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There’s just one game left this month – away at mid-table Atlanta. It would be good to start with a win.

24.02.30, Serie A, Atlanta
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Every column looked great – apart from goals scored that is. Their penalty was a poor mistake from Corbo and De Martino running back and crashing through their player trying to save the day. Not the perfect start then.

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So we finish the month in 8th place. We're only two places and two points off where we need to be. The start wasn't perfect but let's hope that things can only be on the up from here on in!
 
Fixtures.JPG

The obvious game here is the Cagliari game as they’re competing for those European places so that’s a six-pointer really. But, as I said before, I see silverware as a serious possibility in those Euro Cup II games so I’ll be targeting those without a shadow of a doubt.



02.03.30, Serie A, Lecce
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Don’t be fooled by the scoreline here. For most of this game, we displayed all the attacking sharpness of a wooden spoon. Eventually, Curcurella sent across a stinging cross for substitute Le Roy to finish. The penalty is mystery – the game chose not to show me what it was awarded for!



10.03.30, Serie A, Sampdoria
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We get there in the end and win 3-0. But again though, the goals don’t come till the 80th minute and we waste an absolute hatful of chances first. I think it’s going to be a hard task to get through to the summer with this lack of goals.



14.03.30, Euro Cup II, Rijeka
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Last-gasp stuff here! I really wanted to get a good win away here to get us into the next round of the cup. We got it but the first goal wasn't scored until the 81st minute - nerves are fraying!

18.03.30, Serie A, Cagliari
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Two first half goals lead to a much better performance. Loaizia makes the most of a mistake for the second. This was a vital win as Cagliari are competing for the European places too.

14.03.30, Euro Cup II, Rijeka
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The reserves played this one and did the job I needed them to. There’s not a lot more I can say about this one really!

24.03.30, Serie A, Bresica
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I’m glad we got the win against a team down the bottom but it took a penalty to make the difference. It doesn’t look great.


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We’re where we need to be and we have a four point gap which is good. I’m just worried about this lack of goals. Sound familiar?
 
April 2030
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This is going to be a busy month as any is when you’re in a cup. Oh yeah, and it starts with former club Sassulo. It would be nice to show them that I’ve got what it takes – not that I’ve got a grudge or anything!


03.04.30, Serie A, Sassuolo
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Quite possibly the best performance since I arrived. We took control and scored goals. The last goal in particular was at the end of a cute passing move – just the sort of football I like!



08.04.30, Serie A, SPAL
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This was another good performance. Both goals came from crosses and they were both after some nice passing moves too. This is exactly the sort of football I like. I’m not sure I like having the reputation of a defensive coach though!



11.04.30, Euro Cup II
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Even though this team sported a certain Matty Longstaff, I thought we were on to a winner here. As it turned out, my rotated team laboured to a draw. Both goals were beauties though so the game had that much to be said for it. I think this comp demands full strength sides from now on. I want to win it!



15.05.30, Serie A, Bologna
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This was a key 6th v 7th game and I was keen to win and really push away from Bologna in 7th. As it was, we came away with a draw. A point is better than nothing but we’d dominated the shot count so it’s really frustrating not to have won the game.



18.04.30, Euro Cup II, Basaksehir
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I put out a full-strength team as I didn’t want to risk being dumped out the competition in a shock result. As it was, even our full-strength side couldn’t get a win and we slide through on away goals. That was something of a lucky escape from what could have been a humiliating exit had we lost.



18.04.30, Serie A, Cremonese
6 Crem.JPG

For most of this match, I thought it was going to be another painful 0-0 draw against a relegation-threatened team. Just when I began to give up hope, we managed two goals in the last 10 mins. Napoli go marching on!

29.04.30, Serie A, Udinese
7 Udin.JPG

Udinese were charging up the table on a good run of form and I really hoped that I’d get a win here as we’re at home and have been on good form in the league. But we didn’t get any of that. This was a tough, tight game and they got goals. I really think this defeat could cost us later on.

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We finish the month clinging on to that all-important 6th spot. There’s been a change of teams below us and it’s now Fiorentina chasing us down. With an 8 point gap up to 4th, champs league is technically feasible but I’ll be happy if we stay in the Europa League places!
 
Hey man, shame about Schalke job but good effort getting Napoli job.

Would you give me a run down of your career so far, looking at teams etc was wondering what happened with you leaving Burton after like 10 days!

Cheers
 
Would you give me a run down of your career so far, looking at teams etc was wondering what happened with you leaving Burton after like 10 days!

Sure thing!

I started at Spurs with no badges and Sunday League experience - it's my FM tradition now after that's the way it used to be in the good old days! I tried using a Gengen press but that combined with horrific injuries meant things weren't working and we all know they're not afraid of shipping people if it's going wrong! I was quite chuffed at getting Haaland for £20mil though.

I applied for every job under the sun but couldn't catch a cold ... until the Enfield job came along. I thought there was something poetic in restarting my career just up the road from the Lane so that's what I did! I kept them up in my first season which was an overachievement and then got them into the play-offs in my second season. We lost in the first round but that got me noticed...

... so I skipped the conference and moved to Salford. I wasn't there long but got the club into the playoffs and things were humming along nicely when...

... I got offered the Burton job. It was a chance to leap up to League 1 so I wasn't going to say no! However, I also had a cheeky stab at the Notts Forest job too. Let's just say the Burton board weren't too impressed when they found this out and I was out on my ear before you could say 'Greased Lightning'!

I was worried about how things would pan out at this point - unitl I got the Blackpool job. They were higher up the league than Burton so I thought I'd done well. The first season was solid but the second was abysmal. I couldn't get a point for speeding and so I was soon sent on my way. It's done Blackpool no good as they crashed down in 24th place and have been League 2 ever since.

This led me to the Blackburn job. I really enjoyed this spell. In my first season I turned round a nose-diving club and got them into the top half of the table which was pretty cool. In my second season, we strengthened and then got close to the play-offs. In my third season, we were in the play-off places throughout but I just had a feeling we wouldn't win them so...

... I scuttled off to Sassuolo in search of top-flight football. I managed to keep them up in my first season and even scalped a couple of the big boys in doing so. I was enjoying my time in Italy but the board had hugely unrealistic expectations - Europa League or else for a club that had been bottom half for years. We were pretty much spot on with the media predicition but it wasn't enough. In my second full season they started piling on demands - wanting poor potential mediocre players played etc. Overall, it was clear that I wasn't going to last long here and then, when they gave me the chop, Schalke was my next port-of-call!
 
May 2030
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The league games cut in half really this month. The first two are simple must-wins against lower-league sides. We then have the two heavy-weights come to call. Fiorentina are chasing us down for the final Europa League place so that could be a huge 6-pointer if things are still tight then.

02.05.30, Euro Cup II SF, Wolfsburg
1 Wolf.JPG

This was a result I could barely have dreamed of. I had hoped to come away from this game still in the tie. As it was, we blew them away and will take a comfortable lead into the second leg. It will still be a first team played though. No risks this time round…



06.05.30, Serie A, Frosione
2 Fro.JPG

The Iwobi show is on the road. He took control here to score a stunning second-half hat-trick and give us a commanding win. Goal of the game goes to LB Cucurella though who smashed a beauty in from long range as the game came to a close.



09.05.30, Euro Cup II SF, Wolfsburg
3 Wolf.JPG

They gave us a game in this one. This was a much closer tie and could have gone either way. In the end however, they couldn’t do enough to overturn our 3 goal lead and we go on to my first final!



13.05.30, Serie A, Empoli
4 Emp.JPG

That was followed up a good league win here to help us keep hold of 6th place. We’ve won the two must-win games but Fiorentina are still only 2 points behind us. Our next game will be massive.



18.05.30, Serie A, Fiorentina
5 Fio.JPG

Oh… dear! We start off by going down and goal and then Odair throws himself into a challenge in nowhere to get sent off. Against the run of play, we nab a penalty and I hoped we’d get a away with a draw. The less said about the rest of the game, the better.



26.05.30, Serie A, Lazio
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We go into the last game of the season 1 point behind and with both CMs out through suspension. We have to better Fio’s result to grab 6th place back and … we don’t.



29.05.30, Euro Cup Final, Feyenoord
7 Fey.JPG

At last – a trophy! I was worried coming into this tie on the back of two bad defeats but we controlled the game throughout. Varnier’s goal was a header from a set piece and Minutolo’s goal was also a fine header from a superb back-heel cross courtesy of Iwobi. Now I have a medal – the problem is that I might have to sell it to stop the club going bust!
 
As the season cmae to a close, I thought I'd have a look at the club's finances ... and I wish that I hadn't! The club is rapidly running out of cash and we now have a rather unhealthy balance of £-42 million! This is going to be a hard slog I think!

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On a more postive note, this is our team of the season and our team awards.

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Plus we got this record which is pretty cool - it's just a shame we don't paid for it!

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Outs
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There’s been quite a lot of these. With the club so short of cash, I feel the need to help raise some. Any players there are to sell, I’ve sold and I’ve loaned out others with a fee to bring a bit of the cash in. My aim would be to be to run positive and bring in more than I spend but that’s made tricky by…

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… Tomas. He was largely indifferent at best for me in his loan last season but the club had already arranged to bring him in for £33mil before I’d arrived. I’ll be the one judged for the purchase though. Grrrrrrrrrr….

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It’s that win Serie A that bugs me. This is especially so considering the fact that I’ve been given zero money to achieve this with. The club finished 7th last season so what chance do we really have? Semis of the TIM cup could be a push but I think QF of Europa League seems achievable.

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Nothing too amazing here. I’ve come across a high-potential striker Pulcini in the u18 squad so I’ll be taking an interest in him. His personality is ‘mercenary’ so it will be interesting to see if I can persuade him to stick around or not.

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There have been some beginning rumours of a takeover. I kind-of hope they arrive to save the finances of the club.
 
August 2030
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Ouch – only two games but look at it! It will give me a good sense of where we’re at I suppose and how long I might be living on the Bay of Naples. Let’s go!



18.08.30, Serie A, Juventus
1 Zeb.JPG

Not an ideal start! Despite them scoring in the first half, we were in the game for most of it. I really thought that we could grab a draw. However, Odair decided to throw himself into a tackle and get sent off. That’s becoming a worrying habit the lad’s got.



24.08.30, Serie A, Milan
2 Milan.JPG

This is much more like it! Loaiza gave us the lead from a penalty box scramble and we went on to control the game. I was worried that we weren’t going to get that second goal but De Martino had a pop shot from some 25 yards out and saw it squirm through the grasp of Donnarumma.

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It’s early days but we’re only 3 points off the top and in good company with Inter. I’m surprised to see the Championship outspent the prem league – perhaps belts are being tightened all round!

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September 2030
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There are plenty of winnable games this month. Atlanta and Bologna will be the harder games but I’d still like to think we can beat them. It’s always good to beat the old team in Sassuolo too. And I want to make a good European start – don’t want much eh?!

01.09.30, Serie A, Pro Vercelli
1 Pro.JPG

This was a tough game. They’d set up a defensive 5-3-2 and managed to block most of our work. Sagman whipped in a free kick from the right-hand side and Loazia rose highest to head home. It wasn’t pretty but it was a win.

16.09.30, Serie A, Atlanta
2 Atlanta.JPG
Another 1-0 win. This time their CB sells the keeper short and Loaiza strikes to get his third goal of the season. We’re top of the pile for the first time since I took over!

19.09.30, Europa League, Genk
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This was a good win to kick off out European campaign. What was particularly pleasing was two goals for Pulcini our wonderkid. The second goal in particular was a beauty of a half-volley.

22.09.30, Serie A, Bologna
4 Bol.JPG
I was worried here that we wouldn’t make the vital break-through but, as the game wore on, a free-kick from Odair was headed home by Loazia to give us the win.

30.09.30, Serie A, Sassuolo
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This was mostly the Le Roy show with two goals for the RW. It’s always nice to take 3 points away from former employers and doubly-so when you go 3-0 inside half an hour.

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Well you can’t say better than that – we finish the month top of the tree. AC Milan and Fiorentina are the chasing clubs but it’s the best start to a season I’ve had on FM20 – bring it on!
 
October 2030
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We’ve got a lot of games this month and the high-profile ones seem to be Fiorentina and Roma. Besiktas are also the high-profile side in our European group. This could be a month that really sets up … or not. Let’s see!

03.10.30, Europa League, Besiktas
1 Besk.JPG
The goals were started by an awesome cross from Minutolo which Tomas headed home. Then I’m pleased to say that the wonderkid Pulcini chipped in with two sharp fine finishes. We’re taking control of the group.

06.10.30, Serie A, SPAL
2 SPAL.JPG
Headers came to the fore here. The first goal was lucky one – Odair headed the ball goalwards from the edge of the box and the keep let it through him and in. The second was a bullet from Iwobi.

20.10.30, Serie A, Fiorentina
3 Fio.JPG
This was our first top-of-the-table clash for a while. Loazia gave us an early lead with a close-range tap-in. They then got a pen and I thought that the game was going to finish all-square. Loazia had other ideas though as he rose to head from a free-kick late on.

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This came after the Fio match - not a bad way to start the season eh?

24.10.30, Europa League, Universitatea
4 Uni.JPG
A fully-rotated side played this one. The first goal was a pen and the second was the highlight of the game. The second was the highlight of the game with the youngster Conti smashing home a beautiful volley to nab MOTM.

27.10.30, Serie A, Genoa
5 Gen.JPG
This was a really frustrating draw. I thought we were doing well with an early goal but they pegged us back with a stunning cross and finish. From there, we failed to take the game. We’re still two points ahead though as Milan drew earlier.

30.10.30, Serie A, Roma
6 Rom.JPG
This was a game of mixed emotions. For most of the game, I thought we were going to be beat. It seemed like we just couldn’t finish. But, with the game dying, Loazia wriggled away and smashed home from 25 yards out!

PostRo.JPG


Another pretty good record comes in - to only concede 4 goals in 9 games isn't too bad I think!

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So, we’re still top of the table – but only by one point. Everything is getting really tight here. 3 points separate the top four and only 5 points between the top 5. It’s gonna be intense!
 
November 2030
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There’s only 3 games in the league this month. Inter is the obvious stand-out tie but I’ve got a feeling that Torino away is going to be no walkover either though if I’m honest. Here we go!

03.11.30, Serie A, Torino
1 Tor.JPG

We got a good win and the two goals came from youngsters too. Tomas supplied both assists with good crosses and both goals were headers. The second was really soft from their keeper but I’m not going to complain!

07.11.30, Europa League, Universitatea
2 Uni.JPG
Our reserve side played this one. The goal came courtesy of a corner – Pulcini headed it back across and reserve CB Quercia got up to smash the ball home. A draw in our next game gives us top of the group guaranteed.

10.11.30, Serie A, Inter
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We were totally bossed in this game. Inter beat us fair and square. Their first was a nicely worked free kick routine and thought our long ball over the top and equaliser might ****** us at least a point but they made sure of it in the second half.

25.11.30, Serie A, Empoli
4 Emp.JPG
I don’t know how many times it’s possible to head over the goal in a 90 minute match. We could really have done with winning this one. After the last two games, Inter have taken top of the table. How hard will it be to win it back?

28.11.30, Serie A, Genk
5 Genk.JPG
This win gives us top of the group with a game to spare. Conti, our young LW, controlled this game and rightly got man-of-the-match. He’s not highly rated by the staff or got a high value but he’s coming up with the goods at the moment. Could he be my undervalued star?

Table.JPG

So we finish the month in 3rd and 6 points off the pace. I don’t want to say it’s all over as there’s a lot of the season left to be played but I think it’s going to be a hard task. Champ’s League at the least would make a big difference to the club’s finances. Would it be enough to keep my job?
 
December 2030
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There’s plenty of points on offer this month – almost all the teams we play are in the bottom half of the table. And we all know what points mean folks?! Points mean …

02.12.30, Serie A, Udinese
1 Ud.JPG

This sort of performance doesn’t mean prizes though! We went 1-down to an unfortunate penalty and, when Le Roy scored a bullet header to get level right on HT, I thought we’d go on to dominate the rest of the game and we did – we just didn’t score!

08.12.30, Serie A, Verona
2 Ver.JPG
This is much more like the sort of performance I want to see. Conti’s goal was a particular beauty – a 25 yard power-strike in off the post. This lad really looks like he could shine!

12.12.30, Europa League, Besiktas
3 Besik.JPG
A total reserve side played this one. The opening goal was a beauty slid in by the youngster Nadal. The second was a penalty. When we were 2-0 up in 20 mins, I thought the game could be really fun but then it … stopped.

15.12.30, Serie A, Bresica
4 Bres.JPG
From the moment Conti headed us on our way, I was confident we were going to do well here. Le Roy had this game – including a mazy run and finish for his first that a certain Ginola would have been proud of I think!

21.12.30, Serie A, Cagliari
5 Cag.JPG

Last season, this team was pushing for the Euro places but not this time. We controlled the game and Conti again pulled all the strings – considering most of his stats are single figures, his form is incredible! 6 goals and an assist so far this season can’t lie!

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So we go into the winter break in second – 4 points behind Inter and 5 points ahead of AC Milan in 5th. It’s all shaping up to be a cracking season with plenty to play for. I just hope we can pull back that gap and make a last-minute dash for the title!
 
January 2031
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This is a month with plenty to offer for the neutral. We face Lazio, Juve and Milan in this month so it’s a case of having to get points out the other two games and seeing what we can take from the big boys. It’s time to make our mark!

05.01.31, Serie A, Sampdoria
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Our good form carries on in this match. Loazia sets things up with a 1st minute goal and Sagman gets his first back goal back since injury with a stunning free kick. Iwobi finishes things off with a tough header.

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08.01.31, Serie A, Lazio
2 Laz.JPG
Lazio have been struggling in mid-table this season. But they made this game tough. In the end, Le Roy made the difference though – he’s making bullet headers something of speciality.

12.01.31, TIM Cup, Bresica
3 Bresica.JPG
I played full-strength side in this cup game. They still made thing hard though. In the 77th minute we got the break-through with a De Martino thunderbolt. Youngster Conti then curled in a beauty of freekick to finish the scoring.

19.01.31, Serie A, Juventus
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Well we didn’t hang around in this one! Odair worked the magic here and we got a 2-0 win and a clean sheet against the old lady. This rates as one of the best results of my career for sure!

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This is a nice record to have - feels even better when you beat Lazio and Juve to get it!

22.01.31, Serie A, Milan
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We battered for most of this match and how we came away with a point I’ll never know. It’s not helping use chase down Inter though as nothing seems to stop them.

25.01.31, Serie A, Pro Vercelli
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This was the commanding performance that we needed against a team really struggling in Serie A. Inter still aren’t stopping though!

29.01.31, TIM Cup, Fiorentina
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We were smashed out the cup! 90+3 has to hurt…

Table.JPG
So we finish the month a mighty 9 points behind Inter. Although we do have a game in hand I really do think chasing them down is going to be a hard task. My only hope is that they have a few tough games sprinkled through and don’t do so well in them but at the moment they seem unbeatable.
 
February 2031
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This is a must-win month to make up that ground on Inter. You look at this list and think that we can really bank this month and, if Inter are human, we might be able to chase them down a bit as a result.

03.02.31, Serie A, Atalanta
1 Atlanta.JPG
They made this game tough, opening the scoring the second half with a beautiful curling effort. We then equalised and I thought we were going away with a point until the youngster powered home a beautiful free kick in 90+2. Sign of a champion perhaps?

08.02.31, Serie A, Bologna
2 Bol.JPG
This was the Iwobi show. He opened the scoring with a thunderous effort and they pegged us back with a scrappy corner. But Iwobi wasn’t done yet – a beauty beating the keeper at the near post gives us the three points.

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This was rather good news but...

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... a 5 week injury to our leading strker really wasn't!

16.02.31, Serie A, Sassuolo
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Just before this game we got the stunner that leading striker, Loaiza is out for at least 5 weeks! My hopeful youngster Pulcini is now going to have to step up to the mark. He doesn’t do badly by getting onto the end of a long ball and giving us the win. We didn’t create much though…

23.02.31, Serie A, SPAL
4 SPAL.JPG
We control possession in this game but we struggle to create much up front. In the last few minutes, one of their midfielders pick up the ball in the centre circle, run it all the way into the box and scores a blinder. This really doesn’t help us.

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We finish the month just 3 points behind Inter. We’re chasing them down – the challenge is to do it without Loaiza. Can we do it? Who knows?!
 
March 2031
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Four big games stand out this month. In the league we face Fio and Roma and these sorts of games will really mark out whether we can chase Inter down or not. Then there are the Schalke games – there were far easier draws available in the Europa League but fate puts me up against my former employers.

01.03.31, Serie A, Fiorentina
1 Fio.JPG
Fio get an early goal off a long ball and finish from a free kick. We have loads of possession throughout the game but Fio are doing all the creating. We were lucky in the end to get away at just 1-0.

06.03.31, Europa League, Schalke
2 Schal.JPG
Schalke had more of the shots in this game but the truth is that neither team created a great deal. I was thinking we’d get back to Italy level which wouldn’t be bad until they smash home a 88th minute corner. We’re going to have work to do.

10.03.31, Serie A, Genoa
3 Gen.JPG
When did we last score a goal? Genoa grab a goal on the break and consign us to a shock home defeat. I think we could be in serious trouble here. We’re rapidly falling apart.

13.03.31, Europa League, Schalke
4 Schal.JPG
This was a tough, tight game. Both sides had chances to win but couldn’t take them. That’s not good enough for us though and we go crashing out of the Europa League. Only the Serie A is left now…

16.03.31, Serie A, Roma
5 Roma.JPG
For the Roma game, I decide to take a different approach. I’ve seen that Pulcini doesn’t jump – at all – and most of my play has been based around big crosses to Loaiza. So we go to a through-ball counter-attacking system. To begin with, it seems to work – our keeper gets the assist and Pulcini tucks it home but they pull us back and the game finishes 1-1.

23.03.31, Serie A, Torino
6 Tor.JPG
Loaiza is back and it only takes him 5 minutes to score a stunning header. Tomas rounds the scoring off with a belting header from a Pulcini cross.

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We finish the month 9 points behind Inter in first and only 1 point ahead of Fio in 5th. We need to pick up and fast – if we don’t we will end up not only out of the title race but out of Europe too.
 
April 2031
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Inter shines out as the key fixture in this game – if we are to stand any hope of chasing them down, we will have to beat them. I also have a feeling that Udinese won’t be easy to beat. The other two games should be easy 3 pointers. We’ve also been told by the board that we are to keep Le Roy out of the starting line-up for this month as they think his form is poor – not helpful!

05.04.31, Serie A, Inter
1 Inter.JPG
We were just out-played in this game, we were absolutely battered. Inter had complete control. It was just a miracle that it took them until the 46th minute to score. I think our title race is pretty much over.

12.04.31, Serie A, Empoli
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Thankfully, in this game Tomas comes up with the goods and gives us the goals and the three points. Let’s keep it going!

21.04.31, Serie A, Udinese
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Sadly, my prediction about Udinese proved to be true. We dominated the game but they scored the goals. With the table so tight, we could still finish anywhere in or out of the European places!

28.04.31, Serie A, Verona
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This is our best performance in a long time. We score three stunning headed goals and have complete control of this game. We’re going to need a few more of these before the season is out!

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At the end of the month, two points separate us 5th place and 11 points separate us from Inter in first. I think the title is now over but the aim has to be to get champs league football to help stop the clubs finances falling into total ruin!
 
May 2031
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Lazio away is a tough way to finish the season so I want to our work before then and get the Champ’s League place before we face them. Hopefully, with Loaiza back and firing again we can drag ourselves across the line.

04.05.31, Serie A, Brescia
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Veteran winger Iwobi comes up with the goods in this one – scoring a fine belter into the far corner and superb header to give us the win. Two wins in the last three games will give us the Champ’s League football.

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So we won't be achieving our target of winning the league this season then. TBF, Inter have been pretty good this year.


12.05.31, Serie A, Cagliari
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We find out prior to this game that we’re only 1 win away from Champ’s League now thanks to other results. We also find out that Inter have secured the domestic treble. We fail to get the win we need. We trail for a good chunk of the game until Loaiza scores a stunner to bring us level. We now need a win.

17.05.31, Serie A, Sampdoria
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At last, we secure the win needed to get Champions League football for next season. I don’t expect the club’s finances to jump up overnight but I hope that it will help make things a little more positive than they are at the moment.

25.05.31
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An end-of-season end-to-end cracker. Sagman scores two beauties including a stunning free kick. It’s not a bad way to finish. Oh, and I might have sent a letter to Liverpool who have just relieved Gerrard of his duties.

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So we finish third. In the end, it's probably a fair reflection on how most of our season has gone and, in the period where Loazia was injured, this could have been a heck of a lot worse for sure.

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This chart shows that we've started to peel back on the bad place the clubs finances are in but we still have a long, long way to go in turning things around.

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Here are the Serie A awards and I'm quite pleased to have got a couple of names in there.

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Pulcini was my spot of the season so I was pretty glad to see the next two awards.

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At the end of the season, Iwobi and Strakosha both announce their retirement:

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The biggest news of all though comes in the form of a row between me and the board. Disappointed that we didn't win the league, they wanted to have a chat. I did everything I could to avoid a points promise as I've been there before. I said that the process was key (or at least I think that's what I clicked on) and the board decided at that point to give me the chop! So I'm on the move again!
 
Having left Napoli at a point not of my choosing - sound familiar? I move on to the job market. I decided to be pretty selective. I wanted to get a job at a large club who were champ's league regulars and preferably competing for their nation's league title. I haven't won a league title yet and really would like one now! Below are a list of the jobs that I applied for

Liverpool – fail – Allegri

Dortmund - fail – Marcelino

Arsenal - fail – solskjaer

PSG – fail– Pochettino

Juve – fail – Gerrard

Celtic - Got

So I'm heading to the Old Bhoys of Glasgow. Let's face it, if I can't get a league title with these guys when will I ever get the chance?! Get ready for the next stage of the ride!
 
January 2032

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So I’ve gone for the Celtic job! On the face of things, they don’t match the profile of the sort of club I’m after but I’ll be blunt. I’m here for trophies – I’ve travelled all round Europe in search of it but I see this as being a serious chance of stacking up some silverware. The aims are to challenge and win stuff so let’s see what happens!

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So this is my first Celtic line-up. I’ll do the normal talk-through, walk-through.



Solberg A bit like Tomas at Napoli, I feel I’ve been done here. The lad is set to sign permanently from Saints in the summer but I’m really not sure that he’s up to the job. Could be interesting!

Drameh This guy moved up from Celtic in a £16 mil deal in the summer and they haven’t played him since – don’t get why!

Christopher This 4* Brazilian CB is the club’s shining star – unfortunately he’s shone enough to get the likes of Man U interested.

Tait He joined Cletic from Ayre in 2022 and has grown into the CB role ever since. A Scottish Mr Reliable I hope!

Burke This is my second-choice LB. He’s been here, there and everywhere including spells in Fulham and Valencia in the last two seasons. Can he make his mark in the Park?

N’Goran This is the Ivorian’s second season in Scotland and he’s looking to put down his marker this year.

Leyenderker This Argentinian has spent most of career in Porto but is now to impress on the banks of the Clyde!

Todorovic This Serbian star has spent chunks of his career at PSG and Arsenal – now can he win things here?

Carvajal This lad moved in from Bologna in the summer and has shone so far in his Celtic career.

Adaes PSG, Milan, Dortmund – what more do I need to say?!

Chebli Celtic threw a lot of money around in the summer and Chebli is one of the purchases. He doesn’t really match the profile of the sort of aerial bully that does well for me. I think upfront is an area that will need looking at further – and fast!



So I start my career in third and ten (yes… ten!) points off the pace! There’s a lot of work to do here.
 
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