Fulham FC: Yes We Khan

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“You can do anything you want to do. You have to work hard, you have to create your own luck, and you have to have some luck also.”
Shahid Khan, Fulham Owner.


Fulham Football Club are London’s oldest professional football team having been found in 1879. The club have spent every season bar one at Craven Cottage, located on the banks of the River Thames. Fulham have enjoyed 25 seasons in the top flight of English football but have had spells in various different tiers of the English football pyramid. The Cottagers are yet to win a major trophy, coming closest when they reached the FA Cup final in 1975 and more recently, the final of the Europa League in 2010 where they lost 2-1 in extra time to Atletico Madrid.

Fulham had established themselves as a Premier League regular since the turn of the millennium, being present from the 01/02 season right through to the 13/14 season. Throughout this time, they had various different managers including from John Tigana, Chris Coleman and Roy Hodgson. However, in 2014 the club were relegated to the Championship where they spent 4 seasons before defeating Aston Villa 1-0 in the play-off final last season to return to the top flight for the 18/19 season.


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Many great players have played for The Lilywhites over the years, including George Best, Sir Bobby Robson and more recently Edwin Van der Sar, but the main club legend is Johnny Haynes whom has a stand at Craven Cottage named after him as well as a statue outside the ground.

Located in West London, Fulham’s main rivals are considered to be QPR, Brentford and Chelsea. The latter present the most interesting rivalry as Stamford Bridge is located in the Fulham Borough, with the two club's stadiums under a mile and a half away from each other.

Pakistani-American billionaire Shadid Khan bought the club from Mohamed Al-Fayed in 2013 for between £150-200 million. Shadid’s son Tony works as the Director of Football at Fulham. With an estimated worth of over £6 billion, Fulham fans could soon be set for interesting times ahead.


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These are the key goals set for this save:

Establish Fulham as a Premier League team
Qualify for Europe via the league
Become the dominant team in London
Win the Premier League
Win the Champions League

Will these targets be difficult? Of course, but I believe this club is brimming with potential. Some what of a blank canvas to begin with, the money of the owner along with the challenge of developing the club from the ground up is an exhilarating project.

So, I guess the big question is: can Fulham transform the face of English football?


Yes We Khan.

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Squad Overview

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Goalkeepers

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I had been planning this story and save for a while, so was keeping close tabs on Fulham’s transfer business through the summer and how the squad was taking shape. The initial signing of Fabricio had me very satisfied, as he is one of the best goalkeepers with his feet in the game. This signing along with Marcus Bettinelli are the perfect combinations of goalkeepers that I look for. Fabricio’s a good goalkeeper with great distribution, Bettinelli came through the youth system, is driven, therefore an ideal tutor and a good goalkeeper with good distribution. Then on deadline day, Fulham completed the loan signing of one of the most talented young goalkeepers in the world – Sergio Rico, a great goalkeeper with good distribution. The younger Spaniard will be my goalkeeper for the 2018/19 league campaign, with Fabricio playing the cup competitions and I will look to find a Championship loan for Bettinelli.


Centre backs

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The signing of Alfie Mawson from Swansea was an absolute coup in my opinion. We needed a domineering centre back and Mawson combines that along with his capable ball-playing abilities to present us with a top defender and a leader at the back. Tim Ream is a player I think can really progress under my management. He reminds me a lot of Aymeric Laporte at Manchester City, with outstanding passing, technique and vision from his left foot. As one of the more senior members of the side, he will be expected to lead by example. Calum Chambers is a good addition to the squad, capable of filling in at right back too making him an excellent backup option. Maxime Le Marchand presents us with an aggressive defender that could also prove to be useful, though I am not sure about his defensive capabilities for us long-term. Denis Odoi will most likely be utilised as a full back.


Right backs

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As with the goalkeeping options, I am stacked with players at right back. Cyrus Christie is a very interesting player, with no major weakness in any of his game. His physical stats along with his height make him the ideal player for my right back role which will demand a lot of the player. Dennis Odoi is a very good backup option and utility player that can play anywhere along the backline. I have full confidence in him to deputise to a very high standard. Again, on transfer deadline day, Fulham completed the loan signing of Manchester United youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah. The Dutchman is a superbly talented player, one who fits in very well to the role where he will have to switch between a third centre back and a right back. However, I already have two very good options here and there is no option to buy in the loan deal. Therefore, I would rather develop players under permanent contracts at the club.


Left backs

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I don’t believe there is anything ground breaking in saying I plan on using Ryan Sessegnon as our player to hold width on the left-hand side. The teenage sensation is absolutely ready for Premier League football now. However, I am undecided whether that will be in the form of a left back or further forward. Luckily for me, Fulham managed to steal Joe Bryan away from Aston Villa and he is a great option here if I use Sess further forward. I will expect a lot from this position tactically. My original thinking being that we will switch between playing with a FB(A) and an IWB(S). The FB(A) role would be designed to cross the ball regularly and be a threat in the final third, compared with the IWB(S) who would form overloads in the half-space (think Fabian Delph at Man City) and leave the left winger 1 v 1 with the opposition RB. Luckily, Bryan can probably fulfil both roles to a high standard, but I am flirting with the idea of converting Stefan Johansen into a left back to play the IWB(S) role when called upon.


Central midfield

I almost exclusively use midfield trios and split them up into a 6, 8 and a 10. The 6 will screen the defence and look to transition the ball out from the defence. An 8 will be the “runner” of the midfield, shuttling from defence to attack. My 10 is the player designed to link everything together with some magic in the final third.

#6

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Kevin McDonald is potentially a key player in season 1. He will be my playmaker from deep when playing weaker teams though his lack of mobility may prove to be a problem in coming seasons. Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa is a brilliant signing and someone I had shortlisted to sign in this save. He represents a different option at 6, someone who is more limited in their passing, but a defensive player to screen the defence when we attack. I will also use the Cameroonian as an 8 due to his energy and it gives us a runner from deep. Ibrahima Cisse is unfortunate, as he is a very similar player to Zambo Anguissa but simply not as good and will likely be moved on by the end of Year 1.

#8

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However, it is obvious who my go to number 8 will be – Jean Michael Seri. The Ivorian genius is capable of playing in any of these midfield roles but will predominantly be used as an 8. Seri has the ability to progress the ball by either his excellent passing range or by dribbling from deep – a skill that could prove to be invaluable. He should also chip in with his fair share of goals by arriving late in the final third. Stefan Johansen will also provide an option in this role. His lack of technical ability puts me off playing him here, hence my thinking to play him at left back, but in difficult away games or when we need to hold onto a result I feel like he can perform a job. Matt O’Riley is a very talented young player and I will be putting him in the first team squad immediately. The academy prospect has a big future ahead of him.

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The magic player that will link up all our build up play will come in the form of Tom Cairney. The Scottish international can create something from nothing and I feel his technical ability will shine through from our progressive style of football. Another position change I am interested to try is Neeskens Kebano as a central midfielder. His dribbling could be very valuable in the middle of the park and I am interested to see how he would perform there.


Wingers

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As for the goal-scoring wide man, I will predominantly be using Borussia Dortmund loanee Andre Schurrle in this role. In my systems I want one winger to give width and the other to exploit the space inside – a role perfect for the German. Floyd Ayite is a good 1 v 1 player and should get some game time but will almost definitely leave by the end of the season as his contract is up and I don’t feel he is of the standard I want to reach. Neeskens Kebano will rotate in and Luciano Vietto can additionally play wide.


Strikers

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We are very lucky to be blessed with an abundance of good striking options. Obviously, the main man is current fan favourite Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serb’s tireless nature and physical threat will be key in our pursuit of success, both this season and in the coming seasons. I expect him to hit a strong tally of goals. Luciano Vietto could be a special piece of business by the club. I’ll be looking to make his loan deal permanent by the end of the season. He reminds me a lot of Sergio Aguero and I really think he could be a special player for the club. Aboubakar Kamara – or AK47 - is a very adept backup for Mitrovic as they have similar playstyles. He will definitely be given a chance to impress me.


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Looking good!

Really good analysis of your squad - the best I've seen on the site! If the rest of your save is as good as this then we're in for a treat
 

Key Players


Tom Cairney

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Club captain and last season’s Wembley hero. An outstanding, technically gifted midfielder who has made the conversion from an attacking midfielder into a third CM/number 8. Will play as the link between the midfield and attack in the final third. I expect big things from him, with at least 15 goal involvements in the league per season.


Jean Michael Seri

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Special player and an absolute coup from Fulham. Just last season he was being linked with Barcelona and Manchester City and now he will be playing at Craven Cottage. A Jack of all trades, Seri is the perfect number 8 in my system. Additionally, he can play as a 6, 8 or 10 – a key tool I need in my squads. Don’t be surprised if the big clubs come back in for the Ivorian, though I would be hugely reluctant to sell.


Ryan Sessegnon

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The boy wonder. Championship Player of the Year before he could even legally buy a drink to celebrate. The first question that arises with Sessegnon is where do I see his future – left wing or left back? A special home-grown talent that will no doubt have the big 6 sniffing around him from the start. A potential superstar, for as long as he is under contract, he will remain a Fulham player.

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Tactics

My tactics will possibly change throughout my save but the principles will be the same throughout – to dominate the ball and control the opposition. In terms of real-world examples, I want to emulate the style of Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel – or something of a hybrid between the styles.

With that in mind I have to set out some key concepts to the team immediately:

Numerical superiority in build up at all times
Everyone is confident on the ball
Dominate possession (regularly achieve 60% or more)
Press high and intensely in transition
Control the counter

I feel like once I am satisfied that these concepts are being built upon, results will come accordingly. As a newly promoted team, the first season or two may be a challenge in meeting these concepts regularly, but it will give me a good idea into who will fit in to my team and who will not.

With all this said, I have created 3 formations that I believe meet these principles and fit in with the current squad. In terms of the main formation that will be getting used, it will be a run of the mill 4-1-2-3 and I will detail my thinking of the specifics below.

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I will be looking to build from the back, thus requiring a sweeper keeper whom is adept with their feet. As previously stated, I have 3 very good options, but Sergio Rico will be first choice. Our defence is where the system gets interesting. Dominating the ball high up the pitch, with a defensive line on the halfway line is a recipe for disaster in transition. Therefore, I wanted one of my full backs to fluctuate as a third defender and form a back 3 in possession. Cyrus Christie is my original thinking in this role, his physical attributes will provide good cover and he is good on the ball. By comparison, the left full back will be tasked with bombing forward and stretching the pitch. This role is made for Ryan Sessegnon and will be trusted with a lot of creative freedom. Due to the left back playing high up the pitch, the left sided centre back – Tim Ream – will be tasked with covering the space and playing wider when in possession, requiring vast amounts of athletic and technical ability. This is an incrediillbly challenging position and key to make sure the tactic is working. The right sided centre back, made for Alfie Mawson, is perhaps the simplest role in defence as they will receive good cover either side.

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As I explained previously, I like to break my midfield up into a 6, 8 and a 10. McDonald and Zambo Anguissa will battle it out for the deepest midfield spot, with McDonald more likely to play in games we expect to dominate the ball. I will be looking for the 6 to form a rhombus shape with the back three when in possession. Somewhat interestingly, Seri and Cairney will be playing on their inverted side – this is deliberate. I want Cairney in the half space but not to drive wide with the ball and I want Seri to avoid the space that the left back and left winger will be exploiting. The LCM’s job will effectively be to take the ball from the centre backs or defensive midfielder and give it to the players in the final third. The Mezzala will look to find gaps to create positional overloads.

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Now, every part of my team’s play is planned until it hits one of the front three. This is where I need players to be expressive and provide a moment of magic. The right winger is there to hold width, with the right back playing inverted, they are needed to stretch the defence and create space for the men in the middle to exploit. Andre Schurrle - the inside forward - will look to roam and find gaps in the half space, with the left back overlapping looking to provide a cross. The striker will be our first line of defence and will look to press relentlessly. Mitrovic has the physical presence and capability to pin two opposition defenders which will allow for the other players to dictate play in the final third and he will hopefully be there to finish at the end of it.

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So that’s the main tactic in full and you can see the team instructions in the picture above. There will be two other tactics I will utilise. A 4-3-3 which is somewhat “mirrored” and a 3-1-4-2 with wing backs.

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Pre-Season

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That was very…meh.

I usually don’t particularly care for pre-season, it’s just a time to gain match fitness and try some players in different roles and see if any young players can make the jump to the first team. However, the first season’s pre-season is always important as you find out how good your team is and how effective the tactic is. In this regard, it was a success.

Our first match was against Fulham Under 23s, though don’t take too much notice as I just left it to my assistant. Tom Cairney bagged a double.

The loss against Aberdeen was the first game I managed. Believe it or not, this was maybe the game I was most pleased with (no seriously). Very early on we were playing exactly like I envisaged, getting 60% possession and 21 shots, 11 on target. We only allowed the opposition 5 shots and unfortunately 2 went in. Promising signs, even if the result was abysmal.

Much better result against a Champions League regular in FC Porto. 64% possession and 17 shots to 8 against the Portuguese champions. Somewhat worrying that we lead 1-0 though a Timothy Fosu-Mensah header until the 83rd​ minute before they hit us for two goals in the blink of an eye as we were staring defeat after another good performance. Luckily, Neeskens Kebano bagged a late equaliser so we had something to show from our efforts.

Next up was a solid win against Hamilton, Schurrle bagging two and Ibrahima Cisse scoring a penalty.
However, we followed this up with a second loss to a Scottish side, by losing 2-1 to Hearts. A poor display all round, with the only positives being Cairney, Christie and the goalscorer Le Marchand.

Impressively, we bounced back with a good win against Betis through a Cairney penalty, a smash and grab against Burnley through goals from Mitrovic and Seri, an unconvincing win at Bromley where Mitrovic scored a brace and 17 year-old Matt O’Riley scored as well as a good win away at Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, again through Mitrovic who took his tally to 4 in 3 pre-season games.

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Beginning of 2018/19 season

We have an utterly horrific start to the season and my only hope is that we aren’t isolated near the bottom once our tough fixtures are over. It literally doesn’t get any harder than away to Manchester City in our first game back in the top flight. We then follow it up by hosting Chelsea in the West London derby! With our third game away to a fellow promoted team, normally I would look to it to pick up points but Wolves are maybe the strongest newly promoted side ever, so it will be incredibly difficult. Port Vale in the cup will be used to gain some playing time for my reserves and some youngsters. The big test begins now.

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Very good start to your story so far, Heard a few people say that Fulham's transfer window in the summer was like they were playing FM and it does look like that, some awesome loan players, they should in real life be doing much better than they are, will be tough next season for you when you lose those 5 loan players, looking forward to following
 
Always liked Fulham, although things have changed a great deal from the John Collins, Barry Hayles and Geoff Horsefield days!
 

August 2018

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Call it a defeatist attitude if you will, but I’m relatively pleased with this. The main goal for this game was to leave with some dignity and not get demolished. We succeeded in that at least. The main positive is we went to the Etihad and went to toe-to-toe in possession, but they made theirs counts by completely eclipsing us in shots, with our attack not testing Ederson.


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If the Man City defeat was an inevitably then this is a frustrating defeat. Chelsea probably just about deserved the 3 points but we had chances, the second goal killed us and even with Schurrle immediately pulling a goal back, it was not enough and Chelsea triumph in our first West London derby. With Mitrovic missing for the opening few games, we are struggling up front.


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Fantastic victory in a game that very easily could have put us 3 defeats in our opening 3 and questions would start to be asked. A very even game in which we dominated the ball but Wolves countered well, we simply took our chances better than our fellow Premier League newbies. The defence in particular were brilliant, with Mawson, Christie and Bryan standing out. We were fined after the game due to picking up no fewer than seven bookings!


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35 shots to 6. 2-2 until the 87th​ minute. I was delighted with the first 70 minutes of this game. We kept the ball with O’Riley and Johansen (playing at full back) being the star men. All of a sudden after a complete domination, the League Two side hit us on the break twice and it was level. Luckily Kamara saved our blushes late on with a header, but I was furious we allowed the minnows back into the game. Premier League teams will not be as forgiving.

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Summary

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2 wins 0 draws 2 losses 6 goals for 6 goals against

A solid month to get us underway. I set a target in my head of at least 2 points from this month due to our horrendous fixtures and we have met that target. With Mitrovic still out, Kamara is simply not on his level and we are perhaps struggling for that killer instinct.

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Probably the best piece of news from this month, the teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon has signed a new deal at the club keeping him at Craven Cottage until 2022.

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Well, the fixture list was not kind to us at all at the start of the season! West Ham may be a must win as Manchester United and Arsenal will be very hard to get anything from and we could be in a precarious position. These are big tests, but this is the Premier League after all. Bring it on.​
 
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September 2018

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A very frustrating match against a winless and bottom of the table West Ham side. We had the better of the game but didn’t create any clear-cut chances. A positive to take is that that is back-to-back clean sheets achieved, seeing as I thought our defence may prove to be the issue, especially in Season One.


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So so close. I cannot say it was a tactical masterclass, because United dominated on the statistical front, but to get within a few minutes of getting 3 points at Old Trafford would have been magnificent. We soaked up pressure excellently in the first 45, reducing them mainly to long shots, and in the second half we scored an absolutely incredible breakaway goal. Mitrovic – in his first game back - held up the ball before playing in the on-rushing Seri who fired it past De Gea. Seri could have had two had it not been from an outstanding save from the Spaniard. Fulham hearts were sunk late on when Sergio Rico came charging out from a free kick and Sanchez beat him to the ball to head into an open goal. All in all though, a great point.


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If the Manchester United game was luck, this was pure brilliance from the Cottagers. Not only did we defeat Arsenal – we dominated them in every phase. Tom Cairney whipped in a beautiful angled ball for Le Marchand to get his first goal for the club with a header to give us a deserved lead at half time. Seri then thundered a shot past Petr Cech to give us a comfortable margin and cruising to 3 points. Aubameyang then pulled a goal back after Le Marchand went from hero to villain and gave away a penalty. However, it was our Ivorian sensation that wrapped up the 3 points just 2 minutes after Arsenal got back into the game, with a brilliant breakaway goal, similar to that in the last game, where he placed the ball in the back of the net for his 3rd in 2 games against 2 of the big 6. Massive win.


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After defeating the Londoners just 3 days earlier, we were knocked out the Carabao Cup to Arsenal’s youngsters after an underwhelming display. Truthfully, this is a competition I do not care for and the games were more of a hindrance than anything else, so it is no huge loss.

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Summary

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1 win 2 draws 1 loss 4 goals scored 3 goals against

A really positive month again with a very hard fixture schedule. The philosophies imposed on then team are starting to take shape and I think against the weaker teams we will really be able to dictate the game and get 3 points as a result. 4 points against Man United and Arsenal in back-to-back games is special for a newly promoted side.

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Something I may do sporadically throughout this story is discuss some tactical talking points from particular matches in this save (excellent performances, wins against big 6 or big matches) and I may do them for matches in which what I tried didn’t work too and hopefully identify why.

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  • [*=center]Arsenal are vulnerable defensively in general, even more so without Hector Bellerin, so overloading the right flank, where Mkhitaryan will tuck inside, would allow for Schurrle to come inside and Bryan to be our “out ball” every time.
    [*=center]In this match, I knew Arsenal play very narrow and that stopping access to Mesut Ozil is key to stopping Arsenal. I decided to opt for Zambo Anguissa over him as not only had be performed well recently, he has the defensive awareness to do a job on the German. Whilst Zambo Anguissa perhaps struggled technically, he did his primary job in denying Ozil room to operate.

    [*=center]With Aubameyang on the left, his natural instinct will be to cut inside. It was imperative that he could not be accessed via a long ball that would attack the space between Christie and Mawson, so Christie tucking in denied him space to attack. This accompanied with the high press killed his threat.

    [*=center]Perhaps most crucially though, I feel like the game was won with our attacking midfielders. Seri will get the plaudits but Cairney was so good and intelligent. With Ramsey being attack minded, Cairney found gaps in between Ramsey and Mustafi, forcing overloads on the right-hand side. This created space for his midfield partner to exploit this and attack the Arsenal goal.

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A much more realistic fixture schedule. This is where we need to start really picking up points and putting out a statement. Really, we should be looking at a minimum of 7 points but I am targeting 9. This is where we pull away from the pack at the bottom.

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October 2018

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A very very goo win in a perhaps deceivingly difficult game. We got off to a great start, leading after just 2 minutes, before the excellent Tom Cairney doubled our lead before half time with a scorcher from his right foot. We took our foot off the gas in the second half and allowed Brighton back into the game and had to endure a tricky last 20 minutes when they pulled a goal back, but all in all a very good 3 points away from home.


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For as impressive as we were in the last game, this was utterly embarrassing. Cardiff are a team that we should be disposing of easily, never mind at home after a good run of form too. The Welsh side’s win was probably deserved as they created some good chances and punished us for our complacency. The only real positive to take from this game was Mitrovic getting off the mark for the season. Not happy in the slightest about this result.


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All in all, not a bad point at Turf Moor. Switched it up to a 3 at the back to try deal with Burnley’s two man strike force and it worked well. We probably could have nicked a 1-0 victory, but I can’t complain. The defence responded well to conceding three at home last game.


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Whilst this might be seen as a fairly routine, standard victory, this was an excellent result. Newcastle were high flying and went into this weekend’s rounds of fixtures top of the table. They tried to sit back and soak up the pressure, and to an extent it worked, frustrating us to long shots and half chances. Luckily, we managed to break them down, when Sessegnon whipped in a delightful cross between the defence and goalkeeper and Vietto pounced first and volleyed home from 6 yards.

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Summary

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2 win 1 draw 1 loss 6 goals for 5 goals against

All in all, a good month, but the Cardiff result leaves a real sour taste. 1 defeat in 7 is pleasing though and we are dominating the ball and the shots against the teams out within the big 6, which is all I can ask for at this early stage of my tenure. Over a quarter of the way in and we sit in the top half, I would absolutely take that come the end of the season.

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Tricky games this month, away to Leicester and at home to Everton, but the standout game is a trip to Anfield. We’re in a strong position, so I want for us to keep building and if so, anything is possible. In addition to this, we have a rearranged fixture with Bournemouth at the end of the month.

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November 2018

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A brilliant double from Mitrovic makes it 4 in his last 4 for the Serbian hitman and gives us a fantastic away victory. The Foxes will feel disappointed, as it was a tight game with chances for either side. Vardy made the last 10 minutes nervy and they had another chance to make it level after, but we managed to hold on to a vital victory.


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A frustrating performance given we were 1-0 up just before the break and completely on top. They were better than us in the second half and Cenk Tosun punished us. Tom Cairney had given us the lead with an absolutely stunning half-volley from 20 yards that was easily a goal of the season contender. Stuff to work on.


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Whilst this looks very bad, when you look closer, we were actually level at half time and were completely dominating them. Their first goal was a howler from Sergio Rico and he and the rest of the team never really recovered as we were demolished in the second half in and to be quite frank, 5 was somewhat generous. Only real positive was a first Premier League goal for Sessegnon.


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Bournemouth were second bottom and winless going into the game. It may have seemed a straight forward game on paper, but the Cardiff game may prove to be a blessing for me as I knew we could take no liabilities. A really convincing win was deserved, Vietto the star man with a goal and assist as well as Mitrovic and Kebano getting on the scoresheet. A great team performance.

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Summary

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2 wins 0 draws 2 losses 7 goals for 8 goals against

An up and down month, the second half at Liverpool was far and away our worst so far and the defeat at home to Everton was frustrating. That said, a great win at Leicester as well as a convincing display against Bournemouth leaves me overall satisfied with our November efforts.

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Now, some exciting news. The first signing. Straight after taking over, as is the case in real life, I felt like the defence needed bolstered. Mawson is very good, but Tim Ream has really struggled to get back to form after his long-term injury at the start of the game. Chambers is only on loan and Le Marchand has deputised well but isn’t the answer long term in my opinion.

So I conducted a thorough search for centre backs with specific qualities in mind. First off, I wanted a player who was good on the ball but didn’t necessarily have to be great. They would be right footed (or two footed) because I wanted someone to play on the left predominantly but can deputise on the right too (for some reason I will not play two left footed centre backs together). Additionally, I wanted someone who was physically good in terms of pace and strength, and also aggressive and a “front foot” defender.
I whittled my shortlist down to 5 names: Christian Kabasele, Eliaquim Mangala, Emmanuel Mammana, Filip Benkovic and Kristoffer Ajer. I planned on making this signing in the summer, but there was one player who stood out – Kristoffer Ajer.

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Big clubs would be sniffing around at the first opportunity available, so I knew I had to try get the deal wrapped up the second he showed interest. After a month or so of pursuing we managed to sign the Norwegian from Celtic for a £19.75 million potentially rising to £27.5 million. A big fee, but one that will look minuscule in a few years, I hope.

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The Christmas period is where the Premier League comes into its own. All the other top European leagues shut up shop for the festive period and rightly or wrongly, the English teams keep going. We have a decent run of fixtures, being at home for 4 of the 6 games. We may be forced into some rotation, so some opportunities for the likes of Johansen, Ream and Kebano are possible.​
 

December 2018

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A good solid win. Huddersfield surprised me and pressed very high and aggressively, causing us problems in build-up. After Sergio Rico’s shocker at Liverpool I decided to play Fabricio against Bournemouth and here, and that’s back-to-back clean sheets. Cairney and Schurrle with the goals.


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Fantastic victory against a dangerous Watford team, making it 3 wins on the bounce. Somewhat ironically, Fabricio had a mistake leading to Watford’s equaliser. Tom Cairney is really proving to be our talisman, again netting a vital goal. Once Watford went down to 10 men, we decided to up the tempo and it was rewarded with an Alfie Mawson header.


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An admirable performance and good point at home to one of the big 6 in the first of our double header against them. I believe a draw was a fair result and Neeskens Kebano delivered that for us with a beautiful looping header over Hugo Lloris. Harry Kane had given them the lead at half time with a magnificent towering header, before Aleksandar Mitrovic levelled with another big game moment from him. Spurs hit back immediately with a poor goal to concede on our part – a header from Lucas Moura, but we managed to salvage a point in the end. Good performance.


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We got off to the worst possible start as Leroy Sane gave them the lead after 15 seconds and then Bernardo Silva hit the post just 6 minutes in. We then came into the game, Mawson with a big chance, Vietto hitting the bar and Mitrovic missing a sitter from a howler from Muric all in the space of 5 first half minutes but it looked like we were out of luck. Just as it looked like it wasn’t to be, Neeskens Kebano - beginning to become a cult hero – scores another late equaliser against one of the big boys to salvage a point, keeping our strong run of form going.


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If the last few performances were about resilience, this was about brilliance. Our best and most dominant league performance to date, we were sensational, dominating the ball and the space. There were numerous great performances but Stefan Johansen with 5 key passes from midfield has proven to be a very pleasant surprise and Sessegnon continues with his excellent run of form – he is really starting to come of age.


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Without a shadow of a doubt, game of the seasons so far. We went behind to an Andros Townsend back-post header, but we responded through our talisman Tom Cairney with a beautiful curled effort into the far post. The Scot then turned provider angling in a free kick onto the header of Stefan Johansen who scored in off the bar to give us the lead before half time. Townsend then levelled the game up for Palace with a left footed strike into the bottom corner, before Tom Cairney restored our lead with a goal that was an exact copy of Messi’s goal against Nigeria at the World Cup – world class. However, Palace just would not give in and once again tied the game, this time from a corner and Tomkins was there to smash home from 2 yards out. It wasn’t over yet though and once again we scored a late goal and once again Neeskens Kebano was involved, whipping a fantastic early ball in for Aboubakar Kamara to smash home from and give us the three points. Unbelievable.

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Summary

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4 wins 2 draws 0 losses 15 goals for 7 goals against

By far and away our best month in charge. Absolutely fantastic effort from the lads and we made the Christmas period our own. I am absolutely delighted, not only with the results, but the squad players coming in and doing an excellent job as well as our never say die attitude. This takes us past the halfway point in the league campaign and incredibly, we are in 5th. Brilliant month and season thus far.

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Just to add to the positivity around the club, we have secured the signing of a player with world class potential. Croatian wonderkid Antonio Marin will join in January for just £1.3 million potentially rising to £2.4 million. I see him as one for the future, but with Floyd Ayite inevitably leaving in January, we only have Schurrle, Vietto and Kebano for the wide spots in the team until the end of the season. I usually don’t like signing players in January but I think he will provide good cover for 6 months and then next season I will probably look to loan him out, where he can replace Andre Schurrle when his loan spell finishes. Delighted with this piece of business and hopefully he can be a great player for the club.

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The New Year fixture schedule is nearly as hectic as the December run. We’ve done so well so far, we have to keep our momentum going and if so, we can perhaps start dreaming of bigger things. Manchester United, Tottenham and the derby with Chelsea represent mouth-watering fixtures but we feel up to the challenge. A 7 game unbeaten run gives us confidence going into the business end of the season.​
 

January 2019

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I would have taken a draw going into the game, but we dominated this game. I am very impressed with the performance, going away to a top 6 side and really putting down a statement. Unfortunately though, we could not capitalise on our dominance and only leave with a point in the derby and could not get revenge from our defeat earlier on in the season. However, that is now the 5th team from the big 6 we have taken points off of this season.


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The new players will need a settling in period, thus Ajer and Marin started their first games for the club in a comfortable win against lower league opposition. Odoi and Johansen with the goals to give us the victory.


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Very very disappointing. After our excellent unbeaten run ever since the Liverpool thrashing, we succumb to a poor defeat against struggling Wolves. Mitrovic’s missed penalty summed up the game as a whole. Hopefully just a blip and not a sign of things to come.


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HOW did we not win this game. Usually a late equaliser feels like a victory but I cannot believe we didn’t win this game. The Hammers have been seriously struggling and replaced Manuel Pellegrini with Marcelo Bielsa and a shocking own goal from Le Marchand gave them an early lead. We missed countless opportunities and truthfully, had the game finished 5-1 I don’t think West Ham could have many complaints. To take a positive, we managed to get something out of the game to show for our efforts.


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Fantastic upset and Tom Cairney is truly something else. Two fantastic placed finishes from just outside the area, becoming his speciality, gave us the victory and take us to the next round of the FA Cup against our London neighbours, taking his tally to double figures for the season. Luciano Vietto deserves a mention too, three assists from the right from the Argentinian sensation. Unfortunately though, Cairney picked up an injury that will rule him out for 4-5 weeks, a huge blow for us.


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Manchester United break our hearts with a late equaliser…again. Sergio Rico was excellent, and United probably deserved a point. Mawson and Vietto with our goals before a late Anthony Martial equaliser spoiled the day. Manchester United are flying high in the league and a point is an admirable result from ourselves.

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Summary

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2 wins 1 draw 3 losses 9 goals scored 6 goals against

A solid month all things considered. The Wolves result is an obvious disappointment but we responded well and the victory against Tottenham will be a season highlight for the supporters.

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A fantastic piece of business for the club, we have permanently signed Luciano Vietto from Atletico Madrid for £8.5 million potentially rising to £12.75 million. I see this as a win-win, either he continues his current level and we have a very good player at the club, or he ups it and becomes more consistent, leading to a £40 million player. Only time will tell what he can be.

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Monaco put in a £30.5 million for Jean-Michael Seri, and the player was slightly disgruntled at not being allowed to speak to them. After speaking to him he was fine and understood the decision – there is no way I am selling one of our key players.

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With the games rolling back to once a week now, we can really focus on getting results with our strongest available line up. We are in a position that we can potentially qualify for Europe – which would be massive for the club. The FA Cup is a nice distraction, but the league will be taking priority.​
 

February 2019


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What. A. Win. Our first big away win against one of the big 6 and that completes our double header against Arsenal. As you can see from the match facts, we matched them all game, and whilst in a lot of other games we have conceded late goals or just came up short - on this occasion, luck was on our side and Aleksandar Mitrovic kept his cool and blasted the ball home from 12 yards against Bernd Leno to bag his second of the game and give us the 3 points.


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A routine victory - one I would expect us to get. The game was truthfully over by half time and they didn't really create any big chances. However, cause for concern is we by no stretch dominated them. We only had one more shot and shot on target. Luckily, our shooting boots were on today. I would ideally like us to be more clinical, but all in all, no complaints.


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We couldn't take our chance to make the quarter finals against Manchester United and that has to be seen as a big missed opportunity. We were the better team and Joe Bryan and Matt O'Riley were excellent, a constant thorn in the side of The Hornets but we could not convert. There will be a replay in a few weeks.


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Four goals. FOUR. A truly special performance from Aleksandar Mitrovic - a 9.7 match rating summing it up. This was a good response to our earlier loss to Cardiff at Craven Cottage. We are making a big push for Euerope now and this win gave a statement that we have a striker ready for continental football.


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I decided to take a big risk in this game. I effectively decided to throw it. I had no real intention if advancing to the next round where there was a solid chance we would struggle against United - I just want European qualification. So I rested my entire team and we were punished accordingly. If it works and we make Europe then I will feel justified, but this could prove to be be a very poor decision.

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Summary

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3 wins 1 draw 1 loss 9 goals for 6 goals against

We sit 7 points clear of the chasing pack for Europe. Manchester City won the Carabao Cup thus confirming that the top 7 will get European football. So all focus has to be placed on making those European places to allow for us to optimally recruit for next season.

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Confirmation that the first domestic trophy (excluding the Community Shield) goes to the blue half of Manchester.

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A big month ahead in pursuit of Europe. Targeting 9 points.

​
 

March 2019

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The game could have went either way and unfortunately for us, it just wasn't our day. Newcastle are also competing for Europe so this is a blow to our aspirations of qualifying for continental football.


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I don't think we played particularly well here and a lot of our possession was possession for possession sake. Good to see Kris Ajer finally have a stand out performance for us. Mitro eventually broke the deadlock for us and young Antonio Marin came on to seal the 3 points and get his first goal for the club.


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Much like the aforementioned Newcastle game, this could have went our way on another day but we were not clinical enough, summed up by Aleksandar Mitrovic missing a second half penalty to give us an opportunity to get back into the game. Starting to worry.


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This is a point gained rather than two points dropped. A very poor goal to concede just before half time and it looked like it would be 4 defeats from 5 until Mitrovic - the man who has come up big so often - gets a point for us and perhaps more importantly, took 2 points away from Everton.


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A fairly apt summary of our month. We took the lead but our defence simply could not deal with the attacking threat poised by Liverpool and in particular Xherdan Shaqiri. That's now 9 goals concede in our 2 games against Liverpool - utterly woeful.

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1 win 1 draw 3 losses 5 goals for 9 goals against

​A poor month as we actually move outside the European positions for the first time in months just as it matters. With 6 games to go we have to be targeting 12 points to give us the best chance of making Europa League.


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A decent if uninspiring youth intake, Carl Rodrigues the obvious standout and probably just about capable of making the grade at Craven Cottage.


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3 away games could be killer for us. I'm really targeting the first 3 games to pick up some much needed momentum. This is the business end of the season. This is what we've been working towards. Let's go grab it.

​
 
Going to be a tricky run in, but that being said you're only 2 point off 5th and 7 off 4th, and with Spurs to come it could be an interesting game to round off the month. Hopefully Bournemouth game will be "easy" with them struggling at the foot although Watford and Huddersfield will be fighting to make sure they don't get dragged back into the relegation scrap although they should be safe.
 
neavie pops23 said:
Going to be a tricky run in, but that being said you're only 2 point off 5th and 7 off 4th, and with Spurs to come it could be an interesting game to round off the month. Hopefully Bournemouth game will be "easy" with them struggling at the foot although Watford and Huddersfield will be fighting to make sure they don't get dragged back into the relegation scrap although they should be safe.
Click to expand...

It will be tricky indeed. In my opinion Chelsea are a shoe in for one of the spots and we’re fighting Everton and Newcastle for the other two. Both of them are in form whereas we are now limping to the finish line. Although Europe seemed ridiculous at the start of the season, I feel it is so important in order to improve the squad substantially, as I only look to sign players if I feel they improve the first team or give us an interesting different option.
 

April 2019

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My god did we make hard work of this. We dominated the ball without any conviction against a side that was staring relegation in the face. Bournemouth could have scored on multiple occasions but cometh the hour cometh the man as Tom Cairney whipped in a fantastic free kick and we managed to hold on for an absolutely massive 3 points.


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We don't make it easy do we? A game we should have had wrapped up, we left ourselves with a very nervy last 20 minutes but again, we find a way to get over the line, which is all that matters at this stage of the season. Luciano Vietto was outstanding again. He's becoming a bit of a fan favourite.


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One step forward two steps back. After two big way wins, we stutter to a woeful home defeat to Watford. Ben Foster was their MOTM but it just wasn't to be. We have to go into our final 3 matches with more desire than what we showed there. We have to keep looking forward.


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Honestly, I didn't expect anything from this game and Harry Kane destroyed our back 4 with a hat trick. We got off to a very poor start and are leaving ourselves with much to do to get European football next season.

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Summary

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2 wins 0 draws 2 losses 4 goals scored 5 goals against

The two away wins were obviously delightful but the Watford game is incredibly frustrating. It's a simple process. 2 out of 3 from us, Newcastle and Everton will have European football next season.

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Fulham run in

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Newcastle run in

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Everton run in

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It's time to bring European football to Craven Cottage.


​
 
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