Just like the way Alex Ferguson has taken Manchester United to the next level of domination in terms of English football, I am now going to try and emulate and surpass Ferguson and his achievements with United's most bitter rivals, Manchester City.
I know many people will have started stories with Manchester City but they are the kind of team that attracts the kind of players who play 3 games then start a new story. I am not one of these, as people who have read my previous stories will know. Feel free to check on these past stories where I have managed Fulham, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Leeds. I have also completed 10 seasons with Dag and Red and taken them into Europe and a consistent top 10 team in the Premier League.
I have already completed the first season of my Manchester City career, which I will post in summary as I didn't take screenshots on my way through unfortunately.
So, first season the board set me the target of Continental Qualification through league finish. I was confident of at least a top 4 finish but didnt think a title challenge would be realistic, so stuck with the initial expectations. I realised that there were a few positions that needed new players if I was to challenge for the title and other honours.
The main areas I thought were weak were the wings and another striker. For these positions I made the following signings :
Aaron Lennon - AMR - £15.25m
Bought for his attacking flair, pace and ability to create a chance from nothing, he was going to be fighting for the position of right wing with similar player Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Luka Modric - AMLC -£27m
Hefty price tag but I feel one that would be justified. Still only 23 years of age he has his best years ahead of him and will be a creative force in the advanced playmaker AML position.
Adrian Mutu - AMLC/ST - £12m
Mutu is a class player and has the ability to create as well as score goals. Probably plays best as a deep lying forward or inside forward in the attacking midfield spot, will have some competition for places from the likes of Tevez, Modric and Ireland.
Sold Javier Garrido for £5.25m to Shakhtar
Sold Martin Petrov for £6m to Fiorentina
Sold Santa Cruz for £9.75m to Real Madrid (January)
Sold Adam Johnson for £5.5m to Bayern Munich (January)
In order to bolster the squad a few purchases were also made in January to help us push on in the remaining competitions, these were:
Tim Cahill - MC - £12.5m
Axel Witsel - MC - £6m
Alexis Sanchez - AMRLC/ST - £19.5m
Here's a few screenshots of the fixtures played and the final league table:
View attachment 55374
View attachment 55375
View attachment 55376
Only narrowly missed out on the title, by just 3 points, which Chelsea won. Pleased to have finished in the top 4 and therefore qualifying for the Champions League which was my initial target. The board were delighted with our showing in all competitions.
Barclays Premier League : 3rd Place( 81 points - 25W - 6D - 7L - 81F - 39A)
Carling Cup : Semi Finalists - Lost 3-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Chelsea
FA Cup : Runners Up, Lost 2-0 to Chelsea
As you can see Chelsea won every domestic competition, and our rivals Manchester United went on to win the Champions League, so we clearly had some work to do in order to surpass these teams in order to start picking up some titles.
Players of the season :
(3) Luka Modric - 10 goals, 17 assists, 3 MOM, 7.18 Average Rating
(2) Adrian Mutu - 14 goals, 19 assists, 2 MOM, 7.25 Average Rating
(1) Carlos Tevez - 32 goals, 12 assists, 11 MOM, 7.36 Average Rating
Overall a fantastic season to build upon as we challenged on all fronts. With the financial backing the chairman is willing to give I am sure we can improve upon this next season and bring home some silverware, even if it is just the FA or Carling Cup. Also we will be competing in the Champions League which will be fantastic for the club and the fans.
SEASON 2
When asked what I think we can achieve this season, I was feeling optimistic about the situation and went for a title challenge. The chairman was delighted with this and backed me with a transfer kitty of £106m. By selling some dead wood I was hoping to take this to nearer £150m.
My transfers were now going to be signals of intent, no small signings that may or may not perform, they were going to be BIG name signings who were some of the best players in the world. The areas I now identified as now needing improvement were RB, CM and ST. Some potential targets:
RB - Dani Alves, Maicon or Sergio Ramos.
CM - Fabregas, Silva or Gerrard
ST - Villa, Aguero, Forlan or Eto'o.
To see where we stood in terms of finances as soon as the transfer window opened unwanted players were offered out. Players including Adebayor, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Gareth Barry were the big names said to be leaving.
View attachment 55383
Here is the final summary of the transfers. As you can see a lot of players left the club as they were deemed surplus to requirements, and the trimmed quad looked brimful of talent. The return of Robinho and Hart from loan deals will bolster the squad and offer competition for places.
I was absolutely delighted to be able to complete the signings of Fabregas and Maicon as they are up there with the best players in the world in their positions. Once these deals had been negotitated there wasn't enough left in the balance for a big striker to come in this season, so we acquired Gignac who is a proven goalscorer on this game. Monthly reports will be posted from now on.
I know many people will have started stories with Manchester City but they are the kind of team that attracts the kind of players who play 3 games then start a new story. I am not one of these, as people who have read my previous stories will know. Feel free to check on these past stories where I have managed Fulham, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Leeds. I have also completed 10 seasons with Dag and Red and taken them into Europe and a consistent top 10 team in the Premier League.
I have already completed the first season of my Manchester City career, which I will post in summary as I didn't take screenshots on my way through unfortunately.
So, first season the board set me the target of Continental Qualification through league finish. I was confident of at least a top 4 finish but didnt think a title challenge would be realistic, so stuck with the initial expectations. I realised that there were a few positions that needed new players if I was to challenge for the title and other honours.
The main areas I thought were weak were the wings and another striker. For these positions I made the following signings :
Aaron Lennon - AMR - £15.25m
Bought for his attacking flair, pace and ability to create a chance from nothing, he was going to be fighting for the position of right wing with similar player Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Luka Modric - AMLC -£27m
Hefty price tag but I feel one that would be justified. Still only 23 years of age he has his best years ahead of him and will be a creative force in the advanced playmaker AML position.
Adrian Mutu - AMLC/ST - £12m
Mutu is a class player and has the ability to create as well as score goals. Probably plays best as a deep lying forward or inside forward in the attacking midfield spot, will have some competition for places from the likes of Tevez, Modric and Ireland.
Sold Javier Garrido for £5.25m to Shakhtar
Sold Martin Petrov for £6m to Fiorentina
Sold Santa Cruz for £9.75m to Real Madrid (January)
Sold Adam Johnson for £5.5m to Bayern Munich (January)
In order to bolster the squad a few purchases were also made in January to help us push on in the remaining competitions, these were:
Tim Cahill - MC - £12.5m
Axel Witsel - MC - £6m
Alexis Sanchez - AMRLC/ST - £19.5m
Here's a few screenshots of the fixtures played and the final league table:
View attachment 55374
View attachment 55375
View attachment 55376
Only narrowly missed out on the title, by just 3 points, which Chelsea won. Pleased to have finished in the top 4 and therefore qualifying for the Champions League which was my initial target. The board were delighted with our showing in all competitions.
Barclays Premier League : 3rd Place( 81 points - 25W - 6D - 7L - 81F - 39A)
Carling Cup : Semi Finalists - Lost 3-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Chelsea
FA Cup : Runners Up, Lost 2-0 to Chelsea
As you can see Chelsea won every domestic competition, and our rivals Manchester United went on to win the Champions League, so we clearly had some work to do in order to surpass these teams in order to start picking up some titles.
Players of the season :
(3) Luka Modric - 10 goals, 17 assists, 3 MOM, 7.18 Average Rating
(2) Adrian Mutu - 14 goals, 19 assists, 2 MOM, 7.25 Average Rating
(1) Carlos Tevez - 32 goals, 12 assists, 11 MOM, 7.36 Average Rating
Overall a fantastic season to build upon as we challenged on all fronts. With the financial backing the chairman is willing to give I am sure we can improve upon this next season and bring home some silverware, even if it is just the FA or Carling Cup. Also we will be competing in the Champions League which will be fantastic for the club and the fans.
SEASON 2
When asked what I think we can achieve this season, I was feeling optimistic about the situation and went for a title challenge. The chairman was delighted with this and backed me with a transfer kitty of £106m. By selling some dead wood I was hoping to take this to nearer £150m.
My transfers were now going to be signals of intent, no small signings that may or may not perform, they were going to be BIG name signings who were some of the best players in the world. The areas I now identified as now needing improvement were RB, CM and ST. Some potential targets:
RB - Dani Alves, Maicon or Sergio Ramos.
CM - Fabregas, Silva or Gerrard
ST - Villa, Aguero, Forlan or Eto'o.
To see where we stood in terms of finances as soon as the transfer window opened unwanted players were offered out. Players including Adebayor, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Gareth Barry were the big names said to be leaving.
View attachment 55383
Here is the final summary of the transfers. As you can see a lot of players left the club as they were deemed surplus to requirements, and the trimmed quad looked brimful of talent. The return of Robinho and Hart from loan deals will bolster the squad and offer competition for places.
I was absolutely delighted to be able to complete the signings of Fabregas and Maicon as they are up there with the best players in the world in their positions. Once these deals had been negotitated there wasn't enough left in the balance for a big striker to come in this season, so we acquired Gignac who is a proven goalscorer on this game. Monthly reports will be posted from now on.
