I do sincerely hope the day has treated you well, and since many of you won’t be reading this until morning, that you enjoyed a restful nights sleep. I’ve gathered you all here to discuss a very important issue I’ve encountered with Afan Lido. That is to say, the Welsh league is starting to make me feel…

I’ve come to a realization; one simple fact that simply cannot be ignored for any duration of time – Wales sucks. Not the people per say (in fact they seem quite friendly), but as a football league, they just can’t be helped. Not by me, not by Excessive magic, and not even by Sir Alex *censored* Ferguson. It saddens me to say it really, I genuinely enjoy playing as Afan Lido (it’s an awesome name, who wouldn’t enjoy it?), but there are a few unavoidable hiccups:

1) It would take somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-40 years to achieve any kind of European glory with a Welsh team (example: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/lower-league-managers/66662-theyll-dancing-streets-tns-tonight.html). That guy took it 17 seasons before emo-quitting out of frustration (who could blame him), and that was starting with the best team in Wales.

2) I’m concerned that by about the 7th or 8th season, you lot would start to look awful bored of watching me destroy the domestic league and become Belly Flop Champion (it’s a real thing) of Europe.

(From Front to Back: Darren, Excessive, Johnny)

3) I’m concerned that after 10-11 seasons, I would start to look awfully…

(Crazy)

4) I’m concerned that by the time I finally won the Champion’s League with Afan Lido, I’d look out my window to find….

(Oh geez, I don’t have any gas sir, I swear I don’t…well, at least not the usable kind)

So of course that begs the question: How are you doing in Wales now? Or it’s more sinister twin: You just want to quit because you suck, don’t you? Neither would be entirely out of line…

Not too shabby with only 11 games to play, and we look to be entirely in control of our own destiny (which of course is to win the Welsh Premier League, and venture forth to our Champion’s League doom!).

So what to do in this most unfortunate of situations…well I’ve done us all a favor (or not?) and compiled a little video of me rambling aimlessly for roughly seven and a half minutes…enjoy!

Thoughts on the Future

Assuming you’ve watched the video (you didn’t, did you?), you should now have a rudimentary idea of what’s going on inside my head…

Okay okay, let’s be serious for a moment. As promised, here are the leagues I’m looking into (in no particular order, at least not really):

- Portugal: We need an honest Portuguese story (sorry Alex) to revive the poor Iberian stepchild.  They seem to languish and fade away in most FM saves that I’ve seen, and that’s just not okay (Ana may or may not have dibs with her Pentagon challenge).

-Netherlands: You don’t see too many stories here, and they’re just good (or bad) enough to make a splash in Europe on a fairly regular basis (same thing with Ana here).

-Belarus: Have you ever seen a story there? Yeah, me either. I’m considering this nation solely so I can shout “GOOD MOOOOOOOORRRRRRRNNNIIINN BELARUSSIA” at the beginning of every post.

-Romania: Similar to Belarus, except I haven’t thought of a cool catch phrase for it just yet (I’m putting the Rome back in Romania?).

-Switzerland: So I can beat Young Boys with Grasshopper (oh gawd, the implications).

-China: Whoa, Asia! It would be the coolest thing ever if I could turn China into one of the dominant footballing forces in the world (do the Asian clubs have reputation boosting?), but I also hear they have good tea (and dragons, you can never have too many dragons).

So there we have it friends, this where I stand. I’d love your thoughts, comments, suggestions, concerns, bitter hatred, or anything else. Perhaps maybe, just maybe, third times the charm?

P.S. – I might start doing updates in the vein of this post, I think it’s kinda fun, no?

© www.footballmanagerstory.com

Fair Warning to all – This is going to be the point in the story where we start to see some deviation from pure game updates, and I’ll be delving a little deeper into who my manager is as a person and his attitudes on life. As a result, there may (as in will) be some foul language occasionally used, and I apologize if you’re offended by such things (this is in the name of art). I promise it’ll be kept to a minimum, but I didn’t want any surprises along the way. Thanks for reading all!

June 6th, 2012

Fred,

Today is the 68th anniversary of D-Day. My grandfather’s brother (my granduncle?) died during that invasion, and even though I was never fortunate enough to know the man (my grandfather speak fondly of his huge heart and endless wit), I’m always sure to raise a toast to his memory. I can’t sulk for too long though, the damn chairman is expecting me to win the league this year…no pressure or anything.

June 11th,

Fred,

Spent some time observing the youth squad today…what a joke. I see flashes of talent in a few of the kids, but by and large hardly any of them have a future in professional football. I’ll hand my cut list off later in the week; I’m going to be killing a lot of dreams.

June 12th,

Fred,

Finally managed to convince someone to sign for us! Sweet jeebus it’s been a right pain in my ass trying to find talented players who share my vision of Welsh glory (in fairness, it probably sounds like I’m a raving lunatic), but I convinced this youngster to leave Scotland:

I’m just tickled to have sniped him out from under Rob Roy (that’s the name of an actual football team, believe it or not), and I can see him featuring in our midfield for the next decade (assuming I can convince him to stay that long of course).

June 14th,

Fred,

Had another doctors appointment today, and they seem reasonably satisfied with my progress. They’ve scheduled me for another surgery next month, and I told them as long as it didn’t interfere with our Europa games, that I wouldn’t mind when it happened. Truthfully they didn’t seem too concerned about my commitments, and offered no promises.

In somewhat better news, I managed to bring in two additional players this week:

Another Shane, he’s a fair bit more talented than last years keeper (Daniel East will now be my backup), and has quite a bit of potential. I need to work on his composure a bit, but I can see a bright future for him.

What a leftback! Another young gun, I’m genuinely excited about Campbell’s potential, and I’ll be expecting some solid performances from him this season.

June 19th,

Fred,

Europa league draws are tomorrow, and there are some pretty incredible teams in the mixing pot. I’m really hoping that we’ll score a softer team and not end up against a Bundesliga castoff. The board has no expectations for me, and they’re just interested in selling out for the home draw. Meanwhile, I managed to bring in one more player:

Not bad for an Irishman (I jest, I jest)! Just like every other kid I bring in, I have high hopes for Danny and his abilities should transition well to this league. His concentration is poor, but he makes up for it with excellent fitness and technical abilities.

June 20th,

Fred,

We were drawn against MSK Zilina from Slovakia. The media has given us a preliminary 21.00 chance against their 1.40, but I’d rate us a bit better. I’ve had a look over their squad report, and I think we match up quite well against them. You heard it from me first: Zilina is going down!

June 24th,

Fred,

Dammit, dammit, dammit! Those bloody doctors have scheduled my surgery for two days before our first leg match against Zilina! I’ve pleaded with them to change it, but they insist it needs to be done before the bones set incorrectly. That damn plane crash has already ruined one career of mine, it better damn well not ruin another!

June 30th,

Fred,

I’m still pretty blinking mad about that surgery schedule, but it can’t be helped. My problems are irrelevant, and I have a club to run. We’re shaping up well for the coming season, and I believe most of the pieces are in place. Our midfield is looking excellent, and I managed to bring in a promising rightback:

Not bad eh? He’s experienced, and has excellent physical skills that should come in handy in this rather physical league. He’s technically lacking, but sheer brute force should serve him well, and he won’t be quitting on us halfway through a match.

July 4th,

Fred,

Independence Day back home, but nobody here seems to care much about that. I think I’ll try to track down some firecrackers and have myself a little bit of fun tonight. Even better, I’ll give everyone the day off…let’s all have a pint and enjoy the sunshine…scratch that, it’s raining. Oh well, we can still have the pint!

July 6th,

Fred,

England watchers should be happy:

Meanwhile…

Ungrateful jerks. Their team finished league runners up and secured a Europa league spot in their first year back in the Welsh Premier League (bearing in mind that we were heavily favored to be relegated), and not a one of them told a friend about it? Those loyal thirty will be remembered and treated well over the coming years…

July 11th,

Fred,

I believe I’ve managed to bring in the last pieces of our squad puzzle. Our striking department needed a major upgrade, and these two fine fellows agreed to join us:

I’ve nicknamed them the “Welsh Wonder” and “Irish Red” respectively, and this pair should strike terror in the hearts of defenders everywhere!

July 16th,

Fred,

It’s my birthday! So what’s my reward? I go under the knife in 6 hours…joy.

July 19th,

Fred,

Hahahaha! First leg of our Zilina draw today, and you bet your ass I was there! The doctors threw a fit, something about me being only in fair condition and risk of infection or some mumbo jumbo, but there was no way I was going to miss my lads play their first European game. My presence seemed to work wonders for their morale, and I stayed on the touchline (wheelchair and all) to proudly watch them boss the hell out of the Slovakians:

To be fair, the Slovaks played a solid game, but we ended up being too strong for them to overcome. We have them away next though, and I don’t expect them to roll over in front of a home crowd…

July 27th,

Fred,

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Zilina, Slovakia as we ready ourselves for the trip back home. So how did we fair? Check it out:

It’s simply unbelievable. We had been completely written off by the media and went on to dominate both the home and away legs. We were even more impressive here in Zilina than we were back home in Port Talbot. Only an injury time goal (that we quite frankly let them have) saved them from total humiliation. I do feel badly for their manager though, he was supposed to walk all over us and his boardroom can’t be very pleased with him at the moment (not to mention the fans, losing to an unheralded Welsh team? Unforgivable!). Oh well, such are the risks of the footballing life.

July 30th,

Fred,

Next draw came in, we’re up against Slovenian side Gorica. This fixture is going to be a lot tougher, but we’ll have to do our best. I’ve also received word from the doctors regarding my prosthetic, and it should be ready sometime next week. It’s going to feel pretty strange having two legs again, and they’ve warned me that it’ll take at least a year of rehab to get completely comfortable with it (whatever, anything will beat using a damn crutch all the time).

Thanks for reading all, and I apologize for the length. I went ahead and made you all a video (you know, to take the edge off) for your viewing enjoyment. Another disclaimer: I got pretty excited/emotional midway through and may or may not have said a naughty word – I’m sorry.

Afan Lido vs Port Talbot Town

Ta ta for now!

© www.footballmanagerstory.com

Dear Fred,

Sorry I haven’t written in you in so long (okay, that sounds naughty). It’s been a helluva season, and I’ve spent so much time with the squad and my assistants that I simply haven’t had time enough to myself to even think. Fortunately I have assistants who can do some of my thinking for me, and they’ve ensured that I’ve maintained a healthy level of hygiene and remained well caffeinated.

So how did this season go? Best way I could describe it would be a very roller coaster year (did I mention I hate coasters?), with some pretty substantial highs and lows. Our preseason friendlies went well, and we managed to hold our own (and win) all of our warmup fixtures. The squad was already showing signs of gelling at this early stage, and I was optimistic about our chances in the league. “Was” being the keyword in the last sentence, we weren’t able to maintain our friendly form in the slightest.

We kicked things off with an awe-inspiring 1-4 defeat at the hands of Aberystwyth (or the team with no vowels, as I like to call them), and followed it up with two lame duck draws against Airbus and Neath. 0-2-1 was not exactly how’d I’d envisioned our season starting, and by October 3rd we were 1-2-4 with 5 points and sitting dead last in the league. Not okay!

I pulled the lads into the locker room following our 1-2 defeat against Haverfordwest, and we had a bit of a chat (in other words I scared them half to death). Whatever I said (play or go home) seemed to work, and we responded in our very next game by reversing the score against Haverfordwest in the League Cup first round. This kicked us off into a fantastic series of results:

Not too shabby if I say so myself! This run of results has left us with an outside chance of challenging for the title. Unfortunately The New Saints have been damn near unbeatable this year, and are absolutely dominating their way through the league. Not to be swayed though, I led the lads onward!

We continued our good form, but we were drawing way too many of our games:

We managed to keep the pressure on TNS for a good long while, but they finally secured the title with a game to spare. I was a little frustrated, and if a few of those draws had been wins, the title would have been ours. None the less, I was extremely proud that we managed to finish runner up in my first season with the club!

We had a spot in the Europa Leauge (2nd Qualifying round)! This would only be the clubs second ever European berth, and I sincerely hope we’re able to at least win our first round tie. There were more important things afoot however, as we’d played ourselves into both the League Cup and Welsh FA Cup finals! First up was the League Cup final against Carmarthen town.

The first half was as lopsided a game as there could be, and we utterly dominated both possession and shots when the halftime whistle blew:

We went on to win that game with a convincing 3-0 final (we did give up a few shots before the bell tolled), and Afan Lido’s first League Cup win since 1994!

That, my friend, is how we do that. I was incredibly proud of the lads, and thrilled that we wouldn’t be going home empty handed this season. Admittedly it’s a pretty insignificant achievement, but a trophy is a trophy no matter how small!

Next up was our Welsh Cup final against league winners TNS. I hardly optimistic heading into this game, and we’d only managed to beat them once all year (drawing or losing all the others obviously), and they’d been in very fine form in the waning weeks of the league.

Heart breaking! The stats suggest we outplayed TNS, but in reality it was a pretty equal affair. Ultimately we just couldn’t overcome their quality, and they finally made us pay in the 70th minute. It was a great effort from the lads, but we just didn’t quite have it in the end. Regardless, we had reason to walk away with our heads held high, and we finished deserved runners up in both league and cup! Apparently the rest of the league was equally impressed, as I received this little certificate in the post:

Damn right I was! This squad had 2000.00 odds to win this league, and we finished runners-up, I’d say that’s pretty damn fine work myself. In fairness though, it wasn’t just me (or even the majority me), and the squad and assistants were simply stellar all season long. These kids have dump truck full of heart, and I have to give them a deserved credit for pouring their heart and souls out onto the pitch each and every game.

It was a great year, and I’m genuinely excited to begin our off-season, and gear up for what I hope is a compelling season! Now if I could only remember where I put my damn Coke…

Sorry folks, this one isn’t up to my usual standard, but I just wanted to give a brief rundown of our “make-up” season. Needless to say it was significantly more successful than the first time around, and next season should be infinitely more interesting!

© www.footballmanagerstory.com

The month of April started with a fairly easy game at mid-table Blackburn, my Brazilian duo did some damage again and we won the game quite comfortably although Blackburn did score a consolation goal.

That was just a warm-up for a much more important game, the first leg of the Europa League quarter final against Spanish side Zaragoza, let’s see how that went.

Zaragoza vs Vauxhall (Europa League Qtr Final Leg 1)

Venue: La Romareda

Attendance: 28,731

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis – Julian Marino, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Javier Godoy – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Ibrahima MBow – Parana, Wellington Paulista

Team Talk: You can win today!

Zaragoza were not an easy team to play against, they had knocked out AS Roma earlier in the competition and they had a leader in midfield: Colombian international Freddy Guarin. As you know Zé Carlos and Julian Bazzi were ineligible for the Europa League, it wasn’t a big problem to replace Bazzi but Ze Carlos surely appeared to be a big loss. Anyway, we got off to a bright start and we could have taken the lead after just four minutes when Ibrahima MBow rattled the crossbar. Ten minutes later it was Zaragoza who took the lead, they beat the offside trap through clever play and their lone striker didn’t miss. The game was quite entertaining, both sides were attacking and the two goalkeepers did well to preserve the score in the following minutes. I was quite pleased with my team though, the lads were pushing forward and the reward did come on 38 minutes when a deflected cross from Wellington Paulista fell to Mark Brown in the middle of the penalty area and our midfielder made no mistake from there. The goal gave us some momentum and fortunately we managed to capitalize on that on the stroke of half time when a free kick cross from Brown was headed home by Leandro Velasco!

Half time score: 1-2

Half time team talk: Pleased

Half time substitutions: Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco

I had to replace Velasco at half time since he was quite tired but El Shaarawy didn’t live up to my expectations, he lost possession a few times right away as Zaragoza were looking quite determined and the home side managed to level the game on 57 minutes following a fine attacking move. I made two substitutions right after the goal, Grant Baddeley for Godoy and Shyamdew Weibolt for Vecera, and things started to improve immediately. We regained control in midfield and we didn’t have to wait too much for a result: on 67 minutes parried a shot from Wellington Paulista, Mark Brown pounced on the rebound and scored his second goal of the evening! That goal boosted our confidence, we continued to push forward and added further insurance five minutes from time when Parana slid home a good low cross from MBow. We won 4-2 away from home and that pretty much secured our place into the final, I was sure that Zaragoza were not going to be able to beat us 3-0 at Rivacre Park!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Mark Brown

Flop of the match: Stephan El Shaarawy

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

I chose to field a weakened squad against Zaragoza in the second leg and that proved to be a wise choice, the game was all over after just 17 minutes as we scored no less than five goals during that interval! Wellington Paulista netted his first hat-trick for the club while left back Nikao managed to score his first ever goal for The Motormen, it was a great evening for our fans. Then we took on relegation candidates Blackpool in the Premier League, it wasn’t an easy game but left winger Andrew Surman led us to victory with a fine brace. Our winning streak continued against already relegated Millwall, we only managed a narrow win but it was easier than it looks since we led 3-1 until injury time. And there were quite a few minutes of injury time since two of my players had to leave the pitch because of knocks: Shyamdew Weibolt was going to be out for 6 weeks and Andrew Driver for 3 months, the season was over for both of them. A confident display against Ipswich extended our winning streak in the Premier League to seven games but that was the last of the “easy” matches we had. I guess you are wondering where we were in the league table at that point, aren’t you? Be patient, that information will be coming to you later on…

First we have to find out about the Europa League semi final, a major event for the club. As I expected Juventus demolished Olympiakos so we were going to meet the Italian giants in the last four while the other semi final saw German favorites Dortmund taking on Ukrainian side Dnipro.

Our schedule fr the last few weeks of the season became a very difficult one, we had the two legs against Juventus and the Premier League battles against Champions League rivals Aston Villa and Arsenal…

First things first, let’s see what happened during our trip to the Italian peninsula…

Juventus vs Vauxhall (Europa League Semi Final Leg 1)

Venue: Delle Alpi

Attendance: 43,243

Starting line up: Jack Butland – Julian Marino, Javier Godoy, Louis Laing, Nikao – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Ibrahima MBow – Wellington Paulista, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

Juventus seemed to be a much tougher opponent than any of the teams that we had met up to that point in the competition, their squad was filled with world class players from the likes of Darijo Srna in defense to Sebastian Giovinco or Yaya Sanogo upfront. Before moving on to the actual game, I have a mention to make about our goalkeeper. You all know that Dean Bouzanis was my first choice between the sticks throughout the season but now you notice that I chose to send in Butland in such an important game! Why? As I told you I sent in some backups in the second leg against Zaragoza, including Butland, and the goalie pulled off an amazing display to keep a clean sheet. Then I decided to give him another chance against Blackpool and he did very well again so he played in the next two league games as well and did a very good job.

On to the game now… We started very well, Juventus were surely not expecting that, and Louis Laing hit the crossbar on a corner kick after just two minutes! Eight minutes later it was Juventus‘ turn to come close but they were denied by a good save from Jack Butland. We were dominating the game though and the reward came on 23 minutes when Wellington Paulista made a lovely move and finished it off with a perfect shot into the bottom corner of the net! I was expecting a fierce reply from Juventus but that didn’t happen, we kept things fairly quiet until half time.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Elias Kost for Brown

That reaction from Juventus did come after the break, we found ourselves under pressure right away and Butland pulled off another great save on 52 minutes before being saved by the post a minute later. We managed to break the siege on 55 minutes though, right back Julian Marino made a good interception in midfield and quickly passed the ball forward, Wellington Paulista picked it up, skipped past a defender and powered it into the roof of the net from the edge of the area! I made the remaining two substitutions after the goal, Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco and Andrew Surman for Parana with MBow moved up as a striker. Juventus were in control, they were dominating but there were no clear chances until 15 minutes from time when they pulled one back on a corner kick with the help of some particularly poor defending from our part. The goal gave Juventus some confidence and they started pouring forward, we were under loads of pressure. We managed to hang in there though, Jack Butland made another great save 10 minutes from time and we won the game 2-1. Unfortunately Ibrahima MBow picked up a second yellow card five minutes from time for a needless foul in midfield. The result was good but we were not sure of the qualification yet, Juventus proved that they are a great team and I felt that they were more than capable of beating us 2-0 anytime, anywhere.

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Wellington Paulista

Flop of the match: Mark Brown

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

Now let’s get back to the Premier League, as promised. You already know that we were on a nice seven-game winning streak, now let’s find out where we were in the table. Well, I can tell you that we were in third place with three games to play, not a big surprise there, but the shocking fact is that we were in with a chance for… the title! Chelsea and Manchester City had dropped a few points so we were just two points off the top with three games remaining!

However, our advantage over fifth placed Manchester United was still at three points, we still were not sure of qualifying for the Champions League. Aston Villa were out of the top four race, I was hoping to capitalize on their poor form of late and grab another three points.

Vauxhall vs Aston Villa (Premier League)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,266 (sold out)

Starting line up: Jack Butland – Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Mervin Simon, Grant Baddeley – Leandro Velasco, Mark Brown, Kwabena Quartey, Andrew Surman – Parana, Zé Carlos

Team Talk: You can win today!

Unfortunately we got off to a nightmare start, Aston Villa took the lead after just three minutes with a surprising shot. Then my team did what it was supposed to do, we dominated the game until half time but we were not very productive as we only managed two shots on target despite having 70% ball possession.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: Sympathise.

Half time substitutions: Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco, Elias Kost for Brown, Kai Kramer for Surman

Our Champions League qualification dream was in danger so the lads came out with even more determination from the dressing room, we were pushing forward but the equalizer was still eluding us. Somebody had to do something and that man was Zé Carlos, he pulled us level with a fantastic strike from the edge of the area and we had 23 more minutes to find the winning goal. Parana missed a glorious chance 10 minutes from time as he fired wide from seven yards and Aston Villa seemed to be able to hold out for a draw as the game entered injury time. We had one last chance two minutes into stoppage time, Grant Baddeley sent in a cross, it was deflected but it went to Zé Carlos who cushioned it with a nice touch and then fired home! The game was not over yet though, Aston Villa managed to create a last-gasp chance but they were denied by a stunning save from Jack Butland!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Zé Carlos

Flop of the match: Andrew Surman

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

No changes in the league table, we were still two points off the top and three points clear of Manchester United…

We had to forget all about the league at least for a few days though, mighty Juventus were coming at Rivacre Park and their intentions were clear: punish us for the first leg!

Vauxhall vs Juventus (Europa League Semi Final Leg 2)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,266 (sold out)

Starting line up: Jack Butland – Kwabena Quartey, Javier Godoy, Louis Laing, Nikao – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Andrew Surman – Wellington Paulista, Pavol Vesely

Team Talk: Encourage.

I fielded the best and fittest 11 players that I had available except one: striker Parana. He was in danger of being suspended if he would have picked up another yellow card and since he had the bad habit of diving quite often (and getting caught quite often too) I chose to leave him on the bench and send in Vesely instead. Juventus wasted no time in showing that they meant business, they put us under pressure from the very first second of the game and they only needed six minutes to take the lead. The visitors needed just one more goal to qualify at that point but my lads woke up just in time, took control of the game but didn’t create any chances in the following minutes. Juventus came close to bagging that second goal on 20 minutes when a cracking shot from distance hit the crossbar and then they had another good chance on a counter attack but Jack Butland did a great job to save us there. We needed to score a goal and ease some of the pressure but the strikers were unable to link up like they usually do. But when the strikers can’t do it the centre backs can: Louis Laing headed on a a corner kick cross into the six yard box and Javier Godoy beat the keeper with a diving header! The goal gave the lads more confidence and we could have scored a second just before the break but Juventus goalkeeper Steve Mandanda made an awesome double save on Pavol Vesely.

Half time score: 1-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Mervin Simon for Godoy, Elias Kost for Vecera

I had to make two substitutions at half time because of fatigue but Juventus‘ players didn’t look much fresher either, the game was pretty much under our control until the last 20 minutes. Juventus didn’t seem capable of doing the damage but we still had to be careful. Our fears were long gone 17 minutes from time though, midfielder Mark Brown curled in a superb free kick shot from 25 yards out and we were comfortably leading 2-1! I changed the strategy to counter immediately after the goal and the last minutes of the game were pleasantly quiet, Juventus didn’t even see much of the ball before the final whistle. Jack Butland was the man of the match, he had a tremendous first half and things could have gone a lot differently without his saves before the break.

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Jack Butland

Flop of the match: Pavol Vesely

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

We were through to the final and we were going to meet Dortmund, as expected. The Germans brushed aside Dnipro and they were the favorites to lift the trophy.

We had a very important league game before the big final though, we had to get three points at Arsenal if we wanted to keep the title hopes alive!

Arsenal vs Vauxhall (Premier League)

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Attendance: 57,802

Starting line up: Jack Butland – Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Louis Laing, Javier Godoy – Leandro Velasco, Mark Brown, Kwabena Quartey, Andrew Surman – Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

Unfortunately midfielder Radek Vecera had picked up a slight injury in training before the game so I had to send in Quartey as a midfielder but the good news was that Graham Howson was back in training and I was able to give him a seat on the bench. The first half was fairly even but rather boring to be honest, the two teams canceled each other out and the crowd had little to cheer about. Things could have gone our way a minute before the break though, Parana unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the area but it rattled the crossbar before being cleared out of danger.

Half time score: 0-0

Half time team talk: You can win today!

Half time substitutions: Nikao for Godoy, Graham Howson for Velasco, Ibrahima MBow for Surman

We looked a bit better after the break but there still weren’t any clear chances, the game was heading toward a goalless ending. We received some help 22 minutes from time when Menez picked up a second yellow card and left Arsenal with only 10 men but we were worse off after that, the Gunners parked the bus and secured the draw.

Full time team talk: Sympathise.

Man of the match: Julian Bazzi

Flop of the match: Parana

Match Stats

Our title dream was over, Chelsea were four points ahead of us before the last game of the season. That last game was totally unimportant at that point as both Manchester United and Tottenham were three points behind us but with a considerably worse goal difference, we were 99% sure of finishing the season in third place.

So we had nothing else to worry about than the big Europa League final against Dortmund! I will try to re-create what I felt during the game, I took some notes of the important events in the game and my reactions to them, I hope you will enjoy the next page!

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The first two games of February were considered to be easier league battles but unfortunately we only managed to get four points out of them. We were quite unlucky against Wolves as we had no less than three goals disallowed and several squandered chances but we did well to recover against West Brom by scoring four goals. Ibrahima MBow was still scoring on a regular basis and I was quite pleased with that since our two Brazilian strikers had another month to spend away from the pitch.

Those were just warm-up games compared to what was ahead of us, we had to meet title holders Tottenham before the Europa League double against Dynamo Kyiv and then we had another tough encounter with Chelsea. Let’s go through those games one by one.

Vauxhall vs Tottenham (Premier League)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,266 (sold out)

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis – Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Mervin Simon, Javier Godoy – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Andrew Surman – Wellington Paulista, Ibrahima MBow

Team Talk: You can win today!

Tottenham were still in with a good chance to defend their title as they were in 3rd place before the game and not far off the top spot. We were in 4th place though and only one point behind the Spurs, an upset would have pushed us up into the podium! Our first half display surely showed that my lads were fully capable of pulling it off, we dominated for more than half an hour but there were no clear chances for us to be honest. On the other hand the Spurs squandered a pretty good one on a counter attack but then we went on to hit the crossbar twice just before half time!

Half time score: 0-0

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Mark Brown for Vecera, Stephan El Shaarawy for Surman

The Spurs looked a bit more determined to attack after the break but we were still pretty much in control as our opponents were unable to fire a single shot on target until the hour mark. We didn’t show much in attack either, the second half was a lot more quiet but the Spurs could have won the game on a late chance but their shooting continued to be wasteful until the very end. It was a good result overall but we could have gotten more out of the game if we would have scored in the first half.

Full time team talk: Good result!

Man of the match: Julian Marino

Flop of the match: Stephan El Shaarawy

Match Stats

Dynamo Kyiv vs Vauxhall (Europa League 1st Rnd leg 1)

Venue: Valery Lobanovs’kyi Stadium Dinamo

Attendance: 12,397

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis – Kwabena Quartey, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Grant Baddeley – Leandro Velasco, Mark Brown, Graham Howson, Andrew Surman – Wellington Paulista, Ibrahima MBow

Team Talk: You can win today!

The trip to snowy Kyiv was expected to be a pretty tough one since Dynamo were having quite a few very good players in their squad including former Chelsea midfielder Ramires. The first five minutes of the game were totally crazy as the home side took the lead on 2 minutes courtesy of a great volley and then we restored parity on 4 minutes when Leandro Velasco pushed home on the rebound after Ibrahima MBow‘s initial shot had been parried by the goalkeeper. Then we took control of the game, dominated through very good possession, but it was Dynamo who scored again two minutes before the break when their striker breezed past Louis Laing before firing home. I was pleased with our display though, the result was unjust.

Half time score: 2-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Shyamdew Weibolt for Howson, Kai Kramer for Surman

We continued to dominate after the break but we were unable to create chances, the Ukrainian defense was looking quite solid. We did deserve an equalizer though and we finally found it on 67 minutes after a pretty good team move: substitute Shyamdew Weibolt ran with the ball on the right flank before floating at the far post where Pavol Vesely touched it first time back into the middle of the area from where Leandro Velasco powered home for his second goal of the evening. We grabbed a good 2-2 away draw and we were the favourites to qualify at that point.

Full time team talk: Good result!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Louis Laing

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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The two goals that we scored in Kyiv were added to an already impressive tally and we were announced that we had just broken a record that was held by mighty Real Madrid!

Record or no record, we still had to face a tricky second leg against Dynamo Kyiv, we had to secure a low-scoring draw or a win to push through.

Vauxhall vs Dynamo Kyiv (Europa League 1st Rnd leg 2)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,166

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis – Julian Marino, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Javier Godoy – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Andrew Surman – Wellington Paulista, Ibrahima MBow

Team Talk: Encourage.

This time we got off to a very good start and we could have taken the lead after just 10 minutes but the Ukrainian goalie pulled off a great save to keep it goalless. We were piling on the pressure and the reward finally came on 19 minutes when Mervin Simon headed on a free kick cross for Louis Laing who found the back of the net with a sliding finish. Dynamo needed to score twice at that point but we were still dominating the game. They did find a goal however, it was a good flowing move but I was a bit frustrated since it came totally against the run of play. My lads were not too affected by it though, we continued to push forward but the second goal eluded us until half time. We were forced to make a substitution four minutes before the break, midfielder Graham Howson left the field on a stretcher and Mark Brown took his place.

Half time score: 1-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Grant Baddeley for Godoy, Andrew Driver for Surman

The second half saw an even better spell of dominance from my players, I don’t think they could have played any better. We managed to send in quite a few shots on target as well while Dynamo were not seeing much of the ball. Our poor finishing could have cost us dearly 10 minutes from time when Ramires fired a wild shot from distance that went past Dean Bouzanis but thundered off the crossbar! That was a close shave but it would have been totally frustrating to lose the qualification like that. We did have reasons to be sad after the game though, Graham Howson‘s injury was serious and we had to do without our best central midfielder for between two and three months…

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Andrew Surman

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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Paris Saint-Germain won their tie against Rubin Kazan quite easily so we were going to travel to the French capital for the next round.

Until then, back to the league where we were meeting 2nd placed title contenders Chelsea in the last game of the month.

Chelsea vs Vauxhall (Premier League)

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Attendance: 40,444

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis – Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Mervin Simon, Javier Godoy – Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Shyamdew Weibolt, Andrew Surman – Wellington Paulista, Pavol Vesely

Team Talk: You can win today!

Chelsea had beaten us 4-3 in December at the end of a thrilling match and I was expecting an equally entertaining display at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately we were not playing as well as we did in December, Chelsea were outplaying us but we managed to hang in there for a while. We had another injury, I was getting used to that, Wellington Paulista was stretchered off and Ibrahima MBow came in to replace him. Chelsea were not creating chances despite dominating the game but they broke the deadlock on a corner kick and then made it 2-0 on a fine shot from Marek Hamsik 10 minutes later. We had a very poor first half, something had to change!

Half time score: 2-0

Half time team talk: Disappointing!

Half time substitutions: Kwabena Quartey for Marino, Mark Brown for Vecera

The second half was a bit better from our part, we did show a bit of football but Chelsea kept things under control without breaking too much sweat. Our seven-game unbeaten run came to an end but I was relieved to find out that Wellington Paulista‘s injury was not very serious, he was going to be out for only a week.

Full time team talk: Sympathise.

Man of the match: Mervin Simon

Flop of the match: Mark Brown

Match Stats

Video Highlights

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We only managed one win in four league games in February and our position suffered as a result, we were down in 6th place at the end of the month but we were virtually 7th since Aston Villa had a game in hand. The table was quite tight though, I was expecting a fierce battle for the first four places. As you can notice Manchester City had secured an Europa League spot as they won the Carling Cup by beating Liverpool 2-0 in the final.

The top five at the end of February shows something a lot more important than the ratings and the goals: Parana and Zé Carlos were close to a return to full fitness!

March was expected to be quite demanding for our group of players since we were starting with a crunch FA Cup match at White Hart Lane before taking on Manchester United at home and then preparing for the Europa League clash with PSG.

Well, I already know what happened in March and I can tell you that there were quite a few spectacular matches in there and also a few surprising results! Read all about them in the next page!

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