MoarFootball
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Great story. I'm master of drawing games xd. can you check my gulls story please
Will check it later!
Carrying Coventry
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Will check it later!
MoarFootball
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After taking over at Coventry myself, I searched the forum to find myself something to go off as a bit of a benchmark and I'm glad I stumbled upon your story! I'm currently sat in second (P23 W16 D6 L1). Went on an 18 match unbeaten run til our only loss of the season thus far! Tried to get Donnelly on loan but he went to Motherwell insteadfingers crossed I can march on to promotion, but I've been much less successful in the cups than you were. I went out of all of them pretty early doors, which isn't all bad as it's meant I can focus on the league. Good luck with the rest of the season!
Thanks, mate! Means a lot that my FM Story is being used as a benchmark. Good luck in your push for promotion, by the way! How is Fleck playing for you? He's an animal.
Thanks! Fleck has played 26 scored 10 and notched up 7 assists yet not got a MotM to his name yet! His consistency is what's brilliant as he's hardly setting the team alight but he is making a great contribution. I like the fact that he is versatile. I play a 4-1-1-3-1 formation, so his versatility in DM,CM and AM makes him an integral part of my team. Only thing I am struggling with (similar to you) is goals conceded. I have absolutely no problem banging them in but we LOVE to concede. I have notched up a number of draws because of this but can't complain having only lost one all season!
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October - Hello, consistency!
Let's just say that our start to the Championship season has been excellent! New players are beginning to gel with the old as well as bringing newly-found qualities to the side. Hleb has been utterly superb at linking up with Callum Wilson and Stoor has solidified our defence. The rest of the signings have impressed, too. Apart from Daniel Johnson. He has disappointed massively and fails to fit into the side or start ahead of Fleck-Wright as our CM pairing. Anyhow, let's see how we got on this month:
View attachment 391076
As you can see, we went the whole month unbeaten. A month that included a thumping of Millwall and a goal-frenzy against Charlton. Let's start with Millwall:
View attachment 391075
The month kick-started with an emphatic win over Millwall - a side whom we were expected to beat. Josh Wright was ineligible for this game as we came up against his parent club. Conor Thomas stepped in for Wright and played an OK game. Our first goal was scored by a player whom I believe will be in the starting XI for years to come: George Thomas. Those who followed the first season will know he was the standout player from youth intake day. At just 17 years of age, he has cemented his place in the side. Not for the first time this season, George Thomas scored... And it wouldn't be the last. Thomas also assisted El-Hadji Diouf's goal with a through ball that split Millwall's defence wide open. For those interested, Thomas now operates in the AMC role as a trequartista behind Callum Wilson. Wilson can't stop scoring this season, and continued to do so in this game as he notched two goals. Stoor's sending off was frustrating as he has been one of our key figures at centre-back this season. All in all, this was a superb team performance. Next up, Yeovil...
View attachment 391071
This was mildly disappointing as Yeovil are a side who were rooted to the bottom of the league when this game kicked-off. They equaled us in every department and deserved their equaliser 21 minutes after youngster George Thomas scored his second of the month. Thomas is beginning to find consistency, and that was the only positive I drew from this game. Oh, we also picked up a point.
View attachment 391068
Stoor returns, as does defensive stability. That feels great! Unfortunately, we suffered an injury at CB so Stoor had to familiarise himself with a new team-mate: Seaborne. Luckily, they only played together for the last 16 minutes and, to be honest, gelled really quickly. After that injury, I thought Bolton would exploit our defensive mishap and equalise. They didn't. Callum Wilson... What an animal! He is on fire this season, much to my amazement, and has frozen Hume out of the team completely. I thought Hume would get more game time due to Wilson's relative inexperience. Christie assisted Wilson's goal and, a few minutes later, went on a run which deceived a couple of defenders and ended with the ball in the back of the net. Christie is awesome going forward. Despite Bolton's attempts to turn the game around, we remained on top possession-wise and kept their forwards quiet in defence.
View attachment 391070
We were due one of these, especially with the absence of Stoor who picked up a short six-day illness a couple of days before-hand. Twice, Charlton gave us quite huge scares. After just 11 minutes of the first-half, we were already 2-0 up. A majestic Hleb performance saw him win a penalty early on and provide the cross which Wilson headed in for his 10th goal of the season. Keogh pulled one back for Charlton, but we held on until half-time. I told the players to guard against complacency; this is the kind of game that we bottle. A few minutes after the second-half started, Hleb raced clean-through on goal after a Fleck through ball and audaciously lobbed the goalkeeper. We dominated the game throughout up until Keogh decided to score again. 3-2 with six minutes to go. We weren't going to bottle a two-goal lead, were we? Gladly, we didn't. We held on despite pressure in the final minutes and acquired another three points on our journey to the Premier League!
View attachment 391064
I was delighted with this result. Nottingham Forest have great firepower and, after Hleb's injury, we were devoid of creativity in the final third. I expected to get walloped, but we were excellent defensively. Taylor pulled off some marvelous saves and Stoor-Seaborne proved to be an exciting centre-back partnership as the two worked in tandem to shut off any movement from two opposing centre-forwards. This was one of those draws where you can't help but to exhale at the final whistle and think, 'wow, how did we not concede?' Stoor won the Player of the Match award, deservedly, and ensured that we would end the month with no losses. Bliss!
View attachment 391062
After just 14 league games, we find ourselves outside of the play-offs on goal difference and seven points off the top. Surely we won't get back-to-back promotions? I would be delirious if that happened due to how thin our squad is and considering the fact we have just been promoted. Regardless, let's savour the strong start to this league season!
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
Our standout performer this month was tough to choose. Hleb was majestic in midfield whereas Stoor ensured that we would concede very little in defence due to his conquering of the box. The Player of the Month ended up going to George Thomas. The 17-year-old cemented his place in the first-team this month and scored two crucial goals, assisting one on the way too. There are still areas of his game that need fine-tuning, but he is an exciting prospect! Hleb and Stoor get honourable mentions, of course.
Let's just say that our start to the Championship season has been excellent! New players are beginning to gel with the old as well as bringing newly-found qualities to the side. Hleb has been utterly superb at linking up with Callum Wilson and Stoor has solidified our defence. The rest of the signings have impressed, too. Apart from Daniel Johnson. He has disappointed massively and fails to fit into the side or start ahead of Fleck-Wright as our CM pairing. Anyhow, let's see how we got on this month:
View attachment 391076
As you can see, we went the whole month unbeaten. A month that included a thumping of Millwall and a goal-frenzy against Charlton. Let's start with Millwall:
View attachment 391075
The month kick-started with an emphatic win over Millwall - a side whom we were expected to beat. Josh Wright was ineligible for this game as we came up against his parent club. Conor Thomas stepped in for Wright and played an OK game. Our first goal was scored by a player whom I believe will be in the starting XI for years to come: George Thomas. Those who followed the first season will know he was the standout player from youth intake day. At just 17 years of age, he has cemented his place in the side. Not for the first time this season, George Thomas scored... And it wouldn't be the last. Thomas also assisted El-Hadji Diouf's goal with a through ball that split Millwall's defence wide open. For those interested, Thomas now operates in the AMC role as a trequartista behind Callum Wilson. Wilson can't stop scoring this season, and continued to do so in this game as he notched two goals. Stoor's sending off was frustrating as he has been one of our key figures at centre-back this season. All in all, this was a superb team performance. Next up, Yeovil...
View attachment 391071
This was mildly disappointing as Yeovil are a side who were rooted to the bottom of the league when this game kicked-off. They equaled us in every department and deserved their equaliser 21 minutes after youngster George Thomas scored his second of the month. Thomas is beginning to find consistency, and that was the only positive I drew from this game. Oh, we also picked up a point.
View attachment 391068
Stoor returns, as does defensive stability. That feels great! Unfortunately, we suffered an injury at CB so Stoor had to familiarise himself with a new team-mate: Seaborne. Luckily, they only played together for the last 16 minutes and, to be honest, gelled really quickly. After that injury, I thought Bolton would exploit our defensive mishap and equalise. They didn't. Callum Wilson... What an animal! He is on fire this season, much to my amazement, and has frozen Hume out of the team completely. I thought Hume would get more game time due to Wilson's relative inexperience. Christie assisted Wilson's goal and, a few minutes later, went on a run which deceived a couple of defenders and ended with the ball in the back of the net. Christie is awesome going forward. Despite Bolton's attempts to turn the game around, we remained on top possession-wise and kept their forwards quiet in defence.
View attachment 391070
We were due one of these, especially with the absence of Stoor who picked up a short six-day illness a couple of days before-hand. Twice, Charlton gave us quite huge scares. After just 11 minutes of the first-half, we were already 2-0 up. A majestic Hleb performance saw him win a penalty early on and provide the cross which Wilson headed in for his 10th goal of the season. Keogh pulled one back for Charlton, but we held on until half-time. I told the players to guard against complacency; this is the kind of game that we bottle. A few minutes after the second-half started, Hleb raced clean-through on goal after a Fleck through ball and audaciously lobbed the goalkeeper. We dominated the game throughout up until Keogh decided to score again. 3-2 with six minutes to go. We weren't going to bottle a two-goal lead, were we? Gladly, we didn't. We held on despite pressure in the final minutes and acquired another three points on our journey to the Premier League!
View attachment 391064
I was delighted with this result. Nottingham Forest have great firepower and, after Hleb's injury, we were devoid of creativity in the final third. I expected to get walloped, but we were excellent defensively. Taylor pulled off some marvelous saves and Stoor-Seaborne proved to be an exciting centre-back partnership as the two worked in tandem to shut off any movement from two opposing centre-forwards. This was one of those draws where you can't help but to exhale at the final whistle and think, 'wow, how did we not concede?' Stoor won the Player of the Match award, deservedly, and ensured that we would end the month with no losses. Bliss!
View attachment 391062
After just 14 league games, we find ourselves outside of the play-offs on goal difference and seven points off the top. Surely we won't get back-to-back promotions? I would be delirious if that happened due to how thin our squad is and considering the fact we have just been promoted. Regardless, let's savour the strong start to this league season!
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
Our standout performer this month was tough to choose. Hleb was majestic in midfield whereas Stoor ensured that we would concede very little in defence due to his conquering of the box. The Player of the Month ended up going to George Thomas. The 17-year-old cemented his place in the first-team this month and scored two crucial goals, assisting one on the way too. There are still areas of his game that need fine-tuning, but he is an exciting prospect! Hleb and Stoor get honourable mentions, of course.
Great start thus far! I got Coventry promoted in second place despite a blip in form toward the end of the season. Now I am in pre-season and looking to sign some players to do the job for us. It's so tough on such a limited budget! I'm trying to maintain a philosophy of signing domestic players. Just signed Paul Robinson (CB) from Millwall to help solidify the defence as well as tutor the youngsters. Any chance of seeing George Thomas screenshot now that he's had time to develop? I unfortunately didn't get any youth players to shout about so fingers crossed next March will be more fruitful!
MoarFootball
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Let me know how your championship season goes!
New month coming up shortly, here are Thomas' stats:
View attachment 390826
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November - Taking the Championship like a duck to water
November was another great month for us. The Championship has been exciting and tough, yet we have adapted superbly. I just pray that this good run in the league doesn't come to an end. I'm warming to the idea of getting a play-off spot!
November was another great month for us. The Championship has been exciting and tough, yet we have adapted superbly. I just pray that this good run in the league doesn't come to an end. I'm warming to the idea of getting a play-off spot!
View attachment 390819
As you can see, we had another strong month bar the narrow loss. Before the season started, I expected to lose a lot more than I initially have although we have been drawing more frequently. Alas, let's look at the Blackpool result:
View attachment 390817
Hleb keeps on getting injured... Yet he doesn't miss many days, usually 3-9. He is frustratingly injury prone but, I guess it's worth it when he plays with such quality as he has done since joining. This game against Blackpool was actually a hard-fought performance from us. Blackpool pressed us into making errors and restricted our chance creation rate. After finding ourselves 1-0 down up until the 80th minute, we seemed to be heading towards a deserved loss... But I guess we were rewarded for defending expertly for the whole game. Diouf's over-the-top ball to the left-flank was latched onto by Moussa who, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, calmly caressed the ball into the back of the net. I was happy with this point - probably one of the rarest occurrences in FM for myself personally - as we continued to climb up the table.
View attachment 390816
This was another game, much like Blackpool, where we were dominated, pressed and didn't have enough time to execute moments of brilliance in the final third. Unlike Blackpool, though, we did not pinch a goal in the end. Samuel Inkoom's goal came after Maik Taylor stupidly passed the ball to him from a long punt up-field. We lost our first game in a while and needed to move on A.S.A.P!
View attachment 390815
What a superb result against a Wolves side looking strong to achieve back-to-back promotions. We went out seeking for revenge after last season's loss against them which handed them the title and took it away from our reach. We started this game with wind in our sails and, after half an hour, we were 2-0 up! John Fleck scored after Hleb did excellently to win a penalty and Diouf scored a thunderbolt from just outside the box on the right-hand side. He is becoming well-known for this type of goal; the guy is excellent in attack... It's just a shame he has a knack to get suspended. After those two goals, we switched to a calm, possession-based game and allowed the match to simmer. We walked all over Wolves, restricted them to long-range shots and pocketed another 3 points!
View attachment 390814
A lovely way to end the month, comfortably beating one of the lesser sides in the league. This game was interesting because we came up against our hero from last season, Delfouneso! He didn't score, which was great, and ended up being subbed off at half-time... That's what he gets for refusing to return! Diouf, much like in the last game, scored a goal eerily similar to the one described and also went on to assist Hume's headed goal with a good cross. Callum Wilson completed the rout in the 63rd minute after coming on 5 minutes prior for Hume.
View attachment 390813
Well, looky here! We are in the play-off places, with a game in hand, after just 18 games. We will work incredibly hard to remain around those places for the rest of the season. Our goal difference is finally starting to look healthier - we can thank our defence for that... And our attack for remaining consistent throughout.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
El-Hadji Diouf. This man is unbelievably good when he isn't stupidly getting sent off and racking up bookings. If not for that flaw in his game, we would definitely rank him as one of our best players. Diouf is consistently a liability but, for the few times his head is screwed on, he is a genius with the ball at his feet. He is always finding space on the right, delivering pin-point accurate crosses and scoring some aesthetically pleasing virtual goals. He was the standout star in our group of constellations this month!
As you can see, we had another strong month bar the narrow loss. Before the season started, I expected to lose a lot more than I initially have although we have been drawing more frequently. Alas, let's look at the Blackpool result:
View attachment 390817
Hleb keeps on getting injured... Yet he doesn't miss many days, usually 3-9. He is frustratingly injury prone but, I guess it's worth it when he plays with such quality as he has done since joining. This game against Blackpool was actually a hard-fought performance from us. Blackpool pressed us into making errors and restricted our chance creation rate. After finding ourselves 1-0 down up until the 80th minute, we seemed to be heading towards a deserved loss... But I guess we were rewarded for defending expertly for the whole game. Diouf's over-the-top ball to the left-flank was latched onto by Moussa who, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, calmly caressed the ball into the back of the net. I was happy with this point - probably one of the rarest occurrences in FM for myself personally - as we continued to climb up the table.
View attachment 390816
This was another game, much like Blackpool, where we were dominated, pressed and didn't have enough time to execute moments of brilliance in the final third. Unlike Blackpool, though, we did not pinch a goal in the end. Samuel Inkoom's goal came after Maik Taylor stupidly passed the ball to him from a long punt up-field. We lost our first game in a while and needed to move on A.S.A.P!
View attachment 390815
What a superb result against a Wolves side looking strong to achieve back-to-back promotions. We went out seeking for revenge after last season's loss against them which handed them the title and took it away from our reach. We started this game with wind in our sails and, after half an hour, we were 2-0 up! John Fleck scored after Hleb did excellently to win a penalty and Diouf scored a thunderbolt from just outside the box on the right-hand side. He is becoming well-known for this type of goal; the guy is excellent in attack... It's just a shame he has a knack to get suspended. After those two goals, we switched to a calm, possession-based game and allowed the match to simmer. We walked all over Wolves, restricted them to long-range shots and pocketed another 3 points!
View attachment 390814
A lovely way to end the month, comfortably beating one of the lesser sides in the league. This game was interesting because we came up against our hero from last season, Delfouneso! He didn't score, which was great, and ended up being subbed off at half-time... That's what he gets for refusing to return! Diouf, much like in the last game, scored a goal eerily similar to the one described and also went on to assist Hume's headed goal with a good cross. Callum Wilson completed the rout in the 63rd minute after coming on 5 minutes prior for Hume.
View attachment 390813
Well, looky here! We are in the play-off places, with a game in hand, after just 18 games. We will work incredibly hard to remain around those places for the rest of the season. Our goal difference is finally starting to look healthier - we can thank our defence for that... And our attack for remaining consistent throughout.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
El-Hadji Diouf. This man is unbelievably good when he isn't stupidly getting sent off and racking up bookings. If not for that flaw in his game, we would definitely rank him as one of our best players. Diouf is consistently a liability but, for the few times his head is screwed on, he is a genius with the ball at his feet. He is always finding space on the right, delivering pin-point accurate crosses and scoring some aesthetically pleasing virtual goals. He was the standout star in our group of constellations this month!
Wow, don't know whether it is the update or something but he's pants on mine! 2.5* potential and much worse stats!
MoarFootball
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December - We need a new goalkeeper!
This month was a disappointment. Jam-packed with fixtures, poor results, goals galore and calamitous defensive mistakes, I'd say this was a month to forget in an exciting season. Here are this month's results:
View attachment 390429
As you can see, we played 8 games this month - including our game in hand - and dropped a high amount of points. We conceded a painful amount of goals, but it's something I have come to accept. Maik Taylor is only 2* and 42 years of age and Gary Woods is 20, also 2*. We need a new goalkeeper and will definitely address this issue. The defence, when breached, can never trust in the goalkeeper as he ends up cocking up easy saves. Anyways, let's see how our opening game of the month went:
View attachment 390427
One of those results synonymous with us last season. 2-0 up, at one point, yet by the final whistle we find ourselves having dropped points. Hleb was superb in this game and deserved his goal whereas Hume continued to score after a run in the starting XI. Unfortunately, we were unable to hang on and this was partly down to our goalkeeping. Ings' shot, in the 74th minute, went straight at Maik Taylor and into the goal. It was laughable and had me fearing for the worst this month... The worst ended up happening: Taylor & Woods would continue to be let-downs.
View attachment 390421
This was a hard-fought draw where we found ourselves matching Palace in every department except the clinical area. We had chance after chance and continued to spurn them. Stoor's sending off in the 71st minute left us hanging on to dear life and, in the 82nd minute, the Fleck-Seaborne combination from last season re-surfaced: a corner kick from the former, headed in at the near post by the latter. Great stuff, and a decent point.
View attachment 390419
Finally, a win! Just about. Hume opened the scoring after an impressive attack from kick-off. Hume would turn provider 8 minutes later as he played a pass across the box for Wilson to score. Despite our early spurt, the 2 goal curse would come to haunt us the final two minutes of the 1st half. Again, we were looking at dropped points. Moussa came on instantly at half-time as we looked for an influential figure in midfield and, with 12 minutes to go, we found ourselves celebrating after a delightfully curled shot from the aforementioned man. A great goal to deliver the 3 points!
View attachment 390417
AGAIN! IT HAPPENED AGAIN! Maik Taylor went and handed Wigan the three points by making one abysmal attempt at a save - allowed Ivan Ramis to score - and later a ridiculous attempted clearance which fell to Maloney on the edge of the box. This was painful to watch. Fleck continued to perform at a high level, Seaborne scored from a Fleck corner. Josh Wright's injury puts him out for 4 weeks. What an awful result. Moving on...
View attachment 390416
Our game in hand against newly-relegated West Ham United. This was a game lacking in chances, for both sides, as the game got caught in a midfield battle for possession. I didn't want to change anything in case we lost and, I guess, that meant I had to be happy with the result. A point is a point, after all! Especially in a game in hand. I was happy with this as it was a massive improvement on the last game.
View attachment 390415
This was hard to stomach as we outplayed Bournemouth but 1) struggled to finish off the heaps of chances created and 2) had a goalkeeper who enjoys making mistakes. I've never encountered a goalkeeper as bad as Maik Taylor in FM. Genuinely. I know he's not cut for this level but surely that doesn't mean he has to distribute the ball as though he is an amputee? Hume's goal, with 18 minutes to go, gave us a lifeline as we were 2-0 down prior. If he had started, maybe we would have been more clinical - I have found him to have more of an impact in games than Wilson. We continued to push and eventually got hit on the counter. Grabban, from all of 30-yards, scuffed a shot which Taylor decided to push inside his own-goal. I was close to gauging my eyeballs out. This was diabolical. I wanted the month to end!
View attachment 390414
This was another performance to forget. We were genuinely awful all-round and struggled to do much against a powerful Barnsley side.
View attachment 390411
****** ****, we finally won a game! It seemed like ages. I just wanted to continue playing FM until I won... And I guess it paid off! Fleck was unrivaled in his greatness as he scored and assisted two goals. Hume kept up his good record this month and Stoor's return from suspension was marked with a goal. Despite frequent scares from Middlesbrough, we held our own and sealed the month with 3 points.
View attachment 390410
Well, we've dropped down to 10th... But don't let league standings deceive you. We are only one point off the play-offs despite how monumentally **** we were this month. I have a strong feeling that we will push for play-offs this season.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
John Fleck. Fleck scored and assisted heavily this month, as well as picking up two Player of The Match awards. As I've said before, he has made the jump from league one to Championship superbly. His fee has risen from ?475,000 to ?1m which is incredible. After seeing that his contract expired this month, I had to offer him a new one. Him accepting the contract made this month better than it initially was. He extended for an extra two years... Which means he SHOULD play in the Premier League with Coventry before it expires.
View attachment 390407
This month was a disappointment. Jam-packed with fixtures, poor results, goals galore and calamitous defensive mistakes, I'd say this was a month to forget in an exciting season. Here are this month's results:
View attachment 390429
As you can see, we played 8 games this month - including our game in hand - and dropped a high amount of points. We conceded a painful amount of goals, but it's something I have come to accept. Maik Taylor is only 2* and 42 years of age and Gary Woods is 20, also 2*. We need a new goalkeeper and will definitely address this issue. The defence, when breached, can never trust in the goalkeeper as he ends up cocking up easy saves. Anyways, let's see how our opening game of the month went:
View attachment 390427
One of those results synonymous with us last season. 2-0 up, at one point, yet by the final whistle we find ourselves having dropped points. Hleb was superb in this game and deserved his goal whereas Hume continued to score after a run in the starting XI. Unfortunately, we were unable to hang on and this was partly down to our goalkeeping. Ings' shot, in the 74th minute, went straight at Maik Taylor and into the goal. It was laughable and had me fearing for the worst this month... The worst ended up happening: Taylor & Woods would continue to be let-downs.
View attachment 390421
This was a hard-fought draw where we found ourselves matching Palace in every department except the clinical area. We had chance after chance and continued to spurn them. Stoor's sending off in the 71st minute left us hanging on to dear life and, in the 82nd minute, the Fleck-Seaborne combination from last season re-surfaced: a corner kick from the former, headed in at the near post by the latter. Great stuff, and a decent point.
View attachment 390419
Finally, a win! Just about. Hume opened the scoring after an impressive attack from kick-off. Hume would turn provider 8 minutes later as he played a pass across the box for Wilson to score. Despite our early spurt, the 2 goal curse would come to haunt us the final two minutes of the 1st half. Again, we were looking at dropped points. Moussa came on instantly at half-time as we looked for an influential figure in midfield and, with 12 minutes to go, we found ourselves celebrating after a delightfully curled shot from the aforementioned man. A great goal to deliver the 3 points!
View attachment 390417
AGAIN! IT HAPPENED AGAIN! Maik Taylor went and handed Wigan the three points by making one abysmal attempt at a save - allowed Ivan Ramis to score - and later a ridiculous attempted clearance which fell to Maloney on the edge of the box. This was painful to watch. Fleck continued to perform at a high level, Seaborne scored from a Fleck corner. Josh Wright's injury puts him out for 4 weeks. What an awful result. Moving on...
View attachment 390416
Our game in hand against newly-relegated West Ham United. This was a game lacking in chances, for both sides, as the game got caught in a midfield battle for possession. I didn't want to change anything in case we lost and, I guess, that meant I had to be happy with the result. A point is a point, after all! Especially in a game in hand. I was happy with this as it was a massive improvement on the last game.
View attachment 390415
This was hard to stomach as we outplayed Bournemouth but 1) struggled to finish off the heaps of chances created and 2) had a goalkeeper who enjoys making mistakes. I've never encountered a goalkeeper as bad as Maik Taylor in FM. Genuinely. I know he's not cut for this level but surely that doesn't mean he has to distribute the ball as though he is an amputee? Hume's goal, with 18 minutes to go, gave us a lifeline as we were 2-0 down prior. If he had started, maybe we would have been more clinical - I have found him to have more of an impact in games than Wilson. We continued to push and eventually got hit on the counter. Grabban, from all of 30-yards, scuffed a shot which Taylor decided to push inside his own-goal. I was close to gauging my eyeballs out. This was diabolical. I wanted the month to end!
View attachment 390414
This was another performance to forget. We were genuinely awful all-round and struggled to do much against a powerful Barnsley side.
View attachment 390411
****** ****, we finally won a game! It seemed like ages. I just wanted to continue playing FM until I won... And I guess it paid off! Fleck was unrivaled in his greatness as he scored and assisted two goals. Hume kept up his good record this month and Stoor's return from suspension was marked with a goal. Despite frequent scares from Middlesbrough, we held our own and sealed the month with 3 points.
View attachment 390410
Well, we've dropped down to 10th... But don't let league standings deceive you. We are only one point off the play-offs despite how monumentally **** we were this month. I have a strong feeling that we will push for play-offs this season.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
John Fleck. Fleck scored and assisted heavily this month, as well as picking up two Player of The Match awards. As I've said before, he has made the jump from league one to Championship superbly. His fee has risen from ?475,000 to ?1m which is incredible. After seeing that his contract expired this month, I had to offer him a new one. Him accepting the contract made this month better than it initially was. He extended for an extra two years... Which means he SHOULD play in the Premier League with Coventry before it expires.
View attachment 390407
MoarFootball
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Look earlier in the thread, around the first month of this second season. It's a 4-4-1-1.
MoarFootball
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January - A reinforcement & some decent results!
January saw us finally sign a goalkeeper - Ben Hamer - on a free and send quite a few fringe players out on loan: Slager, Willis, Phillips. Aside from the transfers, we also had some great results and performances. Let's take a look at Ben Hamer and then our league results for this month:
January saw us finally sign a goalkeeper - Ben Hamer - on a free and send quite a few fringe players out on loan: Slager, Willis, Phillips. Aside from the transfers, we also had some great results and performances. Let's take a look at Ben Hamer and then our league results for this month:
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Here is Ben Hamer, our new #1 goalkeeper. Hamer joined on a free, is of a decent age and great for this level. Eventually, I will have him dropped to 2nd choice and Woods as 3rd choice; Maik Taylor SHOULD retire at the end of this season. This enables us to sign a great 1st choice, have a capable 2nd choice and a young 3rd. Let's see how Hamer got on in his first month of football for Coventry:
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Our first FA Cup game of the season. We were excellent in the competition last season, making it to the 6th round only to lose to Manchester City. This season, I'm aiming to draw a big club again. I relish the challenge of scalping a big club; this season is no different. By 21 minutes, we were already 2-0 up and down to 10 men. A fantastic start to the game was set in stone when Fleck's corner was headed in by Seaborne. A few minutes later, Callum Wilson would head in from a Hleb cross. Diouf found himself taking an early shower after his second sending off of the season. He's such a frustrating player. We continued to dominate, even with ten men down, and only caved in with two minutes to go after Jackson scored a free-kick. We're through to the second round where we play Sunderland, who knocked out Tottenham Hotspur.
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This was a tough game against a Leeds side who had already beaten us 5-0 earlier in the season. I set up to exploit their poor defence, and did so. Unfortunately, that meant sacrificing our defensive solidity. Our youngster, George Thomas, put in a sensational performance as he scored fantastically finished goals. Leeds pegged us back at first, and then it was us who did the pegging back. A cagey, exciting game. One point added to the tally!
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What a performance! 19 minutes in and we had already seen 4 goals fly in, albeit one towards Ipswich. Fleck had another mesmerising game as he scored two and assisted one. George Thomas scored once again. He is sensational for such a young age and is beginning to adapt well to the side. I was considering loaning him out, but have kept him because he plays so well. 3 quick points!
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An important victory, and well-fought for, too. Brighton defended expertly and we struggled massively to break them down. Alas, Hume replacing Wilson brought forward an outlet to win the game. Hume's link-up play with George Thomas was excellent and, in the end, paid dividends as George Thomas played a simple pass to Hume who broke past a few Brighton players and calmly finished past the goalkeeper. 3 points, right at the end, we'll take that!
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Our FA Cup 4th round game against Sunderland, the club who beat us 1-0 earlier in the season. This was a superb and clinical performance. We had 5 shots all game and three of those were goals. All three goals coming from Callum Wilson, who ran riot against Sunderland. Wilson can't stop scoring and has made us forget completely about Donnelly and Delfouneso of the season past. Hleb got injured, again, and would miss 12 days. Sunderland's late goal would prove to be a consolation at best. We progress to the 5th round, where we fortuitously drew Brighton! Here's to a long run in the cup!
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This was an excruciatingly poor result. Ben Hamer scored an own-goal, which was probably karma for me slating our past goalkeepers, despite playing superbly all month. Two own-goals were scored in this game and, after a frantic first-half, we had already lost. Annoying.
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Another loss and a sad way to end such a good month. This game lacked chances and Reading were quite fortuitous with their goal - coming from a corner kick - and defended that lead for the remainder of the half. What a poor way to end the month. Let's see the league table:
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We're still in the play-off places with 15 league games to play. We're taking it game by game but it's hard not to get excited at the prospect of a play-off place.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
George Thomas. The youngster created a couple of goals and scored three this month as he outshone every single one of our first-team players. But, it's not only me who believed he was great this month:
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Here is Ben Hamer, our new #1 goalkeeper. Hamer joined on a free, is of a decent age and great for this level. Eventually, I will have him dropped to 2nd choice and Woods as 3rd choice; Maik Taylor SHOULD retire at the end of this season. This enables us to sign a great 1st choice, have a capable 2nd choice and a young 3rd. Let's see how Hamer got on in his first month of football for Coventry:
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Our first FA Cup game of the season. We were excellent in the competition last season, making it to the 6th round only to lose to Manchester City. This season, I'm aiming to draw a big club again. I relish the challenge of scalping a big club; this season is no different. By 21 minutes, we were already 2-0 up and down to 10 men. A fantastic start to the game was set in stone when Fleck's corner was headed in by Seaborne. A few minutes later, Callum Wilson would head in from a Hleb cross. Diouf found himself taking an early shower after his second sending off of the season. He's such a frustrating player. We continued to dominate, even with ten men down, and only caved in with two minutes to go after Jackson scored a free-kick. We're through to the second round where we play Sunderland, who knocked out Tottenham Hotspur.
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This was a tough game against a Leeds side who had already beaten us 5-0 earlier in the season. I set up to exploit their poor defence, and did so. Unfortunately, that meant sacrificing our defensive solidity. Our youngster, George Thomas, put in a sensational performance as he scored fantastically finished goals. Leeds pegged us back at first, and then it was us who did the pegging back. A cagey, exciting game. One point added to the tally!
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What a performance! 19 minutes in and we had already seen 4 goals fly in, albeit one towards Ipswich. Fleck had another mesmerising game as he scored two and assisted one. George Thomas scored once again. He is sensational for such a young age and is beginning to adapt well to the side. I was considering loaning him out, but have kept him because he plays so well. 3 quick points!
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An important victory, and well-fought for, too. Brighton defended expertly and we struggled massively to break them down. Alas, Hume replacing Wilson brought forward an outlet to win the game. Hume's link-up play with George Thomas was excellent and, in the end, paid dividends as George Thomas played a simple pass to Hume who broke past a few Brighton players and calmly finished past the goalkeeper. 3 points, right at the end, we'll take that!
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Our FA Cup 4th round game against Sunderland, the club who beat us 1-0 earlier in the season. This was a superb and clinical performance. We had 5 shots all game and three of those were goals. All three goals coming from Callum Wilson, who ran riot against Sunderland. Wilson can't stop scoring and has made us forget completely about Donnelly and Delfouneso of the season past. Hleb got injured, again, and would miss 12 days. Sunderland's late goal would prove to be a consolation at best. We progress to the 5th round, where we fortuitously drew Brighton! Here's to a long run in the cup!
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This was an excruciatingly poor result. Ben Hamer scored an own-goal, which was probably karma for me slating our past goalkeepers, despite playing superbly all month. Two own-goals were scored in this game and, after a frantic first-half, we had already lost. Annoying.
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Another loss and a sad way to end such a good month. This game lacked chances and Reading were quite fortuitous with their goal - coming from a corner kick - and defended that lead for the remainder of the half. What a poor way to end the month. Let's see the league table:
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We're still in the play-off places with 15 league games to play. We're taking it game by game but it's hard not to get excited at the prospect of a play-off place.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
George Thomas. The youngster created a couple of goals and scored three this month as he outshone every single one of our first-team players. But, it's not only me who believed he was great this month:
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Did you get taken over after your promotion to the Champ? I am really struggling as I can not sign ANYONE (or offer new contracts) in the window immediately after promotion. Can't even get any loan players in as all clubs are demanding contributions each month which my board will not offer. I sense a real struggle for me this year!
MoarFootball
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Yeah, we were taken over and given a decent sum of cash which allowed us to sign a few free agents and loanees
Just after posting I got taken over by a Finnish businessman who pumped my wage budget up from ?50k to ?300k. Adjusted the budget and I have a LOT of room to manoeuvre in the transfer market
MoarFootball
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February - Consistency is a huge problem
Overall, I'd say February was a decent month with one fantastic result. I'm feeling less hopefully about getting a play-off place and even more-so about how we would perform if we even got into the play-offs. We're taking it game by game, not setting any reactive targets. My initial target was a mid-table finish, ideally 12th or above. We're well on course to achieving that, so let's stick with it.
Overall, I'd say February was a decent month with one fantastic result. I'm feeling less hopefully about getting a play-off place and even more-so about how we would perform if we even got into the play-offs. We're taking it game by game, not setting any reactive targets. My initial target was a mid-table finish, ideally 12th or above. We're well on course to achieving that, so let's stick with it.
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As you can see, we are struggling to string a good series of results together. It's always lose, win, lose, win draw. An annoying sequence. The standout result this month was our win over Brighton in the FA Cup! We are now in the 6th round... Keep reading to find out who we drew.
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Top of the league Blackburn outplayed us. I wasn't expecting much and, thanks to Ben Hamer, the scoreline did not reflect how well Blackburn played. Our only goal - courtesy of Moussa - was one of our two shots on target all game. Blackburn dominated the entire game and were deserving of their triumph and three points.
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We're through to the 6th round! Again! I love the FA Cup with Coventry. It feels great to reach a point where all the big boys are and look towards causing some upsets. I wanted another Championship side when the draw for the 6th round came along... Unfortunately, we drew Liverpool! Not really unfortunate, though, as I do relish the opportunities of beating a top side. Plus we're playing at home. Anyways, this game was won even before the whistle was blown for the second-half to commence. We were superb, utterly dominated and only conceded because of a lousy set-piece. Four goals, four different scorers. A free-kick goal, a headed goal from a corner, a patented Diouf strike from an acute angle and a calm finish inside the box marked the differences between us and Brighton.
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The less said about this game, the better. 9 minutes in and we were 2-0 down, thanks to two Nathaniel Chalobah free-kicks. Set-pieces have really screwed us over despite the focus on defending them in training. Taarabt would seal the three points with a wonder goal from about 28 yards, cannoning off the crossbar. We lost in the league. Again.
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We've done the treble over Millwall! Two league wins and a win in the FA Cup. This game was closer than the previous two, but mainly because we struggled to create chances. Millwall struggled too and scored twice, only for the two goals to be ruled offside. Fleck scored from the penalty spot - a recurring theme since I joined Coventry. Fleck has yet to miss a penalty. Our star man delivered the 3 points today.
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Another ****-poor performance and another own-goal to rub the salt in our wounds. Despite taking an early lead and dominating, Bolton would go on to hit us with two lethal counter-attacks. They were clinical throughout whereas we struggled to finish the heaps of chances created. Thankfully, we didn't register a loss to end the month. Wilson grabbed the equaliser with 10 minutes to go.
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We've slipped away from the play-off places and now find ourselves five points adrift of the final play-off spot. We can still make it but the problem is that, without consistency, that is pretty much impossible. We can score goals, no problem, but we continue to concede heaps no matter how much focus there is on defending.
As you can see, we are struggling to string a good series of results together. It's always lose, win, lose, win draw. An annoying sequence. The standout result this month was our win over Brighton in the FA Cup! We are now in the 6th round... Keep reading to find out who we drew.
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Top of the league Blackburn outplayed us. I wasn't expecting much and, thanks to Ben Hamer, the scoreline did not reflect how well Blackburn played. Our only goal - courtesy of Moussa - was one of our two shots on target all game. Blackburn dominated the entire game and were deserving of their triumph and three points.
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We're through to the 6th round! Again! I love the FA Cup with Coventry. It feels great to reach a point where all the big boys are and look towards causing some upsets. I wanted another Championship side when the draw for the 6th round came along... Unfortunately, we drew Liverpool! Not really unfortunate, though, as I do relish the opportunities of beating a top side. Plus we're playing at home. Anyways, this game was won even before the whistle was blown for the second-half to commence. We were superb, utterly dominated and only conceded because of a lousy set-piece. Four goals, four different scorers. A free-kick goal, a headed goal from a corner, a patented Diouf strike from an acute angle and a calm finish inside the box marked the differences between us and Brighton.
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The less said about this game, the better. 9 minutes in and we were 2-0 down, thanks to two Nathaniel Chalobah free-kicks. Set-pieces have really screwed us over despite the focus on defending them in training. Taarabt would seal the three points with a wonder goal from about 28 yards, cannoning off the crossbar. We lost in the league. Again.
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We've done the treble over Millwall! Two league wins and a win in the FA Cup. This game was closer than the previous two, but mainly because we struggled to create chances. Millwall struggled too and scored twice, only for the two goals to be ruled offside. Fleck scored from the penalty spot - a recurring theme since I joined Coventry. Fleck has yet to miss a penalty. Our star man delivered the 3 points today.
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Another ****-poor performance and another own-goal to rub the salt in our wounds. Despite taking an early lead and dominating, Bolton would go on to hit us with two lethal counter-attacks. They were clinical throughout whereas we struggled to finish the heaps of chances created. Thankfully, we didn't register a loss to end the month. Wilson grabbed the equaliser with 10 minutes to go.
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We've slipped away from the play-off places and now find ourselves five points adrift of the final play-off spot. We can still make it but the problem is that, without consistency, that is pretty much impossible. We can score goals, no problem, but we continue to concede heaps no matter how much focus there is on defending.
MoarFootball
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March - Getting closer to the play-offs!
March was a month packed with some great results, an FA Cup game against Liverpool and also my 100th game as Coventry manager. We're still pushing for a play-off place although it's starting to slip away. I still believe we can grasp the final play-off spot. Also, it's worth nothing that Daniel Johnson, a central-midfielder from Aston Villa who we had loaned in at the start of the season, has now left the club. I didn't enjoy paying his wages and getting poor performances in return. He was really surplus to requirements and his departure did free up the wage bill, enabling us to appoint some new fitness coaches. Without further ado, let's look at those results:
March was a month packed with some great results, an FA Cup game against Liverpool and also my 100th game as Coventry manager. We're still pushing for a play-off place although it's starting to slip away. I still believe we can grasp the final play-off spot. Also, it's worth nothing that Daniel Johnson, a central-midfielder from Aston Villa who we had loaned in at the start of the season, has now left the club. I didn't enjoy paying his wages and getting poor performances in return. He was really surplus to requirements and his departure did free up the wage bill, enabling us to appoint some new fitness coaches. Without further ado, let's look at those results:
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As you can see, we played six games including FA Cup. Without spoiling what happened in the games with a brief overview, let's look at the Charlton result first:
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This was a cagey game, to say the least. Our away form has been devastating this season so it is crucial that, with the few remaining league games, that we begin to win away from home; starting from this game. George Thomas' headed goal in the 43rd minute proved the difference in a game that saw both defences perform at a high level.
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Another big team in the cup, another 4-1 loss where we actually played well. Fleck's missed penalty allowed Liverpool to run rampant but, prior to that, we were well in the game after Hume's goal. Suarez destroyed our defence, scoring four goals. We're out of the cup, but our run was fantastic!
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Hume has stepped up massively this month. For some odd reason, Wilson's goals have dried up which could actually contribute to why we are winning games by the slimmest of margins. Despite the early scare from a Scapuzzi goal - a player who I am looking to sign for next season - we actually controlled the game. A Hume double either side of half-time secured the three points.
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What. A. Result. Top of the league Nottingham Forest came tumbling down in their visit to the Sixfields Stadium. This was a game which saw us absorb plenty of Forest attacks; we defended excellently. Kudos to our defence, they have improved drastically this month (despite the Liverpool game which, to be fair, can be excused due to the gulf in quality). A John Fleck penalty was enough to deliver the three points and end Forest's lengthy unbeaten run.
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Another away win! We're finally improving in that area at the right time. A tight half saw its deadlock broken when Blackpool player, Halstead, turned in a Cyrus Christie cross into his own goal. Blair Adams, early into the second-half, would race down his flank and into the box to double our lead. Ex-Coventry striker, Rory Donnelly, scored to apply some pressure for the final 17 minutes but we held on.
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What a horrible way to end the month, especially because we were the better side throughout. Despite his goal, Callum Wilson was dire in front of goal. He missed chance, after chance and kept wildly swinging at shots. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I'm glad that Hume has stepped up this month. Doncaster destroyed us on the counter and took advantage of our profligacy. A loss to end the month left a sour taste in our mouth after so many good results this month.
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Three points off the play-offs, which I am happy with. The dream is still attainable! I set myself a maximum of four seasons to get to the Premier League and am close to doing so in the minimum of two! We may still miss out but, regardless, this has been a superb season (aside from the shoddy results). Unfortunately, that Doncaster loss was in my 100th game in charge. What a bummer.
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PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
Iain Hume. Hume performed excellently in Wilson's absence of goals and assists. Hume accumulated three goals this month, which isn't the greatest, but he also contributed two assists. He lead the line superbly and brought others into play. He is the reason we are still in contention for the play-offs as this month was make or break.
As you can see, we played six games including FA Cup. Without spoiling what happened in the games with a brief overview, let's look at the Charlton result first:
View attachment 388964
This was a cagey game, to say the least. Our away form has been devastating this season so it is crucial that, with the few remaining league games, that we begin to win away from home; starting from this game. George Thomas' headed goal in the 43rd minute proved the difference in a game that saw both defences perform at a high level.
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Another big team in the cup, another 4-1 loss where we actually played well. Fleck's missed penalty allowed Liverpool to run rampant but, prior to that, we were well in the game after Hume's goal. Suarez destroyed our defence, scoring four goals. We're out of the cup, but our run was fantastic!
View attachment 388962
Hume has stepped up massively this month. For some odd reason, Wilson's goals have dried up which could actually contribute to why we are winning games by the slimmest of margins. Despite the early scare from a Scapuzzi goal - a player who I am looking to sign for next season - we actually controlled the game. A Hume double either side of half-time secured the three points.
View attachment 388961
What. A. Result. Top of the league Nottingham Forest came tumbling down in their visit to the Sixfields Stadium. This was a game which saw us absorb plenty of Forest attacks; we defended excellently. Kudos to our defence, they have improved drastically this month (despite the Liverpool game which, to be fair, can be excused due to the gulf in quality). A John Fleck penalty was enough to deliver the three points and end Forest's lengthy unbeaten run.
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Another away win! We're finally improving in that area at the right time. A tight half saw its deadlock broken when Blackpool player, Halstead, turned in a Cyrus Christie cross into his own goal. Blair Adams, early into the second-half, would race down his flank and into the box to double our lead. Ex-Coventry striker, Rory Donnelly, scored to apply some pressure for the final 17 minutes but we held on.
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What a horrible way to end the month, especially because we were the better side throughout. Despite his goal, Callum Wilson was dire in front of goal. He missed chance, after chance and kept wildly swinging at shots. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I'm glad that Hume has stepped up this month. Doncaster destroyed us on the counter and took advantage of our profligacy. A loss to end the month left a sour taste in our mouth after so many good results this month.
View attachment 388958
Three points off the play-offs, which I am happy with. The dream is still attainable! I set myself a maximum of four seasons to get to the Premier League and am close to doing so in the minimum of two! We may still miss out but, regardless, this has been a superb season (aside from the shoddy results). Unfortunately, that Doncaster loss was in my 100th game in charge. What a bummer.
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PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
Iain Hume. Hume performed excellently in Wilson's absence of goals and assists. Hume accumulated three goals this month, which isn't the greatest, but he also contributed two assists. He lead the line superbly and brought others into play. He is the reason we are still in contention for the play-offs as this month was make or break.
MoarFootball
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April - The final push!
We are so, so close to the play-offs. We can almost smell it! Let's see how this month went. Have we secured play-offs, or missed out?
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Well, what an amazing month (bar that final result). We beat teams around us (West Ham, Sunderland) and those firmly below us. Our loss came against 20th placed Brentford - abysmal.
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After an awful start, we picked ourselves up superbly in the second-half. A two goal salvage from John Fleck and substitute Alexandr Hleb was enough to see us overcome a tough opponent away from home. We're starting to win away games when it matters most. Fleck is superb from penalties, and has been all season.
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Well, wow. What a dramatic way to end the game. We dominated throughout and, when Wickham scored, we felt let down by our defence. This was their only shot on target all game. George Thomas, our youngster, came on with ten minutes to go. I didn't expect much, but he delivered. As he has done all season. His sumptuous volley in the 88th minute left me with my jaw-dropped. I was jubilant. Three points against the team who were three points ahead of us, occupying the final play-off place.
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We ran rampant in this game. We scored three, but we were also sound defensively. What let us down were the set-pieces, again. But, by the time Burnley had exploited our defensive frailty, we were already three goals to the good. Thomas picked up where he left off and wide-men, Diouf and Moussa, scored either side of half-time.
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Another game, another win. We have found form when it matters most. George Thomas and Diouf scored again - they have been two of our best players this season - and undisputed 1st choice left-back, Blair Adams, killed of Palace's hopes of a comeback on the stroke of half-time. Thomas, unfortunately, picked up an injury which would rule him out of the Brentford game.
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What an awful way to end such a fantastic month. Brentford, in the relegation zone, put us to the sword in just under 50 minutes. Grigg was too hard to defend against and, consequently, scored a hat-trick. We had next-to-no highlights and deserved to lose. Hleb's injury would rule him out for the final game of the season against Wigan. At least Thomas would be back for that game.
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We're there, pretty much. Avoid a loss next month against Wigan and we are in the play-offs. We have worked hard this season, performed superbly at times and played out of our skin. I'm over the moon with the save, regardless of if we win in the play-offs or not.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
George Thomas. Our youngster has had a sensational season, but this month was a great one for him. Three goals, including a late winner, and two assists meant that he was the best player of the month. His finishing ability is, dare I say, better than Wilson's. I may loan him out next season if promotion occurs, but we will see.
We are so, so close to the play-offs. We can almost smell it! Let's see how this month went. Have we secured play-offs, or missed out?
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Well, what an amazing month (bar that final result). We beat teams around us (West Ham, Sunderland) and those firmly below us. Our loss came against 20th placed Brentford - abysmal.
View attachment 388692
After an awful start, we picked ourselves up superbly in the second-half. A two goal salvage from John Fleck and substitute Alexandr Hleb was enough to see us overcome a tough opponent away from home. We're starting to win away games when it matters most. Fleck is superb from penalties, and has been all season.
View attachment 388691
Well, wow. What a dramatic way to end the game. We dominated throughout and, when Wickham scored, we felt let down by our defence. This was their only shot on target all game. George Thomas, our youngster, came on with ten minutes to go. I didn't expect much, but he delivered. As he has done all season. His sumptuous volley in the 88th minute left me with my jaw-dropped. I was jubilant. Three points against the team who were three points ahead of us, occupying the final play-off place.
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We ran rampant in this game. We scored three, but we were also sound defensively. What let us down were the set-pieces, again. But, by the time Burnley had exploited our defensive frailty, we were already three goals to the good. Thomas picked up where he left off and wide-men, Diouf and Moussa, scored either side of half-time.
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Another game, another win. We have found form when it matters most. George Thomas and Diouf scored again - they have been two of our best players this season - and undisputed 1st choice left-back, Blair Adams, killed of Palace's hopes of a comeback on the stroke of half-time. Thomas, unfortunately, picked up an injury which would rule him out of the Brentford game.
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What an awful way to end such a fantastic month. Brentford, in the relegation zone, put us to the sword in just under 50 minutes. Grigg was too hard to defend against and, consequently, scored a hat-trick. We had next-to-no highlights and deserved to lose. Hleb's injury would rule him out for the final game of the season against Wigan. At least Thomas would be back for that game.
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We're there, pretty much. Avoid a loss next month against Wigan and we are in the play-offs. We have worked hard this season, performed superbly at times and played out of our skin. I'm over the moon with the save, regardless of if we win in the play-offs or not.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH:
George Thomas. Our youngster has had a sensational season, but this month was a great one for him. Three goals, including a late winner, and two assists meant that he was the best player of the month. His finishing ability is, dare I say, better than Wilson's. I may loan him out next season if promotion occurs, but we will see.
MoarFootball
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May - Our final league game... And the play-offs!
So, *spoiler alert*, we are in the play-offs. And, by looking at the next screen shot, you will see if we have made it to the Premier League or not. Without further ado, let's see:
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WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE! WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!
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All we needed to do was avoid a loss. And that's what we did. We are now in the play-offs, what else can I say?
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What a painful result. I genuinely felt so dejected after this result. Why? An early flurry of goals conceded, including an own-goal, and then a penalty to award Forest a 1st leg win. Despite goals from Moussa and Wilson, we lost. The second leg would prove to be tense. Ben Hamer's poor performance in the final few games meant that I opted for 20-year-old, five-season appearance, Gary Woods for the 2nd leg and final! Let's see how that turned out:
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Wow! We are through to the final! This was so, so intense. Christie's first-half goal was enough to bring us level, but it was noticeable that both sides were too scared to make the next move. We went all the way to penalties. We didn't miss once. All 11 penalties were scored, but the drama lay here: Gary Woods, our 20-year old goalkeeper, stepped up to take the 11th penalty. He scored emphatically, and then went back in between the sticks and saved Darlow's penalty. I went bonkers. We were one game of football away from the Premier League!
View attachment 388678
This was, hands down, the most infuriating, gut-wrenching game I have ever played on Football Manager. A true test of how much of an attachment you grow to a football side on a video game. 18 minutes had just been clocked up when we found ourselves 3-0 up. I was jumping for joy, genuinely ecstatic. But then it all went downhill. Diouf scored an own-goal from a corner, Altidore scored a header from a corner and Ethan Robson scored a tap-in from a long throw-in. Three goals conceded, three from set-pieces. I was shattered, and I picked up a splitting headache due to the stress this game put me through. Once again, we found ourselves in extra-time. In the 109th minute, I subbed on Hleb and Carl Baker - who had returned from loan to play his 4th game of the season. Low and behold, 6 minutes later, Carl Baker slipped in a fantastic through-ball to Hleb who, fresh off the bench, sprinted past two Sunderland defenders and lashed a shot past Mannone. I went berserk. Utterly euphoric, as though I was the one on the touchline. Back-to-back promotion. I could not believe it. With such a tight budget and thin squad, this was amazing. We did it.
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Concrete proof that we have done it. Coventry are a Premier League football club.
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Two seasons, two Manager of the Year awards. Deservedly so.
View attachment 388674
Fleck in the Team of the Year.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON:
JOHN FLECK. Fleck had a superb season, scoring and assisting some vitally important goals. He is the reason why we are in the Premier League, and boy do I hope he stays here for another season. Fleck amassed 18 goals - four less than top scorer Wilson - and assisted 14. He was the top assist maker with one assist more than Diouf. The other contenders for player of the season were: Diouf, Christie, Wilson. All in all, every player was excellent this season apart from loanee Daniel Johnson and Maik Taylor. Josh Wright, our only other loanee, had a decent season. He wasn't great, but he most certainly was not bad. I won't be looking to sign him permanently as he is way below Premier League level. Hleb and Diouf will be leaving as I only had them on a one-year contract. Maybe they will return, who knows? Right now, I'm relishing the idea of Premier League football and signing new players. One last time: what an incredible season. I wanted a mid-table finish, ideally, and gradually adjusted my targets. I never really wanted to get my hopes up for back-to-back promotions, in case it let me down on a personal level, but we achieved it. -10 points in the 1st season, and media prediction to finish 14th in the second season. I wonder what's in store for our 3rd season - the Premier League. Until then, goodbye!
So, *spoiler alert*, we are in the play-offs. And, by looking at the next screen shot, you will see if we have made it to the Premier League or not. Without further ado, let's see:
View attachment 388682
WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE! WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!
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All we needed to do was avoid a loss. And that's what we did. We are now in the play-offs, what else can I say?
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What a painful result. I genuinely felt so dejected after this result. Why? An early flurry of goals conceded, including an own-goal, and then a penalty to award Forest a 1st leg win. Despite goals from Moussa and Wilson, we lost. The second leg would prove to be tense. Ben Hamer's poor performance in the final few games meant that I opted for 20-year-old, five-season appearance, Gary Woods for the 2nd leg and final! Let's see how that turned out:
View attachment 388679
Wow! We are through to the final! This was so, so intense. Christie's first-half goal was enough to bring us level, but it was noticeable that both sides were too scared to make the next move. We went all the way to penalties. We didn't miss once. All 11 penalties were scored, but the drama lay here: Gary Woods, our 20-year old goalkeeper, stepped up to take the 11th penalty. He scored emphatically, and then went back in between the sticks and saved Darlow's penalty. I went bonkers. We were one game of football away from the Premier League!
View attachment 388678
This was, hands down, the most infuriating, gut-wrenching game I have ever played on Football Manager. A true test of how much of an attachment you grow to a football side on a video game. 18 minutes had just been clocked up when we found ourselves 3-0 up. I was jumping for joy, genuinely ecstatic. But then it all went downhill. Diouf scored an own-goal from a corner, Altidore scored a header from a corner and Ethan Robson scored a tap-in from a long throw-in. Three goals conceded, three from set-pieces. I was shattered, and I picked up a splitting headache due to the stress this game put me through. Once again, we found ourselves in extra-time. In the 109th minute, I subbed on Hleb and Carl Baker - who had returned from loan to play his 4th game of the season. Low and behold, 6 minutes later, Carl Baker slipped in a fantastic through-ball to Hleb who, fresh off the bench, sprinted past two Sunderland defenders and lashed a shot past Mannone. I went berserk. Utterly euphoric, as though I was the one on the touchline. Back-to-back promotion. I could not believe it. With such a tight budget and thin squad, this was amazing. We did it.
View attachment 388676
Concrete proof that we have done it. Coventry are a Premier League football club.
View attachment 388675
Two seasons, two Manager of the Year awards. Deservedly so.
View attachment 388674
Fleck in the Team of the Year.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON:
JOHN FLECK. Fleck had a superb season, scoring and assisting some vitally important goals. He is the reason why we are in the Premier League, and boy do I hope he stays here for another season. Fleck amassed 18 goals - four less than top scorer Wilson - and assisted 14. He was the top assist maker with one assist more than Diouf. The other contenders for player of the season were: Diouf, Christie, Wilson. All in all, every player was excellent this season apart from loanee Daniel Johnson and Maik Taylor. Josh Wright, our only other loanee, had a decent season. He wasn't great, but he most certainly was not bad. I won't be looking to sign him permanently as he is way below Premier League level. Hleb and Diouf will be leaving as I only had them on a one-year contract. Maybe they will return, who knows? Right now, I'm relishing the idea of Premier League football and signing new players. One last time: what an incredible season. I wanted a mid-table finish, ideally, and gradually adjusted my targets. I never really wanted to get my hopes up for back-to-back promotions, in case it let me down on a personal level, but we achieved it. -10 points in the 1st season, and media prediction to finish 14th in the second season. I wonder what's in store for our 3rd season - the Premier League. Until then, goodbye!