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Chapter the Seventh: Buy something, will ya? January 10, 2028-February 3, 2028 All of our wares are still on display, and various clubs are kicking their tires while hemming and hawing over the price.  You're making it harder to sell you...  And it's now impossible to sell you. vs Crystal Palace, January 11, 2028 Premier League  Can we make it two and a row? Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Tounkara, Hammatt, Loseille, Bailey (c), Shirra, Bale, Bouzid, Damgaard, Ellis. Subs: Landgraf, Reed, Laux, Lewis, Zouaghi, Moctezuma, Stringel. Damgaard scores a first minute goal. The Batman scores thirty minutes later. An own goal makes it 3-0 by the end of the half. Ellis Rickard makes it 4-0, the Dark Knight returns in the 54th minute, and then Rickard does as well ten minutes later. We have well and truly exorcised our demons. Man of the Match: The Goddamned Batman   Wrexham 6-0 Palace  I'm starting to think Mr. Rickard is a little injury prone. With Thiago still out for another 1-2 months, Isaac Stringel's health has suddenly become a huge concern around town as it would leave Moctezuma our sole healthy first team striker.  About damned time you made it back, Minami. Too bad his injury has sapped his speed even further, he's down to a 7 Pace. I won't be able to use him as a sweeper-keeper anymore. vs Manchester City, January 15, 2028 Premier League  City have recovered from their early season troubles, but they're still six points back on us and we have a game in hand. I'm glad that our away matches against Chelsea, Arsenal, and City were in the first two months of the season, only our trip to Old Trafford in April is one where we won't be favorites. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Damgaard, Moctezuma, Shirra, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Coleman, Bale, Pickee. Moctezuma knocks in his 8th goal of the season. He also hits the post three times. Stringel hits the post, but his shot deflects into the net. Shirra picks up after a lackluster first half and scores as well. Total points from Manchester based clubs so far this season: 9 of 9. Man of the Match: James Loseille   Wrexham 3-0 Man City  I just hope he does well enough there that they trigger his transfer clause. There's a fair chance that he pitches a tantrum and we're stuck with him again come end of season. vs Southampton, January 18, 2028 League Cup, Semifinal Home Tie  Win this, and we're through to the final. Lose, and we're out of the running for silverware. A 1-0 win will do the trick, a 3-2 win will see us lose on away goals. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Moctezuma, Bale, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Coleman, Damgaard, Pickee. It doesn't take long for the Golden Boy to give us the go ahead goal. Six minutes into the match and we're in position to reach the finals again. James Loseille of all people scores the next one, and if we can get a third goal we can lean back a bit. That third goal arrives when String volleys in Meteor's delivery as the first half draws to a close. Southampton see red in the 51st minute, and now need to score two shorthanded goals while at the same time preventing us from overcoming their undermanned defense. That's simply not going to happen, as within a minute of the dismissal it's 4-0. Southampton manage a shorthanded goal, but just when they're back to within two Moctezuma scores to put us up by three. Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic   Wrexham (6) 5–1 (3) Southampton  A rematch, as expected.  No one will ever find your body if you come to me in a month to complain about a lack of playing time. At Crawley Town, January 22, 2028 FA Cup, Fourth Round  Crawley Town are just up from League One, and are going right back down. How can I say this for sure? Well, they're sitting 13 points from safety and have won only two matches all year. They're essentially a good League One team, and if we treat them as such we'll walk away with a large number of goals. Starting Formation: The Pyramid Starting 11: Minami, Tounkara, Quiboulaz, Zouaghi, Shirra, Laux, Bale, Rouissi, Stringel, Moctezuma, Mujkic (c). Subs: Kocsis, Loseille, Reed, Hammatt, Brown, Damgaard, Pickee. We come out in the Pyramid, but I've brought along Loseille and Reed so that we can shift into a different formation if we're having any trouble or need to protect a one goal lead late. It doesn't look like it will be necessary, as Moctezuma finds Stringel in the first 120 seconds. Tounkara adds a second in the twelfth minute, and then Moctezuma scores a third in the twentieth. We're lucky not to concede in the second half, Crawley should really have scored twice, but another Stringel goal completes a clean getaway and we're into the fifth round. Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic   Crawley 0-4 Wrexham  We're going to be playing Arsenal again, aren't we?  Good to have you back, now we have someone other than Shirra to slot in at attacking midfielder while Stringel is playing as the tip of our spear.  This has a purchase option of £4.4m, if Porto doesn't exercise it we can instead try to move Pickee during the summer.  van Leeuwen remains with the team a week from the window closing. I'd like to get rid of Rouissi, too, but if he rejected a loan to Hanover he'll probably reject a loan anywhere. At West Bromwich Albion, January 25, 2028 Premier League  We've got a very tough match against Arsenal coming up that will have much to say about the outcome of the season. That makes this a trap game, and the last thing I want is for us to overlook West Brom and drop points. They're currently sitting 7th on the table with this match in hand, and have the sixth best goal differential in the league. They can thank their new coach, who they hired away from Celtic and who has lead them to a nine match unbeaten streak in the EPL including wins over Arsenal and Manchester City and a draw against Chelsea. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Bailey, Damgaard, Bale, Shirra, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Quiboulaz, Lewis, Allan, Rouissi, Moctezuma. Batman's back is broken by a flying tackle, but the ref doesn't even give a foul. It's like Sam Nicholson all over again. Everyone is stunned, but we still have a game to play and Moctezuma makes his way onto the pitch. We keep plugging away, and eventually Meteor gives us the lead in the 24th minute. Moctezuma shows his nose for goal with his eleventh of the season shortly before the break, and the match is well in hand. Stringel, who already had assists on the previous two goals, adds a goal of his own at the hour mark. It seals his man of the match honors, but he's not done until he taps home a second goal. I pull him from the pitch at that point to ensure his freshness for the Arsenal tilt, and his replacement, lazybones Kais Rouissi, finishes what String started by scoring in the final minutes of play. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   West Brom 0-5 Wrexham  The pride of our youth academy could be out for the rest of the season. It's a tough loss for us, and our dearth of options on the right means that Rodrigo Moctezuma won't be helping the United States qualify for the Olympics.  One advantage of using multiple formations is that your opponents will find it difficult to prepare for you. I feel like our recent run of success with the 4-2-3-1 is owed in part to the opposition having prepared for the Pyramid and finding themselves tripped up by the change in style.  Wolfsburg take on van Leeuwen in order to bolster their title defense, after half the season they're a point up on both Stuttgart and Bayern with Dortmund lurking five points back. That leaves only Ciganek and Rouissi in the U21 squad. Neither are going anywhere, the former due to his injury and the latter due to his laziness. vs Arsenal, January 29, 2028 Premier League  Arsenal have fallen four points back of Manchester United after having briefly lead the league in the 14th matchweek. If we win our games in hand we'll also surpass them, and if we win this match their league hopes will gutter low. They're getting sterling play from their attackers this season, Luis Revilla has been fantastic out on the left wing and Lino Fiorotto has scored twenty-three times in twenty-four matches. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Hammatt, Loseille, Laux, Shirra, Moctezuma, Allan, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Sadula, Bailey, Bouzid, Damgaard, Lundbye. Stringel nabs his own rebound in the third minute and we're off to yet another crazy fast start. Allan puts away another rebound, this time Shirra's, and we've got a two goal lead in 16 minutes. Matty Collet gets lucky from range 34 minutes to put Arsenal back into contention, then a 45th minute penalty call levels things as we get screwed by the referee yet again. Arsenal come out firing in the second half and put themselves on top after 57 minutes with Lino Fiorotto's 25th goal of the season, but the ref appears to have put money on a draw rather than an Arsenal win and it's called back. The Red Dragons rally to take control of the match from that point on, but we can't pull out a winner and are forced to accept a draw.   Wrexham 2-2 Arsenal  That's four points we've had stolen from us by the baldfaced mendacity of the referees, while we haven't had a single match decided in our favor by incompetence this season.    It wouldn't be a proper end to the window if PSG wasn't trying to lowball me with the same offer I'd already rejected half a hundred times.  That's welcome news! Inter is a very good team, even if they haven't challenged for any scudetti recently. Parsons being brought in means that he's going to play in a top flight league and in the Europa League.  Kais Rouissi departs.  Five players were put up for sale. None left on a permanent transfer, but four of them were loaned out with options to be purchased for their full value. All of them have contracts that run through 2029 or later, so if those options aren't triggered we'll still be able to try again this summer.  Noel Tosh was fired by Tottenham in December, when the club was still in the relegation zone. They've lost once since, and have climbed all the way into the promotion playoffs. Tosh was able to find a new job almost immediately, joining Bristol City two weeks after his sacking. In the eight league matches he's overseen the club hasn't won once, and are now three points above the relegation zone. If he keeps this up he's going to have a hard time paying for the mortgage he signed while making £60,000/wk, he's down to a £3,000/wk contract with Bristol.  My first of the year. I'll probably need to win another if Wrexham is to win the league. At Leeds United, February 1, 2028 Premier League  Leeds did not have a good January. They failed to win a game, and got two points from six matches. That leaves them at risk for relegation. We need to take advantage of their poor form to keep pace with Manchester United. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Leandro, Tounkara, Laux, Quiboulaz, Zouaghi, Bailey, Moctezuma, Shirra, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Loseille, Spyropoulos, Lewis, Damgaard, Bouzid, Lundbye. It takes 17 shots, and 9 on target, before Stringel scores in the 44th minute. Luckily, Leeds don't look likely to level. We keep piling on the pressure, but abysmal finishing by String means we don't add to our lead. In the final ten minutes I bring on our newest signing, the Danish teen Jacob Lundbye, who had been impressing my coaches on the training pitch since arriving on a free transfer at the start of January, and he helps us see out the match confidently, even if I'd have liked to see better efficiency from our offense. Man of the Match: Matthias Laux   Leeds 0-1 Wrexham  We're running with so many kids right now, there's six teenagers on the senior team, that fitness is going to be a concern down the stretch. There's not much I can do about it, we'll just have to suffer through and hope that Moctezuma's development isn't impacted by the number of games he's playing.  Play Arsenal three times in one month? That sounds like a grand idea!  Things are getting exciting. We're 11 back of United with two games in hand, and a trip to Old Trafford looming in the spring. We play Arsenal twice in the next month to determine whether we advance to the final eight of the FA Cup and whether we retain the League Cup. We've had enough injuries for two seasons. No one ever said a triple double would be easy. At least we'll waltz into the round of eight in the Champions League, I think we top Rangers at Ibrox even if I send out the youth squad. In the Pyramid. Without a keeper. 
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Feb 15, 2015 19:20
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If we manage to even win the league this season with all these injuries and playing a 150 year old formation, this season may be almost as good as the treble.
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Feb 15, 2015 19:23
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Chapter the Eighth: Bombs away! February 3, 2028-February 29, 2028 Two games against Arsenal and another against Chelsea make this a tough stretch, especially as Southampton is no slouch and managed to beat us in their home leg of the League Cup semifinal. Arsenal's manager tends to buy and play a lot of young players, he's like me in that regard, so here's hoping that thinks he can get away with sending callow youth against us FA and League Cup ties.  Our kids on loan for the purpose of development are actually doing pretty well. And one of our USMNT pickups, Andrew Paredes, is crushing it in Serbia.  Isaac Parsons' off to a strong start in Italy too, if he can develop to his full potential over the next two years we're going to have one of the best right backs at the World Cup.  Not all the USMNT news is good, though, as potential star striker David Hunt will miss the Olympic Qualifiers. This is why you should have let me bring him to Europe! He wouldn't have gotten hurt training on a lovely State University of New York field outside of White Plains. Instead, he'd have gotten hurt on a high quality pitch in Wales! At Reading, February 5, 2028 Premier League  We're in a similar situation to the West Brom and Arsenal matches last week. Reading are at risk of relegation and three days later we'll be playing Chelsea, who are two points back of us. Shahed Parr is in the starting lineup for Reading, he's recently returned from a month-long spell on the sidelines for a fractured arm. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Loseille, Bailey (c), Allan, Moctezuma, Bouzid, Damgaard, Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Tounkara, Lewis, Marquez, Mujkic, Lundbye. We're not able to get any goals from open play in the first half, but it simply doesn't matter. We're deadly from dead ball situations. James Loseille scores on a free kick, Ed Hammatt gets his head on a ball that's ping-ponging through the air after a Bailey corner kick, and Allan gets a goal thanks to poor keeping on a very long range free kick. Rodrigo Moctezuma is looking a bit tired, so I make a halftime substitution to rest him for the Chelsea match. The second half is a desultory affair as we lower the tempo and take several breathers, but Ali Bouzid shows some initiative and scores from open play by beating three defenders to a rebound despite all of them being closer to the ball than he was. Man of the Match: James Loseille   Reading 0-4 Wrexham  He's 18... is there any chance I could get away with grounding him from doing anything but soccer-related activities? vs Chelsea, February 8, 2028 Premier League  We've got a golden opportunity to overtake Arsenal for second place, and to keep pace with Manchester United. All we need to do is beat Chelsea at TRK@TRG (The Red Keep at the Racecourse Ground, naturally). I'm having to dip into our youth team to fill out our bench again, I'd like to take a big lead and be able to give Jose Andres Alvir or Sebastian Marquez more playing time. In other action, Sky Shadowing and AJ_Impy are playing each other at the same time as this match in an Alumni Throwdown. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Moctezuma, Allan, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Quiboulaz, Marquez, Alvir, Damgaard, Lundbye. AJ_Impy draws first blood against Sky Shadowing, and then draws second blood as well when Shahed Parr scores in the 18th minute at St. Mary's. In Wrexham Mujkic makes a top quality run through the defense in the 21st minute and puts us up 1-0. Southampton gets back in contention thanks to a Reading own goal. Mujkic bags his brace fifteen minutes later to give us a commanding two goal lead over Chelsea, while down south Shahed Parr has to be carted from the pitch as per usual. Callum Allan comes off at the break, he's struggled with his match fitness since coming back from his broken arm, and is replaced by Jose Andres Alvir. Five minutes into the second half Mujkic earns his hat trick, he's been phenomenal. Over in Southampton David Maloney is the second ex-Dragon to influence the match, scoring an equalizer as Sky Shadowing has watched his team pull back from a two-nil deficit. The Saints earn a draw despite conceding twice in the first twenty minutes, and the cameras catch AJ_Impy muttering darkly while leaving his luxury box. Meanwhile, as time ticks down in Wrexham Jose Andres Alvir scores a goal in his season debut, and Chelsea heads home to London humiliated. Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic   Wrexham 4-0 Chelsea  Whoever was planning this takeover kept it quiet, I didn't hear a whisper until the transfer embargo came down. vs Arsenal, February 12, 2028 FA Cup, Fifth Round  The first match against Arsenal this season was a four-one stomping at the Emirates in September. The second was a Referee special that we each took a point from in Wrexham two weeks ago. Match three against Arsenal is today, and will determine which of us makes the FA Cup quarterfinal. Match four is in two weeks to see who wins the League Cup. At this rate I'm expecting to get drawn against them in the Champions League, just so that we can have the pleasure of playing six times in a single season. We've got the away leg in our Champions League matchup three days from now, and usually playing Chelsea, Arsenal, and a Champions League opponent in the span of a week would be a wildly hard set of fixtures. We're up against Rangers, though, and we can send a much diluted squad to face them while relying on our best against Arsenal.  Arsenal, on the other hand, is starting a heavily rotated squad. That poor Basque left back may be the same age as Moctezuma, but will have his hands full trying to stop the American wonderkid. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Moctezuma, Allan, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Bailey, Brown, Bouzid, Damgaard. The Gunners are getting pasted after 45. Wrexham has 73% possession, and goals from String and Allan have staked us to a lead. Lino Fiorotto comes on at halftime to try and salvage a draw for Arsenal, but he duffs a chance to pull them within one. Moctezuma has been abusing his Basque opposite all day long, and adds his name to the scoresheet in the 58th minute. Matty Collett gives Arsenal a glimmer of hope with 18 minutes to play, but it's nowhere near enough and before the match is through Ali Bouzid has restored the three goal advantage. Man of the Match: Callum Allan   Wrexham 4-1 Arsenal  Both Norwich and Tackleford are still in the draw, but we didn't get either of them. They could make it to the semifinal, though. Tackleford faces Nottingham Forest while Norwich goes up against Leeds, and both of those clubs are beatable. We get to take on Brentford, and I'm relieved we didn't draw Manchester United away for the third time. At Rangers, February 15, 2028 Champions League, Knockout Round Away Tie  It's 201.5 miles as the crow flies from Wrexham to Glasgow. 252 miles by car from the Racecourse to Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow. That's about the same distance as Boston to New York City or New York City to Washington DC, yet it's considered a long trip by British standards. Y'all got a small country, Brits. Rangers have all of one two-star player, they'd be relegation bait in the Premiership, so almost all our starters will be sleeping in and watching the match from Wrexham. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Kocsis, Leandro, Sadula, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Lewis, Bailey (c), Lundbye, Bouzid, Damgaard, Yilmaz. Subs: Minami, Mattuschka, Spyropoulos, Brown, Palma, Mujkic, Stringel. Rangers are being outclassed in the first 20 minutes by a starting lineup featuring three youth squad players. Leandro picks up an away goal in the 18th minute and seven minutes later Lundbye scores the first in his six week old Wrexham career. Barring a wild defensive collapse over the remaining 155 minutes we're going to the quarterfinals. Rangers are able to strike back with a goal from the ageless John Baxter, who returned to his homeland to finish his career in Scotland, but you know what Ali Bouzid does and it's right back to a two goal lead. In the second half the same pattern repeats, as another Rangers goal is quickly pegged back, this time by Antonis Spyropoulos scoring his first goal for the club. Ibrox stadium empties upset Glaswegians onto the streets, and there will much moaning in the pubs about losing four-two to a bunch of teenagers. Man of the Match: Ed Hammatt.   Rangers 2-4 Wrexham vs Southampton, February 19, 2028 Premier League  There have been 21 tilts between Southampton and Wrexham since I began my reign. Southampton have taken eight points, winning our first ever match in August of 2019 and the first leg of our recent Capital One Cup semifinal. Those two matches comprise the sum total of the Saints success against us in the past decade. That's bad news for Southampton fans, who see their team sitting four points behind Chelsea for the final Champions League spot. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Moctezuma, Allan, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Bailey, Damgaard, Bouzid. Southampton's defense holds out for the entire first half, only to capitulate twice in four minutes when the play resumes. We tack on one more in the opening ten minutes of the second half to wrap things up, and Wrexham moves above Arsenal and into second position on the table, seven points back of Manchester United with two games in hand and a date in April at Old Trafford. Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moctezuma   Wrexham 3-0 Southampton  We have £16.8m in our bank account right now. The club has spent almost £50m more than it's earned since the start of the season, and last month alone saw it lose an eight figure sum. At the same time somewhere between £50-70m will be paid out at the end of the year based upon final league position and the depth of Wrexham's Champions League run. If I pull off the triple the organization might realize a slight profit for the year. vs Brentford, February 22, 2028 Premier League  When I heard Brentford was being bought, I did some checking around. You'd be amazed at who owns which clubs. Only 11 of the 20 Premier League squads are owned by Englishmen, though the number of domestically owned clubs jumps to fifteen when you add Scots (Arsenal) and Welsh club presidents (Wrexham, Swansea, and West Ham). It's a far cry from Spain, though, where there are only three foreign owners, and also a far cry from France in the other direction, where only five clubs are owned by Frenchmen. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Loseille, Bailey (c), Shirra, Moctezuma, Allan, Damgaard, Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Tounkara, Lewis, Bouzid, Mujkic, Lundbye. An error by Quiboulaz gives the ball away deep in our own territory and allows Brentford to surprise us in the 22nd minute. We struggle to create chances as our visitors proceed to park the team bus in front of the net, but Ed Hammatt is able to equalize five minutes into the second half and Isaac Stringel strikes two minutes later to undo all of Brentford's hard work. We have chances to put the game away, but it takes a stone-wall Minami to keep us ahead until Claus Damgaard can finally cash in on one of them in the 83rd minute. Man of the Match: James Loseille   Wrexham 3-1 Brentford  Allan went down in stoppage time of the Brentford match, and will now miss the League Cup final. The team's attackers have been snakebit this year, with Allan, Bale, Rickard, Thiago, Stringel, and Bouzid combining to miss over a year of action between them.  You're kidding, right? Why the hell is a World Cup qualifier being held on March 1st? And why are you calling up Minami, anyways? You've already clinched one of the top two spots in your group. This is why no one takes you seriously, AFC. Minami might end up missing our League Cup because of this, and might end up missing our FA Cup quarterfinal as well. He's definitely missing the Welsh Derby with Swansea. vs Arsenal, February 27, 2028 League Cup, Final  Minami hasn't left for India yet, so he's between the sticks. Our players are as rested as they're going to get, and the only ones missing from our starting 11 are Thiago and Allan.  Arsenal didn't learn their lesson from the FA Cup match, and have four of their regular starters on the bench. That includes both Lino Fiorotto and Matty Collett. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Moctezuma, Bouzid, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Tounkara, Bailey, Alvir, Damgaard, Lundbye. Stringel has a goal called back for offside in the 26th minute, but I have no clue what the assistant referee was looking at, String is clearly further from the net than #17 Santiago Pedrozo when Shirra made the pass:  Five minutes later we get a quickfire double as first Moctezuma scores via a killer ball from Bouzid, and then repays the favor by delivering a perfect cross to Bouzid at the near post. We're less than an hour from claiming our next trophy. Collett and Fiorotto come on for Arsenal and enliven their attack, but the question is whether they can make up for the hole their teammates dug in the first half. We have another goal called back, but this one at least is legitimate as Hammatt was a couple paces offside when Mujkic struck the ball. Moctezuma strikes again with 20 minutes remaining for his second goal of the game, and all 90,000 in attendance at Wembley can hear the fat lady singing. Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moctezuma   Wrexham 3-0 Arsenal   All that's left is the triple.  Oh boy. The Europa League. What an honor. Maybe I should throw the rest of the season and try to finish outside of the top four while taking a dive in the Champions League as well so that we can participate in it.  We have been obliterating our opponents over the last two updates. In fourteen matches we've scored 53 goals and allowed 6. We've won all but one of them, and the only reason we didn't sweep is thanks to a referee gifting Arsenal a draw. It's our best run of form all season, at just the right time. Our bombardment of all comers along with three United draws means that we can retake the top of the table by winning our two games in hand. We're also in commanding position against Rangers in the Champions League, and have an FA Cup quarterfinal against the same Brentford team that we slapped around earlier this month. The triple awaits, all we need do is walk up and grab it. 
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Feb 15, 2015 20:17
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That's a great-looking recovery. Can someone refresh us/me on the whole Moctezuma/kids' development being impacted by playing too much thing? The last time it feels like it came up was several seasons ago while there was still hope Rouissi wouldn't become a lazy meatloaf.
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Feb 16, 2015 08:23
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habeasdorkus posted:Surprising Euro results can happen in real life, though. The Czech's won in 1976 and made it to extra time in 1996 against the Germans, and more recently the Danes (1992) and Greeks (2004) have both won. What's surprising about a win from world's number one football team?*  *for eight days in 2005
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Feb 16, 2015 09:13
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habeasdorkus posted:
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Feb 16, 2015 11:05
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The best part about the Danish victory is that they weren't even going to play in the tournament and entered like 11 days before the tournament began or whatever. And to make it even better, their best player decided when told they had made it in said "gently caress it, we're not going to do anything I'm staying on holiday."
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Feb 16, 2015 14:35
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JT Jag posted:I mean, if you think about it, it's one of the few trophies you don't have... Yeah, I have to admit I'm considering tanking a Champions League group stage to get a shot at it. If our finances could deal with losing tens of millions of dollars in Champions League money I might have already done it. tomanton posted:Can someone refresh us/me on the whole Moctezuma/kids' development being impacted by playing too much thing? The last time it feels like it came up was several seasons ago while there was still hope Rouissi wouldn't become a lazy meatloaf. My general sense, which could be wrong, is that kids who are playing a lot of games at a level that's over their head will run into a developmental wall and stop seeing improvements/improve much more slowly. The second part of that isn't a problem for Moctezuma, he's already considered a "leading Premier League player" and he's proven he can handle this level of competition. But the first part is, and his growth will suffer if he's playing matches when he's "jaded." So far I've been able to keep him from having the orange "Rst" marker that denotes jadedness/exhaustion on match days by letting him skip practice between matches, but if he keeps playing so many games his recovery time will increase to the point where a few days break from training between games isn't enough. I've got control over his international participation, so expect him to take a week-long vacation come late March when the USMNT has a friendly against Croatia.
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Feb 16, 2015 15:03
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Ideally, I'd look to give a young player 7-8 substitute appearances in their first season with the first team, with each appearance being 10-15 minutes. Second season, I'd be looking at regular sub appearances with the occasional start OR going out on loan somewhere they can play regularly, decent standard of football, decent facilities. After that, if they're ready for the first team, throw 'em in. I play with two XIs, though, so outside of March/April fixture congestion, it's very rare that any of my players gets more than 1 game per week.
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Feb 16, 2015 19:15
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So at this point Rouissi is our Freddy Adu.
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Feb 16, 2015 20:51
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Dreamsicle posted:So at this point Rouissi is our Freddy Adu. Freddy Adu in real life breaks my heart, he was the wonderkid for me in my first Football Manager game, and if I ever wanted a wonderkid to pan out, it was him.
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Feb 16, 2015 22:25
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 GOON CUPWe're getting close to the time for the Goon Cup. It will be a straight knockout tournament with random seeding, and I'm going to cap the number of teams at 16 so that the most games anyone will play is four. You will need Football Manager 14 version 14.3.1 to play. I've set up a sign-up sheet here, if we have over 15 entrants I'll draw lots to see who gets in. Likewise, if there are fewer than 15 interested people it will be an 8 team tournament. In either case, the teams that don't make it will be kept as alternates if someone in the tournament can't make it. Signups will be open until Thursday, February 19, at 12pm EST. The draw will be posted here shortly after that. The first round matches will take place between Friday, February 20, 12pm EST and Monday, February 23, 12pm EST. The draw for the quarterfinal round will be posted by Tuesday, February 24, at 12pm EST, and the second round will take place from Friday, February 28, at 12am EST through Monday, 12am EST. Once the draw is made participants will have 72 hours to play their opponent, or be replaced by an alternate or, in the case of the semi-final and final, the team they defeated to reach that round. All matches are to be played at a neutral site, for 90 minutes plus Extra Time, and penalties if necessary. If there's something I'm overlooking, point it out! habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 01:17
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habeasdorkus posted:If there's something I'm overlooking, point it out! To be eligible to win the Goon Cup title, you have to use the Pyramid formation for at least one complete half during any one game in the tournament.
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Feb 17, 2015 02:01
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And signed up, can't wait for this.
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Feb 17, 2015 02:01
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Chapter the Ninth: The trainers bench is overcrowded. February 29, 2028-March 26, 2028 Will our triple dreams still be alive come the end of the month? There's only one way to find out.  Damned good to see you up and about again, Thiago.  I know you've still got some goals left in you, despite your declining stats.   Vive l'American! And hurrah for the French!  I said I'd need another of these to give us a shot at the title, and in winning this I've put us in position to do so. vs Swansea City, March 1, 2028 Premier League, Welsh Derby  Minami is in India and we have a lot of squad rotation on top of that. I don't want to risk taking a bath at Brentford in the FA Cup quarterfinal and fixtures are coming hard and fast for the next three weeks. Our wings are chock full of Danes, as Damgaard and Lundbye play across from each other. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Kocsis, Leandro, Hammatt, Tounkara, Quiboulaz, Lewis, Bailey (c), Lundbye, Bouzid, Damgaard, Stringel. Subs: Landgraf, Spyropoulos, Sadula, Shirra, Alvir, Marquez, Yilmaz. The first half hour sees us open in our standard aggressive fashion for the first 15 minutes, and then have the tables turned on us and forced to scramble back on defense for the next fifteen. Then All Ali Bouzid Does is break games open, and Lundbye follows him two minutes later to put the game out of reach. Other than that brief period from 15 to 30 minutes in the first half Swansea weren't able to get any offensive pressure on us. Man of the Match: Claus Damgaard   Wrexham 2-0 Swansea  Traitor! It's not like he'll start playing for the English national team, of course, but he's now a dual citizen.  We're missing several of our best U23 players. Moctezuma is in Wrexham, of course, but David Hunt and Xavier Hughes are also missing. I doubt it will affect our qualification chances. At Brentford, March 4, 2028 FA Cup, Quarterfinal Round  We've got one more match before we reach Wembley. Minami is back, albeit jet lagged, and starts between the sticks. Thiago is also back in the lineup, but probably won't play the full match. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Tounkara, Loseille, Laux, Shirra, Moctezuma, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Quiboulaz, Zouaghi, Bouzid, Damgaard, Lundbye. Brentford is playing up to our level, or perhaps we're playing down to theirs. They slice through our defense and force Minami to make a save. We score first on a Thiagooool in the 28th minute, but Brentford hits back four minutes later on a fast break. We rally and put the heat back on, and score again after Laux makes a great challenge deep in Brentford territory and Stringel picks up the loose ball in front of the net. String scores again in the 53rd minute, and I use that as an excuse to move Stringel up to the striker role for the not match-fit Thiago and bring on Bouzid. Brentford can't make anything happen after their one goal and we're into the semi-final. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   Brentford 1-3 Wrexham  A big win for Southampton, as they keep their Champions League dreams alive and remain four points back of Chelsea.  Both Tackleford and Norwich are into the FA Cup semifinal! I'm torn about how I want the draw to work out, ideally we'd play Norwich and somehow Tackleford would upset Manchester United, but it might be better if we get drawn against Manchester United and they play each other so we face one of them in the final.  It looks like the end of the line for Tackleford. Beating Leeds at home is one thing, beating Man United in Wembley is a whole different animal.  Three well taken shots in the first half is all we need to dance past Panama. Another win will get us to the semifinal. The two teams that make the final will be in the 16 team tournament come July.  It's that time of year again. Our U18 team will be down to fifteen players after this year's graduates, and we've been averaging three or four youth academy graduates who make for worthwhile organizational filler in each yearly class. I've got a transfer budget of £6.5m and £800k/wk free in the wage budget, so I can bolster that total with some economical signings. vs Rangers, March 8, 2028 Champions League, Knockout Round Home Tie  You may have noticed that we've scarcely used the Pyramid over the last two months. That's not because I'm getting cold feet, but instead because our strikers have been hurt and our mediocre reserves were all loaned out, leaving us without enough fresh bodies to play in the five abreast front line. Now, with Thiago back, I feel comfortable using it again. Starting Formation: The Pyramid Starting 11: Minami, Tounkara, Quiboulaz, Bailey, Shirra, Zouaghi, Moctezuma, Stringel, Thiago, Lundbye, Mujkic (c). Subs: Kocsis, Laux, Weeks, Marquez, Damgaard, Hubert, Yilmaz. It takes String 106 seconds to score, but we don't get to rest on our laurels as Rangers equalize fifth minute. The Scots proceed to frustrate our attacks and threaten with counter attacks all match long, and we don't pull ahead until Stringel at last scores a second goal for us in the 61st minute. Thanks to our 4-2 win in Glasgow there was no risk of being knocked out of the Champions League, but our level of play was not up to the standards I expect and I let the players know exactly how far short they fell. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   Wrexham (6) 2-1 (3) Rangers  I'm getting one of these after every match now. He's going to get the rest he needs during the upcoming international break when the USMNT will travel to Croatia without him.  Who's bright idea was it to hold the Olympic qualifiers in Canada during March? It's literally freezing out during March in Quebec.  We did not look impressive at all against Jamaica and now need a draw against Costa Rica to ensure one of the top two spots. That was unexpected and unwelcome. At Liverpool, March 11, 2028 Premier League  A win restores us to the top of the table, at least until United play Arsenal tomorrow. We need these three points. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Bailey (c), Shirra, Moctezuma, Bouzid, Damgaard, Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Quiboulaz, Lewis, Palma, Mujkic, Thiago. Liverpool holds us without a shot for fifteen minutes, but then Bailey makes a perfect tackle deep in Reds territory and Bouzid rips his shot past their startled keeper. Our position is put into jeopardy when Rodrigo Moctezuma draws a straight red for a foolhardy two footed tackle when play resumes after the goal, and suddenly we have to make the lead stand up for seventy minutes. Our defense is able to limit Liverpool to a single shot before halftime. Moreover, we're looking reliably dangerous when we counter-attack, but our inability to score a second goal and our man-disadvantage makes for a nervy second half. When the 90th minute goal comes, as it always would in a match like this, it's from the boot of All He Does Is Score, and Wrexham is back atop the Premier League. Man of the Match: Ali Bouzid   Liverpool 0-2 Wrexham  It was a dumb foul, and deserved the red. We'll be without his services for a few matches because of it.  The team will also miss Justin Bailey, who's been as good as ever for us all season and who fully deserves his status as Vice-Captain.  The kids needed to step up, and they did so in a big way. They took Costa Rica by the throat from the starter's gun and didn't let up until the match was over.  So of course after finishing atop our group our reward is playing Mexico in the semifinal. I'm not sure why Mexico is even in these qualifying matches since they get an automatic berth thanks to being the host nation. I don't get an answer to that question, and our kids going to need to beat El Mini-Tri to make it to the Summer Games.  We're going to need a little extra firepower to take out Mexico, so I have the lads kneecap Balboa in order to bring Moctezuma on board for the match. It's not like he has anything to do in Wrexham until his suspension runs it's course. vs Derby County, March 14, 2028 Premier League  With Moctezuma suspended we're without a forward who naturally plays on the right side. I've put Damgaard there and positioned him as an inverted winger. Manchester United couldn't put Arsenal away and that means we can take a three point lead if we take care of business. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Damgaard, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Bouzid, Cleiton, Lundbye. Michael Upson, the second leading scorer in the Premier League and official Product of WrexhamTM, is injured in the 5th minute by Zouaghi. That puts a serious crimp in Derby's goal scoring plans. String gets us going in the 11th minute, and then doubles up in the 25th minute to give us a safe lead after the opening act. The closing act features more Wrexham goals, to the delight of the crowd. Two happen early in the half when Thiago scores in the 51st minute and Stringel finishes his hat trick shortly before an hour has passed. We trade late goals with Derby, and we're steadily pulling away from our closest title rival. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   Wrexham 5-1 Derby  Our academy produced a bumper crop this year, with five players worthy of our U18 squad. All are expected to have Premier League careers, but this guy is the best.  Between Campbell and Bale we've developed two world class prospects. It's a good return on our investment into the youth program and will only get better with time.  Even if Simmons had zero potential I would have given him a contract for that beard. Jesus. He looks 30, not 15.  Collignon's incompetence in the Champions League continues, and Manchester United are out in the knockout round. Their exit does mean they'll be more rested over the final weeks of the Premier League season, though.  That took a ton of effort. We outplayed Mexico comprehensively after the end of the first half, but we couldn't get the go ahead goal and had to go to penalties.  And the win costs us Moctezuma for three weeks. Goddamnit. I only wish that this would have actually knocked Mexico out of the Olympics, they've won gold in 2024 and 2020, and also won gold in 2012. It would have been nice to take out one of our toughest opponents, and the host team, before the Summer Games even begin.  Yep, we're a little screwed.  But it's not like we were going to have him for the next two matches anyways.  There's no easy path to the semi-final, all the remaining clubs are giants of their respective nations. PSG will do fine as our next punching bag.  Bring it, America Jr. vs Nottingham Forest, March 18, 2028 Premier League  Nottingham pushed our poo poo in back in November, winning 3-2 on an 89th minute goal. It's time to repay the favor. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Lundbye, Allan, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Damgaard, Bouzid, Stringel. A Meteor strike in the 11th minute is the only scoring the first half sees. I calmly explain my expectations at the half, and Thiago takes my admonitions during the halftime talk to heart. He scores 33 seconds after the match begins again. Nottingham Forest finally show some life, getting one back in the 60th minute, and are feisty until the end of the match. They're done in by a late own goal, and we keep to our winning ways. Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic   Wrexham 3-1 Nottm Forest  MARG BAR CANADA! At Stoke City, March 21, 2028 Premier League  It's important that we win the final match before the international break. I want to go to Old Trafford in three weeks knowing we can lose and still retain first place. We've been stretched thin at right wing ever since Bale tore his calf, and with Moctezuma the latest victim of a seemingly contagious injury bug I have to give Jeremy Hubert his first start with the senior team. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami (c), Reed, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Loseille, Lewis, Shirra, Hubert, Bouzid, Damgaard, Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Tounkara, Zouaghi, Brown, Lundbye, Thiago. Stoke put in work and keep breaking towards our net with speed whenever they win the ball back, but our superior quality begins to tell after twenty minutes. Shirra gives us the lead on a free kick from just outside the box in the 43rd minute, and we run that out to two in the 53rd minute as Shirra puts a perfect pass across the box to Ali Bouzid. Eight minutes later Bouzid gets an assist of his own by putting in a great cross for Stringel, and we're going to win for the 21st time in 22 games. Stoke are completely screwed when Stringel is hacked down from behind by the last defender, who earns straight red for his cynical foul. They had almost no chance of coming back from three down with a full team on the pitch, they have a literally infinitesimal one once they're shorthanded. Man of the Match: Ali “AADIS” Bouzid   Stoke 0-3 Wrexham  I'm grateful that I have the power to yank all of our players from their international squads in order to rest them. We're going to have 65 to 69 fixtures across all competitions this year, and you can guess how exhausting that is for the wingbacks who are running eight or more miles a match.  He said he was going to visit his family in Bordeaux. Seems like a good use of his vacation.  Thanks for keeping our seat warm, Manchester United. We'll take it from here.  Sometimes you eat the bear, and well, sometimes it eats you. We played better than the score shows, but that's not saying much. Croatia's finishing was sublime, ours was subpar, and the result is a 4-1 whomping where we were essentially out of the match after half an hour. Thank goodness it's only a friendly.  The CONCACAF Qualifiers will be a breeze. Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Suriname are not a murderer's row and we won't face any real challenges until we get to the "Hex" next year. One question I have, though, is why Suriname is in CONCACAF when it's clearly a South American nation? Did CONMEBOL just refuse to include them because they were so small? Now that I look Guyana and French Guiana both compete in CONCACAF too, which makes me think that South America are snobby pricks about who they let into their continental confederation.  Our unbeaten streak is at 22, and we've won 21 of those matches. Other than the admittedly stiff challenge of playing Manchester United in Manchester we have easy pickings with Aston Villa, Swansea, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Brentford left on our Premier League docket. If we win in Manchester the league is all but ours. Norwich is unlikely to surprise us in the FA Cup semifinal, especially as their top scorer and primary attacking midfielder are both Wrexham players on loan and ineligible to play against us. The only potential storm cloud on the horizon is PSG, who are certainly a good team but one we've beaten before.  GOON CUPWe're getting close to the time for the Goon Cup. It will be a straight knockout tournament with random seeding, and I'm going to cap the number of teams at 16 so that the most games anyone will play is four. You will need Football Manager 14 version 14.3.1 to play. I've set up a sign-up sheet here, if we have over 15 entrants I'll draw lots to see who gets in. Likewise, if there are fewer than 15 interested people it will be an 8 team tournament. In either case, the teams that don't make it will be kept as alternates if someone in the tournament can't make it. Signups will be open until Thursday, February 19, at 12pm EST. The draw will be posted here shortly after that. The first round matches will take place between Friday, February 20, 12pm EST and Monday, February 23, 12pm EST. The draw for the quarterfinal round will be posted by Tuesday, February 24, at 12pm EST, and the second round will take place from Friday, February 28, at 12am EST through Monday, 12am EST. Once the draw is made participants will have 72 hours to play their opponent, or be replaced by an alternate or, in the case of the semi-final and final, the team they defeated to reach that round. All matches are to be played at a neutral site, for 90 minutes plus Extra Time, and penalties if necessary. If there's something I'm overlooking, point it out!
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Feb 17, 2015 03:24
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Who does Manchester have left in the Premier League besides us?
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Feb 17, 2015 03:43
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Chapter the Tenth: At the doorstep of immortality. March 26, 2028-April 17, 2028 The big match coming up is against Manchester United, and I can't impress on my players enough how vital it is that we take something from it. A win sees us up nine points on United with one more game played. A draw keeps us ahead by six. And a loss means we're within their reach at three points above them, and gives them the ability to pull even by winning their game in hand.  Stay healthy, damnit. The injury bug is tearing a swath through our club.  Even our U18 kids have been dropping like flies. vs Paris Saint-Germain, March 28, 2028 Champions League, Quarterfinal Home Tie  With the second leg being played in Paris we need a whole bunch of goals today to destroy PSG's morale and disabuse them of any notion that they can reach the semifinal. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Quiboulaz, Zouaghi, Shirra, Damgaard, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Leandro, Hammatt, Bailey, Allan, Lundbye, Hubert. A ten minute span sees us score three times in the first half. Zouaghi makes a great interception at midfield, and Stringel takes it to the house, then Stringel adds a second on a counter attack seven minutes later, and finally Meteor scores three minutes after that. The flurry of blows leaves PSG staggering and us looking confident and collected after a half hour has elapsed. But PSG come roaring back after the break thanks to the perfidity of the referee. An offside goal by Cirelli is allowed to stand at the start of the second half:  Then the referee reduces us to ten men by sending Reed off for a second, undeserved, yellow card, and Thiago has a goal called back on an offside call. We're able to withstand PSG's efforts when they're not getting an assist from the stripey bastard of a ref, but thanks to that missed call they still have a glimmer of hope come a week from now. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   Wrexham 3-1 PSG  That's the lowest rating I've ever seen for a ref. I'd fire him just on that one performance, it proves he has no business refereeing soccer.   Send him to my office.  What were you expecting? You got sent off in a vital match, and will miss another very important match because of it. I don't care that the ref was an idiot, you still knew better than to risk a card after earning your first one.  Ali Bouzid is a boss. He's giving me all types of tough selection choices by playing as well as he has.  If I win the April one we'll have taken the league. vs Aston Villa, April 1, 2028 Premier League  We've got enough strikers healthy to use the Pyramid again. Aston Villa is a perfect target, they're probably safe from relegation with a four point edge over Reading but certainly aren't having a good season. Starting Formation: The Pyramid Starting 11: Minami, Tounkara, Laux, Bailey, Allan, Zouaghi, Damgaard, Stringel, Rickard, Thiago, Mujkic (c). Subs: Kocsis, Loseille, Quiboulaz, Shirra, Bouzid, Hubert, Lundbye. Bailey gives away a penalty in the 32nd minute. Minami is able to parry the penalty, but the ricochet returns to the penalty taker and he has a shot that even I could make. That's all of the scoring the match sees for an hour, and 63 minutes in we're just not creating good opportunities. I ditch the Pyramid for the 4-2-3-1 and turn up the tempo. Furious attacking occurs over the final twenty-five minutes, and James Loseille is our savior with an equalizer in the 83rd minute. We manage a draw, while Villa's goalkeeper rightfully takes the man of the match award. He made five great saves to keep his team in the game and stymie us.   Wrexham 1-1 Aston Villa  I'm madder than a wet hen. Now we need to pick up a point from our tilt with Manchester United to stay ahead of them on points.  James Loseille has been brilliant all year. He's created nine goals as a fullback, good for seventh on the team and ahead of the likes of Thiago, Callum Allan, and Claus Damgaard.  Can't handle the heat, AJ_Impy? You've still got a chance to escape relegation, you're six points back of Aston Villa with five games left.  You're the man, Sky Shadowing. Two days after our botched match against Aston Villa you straight up beat Manchester United and make everything right as rain. At Paris Saint-Germain, April 5, 2028 Champions League, Quarterfinal Away Tie  If we lose 2-0 our dream of another triple dies stillborn. Such an outcome isn't impossible, and we need to play much better than we did against Aston Villa to keep it from happening. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Lundbye, Allan, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Tounkara, Damgaard, Bouzid, Hubert, Thiago. My hopes of taking the game to PSG on their home turf prove illusory, and after 15 minutes I've ordered us to play a more conservative game with an emphasis on counter attacking. I'm rewarded with a Jacob Lundbye goal in the 25th minute, and now that we're level on away goals I feel much more confident about being ahead come full time. Stringel locks things down in the 34th minute on a drive where we matriculated the ball down the field using short, accurate passing that flummoxed the defense. A Meteor goal in the second half kills any remaining chance of a comeback, and our squad completes a superlative job in Paris. Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic   PSG (1) 0-3 (6) Wrexham  If Leclerc wins he should thank our three candidates for splitting the vote.  We're going to get Arsenal, aren't we?  Nope! This is the second time we've faced Madrid in the late stages of the Champions League, and they might be the only top level team with a positive goal differential against us.  I've swiped three fifteen year olds from their original clubs for the sum of £5.1m, all of whom are 3 star or higher prospects.  Nsingi here is the only target who escaped me, opting to sign with his home club rather than come to Wrexham. We'll have 23 players for next season's under-18 team. Each has a Premier League future, 19 could become above average or better, and 11 came through our youth academy rather than from other teams.  HAHAHA! Manchester United had 18 shots, but 9 of them were from long range and only one was on target. Credit Tackleford's defense, and the injuries to Cyril Boumsong (out 4 months with a torn hammy) and Maxim Fenin (out two months with a dislocated shoulder) that left United trying to equalize with only 10 men on the pitch. vs Norwich City, April 9, 2028 FA Cup, Semifinal  Let's not pull a United. This should be made easier by Norwich not being able to use Stephen Cooke or Aymen Ayari, two of their best players who are on loan from our organization. Starting Formation: The Pyramid Starting 11: Minami, Tounkara, Laux, Zouaghi, Shirra, Bailey, Lundbye, Stringel, Rickard, Thiago, Mujkic (c). Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Loseille, Allan, Damgaard, Hubert, Bouzid. The Canaries can't get their attack off the ground, while Ellis Rickard stokes our fires with a header in the 22nd minute. The Norridge keeper makes an error on a Lundbye shot from long range five minutes later and they have it all to do. They're able to pull one back, but it's erased because their striker couldn't keep himself onside when Tounkara springs the offside trap. Damgaard replaces Mujkic during halftime, our captain has picked up a nagging injury and I don't want to risk it getting worse. That helps Norwich make a game of things in the second half, scoring with plenty of time left, but we see the match to an end without further incident and have booked a reunion with Tackleford under the bright lights at Wembley.   Wrexham 2-1 Norwich  Words cannot express how wonderful this is. I hardly believe that they made it all the way to the final, especially considering who stood in their way. Overcoming three Premier League teams as a lower division club is impressive. Overcoming Manchester-loving-United in the semifinal is amazing.  Moctezuma may miss the next match, but will certainly be cleared to play both legs of the CL semifinal against Real Madrid.  Pickee's been injured twice now during his spell at Porto. I doubt they're going to buy him. At Manchester United, April 12, 2028 Premier League  Any type of result here will be the knockout blow that ends the title chase in our favor. I'm going to be playing counter-attacking football, and using the 4-5-1 as our starting formation for the first time in ages. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Damgaard, Allan, Moctezuma, Mujkic (c), Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Tounkara, Lewis, Bouzid, Lundbye, Thiago. I focused on defense in the run up to this match, but it didn't take. We suffer a nightmare start as United score 18 seconds into the match. They threaten further, but don't add to their lead. Even so, we're looking completely punchless and Manchester United are playing inspired soccer. I switch us to the 4-2-3-1 in a fight for the equalizer, clearly we weren't getting anything done on the counter attack. Formation and tactics make no difference. United score twice in the second half and send us down to a humiliating defeat where they outshone us at every position. It was an awful capitulation on our part and Manchester's statement victory says clearly that they don't think the title race is over yet, not by a long shot.   Man United 3-0 Wrexham At Swansea, April 15, 2028 Premier League  Despite the loss we're up four points on United. They have a game in hand. That means, realistically, that we're only up a point on United. A single draw or loss could scuttle us if they win out. Our trip to Swansea is due to be the hardest match left on our league schedule, with only an away match at Brentford and home matches against Leeds and Huddersfield otherwise remaining. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Bailey, Shirra, Lundbye, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Lewis, Bouzid, Damgaard, Rickard. We're looking much better than we did in Manchester, and a double salvo as the match nears thirty minutes elapsed has us looking a solid bet for the win, but ex-Wrexham youth player Adrian Read has Swansea back within a shout moments later. I warn our players to keep their guard up, but it doesn't prevent Mujkic and Lundbye from both getting injured in blind side challenges early in the second half. We hold serve into the final minute, when Swansea mount a relentless attack and Minami is forced to make two saves to keep us from conceding the backbreaking equalizer. We escape with the three points, and that's all that matters. Man of the Match: James Loseille   Swansea 1-2 Wrexham  Lundbye is out for the rest of the season, probably. It's a good thing Moctezuma is healthy again, we've suffered hellacious attrition at that position this season.  The bigger concern is Meteor's injury. He'll get through the Madrid trip, but if he's unable to play after that we'll be missing our Captain and our best creative player through the end of the year.  It's coming down to the wire, but we still hold our fate in our own hands. Win three matches against teams that are 12th, 14th, and 15th on the table and we win our third straight Premier League title. Beat Real Madrid and either Arsenal or Juventus, and we raise a nearly unprecedented third straight European Cup. Overcome old foe Tackleford and we lift the FA Cup for a third time. Do all three and we triumph in every single competition we entered, setting the bar for the most successful club season across all of football's long history.  BOARD MEETING(Distractedly) Hell, everyone, and welcome to the annual board meeting. There will be five questions before you, largely having to do with the financial status of the club. As always, here are our balance sheet summaries to assist your decision-making.  We are presently in the black, with £5.6m on hand. We will likely remain in the black through the close of the season, and will then see our balance spike as Premier League and Champions League monies are deposited in mid to late May. I expect that we will have roughly £60m on hand at that point, meaning that the club will have turned a slight profit or come within spitting distance of doing so.  Our expenses are on pace to come in significantly lower this season than last, even accounting for spending £22m less on transfers. This comes from a smaller bonus pool, a decline in player wages, and a reduction in taxes owed to the Crown.  At the same time our new stadium will allow us to earn an additional £12m in gate receipts, match day income, and season tickets. Unfortunately it seems unlike that we will see our merchandise revenue continue to grow, discrete inquiries have revealed that clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United are actually moving less branded merchandise than we are. On the bright side, we have our main jersey sponsorship coming up for renewal this season. As it's been five years since it was last updated and we've grown drastically as a commercial force in that time we should expect to double or triple the current £7.3m/year deal. By way of comparison Arsenal and Chelsea have kit sponsorships that bring in £30m a year. Question One: Overall budget (Boringly) We're spending £2.3m a week on wages, or £119.6m a year. You can see that such a sum places us fourth in the league in payroll.  We also spent £5.7m on transfer fees this season. Combined that comes to £125.3m, or £37.4m under the cap of £162.67 decided one year ago. I believe £120m to £130m is what this club can spend on salaries and transfers while breaking even. Please list a sum between £80m and £180m for next year's player budget. Question Two: Affiliate club (Impertinently) It comes time to determine if we should add another feeder club to our roster. As I feel the board as done a less than impressive job in negotiating links with other clubs, I would like to request that you let me handle the search and negotiation. I would be seeking a commercial link to a Chinese club to increase our sales footprint there. A) (Obsequiously) We are sure that your negotiating skills are as sharp in the boardroom as they are at the transfer deadline. By all means take the lead on this endeavor. (I will personally seek out a Chinese club to create a commercial affiliation akin to our Chivas USA agreement) B) (Irately) Stick to football, you brat. We know business, and we'll show you when we strike an agreement with a foreign club. (The board will attempt to create a financial link with a foreign club) C) (Snootily) I think we know what is best for the club, and how best to grow our income. Run along now. (No affiliate club sought.) Question Three: Stadium Expansion (Smugly) My milkshake has brought all the boys to the yard. And drat right, it's better than yours.    Unfortunately, we hardly have room for them all, and the only seats left over on most days are nosebleeds in the corners and far from the pitch. We have the ability to expand the stadium to increase the number of seats to almost 47,500 from the present 39,500. The expansion would cost £7.75m, and would be completed in late September of this year. A) (Musingly) It seems like there are people who are being left out in the cold by a lack of available tickets. More tickets sold equals more income. More income equals B) (Skeptically) I don't think there are many people who want tickets but can't get them. Question Four: Walk-up Ticket Prices (Arcanely) The board has not directly changed the club's ticket pricing regime in the past, leaving it to the marketing office, but given that you are the board this does fall under your jurisdiction.  Our average ticket price is presently among the less expensive in the Premier League at £39.43. That is £10.57 less than Arsenal and Chelsea, and £3.80 more than Nottingham Forest. By what percentage should we raise or lower our average ticket price? (e.g. -10% or +25%) Question Five: Season Ticket Prices (Daringly) Our season ticket prices also fall under your purview, if you wish to change them.  Currently our season tickets are fourth most expensive in England at £796. They are still some way off of Arsenal's £1640, but are more than twice as costly as Aston Villa's £473. By what percentage should we raise or lower our average season ticket price? (e.g. -20% or +15%) Voting will be open until the end of Friday, February 20th. GOON CUPWe're getting close to the time for the Goon Cup. It will be a straight knockout tournament with random seeding, and I'm going to cap the number of teams at 16 so that the most games anyone will play is four. You will need Football Manager 14 version 14.3.1 to play. I've set up a sign-up sheet here, if we have over 15 entrants I'll draw lots to see who gets in. Likewise, if there are fewer than 15 interested people it will be an 8 team tournament. In either case, the teams that don't make it will be kept as alternates if someone in the tournament can't make it. Signups will be open until Thursday, February 19, at 12pm EST. The draw will be posted here shortly after that. The first round matches will take place between Friday, February 20, 12pm EST and Monday, February 23, 12pm EST. The draw for the quarterfinal round will be posted by Tuesday, February 24, at 12pm EST, and the second round will take place from Friday, February 28, at 12am EST through Monday, 12am EST. Once the draw is made participants will have 72 hours to play their opponent, or be replaced by an alternate or, in the case of the semi-final and final, the team they defeated to reach that round. All matches are to be played at a neutral site, for 90 minutes plus Extra Time, and penalties if necessary. If there's something I'm overlooking, let me know so I can correct it!
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Feb 17, 2015 05:31
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157 Million Pound Budget A As long as it doesn't cost too much A Jack up walk up tickets by 10% Season tickets by 7% (numbers raised to counter Jeffrey Loria) LionYeti fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 05:46
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140 million a a 15% 10%
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Feb 17, 2015 05:58
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  SOON TACKLEFORD SHALL BE HUMILIATED ON THE NATIONAL STAGE  I just wish I had the creative juices for a Chris Jericho promo now, I need to write one now more than ever. Oh and voting.From: Dreamsicle, Former Wrexham Fan Trust President, Lead Singer of Frizzy, Podcasting Superstar To: Scott Brown, The Game, The Cerebral Assassin, The God King of Kings, The One Man Dynasty, The Conqueror of Football, Wrexham First Team Manager RE: Voting Well, as long as we can win the League or FA Cup this will be a great season. In previous years I allowed an extremely high wage budget as I wanted to cement our power in football. With that power now in place and with only a 125 Million Transfer+Wage budget, I will be more frugal. To display this frugality I will authorize a 134 Million combined transfer wage budget over the following season. Affiliate club finding was definitely my worst spot as President so I will vote A on the Affiliate club issue. Obviously our high percentage means we should expand the stadium as well. I want to make our ticket prices affordable for the common local and as I am voting for expansion we can keep both walk-up and season ticket prices the same and we will still be rich. Keep kicking rear end Brown. To Domination, Dreamsicle
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Feb 17, 2015 06:00
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135 mill seems like a good number for now. C I've yet to really see these pay off. A Why else did we build that monstrosity? Increases of 10% and 10% seem in order. Let's ramp these fuckers up (incrementally) until we stop selling out, then walk back just a bit from that. Seems the best.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:02
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Personally, I think that if Wrexham is actually able to pull off the triple double, let alone a clean sweep of every title, then habeas should end the run and start over with a new club. There is no better note to end on, after all, especially with a cup match against Tackleford to bring everything full circle.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:08
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I vote: 125 A A -10% +5% The people suffer enough by living in the British Isles. Let them have panem et Stringelsi.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:15
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1. 120m 2. As an active board member, I think that I am obligated to say "piss off" here. We can do this without you butting into our business. B. 3. There's room for expansion and we have the highest attendence percentage in the league. No reason not to expand. A. 4. We should increase this gradually. +10% or about 4 pounds. 5. 0%. Those rates actually look about in order.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:20
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Personally, I think that if Wrexham is actually able to pull off the triple double, let alone a clean sweep of every title, then habeas should end the run and start over with a new club. There is no better note to end on, after all, especially with a cup match against Tackleford to bring everything full circle. I think he should have 1 more season or a World Cup win even if he wins the septuple, but on the whole I agree. I don't know if I want to see him at AFC Wimbledon or some foreign club with a rich history that's down on its luck. The new club should be a fan trust of course. I still want my board power. Where is Wimbledon by the way? Still in League Two or have they been relegated? Dreamsicle fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 06:32
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Dreamsicle posted:I think he should have 1 more season even if he wins, but on the whole I agree. I don't know if I want to see him at AFC Wimbeldon or some foreign club with a rich history that's down on its luck. Keeping the same world over to some new club (possibly needing to mod in a 'Scott Brown' with 20's across the board in his stat ratings to simulate) and trying to build up to challenge Wrexham from, say, mid tier Portugal might be fun.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:44
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I'd love to see him as a tribute to the second best FM LP of all time take Pro Vercelli to Serie A greatness.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:44
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the JJ posted:Keeping the same world over to some new club (possibly needing to mod in a 'Scott Brown' with 20's across the board in his stat ratings to simulate) and trying to build up to challenge Wrexham from, say, mid tier Portugal might be fun. Scott Browntron 9000 as the new Wrexham coach would be the best course of option.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:45
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Dreamsicle posted:Scott Browntron 9000 as the new Wrexham coach would be the best course of option. Why stoop to gimmicks when the legacy option is already present? Have Brown Jr. quit the team in order to run a new club and forge his own legacy.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:51
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Why stoop to gimmicks when the legacy option is already present? Have Brown Jr. quit the team in order to run a new club and forge his own legacy. He's not ready brother, let Bailey be the new coach if Browntron isn't acceptable. I might be misreading what you're saying.
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Feb 17, 2015 06:58
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 Well, once again here comes Coach Brown, promising to move the heavens and the earth, and always finds a way to come up just a hair short. You've certainly collected a lot of trinkets and do-dads that a filthy commoner could earn with the tickets from a good 30 minutes of skeeball, but I expect the big trophies to be sitting on MY marble table top and polished nickel accent coffee table in MY exquisite luxury box in the stadium that should be named after ME! Nothing less shall do, Mr. Brown. As for your pitiful blabber about money you and the help don't really deserve... 1: 80m, not a red cent more. That Thiago fella is looking old and lame, let him go to a different pasture and live out the rest of his days on someone else's dime. 2: B, and for an American you sure seem eager to hop into bed with the new red scare, Mr. Brown. It's making me question your loyalty to the great country that made you what you are today, and the country that allows me to pay a smaller tax than the immigrant from the Home Depot who tends to the lawn at my 3rd largest house. I have friends in Washington, Mr. Brown, and they'll be watching your coaching in the next World Cup with great interest if you show yourself to be someone Joe McCarthy would have had his eye on... 3: A, absolutely. I want an rear end every eighteen inches, I want standing room only, I want obstructed views and more than full price for every ticket. As long as my box isn't disturbed in any way, let in the Welsh and let them have some meaning to their miserable lives. 4: If this club is going to be the greatest thing in the history of ever, we should demand these peons pay the greatest price in the history of ever. We shall raise the ticket price 100%. I want two weeks salary for these slack-jawed yokels to even enter my pearly gates and the other two weeks salary before they leave to their hovels. 5: Once again, raise it 100%. If you want to see glory, you better be ready to pay. Or sit around your talking idiot boxes and pretend you count as a human being. By the way, Mr. Brown, concerning our recent match with Tackleford, I like to call their ownership about once a week to remind them of just how dumb they are for letting you go, and how brilliant I am to sign you and let you take your vengeance and anger out on the world. However, I feel that the good people of Tackleford FC haven't been showing me, the wondrous Jeffrey Loria, the respect I demand as of late. When I call, I expect people to pick up before the first ring. Lately, Tackleford has been letting the phone ring two or three times, and when I called on Christmas, those bastards sent me to voicemail! ME! DO THEY NOT KNOW WHO I AM AND WHAT I CAN DO TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES?!? Ahem. Mr. Brown, while I am certain that you don't need encourage from me for this matchup, allow me to give it to you anyway. I want you to obliterate them. I want you to annihilate Tackleford FC. I want you to leave a wake of destruction that can only be talked about in hushed whispers centuries from now. I want the pitch at Wimbledon to be declared no-man's land after the match. I want War Crimes committed. I want this to be an E.L.E.: an Extinction Level Event. Mr. Brown, I am quite certain that you want the head of Tackleford, to be placed at the top of your mantle as the final trophy of your conquest. I am content to give that to you, as long as you give me their soul. Do that, and then we can get back to business. C. Everett Koop fucked around with this message at 07:11 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 07:09
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Dreamsicle posted:He's not ready brother, let Bailey be the new coach if Browntron isn't acceptable. I might be misreading what you're saying. He's not ready to take the reins of Wrexham, but to start from the very bottom and work his way up? I think we could make a case for that.
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Feb 17, 2015 07:37
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Tackleford v Wrexham!  170 million A A Fund our expansion with Chinese money! +15% should take us to a nice 45$ +15%
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Feb 17, 2015 07:47
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Reading hasn't proven sufficient to my needs. I crave a boon: Grant me the reins of the vile crimson stain that besmirches north London, with a mandate (and stats!) to take those bastards down to the nonleague. 180 Million A A +10% +10%
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Feb 17, 2015 09:58
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Question One: Overall budget £130m Question Two: Affiliate club A. Question Three: Stadium Expansion A. We need this steady income. Question Four: Walk-up Ticket Prices +12.5% By what percentage should we raise or lower our average season ticket price? (e.g. -20% or +15%) Remain the same.
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Feb 17, 2015 13:51
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165 million B A +20% +20% Question about the Goon Cup: My only long-term save came from an edited database - is it fine if I use it? The edits weren't too game breaking but they provided a definite advantage. (It was a more European-style MLS that removed the salary cap and all that nonsense.) JamesBCrazy fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 13:52
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£130m A A +10% +0% Rogue0071 fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Feb 17, 2015 |
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Feb 17, 2015 14:24
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125 million A A +0% / -5%
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Feb 17, 2015 14:41
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150 mil A A 14% 10%
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Feb 17, 2015 15:20
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| # ? May 29, 2024 09:27 |
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Is it wrong that I want Tackleford to win this, just so the LP's come full circle? Their win over United shows they're fully capable of giant killing. Who's their manager, habe? [i]The following is found scrawled on the back of a crudely made paper airplane tossed through Coach Brown's window.[/b] "Make it so." 180 mil A A 25% 20%
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Feb 17, 2015 15:34
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