Blyth Spartans FM 2009 Story — November 2013 Premier League

Here we go again, I guess you are curious to see what’s new in my adventure in the Premier League with the Blyth Spartans. At the end of October we were in a shocking 3rd place in the league table, above huge teams like Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea. Was it only a lucky break or do we really have a solid squad? I think that the next matches will tell us more about that.

The first game of November was the local derby with Sunderland, a very important match for our fans. We defeated Sunderland in the Carling Cup game back in September, a good 2-1 win. Sunderland played a lot better this time and they deserved to lead 1-0 at the break. We showed more determination in the second half and midfielder Francisco Merida (formerly at Arsenal) scored his first ever goal for The Spartans. The game was pretty even after the equalizer and it was an error from the Sunderland goalie that gave Pavlyuchenko the chance to score. He showed no mercy and the fans loved him for that late goal!

We prepared for the away game at Aston Villa with good morale and high confidence but things looked very bad in the first half, we played miserably in the first 45 minutes but we managed to keep the score at 0-0. We played better after the break and just when it seemed that we were going to take control of the game… Delfouneso scored :( Quite frustrating and my players began to lose their discipline. Suarez was sent off for kicking an opponent and right after that the ref awarded Aston Villa a penalty kick. It was our first defeat after a good run of 8 unbeaten matches or something like that.

Next up, the Carling Cup 4th round clash with Manchester United… The Red Devils were looking for revenge as we heroically snatched a draw at Old Trafford in September. Wayne Rooney immediately showed that he was in superb form, he scored twice in the first half and generally had a lot of fun with our defenders. Pavlyuchenko clawed one back right after the break from a penalty kick and we got back into the game, attacking and creating chances to score. Rooney was unstoppable though and he completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute. We continued to push forward and I was very happy that my Czech left winger, Martin Panik, managed to score at his comeback on the pitch after the dreadful 7 months injury. We even had the chance to get the equalizer but Stankovic‘s last minute shot was saved in style by Fabianski. We produced a good display but when Rooney is in such form there’s nothing much you can do…

We had to recover fast after the Carling Cup game, Arsenal were coming to visit us in the Premier League! The Gunners have been disappointing in the first games of the season but now they were climbing up the table with three straight wins. My players showed good determination and we played a perfect first half. Rhys Williams scored his first goal of the season from a corner kick and Pavlyuchenko made it 2-0 with a great strike just before the break. Arsenal came out attacking in the second half and the were all over us in the last 20 minutes. Rhys Williams kept Adebayor quiet throughout the game but there was nothing he could do in the 74th minute, they clawed one back. Fortunately we kept cool although Arsenal were trying hard to score, we kept possession and achieved a fantastic victory!

Finally, the last game of this very tough month… The most difficult game too, away at Liverpool, the 2nd placed team. Their defense was absolutely stunning, they only conceded 6 goals in 13 Premier League games! Unfortunately the game began with a huge error, my goalkeeper came out of the area to intercept a ball and missed it! Fernando Torres showed no mercy, a very bad start. Despite that we played pretty well, created some chances but their keeper, Reina, was in fantastic shape. Liverpool made it 3-0 right after the break, my keeper was having a terrible day. We continued to try hard and attack but Reina was saving absolutely everything. Pavlyuchenko finally scored in the 86th minute but it was too late. It was an even game in which the goalkeepers made the difference — Reina was fabulous while my Khune had a disastrous game. I was pleased with the way we played though, we deserved a draw.

With two wins and two losses in November we were still pretty well placed in the table, 4th! We have 27 points, only 13 more to go until we reach the 40 points that would normally guarantee our survival in the Premier League.

The player that deserves praise after these last matches is undoubtedly Russian veteran striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. He scored 4 goals in the last 5 games and generally looked like a true leader of the team while Nicao was injured. The first games of the season were not too good for him but now he is in very good form and I think that he’s a great asset for the squad.

Five more games to go until the end of the year, the first one will be quite tough, at home with league leaders Manchester City. After these 5 games we’ll be at the halfway point of the season, so we will know more clearly where we are and what we might be able to achieve.

Last but not least, a quick addition for Ahmed. Sorry mate, I forgot about the last year’s awards, I promise that I’ll post the 2013 ones right after the December games post. Here we go. Robinho, now playing for Juventus, was elected World Footballer of The Year.

He was also first in the World Player of The Year table.

And here is the World Team of The Year, with only two Premier League players in the first eleven!

That’s about it, I’m looking forward to seeing your thoughts about our last few matches.