Get It India!

Hireax said:
This year's league seems tighter than ever mate. Hope you can come out on top. Also, well done on progressing in the ACC. Hope you can retain that title, or at least come close to it :)
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, thanks for the encouragement. Things are starting to look up for me so fingers crossed :)
 
Threw with a game to spare! Well done mate, Hopefully pick up a few more wins in the mean time to pick up the league! Ive just started a save with Central Coast Mariner in Australia, gaining some inspiration from this save!
 
Things are starting to pick up for you. Keep it up!
 
JamesScott2908 said:
Threw with a game to spare! Well done mate, Hopefully pick up a few more wins in the mean time to pick up the league! Ive just started a save with Central Coast Mariner in Australia, gaining some inspiration from this save!
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, aussie league is a tough one with the salary cap & player restrictions. Good luck with it.

Seano said:
Things are starting to pick up for you. Keep it up!
Click to expand...

Yea things are looking up. The league is going to be a tough one, Dempo are on fire with the squad i built for them i might add lol ;)
 
Hopefully Salvador can fix your goal scoring problems!
 
View attachment 303443


Lajong vs East Bengal

Line-ups

View attachment 303442

Have stuck with the formation that has been working for me recently. Not too many surprises as far as selections are concerned. Young defensive duo Bhattacharya & Rahman start together for the first time while Diogo Salomao starts up top again.

Result

View attachment 303441

F@3ksh*tballsmotherf@ckingc#nts!!!! This result makes the race for the title almost impossible. Dempo now lead by 9 points with only 6 games to play. Needless to say that my laptop was lucky to survive this result but in hind sight maybe pairing a 16 year old with a 17 year old in the centre of defence wasn't my smartest move :'(


East Bengal vs Goa

Line-ups

View attachment 303440

A lot of changes for this game. A poor result against Lajong & only 2 days between matches forcing my hand. The spine of the side is definitely looking a lot stronger today.

Result

View attachment 303439

Not our best performance against the relegation candidates but a win is a win. Guidileye gets the only goal & picks up another POM. He has really been out to impress since returning to the side, no doubt trying to attract a new club.


East Bengal vs Bengaluru

Line-ups

View attachment 303438

Have named an almost unchanged line-up for the all important clash against 3rd placed Bengaluru. A defeat here could see us slip to 4th not to mention kill off our already slim title chances. Iban Salvador returns from injury but will start from the bench.

Result

View attachment 303437

Now that's what I'm talking about!!! Gurjinder Kumar standing out with a goal & 2 assists in a team that didn't have a bad player. This win cuts Dempo's lead at the top to 7 points with 4 games to go. A win against Salgaocar next up followed by a win over Dempo in the following game would see us put some real pressure on the leaders!


Salgaocar vs East Bengal

Line-ups

View attachment 303436

Another very important game see's me pick my absolute strongest possible 11 (with the exception of Salvador who I am easing back into the team gently) with our next opponent to be Dempo this is a MUST WIN!!!

Result

View attachment 303435

Christ!!! Why can't we just do things the easy way? We took the lead early on but had to withstand some heavy pressure late on to secure the 3 points. Stressful to say the least!


East Bengal vs Dempo

Here it is, the biggest match of the year, the title decider. We must win to keep our title hopes alive! Dempo are on an incredible 13 game unbeaten run in the league (only 18 league games a season remember!). Its time we put a stop to it!

Line-ups

View attachment 303434

Two very strong line-ups here. Have gambled on starting Salvador, not sure he will last 90 minutes but we will need a touch of class to break them down so its worth the risk. Somewhat surprised by Dempo's formation, Clifford Miranda has chosen to really flood the midfield, no doubt anticipating a tight affair, & in doing so caught me off guard a little.

Result

View attachment 303433

Just couldn't do it :'( Credit to the boys they worked their ***** off & had the better of the game but the result just didn't fall our way. To be honest it would have been easy to give up when they took the lead after 63 minutes but the guys kept pushing, drew level & actually had chances to win it. Gutted!!!

View attachment 303431

So Dempo take home the title with 2 games yet to play. Have to hand it to them, their last loss was in January, almost 4 months ago! Too good, this year!


I-League Table

View attachment 303430

Disappointing that the title is now out of reach but we can't dwell on it for too long with the race for 2nd (through to 4th) still wide open. Next up is our final ACC group match against South China before our final 2 games of the season, which includes a Kolkata derby against 3rd placed Mohun Bagan!
​
 
View attachment 303403


East Bengal vs South China

Line-ups

View attachment 303402

Despite the fact that we have already booked our place in the knockout rounds I have still chosen a strong 11. With top spot in the group still up for grabs & some important league fixtures still remaining it is vital that we keep some momentum going here.

Salvador moves back to the bench with Salomao pushing forward & Dika coming onto the left wing, while Bhattacharya returns in defence to partner Mustafa Nadhim.

Result

View attachment 303401

Extremely happy with this performance. Not only did we put the disappointment of once again falling short in the league behind us but we also secured top spot in the group &, hopefully, an easier opponent in the second round.

Dika starred in his return to the starting line-up scoring 2 & assisting in another while Salomao grabbed a goal before leaving the field with a knock (Nothing serious, thankfully!) & fullback Nirmal Chettri also got on the board with a rare goal. A very good all round performance.

ACC Group G Final Table

View attachment 303400

So Muangthong Utd grab 2nd place in the group after getting the better of April 25.

View attachment 303398

We draw Salangor of Malaysia in the second round. They finished 2nd behind Pune in their group. A quick look at their squad would suggest we should be heavily favoured. Here is the rest of the 2nd round draw.

View attachment 303397

So Pune get Muangthong Utd in the knockout rounds for the second straight year. Other notable teams still alive include former winners Riffa of Bahrain & 2017 champions Wehdat of Jordan.
​
 
Last edited:
I love the detail you go through in this save, top-quality story mate! (H)
 
View attachment 303283


Rangdajied Utd vs East Bengal

Line-ups

View attachment 303282

Youth prospects Mohd Rahman & Loriea Elias are handed starts in what should be a fairly straight forward match against newly promoted Rangdajied. Salomao remains up front as I continue to ease Salvador back to fitness.


Result

View attachment 303281

We dominated as we should do however I did get a bad feeling when they pulled it back to 2-1. Luckily Iban Salvador came off the bench to put the game beyond doubt in the 70th minute while Dika continued his recent eye for goal & Ngasa also got himself on the score sheet.


East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan


Line-ups

View attachment 303279

Salvador comes back into the starting line-up for the all important Kolkata derby while Dika retains his spot on the left forcing Salomao onto the right. Gaikwad, Bhattacharya & Williams come in to sure up the defence with Nadhim moving to the DM position.


Result

View attachment 303278

A very tight affair, as evidenced by the limited number of shots, but a comfortable victory none the less. Goals to Nadhim & Salomao either side of half time handing us the vital 3 points &, more importantly, 2nd place on the table.


2019 I-League Table

View attachment 303276

In the end 2nd place is not a bad result. Dempo win it in a canter with an incredible 44 points from a possible 54 & a quick look at the stats shows just how good they were. Top 2 goal scorers, 3 of the top 4 on average rating & 2 of the top 4 in the assists category my old mate Clifford Miranda definitely got the boys firing, that's for sure.

Elsewhere it was a disappointing year for both Salgaocar (7th) & Pune (5th) while Goa get themselves relegated on goal difference. What a way to go down!!!


2019 Crowd Figures

View attachment 303271

Despite the fact that we end the year with the biggest average crowd, attendances have been very disappointing this year, dropping below 20,000. My first thought was that ticket prices may have risen but, while season tickets have risen 2 pounds to 8 pounds, our match day tickets have stayed the same at a more then reasonable 1 pound. So where the **** have all our fans gone?
​
 
View attachment 303264


East Bengal in for Altidore!

View attachment 303261

Reports from inside East Bengal football club have linked the Kolkata side with a surprise move for American International Jozy Altidore.

It was thought that manager C.J. Lippo would look to slash wages to address the clubs increasing debt, however club insiders have suggested that Lippo has been handed a 500k war chest by the ambitious East Bengal board with Altidore, a free agent, said to be at the top of the managers hit list.

It is understood that no formal approach has yet been made for the striker though the temptation to bring in such a big name could yet prove too tempting for the East Bengal manager to pass up. More on this story as it comes to light...​
 
View attachment 303196

2019 I-League Awards

Team of the Year

View attachment 303195

Both ourselves & Dempo get 4 players in the team of the year, Bengaluru get 2 players in & Mohun Bagan 1.

Player of the Year

View attachment 303190

Dempo striker Taofeek Akanbi takes home the player of the year award. Unsurprisingly he also walks away with the foreign player of the year & the leading scorer awards as well. A great year for the Nigerian.

View attachment 303184 View attachment 303183


Young Player of the Year

View attachment 303182

Brazilian striker Santos wraps up a fantastic year for Dempo forwards picking up the young player of the year. None of our guys even got a look in :(


Manager of the Year

View attachment 303179

No surprises here, Clifford Miranda wins the manager of the year award in his first full season in management!


The Rest

View attachment 303176

Dempo didn't win everything at least. Diogo Salomao picks up the midfielder of the year, Singh Sandu the keeper of the year & Mohun Bagan's Ehasanul Islam defender of the year.
​
 
View attachment 303137


Second Round
Wednesday 29th May 2019


East Bengal vs Selangor
Salt Lake Stadium, Attendance: 16,258

Line-ups

View attachment 303136

With this being a one off game to advance to the Quarter finals I have obviously selected a strong side. Dika's recent eye for goal see's him retain his spot on the left forcing Salomao to the right. Salvador starts up top while in midfield I have selected Nadhim in the DM role which leaves Gaikwad & Bhattacharya in the centre of defence.

Result

View attachment 303135

Another fine performance see's us progress to the quarters again. Diogo Salomao the standout performer scoring a goal & assisting for another. There is now a 3 month wait to see who we will play in the next round :S


​
 
Holy **** you're still continuing this, great job man! So many pages to read up.
 
Lippo255 said:
Ha, ha, ha, yeah mate still going lol am really enjoying this save!!!
Click to expand...
Despite being an Indian I haven't had the patience of doing such a save, you've given me the motivation. I will try to take Indian National Team instead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Top