Witton Albion Promoted to the Blue Square Premier

Taking charge of a Witton Albion squad with only one on-loan team member to speak of; I had to build my squad from scratch, and was well prepared for a tough first season in the Blue Square North.

I didn’t expect my free transfer signings to perform miracles, they did though, and despite losing on the last day of the season to a team from near the bottom; I was able to finish the season top, two points clear of Boston United.

I’m half expecting my team to be relegated straight back down again; it’d be nice to be able to stay up though, so hopefully I’ll be guiding Witton to a second season in the Blue Square Premier. If we do stay up then next season will probably be my last, and I’ll probably then look to take charge of a league team again. If I can get Witton promoted next season though then that will change things entirely, and I’ll be looking to remain with the club more long term.

So my football management future is still uncertain, I’d love to achieve great success with Witton though, so hopefully things will work out well for me next season, and I can begin to move up the leagues with the part-time football team that is Witton Albion.

Andrei Arshavin in Football Manager 2009

As is also the case in real life; Andrei Arshavin is a player that is most definitely well worth signing in Football Manager 2009. He can cut it at the top level, and if you’re managing a team that has ambitions of lifting the title/performing well in continental competition; Andrei Arshavin is a player that would be an absolute asset to your squad.

A consistent performer with a powerful ability to chip in with a few goals and many assists; Andrei Arshavin is an absolutely amazing player, and you can guarantee that he’ll always work very hard for you.

You’ll have to splash out somewhere in the region of £14/15 million for Andrei Arshavin, so he’s definitely not a player that can be purchased on the cheap; pay that sort of money for him though and you will be impressed with what he can do for you, and Arshavin will no doubt become a first-team regular for you.

I really rate Andrei Arshavin as a player, and since joining Arsenal in the Premier League; it has been an absolute joy to watch him in action in England. A quality player in real life, Arshavin is equally effective in Football Manager, so definitely do sign him if you’ve got the money to do so as he really will become a hugely effective member of your squad.

Another 40 Point Challenge Failure

Having failed to achieve 40 points in my first season in charge of Hull City; I once again set myself the same challenge for my second season as manager. The season started poorly, and I felt at the time that I was probably going to get relegated. Form picked up as the season progressed though, my players began to play more like a team, and ultimately I finished the season 14th.

Despite finishing the season two places higher than I did the first time round; I still only managed 38 points, and once again failed in my quest for 40 points. As planned, I left the club in the summer, and decided to take charge of Witton Albion, a club that had just achieved promotion to the Blue Square North, and a team that only had one player when I joined; Matt Freeman on loan from Crewe.

25 players were signed in a bid to make Witton Albion a real football team, 23 of which were free transfers, another on loan from Crewe, and 1 player I paid £1,000 for from Southport, Hakeem Araba. I thought he had potential as a player, and would fit in nicely in my quickly constructed team of Blue Square misfits.

Most players I signed had experience in the Blue Square Premier/North/South, a few of them though were ex Football League players that had failed to make the cut at their respective clubs. Not exactly a team of champions, I’m rather pleased with the part-timers that I’ve signed though, and although pre-season was poor as the players got to know one another; the season has started well, and I’m confident of achieving success with Witton Albion.

Who knows; I may even be able to guide Witton to the Blue Square Premier.

Hull City 40 Point Challenge Failure

I’ve started a new game, this time managing Hull City, and my first season aim was to achieve Premiership survival, and secure a minimum of 40 points for my team. Whilst I did indeed avoid relegation; I only managed 38 points, falling just short of the target that I set myself at the beginning of the season.

As I failed in my first season, I’m going to set myself the same challenge again for my second, and hopefully I’ll this time be able to achieve my aim of securing 40 Premier League points.

In my first season I signed Edgar Davids, Celestine Babayaro, Robbie Fowler, and Sebastian Abreu, all on free transfers. Of those four; Abreu was the only player that managed to put in some decent performances, and even he was largely disappointing. Edgar Davids was frankly rubbish, and I was pleased to palm him off to NEC on a free transfer at the end of the season, Robbie Fowler is now a member of my reserves, a place where Abreu may well end up before long also, and as for Babayaro; I released him on a free transfer after 3 substitute appearances, and he now turns out for Luton Town in League Two.

This season I’ve signed Federico Macheda from Manchester United for £1.9 million, Dean Whitehead from Sunderland for £3.5 million, Grant Leadbitter from Sunderland for £4.4 million, Robbie Blake for just under a million from Burnley, and have picked up the Manchester City foursome of Darius Vassell, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Mills, and Glauber, all on free transfers. I’ve also brought in Fabio for the season on loan from Manchester United to provide a bit of cover at the back, and hopefully my team will once again be able to achieve a reasonable number of Premier League points.

I definitely feel that my squad has been strengthened, and whilst players have been sold as well as brought in (Geovanni, Sam Ricketts, and Michael Turner most importantly); I do feel a great sense of optimism for the season ahead, and believe that this year I will achieve my aim of reaching 40 points.

Whether I do or don’t make it to 40 points; I’ll probably be off at the end of the season anyway, and will probably take over a lower level club in the hope of taking them up the league system. Someone from the Blue Square North or South could be pretty interesting, anything of League Two level or lower would be quite fun though, and I always enjoy the thrill of achieving unexpected promotion.

So next season I shall almost certainly be off; this season the focus is 40 points though, and if I can once again drag my Hull team to safety then I’ll be pleased with my achievements as manager. I thought it’d be a reasonable challenge guiding Hull City to safety last season, and it was; I did it though, and I’m now looking to do it all over again. Winning leagues is definitely more fun, but I certainly never shy away from a good old fashioned relegation dogfight.

Time to Face Football Manager Retirement?

No Football Manager career can last forever, and when you’ve taken a team from the Blue Square Premier to the very top of the Premier League; there’s just very little left that you can really accomplish.

I’ve won the UEFA Cup multiple times over, the European Super Cup a number of times also, and having this season been involved in my first ever Champions League tournament; I’ve now won that also. The League Cup, FA Cup, and Community Shield have all been won by my Oxford United team, and I also have the best striker in the world in my squad.

Only two of the players left in my squad are actually real players (Chris Gunter and Denilson), and all the others are system generated. 13 of my first team players are capped at full international level, and there are 4 players capped at England Under-21 level also, 2 of which I believe would have gone on to become full international stars of the future.

My Oxford United squad consists of 22 players, and every season I’ve looked to strengthen my squad, and ultimately accomplished my aim of winning the Premier League with Oxford. It took me 5 seasons in the Premier League to break into the Top 4, and just 6 seasons to win it; in 12 years in charge of Oxford United I’ve taken my team from the top level of the non-league right through to the very top of the Premier League.

When players coming up through the ranks of the youth team were born in August 2008; it’s definitely time to move on, and in the year 2024 I now look to close my career in Football Manager. It’s been a fun 16 years in football management whilst it’s lasted, there’s nothing left to accomplish now though, and this Football Manager career is now officially over.

This career may be over, but Football Manager Blogger is definitely far from finished; it’s only a matter of time before I embark upon another fantastic football management career, and as and when I do so I shall once more be sharing all here.

Junior Stanislas in Football Manager 2009

If you like to sign quality young players in Football Manager, then Junior Stanislas is a midfield option which is definitely well worth considering. Stanislas made his first start for West Ham on April 4th, and even managed to get his name on the scoresheet in a 2-0 victory over Sunderland. In real life he’s currently looking very promising, and in Football Manager also he has fantastic potential as a player.

At the start of the game I’d say that Stanislas would be a decent signing for a Championship/League One level club, as time progresses though then there’s a good chance that he’ll do a quality job for a team in the Premier League.

Stanislas is likely to chip in with a number of goals per season, and over the course of each campaign will (in my experience) average a high 6 rating, usually in the 6.8/6.9 area.

Stanislas will take a few seasons to hit peak form, and will require experience if he’s to progress properly; gradually bring him in the team though, build up his confidence, and you’ll be able to watch as Stanislas grows to become an important member of your squad.

Give Junior Stanislas a place in your squad and one day he might just become an England international.


Photo by Yabush

Oxford Win the Treble

In claiming the Europa League Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup also; I’ve proudly claimed the treble with Oxford United, managing to achieve what I’ll probably never be able to again. Playing Blackburn of the Championship in the FA Cup Final was a bit of a gimme, and beating Chelsea in the Europa League final should have been harder than it was, but although my players didn’t really do a lot in the game; we did manage to score a goal, and that was more than Chelsea ever looked like doing. Winning the League Cup was probably actually the hardest of the three, and that took a tense penalty shoot-out to achieve.

I’m pleased that we won the treble, but I do feel that we did so at the expense of a place in the Champions League next season. 5th place we finished, 3 points behind Tottenham, and 2 ahead of both Stoke and Portsmouth. Portsmouth thumped us 4-2 towards the end of the campaign, and I can’t help but think that if we hadn’t played so many cup games towards the end of the season then maybe we would have won more than 2 of our last 10 league games. Key players had to be rested for league games to be available for cup games, and if we hadn’t done so well in all of the cups then we’d have had more of a team to choose from.

My Oxford team has lacked strength in depth ever since arriving in the Premier League, and although we can beat most teams when all players are available; when important players are missing we tend to falter, and our cover is in most cases inadequate. We need a few more quality players in the squad to increase our options I feel, and in the transfer window I’ll be looking to bring a few new Premier League faces to the squad with the view to finish in the top four next season, hopefully combined with a quality cup run also.

Oxford Win the League Cup Again

For the second season running I’ve been able to win the League Cup, and I’ve once again done so in defeating Manchester City on penalties. Last season we were able to win the cup in seven penalties, this season it went to nine though, and ultimately we won it 8-7.

It’s quite a strange coincidence that we should two times running meet Manchester City at Wembley, what’s even weirder is defeating them both times in a shoot-out though, and I’m pleased that we’ve once again managed to defeat a side that is, in all honesty, a better team than us.

Star player Shaun Goddard was sadly injured in the match, and so too were Adam Kay and Jamie White. None of the injuries look too serious though, and we should have all three players back in the squad within the month.

We’re still in the FA Cup and European Super League also, so perhaps we’ll be able to win the treble this season? We did the double last year, so anything it seems is always possible.

Denilson in Football Manager 2009

Arsenal’s Denilson is a player that I definitely feel is well worth investing in if you’re managing a top level team in Football Manager 2009. Denilson is a quality player, and as he’s only 20 years-old when the game begins, you’re therefore likely to get many years use out of him.

Denilson will chip in with a number of goals, provide some quality assists, and although he may not be the centrepiece of your squad; Denilson is still sure to become a valuable member of your team, and his presence in midfield can never be underestimated.

The great thing about Denilson is that if you sign him early then he won’t cost you tens and millions, and yet you’ll no doubt get just as much out of him as you would out of a player that you paid two or three times as much for. £5 million is probably the sort of cash that you’re going to have to splash out for Denilson, and at that price he’s definitely well worth the money.

Try to sign Denilson as early as possible, and watch as he develops and grows. Buying Denilson in Football Manager 2009 may just turn out to be the best investment you ever made.

Oxford Win the UEFA Europa League

In a repeat of the 1986 Milk Cup final; in the world of Football Manager, Oxford United has once more beaten QPR in a major cup final, and this time it’s a far more important one too, the UEFA Europa League.

We went into the game as favourites, and two goals from Shaun Goddard meant that we were able to win the cup. They were Goddard’s first two goals for the club, and he went on to score again in a 3-0 final day victory over Chelsea at the Kassam. £3.5 million is the price we’ll be paying to bring Goddard back to the club on a permanent basis, and seen as he apparently “has the potential to far exceed Roy Davis’ current level of ability”, and Roy Davis scored 25 goals for the season; I do believe that signing him for that price is an absolute bargain. Man City’s loss is my gain, and the England Under-21 will no doubt be an excellent strike partner for Roy Davis next season.

I think Shaun Goddard may just prove to be my best signing yet, and now can’t wait to see him back in action at the Kassam next season.

The UEFA Europa League Cup has now been added to my Oxford United trophy cabinet, and Oxford United is continuing to make progress in my quest to make Oxford the best football team in England.

A top four finish is now what I’ll be looking to achieve next season, and with the new signings that I’m going to be making then I do believe that a place in the Champions League is definitely possible.

Oxford Win the League Cup

In a tight game at Wembley, we were able to defeat Man City on penalties after a 1-1 draw over the course of 120 minutes. City’s star player was injured in the match, and two of our best performers were injured also; when it came down to it we were able to win the game on penalties though, and therefore guaranteed our place in Europe next season.

7-6 we won it, once more showing our penalty prowess in scoring all seven of our penalties. We’ve won quite a few shoot-outs now, and never in a shoot-out do we ever seem to miss anymore. We’ll miss the occasional penalty within a match, the players seem to thrive under pressure though, and I’m now always very confident when heading into a penalty shoot-out situation. It’s our best chance of beating better opposition, and once again we did so in overcoming impressive league leaders Manchester City.

The FA Cup last season and the League Cup this one; all I’d really like to win now is the Premier League, and then my domestic glory will be complete. I doubt I’ll be able to win the Premier League for some time yet (not unless I quit Oxford to manage a better club), but hopefully someday the Premier League trophy will be lifted by my Oxford United team, and we’ll officially be the best club in England.

James Constable Signs for Oxford

A real world story for you rather than a virtual one; news has been announced today that James Constable has signed a three-year deal with Oxford United. He’s on loan from Shrewsbury Town until the end of the season, but is to join the club on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee in the summer.

Constable has been in brilliant form for Oxford this season, and has become a real fans favourite as a result of the 22 goals that he’s scored for the club so far.

It’s fantastic news for the future of Oxford United Football Club that Constable is to sign for the club, and news that we’ve all been waiting to hear for some time now. James Constable really is a brilliant player, and always he plays with a real passion for the sport.

Here’s to hoping that with the help of James Constable we’ll be heading back to the football league, and if he can score more than 20 goals again next season then he’ll no doubt be remembered by fans of the club for many years to come.

James Constable is one of the very best forward players in the Blue Square Premier right now, and it really is absolutely brilliant news that he’ll be remaining in Oxford for at least another three years.

Wayne Rooney in Football Manager 2009

In my experience, I’ve found that in Football Manager 2009 Wayne Rooney continues to be an important player for both club and country for many years to come. I think it’d probably be very difficult for any club to prize him away from Manchester United, but if he can be convinced to leave then he’d be a very valuable player to have.

Rooney is an incredibly consistent performer, and a 7 rating for the season can always be expected with Wayne Rooney. He’s supremely reliable, incredibly loyal, and it’s really very hard to find fault with the player that also scores a lot of goals.

Wayne Rooney is a brilliant player in real life, but his temperament has often been questioned; he does seem to mellow out in his later years in Football Manager 2009, but whether in real life or in a video game, the fiery nature of Wayne Rooney will never be completely removed. Rooney’s passionate play is his strength, and when you play with such power and determination then bookings are always to be expected.

Wayne Rooney is a player that is well worth investing in, and if you’ve got the money to splash out then I honestly believe that Rooney is one of the best players money can buy.

Photo By: Gordon Flood

League Cup Final for Oxford

We’re not doing very well in the league right now, but we are achieving fantastic success in cup competitions, so at least that’s certainly one thing.

Having defeated QPR in the League Cup Semi-Final, we’ve now got Manchester City to look forward to at Wembley. It wasn’t easy beating QPR, and it took a penalty shoot-out for us to progress after being reduced to ten men, but we’ve done it, and we now have another chance to win at Wembley.

Manchester City is top of the Premier League right now and there’s therefore a good chance that we’ll lose the game, we’ve done well to reach the final though, and I’m just pleased that we’ve been able to get so far.

I can only hope that we start beating teams in the Premier League soon, but right now that just doesn’t seem to be our forte. We’ve been picking up quite a few injuries recently as well and the squad is now looking seriously flimsy; I can see us falling into the bottom three before long, but hopefully our position will be a little more impressive come the end of the season.

I think cup success this season has ultimately been our downfall as we’ve just been playing too many games to handle. We’re now suffering as a result of our success and our squad has been seriously depleted.

My Oxford team just need to weather the storm right now, and hopefully when the team is back to full strength we’ll be able to start winning games in the league again.

Best Young Players in Football Manager 2009

I’ve put together a list at BrightHub.com, comprising of some of the best young players in Football Manager 2009. In every individual game there will be some players that shine and others that don’t; these are players that I’ve seen progress well within the game though, players that have definite potential to perform and become absolute stars of the future.

There are the obvious options such as Lionel Messi, Theo Walcott, and Igor Akinfeev; I’ve also tried to include some players that you might not necessarily think of first though, and hopefully you’ll be able to pick up a few new ideas for some super signings after reading the list.

I’ve named five goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and five strikers, and although I’ll admit that there is a bit of a Premier League player bias (eight of the twenty play their trade in England’s top flight); hopefully the list will be helpful if you’re managing any top level club, not just one from England.

These are my recommendations if you’re managing a top level team, if you’re managing a club from a lower level though then I do have a bit of basic general advice for you. If you can’t afford expensive signings then look to the clubs from the leagues above. Look to their reserve teams, and see if you can bring any of their players in on loan that you believe would improve upon the current quality/strength in depth of your squad. I love managing lower level clubs, and I’ve found throughout the years that this method works wonders.

In addition to loaning players that aren’t the first choices at their respective clubs; at the end of every season, check to see the players that clubs from the leagues above are letting go, and consider signing these players also. Sometimes you’ll sign players this way and they’ll flop, other times though they can turn out to be your star signings, so always keep in mind that just because it hasn’t worked for them elsewhere, it doesn’t mean that they won’t become a valuable member of your squad.

Click here to read my article featuring twenty young players that I consider to be amongst the best that Football Manager 2009 has to offer.

Unbeaten in Europe

I now go into the knockout stage unbeaten in Europe, and of the eight games I’ve played so far; six of them I’ve won, and two of them I’ve drawn, scoring 19 goals and conceding just 5 in the process.

We now have to play Monaco in the 1st Knockout Round, and Monaco has only lost one game so far, and that was against Borussia Dortmund, so I very much doubt that they’ll be an easy team to overcome. Hopefully we’ll be able to remain unbeaten though, and if we can progress into the 2nd Knockout Round then I really will be pleased.

I’m not expecting to win the Europa League, but it would be nice to get as far as possible, and I’m just not ready to leave the tournament yet. Here’s to hoping that we’ll be able to beat Monaco, and that we’ll then be able to defeat whoever we happen to play in the 2nd Knockout Round also. The next round is not going to be easy, but hopefully we will be able to emerge victorious.

Europe Easier Than Expected

Having won my first three Group B games; it has to be said that European football has so far been a lot easier than I’d expected. We beat Panathinaikos 2-0 at the Kassam in the first game, Hibs 3-0 away in the second, and then Werder Bremen 2-1 away in the third. With three games played we’ve already got 9 points on the board, and if we can beat Panathinaikos away in the next game then I think that will really wrap the group up.

So far, so good, and our +6 goal difference really does look very promising going into the last three games of the group. PSV, Stuttgart, and Borussia Dortmund are the only other teams to have won all of their first three Group games in the competition, and although I never would have thought it possible; I think we actually might be one of the best teams in the competition.

Alan Ramsey is our top scorer so far, and already the left-back we signed from Man United in the summer has grabbed three goals in Europe. He’s one of our only players with previous experience in Europe, and although he’s only 22; he’s certainly showing the others how it’s done.

There’s still work to be done if we’re to qualify, we’ve made the best start possible though, and shown that although we’re the new kids on the European block, we’re still a strong side, and one that the other teams definitely ought to fear.

Oxford's First Taste of European Football

Having beaten Russian side Khimki 7-0 on aggregate in the 4th Qualifying Round; we’re now through to the European Super League group stage where we’ve been drawn in Group B along with Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, and Hibernian. Hibs should be pretty easy to take 6 points from; I think the others might be a little more difficult to beat though, particularly Panathinaikos that almost made it through to the Champions League group stage.

I was very pleased with the 7-0 demolition of Khimki, and although we only won 1-0 away; winning 6-0 at home was certainly very pleasing, with five different players scoring, two of which were defenders. It’s quite exciting that we can score goals from all around the park, and it means that even when our strikers aren’t firing; goals are still likely to be scored, and hopefully we won’t be suffering from any serious goal droughts.

Luke Hobbs was one of the players to score against Khimki at the Kassam, and although he’s yet to score in the league this season; I’m hopeful that he’ll have another successful campaign, and get his name on the scoresheet a good few times throughout the season.

Panathinaikos is the first team we face in Group B, and they’ve got to travel to the Kassam to meet us. If it was an away game then I’d probably be feeling slightly nervy, as it’s at home though I feel that we’ve got quite a good chance. Following on from that game we’ve got Hibs away followed by Werder Bremen away though in Europe, and as we’ve never before travelled to Europe I’m unsure as to how we’re going to cope with those two games. Hopefully the players will be able to handle the pressure of playing so far away from home though, and we’ll be able to progress into the first knockout round.

On our day we can beat the best teams in England, so hopefully luck will be on our side when we head into Europe.

Oxford Win the Community Shield

Once again Oxford United has won at Wembley, defeating Newcastle United 2-1 in the Community Shield. Last season’s top scorer Luke Hobbs was the first player to get on the score sheet, and three minutes later Vince Asante added a second. Morgan Schneiderlin clawed one back for Newcastle in the71st minute, it wasn’t enough though, and ultimately it was us that came away with the win.

Newcastle United won the Premier League last season, and it’s therefore very pleasing to beat them; things are looking pretty good for our second season in the Premier League, and we’ve now got a trip to Russia to look forward to in just four days time. FC Khimki is our opponents, and we’ll be bringing them back to the Kassam two weeks later. Hopefully we’ll be able to score an away goal or two, and that will make the home tie a lot less stressful.

It’s nice to have won at Wembley again, and this time we didn’t even need a penalty shoot-out to do it (as was the case in both the FA Cup semi-final and final last season). Hopefully this big win will now help our confidence in Russia, and make sure that we once more coast to victory.

The Plan For My Second Season in the Premier League

Next season my main priority will be Europe, and I’ll also be looking to achieve a top half finish in the Premier League. We almost did it last season, and with an improved team I’ll now look to do even better, and any position above 11th would just be absolutely brilliant. Premier League survival will be what I’ll be looking for at the very least, but I’d love to finish in the top half, and hopefully I’ll be able to do so.

I doubt we’ll win the FA Cup again, we’ll give it a go though, and failing winning the FA Cup, then perhaps we can win the League Cup! I’d love to make European qualification a regular thing, and unless we win a cup then I doubt we’ll qualify for Europe. The chances of winning the European Super League are slim, and a Top 6 finish is also pretty unlikely, so the two cup’s will be pretty important, and we’ll therefore be giving them both our best.

So a top half finish is what we’ll be looking for next season, and success in cup competitions will also be important. It’s going to be a tough season, but it should also be pretty fun, and I now look forward to bettering my final position in the Premier League.