I like it the way it is mate, has been a very good read but in the end its up to you.
Thanks for your feedback. I'll keep it the way it is.
The rise of Fulham
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Thanks for your feedback. I'll keep it the way it is.
Transfer Summary: Summer 2019
I let go of 3 players this summer. As I mentioned a few posts ago, Alfred Finnbogason joined Empoli for £4.4M transfer fee. Finny joined us for £3.8M from Sociedad, played quite well for us and I was able to make a profit on the sale. Given that he is 30 now, I think it's a rather good deal.
I also let Tiago Casasola go. £3M is a rather good amount for Casasola. He spent the last 4 seasons out on loan and didn't improve as much as I would've liked him to. He had the potential to take over Dan Burn but unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.
Mike Roper (19), Murray Norton (20) and Dean Turner (18) are really good talents but I want them to have regular first team football, which I can't offer at the moment. So, loan was the best option.
I won't be bringing in any players this season as I don't need any. I have back-ups for all the positions now that last season loanees have returned to the club.
I let go of 3 players this summer. As I mentioned a few posts ago, Alfred Finnbogason joined Empoli for £4.4M transfer fee. Finny joined us for £3.8M from Sociedad, played quite well for us and I was able to make a profit on the sale. Given that he is 30 now, I think it's a rather good deal.
I also let Tiago Casasola go. £3M is a rather good amount for Casasola. He spent the last 4 seasons out on loan and didn't improve as much as I would've liked him to. He had the potential to take over Dan Burn but unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.
Mike Roper (19), Murray Norton (20) and Dean Turner (18) are really good talents but I want them to have regular first team football, which I can't offer at the moment. So, loan was the best option.
I won't be bringing in any players this season as I don't need any. I have back-ups for all the positions now that last season loanees have returned to the club.
And the 2019/20 season is underway.......
Woodrow added a brace on either side of half time to make it 4-0. The first was from a header and the second was a powerful shot from 25 yards.
And while doing so, Woodrow becomes the joint-second highest goal scorer for the club with 158 goals in his 7th season. It was his 80th Premier League goal and 109th goal in all League competitions.
August 19th, 2019
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Wow, what a way to start the new season. A resounding victory. It took us just 8 minutes to take the lead with Vilhena finishing a lovely move. Pat Roberts continued from where he left off last season and ran rings around the Norwich defense. Roberts has been training to not blast the ball into the net, and it paid off as he executed a superb finish to give us a 2-0 lead.View attachment 273556
Woodrow added a brace on either side of half time to make it 4-0. The first was from a header and the second was a powerful shot from 25 yards.
And while doing so, Woodrow becomes the joint-second highest goal scorer for the club with 158 goals in his 7th season. It was his 80th Premier League goal and 109th goal in all League competitions.
August 24th, 2019
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A very disappointing game to lose. This is my first ever loss to Newcastle in my 5 years at Fulham. Roberts gave us the lead in a typical inside forward fashion. He dribbled and cut inside from the right wing before shooting and scoring from just inside the box. However, Newcastle equalized 10 mins later. View attachment 273545
But I was disgusted with Newcastle's tackling. Roberts was injured in the 55th minute due to a rash tackle. Kranevitter and Baselli took severe knocks and were looking very tired (conditions < 60%). I had to take all of them off. Newcastle's rough gameplay was really ******* me off.
And then Williams also got injured. He had to come off, and I had no more substitutions left. With 15 mins left in the game, we were down to 10 men. And Newcastle took full advantage of the man advantage, and scored.
We lost the game 2-1 and I was really disappointed with the way Newcastle played.
Williams' knock wasn't serious, but Baselli, Kranevitter and Roberts will be sidelined for close to a week. The post-match press conference will be a very interesting one. I'll have some choice words for Rafa Benitez and Newcastle's style of play. 4 players getting injured in one game is just ridiculous.
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We've been handed a rather tough group. For the second season in a row, we have gotten Real Madrid in our group. Sporting are a tough team and Palermo were second in the Serie A last season. It'll be an interesting contest!
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
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We've been handed a rather tough group. For the second season in a row, we have gotten Real Madrid in our group. Sporting are a tough team and Palermo were second in the Serie A last season. It'll be an interesting contest!
August 31st, 2019
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View attachment 273297Total dominance against a Cardiff side that showed no interest in pushing forward. They tried to 'park the bus' but their strategy was largely ineffective.View attachment 273298
Kranevitter was injured, and Baselli and Roberts started as subs. But it didn't stop us from dominating. We hit the woodwork thrice and their keeper pulled off several impressive saves. Woodrow gave us an early lead with a powerful volley off a Stafylidis cross.
Cardiff's only shot on target came in the 84th minute, and it very nearly gave me a scare. We've been done in by a lot of late goals last season and I want to try my best to eliminate that this season.
Despite our dominance, I shored up our defense towards the end of the game and came away with the 1-0 win. It was a fantastic performance from the attacking players.
Mike Roper is a talented fullback and is earmarked to take over Lustig as the first team right back in a season or so. This season, I loaned him out to Swansea for regular first team football. He has already impressed everyone with a great month and won the Young Player of the Month award. I decided to talk to him and gave him a call.
I could sense a bit of surprise in Roper's voice when he answered the phone. I made a few enquiries as to the training he is receiving at Swansea.
"Hope everything is going great at Swansea, Mike. Scout Malcolm Elias is keeping an eye on your performances and he is pleased with the way you are playing. How do you feel about your progress, and training?"
Mike responded in his usual manner - very few words but to the point. "All good, boss. Working on a few technical aspects in training. Coaches are pretty helpful here."
"So, I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the Young Player of the Month award," I said trying to change the subject. "You've been doing well and keep up the good performances."
The delight in his voice was very obvious. "Thanks a lot boss. It means a whole lot to me," said Roper in a very confident tone.
We talked about a couple more things before concluding the conversation. Here are Roper's attributes at the moment. He has to work on crossing, and a little bit on dribbling but seeing as he is just 19 now, he has a bright future ahead of him.
View attachment 273294
I could sense a bit of surprise in Roper's voice when he answered the phone. I made a few enquiries as to the training he is receiving at Swansea.
"Hope everything is going great at Swansea, Mike. Scout Malcolm Elias is keeping an eye on your performances and he is pleased with the way you are playing. How do you feel about your progress, and training?"
Mike responded in his usual manner - very few words but to the point. "All good, boss. Working on a few technical aspects in training. Coaches are pretty helpful here."
"So, I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the Young Player of the Month award," I said trying to change the subject. "You've been doing well and keep up the good performances."
The delight in his voice was very obvious. "Thanks a lot boss. It means a whole lot to me," said Roper in a very confident tone.
We talked about a couple more things before concluding the conversation. Here are Roper's attributes at the moment. He has to work on crossing, and a little bit on dribbling but seeing as he is just 19 now, he has a bright future ahead of him.
View attachment 273294
xJamieWilliams
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60 pages in two month, good dedication mate! Loving this story!
Cheers mate!
While I've played the previous versions of FM, I've never shared my story online. When I came across this forum, I wanted to do one myself and since this is my first one, I've managed to find enough motivation to keep it going.
I was unconvinced with my scout's reports on West Ham and decided to watch West Ham's previous 2 games to see how they set-up, etc.
I started with a slightly tweaked version of my usual tactic 4231_wide with a lot more emphasis on wing play to take advantage of West Ham's 442 narrow diamond. But their midfielders made it a lot tougher for our center-mids to pass the ball around. Baselli and youngster Nabay got caught in possession way too often in the first half and The Hammers came close a few times.
But Nabay broke the dead lock just after the break. Woodrow held up the ball at the edge of the box and laid it perfectly into the path of a rushing Nabay, who slotted it home. I changed the tactic after that to avoid getting hit on the counter. And we held on to get a good win. It was a pretty hard-fought win given West Ham's tireless pressing high up the pitch.
I started with a slightly tweaked version of my usual tactic 4231_wide with a lot more emphasis on wing play to take advantage of West Ham's 442 narrow diamond. But their midfielders made it a lot tougher for our center-mids to pass the ball around. Baselli and youngster Nabay got caught in possession way too often in the first half and The Hammers came close a few times.
But Nabay broke the dead lock just after the break. Woodrow held up the ball at the edge of the box and laid it perfectly into the path of a rushing Nabay, who slotted it home. I changed the tactic after that to avoid getting hit on the counter. And we held on to get a good win. It was a pretty hard-fought win given West Ham's tireless pressing high up the pitch.
ECC 2019/20: Group Stage
A decent result, after a below-par performance. We took the lead totally against the run of play when a Woodrow cross was poorly handled by Sporting defense, and allowed Roberts to sneak in at the far post. I was disappointed with the performance despite the lead, and told the players to guard against complacency. A couple of players even got a telling off.
Willian (not the Chelsea man) scored a brace in 20 second half minutes to give Sporting the lead. To be honest, it's no less than what they deserved after pushing us into our own half for extended periods of time. Roberts pulled off a magical dribble and crossed it for Kacaniklic to equalize. We played much better after that and got the draw.
When your GK gets a rating of 8.2, well above other players, you know it's not a great performance. However, we managed to get a decent result - an away draw against a good team.
View attachment 273169
A decent result, after a below-par performance. We took the lead totally against the run of play when a Woodrow cross was poorly handled by Sporting defense, and allowed Roberts to sneak in at the far post. I was disappointed with the performance despite the lead, and told the players to guard against complacency. A couple of players even got a telling off.
Willian (not the Chelsea man) scored a brace in 20 second half minutes to give Sporting the lead. To be honest, it's no less than what they deserved after pushing us into our own half for extended periods of time. Roberts pulled off a magical dribble and crossed it for Kacaniklic to equalize. We played much better after that and got the draw.
When your GK gets a rating of 8.2, well above other players, you know it's not a great performance. However, we managed to get a decent result - an away draw against a good team.
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I'll stay at Fulham. I want to win the Champions League, and as you said, achieve a status similar to the 'big 4'.
A very important win. This was the first big game of the League and I'm glad to have gotten max points from it. With Balanta out injured, Amorebieta started in the central defense after putting in several shifts as a back-up RB.
United took an early lead with Nikoulou, but Jiminez cancelled it very soon. Both goals were very similar in the manner they were scored. Crosses from deep were headed goalwards by Nikoulou and Jiminez respectively to give their team goals. With 1-1 before 10 minutes, the game was well poised.
Both teams pushed forward to get the lead, but it was Amorebieta who scored in the 67th minute. Amorebieta stayed forward after an unsuccessful corner and it paid off as the next move was finished off by the 34 yr old defender.
We held tight to ward off a few Man United attacks and won the game 2-1. A really important win.
My mini-goal: I mentioned in this season's preview that I wanted atleast 15 points out of a possible 30 against the big five - Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. We started decently in quest for that, and hopefully we can kick-on.
United took an early lead with Nikoulou, but Jiminez cancelled it very soon. Both goals were very similar in the manner they were scored. Crosses from deep were headed goalwards by Nikoulou and Jiminez respectively to give their team goals. With 1-1 before 10 minutes, the game was well poised.
Both teams pushed forward to get the lead, but it was Amorebieta who scored in the 67th minute. Amorebieta stayed forward after an unsuccessful corner and it paid off as the next move was finished off by the 34 yr old defender.
We held tight to ward off a few Man United attacks and won the game 2-1. A really important win.
My mini-goal: I mentioned in this season's preview that I wanted atleast 15 points out of a possible 30 against the big five - Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. We started decently in quest for that, and hopefully we can kick-on.
Capital One Cup 2019-20: Third round
Not too bothered by this. It was a second-string side that played the game. Baselli, Balanta, Woodrow, Kranevitter, Vilhena and Roberts all sat out of the game to give the youngsters a chance. Arsenal, however went with full force as they fielded a very good side.
Despite the scoreline, we did a pretty good job. Both the penalties were harsh! I think the first one was 50-50, and more importantly, the challenge from Amorebieta was just outside the box. He slid in sideways outside the box. Bad error by the referee. I think that changed the game, conceding a second just before half time.
Just after half time, Deulofeu scored a 25 yard curler that beat Preece at his near post. Nothing the lads could've done about it. Artur gave us a glimmer of hope with a lovely goal. He cut inside, ran about 40 yards and belted one into the net.
The 90th minute penalty was another harsh decision. Stafylidis clearly won the ball after going shoulder to shoulder with Deulofeu. We were already 3-1 behind and the fourth completely killed any tiny hope we had.
Thoughts about League Cup:
First off, I was displeased with the draw. Arsenal away in third round is not a great one. But, I'm not too disappointed with the loss as such. After winning three League Cups in 5 years, I decided to give it slightly less priority. The board doesn't care about it anyway, so they aren't too disappointed either.
Not too bothered by this. It was a second-string side that played the game. Baselli, Balanta, Woodrow, Kranevitter, Vilhena and Roberts all sat out of the game to give the youngsters a chance. Arsenal, however went with full force as they fielded a very good side.
Despite the scoreline, we did a pretty good job. Both the penalties were harsh! I think the first one was 50-50, and more importantly, the challenge from Amorebieta was just outside the box. He slid in sideways outside the box. Bad error by the referee. I think that changed the game, conceding a second just before half time.
Just after half time, Deulofeu scored a 25 yard curler that beat Preece at his near post. Nothing the lads could've done about it. Artur gave us a glimmer of hope with a lovely goal. He cut inside, ran about 40 yards and belted one into the net.
The 90th minute penalty was another harsh decision. Stafylidis clearly won the ball after going shoulder to shoulder with Deulofeu. We were already 3-1 behind and the fourth completely killed any tiny hope we had.
Thoughts about League Cup:
First off, I was displeased with the draw. Arsenal away in third round is not a great one. But, I'm not too disappointed with the loss as such. After winning three League Cups in 5 years, I decided to give it slightly less priority. The board doesn't care about it anyway, so they aren't too disappointed either.
JamesScott2908
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Unlucky on the league and CL last season!! Good luck for this season and Roper looks like he is going to be good!