Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge

[FM_TNSSO]

October 2022

Sunday 2nd October 2022 - 15:00
Premier League - Arsenal (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters (S.Coleman 57), C.Coady, M.Keane, V.Mykolenko, T.Basic, T.Davies, Rafinha (Richarlison 57), D.Alli (D.Gray 71), M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin

Another league game, another defeat, and the pressure is likely to start heaping down on me if this continues!

Wednesday 5th October 2022 -
Carabao Cup 4th Round - Manchester United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey. M.Holgate, C.Coady (J.Braithwaite 66), T.Mitchell, Allan, D.Alli, Richarlison*, A.Gordon, D.Calvert-Lewin (Rafinha 45)

Another cup game, another excellent win! It's incredible how good we are in the cups this year compared to how poor we are in the league. I switched up to a 5-2-3 formation here and it worked wonders...may keep this for the next couple of games and see how it goes.

Sunday 9th October 2022 - 14:00
Premier League - Leeds United (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, C.Coady, T.Mitchell, Allan, D.Alli (T.Basic 58), Richarlison, M.Livaja (A.Gordon 58), D.Calvert-Lewin*

Maybe that new formation against Man Utd was just a fluke...or maybe we just bottled it being back in the Premier League again. Either way, we were again not good enough and our league form is now a major cause for concern!

Wednesday 12th October 2022 - 20:00
Premier League - Sheffield United (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey. C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, T.Basic, T.Davies, D.Alli, D.Gray (Rafinha 69), M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 69)

Yet another poor result! I can't really explain what's happening this season...we just can't seem to win games in the league and it's becoming incredibly frustrating!

Saturday 15th October 2022 - 17:30
Premier League - Manchester United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, S.Coleman, M.Holgate, M.Keane, T.Mitchell, A.Doucoure, Allan, Rafinha, D.Gray, A.Hlozek (M.Livaja 75), Richarlison

We were actually a lot better against Manchester United and deserved to win the game. Unlucky!

Thursday 20th October 2022 - 17:45
Europa Conference League Group Stage - Lille (Away)
Lineup: J.Butland, S.Coleman, M.Holgate, M.Keane, T. Mitchell, Allan, T.Davies, Rafinha (T.Basic 67), A.Gordon, M.Livaja (D.Gray 40), Richarlison

Our first defeat in any cup competition this season comes at the hands of Lille out in France. It was always going to be tough to go there and get a result and I'm not going to read too much into this one. Especially as I rested the likes of Pickford, Godfrey, Coady, Walker-Peters, Doucoure, Alli and Calvert-Lewin with a game at the weekend against Tottenham coming up!

Sunday 23rd October 2022 - 15:00
Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, A.Doucoure, T.Davies, D.Alli, D.Gray (A.Gordon 68), A.Hlozek (Richarlison 77), D.Calvert-Lewin

We didn't deserve to lose this game and two of their goals were absolute worldies, so we can have every right to feel a little hard done by! Still, it doesn't help my case for keeping my job!

Thursday 27th October 2022 - 20:00
Europa Conference League Group Stage - Akademija Pandev (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, A.Doucoure (T.Basic 45), D.Alli, D.Gray, T.Davies, A.Hlozek (A.Gordon 45), D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison* 45)

We recorded our biggest ever win, playing back in Europe and I can only hope and pray that this result kick starts an upturn in form domestically!

Sunday 30th October 2022 - 14:00
Premier League - Norwich City (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters (M.Holgate 79), B.Godfrey, M.Keane, T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure*, A.Gordon, Rafinha, M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 70)

We went into this game knowing that it was absolutely a must win for us! The lads duly delivered with our best performance for a while!

Despite the win over Norwich, it's fair to say it's been a terrible month in the Premier League and we hover just outside the relegation places.

Player of the Month
Adam Hlozek (AML)

Nobody has shone this month and it seems crazy to give my award to a player that only played in 3 out of 9 games, but he did score in all 3 and has rejuvinated the side a little since his return from injury.

November is going to be a quiet month with the Qatar World Cup kicking off. We have two tough games in the league and if we don't pick up any points, I might just find myself out of a job!!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

November 2022

Thursday 3rd November 2022 - 17:45
Europa Conference League Group Stage - FK Sarajevo (Home)
Lineup: J.Butland, J.Braithwaite, M.Holgate, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, T.Davies, T.Basic, D.Gray, D.Alli, M.Livaja (A.Gordon 64), Richarlison*

With us already qualified for the knockout stages, most of the 2nd string played here and we still dominated the game from start to finish. Probably should have scored more goals though.

We finish as runners up in our group, with Lille just pipping us to top spot based on head to head records.

Sunday 6th November 2022 - 15:00
Premier League - Manchester City (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters*, B.Godfrey, M.Keane (C.Coady 17), T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure, A.Gordon, D.Alli, A.Hlozek (M.Livaja 65), D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 60)

We were outclassed for 85 minutes and then finally came to life in the dying minutes and very, very nearly staged the most amazing of comebacks.

Saturday 12th November 2022 - 15:00
Premier League - Leicester City (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters*, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure, A.Gordon, D.Alli (M.Livaja 74), A.Hlozek, Richarlison (D.Calvert-Lewin 74)

It was so important that we went into the World Cup break with a big 3 points, so I'm very pleased we got them. Harvey Barnes early sending off definitely helped, but we did a professional job and it might just keep my job safe for a little while longer.

That win has seen us rise a couple of places in the table.

Player of the Month
Kyle Walker-Peters (RB)

Two man of the match performances for our number 1 right back this month, who was unfortunate not to get an England call up to the World Cup!

December only offers up one competitive game when the World Cup is over and it is a must win! We'll have a couple of friendlies before that to get the match sharpness back.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

December 2022

England only made it to the Quarter Final of the World Cup where they were knocked out by USA.

Spain beat Italy in the final.

The draw for the Europa Conference League 1st Knockout Round pits us against German side, Wolfsburg.

Two draws away from home against similar opposition in our friendlies before the competitive stuff gets going again.

Monday 26th December 2022 - 15:00
Premier League - Brentford (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure (T.Davies 68), A.Gordon, D.Alli, A.Hlozek (Richarlison 68), D.Calvert-Lewin

With the chances we had in this game, I honestly can't believe how we didn't win it! Our strikers had a really bad day at the office!

No real change in the league with just a draw to record. And with only one game played, there will be no player of the month.

January will be a busy month and we have to be targeting a minimum of 10 points from the games we have coming up! I'd expect us to progress in the FA Cup, but we'll have to be at our absolute best to overcome City in the Carabao.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

January 2023

Monday 2nd January 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Bournemouth (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, Allan, A.Doucoure, A.Gordon, D.Alli, A.Hlozek*, D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 67)

A solid win over the bottom team to kick off the new year.

Saturday 7th January 2023 - 15:00
FA Cup 3rd Round - Luton Town (Away)
Lineup:J.Butland, S.Coleman, M.Holgate, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko, Allan, T.Basic, D.Gray (Richarlison 66), Rafinha (D.Alli 58), M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin*

We very nearly went out at the first stage to Championship opposition again, but just about managed to save ourselves the embarassment.

Tuesday 10th January 2023 - 19:45
Carabao Cup Quarter Final - Manchester City (Away)
Lineup: J.Butland, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, V.Mykolenko (T.Mitchell 59), T.Davies, D.Alli, Rafinha, Allan, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 59), D.Calvert-Lewin (M.Livaja 59)

In a repeat of last year's final, it was City who edged us out again. This was always going to be a tough draw to overcome and I'm not too disheartened with the result.

Saturday 14th January 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters*, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, T.Mitchell, Allan (T.Davies 72), A.Doucoure, A.Gordon, D.Alli, A.Hlozek, D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 72)

Back to league action and another good win which propels us up the table and maybe our season is starting to turn around.

Wednesday 18th January 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Norwich City (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, V.Mykolenko*, Allan, T.Davies, A.Gordon (Rafinha 84), D.Alli, A.Hlozek (M.Livaja 59), D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 59)

Just as I felt like we were picking up some momentum in the league, we struggle to get a result at Norwich and have to settle for a single point.

Saturday 21st January 2023 - 12:30
Premier League - West Ham (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, K.Walker-Peters, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, A.Doucoure, Richarlison, D.Alli, A.Hlozek, D.Calvert-Lewin (Rafinha 68)

We were thumped by the Hammers here...really poor showing from us and we simply didn't turn up!

Wednesday 25th January 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Arsenal (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, S.Coleman, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, T.Mitchell, A.Doucoure, Allan, D.Alli (T.Basic 74), A.Gordon, A.Hlozek, D.Calvert-Lewin

A perfect way to bounce back from the West Ham result. We were solid at the back here and didn't really give Arsenal a decent sniff at our goal with most of their shots coming from distance.

Sunday 29th January 2023 - 16:30
Premier League - Watford (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate*, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure, D.Alli (M.Livaja 70), D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 70)

Our away form is definitely where our problems lie and again we were poor here. We've only won 1 league game all season away from home (Bournemouth earlier this month).

Luckily, our home form is good and that has carried us into the top half of the table and we are finally there or thereabouts where we are expected to be.

Player of the Month
Conor Coady (CB)

Coady has been in fine form this month, scoring a minimum rating of 7.3 in every game he has played this month.

Looking ahead to February, we have a very tough draw to overcome in the FA Cup up first. Three of our league games are at home as well, so we need to make that count, whilst we will take on Wolfsburg in the Europa Conference League.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

February 2023

Saturday 4th February 2023 - 15:00
FA Cup 4th Round - Chelsea (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate (M.Keane 67), B.Godfrey, C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters (S.Coleman 67), T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin*, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 78)

Big, big win in the FA Cup and we knock out one of the favourites for the competition. A solid defensive performance was the foundation for our win as I played 3 at the back (+ 2 wing backs of course).

Wednesday 8th February 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Leeds United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey (M.Keane 79), C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, Allan, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin* (A.Hlozek 79), Richarlison

We followed the Chelsea win with another good victory in the league. At home, we are a force to be reckoned with and Leeds couldn't cope with us here.

Monday 13th February 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Leicester City (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, M.Keane, C.Coady, S.Coleman, T.Mitchell (V.Mykolenko 57), Allan, T.Basic, M.Livaja (D.Alli 57), D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 57), A.Hlozek

Away from home, we continue to be awful though. Another defeat!

Thursday 16th February 2023 - 17:45
Europa Conference League 1st Knockout Round - Wolfsburg (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford*, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 64)

We progress to the next round in Europe and Jordan Pickford can be hailed the hero for a late penalty save!

Sunday 19th February 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - West Ham United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford*, M.Holgate, C.Coady, A.Doucoure, K.Walker-Peters (S.Coleman 61), V.Mykolenko, T.Davies, T.Basic, D.Alli, A.Hlozek (A.Gordon 78), Richarlison (M.Livaja 66)

An excellent display against 5th placed West Ham as our good home form continues. Dele Alli's goal to put us in front was a wonder strike from about 30 yards, curled right into the top corner!

Saturday 25th February 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Birmingham City (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, A.Doucoure (M.Kreekels 75), M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, V.Mykolenko, Allan, T.Basic, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin* (M.Livaja 82), Richarlison (A.Hlozek 80)

We absolutely battered bottom side, Birmingham, with Dominc Calvert-Lewin starring with a hat trick. Dele Alli was again on the scoresheet, but this time with a bit of a lucky goal as the Birmingham keeper's clearance hit him in the head and the ball rebounded into the back of the net.

We are up to 8th in the league now and right on the tails of those in the European qualification spots. However, this is a very tight division this year and only 10 points seperate 4th right down to 16th!!

Player of the Month
Jordan Pickford (GK)

Jordan has been in fine form this month, keeping four clean sheets in six games and earning himself two man of the match awards.

Next month we kick things off with a trip to Partizan in the Europa Conference League. We'll also take on Leeds in the FA Cup and with the home draw, we have to fancy our chances of progressing. In the league, two game will be away from home and I don't feel confident about them at all with our away record being so dreadful!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

March 2023

Thursday 2nd March 2023 - 17:45
Europa Conference League 2nd Knockout Round - FK Partizan (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Basic, A.Doucoure (Allan 63), D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin* (A.Hlozek 73), Richarlison (M.Livaja 73)

We might not be able to win an away game domestically, but we do go out to Serbia in the Conference League and win with ease! We were on fire from start to finish and send a statement out to the rest of the competition that we are real contenders for this trophy this season!

Sunday 5th March 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Newcastle United (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, M.Keane, S.Coleman, V.Mykolenko, Allan (T.Basic 72), A.Doucoure, M.Livaja (D.Alli 71), D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 77)

Even with a 2-0 lead at half time, dominating possession and having double the amount of chances, we still can't win away from home in the Premier League!

Wednesday 8th March 2023 - 20:00
FA Cup 5th Round - Leeds United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, Allan, T.Basic, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin (M.Livaja 56), A.Hlozek* (Richarlison 56)

We cruised through in the FA Cup, replicating the comfortable win we recorded over Leeds in the league last month. Adam Hlozek hasn't been at his best lately, but he upped his game big time for this one and scored his first hat trick for the club.

We've been handed a draw against Championship side Burnley in the next round and again we have to fancy it!

Sunday 12th March 2023 - 16:30
Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane*, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin (A.Gordon 78), Richarlison

A sensational strike from Richarlison earns us only our 2nd away win of the entire season!

This year's youth intake is decent and there is one particular prospect that might make it for the club one day.

That player is 16 year old Ben Stewart. Although currently known as a winger, I'll be looking to train him as an advanced forward.

Saturday 18th March 2023 - 17:30
FA Cup Quarter Final - Burnley (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters*, T.Mitchell (V.Mykolenko 90), T.Davies, A.Doucoure (T.Basic 68), D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin (M.Livaja 68), Richarlison

We absolutely pummeled the Burnley goal for the entirity of this game, but in the end it took one of their own players to put the ball in the back of their net for us to take the win!

We're into the top 6 in the league for the first time in the season and hopefully we can continue our current run of form and finish strongly!

Player of the Month
Richarlison (ST)

Our Brazilian wizard has been in great goalscoring form, netting in 4 of our 5 games this month!

We have a busy month ahead with some huge cup games coming up. We will take on Lille over two legs in the Europa Conference League in a repeat of our earlier group stage where we won at home and lost away. A really draw against Liverpool in the semi of the FA Cup and it will be tough to overcome our bitter rivals.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

April 2023

Saturday 1st April 2023 - 19:45
Premier League - Brentford (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey*, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, T.Basic, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison

Are we finally getting our act together away from home?!

Thursday 6th April 2023 - 20:00
Europa Conference League Quarter Final 1st Leg - Lille (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies (Allan 77), T.Basic (A.Doucoure 65), D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison*

What a great performance and we have put ourselves in an extremely strong position to qualify for the next round. We have a trip to France to overcome, but surely we can't throw this away from here.

Thursday 13th April 2023 - 20:00
Europa Conference League Quarter Final 2nd Leg - Lille (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, T.Basic, M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin*, Richarlison

We complete a thoroughly professional job out in France and progress to the semi finals of the competition!

Where we will take on Aston Villa!

Sunday 16th April 2023 - 15:00
FA Cup Semi Final - Liverpool (Wembley)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies (Allan 74), T.Basic (A.Doucoure 87), D.Alli (M.Livaja 69), D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison*

GET IN, GET IN, GET IN!!! We are in a cup final for the 2nd season running after beating our biggest rivals! We were absolutely solid and our defensive performance was the foundation for a fantastic win here!

Saturday 22nd April 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Sheffield United (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, V.Mykolenko, T.Davies (Allan 58), A.Doucoure, D.Alli*, A.Hlozek, Richarlison (M.Livaja 58)

A good old fasioned one sided victory for us over a Sheffield United side that look like they'll do enough to stay up this year. Dele Alli put in one of his best performances of the season by far!

Thursday 27th April 2023 - 20:00
Europa Conference League Semi Final 1st Leg - Aston Villa (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell (V.Mykolenko 26), T.Davies (Sent Off 26), T.Basic, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin (A.Hlozek 86), Richarlison (Allan 26)

Villa take the advantage into the 2nd leg after beating us here, although we definitely gave them a helping hand with the early sending off of Tom Davies. Even despite playing the game with 10 men, we still put up a decent fight and I do still feel that we can still win this tie.

Sunday 30th April 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Manchester United (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey (M.Keane 45), C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters*, T.Mitchell (S.Coleman 45), Allan, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, A.Hlozek (D.Calvert-Lewin 59), Richarlison

We quickly put the disappointment of that defeat to Villa behind us, with a fantastic win at Old Trafford! A couple of months ago, we couldn't get a result away from home to save our lives and now we're winning at one of the biggest clubs in the country...what a turn around.

We are firmly in the European qualification places now and have games in hand over all the teams around us too. Winning our three games in hand over Chelsea will be a big ask, but if we did, we might even creep into the top 4!!

Player of the Month
Toma Basic (CM)

This guy has been very impressive. He was only brought in to be a backup, but has established himself as an important first team player as the season has gone on!

May is going to be nothing short of mental! With 9 games to play including the 2nd leg of our European tie with Villa and an FA Cup final against the Gunners!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

May 2023

Tuesday 2nd May 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Southampton (Away)
Lineup: J.Butland, M.Kreekels, B.Godfrey, C.Coady (M.Keane 59), S.Coleman, T.Mitchell (D.Gray 45), T.Davies, S.Panada, M.Livaja, A.Hlozek, A.Gordon

I had to field a much weakened side here (including 2 kids from the youth teams) with the Villa game in the Conference League just 2 days later, so it wasn't a surprise that we lost against The Saints who are also pushing for a top 6 finish.

Thursday 4th May 2023 - 20:00
Europa Conference League Semi Final 2nd Leg - Aston Villa (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady (B.Godfrey 64), M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, A.Doucoure, T.Basic*, D.Alli (M.Livaja 77), D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison

Emi Martinez literally had the game of his life against us here. We had 16 shots on target and he made some of the most amazing saves I've seen all season over and over again. My lads went out there and gave it everything but just came up against a formidable force between the sticks on his best day! That late penalty for Villa as well was soft as **** and was never a pen!

Sunday 7th May 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Liverpool (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies, A.Doucoure (T.Basic 70), M.Livaja, A.Hlozek, Richarlison*

So close to winning the Merseyside Derby! Absolutely gutted to concede a last minute penalty.

Wednesday 10th May 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, M.Keane, S.Coleman (L.Higgins 73), T.Mitchell*, T.Davies, T.Basic (A.Doucoure 63), D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 80)

With Spurs sitting just behind us in 8th position and pushing for a European qualification spot, this was a massive win for us and keeps them firmly behind us in that race! We were great and really needed this after not winning so far this month.

Saturday 13th May 2023 - 15:00
Premier League - Aston Villa (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters*, V.Mykolenko, Allan, T.Basic, D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison

It was nice to get a bit of revenge over Villa for knocking us out of the Europa Conference League. We firmly put them in their place today and ther was no way Martinez could replicate that performance from the previous game again!

Wednesday 17th May 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Bournemouth (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Keane (M.Holgate 73), B.Godfrey, M.Kreekels, S.Coleman, V.Mykolenko, Allan (T.Davies 73), A.Doucoure, D.Gray (Richarlison 73), A.Hlozek*, M.Livaja

Even with a heavily rotated squad, we managed to sneak a win against the 2nd bottom side in the division. It was a drab match with neither team creating much, but Adam Hlozek's strike was enough to take all 3 points in the end.

Saturday 20th May 2023 - 17:30
FA Cup Final - Arsenal (Wembley)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, Allan, T.Basic (Sent Off 66), D.Alli, D.Calvert-Lewin (A.Doucoure 66), Richarlison (A.Hlozek 64)

No excuses...Arsenal were very, very good and their big game players really turned up for them today. We very nearly staged a second half comeback, even after going down to ten men and it was a good effort from my lads. But it does mean there is no trophy for The Toffees this season and I am now 0-2 in cup finals.

Wednesday 24th May 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Manchester City (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford*, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, M.Keane, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell, T.Davies (Allan 67), A.Doucoure, M.Livaja, D.Calvert-Lewin (Richarlison 67), A.Hlozek

Joao Cancelo's sending off in the first half gave us a real chance to overcome one of the best team's in the world. And we very nearly did it as well, but in the end only managed a draw, despite being the better side.

Aston Villa went on to win the Europa Conference League, so at least we went out to the eventual winners I guess.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin did manage to pick up the player of the competition award though, with Richarlison also making the top 3! No players from either of the finalists made the shortlist.

Sunday 28th May 2023 - 16:30
Premier League - Chelsea (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters, V.Mykolenko (T.Mitchell 62), Allan, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, A.Hlozek (D.Calvert-Lewin 45), Richarlison

Our season finishes with a decent point at Chelsea. This was a game of the keepers who were the best two players on the pitch.

So after such a poor few months to the season, we rallied, pulled ourselves together and end up with an impressive 5th placed finish in the Premier League, which means we will be playing in the Europa League next season.

Player of the Month
Jordan Pickford (GK)

Apart from the FA Cup Final, Pickford has been in brilliant form again this month and easily the most consistent of all the team, who have generally played well as a whole.​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

End of Season Review 2022/23

Premier League = 5th (qualified for Europa League)
Emirates FA Cup = Runners Up (lost to Arsenal in final)
Carabao Cup = Quarter Final (knocked out by Manchester City)
Europa Conference League = Semi Final (knocked out by Aston Villa)

This season's income was up in every area.

Which has pushed the bank balance back up to nearly £20 million (we were sitting in about £80 million of debt prior to these cash windfalls).

Richarlison may have missed out on the best 11 last season, but he is firmly in there this year after a much better season. Toma Basic is the surprise entry (although fully deserved).

It was Dominic Calvert-Lewin who picks up the fan's award this season and he was sensational so it doesn't surprise me at all. Neither is it surprising that wonderkid, Adam Hlozek, was their best young player.

As we look over the full squad statistics for the season, Dominic Calvert-Lewin shone with a full season injury free, scoring an incredible 28 goals in all comps, although he was pushed right to the wire for the club golden boot by strike partner, Richarlison, and those two are thriving up front together in my new formation. Adam Hlozek got a lot less starts than those two but proved a more than capable backup, grabbing 14 goals and he could be the future of the club in the attacking department. Dele Alli again made double figures in the goals and assists department for the second season in a row. However, the assist king was new signing Kyle Walker-Peters who was only one away from hitting the 20 mark! Overall, the squad had a great season.

My Awards

Player of the Season = Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Young Player of the Season (U23) = Adam Hlozek
Surprise Package = Toma Basic
Must Do Better = Allan

Plans for the Summer

The budgets have been set pretty high for the upcoming season with £57 million available to spend. There is also an extra £150k in the wage budget as well. Now we are playing with 3 centre backs, I definitely need more numbers in this area as we struggled with fully fit players in this area when we had to play 2-3 games in a week. On top of that, I have a good backup in Adam Hlozek for my main front two of Richarlison and DCL, but I think I could do with another striker as well, so I might delve into the transfer market here as well. Allan has now been disappointing for two seasons in a row and may need to be moved on from the club. Seamus Coleman will also be leaving, so we'll need a new backup right back to challenge KWP. Also, this season we had Jack Butland on loan as a backup keeper to Pickford, but he will return to Palace and we will need another option in this area.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

June 2023

Incoming Transfer - Yukinari Sugawara (RWB)
Signed from AZ for £5.5 million

With Seamus Coleman leaving the club at the end of the month when his contract runs out, I needed to sign a replacement right wing back. The man I've gone for was a steal at just £5.5 million and it's a good commercial move as Sugawara will improve our stock in Japan.

Incoming Transfer - Chris Mepham (CB)
Signed from Bournemouth for £9.75 million

With Bournemouth being relegated, Mepham had a minimum fee release clause in his contract and I was able to pick him up for about half of what he is worth. He bolsters our centre back options and is a great addition to the team at a bargain price.

Outgoing Transfer - Anthony Gordon (AMR/L)
Sold to Watford for £16 million

The youngster that I promoted from the academy last season no longer fits in my team as we don't play wingers anymore, so I was happy to cash in when Watford approached.

Outgoing Transfer - Demarai Gray (AMR/L)
Sold to Watford for £6 million

Another winger leaves the club and again he joins Watford. So they'll be lining up next season with ex Everton wide men and to be fair, they will probably do a decent job for them.

The club agree to improve the youth recruitment which can only help with future youth intakes.

Incoming Transfer - Ronnie Edwards (CB)
Signed from Peterborough for £3.2 million

20 year old Edwards looks like he might be able to break into the first team in the next couple of seasons if he develops right. He was worth a relatively small outlay to take the risk on him and he'll go straight back out on loan too Peterborough for the rest of this season.

Outgoing Transfer - Alex Iwobi (AMRLC)
Sold to Bologna for £10.75 million

I am finally able to offload Iwobi and cash in with a decent return on him as well.

Incoming Transfer - Oliver Skipp (MC)
Signed from Tottenham Hotspur for £36 million

The big signing of the Summer is hard working midfielder, Skipp. Although he hasn't yet broken into the England squad yet, I reckon he will over the next couple of seasons. As I look to offload Allan this Summer, Skipp was a necessary signing to bring in to take his place. The fact he adds to the English contingent at the club is a bonus.​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

July 2023

Outgoing Transfer - Seamus Coleman (RB)
Sold on a free transfer to CF Pachuca

One of the club's great servants has moved on at the end of his contract. We can only thank him for what he has done and I will be looking to bring him back as part of my back room team in the future.

Incoming Transfer - Paul Bernardoni (GK)
Signed from Angers for £3.8 million

My new backup keeper. Cheap as chips.

Outgoing Transfer - Allan (CM)
Sold to Zenit for £8 million

Our most disappointing player over the past two seasons and he simply had to go.

YOUTH PLAYER PROMOTED
Lewis Dobbin (ST) - 20 years old

Lewis has spent the last couple of seasons on loan in the Championship and I'm prepared to now give him a shot in the first team.

YOUTH PLAYER PROMOTED
Jarrad Branthwaite (CB) - 21 years old

Jarrad spent the second half of the season at Watford last season and played 19 games in the Premier League for them and he actually performed to a decent level with an average rating of 6.98. Based on that, I'm giving him a shot in the first team.

Outgoing Transfer - Nathan Patterson (RB)
Sold to Hamburg for £5.5 million

Patterson hasn't really developed as I'd hoped and isn't good enough for our first team so I decided to let him go.

Incoming Transfer - Alfie Dorrington (CB)
Signed from Tottenham Hotspur for £10.5 million

It might be a risk to spend more than £10 million on an 18 year old that hasn't even made a competitive experience, but this young man could be a future England star and I'm confident he will prove to be worth the outlay. I'll be looking to send him out on loan this season to continue his development.

Incoming Transfer - Joao Neves (CM)
Signed from Benfica for £1.8 million

Another youngster for the future, but much cheaper. The only issue was that we didn't get a work permit for him, but he has gone out on loan to Leganes who have promised he will be an important player for them, so we can hope he'll get a permit in the future.

Pre season is going well enough with five wins from all five games and only a single goal conceded.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

August 2023

Three more friendly wins before the competitive stuff kicks off.

We are predicted a 9th placed finish with the bookies this season, which again surprises me as I expected us to be around 6th/7th on the list. No surprise that the media dream 11 is virtually all Liverpool and City, apart from Reece James.

Friday 18th August 2023 - 20:00
Premier League - Watford (Home)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, C.Coady (C.Mepham 61), K.Walker-Peters (Y.Sugawara 74), T.Mitchell, O.Skipp, A.Doucoure, D.Alli, D.Calver-Lewin*, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 61)

The perfect way to start the season!

Saturday 26th August - 15:00
Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur (Away)
Lineup: J.Pickford, M.Holgate, B.Godfrey, C.Coady, K.Walker-Peters, T.Mitchell (V.Mykolenko 62), O.Skipp, A.Doucoure, D.Alli (M.Livaja 79), D.Calvert-Lewin*, Richarlison (A.Hlozek 62)

Two wins from two and this is an impressive early victory in the season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin bangs in successive man of the matches.

I know it doesn't mean much after just 2 games, but it's always nice to see us at the top of the division!

Player of the Month
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ST)

Had to be!

I picked up my first ever Manager of the Month award this month!

Talk about a tough month! September throws up games against three of the best teams in the league and a cash rich Newcastle that are improving rapidly.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

This story came to an end as I got to the end of December in the 3rd season and was sacked in 19th position in the league. Gutting, but I have started a new save with Braintree Town over the last few days and I was posting the story on Sortitoutsi to try a different site....however, the footfall there on stories is very, very slow and I don't like the formatting on the site, so I have returned to FM Base.