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GLADBACH SACK HAWKINS
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Astonishing news is coming out of Borussia Park this evening, with sources reporting that Borussia Mönchengladbach manager Matthew Hawkins has had his contract terminated with immediate effect

The Bundesliga champions have remained silent on the reasons for the Welshman's departure, merely thanking him for all that he's done for the club

Sources inside the club are reporting that the 34 year old had been dismissed following budgetary disputes with the board, with Hawkins dismayed at the €20m budget he'd been given by the club to bolster his squad ahead of their Champions League defence

The reaction of supporters has been a mix of shock and anger, with many furious that the man who is said to have built the club (They were 13th when he took over) has been relived of his duties

More to follow
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Wow. Did not expect that at all. Good job with them overall though and good luck with France.
Did you reply in a meeting you would find it hard to continue?
 
SCENES.

Not a bad thing though mate, certainly be interesting to see where you end up next

Personally I find to much of the same success can get a it boring and ultimately repetitive.

Good luck, of course.
 
wasn't expecting that. looking forward to seeing what country you will go to next to make a new force. always a fan of people avoiding England but sooner or later the pull is probably going to be too much!
 
Wow.

Hey man, I have read your story over the last two days. All caught up and what a journey it has been. The timing with this cliff hanger has me biting my nails. I am shocked to see the measly investment they have made, but perhaps it is for the best. Do I hear England calling?
 
SCENES.

Not a bad thing though mate, certainly be interesting to see where you end up next

Personally I find to much of the same success can get a it boring and ultimately repetitive.

Good luck, of course.
Cheers mate :)

I agree with you, constant success can get boring but I was quite excited with the youngsters coming through

wasn't expecting that. looking forward to seeing what country you will go to next to make a new force. always a fan of people avoiding England but sooner or later the pull is probably going to be too much!
Neither was I! With England, there aren't many jobs there that I would take but I have my eye on a few

Hey man, I have read your story over the last two days. All caught up and what a journey it has been. The timing with this cliff hanger has me biting my nails. I am shocked to see the measly investment they have made, but perhaps it is for the best. Do I hear England calling?
Thanks fore reading, must have taken you a while :)

I couldn't believe the budget they gave me, especially with Dortmund and Bayern racking up the bills

Wow. Did not expect that at all. Good job with them overall though and good luck with France.
Did you reply in a meeting you would find it hard to continue?
Cheers mate :)

I leaked to press. Didn't go as planned
 
22nd of December 2030Who says international football is without its perks? I'm here at the Palais des Congres Acropolis down here in Nice, all expenses paid, in order for me to attend the draw for the qualifiers of the 2030 European Championships to be held in Scotland and Wales. Hopefully the group is easy.

My time as France manager has been decent so far. 6 games, 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. Not a bad record for a man new to the international game, especially as its now so different to the international football I grew up watching.

4 of our games were in the European nations league (me neither) and we fared quite well, losing 1-0 away to World Cup runners-up Italy wasn't the ideal start, but a 3-1 home win over Austria as well as a 2-0 away win against Austria calmed the French presses, we also drew 1-1 at home with Italy

These games were supplemented by some nice friendly wins, 4-0 and 3-0 over New Zealand and Costa Rica respectively

Managing France has been good fun and a whole lot more relaxed than managing at Borussia Mönchengladbach, but this has led to boredom, and, unfortunately, the vices that come with money and not much to do

I still can't believe I'm not Borussia Mönchengladbach manager, there were protests, there were complaints (Think Brian Clough, Derby, Damned United) but nothing concrete and, as such, I'm no longer at the club I built with not even a word of thanks from the board of directors who I'd made considerably richer

The board were a brick wall during my time with Gladbach, with their favourite word seeming to be "No". "Can I have a larger transfer budget?" "No." "Can we improve the youth facilities?" "No" "Can we all go on a massive bender in Zante?" "No." on and on and on. No, no, ******* no.

It riled me after a while and I guess my confidence was my downfall, I'd assumed that these stubborn bastards would budge under my own pressure and ego because I'd delivered them the Champions League, back-to-back Bundesliga titles and a vibrant young squad playing attractive football, but I guess I forgot that directors know nothing about football

Sure leaking it to the press wasn't the best thing to do, but at least it got me a reaction. The wrong reaction, but a reaction nonetheless

Anyway, they're stuck in eighth now 16 points off of top of the table Borussia Dortmund and wishing I was still in char-, oh **** we've just been drawn. Look natural, don't do a "cut-throat" mime

 
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HAWKINS FAVOURITE FOR NEWCASTLE JOB
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Fans of Newcastle United will be waking up today with smiles on their faces following reports that Champions League winning manager Matthew Hawkins is in line to take over at St James' Park

The 34 year old Welshman, who's been out of a job since being unceremoniously sacked by previous employers Borussia Mönchengladbach in August of last year, is thought to be eager to return to club management

And after being turned down by Liverpool in favour of Ashley Westwood last month, the Welshman is said to have "the fire back in his belly" with regards to club management

Newcastle would be a bit of a step down for the current France manager, who is said to be willing to relinquish his role with France if he gets the job, with the club languishing in 15th in the Premier League

The newly-promoted North East giants are on somewhat of a barren run, having not won a major honour since lifting the FA Cup in 1955
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6th of February 2031
I've missed club management. I really, really loved it and have enjoyed it throughout my career, from Loughgall to Gladbach and ever since being sacked by Gladbach I've felt a little empty inside

I'm not a vengeful man, but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the state Gladbach are now in, 6th in the Bundesliga, 8 points off top, playing 4-4-2, barely scoring goals and having to resort to youth teamers to play on the wings because the new manager refused to continue with the blueprint of success that had been laid out for him. Amateur.

But seeing them in such a state really got me going, it rekindled my love for management slightly, not this faux-management I'm doing with France, and I got back out there immediately applying for jobs at Liverpool and Newcastle

Now, I got one. It wasn't really the ideal one.

Ashley Westwood (yes, that one) got the Liverpool job which meant I was going to Newcastle on a two-year deal on £27,000 per week. Yeah, were back in sterling *******.

There's only on problem. Newcastle are ******* dreadful.

15th is a decent showing for a newly-promoted side you might think, wrong. With 13 games left they're 7 clear of the relegation zone and have won only 2 games since the 28th of September

I have an ok start, Everton and Sunderland. But a hellish run in featuring Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the final five games. We need to be safe by then.

I've also received a team report with more "Weaknesses" than I care to count, either my assistant's a pessimist or we're awful, I think its the latter

I intend to give with a 4-3-1-2 because that's what I know, one slight problem, our only left back is away on international duty. Speaking of that, I quit the France job
I'm loving it already
 
FEBRUARY
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The squad is utter *****

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 2-1 Everton
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Chalk, Willis, Gamez, Krivec, Brock, Alonso, Martin, Lambert (Hasani 66), Rizzo, Bustamente (Jacques 66), Anderson

Our lack of available full-backs meant we went with a 3-1-4-2 for my first game as Newcastle boss and it went all right as local lad Marc Anderson bagged a brace to win it for us against struggling Everton. The tactic left us very vulnerable on the wings however so I doubt this will be our usual tactic

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle United

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Chalk, Back 34, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Martin, Lambert, Brock (Vujic 65), Marchand (Alonso 34), Bustamente (Plesec 65), Anderson

The 4-3-1-2 was going down a treat until Manchester City loanee Nick Back spoilt things by getting himself sent-off, leaving us in the lurch despite dominating early on. What a ****

LEAGUE TABLE
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A win and a defeat, could have been worse
 
MARCH
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The squad is ****, but we have spirit! Great character etc

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 1-3 Manchester City
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Chalk, Barker, Willis, Vujic, Agu 70, Martin, Lambert, Brock (Samnoy 63), Ramsden (Bustamente 63), Jacques, Anderson
It was all going so well until Alex Agu decided he fancied an early shower and consigned us to defeat. We has no options on the bench so we ended up playing a 3-3-3. It went as expected.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Newcastle United
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Chalk, Barker, Willis, Vujic, Konjevic, Alonso, Martin, Brock (Smith 67), Lambert, Rizzo, Anderson (Jacques 67)

We fared pretty well in our 4-5-1 considering both full backs were teenagers, but their goal on the stroke of half-time killed the match. Ryan Smith got his debut today

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 4-0 Norwich City

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Chalk, Dowding, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Lambert (Samnoy 64), Martin, Brock, Marchand (Bustamante 64), Jacques, Anderson

WOW! Where did that come from?! We were absolutely brilliant tonight as we gave Norwich a footballing lesson

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Watford 3-2 Newcastle United

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Chalk, Dowding, Willis, Krivec, Agu, Lambert, Brock (Samnoy 79), Martin, Marchand (Bustamante 56), Jacques, Anderson

Pffft. We were excellent today and were all over Watford but they scored some of the luckiest goals I've seen, we tried to mount a fightback but just couldn't

LEAGUE TABLE
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Are we safe? I'm not so sure
 
APRIL
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Some key games this month

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 3-0 Aston Villa
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Chalk, Back, Willis, Krivec, Agu, Martin, Lambert, Brock, Marchand (Samnoy 67), Jacques (Bustamante 67), Anderson

An excellent first half saw us put fellow relegation candidates Villa to the sword in an excellent victory

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Swansea City 2-2 Newcastle United

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Chalk, Back, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Alonso, Martin, Brock (Hasani 64), Lambert, Rizzo (Plesec 64), Anderson (Jacques 76)

It was disappointing not to come away with all 3 points despite leading by two goals at half-time but a point in Swansea is a very good point

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea

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Roberts, Dowding, Willis, Krivec, Agu, Lambert, Brock, Martin (Ramsden 63), Marchand, Jacques (Bustamante 63), Anderson

A famous night t St James' as a brilliant defensive performance and some clinical counter attacks grabbed us a great win over Europe-chasing Chelsea

LEAGUE TABLE
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WE ARE STAYING UP! SAY WE ARE STAYING UP!
 
MAY
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The end is nigh

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United

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Chalk, Back, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Alonso, Martin, Lambert (Jacques 57), Brock, Rizzo, Anderson (Bustamante 67)

A disappointing performance at the Gerrard Stadium, Liverpool were there for the taking

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Crystal Palace 3-0 Newcastle United

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Chalk, Back (Vujic 28), Willis, Krivec, Agu, Lambert, Brock, Martin, Marchand, Jacques, Anderson (Bustamante 64)

I feel as though the squad have taken their foot off the gas now that were safe which is disappointing but is to be expected

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle United 3-3 Manchester United
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Chalk, Dowding, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Martin, Lambert, Brock, Marchand, Jacques, Anderson (Bustamante 61)

An excellent performance on an incredible night of football at St James' Park saw us grab a richly deserved point against the Mancunian giants

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle United
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Chalk, Dowding, Krivec, Willis, Agu, Martin, Lambert, Brock (Samnoy 63), Marchand, Jacques, Anderson (Bustamante 62)

You can't say we're not entertaining

LEAGUE TABLE
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The squad's getting torn limb from limb in the summer

 
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MAGPIES KICK OFF SUMMER SPENDING
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Newcastle United have kicked off their summer transfer business, although it isn't the way many fans wanted or expected

They've brought in two players for a combined fee of around £600,000

First to sign was Dean Catley, who's joined Newcastle from Wolves for £27,000

Catley, 19, was on the transfer list at Molineux and has been picked up by Hawkins as his first signing for Newcastle United

The attacking midfielder, known for his pace, will join up with the Newcastle youth team
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Next to join Newcastle was Daniel Wells, who's joined Newcastle from North-East rivals Middlesbrough for £575,000

Wells, also an attacking midfielder, came through the ranks at Boro but made just 5 league appearances for the Riverside club

He instead spent time on loan at the likes of Inverness, Reading and Huddersfield before being placed on the transfer list and joining the Magpies
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NEWCASTLE'S SPENDING CONTINUES

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The spending is yet to stop at St James' Park as the Magpies have spent a total of around £30m

The first player to join the Magpies was midfielder Elliott Parker, who's joined Newcastle from Watford for £12.25m

The Welshman, 29, has worked with the Newcastle manager before, at St Patrick's Athletic, where the two of them made their names

The Welshman made 46 league appearances under Hawkins at St Pats after joining from Cefn Druids for free before leaving Ireland for Hearts, before eventually joining Swansea and then Watford making a combined total of 209 Premier League appearances for the duo
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Next up is Mik Smith, who's joined Necastle from Burnley for £5.5m

The right back, 21, joined Burnley for £6m last summer but made just 6 league appearances for the Turf Moor side before leaving the North West for the North East

The Englishman, who started his career at Fulham, has made appearances for a variety of clubs throughout his career, appearing for Fulham, West Brom, Blackpool, Blackburn and Burnley
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And last but not least is central defender Miguel Lucas, who's joined the Magpies from relegated Everton for £12.5m

The 23 year old, who has 1 cap for Portugal, joined Everton from Fiorentina in 2026 for £15.5m and made 111 Premier League appearances for the Merseyside club before leaving following relegation
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1st of July 2031The first of July is probably one of my favourite days of the year, the squad are back from their expensive holidays and they're joined by the players I've chosen to challenge them for their spots in the team

This year, more than any other, we've brought in a lot of first teamers, I often bring in youngsters on this day, but this squad needed dramatic and serious surgery if we want to maintain our status as a Premier League side

And, with that in mind, I spent a combined fee of around £17m on 5 players who will be challenging for the first team squad this season, lets meet them


SAFET SEFEROVIC - HAJDUK SPLIT - £3.5M
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This could be one of the bargains of the summer as we've stolen Seferovic from right under the noses of Hajduk and Everton, who had him on loan last season. With only 1 left back in the squad last season we desperately needed one and we've found "the one", young and with plenty of potential

DEJAN SRNIC - EINTRACHT FRANKFURT - £2.2M
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The midfield is the strongest part of the squad but that doesn't mean we don't need strengthening and Dejan's been brought in as a solid young backup

BEN WOODBURN - BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH - £1.6M
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He wasn't injured when we agreed to sign him

MARCO GAVRIC - CARPI - £2.3M
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When I arrived, this squad never even had a left footed centre back, this signing rectifies that as we bring a solid centre half with international experience

ARTHUR TERRIEN - ANGERS SCO - £4.7M
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One for the future
 
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NEWCASTLE REBUILD CONTINUES
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The rebuilding job at St James' Park has continued as we enter the final stages of pre-season with the Magpies bringing in a trio of players to bolster their playing staff

The first to join the club was Barry Nicol, who joined the club from Arsenal for £6m

Nicol, 21, has been brought in to plug the gap left by Benoit Marchand's return to parent club Manchester City and the Scottish international is thought to be the perfect fit
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The next deal was either a huge risk or a huge coup depending on your personality as English striker Grant Lowe joined the club for a fee of £30m

The Oldham-born striker, described the newspapers as a wonderkid, joined the Magpies from Liverpool in a huge deal which is currently Newcastle's record buy

The youngster impressed on loan at Burnley last season, scoring 25 goals in 46 games in the Championship
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And last but not least is another "wonderkid", this one being Borislav Ivanski, who's signed on loan from Atletico Madrid

Ivanski, 20, has a proven track record in Spain, scoring 48 goals in 107 league appearances across the Spanish divisions but found himself out of favour at Estadio de Madrid

Newcastle have the option to purchase the Bulgarian, who has 11 goals in 28 appearances for his country, for £20m at any point in the loan spell
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MAGPIES BOLSTER SQUAD

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With not long left in the transfer window, Newcastle United have continued to spend as they seek to renew their Premier League status for another season

Earlier they announced they announced the signing of goalkeeper Adam Barnett from Manchester City for a fee of £9m

Barnett, a Manchester City academy graduate, made but 4 league appearances for the Citizens over a period of 9 seasons, instead making appearances for Rangers and Swansea

The former England Under 21 international, now 26, has decided to switch the North West for the North East in search of regular football
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The other first team signing was that of Joaquin De Paz, who's joined the Magpies on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach

De Paz, 19, of course worked with Newcastle manager Hawkins at Gladbach as they lifted the Champions League, with De Paz scoring a memorable goal at Old Trafford

The German-come-Spaniard hasn't made a Gladbach appearance since Hawkins' departure ans is said to be relishing the opportunity of linking up with his old boss. Newcastle have a £25m optional future fee
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Newcaslte have also made three signings away from the first team, bringing in James Giles from Cardiff (£4.3m), Raleighson Wade from Leicester (£1.7m) and James King from Huddersfield (£2.5m)
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NEWCASTLE CLEAROUT COMPLETE
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Newcaslte United have endured a season of what new boss Matthew Hawkins calls "spring cleaning" as the Magpies have seen a huge turnover in the playing staff at St James' Park

Hawkins' clearout has seen many established players leaving the club, with £48m coming into the club through sales

First to go was centre back Branislav Vujic, who joined Spartak Moscow for £6m, he was soon followed out of the door by central defensive partner Juan Manuel Gamez Heredia, who joined Middlesbrough for £3m, the duo made 29 league appearances between each other last season

The first 15 days of July then saw 5 first teamers leave, with club captain Simone Falco joining Bari for £4m, 31 year old winger Carlos Alonso joining Bournemouth for £2.5m, inside left Luka Plesec joining Bordeaux fo £6m and Norwegian Andres Samnoy joining Chievo Verona on loan who was then joined in Verona by Denis Hasani, who left for £7.5m

The end of the month saw o trio of striekrs leave, with James Benn joining Sheffield Wednesday for £1m, Patrick Bustamante joining FC Metz for £3.5m (rising to £6m) and Aydin Bulut joining RCD Mallorca for £2.6m (rising to £3.7m)

The final two to leave the club were Stuart Brock and Phil Roberts, who joined Everton (£8m) and Brighton (£700k) respectively
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