Chelsea Story - A Stamford Bridge Legacy at Last

[samillyroy]

I'll start by explaining the objectives of my story. I think this season, more so than ever with the lack of depth had in previous years, Chelsea are a good challenge for FM12 and as they are the team I support, I always make it my first challenge on a new football manager game.
I will probably only be doing one season of this story and see how many trophies I can win, but there will be plenty of detail to enjoy throughout nevertheless. It'll be done mostly from a third person point of view, i.e. from the media, but you'll understand the layout as the story progresses. For starters, here's the first press conference...

- - - - -

7th July 2011
CHELSEA NAME FORMER YOUTH TEAM COACH AS FIRST TEAM MANAGER​

The Chelsea hierarchy made a bold decision this afternoon in replacing Ancelotti with a rookie.

Ultimately I'm here to bring success, so in that sense, of course I do feel pressure

It was a milestone day in Chelsea and English football's history today as 25-year old [--] became the youngest manager in top-flight history. Having spent a meagre 5 years in the capacity as coach in and around Stamford Bridge, the London-based club decided that Illyroy would be the man to take over from Ancelotti and move Chelsea forward.

In a bright interview at the Stamford Bridge press room, Chelsea announced this step in a new direction, and it's certainly a direction bound to cause a lot of controversy. With no real managerial credentials, it's definitely an unprecedented move from Chelsea's Russian oligarch, but the board seemed convinced they had found the right man:
"We looked around the world at potential candidates for the job. We were looking for vibrancy, good ideas, communication and we believe we've found these ingredients. We're not expecting instant results, as such. This move is about evolution, not revolution and we think it will prove to be a wise move."

The man himself strode into the room, well dressed and looking confident in preperation for what was sure to be a daunting press conference: "You're the new Chelsea manager Illyroy, welcome and best of luck. Given the owners past record, do you feel under pressure to produce instant success?"

"Ultimately, that's what I'm here to do so yes, in that sense, of course I feel under pressure. But we're taking a new direction at this club and the fully support the philosophy and ideas that I wish to implement. This is quite rightly one of the biggest clubs in world football, so there will be no backward steps in order to move forward."

When asked about his squad, and in particular the enigma that is Fernando Torres, he replied:
"We have a fantastic squad, and I believe it is currently undergoing a transition. I don't believe we need any new additions at this point as I'm satisfied with the depth that we possess.
I can assure you that Fernando will be a key player for us this season, for sure. He has all the strengths and has proven that he can be a top striker. I think to get the best out of him we have to play to his strengths, and that's what will be happening.
Speaking about myself, I am committed and driven toward achieving the goals we have set ourselves, and as a Chelsea supporter myself, the fans can be utterly convinced of my determination and desire to bring success. I can't wait to meet the new players here and sit in that dugout for the first time."

Chelsea FC have taken a major gamble. Clearly a talented coach sat before us at Stamford Bridge today but, thrown in at the deep end by the board, will he sink or swim? Ultimately that is down to Abramovich, and you get the feeling that despite talk of long term aims and ambitions, a trophy-less season will see the manager pay a steep price for his courage (naivety?).​

 

[skomerwarden93]

good luck mate! hopefully this can go on longer than your fm11 one!

 

[samillyroy]

haha, definitely mate. I'm hoping to emulate the success of my fm10 game but we'll have to wait and see!

 

[Little_Alexander]

Great start hopefully going to be good ^^)

 

[samillyroy]

CHELSEA PRE-SEASON REVIEW 2011/2012

​

Chelsea's 26 man squad touched back down in England for the first time in several weeks this afternoon, on completion of a gruelling but successful pre-season campaign.The players left Cobham for Holland just over two weeks ago, after two matches at Stamford Bridge, before flying on to China, then Italy and finally the USA. Here's a look at the final-26 man squad and the results:

Squad List: Cech, Hilario, Turnbull, Bosingwa, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Cole, Terry, Alex, David Luiz, Chalobah, Romeu, Bertrand, Mikel, Ramires, Malouda, Mata, Meireles, McEachran, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka, Sturridge, Torres, Drogba, Lukaku


Chelsea 1 - 0 Benfica
Lampard


'An even game at Stamford Bridge, but a late header from Frank Lampard after great work on the wing by Daniel Sturridge sealed a first win.'

Chelsea 0 - 1 Marseille

'Marseille edged the match, scoring moments after a red card was shown for Chelsea's Ramires. Chelsea battled on with 10 men but were unable to make a telling contribution.'

Vitesse Arnhem 0 - 3 Chelsea
Drogba (2), Chalobah

'Clinical performance from the Blues, who went into the break 3-0 thanks to tidy finishes from Drogba and a powering header from 16-year old Nathaniel Chalobah'

Shanxi Chanba 0 - 4 Chelsea
Sturridge, Torres, David Luiz, Malouda

'An efficient and promising performance for Chelsea with Torres and Sturridge combining to good effect throughout.'

Tianjin 0 - 2 Chelsea
Junjie o.g., Anelka

'Following some long distance travelling, and just two days after the Shanxi game, Chelsea can be forgiven for being lacklustre. Anelka's finish sealed a decent victory.'

Palermo 0 - 4 Chelsea
Torres (3), Lukaku

'The best performance of pre-season, as Chelsea trounced their Italian opposition. Fernando Torres was destructive, scoring some brilliant goals before youngster Lukaku chipped in towards the end.'

NY Red Bulls 0 - 5 Chelsea
Chalobah (2), Sturridge, Terry, Torres

'Chelsea flew to the States for their final game against New York Red Bulls and put on a fantastic display. 16-year old Nathaniel Chalobah put in a great stint and will surely have impressed his manager.'


​

SOME ENCOURAGING DISPLAYS AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON

Torres will be hoping he can continue his impressive form when the league starts in a fortnight.


Chelsea manager Illyroy saw plenty to be positive about after an impressive pre-season display from his side saw them take 6 wins out of a possible 7. “We looked dangerous with all aspects of our display and I am particularly delighted with our defensive capabilities.


“People have highlighted that in our squad as a potential weakness but I think the backup players all showed in this pre-season that we have brilliant depth at the squad and I’m hoping this will show throughout the season”.

Fernando Torres was one of the star performers for Chelsea, notching 5 goals in his 5 starts, and the manager is looking for him to continue this form when the competitive action begins: “We were convinced from the start that Torres has the capabilities and mental strength to come back from a disappointing first 6 months at the club.

“After having a break over the summer, he’s come back invigorated and I think he will be one of the most feared strikers in Europe once more. The most encouraging point was his performances alongside Drogba, especially against Palermo, and that sets us up nicely for the start of the Premier League.”

He also reserved praise for youth starlet Nathaniel Chalobah, who scored 3 goals in his 2 starts in pre-season: “We’re delighted with Nathaniel and it’s certainly encouraging. He was included in the squad for pre-season following the injury to Michael Essien and he’s certainly given us a headache with some of his performances. We will continue to monitor his performances but it’s very encouraging indeed and he can be rightly delighted with his development.”

-------

Chelsea’s campaign kicks off against Swansea in just under two weeks, and they will definitely be looking forward to that game after some impressive performances. However, they will be without Daniel Sturridge, who is suspended following on from last season, Ramires who picked up an injury against Palermo and will be out for 3-4 weeks and Michael Essien, who looks to be out until January at the earliest. Pre-match press conference and news coming up before the Swansea game on 13th​ August.

____________

​

Just a few notes before the season really kicks off. Thanks for the comments I've had already and if you're reading, I would appreciat as much input as possible. Competitive matches will certainly have more detail than pre-season did, and if you have any questions you would like to pose to the manager before the matches then post them up here and I will answer them in the pre-match press conferences. This should become clearer as the story progresses. Thanks, and keep following! ​

 

[Sumner_05]

looking gd mate !!

 

[samillyroy]

thanks mate! pre-match news and press conference to come up before the opening match against Swansea City!

 

[PafcLad]

great start, following

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v Swansea City
Barclays Premier League, Matchday 1

​

United will be the firm favourites for the league as title holders, but as we saw in the Charity Shield, Manchester City are definitely a threat

​

KEY PLAYER

FERNANDO TORRES (CHELSEA)

Torres was in great shape during pre-season, chipping in 5 goals in 5 games, including an exceptional hat-trick against Palermo. Will most likely start and it will be interesting if he can continue his run of form into the Premier League.

​

MATCH NEWS

Chelsea are without Daniel Sturridge, who was sent off in his final game for Bolton and will miss the first 3 games of the domestic season.
They will also have to deal without midfield trio Josh McEachran, Michael Essien and Ramires, who are suffering from respective injuries.

​

MATCH PREVIEW

Chelsea manager Illyroy spoke to the press this afternoon to discuss tactics, the season to come and the future of young starlet Milan Lalkovic:

"Milan played during pre-season because we're impressed with his development. This is also the reason he has been offered a new contract, and we're hoping to sort that out in the near future. Talk of him transferring to Manchester City is off the mark.
"We are looking to win today against Swansea. They are a well-drilled team and I like what Brendan Rodgers is doing but naturally for our ambition, we need to get 3 points on the board. The players are drilled and confident that we can get a victory today.
"We'll be playing with two up top today I think, especially now that we don't have Danny [Sturridge]. I am yet to decide if it will be Didi and Fernando.
"As for the title, I think a number of teams can win it. United will be the firm favourites and title holders, but as we saw in the Charity Shield, Manchester City are definitely a threat and we will be keeping our out on both of them. Liverpool also have a strong side, along with Tottenham and I think it will be one of the most interesting title races in a long time."​

 

[messithegreatest]

Great Start Count Me In Your Followers!!

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea 4 - 0 Swansea

Drogba led Chelsea to their first victory of the season with an imperious performance.

Chelsea coasted to a 4 goal victory against Premier League newcomer's Swansea City this afternoon, who barely put up a fight. A Drogba brace, and goals from David Luiz and John Terry gave Chelsea the best possible start to the new season under Illyroy.

It took less than a minute for Chelsea to take the advantage in this game, as Didier Drogba's technical ability at free-kicks was highlighted instantly. He whipped in the ball on the far right to the back post and John Terry appeared to head home.

And just 6 minutes later, Drogba had another free-kick in a similar position but this time he struck it from a full 30 yards and it went in off Moreira's hand and the underside of the bar. Question marks over Swansea's goalkeeper but it was a fantastic start for Chelsea.

Swansea barely got a touch of the ball in the first half, and Chelsea's dominance paid again after 25 minutes when a poor clearance from the keeper was headed forward by Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba showed fantastic awareness to race on and round the helpless Portuguese keeper.

The game was well and truly over before half time when David Luiz met another superb Raul Meireles corner to head home and seal a comfortable victory.

Chelsea performed well in the second half, keeping the ball in the midfield and causing a number of problems, but without having to really force the issue. It would have been a perfect performance if it wasn't for the late drama.

John Mikel Obi lost possession in the middle of the park, and lunged in on Jazz Richards to win it back, only to see red for what the referee deemed dangerous conduct. A first win of the season, but at the cost of a key player.

Chelsea Manager Illyroy: "We're delighted with the performance as I'm sure the fans are. The formation worked a treat and we were unlocking Swansea at will. I think they were a bit nervous in the first half and we capitalised on that but credit to them, they showed some steel in the second 45.
We're dissapointed to lose Mikel of course, he will be a big loss against Arsenal next weekend, but we will work on ways to minimise his loss."

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Cole (Malouda 62), Terry, David Luiz, Mikel, Meireles, Lampard, Mata, Drogba, Torres (Romeu 76)
Unused subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Kalou, Anelka, Lukaku

Goalscorers: Terry (1), Drogba (9, 27), David Luiz (34)

Swansea: Moreiera, Kelly, Tate, Williams, Taylor, Allen, Colback, Britton (Richards 61), Routledge, Dyer (Situ 68), Graham (Lita 74)
Unused subs: Tremmel, Bessone, Rangel, Gower


​

 

[messithegreatest]

Great Win!!

 

[samillyroy]

Arsenal v Chelsea
​Barclays Premier League, Matchday 2


​

KEY PLAYER

ROBIN VAN PERSIE

Arsenal's talisman following the loss of Fabregas and Nasri. Will be looking to get a first goal of the season after failing to get off the mark against Wolves. Excellent technical abilities and a real eye for goal, he ended last season on a high with some exquisite performances and will be looking to push on this season.

MATCH NEWS

Chelsea will be without Daniel Sturridge once more, who has 2 games left to sit out. Following his red card against Swansea last weekend, John Obi Mikel will also be forced to sit on the sidelines, and it remains to be seen who will come in to his place.
On the injury list for Chelsea are Josh McEachran and long term absentee Michael Essien. Ramires is doubtful to play.

MATCH PREVIEW

It's the first of the big clashes in the Barclays Premier League, and a first real test for rookie manager Illyroy. He will be looking to kick on from success against Swansea in the last game, whilst Arsenal will want to push on from their opening match draw against Wolves.
Arsene Wenger has already stated to the press that Chelsea are well amongst the title contenders, and in his press conference this afternoon, Illyroy had this to say:

'We were very impressive against Swansea, and I will be looking to push on in the same vein. Arsenal are a dangerous side, and have the technical abilities to unlock the best of teams. We will have to be patient to win this evening, especially away from home.
'The absence of Mikel is certainly a dilemma, and we could see Ramires return to action from injury earlier than anticipated. However, Romeu's pre-season performances have given me belief that he has the qualities to perform if required.
'Certainly we have the fitness advantage, with Arsenal having to play in the Champions league this week, and we will look to force that. However, it should be a close game, and either team is capable of winning at this stage.It is certainly not disastrous to lose at this stage of the season, but we will be doing our best to achieve victory.'

 

[messithegreatest]

Come On Chelsea Lol.. Coming From A Real Chelsea Supporter!!

 

[cfc12345]

Good stuff am following

 

[samillyroy]

LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY - REFRESH FOR UPDATES
Barclays Premier League, Matchday 2

ARSENAL 2 - 1 CHELSEA

11:45: Good morning, and welcome to the Emirates Stadium in London! It's a mid-day kick off for this London derby and there's plenty for us to look forward to. Chelsea are looking good under their new manager but need to show their mettle against a big team, whilst Arsenal stumbled against Wolves in the opening game. All to play for so stay tuned and ​press refresh for constant updates!

11:52: Chelsea of course will be without Sturridge and Mikel through suspension, so will have to shuffle things round today. Will Romeu get his debut or will the manager shift formation?

11:58: BREAKING TEAM NEWS: Chelsea will be starting Oriol Romeu in place of the suspended John Obi Mikel. Plenty of pressure on the youngster's shoulders today! Full team sheets coming through shortly.

12:06: The team sheets are in:

Chelsea v Arsenal
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Cole, Terry, David Luiz, Romeu, Lampard, Meireles, Mata, Drogba, Torres. Subs: Hilario, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Malouda, Bertrand, Anelka, Lukaku
Arsenal: Szczesney, Sagna, Ansaldi, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Song, Montillo, Arteta, Chamakh, Arshavin, Van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Ramsey, Gervinho, Andre Santos, Koscielny, Park, Walcott

12:16: Biggest talking point for Arsenal fans is the ommision of Theo Walcott, with Marouane Chamakh the player coming in to replace him. Controversy.

12:23: The players heading out onto the pitch, to raptuous applause from the stands. Romeu, in the number 6 shirt, shares a joke with compatriot Mikel Arteta. Not long until kick off now!

12:30:

We're off at the Emirates, with Arsenal kicking left to right in this first half. Should be a cracker!

12:34: GOALFLASH Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea (Bakary Sagna)

Arsenal goal: Perfect start for Arsenal. Jose Bosingwa fouls Arshavin on the left hand edge of the box and goes into the book. The ball is played to the edge of the box where Arteta collects and plays the ball into Sagna who rifles first time past a despairing Cech.

12:39: Arsenal looking good on the ball at the moment, and causing all sorts of problems down Chelsea's right flank. Bosingwa fails to keep tabs on Ansaldi who whips in a dangerous ball but it's well cleared.

12:42: Clear chance for van Persie, but what a save by Cech! Played in to space in the box, and he hit it hard as you like but Cech dives to his left to parry wide. Great stuff.

12:47: Chelsea struggling to get a hold on this game. They're getting frustrated and playing long balls, whilst defending rashly. Romeu and Meireles both in the book for clumsy challenges.

12:56: All Arsenal at the moment, and Chelsea haven't really got a foothold on the game. Montillo the next to have a pop, cutting in from the left before rattling the bar with a stunning shot.

13:02: PENALTY TO ARSENAL

13:04: GOALFLASH Arsenal 2 - 0 Chelsea (Robin van Persie)

Arsenal goal: Plenty to do now for Chelsea, but a great lead for Arsenal. Ashley Cole is the unlikely culprit, bringing Sagna down unneccesarily on the edge of the box, and van Persie steps up to slam home.

13:09: Chelsea take their first shot of the game. Torres breaks away down the right before dropping back for Lampard, but his shot is well saved. Cole then fouls Sagna and is in the book. Chelsea players looking forward to half-time.

13:11: Best chance for Chelsea. The ball is worked round the box well, and Meireles finds Drogba in space, but his shot crashes against the frame of the goal.

13:14: Looks like a dodgy decision from the ref there, and Chelsea are aggrieved. Torres breaks down the left, plays a one-two with Mata, and is then brought down on the run in the box by Vermaelen. The ref blows the whistle.. and books Torres for diving.

13:16: HALF TIME Arsenal 2 - 0 Chelsea

Arsenal 2 - 0 Chelsea
Arsenal were dominant all over the park in that first half, as Chelsea's diamond formation was ripped to pieces. Discipline was a problem for the blues in the first half and they will have to find their shape and quickly if they want to get anything from this game. Arguably a good penalty shout for Chelsea, but they have other problems to deal with.

13:30: Game's back underway here, with Chelsea bringing Torres off for Nicolas Anelka. Dissapointing first half from the Spaniard, and it's up to Drogba to lead the line now.

13:33: Chelsea get out on the left flank for the first time in this game, as Mata crosses dangerously in for Anelka, but he's thwarted by a brilliant Mertesacker tackle.

13:36: Meireles ought to be careful, as he goes lunging in again on Montillo. Chelsea could do without more suspensions.

13:42: Chelsea on top second half here, Mata going close after picking up David Luiz's long throw. They need a goal soon that they can push on from.

13:46: Arshavin looking like what Arsenal paid 20m for today. Causing problems on the right as he tears past Ashley Cole and wins a corner..

13:48: Headed over by Mertesacker.

13:50: Malouda on for Mata and Ivanovic on for Bosingwa. Both have had dissapointing games by their standards. Chelsea looking to the old guard.

13:51:

RED CARD (Marouane Chamakh)

Red card: Arsene Wenger is livid on the sideline, but no arguments here. Cole goes to head the ball and Chamakh flies in leading with his elbow. That's a straight red. Game on.

13:56: GOALFLASH Arsenal 2 - 1 Chelsea (Florent Malouda)

Chelsea goal: Sustained pressure from Chelsea, and it pays off as Florent Malouda collects the ball wide on the left and slams home at the near post past Szcezsney. 20 minutes to hold on for Arsenal.

14:04: Time running out here for Chelsea, and Arshavin is on the ground receiving treatment. I'm sure Wenger will be fine with that.

14:13: Looking unlikely now here, with Arsenal containing the Blues well at the moment. Montillo is now on the floor receiving treatment, as we await injury time.

13:17: FULL-TIME Arsenal 2 - 1 Chelsea

BBC Radio 5 Live Commentator Pat Nevin: "The Emirates is a tough place to come and Chelsea didn't do themselves justice in the first half. The second half performance was okay and they probably deserved a draw but they will be ruing the loss of Mikel."

13:20: Chelsea Manager, Illyroy: "We were not good enough in the first half, committing fouls and not keeping our shape. We changed tactics in the second half and looked a lot better but we're dissapointed to lose. Lessons will be learned and this does not put us down too much."

13:24: That's it from us with the first of many live commentaries. Tune in next time.

 

[samillyroy]

Got time at the moment before uni so will keep this going as much as possible. Appreciate the feedback people and good to see you again cfc12345. Please post if you have any questions you want answered by the manager for the next pre-match press conference!

 

[cfc12345]

Unlucky with the result. Van persie the ******* just doesnt dtop scoring

 

[Chris]

Very good layout, I like your BBC-style match reports.

Keep up the good work!

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v Wolves
Barclays Premier League, Matchday 3

​

KEY PLAYER

DIDIER DROGBA

With only a year to go on his contract, Drogba has a point to prove. Still arguing for a 2-year contract, his performances will be the decider. He hasn't let the manager down so far, scoring twice against Swansea, and was arguably their best player against Arsenal. Will try to boss the game tonight.

MATCH NEWS

Daniel Sturridge sits out his final game of a 3-match ban, whilst Mikel was given a further 2 match ban this week and will be out. Ramires returns, but Essien is a long-term absentee.

MATCH PREVIEW

Having had plenty of time to recuperate, Chelsea fans will be expecting a win here against Wolves. They will be playing their best team and at home, you might be expecting big scores.
In mid-week Chelsea were drawn in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Olympiakos (GRE) and Viktoria Plzen (CZE), whilst in the League Cup they will face local rivals QPR. The manager's views on the game ahead and these draws were as follows:

'We are content with the draw. There is a lot of travelling as all of the teams are a long distance from us but I think we have the ability to cope with these demands. As for the QPR game, we know them very well and will try and nullify their threat.
'Wolves are a good team, Mick McCarthy has them well drilled and they will cause us problems out wide and from set-pieces. I think we should be controlling the tempo of the game and if we can keep it to a high standard and take our chances, we should be successful this evening.'