Newcastle United - A New Era Beckons!

[Klippybo]

NEWCASTLE UNITED - A NEW ERA BECKONS!

I have taken a break from FM for the past wee while as I waited for the transfer window to end and I had a choice of 2 saves in mind to start with and I have decided to take over my beloved Newcastle United.

We all know about the piles of cash available to spend since the Saudi Arabian takeover so that is also a huge appeal but also to build a new squad around the recent real life signings in Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes (not so much Dan Burn and Chris Wood lol).

The aim of the save is just to dominate completely. I just hope and pray it doesnt come too soon to make it completely unrealistic lol.

We shall see!!!

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SEASON BY SEASON GUIDE
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SEASON	PREMIER LEAGUE	FA CUP	CARABAO CUP	COMMUNITY SHIELD	UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE	UEFA SUPER CUP	FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
2021-22	2nd	Semi-Finals	Quarter-Finals	-	-	-	-
2022-23	WINNERS	Semi-Finals	Semi-Finals	-	WINNERS	-	-
2023-24							-

 

[Klippybo]

Chairman,Yasir Al-Rumayyan with part owner Amanda Staveley

PRE-SEASON

With over £200m to spend this was all about how I spent the cash as I overhauled the squad and my backroom staff. I kept all existing backroom staff but added several notable names like Luis Campos as director of football and club legend Shay Given as U23 goalkeeper coach.

Before I show you how I blew the cash let me show you who left.

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PLAYERS OUT

I have managed to sell 7 first team players. Joelinton went to Lille for £6.5m while Jonjo Shelvey left to join Hertha Berlin for £5m. The rest were all for a pittance. Javi Manquillo (CSKA Moscow £3.8m), Matt Ritchie (Celtic £2.6m), Ciaran Clark (Zenit St.Petersburg £2.1m), Emil Krafth (Watford (£1.4m) and Mark Gillespie (Seattle Sounders £1.2m) all have new clubs while I loaned out Federico Fernandez to Sheffield United and Jacob Murphy to West Brom.

Dwight Gayle is the only player I really need to get shot of now.

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PLAYERS IN

I will go through them position by position so lets start with my new keeper. I hadnt actually planned to sign a new keeper but I forgot that Dubravka is injured and that Freddie Woodman was out on loan so with barely a week before the new season started I was scrambling around to bring in one so I plumped for Dominik Livakovic. I paid Dinamo Zagreb £10m for the 26y/o Croatian international and he is a fine player and is arguably better than Martin Dubravka already so there will be a battle for the No1 spot.

My first signing was a RB and it may not surprise you to see that I jumped at the chance to sign Calvin Ramsay. Aberdeen were given £10m for the newly turned 18y/o and he will prove to be a great player and will hopefully learn off Kieran Trippier.

Now for my 2 new CBs. I wanted to bring in a left footer and a right footer to build a solid base at the back and I went for Gianluca Mancini from Roma for £16m and Morato of Benfica for £17m. I have used Mancini before and know that he is a world class player so I am delighted with that signing while Morato at 20y/o is one for the future but can also do a job now.

I didnt sign a left back so into midfield we go and I had to bring one in after Hertha bid for Jonjo Shelvey so I replaced him with Dani Ceballos who was transfer listed at Real Madrid and he joins us for just £5.5m which is a great piece of business and he will challenge Joe Willock for the spot alongside Bruno Guimaraes in the CM spot.

I desperately needed a new AMC and after a thorough search I ended up paying a club record £50m for Jamal Musiala from Bayern Munich. He is just 18y/o so greatness beckons as he looks like a top notch player already and he is certainly a franchise player.

I signed one winger and that was Raphinha from Leeds United for an unbelievably cheap £38m. Why he was available so cheaply is beyond me but the 24y/o Brazilian is a top notch player who can still improve.

The £50m club record fee was short lived as I blew £60m on a new striker. I had planned to buy a backup for Callum Wilson but with all that money burning a hole in my pocket I thought I would bring in someone who is just as good so I went to Everton and snapped up Dominic Calvert-Lewin. DCL is 24y/o so can still improve and I think it is important to have a strong number of English players in the squad so this signing ticks all the right boxes.

Finally I had already signed a backup striker but he infuriatingly and unbelievably didnt get a work permit - Karim Adeyemi. I paid RB Salzburg £15.5m and I still completed the deal before loaning him out to PSV Eindhoven for the season for £1.3m.

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SQUAD

As you can see I have certainly improved the squad but by no means are we world beaters. Livakovic and Dubravka will battle it out for the goalkeepers jersey, Trippier and Targett will be my full backs and Mancini and Morato will be my CB pairing. In CM Bruno Guimaraes will be partnered by either Willock or Ceballos while Raphinha will be my RW with Allan Saint-Maximin on the other side and Musiala will play as my AMC behind either Wilson or Calvert-Lewin.

My first XI is decent enough but there is a lack of depth and quality in the backup areas but I feel that we can have a serious go at qualifying for Europe and at 33-1 we are the 6th favourites to win the Premier League ahead of the likes of Arsenal!!! I only have £3.5m left to spend so I dont expect to see much more transfer activity.
​

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 2-0 Burnley - 1974 FA Cup Semi-final

AUGUST

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Targett*, Bruno Guimaraes, Ceballos (Longstaff), Raphinha, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

My first game in charge got off to a perfect start as Raphinha turned in a cross from ASM to get a quick debut goal. We looked quite strong and doubled our lead a minute into the 2nd half when Calvert-Lewin was put through on goal to grab his debut goal. They pulled a goal back which was disappointing but we held on to win. Musiala had a shocker lol.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes (Hayden), Ceballos*, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin (Wilson)

Very nice. 2 more goals from Raphinha and a stunning first goal for the club for Musiala won us this match here. Dani Ceballos assisted both of the 2nd half goals which is pleasing.

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Carabao Cup 2nd Round

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay*, Lascelles, Schar (Burn), Lewis, Hayden, Longstaff (Willock), Fraser, Musiala, Almiron (Wood), Wilson

I played my backups here apart from Livakovic and Musiala and they did a fine job. Lascelles headed us in front before Musiala notched a 2nd and Callum Wilson converted a penalty to see us 3-0 up at half-time. Calvin Ramsay rounded things off in injury time with the 4th with a great free-kick.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier*, Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Ceballos (Willock), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

Raphinha is on fire!!!! He put us in front early doors for his 4th goal of the season already and then Musiala popped up with the 2nd goal. We had 27 attempts on goal with 15 on target while they only mustered 2.

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SUMMARY

My first 4 games have gone perfectly! My new signings seem to have bedded in well with Raphinha starring with 4 goals and an assist in just 3 games while Musiala has also really impressed. Sure the fixture list has been kind to us but to get 3 wins out of 3 is really pleasing and I hope it provides to be a solid base for the upcoming fixtures.

Some crazy scorelines have been happening! Arsenal thumped Southampton 8-0 on the opening day of the season and it didnt get much better for the Saints as they then lost 5-2 to Man Utd.

On transfer deadline day I did make another deal. I felt that I was short an AMC and so I went out and paid £4m to Chelsea for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He will just be a backup player and be one for the short term so I wouldnt expect big things.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAPHINHA

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[JamieLauder]

Really looking forward to reading this! Great start so far.

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 7-1 Spurs 1996


SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Lascelles (Schar), Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha*, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

RAPHINHA!!!!!

In the 4 league games that he has played he has netted the first goal in each match and has 5 goals overall. DLC scored against his former club which was nice to see and Raphinha even assisted that goal!

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini (Lascelles), Morato, Targett (Lewis), Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin*

WOW!!!

What a statement this is as we go away to Man City and thump them 3-1! Raphinha (who else?) opened the scoring but they levelled before half-time. Then in the 2nd half it was the Calvert-Lewin show as he scored twice plus had one disallowed to propel us to victory. They probably deserved a draw but I am not complaining.

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Carabao Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Dubravka, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato, Lewis*, Longstaff (Hayden), Willock, Fraser, Almiron, Saint-Maximin (Loftus-Cheek), Wilson

I fielded some backup players here so I am pleased that we got through. Morato headed in his first goal for the club and then Callum Wilson helped himself to a couple.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Ceballos (Willock), Raphinha*, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin

I dont know what Raphinha is on but he is absurdly good!!!! He got another 2 here as we easily swiped aside Spurs with a strong team performance.

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SUMMARY

We had some terrific results this month none more so than the stunning 3-1 away victory over Man City. We also collected fine victories over Spurs and Everton and also despatched Crystal Palace out of the Carabao Cup so all is good.

We have won every match this season thus far which is naturally pleasing and we have some favourable fixtures next month so I expect us to still be in a strong position by the end of next month.

We have to play Swansea in the next round of the Carabao Cup which is a decent tie and already I am being warned about our FFP as according to UEFA standards we have blown it out of proportion lol. Not a surprise.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAPHINHA

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 6-2 Norwich 2015


OCTOBER

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha (Fraser*), Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

Phew!!! It was the late, late show here as we scored 2 goals in the final 8min to win the game. They scored early doors which proved to be their only shot on target (apart from a disallowed goal which would have made it 2-0) but we managed to turn it around when Calvert-Lewin and Fraser netted. Raphinha had a shocker against his old club but it was pleasing to see his replacement nab the winner and he also assisted the equaliser.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha (Fraser), Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

Disappointing. We took the lead early on through DLC but alas this time we couldnt hold on. They had an equaliser disallowed before they eventually levelled with just 2min left to play.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Lascelles (Schar), Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Raphinha*, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

Raphinha was back on fire here as he scored twice and also assisted the opener which we netted in the first minute. In 9 appearances Raphinha has 10 goals and 5 assists!!!!

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Carabao Cup 4th Round

Lineup - Dubravka, Ramsay, Lascelles, Schar (Burn), Lewis*, Hayden (Longstaff), Ceballos, Fraser, Loftus-Cheek, Saint-Maximin, Wilson (Wood)

I fielded a largely backup side here and we just scraped through thanks to a strike from Saint-Maximin. Loftus-Cheek had a goal disallowed early on.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Trippier), Mancini, Morato, Lewis (Dummett), Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin

I am not happy here! I hate Villa so to concede a 94th minute equaliser is infuriating! They probably deserved a draw but this is a tough one to take.

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SUMMARY

We dropped a few points this month with draws away to Brentford and Aston Villa as we conceded 2 very late goals to stop us from winning. We are still unbeaten after 10 league games however and have a 1pt lead at the top of the table which is pleasing although some harder fixtures are upcoming.

In the Carabao Cup we negotiated our way past Swansea to set up a quarter-final tie away to Chelsea which will be a real test.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 3-0 Liverpool 1993


NOVEMBER

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin*

Palace are rock bottom of the league and we piled on the misery here with a comfortable win. Their manager, Patrick Vieira, is on the verge of losing his job apparently.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Trippier), Mancini*, Morato, Targett (Lewis), Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin

We open up a 5pt lead at the top of the table here with this win as Kieran Trippier scored his first goal for the club to give us an injury time winner. We had 2 goals disallowed here and even Mancini's goal was reviewed by VAR!!!!

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin*

Fantastic!!!!

We move 7pts clear at the top of the table with this tremendous victory. We were the better side and despite scoring twice DLC missed a hat-trick of clear-cut chances to. We got the winner when Raphinha smashed in a free-kick from 20 yards.

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SUMMARY

Just 3 games this month but we got 3 wins with the highlight being our 3-2 home victory over Liverpool. We are still unbeaten and have got a 6pt lead at the top of the table but with Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd coming up next month I am not counting my chickens just yet.

Off the field the board have really stepped up to the plate by investing £90m to adhere to FFP rules as well as improving all the facilities, the youth recruitment and giving me a yet to be decided feeder side!!!

In other news Southampton sacked Hassenhuttl and Spurs sacked Conte.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 4-3 Leicester 1997


DECEMBER

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Raphinha (Fraser), Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin*

WHAT A BONKERS MATCH!!!!!

We took an early lead here through Calvert-Lewin but for the next 40min or so Chelsea were rampant and ended up with a 4-1 lead at half-time and the game was over however in the last 13min we produced a stunning comeback. DLC scored twice to claim his hat-trick and then in stoppage time Ryan Fraser curled in an equaliser from 20 yards. Crazy!!!

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin (Wilson)

Our first defeat of the season and I can have no complaints as we were very poor. Callum Wilson had a late equaliser disallowed but that would have been harsh on Arsenal had it been given.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Lascelles, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Willock*, Raphinha (Fraser), Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We get back to winning ways here as we edge out 10 man Southampton. I have been thinking about dropping Joe Willock recently but he put in a MOM performance and scored the winner so he gets a stay of execution. Ceballos will get his chance eventually though.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Raphinha (Fraser), Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin (Wilson)

I am naturally disappointed to lose the game but we played well enough to at least get a draw and that was shown by the fact that their keeper, De Gea, got the MOM award. We move on. That being said we all of a sudden drop down to 3rd in the league!

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier*, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin (Wilson)

Just when I promise Dani Ceballos a run in the side Joe Willock finds his goalscoring feet as he headed in the only goal of the game here. Leicester gave us a good game but we just deserved to nick it.

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Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Fraser (Almiron), Musiala (Loftus-Cheek), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

For the 2nd time this month Chelsea smash 4 goals past us but this time we couldnt match them as we were well beaten as we tumble out of the Carabao Cup. They even missed a penalty late on.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett (Lewis), Ceballos, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Loftus-Cheek), Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin*

Not a bad away performance!!!! Calvert-Lewin had us 2-0 up at half-time and then in the 2nd half my subs stepped up as Fraser scored a brace and Loftus-Cheek scored the 5th in his league debut for the club.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Ceballos (Longstaff), Fraser, Musiala (Loftus-Cheek), Almiron*, Wilson (Wood)

I am delighted with this win as we had a depleted squad but still managed to grind out a fine 2-0 away victory thanks to 2 goals from Miguel Almiron. I have named my cat Miggy after Almiron so this one is for her lol.

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SUMMARY

We had a bit of a mixed month here as we dropped a few points in the league by losing twice to Arsenal and Man Utd and also drawing 4-4 with Chelsea and they also knocked us out of the Carabao Cup by 4 goals to 2 which was a disappointment. We ended the month well however with 3 straight league wins at the end of the month we end it on a high.

Going into January there are a few players leaving and several others are wanting to leave but i only have roughly £20m to spend so I will have to box clever in the transfer market.

The European Golden Boy was named and it was Karim Adeyemi who is on loan from us to PSV but I dont have a recall option and he now has a work permit!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
KIERAN TRIPPIER

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Brighton 1-2 Newcastle 2017


JANUARY

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato*, Targett (Lewis), Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Wilson (Calvert-Lewin)

We fight back to win this topsy-turvy match. Musiala needs to add more goals to his game but he levelled things up at 2-2 here before Morato headed in the winner 5 min later much to my delight.

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FA Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Lascelles, Burn (Dummett), Lewis, Longstaff, Ceballos (Hayden), Fraser*, Loftus-Cheek, Almiron (Vilca), Wilson

Out came the backups and we make it through into the next round. Ryan Fraser set up 2 goals while Callum Wilson scored a double and Dan Burn scored in his first start for the club.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Burn), Targett, Ceballos, Willock (Hayden), Fraser, Musiala*, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

This makes it 5 wins in a row in the league as we edge out Brighton 1-0. Saint-Maximin, who has been our worst player of the season so far to be fair, had an early goal disallowed. He really needs to contribute more.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier*, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah (Ceballos), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin

2pts dropped here for sure. Yunus Musah made his debut and was **** but other than that there is not much left to say.

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SUMMARY

I am used to having tons of games in January but not so here as we only played 4 games. We did not bad though and are still riding high in the league but the main news is all about the transfer market.

There were several players leaving. Martin Dubravka left to join Sheffield United for £16.75m, Chris Wood went to Everton for £13.25m, Isaac Hayden joined Strasbourg for £5.75m and Fabian Schar joined Rennes for £3.1m. Finally Dwight Gayle left for QPR on a free and Paul Dummett signed for Zenit St.Petersburg for £950,000.

I did have big offers from Spurs for Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron but I rejected them but in hindsight I should have accepted the £34m for Callum Wilson as just a week later I recalled Karim Adeyemi from his loan spell at PSV as he now has a work permit!!!!!

Apart from the return of Adeyemi the other first team signing I made was Yunus Musah who joined us from Valencia for £40m. The American is only 19 but he will become a world class player and we have brought in a brilliant player here. Like Musiala he has an English passport so that is an extra boost.

Then on deadline day I brought in 2 young players before sending them out on loan. Andrea Papetti joined us from Brescia for £7.5m while Ivan Saranic was signed from Dinamo Zagreb for £1.4m.

So that is us set for the 2nd half of the season!!!!!!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
CALLUM WILSON

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Leeds 3-4 Newcastle 2003


FEBRUARY

FA Cup 4th Round

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini (Lascelles), Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock*, Raphinha (Adeyemi), Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

Joe Willock stole the show here as he smashed in a hat-trick to see us comfortably into the next round of the cup. In just one match he has doubled his tally for the season. Watford sacked their manager immediately after this game.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha (Fraser), Musiala (Lascelles), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

We were well beaten here and that is no surprise considering we went down to 10 men after only 10min. City leapfrog us in the table now.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Lascelles (Burn), Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha (Adeyemi), Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

Back to back defeats and 3 without a win in the league. Not good enough. We went 2-1 up early on in the 2nd half so to end up conceding 5 goals is not acceptable even though the 5th came when we were down to 10 men after Trippier went off injured. Joe Willock got another goal though.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Lascelles, Morato, Targett (Lewis), Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin*

We bounce back to win with a tremendous away performance here as we thump Leeds 4-0 away. DLC scored twice, Morato got a rare goal and then Joe Willock popped up with yet another goal to continue his great scoring run.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Burn), Lascelles, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi*)

Introducing Karim Adeyemi!!!!!

My young German striker came off the bench to score a hat-trick including 2 goals in the final throws of the game to win us the match. We really should have been out of sight but it seems that without Mancini we cant defend. Willock scored yet again!!!

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SUMMARY

There was goals galore this month but alas not all of them were in our oppositions goal as we conceded a fair few as Spurs smashed in 5 past us and Brentford and Man City scored three times.

It wasnt all bad though as we did beat Brentford and we also won by scoring 4 past Watford in the cup and Leeds away from home in the league and that sees us end the month in 3rd place in the league.

In the FA Cup we will play Chelsea and that will be a tough tie as they have scored a load against us so far this season.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
JOE WILLOCK

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Chelsea 0-2 Newcastle 2012


MARCH

FA Cup 5th Round

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett (Lewis), Musah, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala*, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

A huge result!!! We go to Stamford Bridge and knock Chelsea out of the cup as we put in a tremendous performance to knock Chelsea out of the cup. Saint-Maximin has been shocking all season but he put us in front early on and Musiala scored a fine winner in extra-time after Pulisic had levelled.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato*, Lewis, Musah, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Adeyemi

Remember when Raphinha scored 13 in the first 13 league games? This is his first league goal since then amazingly. I stuck with Adeyemi up front after his hat-trick in our last league fixture and he duly put us in front after only 3min.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha*, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Adeyemi (Calvert-Lewin)

We werent at our best here but we got the win thanks to a penalty from Raphinha.

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FA Cup Quarter-Final

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Lascelles (Burn), Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala*, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We march into the semis with a convincing victory over Crystal Palace. Musiala was the star of the show with a goal and an assist while DLC was restored into the starting lineup and he scored a brace.

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SUMMARY

We won all 4 games this month as which was great as we won both league fixtures to keep our unlikely title challenge going and also 2 FA Cup games as we reached the semis.

Our 2-1 win away to Chelsea in the FA Cup was the highlight of the month as we pulled off a great result and we went on to knock out Crystal Palace to set up a semi-final tie with Liverpool.

In the youth intake we had a decent group of players arrive but nobody who I am willing to shout out to the rooftops about.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
JAMAL MUSIALA

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 4-2 Chelsea 1994


APRIL

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin*

We stormed into an early 3-0 lead here and looked certain to cruise to victory but we allowed Watford to come back into it and in the end we just sneaked the victory which is a slight disappointment.

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Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Ceballos, Willock, Raphinha (Adeyemi), Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin (Wilson*)

What a comeback!!! Palace are rock bottom of the table but they were 2-0 up at halt-time and we were all over the place but we fought back to win. Musiala pulled a goal back with a stunning long range effort and DLC levelled before coming off for Callum Wilson who headed in the winner.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Lewis, Musah (Longstaff), Willock (Ceballos), Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We were atrocious here and were lucky to keep the score down to just 3 such was their domination. We had won our last 6 league fixtures but that run comes to an abrupt end here.

--

FA Cup Semi-Final

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha (Adeyemi), Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We were gunning for revenge for our previous result but alas it was not to be and we are out of the cup. We were the better side however but we just didnt take our chances.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier*, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We put in a top notch performance here as we blew Chelsea away. Saint-Maximin finally got his first league goal of the season to put us into an early lead and when Morato headed home it was game over. Trippier finished things off late on. For some reason my planned subs didnt come on.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Musah, Willock*, Adeyemi, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almiron), Calvert-Lewin

This was an entertaining match which either side could say that they deserved to win. We fell behind but thankfully Joe Willock popped up with an equaliser against his old club for us.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato, Targett (Lewis), Musah, Willock, Raphinha*, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HERE WE COME!!!!!

I dont know how we escaped with a point here. They absolutely battered us in the first half and although they were 2-0 up it should have been 5 or 6 in truth. Somehow in the 2nd half we battled back and managed to level thanks to goals from Ramsay and Musiala and we almost won it at the end when Morato crashed a header off the crossbar.

This result drops us down to 3rd place and effectively hands the title to Man Utd but it does secure our place in next seasons Champions League.

--

SUMMARY

We had some horrendously tough fixtures this month and as a result the results were a mixed bag! We were thumped by Liverpool in the league before we lost to them undeservedly in the FA Cup semis but then we thumped Chelsea 3-0 and got draws against Arsenal and Man Utd.

It all means that we have secured a Champions League spot for next season and while we can still win the league we are realistically going to finish between 2nd and 4th.

My youth trials ended and I signed up a few more players including the best one of the lot who wasnt recommended at the start!!!! Kyle Heath is a RB who is valued up to nearly £20m!!!!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
KIERAN TRIPPIER

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Leicester 2-4 Newcastle 2021


MAY

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato, Targett, Musah, Willock, Raphinha*, Almiron, Saint-Maximin (Fraser), Calvert-Lewin

This result all but relegates Southampton. We smashed 4 goals past them in the first-half which included a 1st goal for the club for Yunus Musah. Very pleasing.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Mancini, Morato (Lascelles), Targett, Musah (Bruno Guimaraes), Willock, Raphinha*, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

We absolutely battered Wolves here as we hit Wolves for 7 goals. DLC, Willock and Raphinha got doubles while Mancini popped up with a goal. It looks as though as we have an outside chance of winning the title but it would take Man Utd and Liverpool to draw and us to win by 28 goals for us to take the title lol.

Bruno Guimaraes finally made his return from injury here.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Heath), Mancini, Morato, Targett, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock*, Raphinha, Musiala (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

We round off the season with a 2-0 win which is over 20 goals short of what we needed to win the title lol. In the end Man Utd beat Liverpool anyway so we actually finish the season in 2nd place - 2pts behind the champions.

Kyle Heath made his debut here to become the clubs youngest ever player.

--

SUMMARY

We end the season with 3 very convincing wins to finish 2nd in the league. We put 4 past Southampton to relegate them and then wiped the floor with Wolves as we humiliated them 7-1 before we ended the season by defeating Leicester 2-0.

We now go into the summer armed with an initial £165m transfer budget so hopefully we can comeback stronger.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAPHINHA

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

END OF SEASON REVIEW

We have had a fun season!!! We ultimately ended up without a trophy but I cant complain about a 2nd place finish in the league combined with a semi-final finish in the FA Cup and a quarter-final finish in the Carabao Cup.

In the league we got off to a fantastic start as we won our opening 7 fixtures and went unbeaten in our first 15 but while the rest of the season was still a success we were just pipped at the post by Man Utd for the league title by 2pts. A key point in the season was the injury of Mancini as we conceded 11 goals in 4 games in that spell.

2nd place is decent enough though and we have the Champions League to look forward to next season.

In the Carabao Cup we were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Chelsea but we got revenge against them in the FA Cup as we knocked them out but alas Liverpool beat us in the semis undeservedly 2-1.

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

--

SQUAD

My Player of the Season - Raphinha
My Young Player of the Season - Jamal Musiala
Must Do Better - Allan Saint-Maximin
Donkey of the Year - Sean Longstaff

​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON POST

I have had a busy summer! In all I have spent £200m to bolster the squad and I have raked in £70m. My overhaul of the squad has been so big that of the squad that I inherited only Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Lewis and Longstaff remain in the first team squad.

I feel now I have the squad in place to win some trophies and I cant envisage making a load of changes at one time in the future as we have a solid base. One downside however is the lack of home grown players trained by the club and that affected my transfer strategy. Ramsay, Musiala and Musah will get that status in 2024 and that cant come quick enough!!!!

Here are my transfer dealings..........

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PLAYERS OUT

Here are most of them. Missing is Callum Wilson who left to join Everton for £24m and Dan Burn who has signed for newly promoted Blackburn for £1.5m. All of the above players were backups while I had to let Papetti and Esposito go out on loan as they didnt have a work permit. I could have maybe got more for Ceballos but he was on £115k a week and we had fallen out so I just wanted to get rid.

--

PLAYERS IN

No screenie here lol.

My number one priority was to get a LB in to replace the outgoing Matt Targett. So I went on a player search and the very top one was my man so I went out and smashed the clubs transfer record to bring in Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich for £85m. The 21y/o Canadian is a monster of a player and will hold down that spot for many years. He is exceptionally quick and will contribute going forward too.

With Lascelles and Burn leaving I needed to bring in 2 CBs so I brought in 3! The first one is a 15y/o I found at Stoke and paid £8m for. George Armstrong is his name and I am excited to see how he develops and he will be in and around the first team squad.

The other 2 were pre-arranged transfers who came on pre-contract deals so cost me nothing. Boubacar Kamara joins us from Marseille and Dan-Axel Zagadou comes in from Borussia Dortmund. Both Frenchmen will compete for the CB spots although Mancini is a definite pick as he is my new captain. At the very least we will make a load of profit if and when I sell these two!

I found a bargain when I was able to bring in Yusuf Demir from Rapid Vienna for just £15m! He is only 19y/o but will be a star in the future and immediately challenges for the AMC and RW spot. Why Barcelona didnt take up the option to sign him is beyond me.

Now I needed to bring in 2 players that were homegrown by the club as Matty Longstaff and Elliot Anderson left the club on loan so I paid Southampton £20.5m for Adam Armstrong to become my 3rd choice striker and St.Mirren £240,000 for Jak Alnwick to be my 3rd choice keeper although he wont kick a ball for us.

Armstrong however is a nippy striker and although he will struggle to get game time he is of a decent quality to be in my squad.

I wanted a new left winger as Allan Saint-Maximin was shocking last season so went on a search and found an absolute bargain. For some reason Barcelona were accepting just £55m for Ansu Fati and I jumped at that. Man City tried to get him too but thankfully the teenage forward chose us and he will be a superstar for us. Him and Davies on the LW is a mouthwatering prospect!!!!

My final signing for the first team was Teun Koopmeiners who I paid Atalanta £17.5m to bring him into the club. I needed someone who could fill in at CM and at CB and he fitted the bill perfectly and at 24y/o he can still get better. Declan Rice would have been ideal but I couldnt afford him after bringing in Fati.

Finally I brought in some players on free transfers to be squad fillers or play in the U23s. Diego Pampin came in from Celta Vigo and he can play anywhere on the left hand side which is useful. Salvatore Esposito joins us from SPAL but doesnt have a work permit so has been loaned out to Ajax and Tahith Chong was brought in from Man Utd.

--

SQUAD

What a squad I have built up! We have so many young players who are good enough for just now. With Davies and Fati I ahve my left hand side sorted for many years and with Musah, Musiala, Morata, Adeyemi, Yusuf Demir I have some of the worlds best young players!! I like the fact that I still have several English players so it isnt all foreign players as I have 7 English players as well as a Scot and a Northern Irishman in the squad. It would have been 9 had Musiala not chosen Germany and Musah not chosen USA!!!!​

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 5-1 Blackburn 2003


AUGUST

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah*, Willock, Raphinha (Saint-Maximin), Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

Ansu Fati introduced himself to our supporters by putting in a special debut performance as he scored 2 wonder goals from outside the area.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies (Zagadou), Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala*, Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

This match exploded in the final 10min. Firstly DLC had a goal disallowed on 80min but we looked to have nicked it when Ansu Fati bundled the ball home with 3min left. Trippier made it 2 and there was still time for them to pull a goal back!

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Kamara), Davies*, Musah (Koopmeiners), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin

We were excellent here and fully deserved our 4-0 victory. Trippier scored for the 2nd game in a row which is surprising and Teun Koopmeiners came off the bench to smash in a shot from 25 yards to get a magnificent goal on his debut.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Lewis (Zagadou), Musah (Koopmeiners), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala*, Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

It may be only our 4th game of the season but for the 3rd time we have scored 4 goals in a game already. Fati notched another double, Raphinha scored with a sublime free-kick and Willock got off the mark for the season.

--

SUMMARY

We have had an excellent start to the season as we win 4 out of 4 and scored 4 goals in 3 of the games as we went! Granted the fixture list hasnt been hard but we still had to put away our opponents and I am delighted with our start. Ansu Fati has hit the ground running with 5 goals so has already scored more on the LW than ASM did last season!!!

Regarding transfers nothing happened until deadline day and then all of a sudden I received a £14m bid from Lyon for Miguel Almiron so off he went. I needed a replacement however and ended up bringing in 2!!!!!

Firstly I paid £4m to bring in Thiago Almada. The 21y/o Argentinian is a maverick of a midfielder and he should do a job and least be moved on for big bucks in the future.

Then I went to Bayern Munich and gave them a ridiculously low £1.6m for 18y/o Gabriel Vidovic. The Croatian can play at CM, AMC or up front and he will develop into a fine player.

Finally in the Champions League our group wasnt too bad considering we were 4th seeds as we will come up against PSG and the 2 Red Bull teams, Leipzig and Salzburg.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ANSU FATI

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool

SEPTEMBER

Carabao Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Heath), Kamara*, Zagadou, Lewis, Bruno Guimaraes, Koopmeiners (Volkan Kilic), Yusuf Demir, Almada, Fati, Adeyemi

Out came the backups and they got a decent win to send us through. Almada got a debut goal which was a nice touch. George and Adam Armstrong as well as Sean Longstaff would have been involved but I forgot to recall them from U23 duty and ASM was injured.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah, Willock (Koopmeiners), Raphinha, Musiala, Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

We were totally outplayed here and I have no complaints about the score. We may have built up a young, vibrant and exciting side but there is still work to do it seems.

--

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah (Koopmeiners), Willock (Bruno Guimaraes), Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin*

WOW!!!!

We return to the European stage against one of the other state owned moneybags side PSG and we wiped the floor with them as we crush them 5-1. We were a goal down at half-time but responded in the 2nd half with a wonderful performance. DLC helped himself to a hat-trick, Fati netted just as I was about to sub him and Yusuf Demir even came off the bench to score.

This puts out a real statement to the rest of Europe.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah (Bruno Guimaraes), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Fati (Yusuf Demir), Calvert-Lewin*

Chelsea have had a nightmare start to the season and we piled on more misery here by beating them on their own turf. We fell behind but Raphinha levelled from the spot before DLC headed home the winner.

--

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic*, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies, Bruno Guimaraes, Koopmeiners, Yusuf Demir, Musiala, Saint-Maximin (Almada), Adeyemi (A.Armstrong)

I rested a few players here and that was reflected in our performance as we were largely 2nd best but we somehow scraped a win. Musiala got the winner and Adeyemi had one chalked off but we have to thank Livakovic for the 3pts.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies (Zagadou), Musah, Willock (Bruno Guimaraes), Raphinha, Musiala (Almada), Fati*, Calvert-Lewin

We deliver another top notch performance here as we smash Liverpool 4-0. DLC had a very early goal disallowed before Raphinha scored with a free-kick to open the scoring. Morato lobbed in the 2nd and then Fati got a double. Superb.

--

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic*, Ramsay, Kamara, Zagadou, Davies, Musah, Willock (Koopmeiners), Yusuf Demir (Adeyemi), Musiala (Almada), A.Armstrong, Calvert-Lewin

Another strong performance and result. Half of my side were tired so I rested several players but we still got the win. Adam Armstrong may be a bit part player but he paid back a huge part of his transfer fee with his goal here.

--

SUMMARY

What a month this was! We had a horrendous run of fixtures and we largely emerged unscathed apart from a 3-1 defeat to Man Utd. I can accept that however as we smashed PSG 5-1 in the Champions League as well as defeating Chelsea away and Liverpool 4-0 at home.

We are banging in the goals and it seems as though everyone is contributing although DLC and Fati are scoring more than the others.

In our Champions League group we have all but won it as we have 9pts after 3 games and have a 5pt lead at the top of the group!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 5-2 Leeds Utd 1989


OCTOBER

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies*, Musah (Bruno Guimaraes), Willock (Koopmeiners), Raphinha, Musiala, Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

The fixture list continues to give us tough matches but once again we come out on top as we just edge out Arsenal 1-0 thanks to a Raphinha goal.

--

Carabao Cup 4th Round

Lineup - Woodman, Ramsay, Kamara (G.Armstrong), Zagadou*, Davies, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Koopmeiners, Yusuf Demir, Almada (Vidovic), A.Armstrong, Munoz

My backups do the job as we make it through into the next round. The likes of Livakovic, Adeyemi and Lewis would have started but they were all away on international duty along with my first picks. Munoz got a goal on his debut while George Armstrong and Vidovic also made their bows for the club.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Trippier), Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin*

For the 5th time already this season in the league we score 4 goals. DLC scored a hat-trick and Fati also popped up with a goal as Leicester were made to pay for coming on to us as we hit them on the break time and time again.

Not that my tactic is set up for that!!!

--

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah (Koopmeiners), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin

Meh. Disappointed not to win the game and extremely frustrated at conceding a late equaliser but we move on.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies, Musah (Bruno Guimaraes), Willock, Adeyemi, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin (A.Armstrong*)

Adam Armstrong continues to blow me away!!! He was signed as a bit part player but every time he comes onto the pitch he produces and he netted a double here.

--

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay, Kamara. Zagadou, Lewis, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Koopmeiners, Yusuf Demir*, Almada, Saint-Maximin, A.Armstrong

Adam Armstrong is at it again!!!! Another 2 goals as we beat Salzburg. We were already qualified into the next stage going into the group so to get a fairly convincing win is nice.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Kamara), Davies, Musah, Willock (Koopmeiners), Raphinha*, Musiala, Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin

Raphinha tore apart his old club here as he equalised with a stunning 20 yard effort before setting up the winner for DLC. At £38m he has been one of my best signings and a huge bargain even at that price!

--

SUMMARY

Another very successful month!!! We won all our games apart from a draw with Leipzig in the Champions League so I am happy with that! We sit 5pts on top of the Premier League table and have 3 games before we break for the World Cup so we should still be top at the turn of the year.

In the Champions League we just need to avoid a thumping by PSG to win the group. That may happen though as I will be playing my backups!!!!

A special shout out goes to Adam Armstrong. My 3rd choice striker really impressed this month as he netted 5 goals.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ADAM ARMSTRONG

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PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Newcastle 4-3 Man City 2004


NOVEMBER TO CHRISTMAS DAY

UEFA Champions League Group G

Lineup - Livakovic, Ramsay (Trippier), Kamara, Zagadou, Lewis, Bruno Guimaraes (Longstaff), Koopmeiners, Yusuf Demir (A.Armstrong), Almada, Saint-Maximin, Adeyemi

Meh. We gave it our best shot here but we didnt get thrashed and thats the main thing as we finish top of the group.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies*, Musah, Willock (Bruno Guimaraes), Raphinha, Musiala, Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin

A great result!!! Alphonso Davies was unplayable here as he assisted both of our goals. They pulled a goal back but we werent really threatened thereafter.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Zagadou, Morato, Davies, Musah, Willock, Raphinha*, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

WOW!!!!!

We blew lowly Norwich away here as we hit them for 6. Raphinha grabbed a hat-trick and also got an assist while Yusuf Demir came off the bench to net a brace.

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier*, Mancini, Morato (Kamara), Davies, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

We now break for the World Cup so it is good to go off with a win. I always want my 2 CMs to pop up with a goal every now and again and they both notched here which was good to see.

--

SUMMARY

We lost to PSG in our final Champions League group match but we still finished top and as a result we have been drawn against Ajax in the first knockout stage.

In the league we got a great win at home against Man City before thumping Norwich 6-1 away and then defeating Burnley. We have now won our last 9 league games.

Raphinha was on fire this month and he was named as the 44th best player in the world in the top 50 in the ranking thingy-ma-bobber lol.

In other news the club have improved their youth recruitment level while several of my backup players are complaining about the lack of football and requesting transfers which aint good.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RAPHINHA

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

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[Klippybo]

VIDEO LINK - Everton 2-2 Newcastle 2020


JANUARY

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (G.Armstrong), Davies, Musah, Willock (Koopmeiners), Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin*

This game was played on boxing day 2022 so it is an extra game to the January update. We thumped Fulham as we returned to action with 5 goals. DLC got a hat-trick and young George Armstrong made his league debut.

10 wins in a row now in the league.

--

Lineup - Woodman, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Zagadou), Davies*, Musah (Koopmeiners), Willock, Raphinha, Musiala, Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

Musiala really needs to score more goals and he managed to notch a late winner here as he scred a scruffy goal with 8min to go.

--

FA Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Woodman, Heath, Kamara (G.Armstrong), Zagadou, Lewis, Longstaff, Koopmeiners, Yusuf Demir (A.Armstrong), Almada (Vidovic), Saint-Maximin*, Adeyemi

My backups did a fine job here as they put 6 past Wigan. Koopmeiners scoring twice is a nice touch but for Sean Longstaff to do the same is a ****** miracle!!!!

--

Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Lineup - Woodman, Trippier, Mancini, Morato (Kamara), Davies*, Musah, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati, Calvert-Lewin (Adeyemi)

Ansu Fati scored a stunning goal here as he bent in a shot from 25 yards. Arsenal were terrible and didnt even muster a shot on target!

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Heath, Mancini, Morato, Davies*, Musah, Willock (Koopmeiners), Raphinha (Yusuf Demir), Musiala, Fati, Calvert-Lewin

Our winning streak in the league comes to an end as Spurs somehow manage to escape with a point. We dominated throughout and missed a load of chances but they sneaked a goal to get themselves a draw infuriatingly.

--

Carabao Cup Semi-Final

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini (Kamara), Morato, Davies, Musah, Willock (Gavi), Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Fati (Saint-Maximin), Calvert-Lewin

I am absolutely raging!!!!

We were 2-1 down at half-time and then in the 2nd half we battered them and deservedly went 3-2 up thanks to 2 Raphinha goals but inexplicably we threw the lead away and lost the match in the last minute to deny us a final place.

Pathetic.

--

Lineup - Livakovic*, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Lewis (Zagadou), Musah, Willock (Gavi), Raphinha (Adeyemi), Musiala, Fati, Calvert-Lewin

A decent away victory. Musiala put us ahead early doors and we got a 2nd through Fati who had earlier had a goal disallowed. Not much else to say!

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier (Ramsay), Mancini, Morato, Davies*, Musah, Willock (Gavi), Raphinha (Yusuf Demir), Musiala, Saint-Maximin, Calvert-Lewin

Allan Saint-Maximin scored 2 league goals in 37 starts last season yet here he is scoring a brace on his first league start this season!!!

--

Lineup - Livakovic, Trippier, Mancini, Morato, Davies (Zagadou), Musah*, Willock, Raphinha, Musiala (Yusuf Demir), Saint-Maximin (Fati), Calvert-Lewin

Trippier and Musah got rare goals here as we come back from behind to edge the game 2-1. Dont like Villa so I am happy!

--

SUMMARY

A load of games this month and largely it was very successful as we opened up an 8 point lead at the top of the league. We did draw with Spurs at home but won our other 5 games to continue to get ourselves closer to the title.

The one bad moment was our Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Man Utd as we fought back from 2-1 down to lead 3-2 in the 2nd half only to throw it away which was simply not acceptable.

The form of Alphonso Davies has been nothing sort of magnificent as he starred in several matches and is getting plenty of assists and in all truth has almost paid back his £85m transfer fee.

Regarding transfers I sold Bruno Guimaraes to Borussia Monchengladbach for £21.5m. He is a decent player but wasnt getting a look in so when they came in with a bid I was happy to accept. Jak Alnwick went to Houston Dynamo for £220,000 and I loaned out Munoz, Chong, Pampin and most notably Calvin Ramsay.

There were incomings! I signed a young lad from Birmingham and made Santiago Munoz's loan permanent for £2m but with Alnwick going I needed a home grown player trained by the club so went out and got one - another keeper - Tim Krul!!!! I paid £110,000 to bring him in and he is really only here to help us meet regulations in the Champions League.

With Bruno Guimaraes leaving I needed a replacement. Some top targets were well out of budget and I went in for Lewis Cook but he wanted to be a star player and also a huge wage packet so I baulked at that. Vitinha was a consideration but then I noticed Gavi from Barcelona so jumped at the chance to bring him in for £23m. At just 18y/o he is a future world class player and I hope that he will do a great job for us. An absolute bargain!!!!

I had arranged to sign Theo from Real Madrid on a pre-contract but accidentally clicked on buy now which proved to be problematic for another deal. Instead of getting him on a free I paid £3.1m for him and as he failed to get a work permit I have loaned him out already.

The reason it was problematic was that after my feeder side Crewe made a loan bid for Ramsay I needed another RB and saw that Tino Livramento was transfer listed by Southampton for just £19m. With the accidental immediate purchase of Theo I didnt have enough cash to complete the deal but thankfully the board agreed to increase my wage budget which gave me the leeway to bring in the full back. To get an English wonderkid for such a fee is an incredible coup!

In other news the club announced a £45m tele-communications deal which is our 3rd deal of that kind as the last 2 were around the £35m mark which bodes well for the future.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALPHONSO DAVIES

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

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