Aitor Herrera - Back In Bilbao

[Klippybo]

so anyways what the **** is going on at barcelona did messi leave and make this team look like an punching beater

God knows. He is still there. They just won 7-0 with an Aguero hat-trick and a Messi double

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

UEFA Europa League Group G

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Nunez, Nolaskoain (Vivian), Rodrigues, Dani Garcia, Raul Garcia, N.Williams, Zarraga (Akhomach), Morcillo (Serrano), Villalibre*

ASIER VILLALIBRE!!!!

At 2-0 down after 29min I was seriously regretting fielding my backups but by half-time we were winning thanks to a Villalibre hat-trick and he helped himself to a 4th in the 2nd half which in the end was very much needed. This result means we have qualified for the next stage.

--

Lineup - Simon*, Mosquera (Nunez), Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Raul Garcia), Muniain, Villalibre

I dont know how we escaped with a draw here but we did. They battered us from start to finish and a combination of horror misses and some great saves by Unai Simon meant that we got a point.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez*, Munoz (Rodrigues), Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Akhomach), Villalibre (N.Williams)

Words cant do justice to how awful this match was. Villalibre had a goal disallowed in the 4th minute and that was it. 1 shot before half time in the match and not a single key highlight before the end. Horrendous.

--

UEFA Europa League Group G

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Nunez, Martinez, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia (Nolaskoain), Raul Garcia, N.Williams (Morcillo), Akhomach, Muniain*, Villalibre (Serrano)

Job done. If we avoid defeat against Sporting in our last group match we will have won the group.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor*, Sancet, N.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre (Raul Garcia)

A stunning long range strike from Unai Vencedor spared our blushes here as we couldnt beat 10 man Valencia. We have now drawn our last 3 league games which is a tad worrying. Inaki Williams was injured in training during the week and will be out for a month.

--

SUMMARY

Although we went unbeaten this month we struggled on the whole as we only scored 1 goal in our 3 league fixtures but we did draw all 3. We are on the fringes of the title race but in reality it is all about a top 4 finish for us.

In the Europa League we beat Zorya 4-3 thanks to Asier Villalibre who scored all 4 for us and then we edged out Gent 1-0 to secure our place into the next round and if we get a positive result against Sporting we will emerge as group winners.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
UNAI SIMON

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Fred Pentland
1922-25 & 1929-33

Born in Wolverhampton, Pentland managed the German Olympic side, Strasbourg, the French national side and Racing Santander before taking over Athletic for the first time where he won the Copa del Rey. He left to manage Atletico Madrid twice and Real Oviedo before coming back to have a much more successful time at Athletic as he won 2 league and cup doubles as well as winning the Copa del Rey 4 times in a row!

--

DECEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams (Berenguer), Unai Lopez (Raul Garcia), Muniain, Villalibre (Akhomach)

Not the prettiest of wins but a win all the same. They had a goal disallowed just before Muniain put us in front and then Akhomach had a goal chalked off for us.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray, Nunez, Rodrigues, Vencedor, Sancet (Raul Garcia*), N.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

Given that Sociedad are our biggest rivals, just behind us in the table and played half the match with 10 men I am not happy with the final outcome here but credit to my players who fought back to get a point. We have drawn 4 out of our last 5 league matches and have 2 wins from 7.

--

UEFA Europa League Group G

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Nunez, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia, Sancet (Nolaskoain), N.Williams (Morcillo), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Berenguer), Akhomach

We just needed to avoid defeat here to win the group and we managed that in a thrilling encounter. I am naturally peeved that we couldnt hold on to win the game but hey ho. Raul Garcia's goal was a screamer from long range.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet (Raul Garcia), N.Williams*, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre (Akhomach)

Nico Williams first 2 goals of the season was enough to down bottom side Valladolid. He has struggled since he has come back from injury so hopefully this will be the start of a decent run of form.

--

SUMMARY

Only 4 games this month but we emerged unbeaten and won our Europa League group. We are looking good at the minute with only 2 defeats in all competitions so that is all good but next month we face Barcelona twice and also have a fixture against Real Madrid. We are still clinging on to a title challenge but that in reality shouldnt be in our thoughts as it is all about a top 4 finish and that should be well within our grasp given our form.

I was delighted to hear that I will be receiving a golden generation of players in our next youth intake - could the next Aitor Herrera be on his way?

Hardly likely. Been searching for nearly 10 years lol.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAUL GARCIA

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Javier Clemente
1981-86, 1990-91, 2005-06

Clemente had 3 spells in charge of Athletic after having a 5 year playing career with Athletic. His MOST successful spell was in his first spell as he collected 2 league titles, a Copa del Rey and a Supercopa. He is still managing today as the national team coach of Libya and he has managed several other teams and nations including Spain, Serbia, Cameroon, Marseille, Real Sociedad and the Basque national team!

--

JANUARY

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams (I.Williams), Raul Garcia (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre

Disappointing but at least we didnt get beat. We never really looked like scoring although their keeper got the MOM award. A boring way to start 2022.

--

Supercopa Semi-Final

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray, Martinez (Nunez), Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

Get in!!!! Last year Barcelona played their backups and we trounced them but they didnt here and we still beat them. Villalibre and Nico Williams got the goals for us in the first half and although they pulled a goal back we managed to hold on to the victory.

--

Supercopa Final

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Sancet*, N.Williams (I.Williams), Unai Lopez (Raul Garcia), Muniain, Villalibre

WE RETAIN THE SUPERCOPA!!!

We were superb here and won this match about 3 times over! lol. We took the lead when Sancet fired in from the edge of the area and it was all but won until they equalised in the 3rd minute of stoppage time. Into extra-time we went and Villalibre converted a penalty to put us back in front however minutes later he then missed a penalty. They then pressed us again but we sealed the cup when Raul Garcia scored with a brilliant finish and it was game over.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Berenguer), Vencedor*, Sancet (Raul Garcia), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

Another disappointing result. It certainly seems that we are a better away side than a home side. We have gone 9 games unbeaten in the league but have only won 3 out of our last 10 which is a huge worry.

--

Copa del Rey 3rd Round

Lineup - Simon*, Mosquera, Nunez, Nolaskoain, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia (Vivian), Raul Garcia, N.Williams (Morcillo), Akhomach, Berenguer (Santana), Serrano

I played my backups here and they did the job but Mirandes put up a good account of themselves. Nico Williams gave us the lead and young regen striker Santana came off the bench to get a debut goal. Watch out for him in the future!

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (N.Williams), Vencedor, Sancet (Raul Garcia), I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre*

Asier Villalibre rescued a point for us here with a stoppage time leveller to extend our unbeaten run but it is only 3 wins out of 11 now...... Villalibre had a goal disallowed in the first half that would have put us 2-0 up so that could have changed the result.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet (Raul Garcia), I.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre*

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!

What a win. It may have been 3 wins out of 11 (7 draws) but I will take that to have this moment of humiliating Barcelona 4-0 at home. Villalibre was outstanding with 1 goal and 2 assists and the only downside was the injury to Oihan Sancet who will miss the best part of 2 months.

--

Copa del Rey 4th Round

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Nunez, Nolaskoain (Vivian), Rodrigues, Dani Garcia, Raul Garcia, N.Williams*, Akhomach, Berenguer (Morcillo), Serrano (Santana)

Just like in the last round Nico Williams and Santana got the goals to send us through but it should have been much more comfortable and had to come from behind to win.

--

Lineup - Ezkieta, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (Morcillo)

Our 11 game unbeaten run in the league ends here despite taking the lead as Real gain revenge for their Supercopa defeat. I now tip our current run of form to 4 wins out of 13 but only 2 defeats! Ezkieta played in goal here as Simon got injured during the week.

--

SUMMARY

Although the month ended in defeat overall we had a fine month. In the league we drew with Girona and Sevilla before thrashing Barcelona 4-0 with a perferct performance and a landmark result although we went on to lose to Real Madrid after taking the lead. We are still looking good for a Champions League spot but it was this time last season that things went skew wihiff and considering we have only won 4 out of 13 league games we better be careful.

In the Copa del Rey we took care of business thanks to Nico Williams and Santana and we start next month with a tough tie against Atletico Madrid.

We did retain the Supercopa however as we beat Barcelona 2-1 before going on to beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the final after extra-time. That makes it 2 trophies in 2 years but I am gunning for bigger trophies in reality. I am happy to take what I can get though!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ASIER VILLALIBRE

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Marcelo Bielsa
2011-13

Argentinian coach Bielsa arrived after managing the likes of Argentina and Chile and he made a huge impression at the club as Athletic dazzled clubs both at home and abroad as he led the club to the Europa League final although they did end up losing. He didnt win any trophies with Athletic but his side including Fernando Llorente, Andoni Iraola, Javi Martinez, Oscar De Marcos, Iker Muniain and Ander Herrera won a load of plaudits.

--

FEBRUARY

Copa del Rey Quarter-Final

Lineup - Ezkieta, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Nolaskoain), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain*, Villalibre

WOW!!!!

To beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 away is some achievement as we march into the semis. Muniain put us ahead but then they levelled and it was even from then on in but when Inaki Williams put us in front just as I was about to take him off we had the advantage. They pushed forward but we picked them off on the counter attack and Muniain grabbed a 2nd to seal the deal.

--

Lineup - Etxieta, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Berenguer), Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre*

We came from behind twice to win this game with Asier Villalibre knocking in the winning goal late on so this is a pleasing victory.

--

Copa del Rey Semi-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Etxieta, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz*, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre

I will take this result. We get an away goal and have a marginal lead heading into the 2nd leg where we will play at home but having said that our home form is not 100% or even 80% relialable.

--

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia, I.Williams*, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (Akhomach)

A poor result and performance. They took the lead early on and then had a goal disallowed shortly afterwards and we were really struggling tbh. Inaki Williams levelled though and Akhomach had a late winner disallowed. Their goalscorer is a 16y/o Andorran striker who has a Spanish passport but I cant sign him as I think that he will be a decent player. This result means that we drop out of the top 4 however.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Dani Garcia (Nolaskoain), Raul Garcia (Akhomach), I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain*, Villalibre (Santana)

A great result and performance that spelt the end of his time for the Villarreal manager. Villalibre put us ahead with a penalty before Unai Lopez scored a fine goal to double our lead and then Iker Muniain popped up with a double.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Nunez), Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Akhomach), I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre*

We score 4 goals again. A great performance with 3 goals in 4 first half minutes being the catalyst for the victory.

--

SUMMARY

Another unbeaten month!!! It started in the best possible way as we beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 away in the Copa del Rey to reach the semis and then we drew 1-1 away to Real Betis so we are looking good for a 2nd successive cup final.

In the league we beat Levante thanks to a late Asier Villalibre goal and then disappointingly drew with Elche before hitting form again by thumping Villarreal 4-0 and Getafe 4-1. Although we lie 4th in the table we have lost the least amount of games, have the 2nd best offense and the 2nd best defence so go figure.

Next month sees us back in action in the Europa League against RB Leipzig and we have a golden generation coming our way in the youth intake!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IKER MUNIAIN

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Howard Kendall
1987-89

Joining after having great success with Everton, Kendall took Athletic to 4th in the league in his first season before being sacked after a poor run of results in the following season so it was just a short stint at Athletic before he joined Manchester City.

--

MARCH

Copa del Rey Semi-Final 2nd Leg

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Martinez*, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre

We reach the final for the 2nd year in a row and we will play Barcelona. We took the lead through a wonder goal. Inigo Martinez took a free-kick but it hit the wall however the ball came back to him and he volleyed it in first time into the top corner from 22 yards! Some way to get your first goal in nearly 2 whole seasons in this save!!!!

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain*, Villalibre (Serrano)

A magnificent performance. Iker Muniain was unplayable as he scored a superb hat-trick while Inigo Martinez smashed in another goal from a free-kick late on. No goals for nearly 2 seasons and he gets 2 screamers in 2 games!

--

UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 1st Leg

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Sancet), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre

We have a bit of work to do in the 2nd leg if we are to progress after losing here. Despite being ahead at half-time Leipzig deserved their win and also had a goal disallowed and missed a few good chances. Hopefully our away goal proves to be crucial.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia*, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Sancet), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre

Huesca beat us earlier in the season and we gain revenge here although I would have expected more goals given our recent form and playing against 10 men here. Muniain got injured here and will be out for around a month.

--

UEFA Europa League 2nd Round 2nd Leg

Lineup - Simon*, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Berenguer (N.Williams), Villalibre

Nico Williams is the hero here as he headed home late on to put us through in away goals. We had traded disallowed goals earlier in the game and Unai Simon kept us in it with some fine saves.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams*, Unai Lopez, Berenguer (N.Williams), Villalibre

5 wins in a row now in the league as we defeat struggling Real Zaragoza to go 2nd in the table on merit.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (N.Williams), Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia, I.Williams (Morcillo), Unai Lopez, Berenguer, Villalibre

I dont know how we didnt win this match. We battered them and should have scored 4 or 5 but we just couldnt find the net and when we did, through Nico Williams late on, it was disallowed.

--

SUMMARY

Another strong month! In the league we won 3 and drew 1 and the draw should have been a win! We arent going to win the league but 2nd or 3rd place is certainly available for us but we arent secure in the top four and a loss of form could prove to be costly but we havent had a bad run yet this season so fingers crossed.

In the Europa League we managed to knock out RB Leipzig to reach the Europa League quarter-finals and we will play Leicester City in the next round and in the Copa del Rey we have reached the final again and this time we will play Barcelona.

The youth intake was a golden generation and I signed up almost a dozen players but there wasnt a stand out player to wax lyrical about.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INIGO MARTINEZ

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Jupp Heynckes
1992-94 & 2001-03

Heynckes first came to Athletic from Bayern Munich and had 2 seasons before going back to Germany and he went on to manage Real Madrid (where he won a Champions League) and Benfica before he came back to manage the club in 2001. In both spells he finished in the top half but never really came close to winning anything and he went on to win a Champions League title as manager of Bayern Munich before retiring.

--

APRIL

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Muniain), Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Berenguer*, Villalibre (N.Williams)

The Williams brothers did the damage here and scored in the same game for the first time! Espanyol are without a manager and struggling against relegation and looked like a poor team here.

--

UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (N.Williams)

A decent result. I would have preferred an away goal so they have a slight advantage.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia (Mosquera), I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre*

A great performance and result as we blew Valencia away in the first 25min as we went 3-0 up and further more we move 4pts clear of 3rd place but we are 6pts behind top spot.

--

UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams*, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

What a thrilling match this was as we reach the semis. We went 2-0 up and were cruising but then we found ourselves 3-2 down yet we battled back to win the game thanks to a late Muniain goal. They even had a goal disallowed that would have knocked us out but we managed to hold on and will play Lazio in the semis.

--

Copa del Rey Final

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Berenguer), Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), I.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain (N.Williams), Villalibre*

WE WIN THE COPA DEL REY!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of my players and it is Asier Villalibre who will go down in history as a club legend as it was his hat-trick that won us the match. We shared 2 goals each and it was an even match but towards the end we looked like we were on top and in the last minute we were awarded a penalty and Villalibre tucked it away to win us the cup. The result is even more impressive considering my players were dead on their feet as this game came just a couple of days after the Leicester fixture.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Raul Garcia, I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre

This game all but secures the title for Atletico Madrid as they move 9pts ahead of us with just 4 to play and we are the only team that can catch them. Munoz got injured here and will be out for a month or so so his season is basically over.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues, Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Sancet), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre

We should have won this match but I suppose I can let my players off. I forgot to mention after the cup final that Villalibre surpassed the 30 goal mark for the season and he got another goal here.

--

UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 1st Leg

Lineup - Ezkieta, Capa, Yeray, Nunez, Rodrigues, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia, I.Williams (Berenguer), Unai Lopez (Sancet), Muniain, Villalibre*

WOOOO!!!!!!

Surely we will be in the final after this terrific result. Villalibre scored 2 and had 1 disallowed while Capa and Raul Garcia chipped in with rare goals. Unai Simon was injured so Ezkieta got another rare appearance in goal.

--

SUMMARY

We had some huge games this month across all 3 competitions but the biggest one was our dramatic 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final which gives me our first major trophy. We seem to have Barcelona's number at the moment and long may it continue!!!!

In the league we lost to Atletico Madrid which all but handed the league title to them and we are now battling it out for 2nd spot which is still some achievement. We have been on the periphery of the title race all season and all of a sudden we were the challengers but it was never going to happen.

In the Europa League we have 1 foot in the final. After drawing 0-0 with Leicester City away from home we managed to knock them out by beating them 4-3 in a thrilling match and then we went on to hump Lazio 4-1 in the first leg in the semis so unless we chuck it away in the 2nd leg we will be in a European final.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ASIER VILLALIBRE

--

LA LIGA

 

[Klippybo]

Ferdinand Daucik
1954-57

Daucik was a Czech manager who joined the club after leaving Barcelona and after winning the cup in 1955 he won the double the next year and he then took the club to the quarter-finals of the European Cup. He ended up managing for another 20 years, mainly in Spain but he never won anymore trophies.

--

MAY

Lineup - Ezkieta, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Rodrigues, Vencedor, Raul Garcia, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Sancet), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (Akhomach)

This derby victory secures Champions League football for us for next season so I am delighted with that. I now have to decide whether or not to play my backups in the remaining 2 games to give us the best chance to win the Europa League but we need to secure our spot in the final first!

--

UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 2nd Leg

Lineup - Ezkieta, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues, Dani Garcia, Raul Garcia, I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (Akhomach)

We lose the match but we reach the final and that is all I care about! Borussia Dortmund will be our opponents in the final.

--

Lineup - Ezkieta, Mosquera, Nunez, Nolaskoain, Rodrigues, Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Sancet, N.Williams (Morcillo), Akhomach*, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre

I rested a few players here but we still comfortably defeated Valladolid here although we needed to score twice in stoppage time to make it look comfortable!

--

Lineup - Ezkieta, Mosquera, Nunez, Nolaskoain, Rodrigues (Berenguer), Vencedor, Raul Garcia (Dani Garcia), N.Williams, Akhomach (Blanco), Muniain, Villalibre

I rested players here and it proved to be costly as we slip down to 3rd place in the table. We took the lead through Nico Williams but they were the better side and I cant complain too much. Disappointing though.

--

UEFA Europa League Final

Lineup - Simon*, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Rodrigues (Munoz), Vencedor (Dani Garcia), Raul Garcia (N.Williams), I.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

WE WIN THE EUROPA LEAGUE!!!!

It wasnt a classic final by any means as both sides struggled to create any opportunities during both normal and extra-time so the game went to penalties. Villalibre missed our first penalty and the rest were converted and Mats Hummels had the chance to win it for them but he hit the post. Munoz drew us level and then Simon saved from Guerriero and it was up to youngster Ilias Akhomach to win us the cup and he duly did!

--

SUMMARY

Results wise this month was disappointing as we only won 2 out of 5 matches via the scoreline and we dropped down into 3rd place in La Liga however ultimately we won the Europa League so I have to be happy with that!

To beat Dortmund on penalties is a great achievement but I think we caught them at the right time as the likes of Haaland and Moukoko havent fully developed yet while we had a bit more experience on the park in the shape of Capa, Martinez, Raul Garcia, Muniain and Inaki Williams.

End of season post to follow.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ILIAS AKHOMACH

​

 

[Klippybo]

END OF SEASON POST

We had almost a perfect season! We finished 3rd in the league and only lost 2nd place on the last day of the season but we won all 3 cup competitions that we were in so I cant complain about that!

In the league we were excellent. We only lost 5 games which was the least amount in the division and one was on the final day of the season which cost us 2nd place in the table. We were the top scorers in the division, had the best goal difference and had one of the best defences so why did we not win the league? The answer is that we drew too many matches. We were always just too far away from having a title challenge as we were always around 5 or 6 points behind the leaders until Atletico Madrid beat us with 5 games to go and the league was done.

Once again we won the Supercopa and once again we did it by defeating Barcelona and Real Madrid. We seem to like that cup.

In the Copa del Rey we did one better than last season as we actually won the cup. Our best result in reaching the final was defeating Atletico Madrid 3-1 away in the quarter-finals but the final itself was a thriller as we beat Barcelona 3-2 thanks to an Asier Villalibre last minute penalty which not only won us the cup but completed his hat-trick.

We also had European glory as we claimed the Europa League. We were unbeaten in our group, if not spectacular, and then managed to overcome a first leg defeat to beat the German side RB Leipzig. Leicester were up next and after a 0-0 draw away from home we won a thrilling 2nd leg 4-3 having thrown away a 2 goal lead but we came back to win it with a late Iker Muniain goal. We trounced Lazio 4-1 in the first leg of our semi which meant that we made the final and after drawing 0-0 against Borussia Dortmund we won it on penalties but it was so close as they missed a penalty to win it for them.

And it gets better!!!! My B team won the 2nd tier by 8pts which is a terrific achievement although they wont be able to go up to the top division however my C side, Basconia, got promoted via the playoffs and I may be mistaken but they will also play in the 2nd tier which is just ridiculous. I will certainly have to bring in some players for that side but on the other hand it means I can spread my youngsters across 2 sides in the 2nd tier. Insane!!!!!!

--

LA LIGA

--

SQUAD

Goalkeepers - Unai Simon was arguably our best player this season. He constantly came up trumps when required and 5 MOM awards are testament to that. He did miss 9 games and Jokin Ezkieta came in and did ok.

Defenders - Ander Capa didnt suffer injuries this season so he played most matches at RB and did well while as backup young Cristhian Mosquera did well when called upon. On the other side my one summer signing for the first team, Aihen Munoz, had a great season. He scored a couple of goals but was generally consistent and his value has soared and has signed a new contract.

At CB the partnership of Yeray and Martinez did well. Martinez certainly improved and scored our goal of the season to boot while Yeray was great but unspectacular. Unai Nunez was the main backup.

Midfielders - Unai Vencedor made himself a first team regular and forged a decent midfield partnership with fellow youngster Oihan Sancet. If we are to reach the very top they need to continue to develop but they are both decent players. Veteran Raul Garcia had an ok season while Dani Garcia was mainly used as a sub.

On the LW Iker Muniain was much better this season as 17 goals and 12 assists testify to and on the other side Inaki Williams was even better as he scored 22 goals and got 13 assists. He started the season up front before soon moving onto the RW and he put his injury troubles from last season behind him. Unai Lopez was my AMC and he did well but I long for him to score more goals. I could drop him back to CM but until I find a top notch AMC he will stay where he is.

Ilias Akhomach could be that man as my teenage sensation although prefers to play on the RW he is also a natural AMC. He was mainly used as a sub but he is still so young and is developing very nicely indeed. Nico Williams played often enough and impressed while Berenguer and Morcillo also made contibutions.

Forwards - I have to be honest. I thought that the season that Asier Villalibre had last term was a one off but not so. He is putting in performances far higher than his attributes would suggest and not only did he score more goals (36) but he also got 13 assists compared to 1 last season. He really has kicked on and will lead the line next season as quite frankly unless Antoine Griezmann decides to cancel his contract with Barcelona and join us there isnt anyone else!!!!!

My Player of the Season - Asier Villalibre
My Young Player of the Season - Unai Vencedor
Must Improve - Oihan Sancet
Donkey of the Year - Dani Garcia

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SUMMER PLANS

Sort out my B and C sides! If my C team are in the 3rd tier I will have to spread my young talent about. Before the C side was always a dumping ground but if they are in the same division it means that it is no longer seen as a put down to be in my C side. I should add that my C side didnt have a manager all season!!!!

As for my first team. We have just bought our stadium so there isnt a load of money to spend but then again there isnt many players out there for me to sign!​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

Not much to say really. The big news was that I was incorrect in my assumptions that my C team would go into the 2nd tier and are now presumably in the 3rd tier of Spanish football so I didnt need to sign too many players for them. As for my first team I sold some backup players and promoted a couple of youngsters into the squad and only signed 1 new player thus far.

There is not much else to say really apart from the fact that we took out a £57m bank loan to purchase the San Mames.

--

PLAYERS OUT

Veteran midfielder Raul Garcia has left to join Olympiakos for £1.1m. He wasnt happy that I was playing him at CM so I called his bluff and sold him. At 35y/o he was declining in ability and at £65k a week it saved a load of cash too! My other experienced midfielder, Dani Garcia, also left the club as he joined Mallorca for an initial £2.8m.

Huesca bought 2 players off me. Kevin Rodrigues went for £1.7m and Inigo Cordoba joined them for £3.6m. Cordoba had a successful loan spell there last season so was happy to go while Rodrigues' contract was due to expire at the end of the season and I thought that I should cash in.

I was forced to sell one of my top prospects however! Fabio Blanco's contract was up for renewal in the summer and he wasnt interested in signing a new deal so I flogged him off to Atletico Madrid for £5m plus 50% of the next fee. That more than doubles our money and after only 1 sub appearance that is not a bad deal.

--

PLAYERS IN

Regens only! I spent a total of £8.75m to bring in several regens but the only screenie you are getting is of the main one. I needed to get at least one CM in and the best one out there for a reasonable price was Juanjo Maroto who I paid Real Madrid £6.5m for just days before he turned 17. He looks like that he will develop into a top notch CM and I have high hopes for him.

--

SQUAD

I have promoted 3 players from the youth ranks to the first team squad. Eneko Clemente will be my backup LB, Oier Zarraga will act as cover for CM and even AMC while Juan Daniel Santana is there to cover for Asier Villalibre up front. Clemente was certainly a surprising one but the coaches love him and he is fairly quick but he better impress or he will be back in the B team.

Other than that my starting XI remains as you were so nothing has changed there.

--

SEASON AIMS

Win a trophy naturally! The league is possibly still a step too far but if we turned some of those draws from last season into wins we would have been right up there. We have Champions League football too so I would like us to reach the knockout stages.​

 

[Klippybo]

Jose Angel Iribar
1962-80
614 apps, 0 goals
Goalkeeper

Iribar is the all time record holder for appearances at Athletic has he kept goal for 18 years. Despite his long playing career he only won 1 Copa del Rey while at the club although he did win the 1964 European Championships with Spain who he won 49 caps for. He managed Athletic for one season in 1986-87.

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AUGUST

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet (Maroto), I.Williams*, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

This was a tough match as we come from behind to win - gaining revenge on Celta for the last day of last season as they did that to us which meant that we slipped to 3rd place. We didnt perform in the first half and could have been 2 down but they had a goal disallowed however Capa equalised and Inaki Williams got the winner thanks to an amazing assist from Juanjo Maroto on his debut.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Yeray, Martinez (Nunez), Munoz (Berenguer), Vencedor (Maroto), Sancet, N.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre

Nico Williams came into the side in place of his injured brother and quickly fired us ahead with a low angled drive and when Villalibre made it 2-0 it was game over.

--

UEFA European Super Cup

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Maroto), Sancet (Nolaskoain), N.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez (Berenguer), Muniain, Villalibre

Sure PSG have Neymar and Mbappe but by god they are cheating as they had Sterling and Cristiano Ronaldo in their lineup too! We kept them honest though and led twice but they were still the better team throughout and although they missed first in the penalty shoot-out Munoz and Akhomach missed our last 2 pens to give them the trophy.

PSG by the way also have signed Haaland, Rice, Depay, Vlasic, Digne and Odriozola!!!!!!!

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Berenguer), Vencedor, Sancet*, N.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Akhomach), Villalibre (Santana)

We struggled to break Gijon down here and it wasnt until my former on loan midfielder Ivan Martin got sent-off on his debut and then we managed to score. Regen striker Santana got his first league goal and Unai Lopez powered in a goal in stoppage time.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Clemente, Vencedor, Sancet (Maroto), N.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

Our 100% start to the league campaign ends with Atletico equalising in stoppage time heartbreakingly. Eneko Clemente made his debut here.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez*, Clemente, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams, Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (I.Williams)

We struggled to beat lowly Elche here but Nico Williams scored again to give us the win. He is desperately trying to keep his brother out of the side.

--

SUMMARY

As per the last 2 seasons we have made a very strong start to the season. We have won 4 and drew 1 of our 5 league games with the draw coming against the holders Atletico Madrid. Inaki Williams got injured during the month but his little brother, Nico, came in and scored 3 goals so we didnt miss him too much.

I was really proud of my players in the European Super Cup as we took the football equivalent of the Haarlem Globetrotters, PSG, and took them to penalties before eventually losing. In the Champions League we have been given a very kind draw alongside Ajax, Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb.

I made another signing in the transfer window as I brought in Robert Navarro from Real Sociedad as he was transfer listed for £1.2m. He will join my B team but I forgot to register him so he will be doing ****** all until January.

I did sell Aimar Oroz to Juventus for £1.7m plus 50% of his next transfer fee. I signed him from Osasuna for £750,000 so I more than doubled my money and I was happy to sell him as he was unhappy at the club. In theory, Navarro replaces him.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ANDER CAPA

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Txetxu Rojo
1965-82
541 apps, 67 goals
Forward

Rojo spent his entire career with Athletic and even played alongside his brother, Jose Angel, for 7 seasons. He won 2 Copa del Rey titles and 18 Spain caps (3 goals) before retiring. He alos managed Athletic for 2 seasons in1989-90 and 2000-01.

--

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez (Berenguer), Muniain, I.Williams (Villalibre)

WHAT A COMEBACK!!!!

We were gone. Down and out. Yet somehow we managed to come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at the Bernabeu. We didnt offer anything for 70min although Muniain did miss a first half penalty and it was only going one way but Inaki Williams raced through to pull one back before immediately getting subbed for Villalibre and then he thundered in an effort to draw us level! We got the winner when Yeray headed in from a corner. Superb.

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, N.Williams (Villalibre), Unai Lopez, Muniain*, I.Williams

We reintroduce ourselves to the top table of European football with a convincing victory over Dinamo but it should have been more as Inaki Williams had a goal disallowed and Villalibre blazed a penalty wide.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet (Maroto), I.Williams (Akhomach), Unai Lopez, Muniain (Berenguer*), Villalibre

Alex Berenguer came off the bench to win us the match with a late goal as we beat Levante. Nico Williams picked up an injury in training so he missed out and Villalibre returned to the side and he put us in front.

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet (Maroto), I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

Very disappointing. We were poor and Ajax fully deserved their win. We did have a 2nd half goal disallowed but they had a first half goal disallowed so I cant moan about that.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain (Berenguer), Villalibre (N.Williams)

Absolutely pathetic. We had 1 shot on goal as the home side and we were defeated in the first 8min. We never ever looked like scoring and this in turn is our first defeat in the league this season. Awful.

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz (Clemente), Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams, Unai Lopez*, Berenguer (N.Williams), Villalibre (Morcillo)

Our performance was better here but we gave away a load of chances too and Lyon could so easily have snatched a draw but this was an important result.

--

SUMMARY

We had an excellent start to the month with an incredible comeback win against Real Madrid after coming back from 2-0 down with 20min to go to take all 3 points. Levante were then beaten in the league before we put on a horror show against Sevilla but we end the month top of the table so I cant grumble too much.

In the Champions League we comfortably beat Dinamo 4-0 before losing away to Ajax thanks to a poor performance but we picked up a win against Lyon and we are looking good for qualification.

We arent playing at our best though. We are struggling in front of goal a bit and defensively we are losing some cheap goals. There are areas to improve for sure.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
UNAI LOPEZ

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

Joseba Etxeberria
1995-2010
514 apps, 104 goals
Forward

Signed from Real Sociedad for £2.5m as an 18y/o Etxeberria spent the rest of his career with Athletic and is currently the B team manager. He won 53 caps for Spain, scoring 12 goals and actually played his last season at Athletic for free!

--

OCTOBER

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Martinez, Munoz, Vencedor (Maroto), Sancet, I.Williams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), N.Williams, Villalibre (Santana)

We lost our last league game 2-0 with a pitiful performance and this one was worse! Absolutely pathetic. Valencia were taken over by a tycoon in the summer and are unbeaten so far this season after splashing a bit of cash.

--

Lineup - Simon, Mosquera, Yeray, Nunez, Munoz, Vencedor*, Sancet (Maroto), I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

Now thats much better! We scored 4 goals and dominated throughout although I am ****** off that we didnt manage to keep a clean sheet.

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Nunez (Mosquera), Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.WIlliams, Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre

We gifted Lyon a 2 goal head start here and thankfully managed to come back and get a draw. We were the better side, especially in the first half but again defensively we were poor.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Mosquera), Yeray, Nunez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez, Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

We lose after conceding 2 early goals for the 3rd time in 4 games in all competitions and we have now lost 3 of our last 4 league games. Sure the fixtures have been hard but we only lost 5 times in the league last term. We must improve!

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Nunez (Mosquera), Clemente, Zarraga, Maroto (Nolaskoain), N.Williams, Akhomach*, Berenguer (Serrano), Villalibre

I took a risk in playing some of my backups here and thankfully they did me proud by winning. Villalibre put us ahead and Akhomach scored with a free-kick and this result means we qualify for the knockout stages.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Martinez), Nunez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams, Unai Lopez*, Muniain, Villalibre (Santana)

Derby day joy as we thump Real Sociedad. We were 2-1 up at half-time and then in the 2nd half Unai Lopez scored with a terrific free-kick however Aihen Munoz was not to be outdone as he scored from a free-kick from 35 yards to seal the win against his old club.

--

UEFA Champions League Group H

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Nunez, Munoz, Vencedor, Sancet, I.Williams (N.Williams), Unai Lopez (Akhomach), Muniain, Villalibre

I dont know how we didnt win this match. We dominated throughout but they scored with their only 2 shots on target to somehow get a draw and win the group. Nico Williams had a stoppage time winner disallowed for us.

--

SUMMARY

A mixed bag results wise this month. We suffered defeats against Valencia and Barcelona in the league but in our 2 victories we put 4 past Espanyol and Real Sociedad and we find ourselves 3rd place in the table. In the Champions League we drew with Lyon and Ajax and beat Dinamo but in the end that was only good enough for 2nd place but at least we qualify.

We just arent performing to our capabilities. We are struggling to score goals and Villalibre hasnt netted in his last 5 league starts and defensively we seem to concede early goals far too often as in the space of 3 games we were 2 down within 10 min 3 times.

We now break until January as the 2022 World Cup is on. See you in 2023!!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IKER MUNIAIN

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[sorte]

What tactic do you use in your saves?