Get It India!

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East Bengal vs Dempo

Line-ups

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Despite having 7 first team players on international duty until 2 days beforehand, I have selected my strongest 11. No one is under 85% condition so i'll take the risk. Really want to win this game!

Might notice my forwards are further forward than usual. Know first hand that their back 2 lack pace so am hoping this, combined with a deeper defensive line & more direct passing style will help to unlock them.

Also interested to see that they are playing Gustavo as the more advanced of their central midfield pair. I always played him at dm so seems strange to me to have him further forward than the naturally attacking Saif Salman.

Match Report

Had planned on doing a "blow by blow" for this but to be honest I had to bath my daughter & just set up, started the game & walked away.

0 all at half time I had a quick look at the stats & decided that we had not been good enough. Gave the side a rocket! Not sure they deserved it but what do I know? lol

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So in the end I got the result I had wanted. subbed in Emmanuel Enize for Iban Salvador at 77 minutes & shortly after he both created & scored the winning goal. Centre back Raju Gaikwad got the MOM not sure why, guess he defended particularly well?

For a match I desperately wanted to win, I am ashamed of the lack of attention I payed. :S
Sorry.

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Good job on the win, although I'm not sure how much credit I should be giving you here!
 
Artimus said:
Good job on the win, although I'm not sure how much credit I should be giving you here!
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Yea, probably don't deserve a lot of credit but "f" it i will take it anyway lol, well done me lmao!
 
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East Bengal vs Lajong

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This must go down as one of my most pleasing victories. Fielded an entirely 2nd string side as there was only 2 days until our all important ACC match against Mohammedan.

Would have been more then happy to settle for a draw but my back up boys performed admirably. Once again Emmanuel Enize impressed, getting the winning goal. Seriously considering removing him from the transfer list & offering him a new deal.

Seems the rules have changed a bit this year as I no longer have to register a squad & can therefor have as many imports as I like, as long as I have no more then 4 in the match day squad (still only 3 from outside Asia). Unsure whether this is a bug from the many patches that have been released or a specific change in policy?

Also note the first appearance of my "star" youth players Subhahish Bhattacharya & Muman Rahman.

As matches are bouncing back & forth between the league & Confed. Cup ATM I am just going to update as the schedule swings. Next up will be my ACC match against Mohammedan.


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Merry Christmas FMer's! Thanks to everyone who has followed my story & to everyone who has helped to make this site so great!!!
 
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Mohammedan vs East Bengal

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Went down very early on here &, despite our dominance, were lucky to get back into it. Our eventual equaliser come through a clearly offside Iban Salvador which, regardless of what the stats suggest, was the only time we even looked like scoring. A bit of a worrying performance then. :S

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On the plus side, a point was enough to get us through to the next round. Our next match against Persepolis will decide who will finish top, we will need to be much better for that game.

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Always pleasing to break records. 12 games unbeaten is a fair effort lets hope we can keep it going a bit longer.



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Derby Fever Grips Kolkata

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Even the trams are choosing sides this week as Kolkata football fans prepare for round two of the biggest rivalry in Indian football.

The first meeting of the two clubs this year took place in the Federation Cup Semi-Finals & ended in a narrow victory to East Bengal.

Since that day the fortunes of the Kolkata club's could not have been much different. After an off-season overhaul, the new look East Bengal went on to win the cup & now sit on top of the I-League table while somewhat surprisingly Mohun Bagan find themselves in the depth of a relegation dogfight.

Never the less the match is sure to be a closely fought encounter with a capacity crowd expected to spur the teams on.

Fronting the media in place of the increasingly reclusive East Bengal manager C.J. Lippo, Assistant manager Stephen Appiah had this to say when asked to give his thoughts on the match.

"Form, points, table position these things count for very little in these kind of matches. Both sides will want to win, both clubs supporters will expect a win. It will not be an easy game, that's for sure!" Appiah remarked.

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The biggest game in Indian Football
Don't miss it! Tickets on sale now from Ticketek.
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East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan

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Once again my memory has failed me. No screenie of the line-ups, so instead enjoy this pic of the teams singing the national anthem.

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Result

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Without a doubt the worst performance by either side in my 4 years of management in India! Obviously wanted to do a blow by blow for this one but after 25 minutes I had to leave the room in a fit of rage. Here's a brief overview of the first 25 minutes.

The game starts with me making the ridiculous decision to start a 16 year old regen at centre back in the biggest game in Indian football despite having more experienced options. OK, my mistake I'll cop to that one!

We start the match alright, controlling possession, keeping them in their own half & creating the odd chance. So far, so good.

Then the rott starts.

Young centre back Bhattacharya not once but twice misses un-challenged headers, jumping in the air like a fool before having a complete air swing, allowing their forwards to run onto the ball in acres on space.

Its at this point I realise my mistake.

On 17 minutes under-performing Iraqi international Mustafa Nadhim gives away a stupid penalty on Mohun Bagan's first trip into our box, 1-0!

For the next 5 or so minutes we struggle to string 2 passes together, foul every time we go near the ball & generally play like a bag full of *** holes. Getting frustrated!

On 25 minutes striker Iban Salvador has an absolute brain explosion picking up 2 yellow cards in the space of a minute leaving us a man down! Aaarrrgghhh!!!!! WTF! You Idiot! Dogsh%tballsarsec@*tf#cker!!! Room left.

I did return at half time to give my talk, no prizes for guessing what I told them, & to watch the 2nd half.

For a while I thought we may just sneak in a set piece or something & jag a draw but towards the end of the game we fell apart again & conceded another 2, which just of easily been 4 or 5. A devastating end to our unbeaten run! :'(

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More good news :S



East Bengal vs SC Goa

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A good bounce back win here. After taking the lead on 11 minutes we completely dominated. Only managed the one goal though, which made the game a bit nervier than I would have liked but at least we are back on track. I hope.

Table

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Still on top for the moment. Pune FC are once again surprising & will lead the comp if they can beat Salgaocar later today.

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East Bengal vs Persepolis

Line-ups

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Decided to field a weakened line-up as we had already qualified for the next round & only 1 day seperates this game & our top of the table I-League clash with Pune.

Also hoping the change of formation will surprise them a bit & perhaps even allow us to take an early lead then sit back & defend. They are a strong side so had to try something to unsettle them & give my weakened team some sort of advantage???

Result

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OK, so that didn't go so well. The change of formation seemed to hurt us more then it surprised them. 3-0 down at half time I made the switch back to our regular shape & we did a bit better.

In reality I don't really care too much about the loss. Would have preferred to be more competitive for morale's sake but with our Champions League spot returned the league has to be my priority at the moment.


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What a great story. I found myself sometimes lack of motivation to continue my story but your story has always been inspirational to me. Keep posting, i am always following! :D
 
Kev19 said:
What a great story. I found myself sometimes lack of motivation to continue my story but your story has always been inspirational to me. Keep posting, i am always following! :D
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Cheers mate, glad you are enjoying it & that it has inspired someone. Thats new for me lol :)
 
Awesome story! Keep up the good work! I personally like this kind of FM much more than managing clubs in the bigger leagues. I would love to see more of your story in the future! Good luck!
 
Mueslireep said:
Awesome story! Keep up the good work! I personally like this kind of FM much more than managing clubs in the bigger leagues. I would love to see more of your story in the future! Good luck!
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Thanks mate, glad your enjoying it.

I like the challenge of managing in a small league, not knowing any of the players etc. way more interesting imho.
 
God i wish you could still ask the board to raise ticket prices! Only spend 13k on wages, have an average crowd of 35,000+ & am still struggling to keep my head above water. :'(
 
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Pune FC vs East Bengal

Table

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A very important match this one. A win would see us open up a 5 point gap at the top. A loss would see them overtake us & bring Salgaocar back into the title picture. With an ACL spot the prize I really want this title!!!

Line ups

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Obviously i've picked my strongest 11. Salvador is still suspended so its another start for Enize. D'Cunha's form has declined alarmingly of late but I have stuck with him. Mustafa Nadhim is yet to find anything close to his best for us yet I keep picking him. In reality it has been 31 year old midfielder Lalkamal Bhowmick who has been carrying us, we need to step up here.

Result

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Sometimes it feels as though i can't catch a break in these kind of games. Not only did we have more shots & get more on target, we also created the better chances. Yet, of course, we are bought undone by a 40 yard screamer from a 16 year old substitute taking his first touch for the day. FML.

Table

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So we drop to 2nd with 7 games to go. Got a feeling this one is going right to the wire. Interestingly our final game of the season is against Dempo.

Finances

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We are keeping or heads above water but only just. A deep run in the Confederation Cup could only help, as would a title win & a Champions League spot. :)


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Mohammedan vs East Bengal

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With Lalkamal Bhowmick going down in training I was forced to shuffle my midfield. Shane D'Cunha drops into his regular spot (love his versatility & lets face it he's not exactly been banging them in up front anyway) while Iban Salvador returns from suspension to take a spot up front.
With that being said OMG what a horrible result! Mohammedan had only picked up 4 points all year up till now. Yes their keeper played well to keep us out but against this level of opposition we should be winning. :S


East Bengal vs Bengalaru

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This was one of those games that just swung wildly. They took an early lead, then we dominated until we equalized. Then they dominated us until they scored. After which, you guessed it, we went back to being in control until we equalized.
In the end the game settled down just after the half & imo we created enough chances to get the win but again our strikers just couldn't hit the target. The title I had so wanted to win is slipping away :(


East Bengal vs Churchill Bros

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This result all but ends our title challenge. Mathematically we are still a chance but Pune would have to collapse in a heap & I don't think there is any chance of that. :'(
On the pitch I suppose the game could have gone either way but really we didn't really deserve to win. A draw I think would have been fair, though in saying that they were the better team (marginally). We are now 3rd with an important game against 2nd placed Salgaocar around the corner.


Salgaocar vs East Bengal

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Bhowmick returns & so does our form, coincidence?
As much as I'd like to tell you how good we were & how we pulled together as a team & got the win, the fact is that its too little too late.
Would dearly love to fully concentrate on the ACC but with a Kolkata derby up next, a clash with Dempo on the final day & 2nd place still not guaranteed I guess the balancing act will have to go on.



Distraught at this sequence of results if I'm honest. I know at the start of the year I thought we might struggle but after the start we had I was almost convinced the year would end in an ACL spot.

Am trying to convince myself that, whatever happens in the last 3 games, we have had a good year!
I mean we won the Federation Cup, are still alive in the ACC & have definitely "Challenged for the title" but somehow it still feels like a failure to me.
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East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan

An important Kolkata derby with just 3 games left to play. The title may be all but gone (we are 5 points behind Pune) but the table below is extremely congested with only 4 points between 2nd & 5th. I can live with finishing 2nd or even 3rd but to slip to 5th would be a disaster.

Result

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Do me a favour would ya's? Next time you see me whingeing that the tight matches never go my way refer me back to this post.

A close game in which we once again struggled to hit the target. Lalkamal Bhowmick getting us out of jail with a sublime free kick. Lalkamal has been sensational for us this year, singlehandedly winning us matches on a consistent basis.
I have a lot to think about squad wise in the off-season but Mr Bhowmick will definitely return in my midfield. Player of the year for sure.

Table

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So we remain 2nd 5 points behind Pune who, with their superior goal difference, can wrap up the title with just a point from their last 2 matches. Still a log jam behind them with 5 points between us (2nd) & Dempo (5th) who have a game in hand.

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Knew it was coming but sad to see them go. They were responsible for some massive attendances. A team for the future maybe?


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Great story dude! Have me thinking of managing a team outside the well known ones! Keep it up :D
 
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