Newcastle Jets (Season 1)

[nickmajfc]

Hey guys, i have just started my first season with the Newcastle Jets of the Hyundai A-League. Unfortunately i found this fm base site right now because i am half way through my season. I would love to show all of you how my season pans out.

My season expectation was to have a top half finish. The CCMariners were picked favourites.
At the moment after 15 rounds the table looks like this:

Queensland Roar 34pts
Central Coast Mariners 28pts
Perth Glory 21pts
Adelaide United 18pts
Wellington Phoenix 18pts
Newcastle Jets 17pts
Sydney FC 14pts
Melbourne Victory 13pts

So at the moment i am doing fairly well. My last two games were vital. Thankfully i drew one and won the other which kept me in touch with the all important top four. I defeated Melbourne 2-1 and drew 0-0 with adelaide. My next match is against the Phoenix. I will update this thread once the match is over.

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 PM ----------

Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets ( Westpac Stadium ) (Wellingtion $2.50 Fav)
Ref: Simon Pryzdak
Team Talk (1st Hlf): You can win this game
First Half;
My team started off very strongly. Came close with a joel griffiths free kick 12 minutes in. But against the run of play, Scott Draper for wellington found the net on 24 minutes. I found myself 1 goal down and nearly 2 down after bertos's shot was saved well by my keeper ante covic. I then dominated for another 5 minutes and found myself back on level terms as my Striker Jason Naidovski found the net on 30 minutes. Their players appealed for offisde but the goal stands. Just 4 minutes later i found the net again this time through Noel Spencer. After hakansson's deflected shot it was a simple tap in. At this moment i was very pleased with my team. Minutes later, goal scorer noel spencer got injured. So i replaced him with James Holland and switched Holland with Hakansson. So Holland went into the AMC role and Hakansson went into the RCM role. Just two minutes from the half time whistle. A 25 yeard Screamer from Jesper Hakansson found the net. 3-1 heading into the break. The half time whistle went. I couldn't have asked for a better first half. I decided to keep my shape heading into the second period.
Half Time Team Talk: Dont expect Performance to Drop
Second Half;
I came out with the same formation and same tactics. Well i did add a bit more defensive mentality to my team. But i didn't move it much as i still wanted my team to go for more goals and put the result beyond doubt. With 65 minutes gone i decided to change things as my team seemed to get a bit tired after a ragged first 20 minutes in the second period. Joel Griffiths made way for speedy Tarek Elrich. I also went a little more defensive knowing ive pretty much got the match in my grasp. On 73 minutes referee Simon Pryzdak have the Phoenix a penalty for a handball in the area. But Striker Scott Draper missed the penalty hitting the post and then conceeding a goal kick on the follow up. That was a major scare my team survived. On the 80th minute my super striker Jason Naidovski was hit by Daniel in the middle of the park. Injuring him and forcing a change. Thankfully i had one sub left and it happened to be Edmundo Zura, the perfect replacement. I made the change. The final whistle went and i had been very delighted with my team. Picking up the 3 points after going one down is a hard task.
Full Time Team Talk: They have done well
Wellington Phoenix 1 - 3 Newcastle Jets ( Westpac Stadium )

I was very delighted with this victory. Another 3 pts. After this match and all the other results the ladder stood like this;

Queensland Roar 35pts
Central Coast Mariners 31pts
Adelaide United 21pts
Perth Glory 21pts
Newcastle Jets 20pts
Wellington Phoenix 18pts
Melbourne Victory 14pts
Sydney FC 14pts

So i move into 5th place. The downfalls from this match were two injury's to Naidovski (Toe - 6dys - 2wks) and Noel Spencer (Bruised Shin - 6dys - 2wks).

My next match is against the Victory again. At home this time. I will give you the results to that match when its completed.

---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:57 PM ----------

Breaking News: Jason Hoffman injured during training. (Sprained Ankle - 1mnth - 2mnth's).
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory ( Energy Australia Stadium ) (Newcastle Jets $2.25(Fav)
Referee: Angelo Nardi from Perth
First Half Team Talk: I Expect a Win!
First Half;
Ive gone into this game with a few changes from last week. Adam Griffiths is back in the Central Defensive role after returning from his injury. Adam Da'apuzzo is on the bench and Elrich replaces Hoffman on the left wing. Ive stayed with the same mentality and tactics that i used aganst Wellington. I survived an early scare as Rondon nearly opened the scoring via a freekick from the edge of the area. Then a contreversial penalty was given to the Victory. Muscat stepped up and.... scored! unfortunately the victory took the lead. I was on the back foot from the minute go! I twiggled my passing game around to see if anything would happen. With 33 minutes gone i was back on level terms. A superb cross from Joel Griffiths was well finished by inform midfielder Jesper Hakansson. I was back on level terms and ready to go on with it. But once again, against the run of play a through ball finding Archie Thompson and a cool finish by him gave them the lead once again. I could't seem to find a good tactic. So i left it the way it was. Minutes later i had a corner. But Adam Griffiths's header just shaved the top of the bar. 1 minute into injury time i found myself in a heap of trouble as Ward found the back of the net with a venemous header from the edge of the 6 yrd box. I was then in a two minded situation. Do i bring Zura on and make a straight swap with Naidovski. Or do i bring Holland on for Song Jin Hyung? i decided to go with Zura as Naidovski had a niggling injury. The whistle went and i was in trouble.
Half Time Team Talk:We Can win this!
Second Half;
I also told my team not to play to wide as Melbourne were cutting the supply of crosses too much. So i had no lead down the flanks and changed things around to play more through the middle and exploit there open midfield. My team came out firing. But Zura's header went centimetres wide. Minutes later i was lucky to escape conceeding a fourth as Archie once again was one on one but missed the whole target. I couldn't get through their defence so i brought Holland on for some more attacking options. Just like last week the score ended 3-1 but this time we were on the recieving end of the game. But i didn't put my team down as they fought hard in the second period. They ended up with 55% possesion which showed why they won, but it was one of those games we could have won if we just finished off our chances.
Full Time Team Talk: Sympthanise the team
Newcastle Jets 1-3 Melbourne Victory​

I wasnt too dissapointed. But i certainly didn't want to lose that game. This is how the A-League ladder was afterwards.​

Queensland Roar 38pts (Q)
Central Coast Mariners 34pts (Q)
Perth Glory 24pts
Adelaide United 21pts
Newcastle Jets 20pts
Wellington Phoenix 18pts
Melbourne Victory 17pts
Sydney FC 14pts​

The reason the top two: CCM and QLD ROAR are in that colour is because they have already qualified for the A-League finals series since they have enough points to go through no matter what happens from here on in. I am still in contention for 3rd or 4th spot. To add insult to injury Adam Griffiths was injured in that match and will be out for around 6days to about 2weeks thanks to a stubbed toe. Just announced was the AFC Champions League group stage draw. I was given $120,000 for paricipating in the Champions League This is how the two A-League clubs were drawn.
Group E
Gia Lai
Newcastle Jets
PEA
Pohang Steelers

Group G

Beijing Guaon
Central Coast Mariners
Persik
Saitama Utd

I haven't been given the worst draw but not the best either. The World Footballer of the Year was Robin Van Persie (2008) and the World Player of the Year was Antonio Cassano (2008). My next A-League game is against Sydney FC on the 7th of January. Here is a recap of the month's board update and results.

December Board Confidence Update
They were happy about my win against Melbourne in the 1st week. They were dissapointed about my 4-0 loss to the mariners in the last week of november. We lost a total of $155K in December.
December Results
Win: vs Melb 2-1
Draw: vs Adel 0-0
Win: vs Well 3-1
Loss: vs Melb 3-1

Update coming asap​

 

[Jack Fulham]

Rodney Sneijder signed for Perth Glory when he was like 22 on my game along with a few other dutch players

 

[nickmajfc]

Alright. 2 Games of the A-League were played. Thankfully Adelaide drew. Which puts them on 22pts. If i can pick up a win against Sydney, i should be able to move into the top 4. The Mariners defeated Wellington 2-0 so that keeps the Phoenix away from me. That's two good results in one week. Also Al Harthi wins Asian Player of the Year. Morimoto claimed the Young Asian Player of the Year. Now to the match;

Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets ( Sydney Football Stadium )
Referee: Mark Shield from Sydney
First Half Team Talk: You can win this!
First Half;
Alright, now ive started with the same attacking 4-5-1 formation. I have replaced Song Jin Hyung with Jobe Wheelhouse. I also put James Holland in the Attacking Midfield role. I took Jesper out, and put Song on the bench. Jesper needed a break. With only 3 or so games to go. It was pretty much, must win from here on in. Sydney lined up in a basic 4-4-2, which gave me more confidence on winning. I dominated the opening 10 minutes but had no goal to show for it. After another 6 minutes of domination Naidovski was in space. But hit the side of the post. Minutes later Elrich was one on one. But Bolton saved it brilliantly. I could tell now i should be able to win this game. Sydney dont look like they are gunna score. Since i wasnt able to score and Sydney finally got some possesion of the ball i decided to push to more of an attacking mentality and add some creative freedom to my game. But before i could even import that, Shannon Cole somehow found the net from the edge of the area. A simple lack of concentration. But i know i cant just give up. So i left it how it was. On 40 minutes that paid off as James Holland equalised from close range. It seemed like the keeper didnt even try to save it. The half time whistle blew. Jets 1 Sydney fc 1.
Half Time Team Talk: You can win this!
Second Half;
I brought on Song for Wheelhouse because Jobe wasn't doing much. I left everything else the same. Same story as the first half, the first 5 minutes i dominated but couldnt find the net. On the 54th minute Spencer put a cross in and it was met by Holland. But only to hit the top of the bar. Once again Sydney scored against the run of play. I couldnt believe it. Youngster Steven Thomas scored! Now i had to do some miracle. I brought Zura on in the 85th minute to try something. I couldnt find a response and went down 2-1 to the bottom of the league Sydney FC. This had a major effect on my top 4 hopes.
Full Time Team Talk: Dissapointed!
Sydney FC 2-1 Newcastle Jets

After this i found myself still 2 points behind Adelaide in 5th spot. Now since i don't play Adelaide in my remaining matches, i can just hope they lose or draw some of theres and we win. It's pretty much a top four race! I am not going to show you the ladder because it's pretty much Adelaide on 22pts and me on 20 pts. So it's just up to my team now to get the 4th spot.

Competition News: I was just drawn in the PanPacific Chmp'ships Semi Finals against Saitama United.

Next Post is the Jets vs the Roar! i will do that match right now.

---------- Post added at 08:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 AM ----------

Now i was up agains't Queensland. This match would be a upset if i won. They are top of the table. Unbeaten in 17 matches. This was a must win. Or atleast draw. No injuries which was a good sign. But none returned from injury.

Newcastle Jets v Queensland Roar ( Energy Australia Stadium ) (Roar $2.50 (fav).
First Half Team Talk: Good Luck!
First Half;
I made a couple of changes. Bringing Hakansson back and putting Joel Griffiths up front. I moved Naidovski to the bench. In the Left Wing role was youngster Marko Jesic. Naidovski replaced Zura off the bench. Same formation but much more defensive. Playing on the counter. The opening 10 minutes they had way more possesion but i seemed to have the better chances. The ball was in their 18 yrd box more than it was in mine. But on the 13th minute they took the lead. To easy for Queensland. I really needed to do something. And fast! So i played a bit more attacking and more creative freedom. It showed as my team moved the ball around much more smoothly. The half time whislte went. But i was certainly the better team regadless of being 1-0 down.
Half Time Team Talk: Perform Better!
Second Half;
I replaced Jesic with Naidovski. Moved Naidovski up front. Put Joel on the right and Tarek on the Left. That's how i began the second half.I dominated and should have taken the lead through Holland. But the ball was just wide. On the 52nd minute Spencer tried a 29 yarder. It curled heaps but well saved. 60th minute same thing happened except closer. I just couldnt find the net. I came so close in the 75th minute. A deflected shot pretty much shaved the right post. Time was running out. The final whistle went and that was it. I found myself in a heap of trouble. A 1-0 loss to the Roar!
Full Time Team Talk: Sympathise the team
Newcastle Jets 0-1 Queensland Roar

That bad loss looked like it would end my hopes for a top four finish. With two games left against the Central Coast and Perth i needed to win both. This time i HAD to win both. One loss and i mathematically cant make it. Now that Melbourne moved into 5th spot and i dropped to 6th. And Perth in 4th. It looks impossible. But i can make it. As my second game is against Perth. I just need Melbourne to lose atleast one and Perth to lose one. And me to win both games. It's possible.

I will update later on today.

---------- Post added at 03:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------

Alright. It's time for the big one. Note: During the first half and second half i will keep you updated with the scores from the Perth and Melbourne games. As they are on at the same time.

Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets ( Bluetongue Stadium ) (Mariners $1.40(clear fave)
Referee: Ben Wilson from Melbourne
First Half Team Talk: I Expect a Win!
First Half;
My only change heading into this one is Jesic off and Naidovski back on. Which means he goes up front. Joel moves to the right and Elrich on the left wing. I go with an attacking style of play because i must win. With just 2 minutes gone i conceeded. 1-0 to the coast. In the 20th minute Tarek Elrich got injured so i had to bring Jesic on. This didnt look good. The half time whistle went. After a boring half the only positive was that Perth were'nt winning.
Half Time Team Talk: You can win this
Second Half;
The second half started exactly like the first. Goooooal from the coast. It just seemed all over after that. I thought i was back in it. But Joel Griffiths's goal was called offside. 65 minutes gone they received a a penalty. Another goal. That was pretty much it. Game over surely. All hope was lost just when Melbourne Scored. Holland nearly grabbed what wouldve been a conselation. But hit the post. The final whistle blew and that ended my season. Even if i had one it didnt matter because Perth got the draw they were looking for against Queensland.
Central Coast Mariners 3-0 Newcastle Jets ( Bluetongue Stadium)

With one game to go i found myself in 7th place! i couldnt mathematically make it into the Semi's. But i still have the AFC Champions League and the Pan Pacific Championships to look forward to. I will skip the game against the Glory and just give you the straight forward result on the next post.

News: Elrich Injured (6dys - 2wks)





---------- Post added at 04:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

Well the game was very cagey. Back and forth. I scored but the goal was dissalowed thanks to offside. Second half way boring aswell. The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

My next game is against Saitama United in the Pan Pacific Championships Semi Final's. I really needed to put an effort in that and the ACL. I will come back with the results of that and the ACL later.

---------- Post added at 08:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------

The A-League season had officially ended for me and i was given $30,000 for coming 6th. I now looked towards my PanPacificC'ship match against Saitama Utd. Iv'e decided to have the same players in my starting line-up for this semi final match. If it didn't work out then i might just buy some player's. Just before this match i placed a bid for Li Jinyu of Shandong but was rejected.

Pan Pacific Championship's Semi Final
Newcastle Jets v Saitama United ( Stadium Australia, Sydney )
Referee: Idris Charlton
First Half Team Talk: We Can Win This!
First Half;
With Hoffman back in the squad i felt a bit more confident heading into the game. But injuries in training to Matty Thompson and Adam Griffiths did stuff me up a bit. The match got underway. 24 minutes gone they hit the bar. I did well up until then. 39 minutes gone they score. Kawanabe finds the net. My players appealed for offside but it wasn't given. I went back to the goal and paused it when he kicked it. He was clearly offisde. Then is scored but the referee said it was offisde. The replay shows it was'nt. I was hard done by heading 1-0 down to the break. The whistle went.
Half Time Team Talk: No Pressure!
Second Half;
The second half got underway. After a brilliant second half. With 70 minutes gone Tarek Elrich finds himself in space. But hits the post. And the ball sails wide. With 82 minutes gone it seemed like my finals hopes were slipping away. It kept slipping away by the minute. The final whistle goes and i am out of the Pan Pacific Championships.
Newcastle Jets 0-1 Saitama United

A dissapointing end to my season. Well maybe not as i had the ACL to look forward to. Ill bring you all the coverage of that next post.
​

---------- Post added at 07:54 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 08:17 PM ----------

I only just found out i am in the Pan Pacific Third Place Playoff and would you believe it, it pits me against feirce A-League rivals the Central Coast Mariners. Since all the coverage from my matches takes too long. I will just give the starting Team Talk, The half time score and half time team talk. And the full time team talk + score. (ill include goal scorers and minutes if i can)

Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners ( Stadium Australia, Sydney )
First Half Team Talk: You can win this!
Starting 11: Covic, Tenekedjiev, North, Witherton, Da'apuzzo, Hoffam, Spencer, Hakansson, Griffiths, Song and Naidovski.

Half Time: 1-0 To Newcastle (Song '22) (Inj: J.Griffiths)
Half Time Team Talk: Pleased

Full Time: 1-1 (Song '22, Petrovski '90+1)
Full Time Team Talk: N/A (Pens)

Penalties: 8-7 To the Central Coast Mariners

Well and unfortunate defeat but still, to nearly defeat the coast is a good acheievement. I was elated with my team. So close. I was given 26k for the competition. and the host for the 010 PPacific Championships was announced as Japan. Joel Griffiths spoke in the media he backs for me to get a new contract with the Jets. I will inform all of you if i do stay with the club. At the moment i am looking forward to my AFC Champions League Campaign. Results coming soon.

---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------

I just recieved info on who won the A-League awards. Golden Boot was Dylan Mcallister with 17 goals. Manager of the Season was Lawrie Mckinna of the Central Coast, player of the year went to Dylan Mcallister too and Young Player of the year went to Tahj Minnicon. So i didn't go any good with that. So i now had to hope winning some games in the ACL would give me a new contract at the Jets. BAM before anything could get started my chairman Con Constantine offered me a contract for $4,300 per week for two years. I accepted. I now turned my attention to the ACL with more confidence.

Then in my next mail my contract was complete. Two more years at the Jets helm. I now had the difficult task of taking on powerhouses PEA of Thailand.

PEA v Newcastle Jets ( Ayutthaya Stadium, Ayutthaya Thailand )
First Half Team Talk: Good Luck Boys!
Starting 11: Covic, Thompson, Kovacic, A.Griffiths, Da'apuzzo, Hakansson, Spencer, J.Griffiths, Hoffman, Song, Zura

Half Time: 1-0 to Newcastle (Zura '7)
Half Time Team Talk: Encourage!

Full Time: 2-0 to Newcastle (Zura '7, J.Griffiths '90+1)
Full Time Team Talk: Delighted with the Win

That was the perfect way to kick off my ACL campaign. The other boost was the victory was away from home. So this now has given me confidence heading into the next few ACL games. This was arguably my teams best performance under my managerial control. Now i believe i could get some quality performances in and actually make it through to the knockout stages like the Jets are right now. The Mariners drew with Beijing Guaon in their group. So at the moment The Coast lie in last place but every other team in their group is on 1 pt. Same as them. So they are equal first mathematically. I currently like in Second position behind Pohang thanks to a +2 goal differentional as they won their game 4-0 and i won 2-0. So still not too bad. I was just given $45,000 for winning in against PEA in the ACL. Song Jin Hyung was reported injured for around about 2wks to a month and Zura was also reported injured for the same amount of time. Holland was also cleared from injury. That is a huge plus for me. Hakansson got injured, but i gave him an injection which will get him through my important clash with Pohang. Even bigger news is that Jade North has just been cleared from injury. Thats a huge boost.

Newcastle Jets v Pohang Steelers ( Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle )
First Half Team Talk: You can win this!
Starting 11: Covic, Thompson, North, A.Griffiths, Da'apuzzo, Delev, Spencer, J.Griffiths, Hoffman, Wheelhouse, Holland

Half Time: 1-1 (Holland '2, Jang '27)
Half Time Team Talk: We can win this!

Full Time: 1-1 (Holland '2, Jang '27) - (Red Card: North '77)
Full Time Team Talk: Well Done Boys!

That was a fair result. A result i am extremely happy with. I was huge underdogs and nearly won the game. Im very pleased with a 1-1 draw. More on my season coming soon....