The rise of Fulham

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FULHAM FINED!

We picked up six yellow cards in the game against Bournemouth. Yes, six! FA fined us $8.25 K for picking up so many bookings. I was in two minds as to whether the players needed a stern telling off. After deep thinking, I decided against it as they got the much needed victory, and I didn't want to worsen their morale during the critical phase of the season.

THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK AND INJURY WOES:

I am beginning to hate the national team managers. Three of them decided to completely ignore my instruction to restrict the game time of certain players to 45 minutes in the friendlies. I wouldn't usually mind this but one of my key players, Brian Ruiz came back with a severe injury which would sideline him for close to 2 months. It doesn't look like he'll be playing the remaining games this season. It is a significant blow as he has been the playmaker for our side. I decided to have a go at Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica's head coach in the recent press conference.

As things stand, two of my first team players are out with severe injuries. Marcus Bettinelli, who has pulled off some brilliant saves for us is also out injured along with Brian Ruiz. I hope this doesn't cost us the title.

 

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(Apr 4th 2015) CH: LEEDS 3-0 FULHAM
Adryan (14, 67), Sharp (41)
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Oh boy - that was THE worst performance this season! We just couldn't keep control of the ball. Apparently, everyone decided to ignore my instructions from the word go. I clearly told the defenders to refrain from long passing and yet I see them attempting long balls, none of which seemed to find a Fulham player. I specifically told Scott Parker to keep an eye on Adryan as he was their key player. Yet, Parker was so far away from his man every time they had the ball. It was just appalling to watch.

YOU BUNCH OF **** FOOLS!
Those were the first words I told to the players after the last game. No one followed the team instructions and half the team ignored all the tactics.
I told them their performance was downright terrible and that I was going to make major changes if they don't improve. A couple of players tried to speak back and I just gave them an angry look that made them shut up almost immediately. The morale was down, but it didn't bother me. They lost their right to be pleased with themselves after a performance like that.

 

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The last couple of days have been intense. With me still displeased at the players' performance against Leeds, they trained with very high intensity. It was good to watch. I tried my best to stay far away from the players the day before the game as I didn't want them to feel nervous. I let Peter Grant and Ulf Kirsten take care of the tactics for the next game. It was a big game against Nottingham Forest, who are in the mix for promotion. It was obvious they would come hard at us. But we needed a victory too. It was building up to be a good contest.

(Apr 6th 2015) CH: FULHAM 1-0 NOTTM FOREST
Cohen (o.g. 90)
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It was a close game. Both Nottm Forest and us went with an attacking mentality and were relentless in the opponent half. The game seemed to be heading towards a stalemate until a corner, taken by McCormack was parried away by their goalie. They tried to clear the ball while we tried to put it in the back of the net. After a few deflections and nervous kicks, the ball found its way into the back of the net. Officials gave it as an own goal by Chris Cohen but I am not sure. Replays weren't conclusive either as the penalty box was crowded with over 10 players. I wouldn't mind it though - a goal is a goal and I'll take it anyway they come.

In other news, Leeds held Watford to a draw widening the gap between Watford and us to 4 points. I was delighted, but I tried to hide it in front of the players after our recent heated arguments.

THE NOD OF APPROVAL:
During the post-match meeting, I told them it was a good win, and nothing else. There were a few smiles and fists from the players as they were clearly delighted. I just nodded in approval without showing too much delight. I don't want to be one of those coaches that has such extreme mood swings in between games.

Huw Jennings walked up to me and said - "Hey T, that was a bit....harsh, don't you think?". "I know", I said reluctantly, "but it had to be done." Jennings gave a wry smile as he left the dressing room.

 

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A POTENTIAL TITLE DECIDER:
In the recent games, neither Watford nor we are in great form. After a few wins and losses in the recent games, we are ahead of Watford by 4 points. Our next match is against Watford, a HUGE clash. A win for us would put us seven points clear of The Hornets, with 4 games to go. That would all but seal our place at the top. A loss, however would reduce the gap between us to one points and with the recent see-saw performances, that would put a lot of pressure on us. A draw would be OK as well.

However, I wanted to win. It was a home game and the fans would be entirely behind us. It was time for a meeting with the team.

"We have to win. The league title is ours to lose if we can come out with a win this game. I know you guys can do it.", I said in a passionate manner.

There were still a few nervous faces among the boys. I wasn't sure whether it was because of my aggressive telling off a few days back or because they weren't sure of themselves.

"So, what do you think boys? Anything you want to discuss now. I want everything out in the open before the big game.", I said expecting them to say something.

"So...are we sticking to our usual tactics and instructions? Any changes from the last game?", Parker asked.

"Yes, there will be changes. I'll go over the tactics myself with you fellows. We'll practice intensely and win tomorrow.", I said in a reassuring tone.

I intentionally didn't mention anything related to the Leeds performance as I wanted them to put it behind them. It did work, as the players seemed focused and gave it all they got in the training session leading up to the game.

 

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(Apr 11th 2015) CH: FULHAM vs. WATFORD
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1' McCormack with the freekick for Fulham. This looks promising. The shot hits the wall and Watford's Deeney comes away with the ball as they try to counter attack. Parker makes a fantastic tackle to dispossess him and tries to build a new attack. Woodrow has a crack at goal after that promising build-up and Gomes delfects it out for a corner. Positive start from Fulham.

10' Fulham once again on the attack. A neat exchange between Hyndman and Roberts releases McCormack through the center. He picks out Voser on the right flank, who crosses it for Woodrow. Woodrow's fierce shot can only be parried away by Gomes. Watford couldn't clear it and Woodrow gets the ball again. He takes a crack at goal. Gomes does well to stop it but it falls to Patrick Roberts, who scores!!!!!

FULHAM 1-0 WATFORD

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19' It's all Fulham at the moment. They are pushing Watford back. Gomes is once again forced to make a terrific save from McCormack's volley. It falls to Roberts once again but he doesn't make a good contact. A wasted opportunity for Fulham.

32' Watford get a free kick after Balanta commits a foul. It looked soft. Tozser with the free kick, as he puts the ball in the box for Deeney but Balanta clears the header off the line!!. Fulham with a chance to counter. A quick interchange of passes gives Roberts another opportunity but his shot is brilliantly saved by H. Gomes. Top draw stuff from Gomes here.

42' McCormack with the corner for Fulham. Mathoho clears with the header but the ball falls back to McCormack, who dribbles past a sliding Hoban and crosses it into the box. It's Woodrow and he heads it home!

FULHAM 2-0 WATFORD
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Fulham are ahead at half time after a dominating first half performance.

58' Watford push forward and Amorebieta gives away a cheap free kick. Fulham manager Trott is not happy with the tackle and tells the players to focus. Toszer's free kick is a poor one and is way wide. That looked like a good opportunity for Watford to bring one back.

Watford are pushing forward but are unable to get past Fulham defense and are restricted to long shots.

67' Voser with the throw to Roberts, who crosses it for Woodrow. The shot is blocked and Watford are on the counter now. A long ball looking for Deeney is well intercepted by Balanta, who calmly gives Fulham back the possession. Watford starting to look more dangerous now. They are playing with intent.

71' Watford with the throw. Fulham are pushed back a little bit as their manager tells them to calm down. Hoban dribbles past Voser easily and puts a beautiful cross for Deeney, who heads it wide. He'd be disappointed with that effort.

Fulham make a few changes. Hyndman comes off for Christensen as Fulham are trying to hold onto this lead. McCormack, a striker is also coming off for Shaun Hutchinson, a central defender. Fulham change to a 3 central defender formation.

82' Forestieri with the ball for Fulham. A neat one-two exchange with Deeney and he is free. Great chance for Watford. Forestieri shoots and Joronen makes a brilliant one handed save. He denies Watford a goal. Great stuff this!

84' Watford are pushing everyone forward here as Fulham try to hang on. Not sure if this is the best tactic but they seem to be doing pretty well. Osmar, Abdi and Vydra exchange a few passes in Fulham's half. Osmar tries a shot from 30 yards. An audacious effort, but Joronen easily saves it. Signs of frustration from Watford. Fulham's defense is rock solid today. They are letting nothing past.

2 mins. of added time

91' Tozser with the cross as Watford are desparately trying to score. Parker rises above Deeney and heads it clear. Toszer passes it to Mathoho, who shoots! That was close but not close enough. Another long shot from well outside the box. Fulham wouldn't be too concerned.

92' Joronen with the goal kick. Roberts with the ball for Fulham. Abdi concedes a throw. Voser's throw finds it way to Parker, who lays it for Woodrow to shoot. Another brilliant save from Heurelho Gomes. Woodrow must have though he had scored there. But Watford are on the counter now. Deeney runs with the ball. What a tackle from Amorebieta there. Used his strength to easily disposses the Watford top scorer in the league and gives Fulham back the control.

93' Voser with the throw in. And the referee blows the whistle. What a game! Darren Trott is delighted with the result and the Fulham supporters are jumping with joy. This victory sends Fulham 7 points clear of Watford at the top of the league with only 4 games left. Watford fans are devastated. The players have their heads in hands.

Fulham dominated the first half as they pushed Watford back, scoring two goals. Watford threw everything they got at Fulham in the second half but couldn't get past a rock-solid defensive display from the league leaders.

Heurelho Gomes has been adjudged the player of the match as his amazing saves kept Fulham from taking a bigger lead.


FULHAM 2-0 WATFORD

The Goals:
[video=dailymotion;x2jj0s0]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jj0s0_fm-15-fulham-v-watford-2-0-roberts-woodrow_videogames[/video]

 

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(Apr 14th 2015) CH: MIDDLESBROUGH 3-3 FULHAM
Clayton (7, 31), Vossen (90); Roberts (20, 59); Christensen (38)

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Goals galore. They took the lead twice but we equalized both times in relatively quick time. For the first time in the game, we took the lead in the 59th minute through Roberts, who was in brilliant form in the game. We were almost through and got away with 3 points but Vossen had different plans as he scored an equalizer. I am a touch disappointed with it as I felt this was a winnable game. I didn't let the players know that thought because I didn't want to lower their morale during this critical part of the season.

Now, the entire team must turn their attention to the FA Cup semi-final against West Ham at Wembley. It'll be a tough game for sure but I believe in my players and they are all raring to go against West Ham.

 

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View attachment 793262
FA CUP SEMI FINAL
WEST HAM 3-1 FULHAM
Enner Valencia (55, 114), Andy Carroll (108); Cauley Woodrow (81)

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Disappointing to lose in extra time. We used a similar strategy as the Man City game. Sit back, and hit the opponents on the counter. A lapse in concentration by the defense allowed Valencia to sneak back and score a thunderbolt. No way Joronen could've stopped that. We started attacking more during the closing stages of the normal time and it paid off as Woodrow scored a powerful header to equalize for us.

With several first team players like Brian Ruiz, Stafylidis, Voser injured, the players were clearly overworked in the past few days and there were very tired legs on the field. We switched back to the counter attack strategy in the extra time but Andy Carroll scored from 30 yards to give them the lead. When someone scores from over 25 yards, no tactic is going to help you. We pushed forward trying to equalize but tired legs meant we couldn't track back in time as West Ham hit us on the counter and Enner Valencia scored his second. The players were dejected and there was no way back in for us. I just encouraged them from the touch line but the game was lost.

It was a disappointing loss but I couldn't blame the players for that because we have been plagued with injuries to key players and a lot of the first team players are not fully fit due to extremely congested fixtures.

 

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We only need 3 points from the 3 remaining games to secure the title. Just one win required. It was time to have a quick chat with the players. The lads just finished their training session before the game tomorrow, against Norwich. Before thet left, Grant assembled the players for me to have a talk.

"I know you're all tired but I wanted to remind you that we just need one win to win the championship. We have 3 games left. We can do it. What do you fellows think?", I said in a positive tone.

A few players mumbled positive responses. Not sure if it was the pressure or tiredness, but there was something bugging them.

"No pressure lads. You don't need to do anything extra ordinary tomorrow. Just play like any other game and the result will come."

There were a few nods of approval from the players. Parker rallied the guys. "Come on boys, we can win the title. It's what we deserve after a fantastic season.", he said in a voice that was oozing with confidence.

When your skipper is confident, the players automatically gain a bit of self-confidence. Parker, the experienced campaigner knew that and the players did respond positively. I wished the lads all the best as we called it a night.

Despite sounding positive, I was nervous deep inside. Our next game was against Norwich at home, who are tough competitors. That was followed by an away fixture against Bolton. The last one was at home, against Charlton. Norwich and Bolton were both tough fixtures, in their own rights. I don't like leaving it till the last match day as that would put a lot of pressure on the guys.

I went back to my room, poured a glass of wine and played some soothing music to help take my mind off the game tomorrow.

 

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(Apr 22nd 2015) CH: FULHAM 2-2 NORWICH
Woodrow (17, 81); Powell (44), Bennett (54)


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One point. I'm not too disappointed with the result as the draw suited the game perfectly. Both teams played cautiously making sure not to concede but the goals came as a result of some smart gameplay from both sides. Our lead that came through Woodrow's strike was cancelled by Powell just before half time. Norwich took the lead 10 minutes into the second half and looked like going away with 3 points. But Woodrow had different plans as he scored a wonderful solo goal in the 81st minute, equalizing for us.

The last 10 minutes were nervous as both teams made critical defensive mistakes but neither team was able to take advantage. The game ended in a draw.

Woodrow's solo goal was the highlight of the game. It was a marvelous goal. For your viewing pleasure:

[video=dailymotion;x2jjlnq]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jjlnq_fm-15-woodrow-solo-goal_videogames[/video]​

 

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FULHAM WIN THE SKY-BET CHAMPIONSHIP

(Apr 25th 2015) CH: BOLTON 0-2 FULHAM
Roberts (44, 90)
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We did it. We have won the title after that thumping victory over the Trotters. Patrick Roberts scored two goals, one in each half. We pegged Bolton back multiple times and should've won the game by a bigger margin, but 3 points is 3 points. But I don't care - we won the championship - in my very first season as manager. It is a delightful feeling.

This news article says it all:

 

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The last game of the season for us:

(May 2nd 2015) CH: FULHAM 0-0 CHARLTON
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We already won the league and this game meant very little to me. So, I gave some of the reserves a chance to play. Ryan Williams and Ryan Tunnicliffe started in the midfield and they just didn't seem to possess the creativity and steel of the Parker-Hyndman duo who have been instrumental in our success. We still dominated though, but couldn't turn that dominance into goals. But, as I said, this game meant very little to me in terms of the result.

 

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Season Summary
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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP:

Watford and Norwich gain promotion along with us, to the premiership. We'll be replacing West Brom, Stoke and Crystal Palace who all got relegated to the championship.

PLAYER STATS:

Cauley Woodrow has been fantastic for us all season and he leads the goal scorer list with 29 goals this season in the league. He has scored 34 goals in all competitions for us, which is really pleasing, considering that he is only 20 years of age.

 

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Thoughts on my first season

Positives

• The main goal was to gain promotion to the premiership and we did it in style, by winning the championship.
• I am also pleased with the performance in the FA Cup as we went till the semi-finals where we lost in extra time to West Ham. The wins against two Premiership sides, particularly Manchester City were fantastic.
• I was delighted to get the best out of the two promising youngsters - Cauley Woodrow and Patrick Roberts. Both of them had an average rating of 7+. These two could be very good future prospects for us.
• Activity in the transfer marker has been a huge positive. I only bought in two players - Kostas Stafylidis and Alvarez Balanta, and both of them put in some top notch performances in the defense.

Concerns/Things to improve upon

• Leaky defense. Despite winning the championship title, we weren't particularly good at defending. We conceded a goal per game on average, which is something of a concern. Better training, slight improvement in tactics and may be a signing or two should sort out the issue. But it is something of a concern.
• Our form towards the end of the season was disappointing, to say the least. We only secured 18 points in our last 10 games, which is not exactly top quality. We got a little lucky as Watford had a few slips as well.
• Bench strength is lacking. I thought we had good cover for the first team in case we needed it but I was proved wrong towards the end of the season. With Ruiz, Parker, Bettinelli, Stafylidis, Rodallega, McCormack and Voser all being sidelined for extended periods of time (at different times of the season), finding a replacement for them wasn't an easy job.

 

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Feedback?

A question for you lot:

Before I begin my second season, I'd like to get some feedback reg. a few things. While I've played previous versions of FM, this is my first manager story. I'm not sure if something is lacking from the content so far.

Any suggestions to improve the second season?

My second season at Fulham, in the premiership will start soon.

 

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Awards galore for Fulham after a successful 2014-15 season:

Head Coach of the Year - Darren Trott
I guess winning the championship got me that award. Nothing much to say here other than that.

Sky Bet Championship Player of the Year - Cauley Woodrow
Well deserved, that's all I can say. He is the only player in the championship to keep up his form through out the season. The leading goal scorer in the championship and scored so many vital goals for us. Well done, lad.

Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season - Cauley Woodrow as Striker
In the 442 pick for the season, Woodrow finds his place as the deep lying forward in the starting eleven. He is the only Fulham player to feature among the 11(+7) players. Watford have 4 players, with 3 in the starting eleven.

Sky Bet Championship Player of the Year - Cauley Woodrow
Well deserved, that's all I can say. He is the only player in the championship to keep up his form through out the season. The leading goal scorer in the championship and scored so many vital goals for us. Well done, lad.
Cauley Woodrow also won the award for being the top goal scorer.

Young player of the year: Adryan of Leeds won this award, which came as a surprise to me. Cauley Woodrow featured in the top 3 young players of the month six times (in 9 months), winning it 3 times. Adryan, on the other hand didn't feature even once, but still won the yearly award. Bit surprising, but it doesn't matter much to me. Young Woody has already won so many awards.

 

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PRE-SEASON 2015-16

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TRANSFER ACTIVITY:
I am not going to bring in any superstars into the team. I believe the team we have right now is pretty good and I think they deserve the chance to play in the Premier League after guiding us to success last season.

However, there will be a few signings - especially in areas where I feel we have a weak link or don't have good cover. A wing back, defensive midfielder and a play maker are areas I'd like to strengthen.

The Woodrow conundrum: Cauley Woodrow was in amazing form last season and I want to have him as the spearhead of my attack this season too. But he wants to leave in order to play continental football. I can't blame him but I don't want him to leave.

He came to me expressing his concern about leaving the club but I told him to be patient. I believe I can guide Fulham into continental competitions in the coming few years and calmly mentioned the same to Woodrow.

He wasn't convinced and left the office slightly unhappy. It's not a good sign at the start of the season. If Woodrow doesn't let go of this issue or underperforms due to this, I will have to let him go. In that case, I might need to delve in the transfer market for a striker.

Paul Scholes signs for Fulham: Paul Scholes has been one of my favorite footballers of all time. His passing, vision and ability to dictate tempo from the center of the pitch is something that always amazed me. With some good midfielders coming through our youth ranks, I want them to learn from the best in business.

After an initial meeting with the ginger prince, he expressed his desire to join us as a coach. I am excited at the possibility of him working closely with the players.

 

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The Transfer market

I put in bids for a few players - six to be exact.

From left to right:
Danny Bakker (ADO Den Haag) - Defensive midfielder
Brandon Barker (Man City) - Winger
Mikael Lustig (Celtic) - Right back
Matias Kranevitter (River) - Defensive midfielder
Daniele Baselli (Atalanta) - Central midfielder
Obafemi Martins (Seattle) - Striker

I put in a season long loan offer for Brandon Barker, as City weren't willing to listen to any transfer offers from my end.

 

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Cauley's fate

The last 2-3 weeks have been very nervous for me. Woodrow has been disappointed at my unwillingness to sell him to NewCastle for continental football.

Me and half the staff are eager to put this situation to an end. I was in my office going through Malcolm Elias' scouting report, when Peter Grant approached me.

"Woodrow is staying", he said in an ecstatic tone.

"That's fantastic news", I replied, "How did you find out? Did he tell you?"

Grant then proceeded to tell me about his conversations with Woodrow and his agent, Matt Townsend. After signing Sebastien Giovinco from Juventus, NewCastle weren't interested in another striker and backed off. After learning about this, Woodrow didn't want to leave and told his agent that he is happy at Fulham.

This was fantastic news for the club. I poured two glasses of sherry, and Grant and I decided to discuss other issues.

"We probably need to offer Cauley a better contract, don't you think T?", Grant told, to which I nodded as I continued enjoying my glass of sherry.

We then went on to discuss the training and other things.

 

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TRANSFER OUTCOMES AND THE PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES:

I put in bids for six players, and four of them got accepted. Seattle and River were reluctant to part with Obafemi Martins and Matias Kranevitter, respecitvely.

With Woodrow deciding to stay, Martins' offer getting rejected is not something I am too concerned about. I really wanted to snap up Kranevitter as the defensive midfielder but atleast we bought Danny Bakker, who plays in a similar position.

Players In:
Danny Barker from ADO Den Haag - $4.7M
Daniele Baselli from Atalanta - $9.5M
Mikael Lustig from Celtic - $7.5M
Brandon Barker from Man City (loan)

Friendlies:
I am not going to go into details of each game as these were just games to get the players back to match fitness and try out some new tactics.

Not too disappointed with the three losses as they were against better teams. The lads, however, put in solid performances in all the games. It was nice to see them get back to full match fitness and play with intensity in the last 3 games. With the new season set to start in a few days, the players are all pumped up!

 

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2015-16: THE START OF A NEW SEASON

The new season is due to start in a couple of days. We kick start the season with a home game against title contenders Manchester City, followed by an away game at West Ham.

We've been handed an away draw against Walsall in the second round of the League Cup.

Board Expectations:
The board wants the following:

I believe I can satisfy the board on all three fronts.

I, however want to do better than that. I will be trying to finish in the top 10, and will be encouraging the players that we can do the same. I can't really comment on the league cup and FA cup as it'll depend largely on the draw, but I will be fielding my best teams in those competitions and see where it takes us.

We went to the semi-finals of FA Cup last season, and we accounted for the giants Manchester City along the way. I see no reason why we can't expect a similar, if not better performance from the lads.
We lost to West Ham in extra time and I blame that loss on the tired legs due to congested fixtures. I learnt my lesson and we have a much better bench strength this season.