Western Sydney Wanderers - Debut Season, Debut Championship?

nickmajfc

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Welcome to my second Football Manager story. With this story, i am in a way, trying to re-create history and take the new Australian club, Western Sydney Wanderers, to a first season championship. The club in their real life maiden season, is sitting first, with one round to go, and just about to seal the minor premiership and most likely, win the major trophy a few weeks later. Can i manage the new club to glory? Find out in this FM13 story!

Note: I don;t actually have FM13 yet, it should arrive either tomorrow or thursday. But i have all my graphics ready and all the info, so i will begin an opening post and reserve some more posts for the other information. So, i am taking all the player lineups and info from wikipedia, but i am assuming it should be the same on the game. The Wanderers haven't done anything in the January window, so there's no worries there when i make the update.

Rules and Regulations
Free to sign anyone, no age restrictions
Cannot sign anyone in FIRST season though! Thought this would make things current day realistic
No downloaded tactics, i must come up with them from the start!
No custom cheating in databases by making players overpowered or anything like that of course..
If i get sacked, no re-starting, i get sacked, and i start a new story with the new club i join!


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Full Name:
Western Sydney Wanderers
Location: Parramatta, West Sydney, NSW, Australia
Previous Manager: Tony Popovic (Real Life, this is their first season, so there really is no previous boss
Club Colours: Red and Black (HOME/MAIN), Red and White (AWAY)
Club Owner: Football Federation Australia
Chairman: Lyall Gorman
Founded: 2012

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Full Name: Parramatta Stadium
Alternate Name/'s: Wanderland (Written on the Stadium stands)
Opened: 1847
Capacity: 21,500
Surface: Grass
Architect: Civil and Civic
Owner: Events, NSW

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Full Name:The Red and Black Bloc
Short Name: RBB
Founded: 2012
Brief Info: The RBB is the newest and by far the best active supporters group in the A-League. They take up to 3 to 4 bays at their home venue, and make a ton of noise around the stadium, even featuring a unique call and response chant between themselves and the rest of the stadium. The away support has also been terrific in the real world, as they have sold out away bays in Melbourne twice and they have sold out the entire Sydney FC away Stand! Not only that, they took 7000 fans down to Gosford to fill out 9 entire bays, all singing and chanting. This atmosphere is something to experience, and if your from oversea's, this is a club you must come and watch and just listen to. The football here may not be as good as other leagues, but the support, is much louder than you will even hear at Old Trafford, believe me.. and im a United fan!

Who do we sing for call and response chant video right here for your enjoyment, the whole stadium gets involved!

[video=youtube;PU-dQ1UigCQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU-dQ1UigCQ[/video]

and, to make things more amazing, the team had a signing session at the best shopping center in Australia, and guess who turned up? the RBB themselves, and the whole place got involved.

[video=youtube;gUMOjZZsIsc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUMOjZZsIsc[/video]

Enough of that now, i will save a couple of posts to give you the current team, and i will review EVERY single player and tell you what i think of them! As i said in the rules, i cant sign anyone new, so i will have to stick with this team anyway, which im a huge fan of. I hope you Aussies out there enjoy this series, but i thought this would be something different for those non Aussies out there who would like to see the Aussie side of the footballing world. To leave you here with the final OP message, is the way the A-League works, if you didn't know already. Some helpful rules anyway.

Marquee Players
In the A-League, there are marquee players. clubs can have 3 marquee's: a international, australian and youth marquee. In the A-League, there is a limited salary cap, which means no team can be totally overpowered, although there are still teams who are a bit stronger than others. A marquee player's salary will not be included in the salary cap, so they are taken as a advantage, and thus meaning if you think you cant afford someone because you will go over the cap, then you can make a purchased player a marquee and he wont affect the salary cap. You can have 3 as i said, one can be an international player (foreign), one can be an Australian player and the other a player still considered a youth talent.

Stupid FM Rule
Now this rule isn't in real life, it's one painful FM rule that i think is still in FM13. You cant buy a player from the A-League (same division). This is stupid as you see in the A-League, clubs always buy other players from the same division. In past FM games you can after 2 seasons i think, but its still a stupid rule. Thankfully it wont really apply to me as i am adding my own rule of no signings in first season.

How the league works and finals series
So in Australia, there are 10 teams, Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Heart, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix and the Perth Glory. There are 27 rounds in the regular season, with each team playing each other three times. Once at home, twice away, or twice at home, once away. It varies with each team. That's what makes looking at the fixtures list so important. Because you could get the Wellington Phoenix away twice, which is a disadvantage, as that is arguably the toughest away game in the comp. The finals have been revamped, and im assuming its the same in FM13. In previous years, the 1st and 2nd placed teams are given a second chance. This year, the only advantage they get is one week off before eliminated matches.

This is how the finals work. The team who comes 1st is crowned minor premiers, just a bit of extra cash, no biggie, but they along with 2nd place, move to the second week of finals. Whilst they get a week off, the teams placed 3rd and 4th get home minor finals. 3rd plays 6th, 4th plays 5th. Then, the team who came 1st, plays the winner of the 3rd v 6th match, whilst the team who came 2nd, plays the winner of the 4th v 5th match. Then, obviously, the winners of those two prelim finals advance to the grand final. The winner of the Grand Final is the A-League champion and gets some cash, which i dont know the amount of just yet.

Asian Champions League Qualification
Now, the team who does finish 1st in the A-League will get a bigger reward than normal, automatic qualification into the Champions League. Now, this has always been the case, but now it is more meaningful, as the 2nd spot for qualification is now made as qualifier. So, until the changes were made, the team who came 1st in the league, automatically qualified and the team who wins the grand final would qualify. NOW, the team who wins the Grand Final, must have a play-off match with another Asian club to get in the continental competition. So, the only automatic place, goes to 1st in the league.

Thankyou for reading my opening post, i am looking forward to bringing many updates in the future!

 
GOALKEEPERS
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Ante Covic is a phenomenal goalkeeper, and he will certainly be my starter. With his amazing shot stopping abilities, but also his terrific work in commanding his box, makes for a custodian like no other. One of the best in the league, but it is his first full season back in the A-League since he left the Newcastle Jets in 2009 after winning a championship with them. He will fit in nicely.

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I don't know how Jerrard's stats will be on the game, but i know he will be a decent fill in. He has good shot stopping abilities also, but his work in taking corners strongly and commanding the box worries me. We will see how things go, but hopefully we wont need him if Covic stays injury free like he has in the real world.

We may bring in a new reserve goalkeeper in the following season, as i can't with my added rule to the opening season of the A-League. I thought this would be very interesting. Even if i have an injury to one, i can only bring up a youth goalkeeper to fill in the subs bench!
 
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DEFENDERS
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Adam D'Apuzzo. This lad can be good and he can be bad. He will most likely be my starting left back as there aren't many replacements and of course you can only have 4 substitutes in the A-League, meaning only three outfield players. He has had a good season in the real world, hopefully he kicks into gear on the left flank on the game itself!

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Jerome is an exciting player. I have high hopes that he will bring me some good performances at right back, but i do have some depth there with Tarek Elrich waiting in the wings. Jerome can run down that right flank like a winger if he wants, which will help with my wide playing style. Jerome, as it should say in the image, (sorry about that) is a wonderful player, and if you can pick him up, go for it, a good player he is!

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Ah, the man who will be my vice captain. Michael Beauchamp is a class centre back and will be playing alongside Topor Stanley. Those two will make a experienced and amazing back two. Michael is terrific on the ball and has good composure, this might make the best back two in the competition if i get the tactics right between the two! He is one of 3-4 star players in this lineup.

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Nik Topor-Stanley, the other class centre half. He alongside Michael will be terrific. They are both good on the ball, especially Nik here, who can be so skillfull albeit being a centre back. If he and Michael can click, we can keep alot of clean sheets, i just need to get the tactics right and the mentality needs to be there from the two players!

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I don't know too much about Reece, he has only played one or two games in the real world, but from what iv'e heard, he is a decent player. He will play backup to most of my backline as he is very versatile and can play numerous back line positions, and this helps with the 4 subs rule in the A-League.

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Shannon is a quality player, it will be hard to take Polenz off that right back position, but you never know, if we need a man to start picking up form, Shannon is that man. I am even contemplating training him the left back position, as D'Apuzzo's position is a bit of a worry. We will see how things go with that. Cole posses alot of pace, and can really take on defenders well, he also has good free kick ability, as you would have seen in the memorable Sydney Derby this past week. It even made the games of the week on FIFA, that's how big of a game it was for the whole world to see. The atmosphere, terrific, and what a way for Shannon to score a wonder free kick, star talent.

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And the final defender, is Tarek Elrich. He is also a right back, but he can move up into midfield aswell, which is good. I'm loving the depth on the right hand side of the park and even the middle of the park as you will see with the amount of midfield talent. But, the left side is short and it would be nice if FM gave Tarek the LB position too, looks like i might need to train him that position aswell!

Overall, a good mix of defenders, but again, lacking in the left back department. Since i dont get the game till tomorrow or Thursday, i don't know if Reece Caira can play left back yet, if he can, well then im happy. Other than that, it's a top back line that can win me many games!

 
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MIDFIELDERS
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This kid is one **** of a talent, it will be very interesting to see his stats on the game, and if his passing stat isn't high, then FM13 isn't very realistic! This kid, for his age, is a wonderful star, and is a future socceroo star aswell. He has already made an appearance for the Aussie national team, and scored aswell! With his passing ability, i am going to have some selection headaches in the middle of the park. He primarily plays in a centre midfield position, but he could play attacking midfield too, but again, i don't know what the FM13 game shows with positions just yet.

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According to the WSW website, he is a defender, but no.. in real life he has been playing defensive midfield/centre midfield most of the time. He is considered a utility player, so perhaps he can play left back too? who knows, i will have to wait until i get the game in my hands tomorrow or Thursday.

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Jason hasn't featured too much for the Wanderers in the real world season, but he is a decent talent when i have watched him play. He will probably play as backup to the starters, but he is good enough to start a game when needed. A good play to have as backup in my view.

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I believe Shinji is the only Marquee the Wanderers have. So, that works well as it clearly shows and i think we already know he is our best player. Ono is a quality player and will provide that attacking and defensive instinct wherever he plays. I will most likely use him as a centre attacking midfielder or even a centre mid in general if needed. He will provide that experience and that work rate in the middle of the park. We all know he can score a wonder goal here and there too of course!

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It's so good having another La Rocca like player. Mateo is a defensive midfielder and he is terrific in that position. If he and Iapoco can stay fit, i have a good defensive midfield pairing. So my formation could work out very well indeed.

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Now you can consider this lad as an attacking winger or a out and out striker if you want. He is a rather fast player and can turn players inside out with the utmost ease! He will be a key player if i want to win anything this season, just like Ono.

The midfield is very strong. With two defensive midfielders who can play centre midfield, a attacking mid who can play centre mid and a attacking midfielder (wide) who can play forward is perfect. I am looking forward to what our midfield can bring.

 
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FORWARDS
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Ah, good ol' Dino. This fella is loved by the Wanderers fans. He has only scored one goal for them in the real world this season, but he is a force! The target man of the side, can hold up the ball really well, and can win physical battles quite easily. He will be very useful when it comes to specific matches i need a big target man for. I will be rotating my front line regularly, as thats the type of manager i am.. : Alex Ferguson-esc

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I will be interesting to see how Joey fairs on the game, because in real life he has really struggled when given the chance. He is the one forward Tony Popovic rarely uses compared to the rest. I will give him a run in the friendlies, if he does well, he might get some game time. Otherwise, he is down in the pecking order.

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Well, FM13 hasn't arrived just yet, maybe a little later today, so i still don't know the players stats, but this guy better have a ton of pace. He alongside Hersi both have exhilarating pace and can use that pace to run down the flanks. With my most likely tactic being one striker and two attacking wingers, with an attacking midfielder and defensive midfielder, this works very well. A good replacement for Hersi down the right flank, where as he can even replace Mark Bridge on the left wing when needed.

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Labi as he is known is probably our main out and out striker. He has good control and can finish well. He might get a bit complacent here and there, but if he gets on a run of form, he will score goals like he is in the real world. With good depth in this squad, im very pleased to have a striker like him in my side, and other replacements aswell. He can also play the Centre attacking midfield role very well too!

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Bridge, is another good player we have up front. I am actually unsure what position he will occupy as his dominant one on the game, but in the real world he is playing left wing for the Wanderers, but he is well known for playing a plain striker. So, he can play anywhere in the front third, striker, left or right wing, even centre attacking mid, which is terrific again. It's always good to have multiple forwards who can play in many different front third positions! My only worry is his pace, but his skill can rectify that aswell.

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I think Tahj is underused in the real world league, he hasn't been used at all i don't think, perhaps making one appearance off the bench maybe. I'm not sure if he will be unused by me, because he has good pace and some good skill, so he might develop. Will be interesting to see how he progresses, perhaps a little underused in the real world, i think he is a talent!

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Rocky!! The speedster. He is also a fast player, and has good touches and skill. He plays primarily down the left wing, in an attacking sense and is a good youngster. He should develop nicely over the course of the first season. Rocky will be good backup to Bridge, or even a starter if necessary.

A very versatile forward pack, and many of them too. This will help me in the long run if injuries occur aswell. Very happy with this side, but i can assume they are favorites to come last on the game, as they were in the real world at the start of the season.. but of course, they find themselves 1st now with one round to go. Can we do the same?


 
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MANAGEMENT
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My assistant manager, not sure how he will go on the game, but you know, they aren't overly important on the games unless you use them for the media. Ante is good in the real world, so im assuming he will help me in any way possible on the game itself. He will be my right wing man, and probably help me with the media only, what else do they do?

The Manager: Nick Majurovski
Nationality: Australian (Macedonian background)
Favourite A-League club: Newcastle Jets
Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Info: I am Australian with a Macedonian background, i am actually going to be coaching an under 15's side this year for the first team, so as you can tell im into the whole football management thing, hence why i play management games still. I will be doing my very best to take this virtual Wanderers side to the top, with monthly reviews! That's how the format will go, i will show you the first review after whole batch of friendlies, and then after the friendlies, it will be monthly reviews during the league season. Thankyou for following on, i look forward to bringing you the very first update, which will be literally right when i get the game, as i want to show you all my friendly fixtures and first games in the league, who i will have the 2 game home advantages against and who i have to travel to twice. Also, no transfers obviously as my rule states for the save. Thankyou, and enjoy!​
 
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Good luck with your story mate. Look forward to more up dates. :)
 
Looks good mate! Im from Lidcombe and I've been to a couple games this season. This year has just been amazing, especially considering how quickly the team was put together! Will keep up with this
 
Looks good mate! Im from Lidcombe and I've been to a couple games this season. This year has just been amazing, especially considering how quickly the team was put together! Will keep up with this

Sounds good! You coming down here to Newcastle this Friday? going to be a huge game!

Thanks for following!
 
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The Western Sydney Wanderers have assigned their first ever coach in their inaugural Hyundai A-League campaign. The coach is inexperienced in the top divisions, with this being his first top division club. He has only previously managed semi-professional clubs in the NBN State League, Newcastle and the Hunters top division. He spoke to us earlier today to discuss a few topics and what he will bring to the table come crunch time.

FoxSportsNews: "Nick, you sit here as the first ever boss of the Western Sydney Wanderers. How does it feel knowing it is going to be one massive challenge to get this new squad of players to perform well over the course of the season?

Nick Majurovski: "It is quite a weird feeling actually. Knowing that this group of players has never played alongside each other, it's quite different than what i would expect if i had come to a team that's accomplished in the league. It will be a challenge, but it will be challenge i will relish and want to give a real go at!"

FoxSportsNews: "What influenced you to come and manage the Wanderers?"

Nick Majurovski: "The challenge.. as i said, it's the thought of taking a brand new team to new heights, and it would be lovely to get this side playing Finals football in their very first season. But of course, that wont be an easy feat. But, simply, the challenge has influenced me."

FoxSportsNews: "What about the fans? is their a supporters group for the club? have you heard anything about this?"

Nick Majurovski: "I can officially announce that the club has come up with a supporters group, named the Red and Black Bloc, or the RBB. They have been organizing for months now, and will be ready for round one or round two, whichever it may be, depending on the fixtures list of course. I am excited myself to see the atmosphere they bring to Wanderland."

FoxSportsNews: "Thankyou for joining us Nick, we all look forward to round one and to see the competitive debut of the Western Sydney Wanderers."

Nick Majurovski: "It's been my pleasure, and i think im just as excited as the whole world is!"

BREAKING: The supporters group for the Western Sydney Wanderers has been officially named the Red and Black Bloc.​
 
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Welcome to my new and personal/official mini story series. Welcome to the Managers Corner. With these mini updates, i will be bringing you things coming straight from my mind in a first person perspective involving the story i'm doing. So, like today's topic, my Starting XI possibilities i will discuss with you guys, because i didn't want to do this in a media style update, as in the real world, i wouldn't tell the media my potential starting XI so early in the season. Today, im giving you my potential starting XI, just so we all get an idea of how i want to mix the side up during the season.

Here is what i believe is my strongest XI.

--------------------------------Ante Covic----------------------------------
Jerome Polenz --- Michael Beauchamp --- Nik Topor Stanley --- Adam D'Apuzzo
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------- Mateo Poljak ---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------- Aaron Mooy ----------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youssouf Hersi ------------------ Shinji Ono ----------------------- Mark Bridge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------- Labinot Haliti---------------------------------

Covic: Goalkeeper
Polenz: Right Fullback
Beauchamp: Right Centre Back
Topor Stanley: Left Centre Back
D'Apuzzo: Left Fullback
Poljak: Defensive Midfield
Mooy: Centre Midfield
Shinji Ono: Centre Attacking Midfield
Hersi: Right Wing
Bridge: Left Wing
Haliti: Striker

Most likely rotation system would be to have the following players being able to replace the following positions

La Rocca can replace: Poljak, Beauchamp, Stanley and Mooy
Elrich can replace: Polenz and Hersi
Shannon Cole can replace: Polenz, D'Apuzzo and Hersi
Trifiro can replace: Mooy and Poljak
Caira can replace: Beauchamp and Stanley, possibly D'Apuzzo
Kresinger can replace: Haliti
Gibbs can replace: Haliti
Appiah Kubi can replace: Bridge, Haliti and Hersi
Tyson can replace: Covic

On field players can also be moved to different positions, like the following;

Haliti can move to: Wing or Centre Attacking Midfield
Ono can move to: Centre Midfield
Bridge can move to: Striker or Right Wing
Mooy can move to: Centre Attacking Midfield
Poljak can move to: Centre Midfield
Topor Stanley can move to: Left Fullback

So we have some good rotation going around, we could even have more when the game arrives, so i can judge who can play where according to the game itself. I believe this 4-2-3-1 formation will work, you could even consider it a 4-1-1-3-1 if you really want to, as the defensive midfielder will work as an anchor man, giving him more room between the centre mid and the defensive line.

I am absolutely loving the fact i can play many players in different positions, but the 4 substitutes on bench rule is a frustrating A-League rule, as where in the English Premier League i think you can have up to 7 substitutes on the bench. Unfortunately, alot of players will be rested in many situations. In the first game of the season, lets just assume im using that same starting XI, i may not, but lets assume. This would be my bench:

Tyson
Kresinger
Appiah Kubi
La Rocca


This really means alot of quality players will miss out, like Shannon Cole, Tarek Elrich.. and even Gibbs or Caira. But the good thing is, we have good talent even when not on the bench, and it's probably good a thing, as we can expect injuries throughout the season. It will be interesting to see how we go with the rotation system!

Hoping the game arrives sometime in the next 2 hours, otherwise tomorrow. That will be it for the first update of Managers Corner, i hope you enjoyed it, i can guarantee this will be a regular!

Thankyou for those who are following, and i look forward to my next media update!​
 
This is great, love how much info and depth you are going into. Will be keeping a close eye on this story. Check mine out when u can. :p
 
Might head down on Friday - finish work at 5 and the game starts at 530. Might not make it! Liking the story so far, lots of detail. Appiah-Kubi is such a talented youngster, im sure he will develop well.
 
Might head down on Friday - finish work at 5 and the game starts at 530. Might not make it! Liking the story so far, lots of detail. Appiah-Kubi is such a talented youngster, im sure he will develop well.

Sounds good, im looking forward to it..

Dissapointed the game didn't arrive today, will have to hope it arrives tomorrow, since its a long weekend, i dont want to wait those extra days!
 
Game didn't arrive today, most likely tomorrow, well really, it should be tomorrow, if not, im not happy.

:) hopefully a months update tomorrow if i get it done!
 
u know u could hav downloaded steam and then downloaded straight off there rather than download it
 
u know u could hav downloaded steam and then downloaded straight off there rather than download it

I don't think the game is worth anything over $50, i bought it $38 off Ebay, takes a couple of days to arrive. It's just me, i don't feel it's worth over $50, let a lone $79 at EB Games here in Australia.. Should arrive sometime in the next couple of hours, if it doesnt, well, lame.
 
STARTING UPDATE

Our very first season is upon us. I have taken over the newly formed Western Sydney Wanderers. I have gone through our fixture list, and i have highlighted the various important fixtures and how they will shape our season. With our main rivals being cross city club, Sydney FC, we will have been hoping to have had two of the three fixtures at home, and guess what, we do! Also, we look at the side that is so consistent in every single season of the competition, the Central Coast. Although they have failed in 3 attempts to win a Grand Final, they always finish in the Top 6, normally Top 4. In the real world, they sit 2nd, but could steal top spot in the final round this weekend. During the FM season, i bet they will be strong aswell.

With the January transfer update, Tom Rogic is now playing for Celtic, so there's some good news for us and the rest of the league. Finally, we look at the toughest away trip of the competition, Wellington Pheonix, and which way do we get the fixture there? Find out, here, as i give you the fixtures list thanks to a good ol screenshot i took, the clubs are highlighted in blue!

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Make sure you click to enlarge, i could make it large, but it goes too wide on the forum screen. So, enlarge the image. Here is an overview anyway. We play Sydney FC, our fierce rivals twice at home, once away at the Sydney Football Stadium. This is good, but of course, sometimes in a rivalry, the away team performs better, so this one, was one i didn't worry too much about. On the other hand, the Central coast Mariners fixtures. We play them twice at home, once away aswell, and this one is more important. The Mariners are such a good team at home, and so hard to beat. The Wanderers are actually the only team to beat the Mariners at their ground this season, this is kinda strange too that they have such great form at home, because they dont get much of a crowd, and their active support is dismal.

Finally, the one we didn't want to hear. We play the Wellington Phoenix away twice, once at home. The home game comes later in the season, with the two away games coming before that home fixture, which is a good thing. If we can get a result in both away games, that's perfect. Other than those fixtures, the rest are all the usual fixtures. It should be an interesting season, the fixture list has probably been quite kind to us. We open the season at home, at Wanderland agains't the tough Mariners.

Now, to the team. As i mentioned in my Managers Corner episode yesterday, i have a starting XI in mind. But, i have made two changes to this starting XI after getting the game itself, so i know each players position now.

Here is the updated lineup:

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So as you can see, the changes i have made are: Kresinger will be first choice, his stats are actually really good on the game compared to Haliti. Also, Shinji Ono's primary position is Centre Midfield, not Centre Attacking. Aaron Mooy's primary position is Attacking Mid, not Centre Midfield. Bridge and Poljak aren't totally efficient in their positions, but i know they will perform there.

Finally, before i go in this starting season update, theres just one important thing. I will not be making any transfers whatsoever, so there wont be any transfer news in the first season, so dont expect me doing that.

The next update for my story, will be after all the friendlies are completed, and then when the league starts, it will be monthly from there (on game monthly). Thankyou to those who have been following, i look forward to producing more.

Expect media items in between updates and all that good stuff!​
 
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