At the end of April my primary Game World, one I’d been part of for a decade was fast becoming a farce, I enjoyed playing in other leagues but a new challenge was needed.

Unexpectedly a PM from a new SM friend arrived asking if I would be interested in joining the Top 100. I replied positively and waited to see where it took me. Within a couple of days I had been installed as the new West Ham manager.

There was a slight learning curve on joining, as with most established GWs it was quickly apparent from the newsfeed that cash had little to no value with most managers preferring to invest in youth to build a squad. However there was a whole host of new rules around transfer etiquette to learn. Something I’m still watching and learning about.

A review of the club I inherited showed West Ham while not the richest were worth a few quid – which as mentioned wasn’t much help, so what value did the squad hold?

The star player was rated 89 (Baumgartlinger) a German stalwart, below him the options were thin, Mata the 30+year old Spanish forward was having a great season both in real life and for the Hammers and was our clear top scorer. As an old hand in a new world it was no surprise when number of bids arrived for Mata soon after my arrival hoping to nick a deal, but cashing in on one of my best to players straight away seemed hasty. Beneath those 2 the starting 11 was made up from 85/86 raters from some clubs id never heard of, the exception being Clarke from Newcastle who despite being one of the highest rated defenders had been left to rot and was collecting concerns, presumably he and my predecessor had fallen out along the way.

The challenge ahead was clear, we had 9 games to try shift the club up the table and avoid the dreaded bottom 3.

The opener was nothing short of a disaster, naively I set the team up to attack and surprise the opposition as we were at home, however a well drilled Zagreb managed by the Godfather humbled us and the new optimism was quickly evaporated with a 1-3 loss that honestly could’ve been a lot worse. The great thing about SM is you are never long from the next game and so we travelled to Stuttgart 3 days later, a side struggling for points so sticking to my attacking principles we went for it, and were once again sent packing this time 2-1. Defeats from the opening games was already causing some murmurs of unrest on the streets. Danny Dyer was already rumoured to be starting a new firm to force me out.

That unrest appeared to spread into the newsfeed as an established manager gave myself and a fellow newcomer both barrels for being new and daring to offer any sort of banter before it was earned. It was a short sharp reminder that I was no longer amongst managers who had known me for years but part of a new community with its own Alphas looking for weakness. The best response I could offer rather than argue a pointless case was going back to the drawing board with my squad, keep my head down and figure a way of getting the squad playing to their own strengths. I seem to recall West ham having some tasty defenders over the years, Dicks/Pearce/Ferdinand… Moore, we could no longer rely on just the prowess off 36 year old Tomas Sivok to save us.

Out went our one 89 rated player in a gamble on an 87 Argentinian capped keeper(and hopefully a riser). I had decided the best way forwards was plugging up my leaky defence rather than having a holding midfielder that wasn’t dictating the possession percentages. With that came some new tactics around the old motto of “if they don’t score then you don’t get beat”. The keeper gave us a new starting block and from there on the tactics and players were put through a new training and tactics regime to work with what limited resources we had.

What followed was a remarkable turn of fortunes and a 4 game winning streak that propelled us up the league and saw an unexpected manager of the week nomination earnt.

Those 4 wins saw move from bottom 3 candidates to touching the playoff spots, Danny Dyer was now singing my praises and we were looking forwards not back. But with 2 of the final 3 games against top 8 sides it just wasn’t to be, we bowed out on 2 draws and a final day defeat. Ultimately a 9^th place finish was a little disappointing after the highs of the winning streak, but in retrospect it puts us in an interesting spot for next season if we can sustain a longer run. A late night phone call from Trevor Brooking reassured me my position was safe and he had no doubt that good times were ahead – and just maybe some fans would turn up next season to watch us.

What next for us then? Well the  squad is still heavy with players I inherited and needs trimming down from the current 49, of those I’ve signed just 5. All of the new signings have become first team starters and see the team line up with an improved 87 average for next season barring too many ratings drops. Hopefully some further improvements can be made beyond the first 11 that still includes some 86 rated players as a necessity and maybe then we can start to look at any sort of youth program.

Looking back over the 9 league games we achieved 4 Wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats with a 1.67 point average. If we can repeat that form in a full season for 63 points that should put us in and around the playoffs picture again and that would do very nicely. But the theory is often far simpler than the practicality and realistically keeping us away from the bottom 3 will be the main aim once again.

Cheers to all those that have made me welcome so far.

Onwards to next season.

Up the Irons.

Seats

DIVISION 4

It came to the final day of a Division 4 campaign that had more ups and downs than a hookers knickers. Incredibly 6 teams could still win the title. Marseille were top on goal difference from Lokomotiv Moskva. Dynamo Kyiv and Leicester City were 1 point behind, River Plate were 2pts adrift and Celtic were 3pts behind but would need a 6 goal swing to finish above Marseille. One of they teams would be Champions in 90 min with another 2 being automatically promoted. Sporting CP could also sneak in to one the promotion places if results went their way. Play offs? Well 4 of the teams mentioned plus add Malaga and Dynamo Moskva to the mix can finish in the play off positions. Hope you are following because we have still to add in the relegation fight. FC Twente and Olympiacos are definitely relegated. That leaves two spaces and FK Partizan, Crystal Palace and Swansea will be fighting to avoid they places. For this one we will follow all of the games. It will be easier. The games that involve two teams fighting for the same thing are a potentially explosive Dynamo Moskva v Dynamo Kyiv, Lokomotiv Moskva v Leicester City, Marseille v River Plate and Malaga v Sporting CP. All games are covered and an update on the tables when time permits so it’s just about kick off time, the nerves are jangling and the teams are now out:

0min - And off we go for what should be an exciting last 90min in this car crash that is known as Division 4.

4min - no early goals as the teams settle but Borini has had the ball in the net for Olympiacos in their game with Sampdoria but it has been chopped off. A win for the Greek side could take them off the bottom on the last day.

5min - ⚽️ GOAL!! The first goal of the night comes for Olympiacos, just a minute after having one chopped off!! Pussetto scores. They stay bottom for now but things can change as long as they stay ahead. Olympiacos 1 Sampdoria 0.

10min - Still just the Olympiacos goal to report. All the other games still at 0-0.

12min - ⚽️ GOAL!! And it’s a big one!! Traoré has scored for Dynamo Kyiv in Moskva!! That goal takes Kyiv to the top of the table but still a long way to go.

19min - 🟥 RED CARD!! It’s come at The Hawthorns!! Gedson Fernandes has been sent off to reduce West Brom to 10 men and that must be a boost to Celtic’s play off chances!!

20min - Almost half way through the first half with only the Kyiv goal to talk about. As we seen, that goal puts Kyiv top of the table!!

21min - ⚽️ GOAL!! but it is at the bottom where the fight to avoid relegation continues. Bou has put FC Twente 1-0 up on FK Partizan in Enschede! A huge blow for Partizan and they need to score twice now if they want to have a chance of stay up.

23min - ⚽️ GOAL!! but, again, it’s at the bottom and it’s great news for Swansea fans as André puts them 1-0 up in Argentina against Boca Juniors! Swansea are in the driving seat to avoid the drop!!

BOTTOM

16. SWANSEA CITY 45pts

17. CRYSTAL PALACE 41pts

18. FK PARTIZAN 40pts

19. FC TWENTE 38pts

20. OLYMPIACOS 36pts

25min - GOAL!! at The Hawthorns and it’s 10 man West Brom who have taken the lead and promotion hopefuls Celtic!! This means Celtic slip to 7th, the last play off place. However, with Malaga and Sporting CP playing against each other, Celtic are guaranteed a play off place.

27min - GOAL!! It’s an equaliser for Boca Juniors against Swansea and that sees Swansea back into the relegation battle. Boca Juniors 1 Swansea City 1!!

30min - Half an hour into the games and it’s still Dynamo Kyiv in poll position!! The latest we have is:

DYNAMO MOSKVA 0-1 DYNAMO KYIV

MARSEILLE 0-0 RIVER PLATE

LOKOMOTIV MOSKVA 0-0 LEICESTER CITY

WEST BROM 1-0 CELTIC

MALAGA 0-0 SPORTING CP

Not a lot of action but I am confident things will heat up

31min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and just as I say that, it’s a huge goal as Beghetto scores to make it Marseille 0 River Plate 1!! and that changes things at the top!!

So Marseille drop to 4th meaning it will be the play offs for them as it stands!! River Plate now in an automatic promotion place!!

36min - ⚽️ GOAL!! it’s Malaga 0 Sporting 1!! Diaz has put the Portuguese side ahead and they are looking good for a play off spot!!

37min - ⚽️ GOAL!! Celtic fans look away now!! Calvert-Lewin has put 10 man West Brom 2-0 ahead at The Hawthorns. Celtic are safe in the play offs but any chance of a home semi final is fading fast.

40min - We are closing in on half time and there is still plenty drama ahead. I can feel it in my water!!

43min - ⚽️ GOAL!! It’s a crucial goal in France!! Grenier has equalised for Marseille!! The French side are back in the top three while River Plate are back to 5th!! The table is coming up at half time.

44min - ⚽️ GOAL!! It’s at the bottom and Linetty has brought FK Partizan level at FC Twente!! The Serbian club looked down and out but they keep themselves in with a chance of staying up!!

45min - The half time whistles should be sounding around Europe and South America so let’s see how things stand:

BOCA JUNIORS 1-1 SWANSEA CITY

DYNAMO MOSKVA 0-1 DYNAMO KYIV

ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-0 PSV EINDHOVEN

LOKOMOTIV MOSKVA 0-0 LEICESTER CITY

MARSEILLE. 1-1 RIVER PLATE

MALAGA 0-1 SPORTING CP

OLYMPIACOS 1-0 SAMPDORIA

FC TWENTE. 1-1 FK PARTIZAN

CRYSTAL PALACE 0-0 RUBIN KAZAN

WEST BROM 2-0 CELTIC

TOP

BOTTOM

16. SWANSEA CITY 43pts

17. FK PARTIZAN 41pts

18. CRYSTAL PALACE 41pts

19. FC TWENTE 36pts

20. OLYMPIACOS 36pts

So, there is still plenty to play for with 45min to play. We will be back with the second half shortly.

That was very short as we get ready for the second half. These 45min will decide who goes up to Division 3, who go into the lottery of the play offs and who joins FC Twente and Olympiacos in Division 5.

46min - All the games have kicked off again SS we wait on news from around the grounds.

48min - ⚽️ GOAL!! but it’s not important to anyone except Athletic Club fans. Kalinić has put Athletic ahead in their dead rubber with PSV. No bearing on either end of the table.

53min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and this one DOES affect the top of the table!! Adriano has equalised for Dynamo Moskva against Dynamo Kyiv!! So, Kyiv slip back to third in the table and Marseille are back on top!! I’m sure there would have been a huge roar in France as news of that goal reaches the Vélodrome!!

59min - ⚽️ GOAL!! it’s from the south of Spain and Sporting CP have one foot in the play offs as Luis Diaz makes it Malaga 0 Sporting CP 2!! Sporting looking good for a home play off semi final!!

and just as we give you news of that goal, we hear Swansea are back in front in Argentina!! André grabs his second goal of the night and Swansea are heading for safety!!

60min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and the Vélodrome has erupted as Augustin puts Marseille 2-1 ahead against River Plate!! Are Marseille heading for the Division 4 title?!!

61min - ⚽️ GOAL!! it’s unbelievable Jeff!! The Vélodrome is suddenly silenced just 60 seconds after erupting!! River Plate kick off and go right up the park to equalise!! Djaniny has scored and the Marseille celebrations are back on hold!! I promised you drama and there it is, right there!!

64min - 🟥 RED CARD!! and it’s not one red card, it’s two!! They have came in separate games. First, in Greece, Layún has been sent off for Sampdoria with Olympiacos still leading 1-0. The Greek side are still bottom of the table and would need 4 more goals to lift them up.
The other red card is far more important and we knew there would be at least one in this game!! Dynamo Kyiv’s scorer in Moskva has been red carded meaning Kyiv will play the last 25min with 10 men! Kyiv are 3rd at the moment but if they can’t hold on it could allow Leicester, still 0-0 at Lokomotiv, to nick that promotion place. It also would give River Plate a chance if they can get a winner in Marseille. I told you the division was a car crash!!

75min - We are into the last 15min!! Will there be more drama, more goals, more red cards?!! What a time to be alive!!

76min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and more drama it is!! Zaha has put Dynamo Moskva ahead!! It’s a disaster for Dynamo Kyiv as they fall to 5th in the table!! Leicester, meanwhile are still 0-0 and they, after doing nothing all night, are now 3rd!! And, I have an apology to make.. This goal has put Celtic out of the play offs!! I said Celtic were safe but they are 2-0 down at West Brom and now Dynamo Moskva have leapfrogged them on goal difference!! Confused?? I know I am!! Pass me some drugs!!

While that was happening, FC Twente are ahead in their game with FK Partizan!! Méndez with the goal. That should be enough for Twente to avoid finishing bottom but it looks like the end for Partizan with them and Crystal Palace, still 0-0 with Rubin Kazan, joining Twente and Olympiacos in Division 5 next season!!

77min - ⚽️ GOAL!! but wait!! Pavoletti has equalised for Partizan!! but it is surely too little, too late. 2-2.

Hold on! News coming in that Pavoletti’s strike will not count. Not sure of the reason but we believe it is still 2-1 to FC Twente. Too little, too late is bang on.

78min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and the goals keep coming! It’s squeaky bum time for Celtic as 10 man West Brom wrap up the points with a third goal!! Calvert-Lewin with his second of the night. Fantastic performance by the Baggies! West Brom 3 Celtic 0!!

And Sporting CP have surely sealed a play off place with Bouanga making it 3-0 in Malaga!! Sporting with a great result for them so far while Malaga set for another season in Division 4.

81min - ⚽️ - GOAL!! Celtic fans, hold your breath!! Now let it go and start smiling because 10 man Dynamo Kyiv have equalised in Moskva!! Hunou has sent the Kyiv bench and the very small band of fans that were allowed to travel wild!!! What a goal that is!! It puts Kyiv back in the automatic promotion places and at the same time knocks Moskva out of the play offs with Celtic back in!!! What will happen next?!! There is still 9 minutes for Kyiv to hang on with 10 men

89min - still no more news as the games go into the last minute! Celtic fans sweating, Kyiv fans sweating, Moskva fans almost in tears!!

90min - we are into time added on as we wait for the full time whistle!!

The first result is in and Swansea City are safe!! They needed a win tonight to be sure of safety and they have beaten Boca Juniors 2–1 in Argentina!! Well done to them.

It’s also full time in Moskva and it’s celebrations for Dynamo Kyiv!! It’s finished 2-2 and Kyiv are promoted!! A great fight back after being 2-1 down and playing with 10 men For the last 15 minutes It’s frustration though for Dynamo Moskva as they miss out completely!!

Athletic Club have beaten PSV 1-0 in Bilbao and back in Moskva, it’s all over as Lokomotiv Moskva celebrate promotion after a 0-0 draw with Leicester proved to be enough!! Leicester are in the play offs.

In France, the whistle has just went and Marseille are promoted as Champions!! 2-2 is how it finished and that is going to be enough to give Marseille the title. River Plate go into the post season with an away semi final tie looking likely.

Full time in Malaga and the Spanish club will feel they let their fans down as the play off hopes are snuffed out. A 3-0 defeat to Sporting CP is a huge disappointment but on the opposite side of the coin, it’s delight for Sporting as they fly into the play offs in great form and they could be the favourites.

Olympiacos have finished bottom of the heap despite a last day 1-0 win over Sampdoria. The Italians had nothing to play for and it seemed they were happy just to play out the 90min.

In Holland, FC Twente have beaten FK Partizan 2-1 to avoid finishing bottom. It is a depressing place tonight with their opponents joining them in Division 5 next season.

Crystal Palace will also join them in Division 5 after they failed to make any impression tonight at Selhurst Park. Full time Crystal Palace 0 Rubin Kazan 0

It’s full time at The Hawthorns where West Brom were reduced to 10 men but still went on to beat Celtic 3-0. Celtic fans look in good spirits as they seem to know that they are in the play offs even though we thought they were 9min away from being out. A mis-calculation possibly? Whatever it is, Celtic are 100% in the play offs.

So, to re-cap, Marseille are Champions and they go up to Division 4 with Lokomotiv Moskva and Dynamo Kyiv joining them.
In the play offs it is official now and Leicester City will play Celtic and Sporting CP will be at home to River Plate.
At the bottom Crystal Palace, FK Partizan, FC Twente and Olympiacos are relegated.

That’s it for tonight. I would say good luck to the teams in the play offs but we already know how that turned out.
Good luck to everyone for next season

Ciao

SUMMARY

Well what a season it has turned out to be! I did not expect to be reporting on the fact that not only did we reach the play-offs we somehow won promotion.

In the semi’s we  like Leicester  seem to freeze in the penalty shoot out and in the end we kept our nerve.  The final against Joao’s Sporting CP was as I expected a back to the wall affair by us and somehow we snatch a winner through our tails man Alario.

BACKGROUND

I took over at Celtic halfway through season 11 and my target then was to stay up which we just achieved with 44 points and 14th position.

So for season 12  as with any team I have had was to  improve my points tally and league position. We certainly did that finishing 7th with 57 points. In my view we over achieved  in what was and still is a very tough division. There was never much separating most of the teams.

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers and Defenders

I had to 87  keepers (Campana and Santos) and rotated them throughout the season.

The defence had no  high rated players and for Hoedt to drop twice in 4 months was a tough one to take. With  Lustig dropping to 85 (expected) as my main RB  did not make things any easier. Was compensated by having 87 rated Dodo and Reinaldo as left WB’s. Wishing Reinaldo well on his move to Swansea.

Midfielders

I  had only 2 senior CM’s througout the season – Paulinho and Hernandez and they did me pround.

Support by Forrest and Snodgrass who always seem  to provide steady support. I did acquire Duda midway through the season, but he has found it hard to adjust , hopefully better next season. One that did surprise me was Schaub who joined at the same time and has chipped in with 8 goals and 5 assists.

Forwards

For many games I just played one  striker and this meant Pratto did not get that many starts, but still scored 7 goals and 5 assists.

But the  man who not only kept us in this division but  sent us up was Alario – In 29 starts he scored 15 goals, 7 assists and 9 mom’s.

WHAT NEXT

Firstly prior to the last few games I had agreed  a 2 season extension at Celtic with David.

Next season to put in mildly will be very hard as we have some aging players and the youngsters are someway off the first team, but as they say I give it a go at staying up.

 For now of to enjoy some Glasgow hospitality – is there any bars open ???

DIVISION 5

As we went into the final day of the campaign, the Division 5 automatic promotion places were already decided. Atalanta BC were the Champions (impressive for a Boys Club). Santos FC and ACF Fiorentina were also promoted but who would finish second wasn’t decided. Cruzeiro and Werder Bremen were guaranteed play off berths which leaves two more. Six teams were chasing the last two places. Besiktas JK (55pts), West Ham United (54pts), Olympique Lyon (53pts), Torino (53pts), Flamengo (52pts) and AZ Alkmaar (51pts) could all make the post season. At the bottom the battle for the coveted Wooden Spoon was between Girondins Bordeaux and VfB Stuttgart. We will keep half an eye on that.
Tonight’s games that matter are BESIKTAS v LYON, WEST HAM UNITED v FLAMENGO, TORINO v SANTOS and ATALANTA v AZ ALKMAAR.

Let’s see how the night unfolded:

0 min - We are underway and 90 minutes from now we will know who the last two teams are to enter the post season.

5min - All quiet so far as the teams settle into their games. The big games are Besiktas v Lyon and West Ham v Flamengo with the four teams in the mix for a play off place but so far it’s 0-0.

8min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and it’s a huge one. It’s at the Olympic Stadium and it’s bad news for the Hammers. Soares has scored for Flamengo. It’s West Ham 0 Flamengo 1!! There is also a goal at the bottom where Gaćinović has put Stuttgart ahead at Dinamo Zagreb which lifts them off the bottom.

12min - ⚽️ GOAL!! Alkmaar are in front at Atalanta!! A huge boost as the Dutch side try and sneak in the back door of the play offs. Midtsjo is the scorer and I will let you pronounce his name.

13min - ⚽️ GOAL!! It’s all kicking off now as Besiktas take the lead in Turkey against Lyon!! Marlos the scorer!

15min - OK, let’s see where we stand after a quarter of an hour in the play off race. It is

BESIKTAS 1-0 LYON

WEST HAM 0-1 FLAMENGO

TORINO 0-0 SANTOS

ATALANTA 0-1 ALKMAAR

and the standings are

6. BESIKTAS 58pts

7. FLAMENGO 55pts

8. ALKMAAR 54pts

9. WEST HAM 54pts

10. TORINO 54pts

11. LYON 53pts

So, Besiktas looking good for one of the places but there is still a long way to go.

20min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and it’s a second goal for Flamengo!! Dalbert makes it West Ham 0 Flamengo 2!! The Hammers play off dreams are fading to the sound of the samba drums!

30min - It’s gone quiet on the goal action but that won’t bother Besiktas or Flamengo fans as they are the two teams in the play off places.

38min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and just as I was thinking a nap would be in order, news of another goal comes in and it’s En Nesyri for Atalanta!! Alkmaar’s hopes suffer a blow! Atalanta 1 Alkmaar 1

43min - ⚽️ Goal!! West Ham have a goal back! Sahin makes it 1-2. Flamengo still ahead but could West Ham come back in the second half and steal a play off place!

45min - The half time whistle is blowing across Europe so let’s have a look at how things stand with 45min of the season left.

BESIKTAS 1-0 LYON

WEST HAM 1-2 FLAMENGO

TORINO 0-0 SANTOS

ATALANTA 1-1 ALKMAAR

And the standings at half time are

6. BESIKTAS 58pts

7. FLAMENGO 55pts

8. WEST HAM 54pts

9. TORINO 54pts

10. LYON 53pts

11. ALKMAAR 52pts

Besiktas and Flamengo in the driving seat but anything could happen in the second half and no one can yet be ruled out.
At the bottom Stuttgart lead 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb while Bordeaux are 0-0 at Saint-Etienne which means Bordeaux are in the TOP100 bottom spot

We are off again as we start the last 45min of the regular season. Remember there are still play offs to come and we will be with you all the way.

50min - ⚽️ GOAL!! It’s a huge goal for Torino!! Giovinco has put the Italian side in front against Santos and they are now in the last play off spot!! Flamengo drop out!

53min - ⚽️ GOAL!! unbelievable!! The Stadio Olimpico in Turin has been silenced just 3min after it erupted!! Milivojević has headed Santos level showing that they may be already promoted but they won’t ease up. Torino were in the play off places for just 3min but now Flamengo are back in! What a night this is turning out to be.
🟥 - RED CARD!! We were so caught up in the game in Turin that we nearly missed an important red card. Geromel has been sent off in Bergamo to reduce Alkmaar to 10 men in their game with Atalanta. Is that the end for Alkmaar!!

58min - ⚽️ GOAL!! If the red card was not the end for Alkmaar, it is now! Petagna has put Atalanta ahead and Alkmaar’s hopes are drifting away. Atalanta 2 ALKMAAR 1!!

63min - ⚽️ GOAL!! and it’s another for Atalanta! Alkmaar are down and out! Luan makes it 3–1 and 10 man Alkmaar must surely be looking to prevent any embarrassment.

66min - ⚽️ GOAL!! disaster for Torino!! Santos have turned it around as Babel finds the net! Torino with it all to do now.
⚽️ GOAL!! it’s the battle to avoid the wooden spoon and Stuttgart are back at the bottom as Fornals equalises for Dinamo Zagreb!!

67min - CORRECTION! We believe the Zagreb goal has been given offside!! Stuttgart are back off the bottom! All the action as it happens here for you.

75min - 15min to play and this is how we stand

BESIKTAS 1-0 LYON

WEST HAM 1-2 FLAMENGO

TORINO 1-2 SANTOS

ATALANTA 3-1 ALKMAAR

6. BESIKTAS 58pts

7. FLAMENGO 55pts

8. WEST HAM 54PTS

9. LYON 53pts

10. TORINO 53pts

11. ALKMAAR 51pts

West Ham, Lyon or Torino need 2 goals to grab a late play off place, otherwise it is Besiktas and Flamengo who go into the post season.

78min - Still no change in the play off race but it is going Stuttgart’s way at the bottom with news that Sugawara has scored for Saint-Etienne against Bordeaux and that Conti has been red carded for Dinamo Zagreb leaving Bordeaux hot favourites for that spoon.

85min - 5min to go and no change in the play off race. It looks like Besiktas and Flamengo are, barring disaster, heading for the play offs!!

90min - We are into stoppage time and now awaiting final whistles to confirm what we already know

It’s finished in Zagreb where Stuttgart look to have avoided the wooden spoon on the last day. Dinamo Zagreb 0 Stuttgart 1.

Other Division 5 results coming through. Indepeniente 0 FC Augsburg 0 and Feyenoord 2 Sunderland 0

The dream was over for Alkmaar when Geromel was sent off and it is now confirmed, Atalanta 3 AZ Alkmaar 1

Fiorentina have beaten play off bound Cruzeiro 3-0, São Paulo 1 Werder Bremen 0 and Bordeaux are confirmed as the bottom club in TOP100 as they go down 1-0 at Saint-Etienne.

The Brazilian drums are sounding at the Olympic Stadium as a small band of Flamengo fans celebrate a play off place!! Flamengo have beaten West Ham 2-1 and that will be enough for them to take part in the post season!!

Full time in Turkey!! Besiktas are in the play offs!! They have beaten Lyon 1-0 and they finish in 5th place and will travel to Germany to take on Werder Bremen!!

Full time in a quiet Stadio Olimpico as Torino miss out on the play offs by going down 2–1 to promoted Santos FC!! Disappointment for the Italians but they were ahead and failed to hold on. Over the season they were not good enough.

So that’s a rap!! Division 5 is over for Season 12 and it’s congratulations to Champions Atalanta, who go up with Santos and Fiorentina. In the play offs it will be Cruzeiro v Flamengo and Werder Bremen v Flamengo.
A great season for Brazilian sides with three in the top six. That’s it for me. Good night.

DIVISION 3

At the top of Division 3, Everton were already Champions but the other two places were still to be settled. Sevilla 68pts, Southampton 66pts and Aston Villa 65pts were the teams fighting for two automatic promotion places with the losing team going into the play offs. To add spice, Aston Villa were playing at home to Sevilla. Borussia Mönchengladbach were guaranteed to be in the play offs. The other two play off places would be fought out between Udinese (needing a draw) 57pts, Lille 54pts, Club Brugge 54pts, Manchester United 52pts and outsiders 1FC Köln 51pts.
The relegation places were already decided.

The games we follow are INTERNAZIONALE v MANCHESTER UNITED; ZENIT SAINT PETERSBURG v UDINESE CALCIO; CELTA VIGO v CLUB BRUGGE; LILLE v SOUTHAMPTON; FC KÖLN v FENERBAHÇE and ASTON VILLA v SEVILLA. We will also keep an eye on Everton’s game at Dnipro.
This is how the night unfolded:

0min - It’s 8pm and the final games of Season 12 are underway all across Europe and South America as we concentrate on Division 3.

1min - Penalty!! Incredibly just 60 seconds into tonight’s games and Southampton have a penalty in Lille!

2min - ⚽️ Goal!! Arnautovic converts the spot kick and it’s Lille 0 Southampton 1 and as that penalty was being taken, Bamba was giving Udinese the lead at Zenit! So already the table is changing:

1. EVERTON 76pts
2. SOUTHAMPTON 69pts
3. SEVILLA 69pts
4. ASTON VILLA 66pts
5. BORUSSIA MGB 62pts
6. UDINESE 60pts
7. BRUGGE 55pts
8. LILLE 54pts
9. MAN UTD 53pts
10. KÖLN 52pts

9min - ⚽️ Goallll!! and it’s a huge one as Moutinho turns back the clock to give Sevilla the lead at Aston Villa!

1. EVERTON 76pts
2. SEVILLA 71pts
3. SOUTHAMPTON 69pts
4. ASTON VILLA 65pts

It’s still early doors but Villa have a lot to do.

11min - It’s been an all action start to the games with important goals already scored and the champions have just went 1-0 up in Dnipro with Moreno being the Everton scorer.

18min - ⚽️ FC Köln have a very difficult task to grab a play off spot with an 8 goal swing needed to pip Lille as well as other results going their way. Well, Lopes has given Köln the lead against Fenerbahce and with Lille trailing, it means it is now a 6 goal swing needed. It’s still a huge ask.

25min - ⚽️ Goal!! and it’s a minor setback for Udinese with Perotti making it Zenit 1 Udinese 1. Remember Udinese only require a point to make the play offs, so they are still on track.

32min - And we hear that Rabiot has scored from the spot to put Champions Everton 2-0 up in Ukraine against Dnipro. Everton looking forward to Division 2 football next season.

34min - ⚽️ Goal!! And it’s bad news for Club Brugges. They have fallen behind to a Delph goal and that lets Lille back into the play off places. Celta Vigo 1 Club Brugge 0

35min - ⚽️ Goal in Russia!! Bonaventura has restored Udinese’s lead and it is Zenit 1 Udinese 2. We will have an updated table for you at half time, that’s when we might catch a breath because...

36min - ⚽️ the goals are coming in quicker than we can react. Ok, catching up. Goal in Italy and it’s Harry Winks who has made it Inter 0 Man Utd 1. United still in the play off race but how about this!! It’s the big game of the night and it’s an equaliser for Villa!! De Tomás has scored and it’s Villa 1 Sevilla 1. Villa back in the automatic promotion race. What a night so far!

39min - ⚽️Goal!! and just as I thought we were getting a breather, Lille have equalised in France. Spanish striker Iglesias has made it Lille 1 Southampton 1 and it is as you were at the top of the table.

40min - ⚽️ Goal!! This is unbelievable!! No sooner did we say it was ‘as you were’ at the top, there is a third goal at Villa Park. Vela has restored Sevilla’s lead 5min before half time and Villa have it all to do.

42min - That was seven goals in eight minutes. Every time we went to update the table, another goal was hitting the back of the net. All updates coming up at half time. And breeeaaathe!!

45min - HT - The half time whistle is sounding around the grounds and we have the half time scores

INTERNAZIONALE 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED

ZENIT ST PETERSBURG 1-2 UDINESE CALCIO

CELTA VIGO 1-0 CLUB BRUGGE

LILLE OSC 1-1 SOUTHAMPTON

DNIPRO 0-2 EVERTON

FC KÖLN 1-0 FENERBAHÇE

ASTON VILLA 1-2 SEVILLA

1. EVERTON 78pts
2. SEVILLA 71pts
3. SOUTHAMPTON 67pts
4. ASTON VILLA 65pts
5. BORUSSIA MGB 61pts
6. UDINESE 60pts
7. LILLE OSC 55pts
8. MAN UNITED 55pts
9. CLUB BRUGGE 54pts
10. 1FC KÖLN 54pts

So that’s how it stands with 45min left of the season. Sevilla look good for automatic promotion along with Southampton, but a Villa goal would mix things up again. For the play offs, it looks like 1 place left with 4 teams battling for it. We are set for an engrossing second half and it’s coming right up

And off we go as games restart after a thrilling first half...

46min - ⚽️ Goal!! And we are not even 1min into the second half as we hear that Lopes has doubled FC Köln’s lead against Fenerbahçe in Germany. It’s very unlikely that Köln will do enough but they are giving it a go.

47min - ⚽️ Goal!! and the goals keep coming and Llorente has made it Celta Vigo 2 Club Brugge 0 which is surely the end of the Brugge play off chances. They need to score 3 now to have any chance.

51min - ⚽️ Goal!! It comes in from Germany and Cheryshev has pulled one back for Fenerbahçe and that could be the death knell for Köln. They really needed a 4 or 5 goal win but conceding that goal should rule them out of the play off picture.

56min - ⚽️ Goal!! and we said Brugge had to score 3 to have a chance of getting into the play offs. Well, Elkeson has got one. Celta Vigo 2 ClubBrugge 1.

58min - Everton are showing why they are Division 3 Champions with Moreno putting them 3-0 up in Ukraine against Dnipro

60min - Half an hour left to play and it’s still Sevilla and Southampton that will win automatic promotion with Aston Villa left in the play offs. Will it all change?

63min - PENALTY!!! It’s a penalty for Manchester United in Milan. Will bring news ASAP.

64min - ⚽️ Goal!! Demirbay confidently nets the spot kick to make it Inter 0 Man Utd 2 but United need a Southampton goal to make the play offs at Lille’s expense. It is still 1–1 in France.

70min - ⚽️ Goal!! and it’s a huge one. It’s disaster for Aston Villa as Lovren scores a third goal for Sevilla. It’s Villa 1 Sevilla 3 and Sevilla have one foot in Division 2. Villa need to score three goals in the last 20min or it is the lottery of the play offs for them.

76min - 🟥 I’m sure it won’t ruin their night but Rabiot has been red carded for Everton in the Ukraine. 10 man Everton still lead 3-0.

81min - ⚽️ Goal!! and as calm as you will get, Everton shrug off the red card as Weghorst makes it 4-0 to the title winners. That’s either arrogant or just class. You choose.

82min - ⚽️ Goal!! and that is the goal that seals a play off place for Udinese!! Fernando gets on the scoresheet as Udinese darn their place in the post season.

90min - We are heading into stoppage time and although it’s been a quieter second half, there has been some crucial goals. Just waiting on the full time whistle.

It’s all over in Milan where goals from Winks and Demirbay have given Manchester United a 2-0 win over Internazionale but it looks like it won’t be enough as it is still 1-1 in Lille.
It’s full time in Russia and Udinese have sealed their place in the play offs and they could be the team to beat. Zenit 1 Udinese 3

One team that won’t be in the play offs are Club Brugge. They have went down 2–1 to Celta Vigo in Spain and it’s Division 3 for them next season and it’s full time in France where Lille and Southampton have drawn 1-1. Southampton are celebrating with their fans as they are going up to Division 2. The full times are in for the other games and Sevilla are promoted along with Southampton after a 3–1 win over Aston Villa, who have to settle for the play offs. FC Köln have missed out despite a 2-1 win over Fenerbahçe. So, to summarise - Everton go up to Division 2 as Champions with Sevilla and Southampton also going up. In the play offs it will be Aston Villa v Lille OSC and Borussia Mönchengladbach v Udinese Calcio.

The last day of the season always brings the excitement, celebrations and the tears of titles, promotion and the dreaded relegation. This season was no different with, despite a lot of things already being settled, plenty of nerve wracking minutes to be played out. I was going to cover all 5 divisions individually but before the games got underway, decided to concentrate on the extraordinary last day in Division 4.
Therefore, there is a quick ‘as it happened’ of the last day in Division 1, 2, 3 & 5 with extensive coverage of how it happened in Division 4.
So here is how it all unfolded:

DIVISION 1

BARCELONA had already been crowned Champions for the 8th time. A truly incredible achievement for the Spanish giants as they made it 4 titles in a row. Who can truly stop them? They finished 15pts ahead of Chelsea and an amazing 26pts ahead of 3rd places Paris Saint-Germain. They 3 teams were already guaranteed a Champions Cup place with the last spot between Bayern Munich, Juventus and RSC Anderlecht. Bayern required a win at Barcelona, Juventus required a win at home to Chelsea with a Bayern defeat while Anderlecht had to win at home to relegated Hamburger SV and hope for a Bayern Munich defeat and for Juventus to fail to win.
The two clubs who failed to take the last spot would compete in the Euro Shield along with Atlético Madrid, SC Internacional, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
At the bottom, Genoa CFC only needed a point at home to AS Roma to be safe while FC Basel required a win at relegated FC Schalke and a Genoa defeat.
This is how it panned out for these games only:

4min - ⚽️ A fantastic start for Genoa as Júnior gives them an early lead. Genoa currently safe no matter what FC Basel do.

9min - ⚽️ Van Aanholt gives Basel the lead at Schalke to put pressure on Genoa.

24min - ⚽️ Schalke 0 Basel 2, Talisca scores as Basel try and finish the game early. Genoa still 1-0 up.

27min - ⚽️ Juventus strike first blow in the race for the remaining Champions Cup place. Jesus with the goal.
As it stands, 4th Juventus 68pts, 5th Bayern Munich 68pts, Anderlecht 66pts.

35min - ⚽️ Anderlecht ahead!! Ocampos scores As they join Bayern and Juventus on 68pts. Juventus have the best goal difference followed by Bayern and then Anderlecht.

39min - ⚽️ Parejo pulls one back for Schalke. Basel lead 2-1 while it is still 1-0 for Genoa.

45min - It is half time around the grounds and, as it stands, Juventus will be in the Champions Cup while, at the bottom, it will be Division 2 football for FC Basel.

2nd half - And we are underway again with the next 45min deciding the fate of the teams with something to play for.

47min - ⚽️ Goal for Anderlecht!! The Belgians go 2-0 up on Hamburger with Mendy scoring. They remain in 6th on goal difference and are depending on news from elsewhere to get them excited.

49min - ⚽️ It’s bad news for Juventus but great news for Bayern and Anderlecht as Alcântara equalises for Chelsea. That means it is now

4. Bayern Munich 68pts

5. Anderlecht 68pts

6. Juventus 66pts

53min - ⚽️ Schalke 1 FC Basel 3. Talisca scores his second of the night but it all counts for nothing unless Roma can score twice at Genoa.

54min - ⚽️ Absolute scenes in the away end in Barcelona as Cavani strikes to put Bayern Munich ahead!! Bayern now have 70pts, Anderlecht 68pts and Juventus 66pts. Sensational stuff!

65min - ⚽️ Nothing more to report as Bayern still lead in Barcelona and Genoa are still 1-0 up on Roma.

67min - ⚽️ There is no doubt that Anderlecht are doing their part as Ocampos makes it 3-0 against Hamburg but realistically they need Barcelona to score twice against Bayern.

73min - ⚽️ It looks all over for Juventus as Pjanic puts Chelsea 2-1 in front in Italy. Juventus have just 17min to salvage their Champions Cup hopes. At the same time, Muniain pulls a goal back for Schalke and it is now Schalke 2 FC Basel 3.

75min - ⚽️ Basel have added a fourth goal through Nani to make it 4-2 in Schalke but it is not enough at the moment with Genoa still 1-0 ahead of Roma.

81min - ⚽️ Anderlecht 4 Hamburger 0. Ocampos completes his hat trick for Anderlecht but it will be the Euro Shield for the Belgians unless Barcelona can turn it around in Spain.
Strootman has scored a 5th goal for Basel at Schalke but it all looks in vain.

82min - ⚽️ Aspas scores a consolation for Hamburger to make it 4-1 to Anderlecht.

90min - The games are into stoppage time as we wait for the full time whistles.

It’s all over for Juventus as they lose 2-1 at home to Chelsea meaning they will compete in the Euro Shield and it’s also full time in Belgium where Anderlecht have beaten Hamburger 4-1. Barring a miracle in Barcelona, they will also compete in next season’s Euro Shield.

The whistle goes in Gelsenkirchen as FC Basel win 5-2 against Schalke. A great effort but it doesn’t look like it will be enough.

And Bayern Munich claim the last Champions Cup place as the full time whistle goes in Spain, giving them an unexpected 1-0 win Over Barcelona and it’s also full time in Genoa as the home fans celebrate survival with an early goal giving them a 1-0 win over AS Roma. The tears flow amongst the Basel fans but it is Division 2 football for them.

DIVISION 2

At the top of Division 2, it was already all sorted out. Hellas Verona were champions with SSC Napoli and Ajax Amsterdam joining them in Division 1 next season. Arsenal, Hertha BSC, RCD Espanyol and Levante UD will be in the play offs.
At the bottom it was relegation for Shakhtar Donetsk, AS Monaco and Montpellier HSC. This left one relegation place to be filled. Standard Liege were in that position with 41pts with Chievo Verona on 42pts, Galatasaray 43pts, Wolfsburg 44pts and Stoke City 44pts trying to survive. This is how it unfolded:

0min: Here we go as the games kick off and we have 5 teams trying to avoid that last relegation spot in Division 2. Standard Liege v Ajax, RCD Espanyol v Chievo, Stoke City v Bayer Leverkusen and the huge Wolfsburg v Galatasaray are the games we are following.

10min - we are 10min into the games and we await the first goal.

12min - ⚽️ Goal!! First goal of the night comes for Chievo and it’s Mitrović who puts them 1-0 up at Espanyol.

13. Stoke City 45pts

14. Chievo Verona 45pts

15. Wolfsburg 45pts

16. Galatasaray 44pts

17. Standard Liege 42pts

18. Montpellier 40pts

19. AS Monaco 34pts

20. Shakhtar 28pts

17min - ⚽️ Stoke City are ahead! Stoke take a huge step towards safety with Baldé putting them in front against Leverkusen.

25min - Not a lot of goal action with Chievo 1-0 up at Espanyol and Stoke 1-0 up on Bayer Leverkusen. Standard Liege are still 0-0 v Ajax and there are no goals between Wolfsburg and Galatasaray.

30min - 🟥 Red card!! Standard Liege’s survival hopes take a huge blow with defender Komar sent off. Still 0-0.

31min - ⚽️ Stoke City go 2-0 ahead!! The Potters look like they will survive as Raphinha scores. Stoke 2 Leverkusen 0

37min - ⚽️ It’s a huge goal as Grealish scores to give Galatasaray the lead at Wolfsburg!! The bottom of the table now looks like this

14. Galatasaray 46pts

15. Chievo Verona 45pts

16. Wolfsburg 44pts

17. Standard Liege 42pts

18. Montpellier 40pts

19. AS Monaco 33pts

20. Shakhtar 30pts

43min - ⚽️ Stoke City cannot consider themselves safe just yet as Costa pulls a goal back from the penalty spot before half time for Leverkusen. 2-1 Stoke.

45min - It’s half time all over Europe and it is

RCD ESPANYOL 0-1 CHIEVO VERONA

STANDARD LIEGE 0-0 AJAX AMSTERDAM

STOKE CITY 2-1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN

VFL WOLFSBURG 0-1 GALATASARAY SK

As it stands, with 45 minutes of the season left, it will be Standard Liege that will be relegated.

We are off and running again with a lot resting on the next 45 minutes.

54min - ⚽️ Stoke City have been pulled back to 2-2 by Leverkusen after leading 2-0. Hulk scores the equaliser and Stoke are back in the mix and just as I say that, there is huge news coming in from Belgium where Ben Yedder has put Standard Liege ahead!! Wow!! What has that done to the table. Let’s look

13. Galatasaray 46pts

14. Stoke City 45pts

15. Chievo Verona 45pts

16. Standard Liege 44pts

17. Wolfsburg 44pts

18. Montpellier 40pts

19. AS Monaco 33pts

20. Shakhtar 30pts

60min - Half an hour to play and as it stands, it will be Wolfsburg that are relegated.

70min - No more goals to report as nerves will be on edge across Europe on this final day of the season.

82min - ⚽️ It’s bedlam in Belgium as Cutrone scores a second goal for Standard Liege. They are just 8min from survival but a goal for Wolfsburg would still see Liege going down. Tense stuff.

90min - The games will be going into time added on and it is currently Wolfsburg who will go down.

FT - It’s all over in Belgium and Standard Liege have beaten Ajax 2-0 with goals from Ben Yedder and Cutrone but they face an anxious few moments as they are still playing in Wolfsburg.

FT - Stoke City are safe as the whistle goes at the end of a 2-2 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Still playing in Wolfsburg.

FT - An early goal from Mitrović gives Chievo a 1-0 win at Espanyol and they are also safe.

FT - And it’s tears in Germany as the full time whistle sounds. A first half Jack Grealish goal has saved Galatasaray but sends Wolfsburg down to Division 3. There are celebrations in Belgium as Standard Liege stay up but for Wolfsburg and their fans it is heartbreak.