Hey guys, here is the slightly delayed issue 7 of the T100 mag. I'm going to start by getting something off my chest regarding inactive managers in here. I'm finding an increasing amount of managers listing players yet not responding to bids, Send them a PM and fail to get a response. It's not becoming of this GW, maybe it's managers that just have a problem with me but we need to keep this GW active. Before i start the match reports please if you have a chance have a look at Paul Thompson's vlog on the facebook page, brilliant stuff and hopefully a few more may do a couple, Not sure if there is a way of getting them on the blog page but any technical minded people could possibly let us know.

Division 1

Barcelona V Chelsea

Two of the best sides in T100 met at the Camp Nou as brothers Scott and James McKenzie went head to head. The champions have again started like a steam train in Division 1 and led the table with Chelsea sitting 3rd. The host's started well and forced Courtois into the early save when Messi fed Eden Hazard on the left flank, he cut inside and drilled a low shot which the big Belgium keeper got down well to. Dele Alli saw yellow for a mistimed challenge on De Bruyne as frustrations crept into their game after a slow start. Arthur was the creator of the opening goal as he skipped past Matuidi with ease before slotting a through ball into Hazards path who took a touch before firing beyond his international team mate at the near post, Courtois will be disappointed to be beaten at the near post like that, 1-0. 30 minutes were on the clock before Chelsea had their first shot of note, a long range drive from Alcantara just going wide. Messi then had a chance from a free kick after a foul on Hazard by Chiellini, his effort from 25 yards just crept wide with Courtois looking beat. HT and the champions held a deserved 1-0 lead. Matuidi had an early chance in the 2nd half for Chelsea but De Gea was equal to it before we had some controversy as Messi got on the end of a truly scrumptious first time De Bruyne ball before smashing the ball into the roof of the net, the celebrations were halted when the offside flag was raised, VAR confirming that Messi was just offside. That decision seemed to be the motivation for Chelsea as forward they came, both Alli and Manolas having shots saved by De Gea. The blues were level on 64 minutes as Matuidi found Ronaldo who skipped past a challenge before rifling a shot which flew beyond De Gea, 1-1 and Chelsea deserved it on their improved start to the 2nd half. With 5 minutes to go the host's thought they had won it as Arthur played it wide to the onrushing Carvajal who came inside and unleashed a fantastic shot from 25 yards which took all of Courtois 6ft 5in frame to dive full length and tip the ball to safety. FT 1-1 and no upcoming family parties will be spoilt by this result.

Division 2

Shakhtar V Hamburg

Shakhtar welcomed David Marsden and his Hamburg side in this clash of mid table sides at the Metalist Stadium( unconfirmed reports suggesting Broony has started a petition to change the name of the stadium to the Mentalist Stadium). Shakhtar were on the back of 2 successive wins whilst Hamburg had taken 4 points from their last 2 games. Hamburg started the game on the front foot and took the game to their opponents, the 1st chance of the game came from a lovely Willian set piece when he whipped a great ball into the box which was met by Meza who sent a header straight at Adan when he surely should of burst the net. Shahktar's let off last 3 minutes as on 16 minutes Hamburg had the lead. Meza played a lovely chipped ball to Gabbiadini who caught Adan flat footed with an early shot from the edge of the box, slow reactions from keeper, 0-1. Meza almost doubled the lead on 28 minutes as he was proving to be too hot to handle for Donetsk as he kept finding space, this time he latched on to Stepanenko long ball, he brought it under control and sent the ball towards goal, it had pace and dip on it and looked to be heading in but Adan just managed to get a touch on it. The host's only chance of the half was a long range strike from Capoue which caught the outside of the post. HT 0-1. The 2nd half was a poor affair, on 52 Inui played in Oyongo who hit a curling effort towards the bottom corner but Hradecky was equal to it. Willian tested the home side from a free kick on 72, his drilled effort just kept out by Adan. Substitute Malinovskiy almost scored with his first touch on 75 minutes but his header went just wide. The last chance came the way of Soares, he was found by Inui but with the goal at his mercy he fluffed his lines and dragged his effort wide. FT 0-1 and a great away win for Hamburg, they won't mind that the game was low on quality when the 3 points are tucked up and on the way back to Germany.

Division 3

Dnipro V Monchengladbach

In the battle of the stupidly long football team names Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk welcomed Borrusia Monchengladbach. Both sides were in good form coming into the game, both unbeaten in 5 games with Monchengladbach heading the table. The game started in niggly fashion with Lanzini booked inside 54 seconds after pulling the jersey of Bebou who looked like he could burst through on goal. Bebou looked riled after the incident and found himself in the ref's notebook on 13 miuntes after giving the ref some verbal. 10 minutes later Bebou lost his mind and lunged from behind on Deulofeu, the earlier yellow made no difference as the red card was pulled out, Bebou was already walking off. Manager 'Son of Pluto' had words as he passed on the touchline, furious with the lack of discipline. The 1st chance of the game came Dnipro's way, Andre sending a shot from the edge of the box which Lecomte saved comfortably. The half ended the same as it begun with a yellow card for Toure for shirt pulling, HT 0-0 and everyone was happy to see the back of that half. Despite the man advantage Monchengladbach were struggling to get on top here, Batshuayi forced Grohe in to his first real save of the game on 64 minutes. The home side were not just holding on though and forced Lecomte in to saves from both Toure and Andre as they looked for the 3 points. A late rally from Monchengladbach almost paid off as Lanzini tested Grohe from distance on 85minutes before the chance of the game in the last minute, Deulofeu done Djene like a kipper on the left before finding Batshuayi who skipped past his marker before smashing a shot which looked like it was destined for the back of the net until Grohe somehow got a touch on it, fantastic save to preserve the point for Dnipro. FT 0-0 And both sides are now 6 unbeaten. Monchengladbach will be disappointed not to have made more of teh man advantage though.

Division 4

Athletic Club V Lille

New Athletic manager Gordon Kinnear had dispensed of the Spanish only policy of the previous manager which had led to an impressive start to his tenure in Bilbao, 7 points from the 1st 4 games. Lille came into the game 5th in the table despite losing 2 of their last 4 games. The away side had the only chance of a poor opening 30 minutes when Pereyra smashed the crossbar on 12 minutes after letting fly from 30 yards. The home side went ahead with their first attack, Morelos bullied his way through the Lille defence before laying the ball back from the by line to Semenov who took a touch and drove the ball home from 12 yards. The away side bounced back from conceding the goal and Iglesias twice forced Sels into saves before the break but in truth they were comfortable saves. HT 1-0. Just 20 seconds after the restart and Lille were almost level, Topal got on to a knockdown from Pizzi and burst into the box and got a shot away which Sels saved with his feet. The away side continued to press and Pizzi drilled a shot from the edge of the box on 56 minutes which again forced Sels into a smart save. Bustinza then twice had good chances for Athletic Club but scuffed his lines on both occasions. Lille continued to press hard for an equaliser and from a corner on 78 minutes Iglesias bulleted a header which Sels parried wide. The leveller finally came on 84 when Pereyra dribbled into the area before side stepping Sels wide of the net before simply laying the ball on a plate to Dabbur who slotted into the empty net, 1-1 and that's how it finished. Athletic Club will take this and continue to climb the table. Lille remain in 5th.

Division 5

Bordeaux V Feyenoord

Just like last week, the game of the day came in Division 5. Bordeaux having a very productive start to the season after finishing rock bottom the past 2 years played host to Feyenoord who started well this season but came into the game without a win in last 3 games. The game stuttered into life, a chance apiece blazed over in the 1st 24 minutes didn't tell of the story to follow. On 29 minutes Feyenoord took the lead Benedetto floated a corner deep which was headed down to Valdez who drove a fine finish past the despairing Didillon from 12 yards. That lead lasted 37 seconds as straight from kick off Bordeaux responded. Nkoudou struck a ball forward which was part cleared by the goalscorer Valdez only to the boot of Zajc who let fly on the half volley from 22 yards which whistled past Bono who would of needed the rest of U2 to help save that shot, unstoppable 1-1. Feyenoord again pressed as the half wore on, Denney and Yazici forcing Didillon into good saves before the break. HT 1-1. The 2nd half started the same as the 1st, a couple of efforts wide by both before Bordeaux took the lead on 62 minutes, golascorer turned provider as Zajc found Terrier from a corner who volleyed the French side into the lead, 2-1. The lead lasted a bit longer this time, 9 minutes in fact, before the Dutch side were level on 71 and provider turned goalscorer this time, Arter found space in midfield before finding Benedetto with a deft chipped ball, Benedetto took the ball in his stride before finishing well from 18 yards, 2-2. Again just 9 minutes went by before the 5th goal of the game, and the visitors had the lead. De Arrascaeta lofted a long diagonal ball to Deeney who took it on his chest before drilling it high past Didillon, 2-3. 180 seconds later and we were level again Laborde played a smart 1-2 with Terrier before flashing a shot beyond Bono who was perhaps a bit slow to react. 3-3 and thats how we finish here at the Stade Bordeaux-Atlantique. A dramatic match where the lead changed hands before Bordeaux maintain their 8 game unbeaten run with a late equaliser. Feyenoord can perhaps feel aggrieved they didn't take maximum points as its now 4 without a win.

In The Hot Seat With.....

Today we welcome Manchester City manager Alex McLean to the hotseat, and lets be honest Alex is never without a word or two to say...

After joining City in 2017 you have managed to put together a very talented squad, is patience the key in T100 in squad building? It is certainly one aspect amongst many. Awareness of when to approach other managers for their players and keeping up to date with real life player/team news is of similar value. As is a good dose of hard work and luck.
My approach with City is not for everyone. I'm committed to avoiding bringing in players over 26 and that can leave you missing out on older, higher rated players that can win you matches.
Right now I like the aesthetics of the team I'm building. I want a full squad of players that other managers want to buy, and in the final analysis I ultimately want a core of 22-25 players that I am comfortable will rise to at least 91-92 overall rating. And that will require a deal of patience.

What are your aims for this season with City? This season I want promotion and another good run in the Youth Cup. I also want to bring in some new players, especially in CM. Any transfers will have to wait until Nov-Jan as I expect some rises for my players that will hopefully give me the depth I've been craving, such that I can pair one or 2 for a higher rated or similar rated player with prospects.

Is getting City's first silverware in T100 realistic this season? City are former Youth Cup Champions so we do have some silverware, and a runners-up in the T100 Cup and the SMFA Shield. But genuine in-game winners Cups/titles is sadly beyond us at the moment. I still hope to win the league - that is still a possibility. But it is an unlikely possibility as things stand. 2nd or 3rd is more achievable. I just need to hang in there until the next major league rises in Nov-Jan.
I've had some injuries/suspensions of late and this has affected results, as has using tried and tested tactics against opponents line-ups which have disappointingly not come off.
I will be very disappointed to have to endure another middling season. I am keenly aware of this and am trying everything I can to keep my hand in, but really, I need to start pushing on and up the table.
I will say that last season we were tipped for near relegation but finished well clear and really smashed our 'PVA'.
We all want to win titles, and I especially want to do it at City. But you do need good ratings and depth to have a real good chance, and that is still an ongoing progress here at City.
But we're getting there. 

Best transfer at City? Best transfer - it's a tie. I sold Dembele to Anderlecht for Chucky Lozano, Sander Berge and Exequiel Palacios (still to come). I also sold Anthony Lopes and Mehdi Benatia to PSG for Mike Maignan, Hakim Ziyech and Rony Lopes.

If you could change one thing in SM what would it be? Any changes I'd like to see are all entirely within the hands of the SM developers and are therefore moot. In terms of the rules and regs that we uniquely have here in TOP 100, I am quite comfortable with how things are.

Real life club and aims for the season? City have been found out defensively this season due to Laporte's injury, so I'd like them to address that in January.
i'd love for us to threepeat in the League. That would be AMAZING!
As for Champs League i'm not really fussed. Naturally it'd be great to win it, and it's the 'big one', but I'd take winning the League again over the Champs League.
I think we'll fail on both counts, but it won't be for lack of trying. Still plenty of time to overtake Liverpool and our squad is stronger than theirs - but they look very hard to beat right now.

T100 Gossip Column

Manchester City are believed to have made a huge bid for Nathan Ake, Alex McLean is a big fan of the CB [Manchester Evening News]

At Athletic meanwhile, the arrival of Colombians Quinones, Moreno and Morelos, the half time refreshment has been changed from Capri sun to coke. The club are confident that coke will give the players a second half boost and a much improved performance. World Anti doping agency is watching with interest. [El Correro]

Joel Matip has been the subject of some huge bids in recent days with clubs sniffing around the 91 rated CB, Rob Ryan is believed to be chasing hard at Southampton, whilst Tottenham, Valencia and Porto are looking to make a deal [Marca]

Stuttgart have failed to turn Ruben Vargas's loan deal into a permanent deal, It's believed they may re look at the situation at the end of the season [Bild]

4 games are in danger of not being played in the last round of the World Club Cup, The SMFA are urgently trying to arrange Real Madrid vs. RCD Espanyol, SC Internacional vs. River Plate, Levante UD vs. Cruzeiro, and AC Milan vs. Atalanta BC. It's believed Sanctions maybe taken against clubs who fail to arrange the games. [SMFA Website]

That's it for this issue, apologies for the slight delay in getting this up on the blog but you know personal life sometimes needs seeing to. Again any suggestions/feedback or improvements people want to see here let me know, and I would love managers to keep sending me some Gossip through.

Cheers Lads

Welcome to Issue 6 of the T100 mag, I will start on a serious note that needs addressing, Squad cap breeches again come to life twice in the last week, 2 managers over the limit. We really need to take control of our own squad sizes, This is supposed to be the best set up on SM with the best managers yet the disrespect showing by going over the limits imo needs to have tougher sanctions. Michael Bowes suggested selling your best rated or Highest value player and I'm in agreement, the current punishment isn't distracting people from breaking the cap. A more serious outcome would certainly make managers think twice in future. Anyway on to the latest round of match reports.

Division 1

AS Roma V Hellas Verona

This clash of the Italians in Rome between two sides enjoying contrasting fortunes in form, Roma after failing to win in opening 6 games came in to this game with back to back league wins whilst Hellas were winless in their last 5. The started in predictably slow fashion and the only shot of note in the first 15 minutes was a scuffed effort from Martinez for the visitors which Navas saved comfortably in the home goal. The save sparked Roma into life and just 120 seconds later they were ahead, Nainggolan worked himself into a decent space and laid the back square to Gagliardini who with no options ahead of him decided to chance his arm from distance, he let fly with a stunning right footed strike from a good 25 yards out which flew past Becker. The game fell back into mediocrity for the rest of the half with only a header from Allan from Naiggolan's teasing free kick of any note. HT 1-0. A huge chance came Hellas way just 7 minutes into the second half when Pavard launched a sweet 60 yard ball over the top of the high Roma back line which left Martinez free on goal, he composed himself and drew Navas off his line before slotting the ball under the keeper, despair for the striker though as he shot drifted inches wide of the left hand post. A huge let off for Roma. That again spurred on the home side who tested Becker twice in 60 seconds on the hour mark, firstly Becker saved from Gaya with his feet before a slightly more comfortable save from Ocampos from the resulting corner. The final chance of the game came the way of the visitors but again they fluffed their lines, Gnarby jinked past 2 players before firing a ball across the 6 ayrd box which Tagliafico met well but directed his effort straight at the keeper, anywhere else it was in. The game finished in the same fashion it started with both sides cancelling each other out. FT 1-0 win for Roma, A deserved win but a poor game if truth be told. Heath Brown won't be bothered as that's now 3 on the spin whilst its now 6 winless for Andre Libras-Boas and his Hellas side.

Division 2

Leverkusen V Standard Liege

A battle of two sides in form at the BayArena as Leverkusen welcomed Standard in their Division 2 match, Both sides with an eye on promotion. The match started with the away side firmly on the front foot as Anth Maddison's side started brightly. 3 times in the first 10 minutes they could of been ahead but chances were squandered by Lemar and twice by Cutrone, all efforts off target as the home side struggled to stem the flow. Riyad Mahrez started to pull the strings for Stephen Partington's table toppers, a mazy run down the right as he breezed past 3 defenders before he played in the overlapping Bender who crossed for Brandt who forced Audero into a reflex save at his near post. Mahrez then floated a quickly taken free kick into the box which was met by the head of Costa but Audero was equal to it. The visitors took the lead after 26 minutes however as Lemar fed the ball to Jankto who sidefooted the ball home off the post to put Liege in front, 0-1. Costa almost had Leverkusen level 5 minutes later but after bullying his way into the box he smashed his effort off the crossbar. However that man Mahrez had them level on 35 minutes as Brandt played a ball to Mahrez who whipped a ball into the top corner from 20 yards. 1-1 and that's how it stayed till HT. The second half was only 16 seconds old when the visitors were back ahead, the kick off was played back to Dahoud who lofted a ball forward, Lemar nodded it down and Paqueta volleyed it from 20 yards over the head of Leno, 1-2. Costa had a great chance on 66 minutes to again level things up but he drilled a shot against Audero. That chance was to prove a big moment as Liege went staright up the pitch and made it 3-1 as Cutrone headed the ball down for Lemar who drilled the ball past Leno, 1-3. The host's were stunned. It got worse as well as on 81 minutes after a bit pin ball from a corner Vargas touched the ball to Dahoud who finished past a static Leno, 1-4. A remarkable scoreline in a even game. Leverkusen maintain top spot but Liege are now up to 4th.

Division 3

Newcastle V Leicester

Two sides struggling to get going met at a rainy St James Park as Newcastle and Leicester attempted to start climbling the table. The host's struggling since relegation whilst Leicester struggling to match last season's mid table finish both started the game on 8 points from the first 8 games. The foxes struck first as only 8 minutes in and they capitalised on some slack defending from Newcastle as Luis Gustavo nodded the ball down to Elneny who struck an unstoppable drive into the top corner. 0-1. Schneiderlin almost made it 2-0 not long after Ulreich had rushed out of his goal clearing a long ball the ball dropped to the frenchman who attempted to lob the keeper from 40 yards out, the relief was visible on Ulreich's face when the ball landed on top of the netting. The best the home side managed in the first half was two efforts from Taison which were both comfortable saves for Akinfeev. HT 0-1 and boo's rang round St James Park. Jimmy Gouldie must of ripped into his side at half time as they looked a different animal shooting towards the Gallowgate in the second half. Just 3 minutes in to the 2nd half Tosun bundled his way into the box before finding Tadic in space, he took a touch before firing low past Akinfeev, 1-1. Ulreich then saved the home side on the hour mark, again from a speculative Schneiderlin effort. The magpies went ahead on 63 minutes as Taison delivered a cross from deep which Tosun rose well to bullet a header past the despairing dive of Akinfeev, 2-1 and the game had turned. Tadic and Tosun both had chances saved from Akinfeev before the game was made safe on 83 minutes and again it was Tadic on the scoresheet, and again from Tosun's assist, this time Tadic's shot should of been a routine save for Akinfeev but he somehow allowed the ball to slip under his body and it trickled over the line, 3-1 and that was how it stayed till FT. The Bigg Market will be a happier place as Newcastle climb to 12th whilst Leicester drop to 2nd bottom after their dismal second half showing. An unhappy return for former manager Kevin Mcgregor.

Division 4

River Plate V FK Partizan

The Estadio Monumental was absolutely bubbling with anticipation as top of the table FK Partizan travelled to 2nd place River Plate. Partizan started the brighter creating a couple of half chances but Sabitzer fluffed his lines on both occasions. The home side started to play their way into the game and had the best 2 chances of the half, firstly Sportiello went full length to deny Callum Wilson and then just on the stroke of HT Xeka split the Partizan defence and set Wilson away, he tried to dink the ball over the diving Sportiello but the ball clipped off the keeper's head, 0-0 HT. The first real chance of the second half was almost 15 minutes in coming, but what a move. 29 passes had been made before Schone found Quagliarella with a lofted ball, the big striker twisted in mid air and scored with an unbelievable overhead scissor kick,0-1. The Estadio Monumental rose to applaud the goal, they had witnessed a fine strike and showed great respect. Their mood somewhat changed 4 minutes later when Quagliarella turned provider, his scuffed shot falling in to Sabitzer's path and he slotted past Fabianski with ease, the home fans baying for offside but the flag never come, VAR confirming the decision was correct, 0-2. River did briefly rally with substitute Glenn Murray forcing Sportiello into action again but the real onslaught never arrived and Partizan extend their lead at the top of the table to 4 points.

Division 5

Besiktas V Augsburg

Besiktas were hoping to put their mini slump in form behind them as they welcomed high flying Augsburg to the Vodafone stadium. And what followed was simply the game of the day. The game was 8 minutes old when the drama started, Declan Rice was allowed far too much room and time as he strode forward unopposed, he took advantage of the situation by burying a fantastic long range strike which Armani got nowhere near, 0-1. The home side roared back however and on the 15 minute mark they were level, Gradel played a lovely one-two with Medel before running in on goal and beating Masip with a low drive. 1-1 15 minutes gone and still the drama was to continue. Ryan Giggs was furious on the touchline on 21 minutes when Rice lunged in from behind on Moreno, the Englishman received just a yellow card and he was extremely lucky. That was the start of referee Mohamed Benouza losing control of the game. 5 minutes before half time a soft free kick was awarded to Augsburg outside the box, Joao Felix stepped up and curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner, 1-2 and the home crowd were turning. Their mood was off the scale just 3 minutes later as Felix won a penalty after going over easily under little challenge from Mbodji who was booked after the ref give the pen. Justice however was done as Felix stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, however the ball sailed wide of the left hand post. HT 1-2 and the ref needed escorting off the pitch. The second half was just 7 minutes old when perhaps looking to readdress the balance another soft penalty decision was given, this time to the home side. A dubious hand ball was spotted and Hodzic stepped forward and blasted the ball high and wide. It remained 1-2. With 12 minutes to go Augsburg won a free kick out wide which again was hotly disputed, Felix floated a ball into the middle which Rice met with a deft header into the corner of the net, 1-3 and the man lucky to be on the pitch had made the points safe, or so he thought. 4 minutes later and unbelievably we had our 3rd penalty of the game, again to Besiktas. This time Hodzic made no mistake, blasting the ball straight down the middle, 2-3. That was how it stayed as despite Besiktas throwing everything at Augsburg they couldn't find an equaliser. FT 2-3 and what a game.

In The Hot Seat with...

Today we welcome to the Hot Seat the most successful manager in T100 history...Scott Mckenzie. The ever conquering Barcelona manager has won 6 league titles, 1 Champions Cup, 1 super cup and 5 charity shields. He also has 1 runner up medal in the league and 3 times runners up in the Champions Cup.

It goes without saying you are the most successful manager in T100 with 6 league titles in 10 seasons, what's the secret behind you're success?

Success can be measured in so many ways, winning titles and cups , i set my stall out very early in top 100 and that was that the title takes priority over all others , Ive sacrificed the other trophy's for the big one and by the looks of it has paid off more times than not . others have built good squads that can compete for other trophy's but when you look deep down they haven't been able to compete for the title and that is down to having the big squads , im a big believer that if you have a small high rated squad you have a better chance of winning the title however it comes with an added pressure as injury's and suspensions can sometimes make it harder.

What's the challenge left at Barcelona now?

the Challenge for me is to be able to keep this team challenging for the title , Ive seen so many big teams be there or there about 1 year and the next year fall from grace , Ive been lucky enough that Ive always been in the mix for winning things but when i feel that i cant keep competing anymore i will move on to smaller but bigger things in the future and hope to build on what i have already achieved , also another challenge will be to start bleeding in my younger players like Jovic , Militao and Arthur with others that will hopefully start coming through behind those boys.

Best transfer you have done in T100?

Best Transfer in my tenure as Barcelona boss difficult one because i have 3 and il put them in order, there have been a lot of deals done during my time as manager but the one that sticks out for me as the best would be when i got Kevin De Bruyne for Rakitic and Adam Traore , back when the deal was done de Bruyne was a rating less than Rakitic but i seen the potential and i think by the end of the 1st season in top 100 De Bruyne rose to same as Rakitic and eventually surpassed him and now if you look at that deal would look like a great piece of business. 2nd one Aguero for Busquets was a no brainier for me goalscorer beats a defensive mid any day for me so was delighted to get him . last one was Neuer for Iniesta and Alba , people might look at that back then and think it looked like i got the worse end of the deal but without Neuer i wouldn't have half of those trophy's.

What is the sibling rivalry like with James?

Haha theirs no rivalry , well at least until he can mount a serious title challenge . . . seriously though he has built a great team there and i believe with a few tweaks here and there he will defo be in the mix going forward , its good to see some of the long term projects like Chelsea and even Juventus start paying off , they have spent a lot of time and effort on these teams and both can be applauded for that as seen with some other teams that have had changes in management and been ripped apart . that is my biggest fear if and when i do finally leave the Barcelona Hot seat.

Real life team and hopes for the season?

Haha again i think most people in Top 100 know my first love is Glasgow Celtic ,Hopes for season is a hard one because with us winning the treble treble last year i think it would be out of the question to even ask for the quadruple treble . if i was to be honest i would happily forfeit the scottish cup and league cup this year and next to secure 10 in a row that would be the pinnacle for all Hoops supporters , also if we can get a good run in Europa league this year and push on next year hopefully in the champions league i would be happy with that.

If you could improve one thing on SM what would it be?

to improve the game i would love to get the chat message system back , the amount of deals i got from just chancing my arm when online and seeing people online at same time was unreal , i reckon every time i was on and chanced it must have got a deal done near enough weekly and it was due to being able to get hold of someone instantly and thrashing out a deal , nowadays its murder waiting on people replying due to how busy everyone is and also different time zones etc . i just reckon having the simple feature would help so many people get more deals done quicker

T100 Gossip Column

Real Madrid are losing patience with Stephen Beddows, The spanish side are already making a shortlist for potential replacements, Gursimran Brar and Andrew Kelly have friends in high places at Madrid [MARCA]

Fernandinho is set to see out his career at Tottenham after slotting in at CB recently [TIMES]

Romelu Lukaku was sold by Tottenham after a bust up with manager Gregg Robinson, it's believed blows were traded in the dressing room after Spurs defeat to Arsenal on Sunday [EVENING STANDARD]

After being under pressure at Roma it's believed Heath Brown has regained the trust of his employers at the club. 3 wins on the bounce have saved his job. [LA GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT]

Luis Suarez is fighting for his future at Dortmund, [BILD]

Dominik Szoboszlai is considering asking for a transfer at Sampdoria, he has become unhappy at repeated bids being rejected without negotiations. [TUTTOSPORT]

14 year old Youssoufa Moukoko is believed to be at a major tug of war battle between T100 clubs, the free agent is thought to be deciding his future in the next 24 hours [DIE WELT]

That's all for this issue, hopefully it is still keeping you all entertained. Please send any ideas my way to improve this, and your gossip please.

Welcome to the latest issue of the T100 mag, again I will start by thanking all those who have taken the time to read the previous issues, almost 200 views. This issue will again cover 1 match from all 5 divisions, an interview with the man behind T100 and another gossip column. Lets get on to it then..

DIVISION 1

Dortmund V Genoa

Dortmund welcomed Genoa in this Division 1 clash with both sides looking to kick start their disappointing league campaigns, Dortmund winless since game 1 and Genoa slowly recovering after losing their 1st 4 league games. Dortmund had also failed to find the back of the net in their previous 3 league games. The match was barely 20 seconds old when Jorginho was lucky to stay on the field after a wild lunge at De Jong, perhaps because of how early the incident happened was Jorginho's escape however he now had another 89 minutes of trying not to get himself another yellow. The host's goalless run was ended on 11 minutes as after winning himself a dubious free kick Suarez stepped up and cleverly struck a drilled shot under the jumping wall which left Perin beaten, 1-0. They failed to capitalise on their advantage though and slowly Genoa clawed their way back in to the match, Florenzi firing wide and then Pickford saving well from Salah's deft flick. Just 5 minutes to HT and the game was back level, Oxlade-Chamberlaine beat his man before squaring the ball off to Salah who blasted an unstoppable shot high past Pickford, 1-1. The same two players almost give the visitors the lead just before HT when Salah again forced Pickford in to another fine stop. HT 1-1. The second half was a bit of a forgettable affair if truth be told, the only chances of note were both half chances the way of the home side, Sule trying his luck from range and with 6 minutes left Suarez getting on the end of a lofted pass from Pogba but he snatched at the chance and the save was a comfortable one for Perin. FT 1-1 A fair result. and it's now 6 without a win for Dortmund, although they at least troubled the scoreboard at long last, Genoa now unbeaten in 3 after their poor start.

Division 2

Shakhtar V Zenit

Shakhtar were looking to get their season back on track after a poor run of 3 games without a win, strangely since I did them a featured club in a previous issue, sorry Broon haha. Their visitors Zenit had just suffered back to back defeats as well as Gareth Crisp's men travelled across the Ukrainian border for this match. Away fans had been banned due to the ongoing political issues between the 2 countries, a decision which almost forced Zenit to refuse to play. The home side had the first real chance, Capoue forcing Lopes into a smart save after he burst into the penalty area. The home side were then stunned on 11 minutes when Fuego let fly from 30 yards out, it should of been a comfortable save for Adan but he inexplicably allowed the shot to slip under his body, the stadium was silenced bar the shouts from the away dugout. 0-1. The host's were level within 8 minutes and what a truly fantastic goal it was, Zapata had received the ball on his chest before taking it past Fuego he then rolled the ball back to Inui who whipped it in to the top corner from a good 25 yards out, the ball swerved then dipped at the final moment to nestle in to the top corner. You could of had 2 keepers and you still wouldn't of stopped it. 1-1. On 35 minutes Shelvey launched a superb ball 60 yards up to Petersen who controlled the ball, knocked it a couple yards in front of himself before smashing a shot against the outside of the post with Adan looking beat. Then Fuego, who had only ever scored 2 goals in a season before, had his 2nd goal in half an hour, this time Adan could do nothing at all. Again Fuego struck from distance but this time it was a sweetly struck half volley which almost took the net off, Adan was helpless as the ball flashed past him. 1-2 and it stayed that way till HT. The host's came out firing in the 2nd half and Caligiuri should of had them level on 52 minutes after Soares played the ball across the 6 yard box and Caligiuri somehow hit the keeper with his shot when it looked harder to miss. Nordtveit then made the game harder for Shakhtar when he smashed Shelvey from behind, the 2 had already had words in the first half when the Norwegian took out Shelvey with the ball nowhere near, straight red. on 73 minutes and Zenit had their 3rd, from a wide free kick Torres delivered a fantastic ball which was begging to be finished, and Petersen obliged, Rising highest to bullet a header beyond Adan who despite getting a touch to it couldn't prevent it crossing the line, 1-3. Zenit began to coast through the game, playing keep ball and making the home side chase. The game was wrapped up on 87 minutes and it was a cheeky finish from Torres, Tardelli split the tired home defence with a lovely through ball which Torres ran on to, he drew the keeper off his line before dinking the ball over the top of him, 1-4. FT. The drama wasn't done after the whistle either, Zenit players and staff were celebrating wildly in the dressing room when a note was slipped under the door " you have 10 minutes to leave before broon comes in swinging" The gangster taking the defeat badly.

Division 3

PSV V Lazio

Ross Falconer's PSV side welcomed Lazio on the back of a 4 game unbeaten run in the league whilst Bogdan Danciu's inconsistent Lazio were looking to push on after their 1-0 win against Sevilla last time out. The game itself started slowly as both sides struggled to put their stamp on the game, Vermaelen's shot which flew over the bar the only shot of note in the 1st 15 minutes. The home side made the break through on 18 minutes when Jorgensen swung a outswinging corner into the box which evaded everyone bar Souza, who from the left hand side of the box struck a sweet half volley which flew past Ruffier, 1-0. The lead lasted less than 5 minutes though as again set pieces proved vital. A free kick just outside the box was drifted into the far post and Berghuis rose to glance a header in to the back of Fabri's net, 1-1. The match settled down after the goals to again become a stalemate, Guerrero having perhaps the best chance before ht, when Musa worked himself a good position and drilled a ball across the box whch the sliding in Guerrero slid the ball just wide, 1-1 HT. Guerrero again had a chance to put PSV back in front on the hour mark as he saw Ruffier off his line and tried to chip him from 20 yards but the ball just failed to drop in time and clipped the top of the net. The Peruvian was having a fine game and Lopez was slightly fortunate to just receive a yellow card for a challenge from behind on Guerrero. on 70 minutes Guerrero had the last laugh as he grabbed the winner, Musa finding him with a floated cross which Guerrero flicked home at the near post, 2-1. Lopez almost had Lazio level again as he took a touch from Samaris's knock down before curling a shot which Fabri did well to gather. Lazio also had the final chance of the match, Samaris flashed a ball across the box which took a deflection off Vermaelen which landed at Gignac's feet, he smashed a shot goalwards which Fabri, wrong footed, saved well with his legs. FT 2-1 win for PSV who continue their fine run.

DIVISION 4

Twente V Malaga

Walter Gogh had continued Twente's rise with an impressive start in Division 4 after their title winning campaign last season under Paul Thompson, although the side looks a bit different after the radical overhauling of the squad under the new manager. Malaga came in to the match with 1 win from their first 6 games under Sebastian Campillo. The visitors started well, Trebel forcing Reynet in to a smart save just 3 minutes in after good work from Buss Henrique in creating the chance. The host's were struggling to impose themselves and after Perreira fired over on 17 minutes had to defend for long periods of the half. On 23 minutes Reynet produced a simply stunning reflex save from Ahmedov, tipping his shot on to the post when it looked destined for the net. Reynet was certainly earning his wages as before the half was out he saved well again from Ahmedov and Isla. HT 0-0 and the host's were thankful for their keeper in getting in with a clean sheet. The 2nd half was a role reversal to the 1st, Twente this time controlling large periods of the game, Cunha should of had the home side ahead on the hour, Khedira doing well before finding Cunha in space, however he rushed his shot and it was a comfortable stop for Vanderlei. That chance was to be punished as on 76 minutes Malaga scored with their only shot of the 2nd half, an absolute peach of a strike from Hofler who smashed a shot from the edge of the box which left Reynet beaten. 0-1. Borini then had 2 chances for Twente to grab an equaliser but after he blazed wildly over with his first chance, he found Vanderlei equal to his 2nd, a decent effort from distance which the keeper got down and tipped the ball behind. FT 0-1 and a fine away win for Malaga.

DIVISION 5

Fiorentina V Swansea

Two sides looked on 9 points from their first 6 games met as Fiorentina welcomed Swansea for this division 5 clash. Both sides had a decent start under new managers with Fiorentina suffering their first defeat of the season last game at Torino whilst Swansea have 3 wins, 3 defeats as Jay Jones looks for some consistency. The home side under Syed Shah started well with Dzeko twice having good chances in the 1st 10 minutes, the first he fired well wide before Romero saved well, tipping the ball behind from a snap shot after Toornstra found the big striker. The home keeper was then called into action as Moron jinked into the box before drilling a low shot which looked as it was going in before Marchesin got down well and tipped wide. Nolito fired the home side ahead on 29 minutes as he controlled a Hilton knock down following a corner to rifle in a volley which flew in off the post, unstoppable, 1-0. It was almost 2 before HT as from a Herrmann free kick Dzeko headed right against the crossbar with Romero nowhere near it. HT 1-0. The sides exchanged yellow cards in an otherwise forgettable first 20 minutes of the 2nd half before Nolito added a 2nd goal for Fiorentina on 66, a lovely well worked goal with 27 passes before Toornstra provided a deft flick which the striker finished well beyond Romero. Swansea failed to get going here, their only real effort of the 2nd half was a Taider free kick on 87 minutes which Marchesin got down well to tip the ball around the post. FT 2-0 and Fiorentina's fine start continues, Swansea now with 3 defeats from their last 4 games need to respond before their good start is a thing of the past.

In the Hot Seat with....

The latest of our In the hot seat interviews is with the creator of T100, The man who put all the effort in before passing it on to the present owner...Frank Hirst.

After promotion to the top flight in season 8, you've enjoyed mixed fortunes in your 2 full seasons since, following a sluggish start this season are you confident you can move Genoa back up the table? I feel we have enough to survive the drop once again this season, but will continue our philosophy of bringing in great young players for the future to compete for top honours.

As one of a handful of single club managers in t100 are you ever tempted to move elsewhere? Within T100, Genoa is my home and I couldn’t ever see me moving to another club. The work and effort that has gone into this transition since season 1 is too much to ever pass on.

As the founder of t100 how much pride do you have with it still going strong 11 seasons in and does it feel any different now you are no longer the owner?  I’m very proud that T100 is where it is. There’s a great community behind it and although there’s been dips, it seems to be pretty stable right now with David in charge. It’s a tough feat to keep 99 other managers happy.

Pet hate on the game? My pet hates on the game are that i know that if a card is brandished before a free kick or pen, then there’s no goal. Also, the time regents to review is sometimes infuriating.

Real life club/clubs and what are your hopes for this season?

Well, I’m a realist, so I know it’s going to be a tough race once again, but I’m loving the style of football that Liverpool play nowadays, we’ve every chance of chasing that elusive title, but the strength in the Prem is pretty high.

Regarding Genoa (the team I support coz of my Grandad’s birthplace), I’m confident of a much better season than last season. A top 10 finish wouldn’t be unrealistic.

The T100 Gossip Column

FC Porto Goalkeeper Ederson has come under fire from his manager Andre Guerra after a poor start to the season, The keeper told he has to shape up or get out! [PORTO TIMES]

Daniel James is set for show down talks after being told the club will listen to offers for him just weeks after signing for Hellas Verona, It's believed the club are unhappy with James lack of application since joining. [VERONA MAIL]

Cruzeiro manager Josh McMillan has found himself under pressure following their poor start to the season, it's believed he has the support of the board but fans are demanding an improvement quickly. [CRUZEIRO CHRONICLE]

Gordon Kinnear has enraged Bilbao officials within a week of his T100 return by doing away with the spanish only signing policy of the previous manager [BASQUE TIMES]

Stuttgart manager Norman Little is believed to be ready to commit his long term future to the club after undertaking an overhaul of the youth side, a new 2 year contract is in the offering [BILD]

Santos are believed to be looking to offload Karim Benzema, manager Terry Morrison is believed to be looking to reshape his squad and is looking for 2/3 players in return. [BLYTH SPORTING CHRONICLE]

Arturo Vidal has instructed his agent to find another club, he is unhappy with just 2 starts in the league so far this season and has already had a bust up with manager Gregg Robinson over the issue. [EVENING STANDARD]

That's it for this issue, again anything you wanna see added drop me a message, Gossip column I would love some gossip from managers sent to me. Hope you enjoy reading this. Cheers lads.

Welcome to the latest issue of the T100 mag, In this issue we have the usual reports from one game per division, an interview with the Schalke manager Mike T and a juicy gossip column to feast you're eyes over. So straight into it we go.

Division 1

TOTTENHAM V CHELSEA

These two London rivals met for the 2nd time in less than a week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Chelsea's 3-1 World club cup win on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge. Gregg Robinson was hoping for swift revenge in the league match as he settles in to the hot-seat at the lane. The game started with James Mckenzie's blues straight on the front foot, Aubameyang almost give them a dream start on 6 minutes as he collected Thiago Alcantara's delightful lofted ball and struck a sublime volley which whistled past the despairing dive of Lloris but thankfully for the home fans it also beat the outside of the post as it flew inches wide. The let off lasted just a further 6 minutes as Dele Alli, returning to his former club, split the home defence with a deft flick through to the feet of Robert Lewandowski who drew Lloris off his line before applying the deftest of chips beyond the keeper. 0-1. Tottenham responded well to going behind and with Jordan Amavi twice causing problems down Chelsea's right hand side he played in Walker and Ozil who both tested Courtois with decent efforts. The last chance of the half also went the home sides way, Luka Modric jigged between Can and Alli before playing in Perisic who tried to catch out Courtois at the near post, but the big keeper read it well and made another decent stop. HT and it's a 1-0 lead for the away side. The 2nd half had barely begun and the home side were rocked further as Aubameyang cut in from the left hand side and left Walker for dead before drilling a ball across the box which Lewandowski beat Vertonghen to flick the ball past the helpless Lloris, 0-2 and Tottenham were in trouble. Lewandowski had the sniff of a hat trick and within 10 minutes of his 2nd goal twice Lloris had to deny the polish striker his 3rd, the 2nd chance a miraculous save following good work again by Alli. Spurs were struggling to hold on in the game. Aubameyang again flashed one wide before Walker tested Courtois again from distance. The game had one final chance for Lewandowski to get the match ball, Ronaldo created the chance, stealing the ball from Vidal before setting off on a lung bursting sprint down the right flank before supplying a terrific ball which Lewandowski rose to bullet a header down but Lloris again somehow denied him. A great win for Chelsea and James McKenzie who have responded wel to their opening day defeat to move up to 4th, Tottenham continue to be inconsistent and currently sit a point above the relegation zone in 13th position.

DIVISION 2

EVERTON V WOLFSBURG

Two sides looking to move up the table met at a rainy Goodsion Park on Sunday night as Everton looking for their 1st win of the season welcomed German side Wolfsburg who had picked up 4 points from their previous 2 games after suffering back to back defeats at the start of the season. The game was just 6 minutes old when the home side made the breakthrough, a long ball from San Jose was controlled by Moreno who then laid the ball back to Darder who fired low and hard past Karius from 20 yards out, 1-0 just the start RJ Alston was looking for. What he wasn't so keen on was that lead lasting just 5 minutes as Wolfsburg fired immediately back. Danny Welbeck worked his way into the box before pulling the ball back into the path of Lars Stindl who drilled the ball across the wet surface into the bottom corner of the goal. 1-1 with just 11 minutes gone. The home side were almost ahead again on 20 minutes when Oscar found Moreno who flashed an instinctive shot towards goal and Karius pulled off an incredible save. Moreno tested Karius again on 28 minutes before the home sides dominance was rewarded on 40 minutes, Moreno again the provider as he crossed well for Oscar to volley emphatically beyond Karius. 2-1 and no more than Everton deserved at HT. Evan Hart clearly had words at HT as his Wolfsburg side came out fighting 2nd half, Piszczek lucky to see just yellow on 50 minutes after a wild late challenge on Oscar but that was probably what Hart was looking for in his side who stood off Everton in the 1st half. Trapp denied Stindl again on 62 before Piszczek let fly from distance on 65 minutes forcing Trapp into a flying save. The balance had shifted and the equalising goal followed as Ashley Barnes on for the ineffective Eder delivered a great dinked ball for Kucka to half volley right in to the top corner, 2-2. Everton rallied well in the last 10 minutes but Moreno was denied twice by Karius as they failed to grab that winning goal. FT 2-2 and it will feel like 2 points dropped for Everton after their dominance in the first half.

DIVISION 3

SOUTHAMPTON V FENERBACHE

Top of the table Southampton welcomed Fenerbache to St Mary's hoping to continue their fine start to the season. Rob Ryan, who took over towards the end of last season at Southampton was looking for an instant return to Division 2 after their relegation last season whereas Ash Lupton will be hoping it doesn't take Fenerbache until the last game of the season to ensure survival again. The game itself started in dramatic fashion as just 17 seconds were on the clock when Van Aanholt lashed home from all of 30 yards, his shot swerving and dipping leaving Jarstein well beaten in goal. Fenerbache however were back on level terms on 6 minutes when Marega held the ball up well and passed to Funes Mori who seeking inspiration from Van Aanholt no doubt, let fly from 25 yards out and the ball flew into the top corner with Cragno nowhere near it. 6 minutes gone and already 2 goal of the month contenders. That didn't stop Fenerbache either, buoyed by their immediate response they again tested Cragno with Marega forcing the home keeper into a fantastic save on 9 minutes before Krunic tested him from range again on 14. Falcao then should of had the home side back in front before he made amends on 28 minutes. Caprari found the Columbian in acres of space before he smashed the ball beyond Jarstein, 2-1. Falcao again had further chances to extend the lead before HT but couldn't make the most of his chances. HT 2-1. Unfortunately the 2nd half was somewhat of an anti-climax after what we witnessed in the 1st, the only chance of note came the visitors way on 82 minutes, Cheryshev playing a lovely one-two with Poli before drilling low and hard however Cragno was equal to it and his save preserved the 3 points for the league leaders. Fenerbache will be hoping to pick up their first win of the season asap.

DIVISION 4

SUNDERLAND V CELTIC

Sunderland welcomed Glasgow Celtic to Wearside for their division 4 game. Warren Livesey's black cats had won 2 and lost 2 of their opening league games whilst Garry Crawford's side had recovered somewhat from their opening defeat to draw 3 consecutive league games. The game was barely a minute old when the visitors took the lead, a silly foul given away by Zanka was punished by an absolute stupendous free kick from the Brazilian Paulinho who let fly with an unstoppable free kick from 30 yards which left Costil in the home goal standing in awe. Alario almost made it 2-0 on 13 minutes but Costil stood big and spread himself well to deny Celtic. The south american connection almost paid dividends for Celtic again as Alario slipped through Paulinho who really should of done better with his chance but he slotted wide. That miss seemed to galvanise Sunderland and Rondon almost had them level before Kranevitter made it 1-1 on the scoreboard and on great free kicks. Ayala had tugged Rondon's shirt right on the edge of the box and Kranevitter showed great ability to stroke the ball up and over the Celtic wall and into the back of the net, 1-1. Rondon was proving a handful and he had the final chance of the first half, bullying his way through a couple of poor attempted challenges before firing wide. 1-1 HT. Sunderland again threatened from a set piece on 53 minutes as a well worked free kick out wide led to Kranevitter delivering a great ball which Kalou got on the end of, his header forcing Ochoa into a smart stop. The game didn't really get going after that save with both sides cancelling each other out a touch. Celtic were probably the more determined to find a winner, Ayala forcing a save from costil froma corner before Lavezzi created a great chance on 89 minutes for Alario who strode on to Lavezzi's pass before side stepping Holbaes then trying to curl the ball into the top corner, however the strike lacked any accuracy and drifted well wide of Costil's post. 1-1 FT and its a 4th successive draw for Celtic.

DIVISION 5

FLAMENGO V TORINO

Both sides came into this game looking for their first win of the campaign, Flamengo had the solitary point and 3 defeats under Mark Phelps whilst Torino had 2 draws under the wily new management of David Senior who had the task of trying to rebuild the club after the efforts of it's previous incumbent. Just like the previous games this one got off to a flying start and the fans in the Maracana were celebrating just 3 minutes in, Otavio firing an unstoppable free kick from 20 yards which whistled past the stranded keeper. Gelin had the away sides first real chance of the game on 15 minutes as he tried his luck from range however it was a comfortable save for Alves. Just before the half hour mark and Torino's golden oldies had themselves level, Loic Remy fed the ball through to Giovinco, who dropped his shoulder and breezed past Thiago Silva before curling a shot in off the far post with Alves beaten. 1-1. The home side were shocked and Torino had further chances before HT to get themselves in front, Alves saving from Hnrique befor Giovinco fired wide. 1-1 HT. Mark Phelps clearly wasn't happy and had his side out 5 minutes before the second half kick off, that had no effect though and he was forced into a triple change on the hour mark to drum some life into his side. Richarlison tested Zieler on 68 minutes as the Brazilians finally took the game to their visitors, Mendes should of done better on 71 minutes after great work by Everton Soares before the 2nd goal arrived on 72 minutes. Scorer of the first Otavio turned provider as he played a square ball to Richarlison who found space before firing home off the post to give the home side the lead. 2-1. Otavio wasn't done for the day yet and just 6 minutes late he again was the provider as he whipped a ball into the box from a wide free kick, the ball was flicked home by Augusto to give the home side some breathing space. 3-1. Maffeo had a chance to pull one back for Torino on 82 minutes but he fired way over the bar when presented with a good chance. FT and 3-1 to Flamengo who move up to 17th whilst Torino hover just above the bottom position.

In The Hot-Seat with.....

Today we welcome Mike T to answer some questions, the newly appointed Schalke 04 manager.

After spells at Atletico Club and Marseille you landed the job at schalke this summer, how's the early days gone?

So far so good. Got some points from the early fixtures which takes some of the immediate pressure off, unlucky against Ajax not to claim a point as well. Finding your feet and then facing Division 1 football is as challenging as anything I have done as a manager

What are you're immediate and long term goals in Germany?

The immediate goal is to have one more point than the third last (and relegated) team in Division 1 at the end of 38 matches! Long term, building up the squad, a little younger and a little deeper. We have already turned over a lot of the youth team. If a couple of these come on over the next season or two, then that will help in some future negotiations.

Klass Jan Huntelaar has been very vocal about his lack of games at schalke recently, do you see any future for the long time servant?

It is a tough one. He is our third choice striker, second choice front man behind Kevin (Gameiro), who has had a great start to the season. I know he wants to be out their each week, but if the first team is fit and healthy, then that is not likely. He will get matches this season, no question about that. Will it be enough for him to want to stay, or will he want to force his way out, you will need to talk to his agent, Leear and Deschonk.

Schalke fans were very disappointed with the club not entering the youth cup and world club cup this season, do you have any plans to enter in future?

Yes, I asked the chairman and he supported skipping a season with a campaign in Division One, and a new manager at the helm. The focus this season is securing Division One status for next season. If we can do that (and if I am still employed next season), we will be participating in both competitions.

Who is your real life club? And what are your aims for this season with them?

The mighty Eagles ... Crystal Palace. After another snore inducing first 90% of the summer transfer window, they got a little active and added some depth in the midfield, and a leader at the back, Cahill, who despite his advanced years should provide some of the tight well drilled organization that Woy relies upon in his system.

Another season in the Premier League is always the goal.
Some of my London club supporting buddies asked me after the Manchester United win 'how great was that'. They got my standard response 'just three points closer to forty'.

If they manage to survive this season, hopefully having got Benteke to score several and set up another half dozen, they can sell him to China and get some coin back, and look to reinvest a little more into the club.

Best case, some crazy angel investor decides that SE25 is to be the centre of his universe, and plops down a billion pounds, buys the club, brings in four or five top shelf players and agrees to build a new stadium within the next 3-4 seasons.

SM T100 The Gossip Column...

Drama at the Bernabeu on Saturday night as managers Sir Stephen Beddows and Dr Martinez had to be separated after their youth cup match, Dr Martinez was furious after Beddows fielded a full strength side against Athletic Club, speaking to re[porters after the game Beddows was quoted as saying "I needed to find some form and couldn't risk another defeat" [MARCA]

Beddows is also in trouble with the SMFA after his World Club Cup match with city rivals Atletico still hasn't been arranged, Cruzeiro v Internacional and Napoli v Juventus also not arranged as yet. Marsden is thought to be frantically trying to get the games organised. [SMFA WEBSITE]

AZ Alkmaar v Olympiacos and Aston Villa v Augsburg in the youth cup at risk as fixtures not yet arranged. [SMFA WEBSITE]

Santos manager Terry Morrison is frantically trying to push through a deal for Schalke Midfielder Wylan Cyprien, however he hasn't got near to Mike T's asking price as yet. The player is considering handing in a transfer request to force through a move. [MIRROR]

Kai Havertz is considering leaving Juventus. The germany star is said to be unhappy at being loaned out the last few seasons and is considering his future. His solo start this season in the champions cup hasn't appeased him so far [BILD]

Cristian Lema is believed to have pre agreed a deal to join FC Twente once registration procedures are followed. Lema barely played under Norman Little despite him being one of the first players brought to the club. [STAR]

Thats all for today's issue, its a bit longer than previous issues so hopefully you all stay awake reading it all. Thanks for your time again lads and again if anything you want to be in future issues let me know. Looking for my next manager to interview so drop me a PM if interested.

Welcome to Issue 3 of the T100 mag, I'll start by saying thanks to all those who have taken the time out to read the previous 2 issues, 115 views between the 2 issues so I'm well happy with those numbers, as ever if you feel I can add to this get in touch and I'll see if I can work something out. Before getting in to this issue however I feel I need to address the burning issue at the moment in T100 and that is the new player rule/lack of rule/oversight however anyone wants to address it. I called Gurismran out yesterday on the feed after incorrectly believing a rule had been broken after his bid for Pedri Gonzalez was withdrawn and re bid at an amount over and beyond what the rest of the managers had disclosed. I thought all players entering the database were subject to the same rule as free agents, max bid disclosed and no rebidding when value increases, and following the many comments I wasn't alone in thinking this way, It was however clarified that no rule was broken as the gentleman agreement only applies to free agents and not players added to external clubs. Whilst Gurismran broke no rules, I believe it was in poor taste and exploited the loophole we as a community were trying to block. I agree it would be hard to police but I'm sure we could give it a try, and I'm not saying thats on David Marsden to police either. It should be us as a group keeping a check on it, if you believe a manager is in the wrong soccerwiki has the dates players are added for us to quickly check. A new vote should at least be an option imo. That's my two pennies worth on that subject.

DIVISION 1

HELLAS VERONA V REAL MADRID

Hellas welcomed fallen spanish giants Real Madrid to the Marcantonio Bentegodi stadium determined to bounce back after their defeat at home to Anderlecht in their previous outing, Real coming in to the game still undefeated this season and on a high after a great 1-0 away win at Arsenal in their last game. Real started in positive fashion and nearly worked an opening with just 3 minutes on the clock, Alexis Sanchez just firing wide after Casemiro found him in space. It took a while for Hellas to make an impact on the game, their only 2 chances of note both coming from set pieces in the first half. Gnarby was denied by a superb full length diving save from Olbak following his wicked swerving free kick, and just on the stroke of half time Guzman found space following Gnarby's corner but again Olbak was there to deny him. 0-0 H-T. Gnarby was beginning to take a hold on the game and on 51 minutes he took down Grujic's lofted pass and expertly controlled and volleyed in one movement but his dipping shot clipped the crossbar with Olbak beaten. Di Maria then played in Sanchez who again failed to find the scoring touch, Becker keeping the striker out. With 76 mins gone the decisive goal arrived and it was the home side who got it, Gnarby again was the man behind it, his mazy run beat the hapless Madrid defence before he laid the ball in to Politano's path who smacked it beyond the despairing Olbak. Real Madrid responded well and twice in the final 5 minutes they had chances to equalise but that man Sanchez was twice denied by the brilliance of Becker in the home goal, Real had their chances but unfortunately they fell to Sanchez and not Beddow's talisman Balotelli. Why never him? 1-0 and Hellas have their 1st home win in the top flight, the name of Andre Libras-Boas boomed around the stadium as the home fans revelled in their success.

DIVISION 2

SC INTERNACIONAL V ESPANYOL

Internacional took their unbeaten start to the season into their game with 100% starters Espanyol in a game which has already set the benchmark for the quality in the 2nd tier. This was a simply fantastic game of football. Internacional came out flying and it was only the heroics of Handanovic which prevented Son from putting the home side ahead after 2 minutes, Espanyol were not level for much longer though as just 60 seconds later Ben Yedder had the home fans bouncing. Rekik strolled forward before nutmegging Pellegrini and sliding a great ball to Ben Yedder who took a touch before drilling an unstoppable drive beyond Handanovic 1-0. The old saying you can score too early was proved here as for the next 30 minutes The home side were pinned back by wave after wave of Spanish attacks. It took just 11 more minutes before Espanyol had restored parity, Alcacer finishing well after great work from Quincy Promes 1-1. 2 more chances came and went for Espanyol before Pellegrini put the visitors ahead, striding through the non existent Internacional midfield before firing home low past the outstretched hand of Cillessen 1-2. Alcacer missed another chance on 29 minutes after Cillessen denied him with a smart reflex save before the keeper was left helpless on 33 minutes when the aforementioned Alcacer got the most delicate of flicks to a superb cross from Pellegrini to make it 1-3. The home side were rocking at this point but they had hope just 4 minutes later when Rekik again turned provider, playing a lovely ball over the top of a static back line leaving Draxler with all the time in the world before finishing under the despairing dive of Handanovic 2-3 and the goalscoring was done for the 1st half. 2-3 HT and we've all earned that half time sit down. Just 8 minutes in to the 2nd half and away we go again, Quincy Promes grabbing his 2nd assist of the game as his jinking run left defenders trailing in his wake before calmly pulling the ball back for Pellegrini to notch his 2nd. That was unfortunately the end of the scoring but not the end of the drama. Draxler should really of done better on 56 minutes but his tame shot rolled in to the grateful arms of Handanovic. The main talking point after that was the substitution of Ben Yedder on 75 mins, The striker not taking the decision well, ripping off his jersey in an act of petulance and booting a water bottle into the crowd, Roberto Downinho will not be happy at the outburst and was seen ordering Ben Yedder down the tunnel. 2-4 FT and Espanyol still have their 100% record intact. A fine away win.

DIVISION 3

CSKA MOSCOW V SPARTAK MOSCOW

The 1st Moscow derby of the season was quickly upon us in division 3 as Cska hosted their city neighbours Spartak, who came into the game with a perfect record this season. The game itself was full of passion but lacking in real quality, not that any of the 60,000 fans inside the ground seemed to care. The first real chance came on 14 minutes when Ayoze Perez played a lovely defence splitting pass through to Poloz who tried to slot the ball under the out-rushing Ospina but the keeper stood tall and blocked well. The home side were struggling to make much impression on the game and only sporadically threatened from set pieces. Sigurdsson twice delivering good balls into the area from wide free kicks which firstly Dudu and then Luan brought comfortable saves from Soria in the Spartak goal. HT 0-0. The second half started tentatively, almost as both sides were scared to make a mistake which would lead to the 1st goal. Spartak were the first to blink and Feargal Hickey made a bold double change, bringing both central midfielders of as they tried to take control of the midfield. It didn't have the desired effect. CSKA kept coming and twice Soria saved again before Sigurdsson provided the breakthrough, he cleverly beat his man before playing in Ake who stepped on to the ball and let fly, the ball fizzing through the air before crashing in off the bar. 1-0. Again the game went into a lull after the goal as Cska defended deep, protecting what they had. The two Subs almost pulled it level for Spartak as Sanches played a neat 1-2 with Fer before drilling in a shot from the edge of the box but Ospina was equal to it and the points belong to Lee Adams and his CSKA outfit. Both sides however can be pleased with their start to the season 2 wins from 3 for both.

DIVISION 4

SAO PAULO V LILLE

Two unbeaten sides went head to head here as Sao Paulo entertained Lille. The match was a little over 10 mins in when Lille were awarded a penalty after a brain dead decision by Cook to pull Pizzi back by his shirt as he broke into the box. There seemed little immediate danger when Pizzi had the ball, he had his back to the goal and was going away from the danger zone when Cook pulled his shirt. Pizzi took the kick and Lunev in the home goal didn't get near it, 0-1. Carzola almost added an instant 2nd but this time Lunev was equal to the shot. The hosts were level on 22 minutes though as Mario Gomez controlled a lofted ball into the box on his chest before rolling the ball back to Gregoritsch to smash beyond the despairing dive of Mirante, 1-1. The home side finished the stronger, Cueva firing over from the edge of the box before Jese forced Mirante into a fine stop. HT 1-1. The 2nd half belonged to Lille as Lunev earned his wage. Three fine saves from Pizzi and twice from Iglesias kept the sides level. Cueva was probing for the home side and had already seen a shot deflected wide when on 77 minutes he tried to catch Mirante out at his near post however the keeper was wise to the chance and saved well with his feet. Then the game turned ugly, Pereyra was becoming frustrated and he lashed out with a disgusting elbow on the tricky Cueva which left him stricken on the floor, a full on 22 man brawl followed as the ref lost control. Both benches were at it and how the ref decided just to send off the wild Pereyra is anyones guess. The powers that be at SMFA will be looking in to video footage with further sanctions a possibility. The game played out time with no further incidents and both sides maintain their unbeaten records. 1-1 FT.

DIVISION 5

WEST BROM V SPORTING CP

The long awaited battle of Nuno Bento and Joao Alves arrived as the Portuguese managers battled it off at the Hawthornes. Sporting on the back of back to back relegation's and West Brom rebuilding from the bottom up. The game started with Sporting on the front foot, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Jhon Cordoba having their own personal battle for the first half hour. 4 times the big striker had good chances and 4 times the big keeper saved well, it was already starting to feel like these were the kind of chances that needed to be taken. Both sides were unbeaten going in to the game but Sporting were already on the back of 2 draws and their lack of cutting edge was glaringly obvious on this viewing. West Brom finally awakened to briefly threaten at the end of the 1st half, however their best two chances fell to the young full back Nuno Tavares, 1st he fired over from the edge of the box after good work from Pires and then he found space from an inswinging free kick from Malcom to force Koubek in to a save which looked easier than perhaps it was. HT 0-0. The 2nd half started just as the 1st had, kepa saving from Cordoba and that was it from a Sporting point of view, West Brom had a couple of half chances through Malcom and Pires but in truth this game was dying on its feet. The game erupted however with 4 minutes remaining as Llorente, seemingly eager to hit the showers 1st lunged from behind with both feet against Malcom, Bento and Alves traded insults on the bench as Llorente walked before the card was shown but as they were in Portuguese I couldn't tell you what was said. There was no handshake on the full time whistle as the game finished 0-0.

A CLUB IN FOCUS.....SHAKHTAR DONETSK

Every now and again I will be compiling a club in focus section and today it's has it's debut in the T100 mag. The honour of its first airing is the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.

The current manager is the original gangster himself, Scott Broon keyboard gangster living in a gangsters paradise. He took charge on the 30th December 2018 and spent the new year partying it up in Donetsk, unfortunately the partying had to stop and the hard work had to start but its been nothing but good since the Scotsman took charge. He survived a tough start at Shakhtar and finished 5th bottom in his first season, a season which included the great escape. Season 10 was Scott's time to shine and he took Donetsk up as runners up in division 3, losing out on the title by just 1 point. And Division 2 has already been impacted by the tidy outfit Scott has moulded with 7 points from the first 3 games. Club records held by Scott include, Most league games unbeaten at 15 (10/2/19-14/4/19) and he is already attempting to beat that as their current unbeaten run is at 10 league games, that is 2 fine unbeaten runs in the same calendar year which given the competitive nature of T100 shouldn't go unnoticed. He also holds the record for biggest away cup win in their history, a 0-6 demolishing of Udinese (28/5/2019). Consistency is the key to Donetsk's performances and its a rarity to see a squad with no transfer banned players. Why change a working formula seems to be the key message and he has recently cameout and said no players will be leaving Ukraine in the near future.

That's all I have time for for this issue, I was trying to fit a bit in about the youth cup but time has beaten me for now. Once again thanks for reading.

Welcome to issue 2 of the T100 magazine. The first round of fixtures of season 11 have now been played and managers will be looking to hit the ground running. Before I get into this issue I'll make a plea if not already done so to make your intentions clear to David Marsden about participation for both the youth cup and club world cup. Both friendly tournaments add to the GW massively imo and should be entered by as many clubs possible, even if your youth side is crap (like my Stuttgart) its just about contributing to the GW. Imo the last few seasons there seems to be a few managers who don't contribute to the GW fully, just pick their teams and the odd transfer. I know Real life can get in the way at times but we need to keep this GW as the best. Now on to the match reviews..

DIVISION 1

BARCELONA V JUVENTUS.

Juventus were given the task no one in Division 1 wanted, away to the champions 1st game of the season. A season where DP is surely looking to make an impression on the league title race but walking in to Scott Mckenzie's back yard is no easy feat for any side, just the 1 side managed to leave the Nou Camp with 3 points last season. The game started in ominous fashion with Messi putting over a great ball which Carvajal really should of done better with on 10 minutes. The let off didn't last very long as 2 minutes later Messi cut inside the static Juve defence beating 2 men with a drop of that magical left shoulder and played a defence splitting ball to Neymar who drew Schmeichal off his line before dinking the ball over the stranded keeper, 1-0 Barca. Juventus responded well with chances for Mane and Jesus which De Gea was equal to. Messi also had a chance to extend Barcelona's lead but Schmeichal saved well. The rest of the 1st half played out with both sides cancelling each other out but the game was evenly balanced at half time despite Neymar's 1st half strike. The 2nd half started as the 1st finished and on the hour mark DP had seen enough and made a triple sub to try and ignite some life into his attack and those changes had an instant impact. Leroy Sane came in off the right flank and laid the ball square to the newly arrived Pepe who sent an absoulute screamer into the top corner from the edge of the box, 1-1 and no more than Juve deserve it has to be said. Sterling and Neymar both had chances to put either side in front before the 1st VAR controversy of the season, Messi and Neymar played a scrumptious 1-2 before Messi slotted between Schmeichal's legs to send the Nou Camp wild..until the big screen flashed to show VAR were checking for offside...And offside it was by the tightest of margins..2.7cm. Mckenzie was fuming at the officials. He would of been inconsolable if Alonso had managed to connect properly with his chance in the last minute from Sterling's free kick but he fluffed at the chance and the ball flew wide. 1-1 it finished and it was a fair result.

DIVISION 2

MANCHESTER UNITED V VALENCIA

Manchester United started the campaign desperately trying to bounce back from their disappointing relegation from Division 1, on the back of 10 straight defeats. The board had given their backing to Nathan Prince and they welcomed Valencia to Old Trafford under the guidance of Paul Thompson who moved from Twente after a highly impressive Division 5 title last season. The game started brightly for the home side with just 6 minutes on the clock when Maier played in Toko Ekambi 1 on 1 with sommer in the valencia goal, Toko Ekambi hit a scuffed effort which deceived the keeper who probably expected a cleaner strike and the ball bounced over the keepers dangling leg and trickled over the line, 1-0 and just the start Nathan would of wanted. Maybe it was the run of defeats last season which had the effect but Manchester United didn't know how to deal with their early lead stuck between pushing on for a 2nd or holding on to what they held but Valencia came back into the game strongly. Areola in the home goal saved 4 times in the first half from Demiray, Poulsen, Ghoulam and Brahimi as the Spanish side fought to get back on equal terms. United had just the 1 other chance and again Toko Ekambi scuffed at it. Half time and Man United had managed to get in with their advantage. The 2nd half lacked the intensity of the 1st and both sides struggled to get a foothold in the game. That was the case until the 71st minute when Brahimi played a deft touch trough to the on running Poulsen who took the ball on and drilled his finish beyond the outstretched hand of the diving Areola, 1-1 and now the gane was anybody's. Toko Ekambi again had a chance for Man United before Brahimi again turned provider for Valencia with his neat lay off for Elvedi who strode on to the ball 25 yards out and picked out the top corner as Areola watched on, the force of the shot left the keeper flat footed and he was unable to move across the goal as it nestled in the net 1-2 and Man United were again staring defeat in the face. One final chance was to come the home sides way and again it fell to that man Toko Ekambi who forced Sommer into a decent save to prevent United stealing a late share of the points. FT 1-2 and a fantastic turnaround for Paul Thompson's men. Nathan Prince will be hoping Man United can kick this losing habit asap.

DIVISION 3

LEVANTE V STOKE CITY

Levante welcomed newly promoted Stoke City hoping to step up from their 12th place finish last season, only 2 points off the play off spots but a disappointing season for a talented squad. Stoke having finished 2nd in Division 4 on GD were looking to make steady progress in the 3rd tier with their young squad, only 3 of which are 30 years and older. Goulart had the 1st chance of the game for the visitors but his blistering shot whistled past the right post with the home keeper stranded. The home side then took control of the game with Milik twice forcing Zoet in to decent stops before Delaney narrowly fired over from a free kick on the edge of the box following a clumsy challenge from Castillejo, a challenge which earned him a yellow card. Then one of Stoke's golden oldies stunned the home crowd with a finely taken goal. Hugo Mallo did much of the donkey work before playing the ball acroos the box to Kagawa who hit a fantastically struck shot which curled in to the top corner, Pacheco in the home goal was full length but he couldn't reach the shot and the newly promoted side had the lead 0-1. the 1st half drew to a close with Stoke defending what they had. The 2nd half will leave questions being asked of Dario Saviano's side as despite having the majority of the ball they failed to test Zoet apart from a couple of long range efforts which barely registered as a shot in truth, Stoke on the other hand defended majestically depriving the home side any space but they looked dangerous on the counter, Pacheco was beaten all ends up from El Haddadi but his shot just went past the post. To add to Levante's misery they will be missing Milik for a game after his wild lunge at Castillejo with 5 minutes remaining, how he receives just a 1 game ban for such a challenge is beyond me. A superb win for Stoke. 0-1.

Division 4

ASTON VILLA V RIVER PLATE

Aston Villa welcomed last season's play off losers River Plate to Villa Park in a battle of 2 sides both looking for promotion. Villa have the youthful side put together very well by Nick Justice whereas River have the more experienced legs and will be looking to bounce back from their devastating end to the season where they narrowly missed out on a 2nd promotion in 2 seasons, firstly missing out on an automatic promotion spot having looked assured of one at one point, then losing the play off final to add to their misery. The game started in an hesitant fashion, both sides feeling each other out and sharing a yellow card each before the only goal of the game came in the 22nd minute. Allan Saint-Maximin, sporting his new gucci headband, skipped past a couple of challenges down the left hand side before cutting in to the box, a swift nutmeg of Clyne followed before he laid the ball into Kahveci's path who calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner. River responded well to falling behind and wilson should of made more of his effort when presented well by Lemina before Lemina himself got off a decent effort which Strakosha did well to see off. Xeca then played a lofted ball over the top of the defence which was cleared by Strakosha but with the keeper stranded after the clearance Ismaily really should of done better but his chipped effort went well over the bar. HT 1-0 to the Villa. The second half was a scrappy affair, another 3 bookings in a niggly match. Bernard and Lemina both putting wide when in good positions either side of a great save from Fabianski from Saint-Maximin. In to the final minute of the match and River carved open Villa, subsitute Ruiz delivered an inch perfect ball into Callum Wilson who took an immaculate 1st touch before sending his shot just wide of Strakosha's post. FT 1-0 and a good start to the season for Villa.

DIVISION 5

BREMEN V CRUZEIRO

Last season was one to forget for Wayne Bullough and his Bremen side, they finished 4th in season 9 before suffering relegation in season 10 and he hopes for an instant return to Division 4. Cruzeiro under Josh Mcmillan had made some progress after a big turnover of players and finished 15th last season, they will be hoping for some of their players to push on again this season. The game was only 6 minutes old when Bremen delivered a message of intent for the season, an out swinging corner found Barbosa just inside the box and he unleashed a fine half volley which flew past the helpless Casillas in the Cruzeiro goal. A fine start for the Germans. Cruzeiro managed to compose themselves and matched their counterparts for the remainder of the first half, chances of note for both sides from Pereiro and Patrick but the score remained 1-0 at half time. The second half was one way traffic, whatever was said at half time worked a treat for the home side as they took apart the Brazilians at ease. Tameze played in Dost who with a clear run at goal took his time, composed himself before finishing under the despairing dive of Casillas. 2-0 and the floodgates were being breached here. Casillas was being over worked here and despite saving from Pereiro just moments before he was left wrong footed by the same player on 64 minutes as the Germans went 3-0 ahead. Dost then hit the post on 70 minutes with a superb deft flick which had Casillas beaten all ends up, Dost was denied again 10 minutes later as Casillas blocked well with his body before he was beaten for the final time on 81 minutes from a superb free kick from MOTM Pereiro, who smashed the ball through the poorly organised wall to grab his second of the game. FT 4-0 and Bremen will take some stopping on this performance.

In The Hot Seat With...

Next up in the Hot Seat series of interviews with managers of T100 is...well me!! Stuttgart's well travelled manager Norman Little.

What is with all the moves in T100? Well what can you say, Technically I've been in charge of 8 clubs over 9 changes of managers (West Ham twice, once for 1 game) and for all but 2 of the clubs I never really found my feet. The full list of clubs I've managed are West Ham, West Brom, Twente, Newcastle, Fenerbache, Atalanta, River Plate and finally Stuttgart. Some moves were enforced after failing with Newcastle and West Brom, and I had a couple spells away from T100 when I've needed time for personal issues. I'm back for the duration now though as mentally I'm in the best place I've been for years. Who's to say that will be sorely at Stuttgart though?

Biggest regret in T100? Well I've two, firstly failing with Newcastle. I know it's just a game but when managing your club it means just a bit more, I've always been a lover of doing deals but sometimes I do far too many and I think that was the problem at Newcastle. The second is the one I regret even more, River Plate. After they had finished bottom in Division 5 season 8 I left a good Atalanta side to take on the challenge of rebuilding the Argentinian giants, 1st season we won the title, my finest achievement in SM let alone T100. second season hadn't long started when I wasn't in a good place and needed a break from a few things, I needed to take a step back and just relax so I quit all SM and took a few months break from this and some forms of other things. Before long however I was wanting back in and I'm slowly loving the game again.

Aims for Stuttgart this season? To improve the squad and maybe a run at the play offs. I inherited a decent squad, but an ageing squad. I want to cut numbers down to around 42-44 players ideally but that's not always possible with the amount of youngsters everyone chases. The 1st team squad will be a maximum of 22 players by the end of the season.

Best player at Stuttgart? Well I would have to say Miggy Almiron, I love the little fella. I know IRL stats aren't helping him at Newcastle but believe me the kid is tremendous. He doesn't stop running and once that 1st goal comes he will maybe relax a touch. I also have another favourite of mine in Ben Arfa, a magician. No one in 10 years has come close to getting me as excited at a game than him, everytime he got the ball you knew something special could happen. Witnessed some absolute great goals by him.

Real life club and hopes for the season? Everyone knows its Newcastle, and the aim is simply to see the back of Mike Ashley. League position is irrelevant. Steve Bruce isn't anyone choice as a premier league manager but it isnt his fault he got offered the job, Great win at spurs yesterday on the back of the worst performance in 3 years at Norwich last week, I get the feeling inconsistency will be the key word for us this season.

That's all for this issue, hope you all enjoy the read and if you have any suggestions feel free to get in touch, the magazine will be weekly, I don't have the time to do one every game. Some issues will have manager interviews(be ready for questions falling into your message box), some will have features on youth cup/club world cup, some may have other features dependant on time etc.

Welcome to the first issue of the new T100 magazine where we will be reviewing all of season 10 winners and losers and have an interview with David Marsden, manager of Hamburg and the current owner of the set up. The magazine will be weekly starting next season with a review of a game from each division, a quick round up of some youth cup business and every other week will feature manager interviews and maybe a bit of fun regarding the 'T100 Gossip column'

Division 1

Well what can you say, Scott Mckenzie and his Barcelona team absolutely ran away with this season's title finishing a highly impressive 22 points clear at the top. That's 6 Division 1 titles for Scott now and he keeps setting the standard for us all to try and get close to. Only 3 times has division 1 been won with a 10+ point gap and Scott did it on all 3 occasions. Lionel Messi as per real life was the driving force behind the success at the nou camp with an astonishing 28 goals, 24 assists and 30 man of the match awards. It was a McKenzie 1-2 as James finished 2nd with his Chelsea team, Liverpool and Juventus rounding off the top 4 places. At the other end of the table it was a rude introduction to the old trafford hot seat for Nathan Prince as his mid season move to Manchester United failed to stop the drop into Division 2, no wins in the final 12 league games for Nathan with the last 10 all defeats, work to do for the former Monaco chief. Napoli, Inter Milan and Standard Liege all follow Man United in to division 2 with work to be done. Of the 4 clubs relegated 3 have a new manager starting the season for the first time at their respective clubs, Nathan has had time to feel his squad out but it will be a quick transaction for Sir Steven Gerrard(Inter) and Jamie Alldridge (Napoli)

Division 2

Bouncebackability was the key word in terms of Division 2 as 3 of the 4 relegated from division 1 the previous season were promoted at the 1st attempt. Dortmund ran away with the league title with a 10 point gap to 2nd place Paris St-Germain. Dortmund's faith in James Foster was restored after relegation the previous season and for PSG it was 1st season success for Malcom. completing the promotion places were Hellas Verona who completed their 3rd promotion in 4 seasons, an unbelievable job being done by Andre,truly an inspiration for all of us to follow. The Play off winners were Schalke who won the final against their german counterparts Leverkusen, 2-1 with goals from Buffarini and Muniain after Diego costa had given Leverkusen a 3rd minute lead. However Schalke have lost Doc as their manager close season so celebrations were cut short with that shock news. Dropping from the 2nd tier were Villarreal, Newcastle, Southampton and Monchengladbach. Again 3 of the clubs will need to hit the ground running with new managers next season. Player honours in Division 2 are headed to Luis Suarez with an amazing 8.82 average rating, 18 goals, 17 assists and 22 MOTM awards for the champions Dortmund.

Division 3

It was a tight finish in the 3rd tier with just 3 points separating the top 4 clubs, it was however justice that all 4 clubs won promotion as they were consistently the best sides over the season. All other clubs lost at least a 1/3 of their games in the league so can have no complaints at the outcome. It was fitting as well that Rahul left the set up as champion of Hertha Berlin, real life commitments left him short of time for the game but he ends as a champion,again, I'm hoping we see him back in t100 some day. Finishing off the top 3 were Shakhtar Doneskt and Basel, great campaigns from Broon and Bojan. Montpellier finished just a point off the top 3 but saw off the play offs with a narrow 1-0 win over Lazio in the final, the winning goal from Gomis sealing promotion. At the other end Sunderland finished bottom(heard that somewhere before aye) with Lyon and Celtic just ahead. Lokomotiv Moscow were the other team to fall after Fenerbache's last day win away to Sampdoria ensuring they edged ahead of the Russians on GD. Fine margins and all that. Caligiuli was Division 3 player of the season with 18 goals, 36 assists(unbelievable jeff) and 13 MOTM awards finishing with an impressive 8.05 average rating for Shakhtar.

Division 4

GD settled the title race as Cologne and Stoke finished tied on 69 points. Cologne securing the title by way of having a better GD of 4. Fantastic season for both Neil and Ruts. Dnipro finished the season in 3rd after a fantastic run at the business end of the season pipped River Plate for the final automatic spot. 5 successive wins for Dnipro coupled with River only winning 1 of the last 4 meant Dnipro stole final spot on the last day after River drew 2-2 away to Spartak whilst Dnipro romped to a 3-0 away win at Lille. River Plate were to suffer more heartache at the hands of Spartak in the play offs as despite being the better side they succumbed 2-1 to the Russians in the final. Dropping out of the trapdoor into the bottom division were Sporting and Fiorentina who both suffered the shame of a double drop after falling into division 4 the previous season they have continued straight to division 5 without making much of an inpact on the league. Saint-Ettiene also dropped but the real surprise was the previous years 4th place team, who missed out on promotion by 1 point, Bremen finished 4th bottom this time. I'm sure Wayne will be determined to bounce straight back. player of the season will be Bakambu with an impressive 7.67 average rating after 17 goals and 11 MOTM awards for Cologne.

Division 5

FC Twente were Division 5 champions after a fine campaign by Paul Thompson's men. Paul only joined Twente a few month back but settled into the job and got stuck right in. His title winning campaign was enough to see him poached by Valencia after the resignation of Greg Bilbao and the master wheeler dealer Walter Gogh has the task of carrying on Paul's fantastic work. The other promotion spots went to Marseille and Udinese after fine seasons for managers Mike T and Ignazio Barraco. The play offs saw David Inglis and Jess Jobe go head to head as 4th place Rubin met 6th place Dinamo Zagreb in the final. A fast start by Rubin however blew Zagreb away as 2 goals in the first 18 minutes by Meite and Amadou set Rubin on the way to a fine 3-0 win, with the final goal being scored from the spot by Charles with 10 minutes left on the clock. Bordeaux again propped up the t100 league by finishing bottom, but if there is any comfort for the french side is that the team who finished above them in season 9 was this season champions Twente, and Season 8's bottom side was River Plate, and they won the league in season 9. It can change very quickly with just a few key signings. Marseilles Ryad Boudeboux takes the individual honours for Division 5 with an average rating of 7.76 with 19 goals, 13 assists and 12 MOTM awards.

The Cups

The T100 cup was won by Juventus despite the best efforts of Division 4 runners up Stoke City, Onyekuru give the 4th tier side a half time lead after he cut inside and beat Buffon at the near post. DP give his Juve side a kick up the back side and they were a different outfit second half. Paulo Dybala drew the Italian side level after fine approach play by Raheem Sterling, the Argentinian hit a quick snap shot which Zoet got a hand to it but couldn't prevent it crawling over the line. Marquinhos was the unlikely match winner with just 4 minutes left on the clock, taking a ball from Sane he strode forward unchallenged before letting fly from a full 35 yards out, Zoet again got a hand to it but the sheer force of the shot beat him as it nestled into the far corner of the net.

The T100 shield was won by Doug Earle's Atletico Madrid, the match wasn't for the purists though as Atletico and Porto struggled to stamp any sort of quality on to the pitch and the sound of the final whistle was of a relief after 90 minutes of two sides cancelling each other out. At least with a penalty shoot out we would see some goals yeah? well not for the Porto fans as they inexplicably missed all 3 penalties, Madrid comfortably saw their penalties hit the back of the net and It was over in 6 penalties. 3 missed 3 scored and a 3-0 penalty shoot out victory for Atletico.

In The Hot seat With...

First up in the manager interview series is the Hamburg manager and T100 boss man David Marsden. Here we get the lowdown on the stresses if running the best set up on SM and his plans for the new season.

As GW owner what is the challenge like of keeping the set up running smoothly?  No idea, the GW has been running smoothly since Frank started it and I hope just to continue in his footsteps. Obviously any GW with 100 managers will have some sort of issues, new rules brought a few teething problems around last season and there will always be a few managers looking to take the piss at times but thankfully the majority have been supportive and I now have a group of managers to turn to when problems arise. At the end of the day we all want the same thing, a fun,well run GW where all managers contribute. Youth cup and the World club cup take some planning and forward thinking and organising. Spreadsheets are my friend in these situations.

What are your ambitions for Hamburg this season? Survival and then who knows after that. Last season we started really well and were 6 points clear of eventual champions Dortmund after 12 games, but the wheels fell off and a 2 month winless run against managed sides ensured. A bit of tinkering with the team didn't work out as expected either as Chiriches was moved on, he was my rock at cb and his replacement Iborra just didn't settle and the defence suffered as a result. This season I have more of a younger squad which will grow hopefully in the next season or 2, transfers will be here and there as I prefer to hang about for the right moment for deals and I hope the stability will help Hamburg over the next few seasons as my younger players progress.

Who is your star player (SM) ? Lucas Vazquez, 33 goals 33 assists in 74 games is serious going. I'm hoping he continues in this vein of form this season. The target is 15 goals 15 assists for Lucas this season.

Worst transfer you've done on the game? Well what can I say, we've all done some deals where the benefit of hindsight would of been helpful but I have to say swapping Seamus Coleman for Victor Moses with my mate Mick at Ajax is up there. Moses was linked with Man United IRL and I knew mick was after Ireland's captain, deal was done and then Moses was dropped to Chelseas reserves before heading to Turkey. Best transfer on the game? Back to my star player Vazquez for that honour, his stats have been up with the best since he arrived and I hope he will continue this in the new season.

Real life club and hopes for this season for them? Manchester United, with Ole at the wheel I'm hoping for a return to some United values, more younger players and a return of some entertaining football. I'm not bothered on where we finish(??) I just want to be entertained for the first time since Fergie left. I hope young Tuanzebe pushes on this season as well.

Time spent on SM a day? Like most far too long but I love it.

That's all for Issue 1, next issue will be after the first round of games with a report from 1 game per league, some update on T100 in general and an interview with the biggest journeyman manager in T100 history...Me haha.