The Return of the Entertainers - A Newcastle United Story

[Klippybo]

The Return of the Entertainers - A Newcastle United Story

What? Not starting with Athletic Bilbao? Not this year. Having ended FM20 with 8 and a half seasons at Benfica I fancied doing a domestic save and so this is it. I have got a brand new laptop (literally had it less than a week), got all the face packs, logos and kits downloaded and I am ready to take my beloved Newcastle United to the top of the world!!!

Supporting Newcastle United is incredibly tough at the moment what with failed takeovers, a clueless manager and the most boring football I have ever seen us play so by becoming Newcastle manager I automatically solve one of those issues and intend to sort out the last one. Just need a takeover to happen!!!!

The aim of this save is quite simply to take Newcastle United to glory and end the long wait for a trophy. It has been 51 years after all!!!!

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Founded - 1892
Stadium - St. James' Park
Capacity - 52,305
Bitter Rivals - Sunderland (Tyne Wear Derby)
Other Rivals - Middlesbrough, Manchester United & Aston Villa

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Honours

First Division Winners - 1904-05, 1906-07, 1908-09, 1926-27

Second Division/Championship Winners - 1964-65, 1992-93, 2009-10, 2016-17

FA Cup Winners - 1909-10, 1923-24, 1931-32, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1954-55

Charity Shield Winners - 1909

UEFA Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Winners - 1968-69

UEFA Intertoto Cup Winners - 2006​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

So I arrived at St. James' Park with a few pre-conceived ideas - Joelinton you can **** off for a start!!!! Anywho I am still trying to get used to how things work in FM21 so its been quite an experience. At the moment I have spent just over £26m and raked in just over £30m and I am not finished yet with a bit of the transfer window still to go.

I also had to overhaul the backroom staff and there has been a few notable appointments including Ralf Rangnick as our director of football and in the theme of the return of the entertainers I have welcomed back Andrew Cole (70 apps, 55 goals) to the club as an U23 coach.

Its basically all been about moving players on and bringing in a bit of quality. So without further ado here are my transfer moves.....

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PLAYERS OUT

The biggest fee I have taken in was for Matt Ritchie who joined Dinamo Moscow for £9.75m - rising to £10.75m. He is a player who I love in real life but he doesnt fit into my preferred formation so he had to go.

Upon arrival at the club I knew that I needed to overhaul the defensive area so Federico Fernandez (Burnley £3.8m), DeAndre Yedlin (£5m), and Emil Krafth (Brighton £5.75m) all moved on. Fernandez is a player who I rate in real life but not in FM while Yedlin and Krafth were 2nd and 3rd choice for the RB spot and my no.1 isnt up to much so I was quite happy to move them on.

I basically gave Christian Atsu away for free (£98,000) to save wages etc while Achraf Lazaar and Henri Saivet have all been moved on as they didnt deserve a wage.

Speaking of not deserving a wage I will now give you Joelinton - the clubs record signing at £40m. I cant stand the guy and I rejected a few bids of £3.9m as I thought I could get a bit more but not so it seems and he has been shipped out to Feyenoord on loan for £500,000. I cant wait to sign someone for £40,000,001 just so Joelinton isnt the clubs record signing anymore.

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PLAYERS IN

My first priority was to sign a CB and after considering a couple of cheaper options from Galatasaray I decided to spend my whole initial budget (before player sales) on Kristoffer Ajer of Celtic. I paid £17.5m to bring him in from Celtic and he will walk straight into the first team. I love playing with ball playing CBs so he will be my main CB alongside Lascelles and I expect big things from him. Unfortunately he insisted on a £56m release clause so I hope to get rid of that ASAP.

I went back to Celtic to sign a promising young winger in Karamoko Dembele. I paid £5.5m for the 17y/o and I loaned him out to Bristol Rovers for him to gain immediate first team experience. I hope he can develop and surely he will be a future star and hopefully he will change his nationality to Scottish!!!!

I brought in a new right back in the shape of Almamy Toure who joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for a bargain £3.8m. He will be my new right back and I think he can develop into a top player. He can also play at CB but he will only play there if I am desperate.

I wanted a better backup forward and after failing to get Mario Balotelli on a free (he joined West Ham) I decided to plump for Alexandre Pato. A former wonderkid who has had spells at AC Milan and Chelsea he was signed from Sao Paulo on a free transfer which is a bit of a bargain. Mike Ashley didnt want me to sign anyone over the age of 28 but I made an exception for Pato and he will be involved heavily.

Finally my last signing for the first team so far was that of Jack Wilshere who also came in on a free. I didnt really need another CM but he can play at AMC which will come in handy as I was lacking experience in that position. Providing he can keep fit and get a few games I think he will do well for us.

I have one more signing lined up for the first team and after that I think it will be young, cheap prospects for the future. Deadline day is not upon us yet.

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FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Despite being predicted to finish 18th and therefor being relegated I think I have a squad at the minute that can finish top 10. If we get a load of injuries we will struggle however and at the time of writing (opening day of the season) I am missing my first choice keeper Dubravka as well as Dwight Gayle, Jonjo Shelvey, Matty Longstaff, Fabian Schar and Ciaran Clark.

Dubravka will be my keeper while in defence I will play a back 4 of Toure, Ajer, Lascelles and Lewis. Jamal Lewis is a player who I am really looking forward to managing as at 22y/o I think he will be a star. I have a load of options for the CM position. Hendrick, Shelvey, the Longstaff brothers, Wilshere and Hayden can all play there. I think Sean Longstaff and Jonjo Shelvey will be my first choice but that is far from set in stone.

At AMC I have the player who I named my cat, Miggy, after. Miguel Almiron. I love Miggy to bits (both cat and player lol) and I hope that he does well. He can also play at LW which is decent. Jack Wilshere will probably be his backup however it seems that the FM gods have decided that our little known recent signing, Rodrigo Vilca, is a bit of a player!!! The 21y/o Peruvian looks a very handy player and I will look to give him some game time.

On the wings I will play Ryan Fraser on the right and the wonderful Allan Saint-Maximin on the left. Both are terrific players and will be key to our fortunes this season while Jacob Murphy is still in the squad despite some transfer interest. Allan Saint-Maximin is a mercurial player and arguably our best player so I hope he can show off his skills to great effect.

As for Ryan Fraser I have a personal story about him. As you know I support Aberdeen as well as Newcastle (Newcastle are my favourites though), and me and my mate went to see an Aberdeen reserve/youth side play against a junior team one pre-season. As it was Sone Aluko played (so we are talking about 9 or 10 years ago) and I think Russell Anderson. Peter Pawlett was watching, Mark McGhee was manager and Aberdeen won easily. Anyway with Aberdeen winning fairly comfortably they put on a midget of a winger. He blew my mind. He hit the crossbar with a thunderbolt of a strike from 30 yards, set up a goal and I think he scored twice but nobody knew who he was. As it was it was Ryan Fraser who played as the game was only a couple of miles from his hometown and within a few months he made his debut for Aberdeen at the ago of 16!!!!!!!

Up front we have the player who I call "gorgeous". Callum Wilson. If he can link up with ASM, Miggy and Ryan Fraser then I think we have some good times coming. He is quick and is also a great finisher and providing he stays fit he should do the business for me. Alexandre Pato will be his backup while I also have Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll to cover.

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AIMS FOR THE SEASON

Despite being predicted to finish in a relegation position I think we should be aiming for a top 10 finish. If we can sneak into Europe then great but a top 10 finish is what I am aiming for. My first XI is very competitive but as I said if we suffer a lot of injuries then we will struggle as we have hardly any players in the system coming through who are up to the required level if at all!
​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

For anyone not old enough to remember the reason Newcastle of the 90s were called the entertainers was due to the annual entertainment they gave Man Utd fans by collapsing on their **** from the top of the league every March/April/May.

 

[BJM0161]

Can i ask where you got the badges loaded from please?

 

[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Darlow, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis*, S.Longstaff, Wilshere, Fraser (Alexandre Pato), Almiron (Hayden), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

Cant get the hang of my new laptop with screenshots and the new paint thing yet so doing it manually just now. Anywho we won 2-1 against a side that I really hate. We took the lead on 57secs when Miggy Almiron pounced on a loose ball in the box to finish and Saint-Maximin added a 2nd and we were in cruise control.

Jack Grealish pulled a goal back but we were the better team throughout and fully deserved the victory.

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Carabao Cup 2nd Round

Lineup - Darlow, Manquillo, Lascelles, Ajer, Dummett, Hayden, Hendrick, Murphy, Vilca, Almiron (Carroll), Alexandre Pato

We progress into the next round as a largely backup side saw us through against a spirited Rotherham team. Pato put us in front before they levelled but we took the lead when Rodrigo Vilca played a wonderful chipped pass for Jacob Murphy to finish. They had a goal disallowed but we deservedly won in the end.

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Lineup - Darlow, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hendrick), Wilshere, Fraser (Orsic), Almiron (Hayden), Saint-Maximin*, Wilson

Our 2nd league game, both at home and both ended up as wins for Newcastle!!!! We were amazingly 2-0 up after 7min and although they pulled a goal back, Callum Wilson scored a 3rd that would prove to be the winner. They pulled a goal back but we held on to win. Mislav Orsic made his debut here.

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Carabao Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Darlow, Manquillo, Lascelles*, Clark, Dummett, Hayden, Wilshere (Hendrick), Murphy, Vilca, Orsic, Alexandre Pato (Carroll)

We make it through but it was from convincing - especially against 10 men. However we finally scored late on when Jacob Murphy latched onto a Vilca through ball and he finished well.

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Lineup - Darlow*, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Wilshere (Hayden), Fraser (Orsic), Almiron (Hendrick), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

WOW!!!!! We pull off an unlikely victory as we went to Anfield and took all 3 points. My assistant wanted me to be more defensive etc but I ignored him as I want our opponents to worry about us rather than the other way round. We got off to a perfect start when Wilson struck twice in the opening 10min. His first goal was a beautiful individual effort and then he powered home a penalty. What followed was a Liverpool onslaught and although Wijnaldum nicked a goal we survived and even troubled them on the counter attack. We were lucky for sure but hey ho.

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Carabao Cup 4th Round

Lineup - Darlow, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Wilshere (Shelvey), Fraser (Orsic), Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wilson*

WOW!!!!!

We thrash Man Utd to progress into the next round of the Carabao Cup. We took a first half lead through Callum Wilson and looked fairly comfortable. They had an equaliser through Cavani disallowed for offside and we duly punished them with our 2nd in the next attack. Kristoffer Ajer scored a 3rd and we were in dreamland!

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SUMMARY

We have had an excellent start to the season and have a 100% record after 3 games which is quite remarkable considering we had an away fixture against Liverpool to navigate!!! We started the season with a win against horrible Aston Villa with Miggy and St.Max getting on the scoresheet as they were in our next match plus a goal from Callum Wilson as we beat Crystal Palace. Then it was Liverpool and we won 2-1 thanks to 2 early Callum Wilson goals and that sees us 3rd in the table alongside Leeds and Everton who also have won all 3 games.

In the Carabao Cup we struggled past Rotherham United and Lincoln City before coming up against Man Utd. There we put in a great performance to win 3-0 and that would have been the result of the round if it wasnt for Portsmouth smashing Liverpool 5-1!!!!!!!!

As for signings I strengthened the group by bringing in Croatian international left winger Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb for £5m. He is very quick and is a decent finisher and he will be my backup left winger although if Ryan Fraser gets injured on the right he will come into the side too as I can play ASM there.

Needless to say I got the manager of the month award!!!!!!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
CALLUM WILSON

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

Can i ask where you got the badges loaded from please?

Metallic Logos Megapack (sortitoutsi.net)

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

Lineup - Darlow, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer*, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Shelvey), Hayden, Fraser (Orsic), Wilshere (Almiron), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

Our amazing start to the season continues as we come from behind twice to defeat Southampton. In the first half they were all over us and also had a goal disallowed to go with tghe 2 goals that did count. Fortunately we responded in the 2nd half and Callum Wilson got his 2nd to draw us level, Jamal Lewis and Mislav Orsic got their first goals for the club to seal the win.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Dummett), S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hendrick), Fraser (Orsic), Wilshere, Saint-Maximin, Wilson

My first defeat as manager and I can have no complaints. Sure we took a surprise lead but we were totally outplayed in truth and I am thankful that it wasnt a hiding. Martin Dubravka returned from injury here and took his place in goal.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Orsic), Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin, Wilson (Alexandre Pato)

This was an entertaining affair. We played out a 3-3 draw against Man Utd and it was a fair result. We took the lead through Ryan Fraser but they equalised within 30secs which was criminal but we soon retook the lead from ASM. However they levelled just before half-time through Martial and he struck again early in the 2nd half but we managed to equalise late on when Almamy Toure thundered in a strike from the edge of the area.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Dummett), S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hayden), Fraser, Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin*, Wilson

Crystal Palace are bottom of the league and we have played them twice already this season in the league which is weird. Anywho we won easily enough thanks to 3 goals in the first 28min. They pulled a late goal back, had a man sent-off and then had a goal disallowed all in the last 10min!!!!

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SUMMARY

Another strong month although we didnt have it all our own way this month. There were goals galore in our matches as we beat Southampton 4-2 before losing 3-1 to Chelsea, sharing 6 goals with Man Utd and then beating Crystal Palace 3-1 - 26 goals in 4 matches. If you look at the league table we are doing well in 2nd place although Everton are stealing our thunder with 7 wins out of 7!!!!!! The big boys are circling beneath us however and I expect normal service to be resumed.

Our defensive record is atrocious to be fair. We havent kept a clean sheet in the league and have the level 3rd worst defense. That needs looking at although going forward we are the top goalscorers.

Off the field we have a decent draw in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals as we will play QPR, Karamoko Dembele requested for his loan spell to be ended as Bristol Rovers wouldnt play him but more importantly there is a consortium in talks to buy the club from Mike Ashley!!! Lets hope he goes although the new lot apparently want to appoint their own manager.

Lets see what happens.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN

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PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hayden), Fraser, Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson*

Very impressive. We fell behind early on but it was then the Callum Wilson show as he smashed in a hat-trick and even had the cheek to miss a penalty!!!!

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (M.Longstaff), Saint-Maximin, Almiron (Wilshere), Orsic (Alexandre Pato), Wilson

Our 2nd defeat of the season and I can have no complaints as we werent at the races in the first half and Arsenal punished us with 2 goals. Gorgeous Callum Wilson pulled a goal back immediately in the 2nd half but we rarely threatened thereafter and the game was gone. Almiron got injured here and will be out for a wee while

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (M.Longstaff), Shelvey, Saint-Maximin, Wilshere (Vilca), Orsic (Alexandre Pato), Wilson*

A very disappointing result and performance with Callum Wilson's customary goal being the only highlight. I hate Aston Villa so to not beat them makes me quite ****** off in truth.

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SUMMARY

A short month with just 3 games and it was a win, a draw and a defeat so it was a bit of a meh month. We suffered a few injuries which didnt help but that isnt an excuse but if it wasnt for Callum Wilson I dont know where we would be as he scored all of our 5 goals during the month including a hat-trick against Leeds where he also missed a penalty.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs are all circling behind us in the league so we shall see where we stand next month. Defensively we are still poor and have yet to keep a clean sheet in the league which is a must!!! We have been drawn against Nottingham Forest at home in the FA Cup 3rd round which isnt too bad.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
CALLUM WILSON

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PREMIER LEAGUE

​

 

[Klippybo]

DECEMBER

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Clark, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (M.Longstaff), Saint-Maximin, Wilshere (Vilca), Orsic (Alexandre Pato), Wilson

3 games without a win but I will take this point as we were a tad fortunate to get the draw. They had an early goal disallowed and were battering us in truth but when they finally took the lead in the 42nd minute we immediately levelled through that man again, Callum Wilson, and we managed to hold on for a point. Wilson has now scored in our last 5 league games and has scored our last 6 goals.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Shelvey (Almiron), Saint-Maximin*, Wilshere, Orsic (Fraser), Wilson

WOW!!!!!!

We smash 8 goals past Sheffield United as we completely humiliate them. Callum Wilson got a hat-trick but amazingly he was outdone by Allan Saint-Maximin who scored 4 goals. Almamy Toure however got the goal of the game with a long range strike. As ever we didnt keep a clean sheet and they even had a goal disallowed.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure (Manquillo), Schar, Clark, Lewis (Dummett), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Saint-Maximin*, Wilshere, Orsic (Fraser), Wilson

A CLEAN SHEET!!!!!!!

Well they did have a goal disallowed to level thank god and I am more pleased about the clean sheet than the victory itself. Callum Wilson failed to score for the first time in 6 matches.

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Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Lineup - Dubravka*, Manquillo, Schar, Clark, Dummett, Hayden, M.Longstaff (Hendrick), Murphy (Dembele), Vilca, Orsic, Alexandre Pato (Gayle)

We reach the semis of the league cup as my backups easily beat QPR. Jacob Murphy put us in front with his 3rd goal of the competition and Alexandre Pato doubled the lead. I then threw on Karamoko Dembele to make his debut and he scored a wonder goal with his first touch as he took the ball on the right wing on the half way line and beat several players before lashing the ball into the top corner from 18 yards on the left hand side of the penalty box! He also had a goal disallowed.

Another clean sheet too!

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Shelvey*, Fraser (Almiron), Wilshere, Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson

A decent enough point I suppose. We fell behind when Traore netted but Callum Wilson equalised and Jamal Lewis netted his 2nd of the season to put us ahead. Alas we couldnt hold on as Raul Jiminez netted from close range and the game petered out from there.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar*, Ajer, Lewis (Dummett), S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Wilshere), Fraser, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wilson

We end the calendar year with a very nice victory. Three penalties were awarded and scored with Callum Wilson netting 2 of them to take him up to 20 goals for the season. FM21 seems to be remarkably free scoring!!!!!

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SUMMARY

We end 2020 in fine fettle. 4th in the league, only 2 league defeats and a Carabao Cup semi-final with Chelsea to look forward to!!!!! This month was near perfect as we got a decent draw with Man City before we thrashed Sheffield United 8-2 with Allan Saint-Maximin for 4 goals and Callum Wilson scoring a hat-trick. We then got a scrappy win against Burnley and our only clean sheet in the league so far and then drew 2 all with Wolves. We ended the month with a 4-1 win over West Ham and everything is rosy in the garden.

There will be transfer dealings in January. I have agreed to move on 3 players and they will need replaced but I only have £14m to play with so I will have to be shrewd. The defensive area of my side is certainly going to be looked at!!!!

Finally the takeover fell through (FM21 made that realistic then) while I got our first affiliated club in the shape of Hibernian.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea and Burnley sack their managers.​

 

[Sam91]

Good to see you back at the Toon Klippy!! And smashing it as always

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Wilshere (Hendrick), Fraser, Almiron, Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson

A disappointing result but we will take it on the chin. We fell behind early in the 2nd half but soon bounced back to lead however a Tim Ream screamer denied us the victory.

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Carabao Cup Semi-Final

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Schar, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hayden), Almiron (Hendrick), Wilshere, Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson

No cup final for us as Timo Werner scored 4 goals to send us out. Callum Wilson got a brace but we were never really in the game once we fell behind.

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FA Cup 3rd Round

Lineup - Dubravka, Manquillo, Lascelles (Dummett), Schar*, Willems, Hayden, Hendrick, Gray, Wilshere (Vilca), Orsic, Alexandre Pato (Dembele)

My backups came out to play and they easily beat Nottingham Forest. Demarai Gray shone on his debut with 2 goals while Jetro Willems made his 2nd debut for the club. Our defensive worries continue however as another 2 goals are conceded.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Willems), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Gray (Wilshere), Almiron, Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson

The 2 surprise packages of the season went head to head here and it was them who edged it albeit undeservedly as we should have got at least a point but we failed to score for the first time this season and we lost.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hendrick), Gray, Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin*, Wilson

WHAT A WIN!!!!!!

We thrash Spurs whose manager, Jose Mourinho, tried to stoke a war of words with me before the game. As it was we hit them for 6 with Wilson and Saint-Maximin getting doubles plus Spurs scoring 2 for us as well!!!!!! We were excellent and fully deserved such a result but I am also delighted that we kept a clean sheet.

Jose Mourinho was sacked immediately after the match.

--

FA Cup 4th Round

Lineup - Dubravka, Cedric, Schar, Dummett, Willems*, Hayden, M.Longstaff, Gray (Dembele), Wilshere (Vilca), Orsic, Alexandre Pato (Carroll)

We progress again as my backups got another runout. Orsic scored twice and Gray got the other while ex-Newcastle player, Kazenga Lua-Lua denied us a clean sheet late on. No matter.

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Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer*, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Shelvey, Fraser, Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin, Wilson (Alexandre Pato)

A game of two halves for sure! We were excellent in the first half and went into the break 3 goals ahead and the game was over however we were shocking in the 2nd half as we let them back in it with 2 goals and they missed a great chance to equalise in stoppage time.

--

Lineup - Darlow, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hayden), Fraser, Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin, Wilson (Alexandre Pato)

Not good enough. Despite being at home, Brighton were actually the better side and probably deserved to win but fortunately for us Jack Wilshere scored late on to give us a lucky point. Yet again our defensive inadequacies come back to haunt us. Dubravka was injured so Karl Darlow got a rare game.

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SUMMARY

This month was a mixed bag results wise. In the league the highlight was our magnificent 6-0 thrashing of Spurs however we struggled apart from the win over W.BA. There were draws against Fulham and Brighton plus a defeat against Everton so it wasnt that good. We also got stuffed by Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semis to add to our woes but in the FA Cup we are going well with wins over Nottingham Forest and Luton Town and we will play Bristol City in the 5th round.

There was transfer activity as you have seen. Outgoing is Javi Manquillo to Spartak Moscow for £5.5m (£7m) while both Ciaran Clark (£2m) and Jacob Murphy (£2.1m) left to join Swansea City. There were also loan deals for Dwight Gayle and Rolando Aarons so that meant that I needed to bring in reinforcements.

For a bargain £2.5m we brought in Demarai Gray from Leicester City. He scored 2 on his debut and the exciting winger should prove to be an absolute bargain. Why Leicester were willing to let him go so cheaply is beyond me! The fact he can play on both wings is an added bonus.

Next up is Jetro Willems who re-joined the club after a successful loan spell last season from Eintracht Frankfurt for £1.6m. The Dutch international will push Jamal Lewis for the LB spot and provide some stiff competition for that place.

Cedric was brought in from Arsenal to be my backup RB. He has joined on loan and is a short term fix until the end of the season.

Finally on deadline day I moved to strengthen the CB areas with my defensive troubles really annoying me. I brought in German international Thilo Kehrer from Paris Saint-Germain for £4.7m and hopefully he will force himself into the side. He is still quite young and surely I will make a handsome profit on him when we part ways.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
KRISTOFFER AJER

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

Southampton, Spurs and Wolves sack their managers
Michael O'Neill is the new manager of Burnley
Max Allegri is the new Chelsea manager
Luciano Spalletti rocks up at Southampton
​

 

[Klippybo]

FEBRUARY

Lineup - Dubravka*, Toure, Lascelles (Kehrer), Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff (Hayden), Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wilson

A huge victory and I am delighted as it means we go above Arsenal into 4th spot with a game in hand. Callum Wilson opened the scoring with a fine finish and after that Arsenal battered us however for once we resisted the pressure and Miguel Almiron sealed the win with a late strike.

A CLEAN SHEET!!!!!

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Willems (Cedric), S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Wilshere), Gray (Orsic), Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wilson*

Two teams who like to play possession football went at it here and it was us who came out on top although the margin of victory is a tad harsh on Leeds. Almiron and Wilson had us 2 up at half-time but they pulled a goal back with a thunderous long range strike. As they piled on the pressure Wilson broke away to score the 3rd and ASM finished it off with the 4th. Jack Wilshere even found time to get himself sent-off!

--

FA Cup 5th Round

Lineup - Dubravka, Cedric, Kehrer, Schar, Dummett, Hayden, M.Longstaff (Hendrick), Gray*, Vilca, Orsic (Dembele), Alexandre Pato (Carroll)

What a game this was!!! We were 3 up and cruising and then all of a sudden we shat ourselves and it was 3-3 and we were heading into extra-time!!! Bristol City then bombarded us but in the end Demarai Gray netted another 2 goals to complete his hat-trick and send us through. He has 6 goals for us now - all in the FA Cup.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey (Hayden), Gray (Orsic), Almiron (Vilca), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

Last time we played Spurs we hit them for 6 but they gained revenge by coming from behind to beat us on the day that they appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new manager. We deserved at least a point but it was not to be.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Cedric), S.Longstaff (Hendrick), Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Alexandre Pato

**** RIGHT OFF!!!!

For the 2nd time in a matter of weeks we threw away a 3 goal lead. We were cruising thanks to ASM and a Jonjo Shelvey double (his first 2 goals of the season and the 2nd was a screamer) yet in the 2nd half we fell apart and allowed them to level things up. Demarai Gray even had a goal disallowed in stoppage time to make matters worse.

--

SUMMARY

This month was so close to being really good but in the end I am pretty unhappy. We kicked off the month with a huge win over Arsenal and then followed that up with a superb 4-1 away victory over Leeds. However in the FA Cup a warning of what was to come happened as we threw away a 3 goal lead against Bristol City to take the game into extra-time and it was Demarai Gray's hat-trick which saw us through.

We then played Spurs and despite dominating we only had 1 goal but we lost 2-1 and against Everton we were 3-0 up and threw that lead away too to draw. Not good enough. We end the month in 5th place which is good but victory over Everton would have put clear daylight between us and them. We are in the hunt for a Champions League place but we cant keep throwing away leads.

We will play Man Utd in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
MIGUEL ALMIRON

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

Maurizio Sarri is the new Spurs manager
Wolves sack Nuno Santo and appoint Abelardo as their new manager

 

[hoody89]

what tactic do you use klippy

enjoying the story, keep up the good work

 

[Klippybo]

MARCH

Lineup - Dubravka, Toure (Cedric), Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis, S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

Sigh!!!!

Another defensive horror show as we concede another 3 goals. At least we scored 3 I suppose. Maybe its time to put Kehrer in but do I dare drop my captain Lascelles? Toure got injured and will be out for over a month. Callum Wilson got his 30th goal of the season here which is pretty incredible while Saint-Maximin has scored in his last 4 league games.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Cedric, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Willems), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin*, Wilson

We get back to winning ways but yet again our defensive efforts were poor. West Brom were hardly in the game but the scoreline showed otherwise and it wasnt until Wilson scored in stoppage time that the win was sealed. He also had a goal disallowed.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Kehrer, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Willems), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Wilson*

There are far too many goals in FM21 it seems as there was another 9 here. Callum Wilson got a great hat-trick and he is up to 35 for the season which is just incredible. As ever our defensive efforts left a bitter taste in the mouth.

--

Lineup - Dubravka, Kehrer, Lascelles, Ajer, Lewis (Willems), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron, Saint-Maximin (Orsic), Wilson

This defeat is tough to take as we fully deserved at least a point. With 10min to go we were awarded a penalty but Callum Wilson had his effort saved and a few minutes later they got the winner when Firmino scored from long range.

--

FA Cup Quarter-Final

Lineup - Dubravka, Kehrer, Lascelles, Schar, Lewis (Willems), S.Longstaff, Shelvey, Fraser (Gray), Almiron (Wilshere), Saint-Maximin, Wilson

Any chance of us winning a trophy this season ends here as we are knocked out of the FA Cup. We played really well but we gifted them 2 early goals and that proved to be costly. ASM pulled a goal back in stoppage time but it wasnt enough.

--

SUMMARY

An iffy month. We started things off with yet another 3-3 draw this time against Brighton. The goals kept coming as WBA were beaten 4-2 and Southampton 6-3 before we were harshly beaten by Liverpool. This meant that we end the month in a Champions League place but it is going to go right down to the wire. If only we could defend!!!!!!!

In the FA Cup we were eliminated by Man Utd, again quite harshly, and that means we just have the league to concentrate on now.

The youth intake was pretty **** however on the takeover front a new group, led by a business tycoon, is in talks to buy the club. That could be exciting!!!!!

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
CALLUM WILSON

--

PREMIER LEAGUE

​

Crystal Palace sack Roy Hodgson and appoint Eddie Howe

 

[Klippybo]

THE END!!!!!

I cant play this save any more. It is just ridiculous the amount of goals being scored. Just look at our next match....

5-1 up and we lose 6-5. Thing is with 9 games to play we are on course for a Champions League spot but it is just too crazy. We have scored 81 goals, Wilson has 40 in 31 and in the league he has 36 in 28. Now if this was a regen striker or Ronaldo etc then fair enough but it is just ridiculous and it is making it less enjoyable.

I dont know if this is because it is the BETA save but I hope that if I have a save now the game is out it will be better.​

 

[HugoCaldeira1234]

oh well i guess Bayern,PSG And City are came in calling from wilson
Holy jesus Callum wilson went from man utd reject to been reborn david beckham at newcastle
so you are keep the save file or you must have restarting all over again
maybe Newcastle will be ready playing in Champions League

 

[Froug]

THE END!!!!!

I cant play this save any more. It is just ridiculous the amount of goals being scored. Just look at our next match....
View attachment 522282

5-1 up and we lose 6-5. Thing is with 9 games to play we are on course for a Champions League spot but it is just too crazy. We have scored 81 goals, Wilson has 40 in 31 and in the league he has 36 in 28. Now if this was a regen striker or Ronaldo etc then fair enough but it is just ridiculous and it is making it less enjoyable.

I dont know if this is because it is the BETA save but I hope that if I have a save now the game is out it will be better.​

That's actually mad. I haven't played FM21 yet so is it safe to say that the match engine is worse than last years?

 

[leckuno]

That's actually mad. I haven't played FM21 yet so is it safe to say that the match engine is worse than last years?

The beta was far too easy but the main game is better as haven't been winning every game this time

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

That's actually mad. I haven't played FM21 yet so is it safe to say that the match engine is worse than last years?

The beta was far too easy but the main game is better as haven't been winning every game this time

Just downloaded FM21 and am hoping the match engine is a lot better especially as it was one of my main gripes in FM20!

 

[Sam91]

THE END!!!!!

I cant play this save any more. It is just ridiculous the amount of goals being scored. Just look at our next match....
View attachment 522282

5-1 up and we lose 6-5. Thing is with 9 games to play we are on course for a Champions League spot but it is just too crazy. We have scored 81 goals, Wilson has 40 in 31 and in the league he has 36 in 28. Now if this was a regen striker or Ronaldo etc then fair enough but it is just ridiculous and it is making it less enjoyable.

I dont know if this is because it is the BETA save but I hope that if I have a save now the game is out it will be better.​

Lol man my Chelsea BETA save was broken. Haaland scored 91 goals in a season for me as my Chelsea side scored over 180 league goals. Was stupid