Football Manager 2013 Review

Every year I buy the latest football management game from Sports Interactive, and never yet has the series failed to impress me.

When I discovered this year that if you pre-ordered the game you could get access to it as much as 2 weeks earlier than its scheduled release, I was straight to it in pre-ordering the game, and sure enough received access to the title a whopping 15 days before schedule.

The first thing I noticed about the game was that things had been moved around quite a bit. Having clocked up over 2000 hours on Football Manager 2012, I was definitely very used to the old layout, and the big change would therefore take some getting used to. After less than a week of playing the game though, the new interface now feels as natural as ever and it no longer even strikes me as being different anymore; the game is as comfortable and easy to navigate as ever, it just requires a little extra perseverance in the first few days of playing the game whilst you fumble around the new system like a young lad looking to undo a bra strap for the first time.

So how does the game compare to previous entries in the Football Manager series then? Well, truth be told, it's the best Football Manager yet! Press conferences are now more advanced than ever before, the 3D matchday engine of the game has been improved, and for those of you that don't have masses of time as your disposal, there's now a classic mode which enables you to get seasons completed much more quickly as you delegate certain roles and tasks to your backroom staff for a less hands on approach to Football Manager. There's more of an emphasis on the matchday tasks, less focus on controlling other aspects of the club which some people may find to be a little mundane (personally I love the hands on experience that you get with Football Manager, and very much enjoy controlling all areas of the squad, for those with less time/different priorities however the new Classic Mode is definitely a good idea and will no doubt be a much appreciated fresh new feature for the game).

I was hoping that with Football Manager 2013, Sports Interactive would perhaps seek to go a little further down the English football pyramid and offer us the chance to manage clubs below the Conference North/South level, unfortunately this wasn't to be this year however, although perhaps it's something that they'll consider implementing in the future.

Football Manager 2013 plays like an absolute dream; the 3D match engine looks slicker than ever, the game itself feels better than ever with the features that have been added/improved, and all in all I think that Football Manager 2013 might just be Sports Interactive's most addictive football management sim yet.

If you've played any of the past games in the series and been a fan, definitely give Football Manager 2013 a try as this really is a hugely impressive title, and a game that I can most definitely see myself spending a lot of time on throughout the next year. When I think about how much I play this game, Football Manager is most definitely the game that gives me more for my money than any other gaming title I've ever played. It's an annual investment, but one that is most definitely well worth making.

Currently Managing: Leeds United

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Season: 2010/11
League: Premier League
Position: 14th
Played: 38
Points: 40

Top Scorer: Steven Fletcher (11)
Highest Avg. Rating: Steven Fletcher (7.21)
Fans Player of the Year: Steven Fletcher

Major Ins: Steven Fletcher (£5.5 million, from Hibernian), Hossam Ghaly (Free), Liam Rosenoir (Free, from Reading), Emerse Fae (Free, from Reading), Emmerson Boyce (Free, from Wigan), Marton Fulop (Free, from Sunderland), Federico Macheda (Free, from Manchester United), Junior Stanislas (£230,000, from West Ham), Enrico Alfonso (£60,000, from Inter), Keirrison (£4 million, from Coritiba), Chris Eagles (£500,000, from Burnley)

Major Outs: Amaury Bischoff (£3 million, to Toulouse), Lewis McGugan (£2.5 million, to Reading), Andy Robinson (£120,000, to Plymouth), Peter Sweeney (£250,000, to Blackpool), Chris Killen (£350,000, to Norwich), Kevin Kyle (£300,000, to Peterborough), Eric Odhiambo (£150,000, to Bradford)
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Season: 2009/10
League: Championship
Position: 3rd (Promoted Via Play-Offs)
Played: 46
Points: 92

Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (25)
Highest Avg. Rating: Jermaine Beckford (7.30)
Fans Player of the Year: Leroy Lita

Major Ins: Ronaldo (£100,000, from Botafogo), Steve Irwin (£1 million, from Liverpool), Lewis McGugan (£110,000, from Notts Forest), Keith Southern (£375,000, from Blackpool), Kevin Kyle (Free, from Coventry), Chris Killen (£400,000, from Celtic), Amaury Bischoff (Free, from Arsenal), Leroy Lita (Free), Lukasz Zaluska (£1.1 million, from Dundee United), Eric Odhiambo (Free), Adam Bodgan (Loan, from Bolton), Henri Lansbury (Loan, from Arsenal), Giles Barnes (£250,000, from Sheffield United)

Major Outs: Luciano Becchio (£500,000, to Burnley), Casper Ankergren (£2 million, to Aston Villa), Enoch Showunmi (£75,000, to Norwich), David Prutton (£250,000, to QPR), Tresor Kandol (£900,000, to Brighton), Paul Telfer (Free, to Wrexham), Ben Parker (£200,000, to Bradford), Scott Gardner (£20,000, to Exeter City), Owen Price (£35,000, to Exeter City)
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Season: 2008/09
League: League One
Position: 1st
Played: 46
Points: 113

Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (24)
Highest Avg. Rating: Alan Sheehan (7.17)
Fans Player of the Year: Alan Sheehan

Major Ins: Stephen Carr (Free), Brian Murphy (£16,000, from Bohemians), Federico Macheda (Loan), Henri Lansbury (Loan), Rhys Murphy (Loan), Owen Price (Free)

Major Outs: Andy Hughes (£40,000, to Sheffield Wednesday), David Lucas (£26,000 to Man City), Jonathan Douglas (£150,000 to Coventry), Neil Kilkenny (£475,000, to West Brom), Rui Marques (£250,000, to Birmingham City)
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Macheda and Drinkwater Brought in on Loan

Fabio, Sanchez Watt, and Gerardo Bruno all failed to make an impact when I signed them on short term loans for Leeds, so they’ve returned to their respective clubs and I’ve now brought in Manchester United duo Daniel Drinkwater and Federico Macheda on loan until the end of the season.

I first discovered Macheda whilst managing Huddersfield Town back in December, and I got a good couple of seasons out of him in League One, so decided to give him a try with my Leeds team. Drinkwater is a player that I’ve not experimented with in Football Manager before, he had a few League One teams after him on loan though, and he had some promising stats, so I thought I’d bring him into the team to see what he can offer (wage contribution is 0%, so there’s nothing to lose even if he does turn out to be a bit of a flop).

The season has started well for my Leeds United team, and hopefully as the season progresses I can continue to march towards the Championship.

The Start of the Leeds United Story

Having won every competition possible and been the best team in England for over a decade with Manchester City; I’ve finally decided to start a new career in Football Manager, and have this time chosen Leeds United as my football team of choice.

The aim is to get promoted from League One in the first season, to achieve a respectable position in my first season in the Championship, and to win promotion to the Premier League by season five.

I’ve already made a few moves in the transfer window, signing Stephen Carr, Owen Price, and Alessio Tacchinardi, all on free transfers, and have also secured the services of Henri Lansbury on a season-long loan from Arsenal. Fabio (Manchester United), Sanchez Watt (Arsenal), and Gerardo Bruna (Liverpool) have all been signed on short term loans, and if they impress in their initial 3 month spells then there’s a possibility that one or two of those will be playing for the club on a more long term basis also.

The board want me to win the league, I want the team to win the league, and with the squad that we’ve got I feel that there’s a very strong chance that we shall indeed finish the season as champions.

I’ll be updating the Leeds United story as the season progresses, and hopefully my first season in charge of the popular League One club will be a successful one.

Carlos Vela in Football Manager 2009

In Football Manager 2009, Arsenal's Carlos Vela is most definitely a player that is well worth signing. After a couple of seasons in the game he begins to start scoring a lot of goals, and if you’re giving him a regular place in the starting eleven then he should become a consistent 20 goal a season striker.

Consistently averaging higher than a 7 rating for the season, Carlos Vela is an incredibly high quality player, and one that will no doubt enhance the overall quality of your team if you sign him.

Carlos Vela is young, talented and skilful, and if you’ve got a decent transfer budget then Carlos Vela is without doubt a player to try and sign.

Nearly Time to Start Afresh

The time has nearly come for me to start a new career in Football Manager. It’s been a fun time managing Manchester City, halfway through my seventeenth season in charge however and the novelty of being able to buy anyone I want is beginning to wear a little thin.

Cristiano Ronaldo has come and gone, so too have the likes of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, and Kaka, and with more than 3 billion pounds having been spent out on players; I’m now well on my way to my twelfth consecutive Premier League title.

It really is all too easy, and I feel that the time has come to return to managing a team from the lower levels of English football.

Leeds United may well be my team of choice; a League One team with ambitions of returning to the Premier League. Alternatively I may opt to manage a side from the Blue Square North or South, and set myself a five year plan to take them to the Football League.

Whichever team I choose to manage I’ll hopefully be able to achieve success with, having been used to the Football Manager easy life for the last few months however I know that suddenly adapting my approach is not going to be easy.

About

A blog about Football Manager; providing tips about who to sign, who not to sign, and offering general advice and information about the fantastic game that is Football Manager.

I'll here be detailing my own personal experiences with Football Manager in as much detail as possible, and will from time to time tackle other subjects also.

Promoted to League One

I always thought that my team was going to hit a patch of bad form and lose the title, but that never happened; I won League Two with Havant & Waterlooville, and have gained promotion to League One.

The media prediction is that we’ll finish bottom of League One, I really don't see that happening when we so comfortably won League Two though, and feel it’s far more likely that we'll finish mid-table. I doubt we'll make the play-offs (although it would be lovely for that to happen), I do think that we'll survive for a second season in League One though, and am of the belief that my squad is strong enough to survive by some distance and provide a few upsets along the way.

It’s unlikely that I’ll ever take my team to the Premier League, I think that it’s possible to reach the Championship in the next few seasons though, and having taken charge of the club in the Blue Square South; I don’t think that’s too bad an achievement at all!

Second Season in League Two Going Strong

Just over halfway through my second season in League Two with Havant & Waterlooville and things are going incredibly well. My team is top, 3 points ahead of second, and 7 points clear of 4th. It looks promising that this season I shall win promotion to League One, and all of the signings that I made at the beginning of the season are doing me proud. I mainly concentrated on defence, and brought in a new goalkeeper also, but it’s actually one of the two forward players that I brought in that has made the most difference to the team.

Dan Crane was a player that scored a lot of goals for the club in the Blue Square South, but when I won promotion to the Blue Square Premier I sold him on as his wages were just getting too high for me to handle. Three years in Wales with Llanelli and Dan Crane has developed to become an even more impressive forward. I bought him back for twice what I sold him on for; he’s definitely been worth the investment though, and has already scored 15 goals in just 23 appearances.

Craig Mackail-Smith was the other forward that I brought to the club at the start of the season, and whilst he started off brightly; he had a 10 game spell where no goals were scored, and his confidence therefore suffered. He’s scored 6 in 22 appearances, Dan Crane has been by far the best summer purchase though, and should continue to be an integral part of the team next season if we are indeed promoted to League One.

It’s probably a little early to be thinking about life in League One just yet; hopefully the team will continue to perform though, and still be in the top 3 come the end of the season. I wouldn’t say no to a place in the play-offs, I’d rather get the job done without having to take part in the play-off lottery though, so here’s to hoping that no major injury issues spoil my ambitions, and that I do indeed get the points required to gain promotion.

End of Season Disappointment

After an excellent first season in League Two; I was hoping to make my way into the Play-Offs and fight for a place in League One. Sadly my Havant & Waterloovile team finished just outside the play-offs in 8th, and we’ll therefore be playing our football in League Two again next season.

A couple of players are set to leave in the summer, most of the squad will be staying though, and hopefully a couple of new players will be brought in to join them. I’m confident that my team can make the play-offs next season, and if I am able to increase the quality a tad with my summer signings then there’s a possibility that we could even achieve automatic promotion next season.

Havant & Waterlooville can be a League One team, and next season I will be looking to take the team up another level.

Life in League Two With Havant & Waterlooville

Life in League Two with Havant & Waterlooville was never likely to be easy; the majority of my players are still part-timers, we were given a transfer budget of just £450, and the wage budget is pretty minimal also. Two thirds of the way through the season and I’m 6th in the table though, and fighting for promotion to League One.

Last season I beat off Rushden & Diamonds and York City to win promotion via the Blue Square Premier play-offs, and it now looks as though I’ll be heading into the League Two play-offs also. Whether or not I’ll make it to Wembley again remains to be seen, it’d be brilliant to take Havant & Waterlooville up another level though, so hopefully I will indeed make it all the way to Wembley.

The players that I have in my squad have mostly travelled up with me from the Blue Square South, and there aren’t any players that look out of their depth either. I’ve got a few loan signings in to provide a little extra in midfield/attack, and the three players that have been brought in are doing a mighty fine job for the club. I’ll be looking to sign them up on a permanent basis come the end of the season, and hopefully I’ll be successful in securing their signatures.

The media prediction was that I’d finish 24th in League Two with Havant & Waterlooville this season; there’s no chance of that happening now though, and I’ll instead to be hoping to finish in the top 7, once again earning a place in the play-offs.

From the Blue Square North to the Blue Square South

Having taken Witton Albion from the Blue Square North to the Blue Square Premier, and then back down again; I decided that it was time to move on in my Football Manager career, and after three years with Witton I resigned from my post and applied for the vacant Havant & Waterlooville position.

I didn’t get the job with the Blue Square South side, so went on holiday indefinitely, issuing an instruction to apply for any and all managerial positions available. Coming back to the game a little later; I found that the Havant manager had been sacked, and I’d now been offered the position in mid-October. The team had just been knocked out of the FA Cup by Lewes in the 3rd Qualifying Round, and was hovering around the relegation zone in the league. I did my best to drag the team as far up the league as possible, and although the staff weren’t too impressed to finish 6th, just outside the play-offs; I was happy to have made progress with Havant, and looked forward to an exciting summer of signing new players.

Several players were brought in, including Sam Deering, John Rooney, and Marvin Brown, as well as a promising young forward from Bromley named Fred James, and a couple of players in on loan from Southampton also. Portsmouth is officially my parent club, no one ever wants to join from Portsmouth though, whilst Southampton youngsters are seemingly much more willing to learn their trade for a team in the non-league.

Fred James was my top scorer for the season with 30 goals in all competitions, Sam Deering also became a first team favourite, and I was also very impressed with the two loan signings from Southampton. John Rooney has become a decent squad player, all of the rest of my new signings were shown the door at the end of the season though, and as I won the play-offs; I was now hoping to sign players of a higher calibre in order to carry my side forward. Both players from Southampton have now been signed on for life in the Blue Square Premier, with Alex Campana joining from Billericay to give me another option on the right, and a promising young left-back has been signed from AFC Wimbledon. I didn’t have much of a wage budget, so those were the only players I was able to bring in; I would like to sign more though, and will be looking to bring a few new players in on loan throughout the season.

Within the game my team is in a huge amount of debt; slowly but surely that debt seems to be disappearing though, and winning the FA Trophy last season certainly helped bring in a bit of profit.

I nearly kept Witton in the Blue Square Premier when I won promotion with them, so having nearly done it with a lesser squad; I now feel that I’m well equipped to avoid relegation with Havant & Waterlooville. It’s not going to be an easy season, I’m definitely up for the challenge though, and hopefully come the end of the season I’ll have accumulated enough points to stay up. A top half finish would be brilliant, anything above the relegation zone will be seen as a bonus though, and so long as I avoid relegation then I’ll be happy with my achievements.

Witton Relegated

After a long, hard season in the Blue Square Premier; I’ve sadly seen my Witton Albion team relegated, and after winning only 1 of the last 17 games of the season; I can hardly be surprised that my team just wasn’t good enough to stay up.

15 games I went without a win, before finally achieving one against relegated Bishop’s Stortford in the penultimate game of the season; my form was far too poor to stop my team from going down though, and after a 1-1 draw with Woking on the final day of the season, I was relegated in 21st, with Worcester one point ahead of me. Quite how I managed to finish the season so badly I’m not too sure; I had looked pretty safe at one stage, you start to slip down the league when you’re not winning games though, and it was slightly upsetting to experience relegation in my first season at that level.

11 players put themselves on the transfer list after I was relegated, and I therefore faced a potential problem of losing the majority of my team. Slowly they’re coming crawling back though, asking to be removed from the transfer list, and as I’ve had no offers; I think I’ll safely be able to keep hold of my squad, as well as hopefully bringing in a few fresh faces.

Hopefully we’ll be able to bounce straight back to the Blue Square Premier, If not I’ll probably be leaving at the end of the season though, and will start looking elsewhere for a fresh new team to manage.

I would like to get back to the league at some point; I might have to do it the hard way though, and although managing a non-league team is fun; I am rather missing the glory of managing a team from the league, and may have to try and get back there sooner rather than later. I want to take Witton as far as possible, I get the feeling that the Blue Square Premier may well be the peak though, and if we’re not in contention to reach the play-offs come Christmas; I might just resign, and move onto pastures new in my quest for football management success.

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.