, skins, ball pump - the list was and is endless! Oh and I needed an assistant.
The players situation was relatively easy - we had Persephone of course and also a number of players who have been training for a good while and a core of a team we definitely had. By the end of August - transfer deadline day being 31st August :) we had our 9 players - some more raw than others, some pretty talented individuals but collectively the raw ingredients for making a great team.
Kit was on order and we’d raised money via Top 100 for our jackets (see photo below) Assistant Steve Watson was appointed on an initial two season contract and our first friendlies played with great success I might add - this managerial lark was quite easy - surely we’d walk the league?
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| Neil Frankland represented sponsors T100 at a pre-season tournament |
September
So September came and league football - well it wasn't as we'd planned as our first game ended in defeat.
v Outwoods Hawks (2-6)
The following week though saw us successfully win (3-2) an awesome comeback by the team which delighted both the fans and managers alike... was this victory the beginning of a great run? - not so we suffered disappointing (1-8) defeat the following week v Newhall Lions.
October
What was going wrong? Beddows sat up most nights questioning his tactical decisions - was it down to him or down to his assistant Watson? They began October in the same way we ended September v Albert Village Harriers (0-5)
But then 3 wins in a row followed.
v Doveridge (4-3)
v Repton (4-2)
v Hilton Harriers Blue (4-0)
November
Could we continue winning? We yes but we had a sight blip early on. Losing (0-2) to Hatton United Red but then we won 3 in a row again.
v Outwoods Kestrels (5-1)
v Doveridge (4-0)
v Melbourne Lions (5-3)
December
Due to the cold weather and postponments we only had 1 game which was ironically against our first opponents Outwoods Hawks - score 1-1 - progress definitely made.
January
We began January with a disappointing 5-1 defeat against AFC Chellaston Hawks.
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| Top 100 and another sponsor, Winshill Parish Council on the jackets - THANK YOU Top100 |
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| Players L-R, Ben, Persephone, Dejaun, Natan, Zuza, Archie, Jakub, Maiciej |
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| Players L-R Persephone, Lucas, Ben, Dejaun, Natan, Archie, Jakub, Zuza |
v Doveridge (13th January 2018)
v Outwoods Hawks (20th January 2018)
v Hatton United Red (27th January 2018)
Player reports
1. Jakub - a solid goalkeeper who also likes to play outfield. His highlight of the season so far without doubt was his hat-trick in 10 minutes that he scored to win us the game v Doveridge.
11. Natan - very good feet - runs with the ball very well and scored some excellent goals this season including the first goal in Winshill Green history. His dad is the assistant and I am sure he will agree with me in saying decision making is his area to work on.
12. Archie - a good little player who has made good improvements as the season has gone on - scored a good goal v Melbourne.
14. Lucas - very intelligent player and very versatile, he has played in goals, in defence, in midfield and up front - I personally think he will develop into a defender ultimately - scored a goal on his Winshill debut earlier this season and was outstanding in our game against Hilton Harriers.
15. Ben - one of our most reliable players, very quiet but his no nonsense approach to defending and his brilliant attitude to absolutely everything is a real credit to him.
16. Zuza - she is brilliant - initially we played her in defence but have latterly moved her to striker. Her work rate is exceptional and she has made great strides in her football development - she has scored 2 great goals as well including a late consolation today.
17. Maciej - a very good footballer - he has scored some great goals this season and drives the team forward from the middle of the park - adept wherever we play him - although need to be more disciplined :)
18. Dejaun - another no nonsense defender who can also play a bit - sometimes tries to do skills though when he is the last man :) - another strong player who was Neil Frankland's (one of the sponsors) choice as Captain when he came down to watch us play earlier this year.
19. Persephone - my daughter - and as a parent manager you always worry if you child will merit their place in the team - I am happy to say ability wise she definitely does - top scorer and most assists across the team so far - moment of the season arguably her first half hat-trick v Repton. Attitude and work rate need to be better though sometimes - its tough managing your kid! lol.
20. Hassan - a recent addition to the team - very good on the ball and he has scored a few goals already - still a lot more to come from him I feel as we know how good he is in training!
Hectic Start for Powell at St.Etienne
Transfer Activity in Full Flow for Powell
New St.Etienne manager Ted Powell has been very busy reshaping the squad after his recent appointment as manager at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard. For a side who have enjoyed a miracle rise in recent seasons under Josh McMillan, Powell felt it important to try and not only increase the quality of the squad, but to try and increase the depth as well. So far, a total of twelve new players have come through the doors, while seven have left. Here's a lowdown on each of the new arrivals-
- Javi Garcia, Age-30,Rating-89, Position- CB/CDM/CM, Value-6.4m, -Joined from-Inernazionale. -The former Benfica and Manchester City player will start in central midfield for us, and joined as part of a swap deal for Les Verts icon Balazs Dzsudzsak. A versatile player, he could be key to us having a good season.
- Federico Marchetti, Age-34, Rating-88, Position-GK, Value-2.7m, Joined from-Lazio. -Although the Italian goalkeeper has had a decline recently, he's still a solid keeper on the game, and joined as part of the deal that saw Stephane Ruffier head to Italy. He will be our starting keeper this season.
- Ignazio Abate, Age-31, Rating-88, Position-RB, Value- 3.9m, Joined from Lazio- We were short of quality at right back, but the experienced Abate joins fellow Italian Marchetti, and, again, will be a starting XI player for us this season.
- Rob Elliot, Age-31, Rating-85, Position-GK, Value-2.2m, Joined from- Free Agent- Elliot joins as a backup keeper for Marchetti, for £1.6m. A premier league regular in real life, he was bought for a bargain, and will provide a solid backup keeper for us.
- Laurens De Bock, Age-25, Rating-86, Position, LB, Value- 3m, Joined from-Bayern Leverkusen- The Belgian defender Laurens De Bock joined for another bargain of just £5m from Leverkusen. Capable of playing at left back, which is primarily where he'll play for us, or left midfield, De Bock will be battling for a starting XI place alongside another new arrivals.
- Michal Pazdan, Age-30, Rating-87, Position-CB, Value-3.5m, Joined from- Borussia Monchengladbach- Polish defender Pazdan joined as part of the deal that saw Mehmet Topal head to Germany. An experienced defender who plays for Legia Warsaw in real life, he had an outsanding Euro 2016, earning a Man of the Match award as Poland kept a clean sheet gainst world champions Germany. He rose to an 87 in August 2017, and is likely to be a starter for us.
-Genki Haraguchi, Age- 26, Rating-87, Position-AM, F(RLC), Value- 5m, Joined from- Borussia Monchengladbach- Haraguchi joins Pazdan in the Mehmet Topal deal. The Japanese plays for Hertha Berlin and has been linked to Brighton in real life. Capable of playing in an attacking midfield role, up front, or on either wing, Haraguchi is an extremely versatile and talented player who will fit straight into our first team.
- Dereck Kutesa, Age-20, Rating- 75, Position- M/AM (RL), Value- 6ook, Joined from-Free Agent- Kutesa is a young winger, who recently turned 20, and was a free agent who arrives for £450k. On loan at Luzern from a Basel side who have a history for producing talent in recent years, he has played a total of thirteen games in all competitions for top division Luzern, so far this season in real life. Bit of a gamble but at a cheap price, we hope Kutesa can turn into a decent player.
- Luca Cigarini, Age- 31, Rating-87, Position- DM/CM/CAM, Value- 2.4m, Joined from- Leicester City- Cigarini has come in for a cheap £2.5m and will provide competition for those central midfield areas. Experienced and still of a decent rating, while remaining a key player for Cagliari in real life, he could be a useful addition.
- Zouhair Feddal, Age-29, Rating- 85, Position- D(LC), DM(C), Value- 2.2m, Joining from- Real Betis- It was announced this moring that Feddal will soon be joining St. Etienne as well, for £4.5m. Another versatile player, he will provide competition for a number of positions, and having a good season for Betis and being linked with premier league clubs in real life, we're hopeful that he could possibly rise sooner rather than later.
- Nordin Amrabat, Age- 30, Rating-87, Position- M(RL), AM, F(RLC), Value- 3.1m, Joined from- Lazio- Another versatile player, Amrabat will provide competition for a number of positions, and joined as part of the deal that saw Loic Remy joins Lazio. Still of a decent rating, he's not likely to start but should prove to be a useful backup.
- Cristiano Biraghi, Age-25, Rating-87, Position-LB/LM, Value-5m, Joined from-Lazio-Biraghi is an excellent young player, on loan at Fiorentina in real life and somebody we were interested in anyway, who joined as part of the Remy deal. He will be a starter for us, at left back, and there were already a number of other sides interested in his signature as well. He has played 18 times this season for Fiorentina and, having had a rating increase of two just a couple of months ago, is turning into a real quality player. Biraghi's certainly a bit of a coup for us and we're delighted to get him in.
I certainly wouldn't expect this to be the end of any transfer business at St.Etienne. We're still looking to imrpove the squad further, but this has certainly been a succesful window for us so far
Season 6 A Championship Winning Review
With Season 6 of the greatest Game World on Soccer Manager done and dusted, Hertha Berlin manager and Demi God Mark Stewart gives us an overview of the season in which he managed to secure a second successive division title.
As I sat and pondered a new season, this time in Division Four. I thought long and hard about the various formations we could use and possible players we could bring in. After giving the loyal Berlin fans the Division 5 Title I badly wanted to give them more success.
I had turned down the overtures of Valencia in the build up to Season 6 as I believed in this squad and publicly stated I thought we were well capable of competing for promotion again.
Pre season friendlies gave a mixed bag of results which didn’t concern me - I view these as merely morale boosting and bonding exercises with the chance to try fringe players and various formations.
Come Match day 1 I took to the dug out in hope but things didn’t go to plan as we scraped a 2-2 draw against newly relegated Crystal Palace. This wasn’t the end of the world as Palace have a good side managed by a top manager in The Linder.
However things didn’t improve and we went on to lose our next two games against Olympiacos and Malaga to slip into the relegation zone after 3 games. Fans stuck behind the Welsh genius in the dug out and rather than panic buy and drastically change things I called a team meeting to clear the air. Club captain Vladimir Darida stated a few of the lads weren’t happy as club vice captain and general toe rag John Terry had been up to his old ways - by trying to shag Luis Muriel’s and Wissam Ben Yedder’s wives.
Realising I couldn’t run the risk of morale dropping I made the decision to let Terry go and whilst holidaying in Turkey with my significant other I took a call from my old mate Jamie Alldridge at Westham offering Raul Albiol in exchange for the serial shagger. I couldn’t wave goodbye to the talented but horny defender fast enough and the pic below shows me waving off the serial shagger as I step off my private yacht
With Albiol brought, - in he added a new calming influence on the back four and our ascent up the table continued. Left winger Yoshinori Muto really clicked into form and was recording almost an assist a game as things started to look good at Berlin.
With 21 games gone we were in the top 5, from there though the lads astonished even me as we set off on an unbeaten run. With 12 games to go we were battling Nathan Princes Leicester, The Linders Palace and Jimmy Gouldies Dynamo Kyiv.
Results started flowing and win after win came, with 6 games to go we had almost secured promotion and had a lovely bonus in Thauvin, Ben Yedder and Muriel all raising from 89 to 90 rated.
I knew this would give us the upper hand in the run in and we just needed to keep our heads, avoid injuries and utilise the squad cleverly. Luckily we managed to do this and went on to win our last 6 games to secure the title after a thrilling race with Leicester.
This sparked scenes of wild celebration in the streets of Berlin as fans partied days and night, savouring another title.
The Players
So who were the heroes who inspired Berlin to the title? We profile a few of the fans favorites below
Yoshinori Muto - voted Division 4 player of the year by his peers. The Japanese winger had an outstanding season contributing 27 assists and 7 goals in his 32 starts. What is even more impressive is the fact he rarely completed a full 90 minutes as he was regularly subbed on the hour mark! An in demand player who I will not even think about letting go unless its for an insane offer
Volkan Sen - this choice may surprise a few people but the two footed winger played an essential role as our super sub, often coming on for Muto or Thauvin - The Turk managed 12 goals and 10 assists from 17 starts and 15 sub appearances, quite often popping up with late winning goals
Wissam Ben Yedder - what can I say that I already haven’t about this man? Top scorer again with 16 goals and a 7.49 rating. He is Mr Berlin and our talisman, when he plays the team plays. Unlucky not to get club player of the year and only beaten to it by Muto’s brilliance
Florian Thauvin - Pace to burn, ability to beat a man, superb crosser and total team player. Thauvin chipped in with 5 goals and 10 assists from 26 starts. The breathtaking winger has the ability to go the top and will be a key component in the assault on Division 3 next season
Willy Caballero - The veteran keeper just keeps getting better! Bought for just £4m in Season 4 the reliable keepers performances keep on improving with age. His average rating has risen every season, he won the Golden Gloves award for Division 5 in Season 5 and was Runner Up this season with 16 clean sheets
Fringe and Future Players
We are blessed to have some great talent at Berlin and below are just a few to watch next season or in coming seasons
Aaron Mooy - After his rise to 87 he now fights for a starting berth in midfield. IRL the lad is tearing it up at Huddersfield and if he moves to a higher rated club his stock will continue to soar and could be a key player for Berlin
Manuel Akanji - picked up for peanuts the young Central Defender is soaring IRL. Strong performances in the UCL for Basel and internationally for Switzerland have him on Dortmund and Liverpools radar - A future star for sure
Marius Wolf - Im not sure how many people know of this guy but if you don't.... check him out. Picked up for £2m he will be a steal. After a less than impressive start to his career he is now playing every game for Frankfurt IRL across a range of positions. A winger on the game but could end up occupying numerous positions, I am confident he will be in the first team in 2 years.
Alfie Mawson - the young Swansea Central Defender continues with accomplished performances and has featured lightly this season. Surely due a rise to 87 which will see him contending for a first team spot
Conclusion
All I have to say is "Wow" a fantastic season which saw us attack with style and verve, entertain and fight when needed. The future is bright and we can not wait for Season 7 to start. Being in this Game World is the pinnacle of any manager playing Soccer Manager. It is so competitive that it honestly gives you goosebumps to succeed with such fantastic achievements. We broke the club record of unbeaten games and enter the new season on 17. I want more, I'm hungry and my future does not lie away from this great city............at least not for now.
Season 6 Player & Manager Awards
The Top100 Player & Manager Awards were voted for by the Game Worlds managers, the shortlists below represent the players/managers who made it into the top 3 as voted for by the Managers of the Game World…
Division 1 Player of the YearShortlist:
Robert Lewandowski (Chelsea) Lionel Messi (Barcelona) Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea) Luis Suarez (Bayern)
Winner Division 1 Young Player of the YearShortlist:
Kingsley Coman (Paris SG) Gianluigi Donnaruma (Atletico Madrid / Real Madrid) Leroy Sane (Juventus)
WinnerDivision 1 Manager of the Year
Shortlist:
DP91 (Juventus) Ruts66 (Bayern) Scott McKenzie (Barcelona)
WinnerDivision 2 Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Mario Balotelli (Milan) Gonzalo Higuain (Dortmund) Blaise Matuidi (Dortmund)
Winner Division 2 Young Player of the YearShortlist:
Alex Iwobi (Sporting CP) Lorenzo Pellegrini (Genoa) Timo Werner (Benfica)
WinnerDivision 2 Manager of the Year
Shortlist:
Attila Olah (Monchengladbach) Mike Scalotti (Dortmund) Hussain Saif (Fiorentina)
WinnerDivision 3 Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Balazs Dzsudzsak (St Etienne) Wesley Sneijder (Lyon) Machin Vitolo (Sevilla)
WinnerDivision 3 Young Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Nadim Amiri (Hoffenheim) Sebastian Driussi (Hoffenheim) Niklas Sule (Hoffenheim)
WinnerDivision 3 Manager of the Year
Shortlist:
Miguel Salgado (Hoffenheim) Josh McMillan (St Etienne) Sir Kevin Wallace (Celtic)
WinnerDivision 4 Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Carlos Bacca (Leicester) Yoshinori Muto (Hertha BSC) Carlos Tevez (Olympiacos)
WinnerDivision 4 Young Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Presnel Kimpembe (Atalanta) Onyinye Ndidi (Partizan) Jesus Vallejo (Dynamo Moscow)
WinnerDivision 4 Manager of the Year
Shortlist:
Jimmy Gouldie (Dynamo Kiev) Nathan Prince (Leicester) Mark Stewart (Hertha BSC) Nick Wheels (Sao Paulo)
WinnerDivision 5 Player of the Year
Shortlist:
Nikola Kalinic (Monaco) Alvaro Negredo (Torino) James Rodriguez (Santos) Bryan Ruiz (Twente)
Winner Division 5 Young Player of the YearShortlist:
Santi Mina (Anderlecht) Mikel Oyarzabal (Monaco) Davinson Sanchez (Anderlecht)
WinnerDivision 5 Manager of the Year
Shortlist:
Doug Earle (Espanyol) Gordon ‘Gino’ Kinnear (Torino) Andre Libras-Boas (Monaco)
WinnerThe first interview: Athletic Club manager Mike T opens up to the Top100
By: Rick Disneck (sports writer and former pommel horse 1988 Olympic Bronze medalist)
It was a little over three months when one of manager Mike T’s assistants, Paris or Lexus, and I will admit is it extremely hard to tell these biological twins apart, contacted me with the suggestion that I join Mike on his tour down under (or Australia for those who are short on the vernacular) at the end of the season. Mike planned was to visit some more obscure places, off the beaten track, to recharge ahead of Season 7 and Bilbao’s return to Division 3.
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| I can see why Mike T lives in a state of perpetual confusion ... |
After confirming that my several convictions for youthful indiscretions in Mallorca and Ibiza would not preclude me getting a visa I agreed and had my editor book the tickets. Having never been to Australia I was not sure what to expect. The closest I came to an Australian was a 19yr old gymnast at the World Championships back in 1986 who snuck me into her athlete’s accommodation during the post event party and promptly passed out from excessive alcohol consumption. I was told not to show fear to anything with eight legs because they are all deadly (no point worrying about it I was told).
Upon landing in Australia at Hobart in Tasmania, I was greeted by the assistants who took me to the tour bus that Mike had procured for the tour. “One rule” he said “only one question per stop”, and with that we climbed aboard and set off for our first destination
The story begins; Paradise - Tasmania
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| Paris in Paradise |
Mike T took over from the accomplished Gareth Crisp in May 2016 a little less than half way through Season 5. Comfortably nestled mid-table in Division 3 and with a competitive squad, with the Los Leones fans mourning the departure of Crisp, he made a low key start primarily aimed at holding the line and not losing ground in the Division 3 promotion race. The squad was left in excellent shape by the outgoing Crisp, who had taken on the challenge at Sampdoria, also in Division 3. Whilst this could have riled the fans their tempers fizzled as Mike T took them on 12 match league unbeaten run pushing them into the playoff picture.
The tour begins; Eggs & Bacon Bay - Tasmania
What attracted you to the Top 100 league?
“It was the challenge of facing off against 99 serious, skilled and knowledgeable managers, with no gimme’s or freebies. A true test of your abilities as a manager. Professionally run and stewarded, a realistic game world. And a healthy dose of Sir Stephen Beddows badgering, in all likelihood wanting at least one manager in the league he thinks he can beat”.
The tour goes on; Break-Me-Neck Hill - Tasmania
Approaching the end of Season 5, you were in a multi team race for second and automatic promotion to Division 2, what was that like?
“It was a tough. We are not a team that was built to score 3 or 4 goals every week. And the competition is so tight each and every week. If we dropped a few results in a row we would be back on the outside looking in. We had managed to squeak out results and there was a kind of shocked belief that we could actually win promotion”.
And on; The Edge of the World - Tasmania
What was the feeling like when you had sewed up 2ndplace and promotion to Division 2 at the end of Season 5?
“Absolutely bloody amazing mate. I could not have imagined it when I took on the job. It was Gareth’s team which I inherited and to an extent I was manning the rudder. We had a good run without any key injuries which included a number of tight 1-0 wins. It all came together at the right time”.
And on; Devils Kitchen - Tasmania
What was your scouting and transfer plan in the offseason ahead of the ascent to Division 2?
“Erm yeah … I’ll be honest, I had no plan. It was a bit of a shock to get promoted, and I underestimated the step up in class that is Division 2. I was approached for a number of deals and only accepted one or two. I had a view that we would use the same tactics and pretty much the same squad. The target was not to get relegated. We were under no illusions that a top 6 finish was within reach, but not looking to strengthen the squad probably sent the wrong kind of message to our squad and fans”.
To follow on with the wrong messa …
“Steady on their tiger, the next stop is perfect for what I think this question will be”.
And on; Dismal Swamp - Tasmania
Why did you think it was the wrong message you sent to the players? Don’t you think it could have been viewed as a sign of your confidence in them?
“Good question. We had a solid first eleven and three or four quality subs, but we dropped off after that. We were also an aging team that would likely lose a step in the next season. I had some discussions with our captain Camacho during the offseason where he suggested we get a little more aggressive and chase some transfer targets, and even offered a few names. I knew he hadn’t come up with these by himself and had likely discussed them with our leadership group (Forster, Sagna, Rico and Inan) who knew well who we would be facing in the upcoming season. In the end I didn’t push hard enough and we didn’t bring in enough new talent, and it probably caused a small fissure between me and the squad”.
We drove back to Devonport to take the ferry over to Melbourne and the continuation of our tour. The twins were proving to be accommodating hostesses and Mike T a generous host and honest interview subject. As I gathered my thoughts I wondered if the promotion had come too soon during his tenure at San Mames? Were the fans expecting too much from their team in Division 2? Did Mike T underestimate what was needed to be successful in Division 2? I think we know the answer to the last question.
Roll on Victoria; Poowong - Victoria
So you arrive at San Mames to take on a strong Internazionale side in your first match in Division 2 and leave with a win?
“Yep … the crowd was amazing, not a full house but raucous and loving every minute. Young Sandro Ramirez had earned the starting centre forward role replacing our stalwart Emenike and he was MoM, setting up Danilo Silva for the first and scoring what turned out to be the winner. Probably the work of Forster between the sticks saving a screamer from Carrick was key in getting the win. Brilliant. 3 pts after one game …. if only we knew what was ahead”.
Roll on more Victoria; Mt Misery - Victoria
Ten games in you are sitting towards the bottom of the league, but not under threat, 4 wins and a draw, 5 losses, 13pts, what was the mood at the club?
“Still hopeful. We had copped a 3-0 thrashing from Schalke, but had lost the other matches by only single goals. A bit of luck and we could turn some of these losses into points, maybe even sneak a win. The mood was not buoyant, but calm and hopeful. We had gone on a run when I took over the previous season and there was belief that we could do it again. But I was noticing that some of the young players were getting frustrated by the lack of opportunities, and it was apparent some of the older squad members were starting to lose a step”.
Across the border; Come by Chance – New South Wales
The next ten games and you are in trouble, with one win one draw and eight losses, and buried in the relegation zone?
“Yeah, we got tired and the squad depth and my lack of interest in bringing in some new talent was being highlighted. After we lost our sixth game in a row, a 3-1 beat down and repayment for their opening fixture loss (Internazionale) I got called in to see the chairman on Monday morning. It was not pretty. We had lost our captain to a broken collarbone just before this six game losing streak. It was a tough and lucky 1-0 win over a quality Benfica side. In the second half Matip and Emre Can sandwiched Camacho fighting for a loose ball and he landed awkwardly. I tried to blame a few other club officials who I didn’t get along with for our predicament and form and the chairman and I got into a shouting match. Needless to say I was on notice to fix the results on the pitch, and he knew I had used some flimsy arguments to defend myself. Not my finest moment”.
We use vowels in this Wales; Nevertire – New South Wales
Ten more games and the lads had responded, four wins, two draws and four losses and there was a sense of hope that you might pull off an escape?
“Absolutely, two wins in a row, against Sampdoria and Schalke, only time all season we stitched two together but we rounded out these ten matches with three losses in a row and there were some jitters in the dressing room and upstairs. Father time had caught up with some players and they had lost that step and we were running out of legs and my lack of transfer market activity was about to bite us in the arse”.
Across the border; Banana – Queensland
The next four games, you only scored one goal, three losses and a draw, the last of these a 3-0 beating by Everton and you were pretty much consigned to Division 3 football next season?
“Banana’d mate … we were banana’d. The local press … including you Rick … were calling for my head. The fans were not happy. Some of the more seasoned longtime fans understood the swings and roundabouts of the challenges we faced and were prepared to cut the team, and to an extent me some slack … but they don’t sign our checks do they”.
And it ends; Yorkeys Knob – Queensland
The last four games of your Division 2 tenure, another 3 losses and a draw and you were done. And I notice we have arrived at an appropriately named place!!
“Hahaha yes sir … we were screwed. We managed to score a few goals in this run of games but just couldn’t bridge the talent and quality gap to our opponents. Benfica had scampered away from the bottom four and created some space and not even a miracle could save us. It was a long arduous season, punctuated with some errors from me, most notably not recognizing the lack of depth and a gap in quality our squad had. I had meetings the squad lined up the week after our last match against Leverkusen, and a meeting with the chairman at the end of the week to discuss my future”.
We cut back down Queensland and across into South Australia to continue our journey. The girls were very friendly, the whisky was always available and I was seeing places in Australia that I was quite sure I would never want to see again.
Having gained a rather frank understanding of Season 6 and what went wrong, we are approaching some interesting events. The coup that has brought Chinese ownership to what was previously and fiercely a club owned and operated by its members, the reprieve that was given to Mike T as manager and a renewed purpose that has already been evident in the off season, notably around reshaping the squad for the future.
The state in Australia you fly over; Foul Bay – South Australia
How did this “Chinese coup” start?
“Trump … well that is the rumor. Or if you believe some of the media reports it is hard fact!! Actually it was a little known codicil in the bylaws outlawing salubrious premises on club grounds that was triggered. We arrived one morning to a temporary building housing a massage parlor next to the groundskeepers shack. It literally popped up overnight. No-one knew where it came from or who built it, but the Chinese consortia were all over this like white on rice and forced the issue through the club and local government, which triggered an ownership dissolution. After that the deep pockets of the consortia were simply too much for the local members to fight against, and the rest was history”.
For the club’s previous owners and members a trip down; Nowhere Else Road – South Australia
So your new chairman, what do you call him?
“Hahaha, well I jokingly call him Chairman Mao, but the crazy bugger actually has a cat that stays in the club offices called Chairman Meow. Jokes aside, I call him sir. He offered me another season at the helm when I thought I was getting the old heave ho. Look, we are all working towards the same goal, he has offered to support me if I get the results, and he has been receptive to my transfer and squad plans. A necessary shake-up and disruption can only be good, what we were doing, what I was doing was not working. He generously has set the bar low this season, to simply avoid relegation, but I hopeful of more than that”.
Squad plans, re-tooling; Coffin Bay – South Australia
And here we are at Coffin Bay, the girls are swimming and sunbathing. Care to share your plans for the squad, most notably some of your older players?
“Yeah Rick, we knew we were getting older. I knew we were getting older and had neglected the squad with regard to this, so it was time to take some action. We let Mikel Balenziaga go at left back, but we can slide Torres Nillo over there which is his preferred side in any case. We received Thomas Delaney, a 26yr old midfielder who will move straight into the starting line-up and allow us to slide Camacho to center back. We also received Joe Ledley who can provide cover at left back or in the midfield.
Moving Danillo Silva, Macenlly Torres, Emenike, Velarde for some younger players has helped. Have also made some tough decisions on the youth team, either moving some players for others, or selling. We were running most of the season on a 50 man squad and I ideally want to get that down to 40”.
Squad plans, re-tooling; Gunbarrel Highway – Western Australia
A long drive ahead, what can you share about your plans for the squad, what sort of player are you looking for?
“I am usually open to most types of players, however we wanted some younger and hopefully improving promising players to come into the squad and start fighting it out with your starters. Delaney and Ledley as discussed above have come in, Marcos Rocha was considered excess baggage at Leicester and will slot in at right back or the right side of the midfield at times. Frederic Guilbert, a young defender who can play center back or on the right was a good cash signing. We picked up a raft of 24 yr old’s from defence to attack who should be approaching some good development years. We don’t need to hit the jackpot on each, but it would be a vindication by the end of this season if one or two have pushed into the best eleven. A couple of project players we picked up, Allione and Palacios, maybe we can help get the best out of them and focused on football”.
Squad plans, re-tooling; Useless Loop, Shark Bay – Western Australia
Transfer market, is it difficult to do business?
“It is, but I like it. The quality of your squad that you can offer for player exchanges often dictates and drives the deals you can chase. There are opportunities for cash deals in some cases, Guilbert as discussed above, but these are few and far between. When we search for the next young talent, the competition is fierce, and some clubs have outstanding academies that the youngsters seem to migrate to when deciding on multiple offers. The 23 to 25 yr old player bracket, 83 to 86 is where we are hoping to uncover a couple of talents, 87 to 88 risers to strengthen the squad. We have a couple of talented players that might attract some bids which we will review, if it makes sense and chairman wants to let them go then we see that happening”.
What does the future hold; Valley of the Giants – Western Australia
It is almost as if you planned this trip to end here! What are your hopes for the upcoming season, what are the chairman’s expectations and what are your hopes?
“Three questions, ok mate I will cut you some slack! Let'stake a walk across the treetops ...The chairman, well he has told me that he doesn’t want to get relegated to Division 4. So that will be our first goal. My expectations are that we are top half of the table coming into the final several games of the year within touching distance of the play-off positions. My hopes, promotion would be nice but having some of our younger players develop further and win some playing time would be a fantastic result”.
We left the Valley of the Giants and drove back to Perth where Mike T grew up and down to Cottesloe Beach which was close to where he lived and swam as a kid. I marveled at how beautiful and clean everything was, the air was clear, the Norfolk Island pines swayed in the breeze, and the ships in Gage Roads waiting to come into Fremantle port several miles away in plain view between Rottenest Island and the beach. I asked him why would you ever want to leave here, this place is simply superb. His answer “that is the amazing beauty of Perth … you don’t feel like you want to leave … and many many people never do …”, after a pause he added “and to be honest mate, Bilbao and Espana ain’t that bad of place to live either”.
And with that, I took a cab to the airport and onto the Lufthansa flight back to Frankfurt. Mike, Paris and Lexus had another week of serious down time at the beach before coming back to the pre-season fixtures. During the trip, despite wanting to decompress and get away from his day job, he was still fielding calls and taking in Skype meetings on transfer options and squad decisions … in his cargo shorts and blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt and thongs … maybe he should conduct his off season business like this every year, you see, he slept like a baby every night, not a care in the world ….
Fear The Wall
After taking the 2 hour drive over the border from Liege to Dortmund, I arrived at the Hohenbuschei. It's a sprawling complex, pitches with under-soil heating, conference halls, classrooms, offices, restaurants, a TV studio, saunas, steam rooms, gyms and the Footbonaut. A cutting edge robotic training tool designed to give Dortmund players the edge over their competition. Needs turning up a level now I’m here.
When BVB were looking for a new manager I was the obvious choice apparently. Kicker and Bild ran polls to see who Dortmund fans thought would be the best fit, and I ran out the comfortable winner. They loved my ability to rebuild, to scout players that could take the club forward in the future. They loved the flowing, attacking football style I played. And most of all, they loved that I was cheap.
Part of the process of grovelling by the board in their relentless pursuit of me was an agreement to allow me to rebuild the side. I’ve been watching the games for a while now after they reached out to my agent and came to the conclusion that some of the players must have been Amish, as they sure as shit weren’t using this piece of kit. And they won’t be moving forwards either. I’m trimming the fat. Some of them have to go. Some out of dislike, some out of necessity. We’re short of first team depth here at the Westfalenstadion so a couple of players may go in 2 for 1’s.
Phil Jones came out the revolving door as I came in. I rang ahead and told them to pack up his locker. He injured himself trying to run over to stop them, told me all I needed to know. Diego Llorente and Frenkie De Jong followed in a car behind me just in case Mike wanted to keep hold of the funny faced freak. Llorente has been great for Real Sociedad and should hopefully continue to rise. De Jong has been a revelation since breaking into the Ajax first team, able to play as both a midfielder and a centre back, he’ll be due a tasty rise in the next review.
The next to leave was Timo horn. After Scallotti and Parfitt agreed a deal for Lloris I was happy to honour it. A cracking keeper, aside from being French. Timo Horn however has been struggling at Koln. Strange really after a great season last year. Not sure what the story is there to be honest. Still, I’m sure he’ll come good again, a sentiment echoed by Sir Walter Smith of the Leicester parish, who paid Clement Lenglet and Abel Ruiz. Lenglet is another great young centre back who’s able to play out from the back and has been linked with both Manchester clubs lately. Abel Ruiz was the captain of Barcelona’s under 17 European Champions winning side in 2017, who styles himself not only Barcelona’s past greats such as Van Basten, but Bayern Munich’s prolific no 9 Robert Lewandowski.
Abel Ruiz scoring a peach at the back post
Heung-Min Son was a player I wanted to keep hold of, but the option of Memphis Depay, who’s flying in France right now (10 goals and 7 assists) along with Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid, who himself has been ever present and must surely be due a rise felt like a fair deal. Son has arguably been Spurs best player after Kane, but needs must. Amir Hadziahmetovic also moves to Villa for cash as part of the deal. I’m a big fan of Depay, he seems to have got his confidence back playing alongside Fekir and Diaz, and with a buy back clause added to the deal that took him to France, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get another chance at United in the future as they scour the market for another winger.
A handful of youth players have been deemed surplus to requirements, Boris Mathis, Luis Moreno, Cristian Baluta and Vajebah Sakor (who coincidentally also made the move to Leicester). This gives me a little wiggle room to try and bring in some 2 for 1 deals for the higher rated players.
Looking likely to leave are;
- Seamus Coleman. Alessandro Florenzi is my preferred option at right back so Coleman will be sacrificed for the greater good. Had plenty of interest in the Irishman, no doubt due to the difficulty of signing a 90+ rated fullback in T100.
- Blaise Matuidi. The Frenchman has been ever present for Juventus this season as they battle Napoli for the Serie A title. With a 93 rating ideally he’d be one to keep, but with centre midfield being the weakest area in terms of depth, he’ll have to go in the hope of getting a couple of lower rated centre mid’s in his place. He won’t be flogged to the first bidder however as his value as a 93 can’t be understated.
- Alberto Moreno. Repaying the faith shown to him by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, keeping new signing Robertson and old faithful Milner at bay. I’m a United fan though. Nuff said.
- Ever Banega. Similarly to Matuidi, ideally I’d keep the industrious Argentine currently at high flying Valencia, but a shortage of options means he’ll likely find his way out of the door.
- Frank Acheampong. Had plenty of interest in the versatile Ghanian. He recently admitted he signed for Tianjin out of protest at Anderlecht twice blocking his move to work with Marco Silva, first at Hull, and then at Watford. Any move to get away from the Belgians and then move on to the Premier League. A strong and fast player, don’t be surprised to see him in England before too long after finally getting away from his Anderlecht jail.
- Guido Carrillo. The Argentine is on the verge of signing for Crystal Palace after enduring a Monegasque nightmare. Playing for a side that operates with a lone striker always makes it difficult to shine, however when the first choice is Falcao, it’s made a little harder.He'll likely leave for youth.
- Willian. The Brazilian maestro has found his chances somewhat limited as Conte looks to tweak his style that won the league last season. Amazingly he’s still played in every game though and is consistently linked with a Mourinho reunion at Manchester United. He’ll likely leave as part of a deal for a younger winger of a slightly lower rating.
- Pedro. See above. Only in Spanish.
The challenge of taking on the big boys, being competitive whilst rebuilding Dortmund for the future was a big draw. It was a tough decision to leave my Liege side knowing that in time the side would develop into a real force that would work its way up the divisions, but there are a sprinkling of youths here that could form the foundation of a strong side, one that I hope to add to and tweak over time.
A few of the first team players that stand out are;
- Kalidou Koulibaly – a solid CB who’s defensive displays have been the bedrock of a high flying Napoli for a couple of seasons now.
- Inigo Martinez – another sold CB who could see a move to Manchester City in the coming window after Liverpool won the race for VVD.
- Alesandro Florenzi – a part time Roma captain and classy right back, who’s versatility allows him to make a difference all over the pitch.
- Gonzalo Higuain – the perfect foil to Paulo Dybala. The Argentine has consistently been once of footballs most prolific strikers. Wenger must be kicking himself.
Of the younger players;
- Marko Pjaca has just agreed a loan deal to Schalke that will should see him showcase the talent that tempted Juventus into spending £20 million on the Croatian.
- 18 year old Josh Tymon is starting to get minutes at a struggling Stoke side, a lad with bundles of potential, he’ll be looking to ensure that he doesn’t fold under the pressure at left back.
- Adrien Bongiovanni will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ex team mates Mbappe, Martial and Lemar and make the step from youth to senior football at Monaco. 5 goals and 5 assists in 10 games for the youth team gained the attention of Jardim and he recently made his first team debut.
- Frenkie De Jong and Abel Ruiz I’ve already mentioned.
- Adalberto Penaranda – First choice CF out on loan at Malaga due to having his work permit turned down. Yet to score, however this lad has been mentioned by FA coaches as the best player England faced in the U20 World Cup.
- Alen Halilovic – The ex Barcelona attacking midfielder has spent the start of the season on the sidelines after injuring his ankle, but is scheduled for a return to the pitch in the next week or so. Barcelona have taken a Denis Suarez/Gerard Deulofeu approach with Halilovic’s development, opting to sell him to ensure game time yet including an attractive €10 million buy back clause.
- Kasper Dolberg – The man in demand. Scouted endless times by United, Barcelona and Real Madrid so far this season (both United and Real apparently having bids turned down already), along with De Ligt, he’s the most likely player to get the next big move from Ajax's fabled academy. Billed as one of the biggest talents of his generation, he scored 23 goals in 47 games as he led Ajax to the Europa League final last season.
Dolberg showcasing his talent
The plan is to rebuild and cement our position in Division 1 and potentially aim for a cup competition so we get the fans some silverware. It will be a similar approach to Liege, only at a higher level. I may lose a rating point here and there, but hopefully if I recruit properly I’ll be bringing in younger versions who can in time match or surpass the outgoing players.
FEAR THE WALL
Happy New Youth Cup and Spoon Trophy Big Barbs Conspiracy Theory
It’s that time of year again, when we traditionally look back at the year that has gone, and look forward to the year that is coming.
Looking at the Youth Cup, I’d like to reflect on Season 6’s competition, and plan for Season 7.
We can simply run the Youth Cup (and Shield) as before, which I’m quite happy to do, but we can also talk about any things we could do to make to make it more fun, this time around - or in the future.
The Youth Cup just isn’t fun(ny) any more!
One of the most common complaints I’ve heard – and share - is that the Youth Cup isn’t competitive enough. And if it isn’t competitive enough, it is fun, and if it isn’t fun… that’s a good reason not to want to play.
I mean, who - apart from Hertha Berlin boss Mark Stewart - enjoys a good beating at the hands of eleven cocky young men every Saturday night?
So that got me to thinking about what we could do to make it more fun for everyone else?
As things stand, the Youth Cup is run a bit like the Champions League or World Cup with a qualifying group stage followed by knockout rounds. These two stages are both seeded, i.e., the better teams are favoured against the weaker teams. The reason for doing this is to increase the chances of the better teams reaching the final stages and winning the tournament.
Which is why Beddows has never won it. Conspiracy, or what?
Even if it’s not a conspiracy, it’s not really fair. OK, as Mark explained to me, it rewards those teams that put the time and effort into recruiting the best youth players. But some of the complaints about lack of competition have come from the clubs with the best players.
Giving the likes of Mark a good thrashing every weekend can get tiresome. Which is why the big boys want someone who can stand up to them occasionally and give as good as they get.
So instead of aping real life - where some of the most tediously boring football is played in group stages of tournaments - how about we group together teams of similar strength so that every game will be more competitive and fun?
We can still seed and favour the stronger teams for the knockout stages, so that they get their reward for being the biggest and best. Those who are not so good will still get to play for the Shield, but what about the rest, the also rans?
Introducing… The Youth Spoon!
How about a new trophy for the teams ‘too weak to compete’ to compete for?
How about the Youth Spoon?
I have already negotiated with Sao Paulo gaffer Nick Wheels over naming and sponsorship rights (Spoon Liberation Army), and Nick assures me that Victor ‘Big Barbs’ Ibarbo would love nothing more than to give it to the winners (I think his actual words were something along the lines of, “It’ll be right up her back passage”).
How would this work?
Last season we had 60 teams entered into the Youth Cup. All the groups were seeded, the big teams won all their games, the little teams lost all theirs, and the big teams duly went on to win the Cup and Shield (well they would have done if Juventus capo DP hadn’t bottled the final and Sevilla chief satsuma David Senior hadn’t rudely nicked all those wins against better teams and put a nasty dent in the trophy which I still haven’t been able to get rid of).
If we had a similar number of teams this season (and we’re just over half way there already), we could have 10 groups of six playing 10 matches home and away in total, same as last season. However, instead of grouping the teams with the best and worst teams together in the same group, we would put all the best teams in one group and all the worst teams in another.
Every group would contain six teams that are all fairly evenly matched in terms of average rating of their top eleven youth players (including goalkeeper), rather than a range of teams from the best to the worst.
In terms of qualifying for the knockout stages, we’d have to do it slightly differently and give more places to the groups with the strongest teams, I think. But remember there will still be a Youth Shield knockout stage for those teams not good enough for the Cup itself, and now a Youth Spoon for some (if not all) of those not good enough for the Shield.
If we had the same number of teams with the same average ratings as last season (ten groups of six), then we’d have, say, the top five from the two strongest groups qualify for the Youth Cup knockout rounds, along with the top two from the next three strongest groups.
The sides finishing bottom in the two strongest groups would qualify for the Youth Shield knockouts along with the third and fourth placed teams in the next three strongest groups, the top two in each of the next three groups, and the first placed sides in the two weakest groups.
That leaves the bottom two in groups three to five, the third and fourth placed sides in groups six to eight, and the second and third placed teams in the two weakest groups qualifying for the Youth Spoon knockouts.
That still leaves twelve teams (out of sixty) who don’t qualify for any of the knockouts at all, but that’s still only one in five. Whereas this season 21 teams (just over a third) failed to qualify.
Maybe that all seems a bit too much and a bit too complicated? I think it’s doable if that’s what people want, and it should mean more meaningful and evenly-matched games, and more interest for the best and worst teams, as well as everyone in the middle. Plus, it’s another trophy to win!
Powell follows in the footsteps of a legend
Powell joins Les Verts
Saint-Etienne have announced that after Josh McMillan moved to Internazionale, that Ted Powell will take the reigns and lead the club after their promotion to Division Two last season. As Powell jetted in to Saint-Etienne-Boutheon Airport a few days ago, it was French sports outlet L'Equipe who broke the news first.
Rookie Englishman replaces McMillan
There is no doubt that Powell represents a risk after the success of his predecessor, but, after a brieg stint at Internacional in Top 100 a couple of years ago, he is determined to prove any doubters wrong, and lead St.Etienne to a succesful season in Division 2. This is what he had to say after he arrived at Les Verts' training ground-
'It is a massive opportunity for me on a personal level. To be back in this league, at a club this size and moving in such a good direction after the work of Josh, it really is an honour for me. I feel we need a few reinforcements but there's no doubt we have a good, experienced squad already and we're confident of doing well. It's tought to know what our targets will be at the moment, like I said we have a good squad, but we're of course waiting for the fixtures to come out, waiting for our transfer business to get underway, which it has already, with Balasz Dzsudzsak joing Josh McMillan at Inter in a swap deal for a little bit of cash and Javi Garcia. Garcia's a versatile player capable of playing in midfield or defence, and at 89 rated we're happy to get him in.'
When asked about what areas Powell was particularly interested in strengthening, this is what he had to say, ' I think defensively we need improvement, we're close to a deal for Stephane Ruffier which, if it comes off, we hope to have a right back included in that deal, but I can't say too much more about that particular deal. I feel we need strengthening at centre back and left back as well. We've got a huge amount of money, but in this world it's likely we'll need to stick to part exchange deals for most of our transfers. I feel we may need a winger or two as well, but other than that, in terms of central midfield, and up with Gignac and Remy up front, I think we look good and we're ready to give it a good go. Other than that, we'll look to get in a few loans if possible to include our strength in depth, and then we should be sorted. '
'The fact is, for a newly promoted club, especially the fact that I've just taken over, our first aim has to be to survive in Division 2. We've got to be optimistic but realistic, and we can't sit here and say we're going to aim for promotion straight away because, right now, it's just not realistic. That's not to say we won't try, but I feel a steady, solid season would be more than acceptable, as we try and build a squad capable of competing to get into Division 1 overtime.'
Only time will tell whether Powell proves to be the right replacement for a manager who has had incredible success with St.Etienne. But with the right attitude, and a good start to the season, as Josh McMillan showed last season, anything is possible...
An Important Lesson in Life
A little unTop 100 orientated BUT before Xmas I wrote a generic email to about 100 European clubs, bundesliga teams, french ligue 1 sides, some random countries to like Hungary, Finland, Azerbijan etc. I wrote asking for free stuff bascially for my under9 team.
And low and behold today in the post - quite surprisingly a big box arrived all the way from Hungary and it was addressed to me! :)
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| Free gifts! :) |
The jackets with Top 100 written on them are here and are finally at the printers - that is a story and a half for another time.
An Interview Of The Season
Augsburg's Man In Charge Has Gone Crazy
It was a New Year's eve, Augsburg have just celebrated their best ever finish, 8th place, but it was a rocky season with plenty of ups and downs. Here we hear the thoughts and voice of Anic as he reflects on the season behind us.
First things first, Anic has slipped a secret of success in an uncontrolable emotional outbirst a couple of days before the Christmas. The key to success was 'crying in the corner of the shower'. The newspapers have all jumped on the bandwagon of this new discovery and have called Anic a tactical genius, some went as far in the right direction of 'the best of his era'. JK Rowling has already started writing another book and a sequel to the Hewy Pothah franchise, titled 'Magician Anic', with several big companies battling for movie rights. Rowling is believed to have called her previous work of art an insignificant little piece of *censure* in comparison to the work of this great man.
The Interview
In an interview for 'Augsburger Allgemeine', among many other things, Anic been asked to simplify the theory for the rest of the managers not so lucky to carry the wisdom of the greatest manager to have entered the Top 100 in season 4 or later.
"When you get in there (the shower) after a poor match that your squad forced you to watch, and I'm talking about Kardec in particular, by the way glad you're gone you cunt (directed to Kardec), you need to rethink the whole game of football that I as a manager of course redefined when I entered this GW and made it a lot better. You have to let go and just think, as the tears go down your face. Think about your players, new tactics, what can you do to improve, think about the very existence of the world and is this all actually real. Well, of course it may seem that what I'm doing at Augsburg is a dream, but no it's not! Back on topic, when you wake up in the morning, you'll feel as a new man, you'll feel a lot better. Whole new thoughts will come inside your head, you will see all the possibilities to do with the squad you were assigned and hate so much and put up a new tactics that will make you a legend. For example, I've come up with a new tactics in a crucial time of the season that made me famous here at Augsburg, and I'm even being humble in this interview."
Anic has also looked back on some of the more controversial parts of the season. There would often be offsides called for his sides and yellow/red cards awarded for absolutely nothing.
"Yes, that's true, it was very weird how it all looked back then. We defied the odds and were in top 4. The authorities couldn't allow it and that's what I think happened here. A new manager like myself could simply not take all the fame and be proclaimed the best there ever was in the whole universe and mankind."
The words coming out would have seemed as the usual malarkey that was coming out of the mouth of Beddows the whole past season and we imagine since the very existence of the GW, but unlike Milan, Augsburg have actually had reasons to suspect the world turning against them.
"It's weird, definitely is. I have no idea why this occured so many times. I may sound like a certain somebody who I will not name and shame in this interview, but Beddows would complain all the time without a reason as his players were butchers, and Balotteli was rightly so suspended so many times. But for my players, we're just an innocent club trying to make it in the lowest tier of the GW."
Anic was then asked if he fears he has developed the 'Mourinho Syndrome' so early already in his time at this GW.
"What's that? Oh, you mean when I'm blaming the refs and authorities for my squads poor results and matches? First of all, Mourinho is a no-one in these parts, I'm sure he couldn't even make it in. We call it the 'Beddows Symphony' here and to answer the question, no. We have a valid reason to complain, as the mistakes were blatantly obvious throughout the season."
Anic has been asked about recent visit to the German capital Berlin, and has been seen going into a megastore. Shopping for players maybe?
"Oh, no. I've visited my good friend Mark Stewart and congratulated him on another brilliant season and winning the Division 4. There is absolutely no reason to think that my secret meeting with Muto in the finest Italian restaurant, was me trying to persuade him to come play for us. Oops, let it slip that one heh. Anyways, about the megastore, there are finest showers and shower curtains, all kinds of bathroom materials in the capital, so I went there to check it out so we can prepare for the new season in style, and to get the best stuff before our competition those now that the whole world knows my tactical masterpiece behind the results this season. I need all the best equipment to battle for promotion that will make me the best manager to ever step a foot after season 4 in this GW once done next season."
When asked about transfers, Anic has hinted on some surprising changes to his squad.
"Seri could potentially leave. I wouldn't mind keeping him though, he's been really good this season. Not having his stats high but he's played very well defensively and playmaking altogether. There are also few loans coming in most likely. Other transfers aren't likely as nobody really wants these players, which is even better anyways. It will for sure make me the greatest manager around these parts when I succeed with this squad."
Reflecting on manager merry-go-round, Anic has been asked to give his opinion on some of the moves around.
"Andre leaving Monaco was surprising, who wouldn't want to live in a tax-free province with parties every night and beautiful ladies everywhere? In my opinion, a wrong move for him but glad he's back at Hellas to fix them back up again. Not surprised at Beddows going to Madrid to be honest, his failure at Milan was covered up by his constant moaning about referees and authorities which few of the manager even believed in, sothat he can then take over Madrid as the valid manager for the job. Mission acomplished as already seen. But truth be told, I envy all his trophies won at Milan, like the Mickey Mouse trophy #1, and especially the Mickey Mouse trophy #3 (in a sarcastic tone, after which both the interview and Anic laughed out loud). Happy to see James move to Dortmund as well, absolutely deserved. Not happy that we couldn't agree a deal on Seri back when he was at Standard. The new manager is a tough cookie to deal with (No offense to Mike, I know that it's actually me who is tough to negotiate with ;) )! Mike will great at Standard and will get them to D3 in no time I'm sure! Alex leaving to City is also deserved, this season proved who was the best manager in Milan in my humble and all knowing opinion. There are other good choices and moves, it's been a really good season on the general level."
On hopes for next season, Anic has said what we all were thinking.
"Alchohol and hookers. Oh sorry, I was on the phone. Anyways, I'd love to get promoted. If we get some good loanees in and better officials in this lowest tier of the GW, we might even do this miracle! Battling for title is also something I'd love to do, but unfortunately the policy for the new managers in the GW stand, no outstanding success for the next 4 seasons. The next season is my 4th, so lets see if we can tackle the officials."
Reflecting on the situations in Brazil, Anic responded in great fashion.
"Spoon Army should be the way of life everywhere, it's just amazing what Nick is achieveing there, redefining the whole country, you go gurl!"
There are plenty of more questions and answers in the interview, but we are not allowed to disclose them due to censures and all that bullpoop that the TV and newspapers policies forbidd. Hope you enjoyed the interview with soon to be one of the best managers on the flat Earth! Long live Junior Seba! Happy New Year!
The Season 6 Player Stats round-up
The Season 6 Player Stats round-up
Goals
1. Robert Lewandowski (Chelsea/D1)- 29 goals in 38 games
2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 26 goals in 38 games
3. Mario Balotelli (Milan/D2)- 22 goals in 29 games
4. Carlos Tevez (Olympiakos/D4)- 19 goals in 32 games
5. Sergio Aguero (Arsenal/D1; Real Madrid/D1)- 18 goals in 24 games
6. Eden Hazard (Barcelona/D1)- 18 goals in 36 games
7. Carlos Bacca (Leicester/D4; Espanyol/D5)- 18 goals in 37 games
7. Luis Suarez (Bayern/D1)- 18 goals in 37 games
9. Bryan Ruiz (Twente/D5)- 18 goals in 38 games
Robert Lewandowski eventually finished top, with a significant three goal lead over Lionel Messi. But more significant are the achievements of the less-heralded players: Mario Balotelli had a great season as usual, but Carlos Tevez, Carlos Bacca and Bryan Ruiz did well. Sergio Aguero would have finished in the top two if he didn't move to Real Madrid (typical).
9. Bryan Ruiz (Twente/D5)- 18 goals in 38 games
Assists
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 28 assists in 38 games
2. Yoshinori Muto (Hertha Berlin/D4)- 27 assists in 34 games
3. Balazs Dzsudzsak (Saint-Etienne/D3)- 24 assists in 36 games
4. Luis Suarez (Bayern/D1)- 23 assists in 37 games
5. Machin Vitolo (Sevilla/D3)- 22 assists in 31 games
5. Machin Vitolo (Sevilla/D3)- 22 assists in 31 games
6. Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea/D1)- 20 assists in 36 games
7. Yacine Brahimi (Inter/D2)- 19 assists in 34 games
8. Cristian Tello (Dynamo Kyiv/D4)- 19 assists in 35 games
9. Manuel Nolito (Sampdoria/D2)- 18 assists in 34 games
Sure, Lionel Messi finished top, but what's new? What's more stunning is Yoshinori Muto's brilliant season, finishing one assist behind Messi with four lesser games player. That in essence makes Muto the best assister of the season when you take average into account. Credits also go to Balazs Dzsudzsak, Machin Vitolo for their seasons.
Sure, Lionel Messi finished top, but what's new? What's more stunning is Yoshinori Muto's brilliant season, finishing one assist behind Messi with four lesser games player. That in essence makes Muto the best assister of the season when you take average into account. Credits also go to Balazs Dzsudzsak, Machin Vitolo for their seasons.
MOTMs
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona/D1)- 26 in 38 games
2. Luis Suarez (Bayern/D1)- 24 in 37 games
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea/D1)- 17 in 36 games
4. Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga/D4)- 14 in 38 games
5. Andres Fernandez (Marseille/D3)- 13 in 35 games
6. Carlos Bacca (Leicester/D4; Espanyol/D5)- 11 in 36 games
7. Carlos Tevez (Olympiakos/D4)- 10 in 32 games
No surprise with the top three. Well done to Ochoa and Fernandez for carrying their teams.
No surprise with the top three. Well done to Ochoa and Fernandez for carrying their teams.
Yellow Cards
1. Juan Cuadrado (Valencia/D1)- 13 in 33 games
2. Radamel Falcao (Benfica/D2)- 12 in 27 games
3. Riyad Mahrez (Southampton/D2)- 11 in 36 games
3. Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo/D2)- 11 in 36 games
5. Uros Djurdjevic (West Brom/D5)- 10 in 26 games
6. Maxime Gonalons (Valencia/D1)- 10 in 29 games
7. Ricardo Rodriguez (PSG/D1)- 10 in 33 games
8. Leon Goretzka (Benfica/D2)- 10 in 34 games
9. Mario Mandzukic (Borussia Monchengladbach/D2)- 10 in 36 games
Valencia and Benfica are probably the two worst fouling teams in the GW. Fact.
Valencia and Benfica are probably the two worst fouling teams in the GW. Fact.
Red Cards
1. Ander Iturraspe (Dynamo Kyiv/D4)- 4 in 29 games
2. Diego Rolan (Celtic/D3; West Brom/D5)- 3 in 23 games
3. Antonio Candreva (Inter/D2)- 3 in 30 games
4. Matija Nastacic (Roma/D1)- 3 in 31 games
4. Luiz Danilo (Benfica/D2)- 3 in 31 games
4. Machin Vitolo (Sevilla/D3)- 3 in 31 games
7. Vicente Iborra (River Plate/D5)- 3 in 32 games
8. Eljero Elia (Feyenoord/D4)- 3 in 32 games
Ander Iturraspe heads up the Hall of Shame. Time to learn discipline on the pitch, lads.
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That's it from this season. Don't have the time to do it next year, but may do it towards the end of the season, like this one. Congratulations to all successful teams this year, commiserations to those that struggled, and good luck to all for Season 7. Ciao!