Blyth Spartans Prepare For The Premier League

Hello my friends and welcome to another episode of my Football Manager 2009 story! After the unexpected success in the Championship playoff my Blyth Spartans got promoted to the Premier League, a fantastic achievement for this small club. The board was extremely pleased with my results as a manager, so they offered me a new contract. I would have accepted any contract from them, I want to prove that we can play proudly against the «big boys» in the Premiership.

The club received around 32 million euro in TV rights for the new season, so I finally had a transfer budget to spend. When the board announced the start of season expectations I decided to gamble a bit and tell them that we would get a mid-table spot at the end of the season. I had to do that in order to get more transfer money and a better wage budget, I guess they won’t sack me if we finish 15th :)

Now let’s take a look at the transfers. I sold 12 of my players, plus released the almost all the youngsters that were promoted to the under 18 team. The best sale was my top goalscorer from last season, Christian Short, 3 million euro to Wolves.

I brought in 16 players instead for a grand total of 23 million euro. There are some well known names on the list, but most of the new players are promising youngsters that could grow to become Premier League stars in the future. I tried to create a nice blend of experienced players and hot youngsters but believe me, it was very tough to find all the players that I needed for the money I had. So I was forced to make some compromises but overall I think that we have a decent squad now, with enough depth and possibilities to grow in the future. I will probably use a 4-4-2 tactic in the Premier League and it was also important to find players that could adapt to that and also be able to play in the 4-2-3-1 system if needed.

Now let me present the most important players that came to Blyth during this busy transfer window. The new goalkeeper that will probably replace Fraser Forster in the first eleven is South African international Itumeleng Khune, brought for free after being released by Real Madrid. He is better suited to my way of playing because the defensive line pushes forward very much and I need a fast keeper that could act as a sweeper if the ball is being launched behind my defenders. I had a few other keepers that I wanted to sign but in the end I had to go for Khune because of the price tag.

My new right back will probably be the Greek young international Christos Karakatsanis, signed for free from Panathinaikos. I had to compete for his signature with a dozen of other European clubs, I hope he will adapt quickly.

The left flank will probably be covered by Ashley Allen, a very promising English regen. He is only 17 years old and I hope that he will be able to cope with the pressure of playing first team football in the Premier League at such a tender age. He already has 7 under 21 caps and I paid 2 million euro to Manchester United for him.

Gabor Baranyai, a young Hungarian regen, is my bet for one of the two central defenders positions. He is very talented and I hope that he can develop very fast into an international star. I bought him from Sparta Prague for 2.5 million euro and I had to compete with several Dutch clubs that wanted him badly.

I needed an experienced centre back alongside the hot youngster, and after chasing a lot of players for that position I had to settle for Cristian Suarez, 4.8 million from Club Brugge. He is the most expensive player that I bought and although I preferred other players I had to get him because of the price. Anyway, he’s a solid centre back that has what it takes to play in the Premier League.

There will be fierce competition for the left wing spot, Sandor Vaida will have to compete with another English under 21 star, Tom Chapple. I bought him from Sunderland for 3.7 million euro, quite expensive but there were numerous Premier League clubs that were chasing him. He could also be an option for the left back position, a player that could develop well in the future.

There will be a big battle for the two central midfielder positions, I have several players that could cover that role. For now, the favorites seem to be Mickey Wordsworth, another English under 21 star, and Dejan Stankovic. Wordsworth was a target for a few big Premiership clubs but he decided to become a Spartan and I hope he will become a real star very soon.

I guess you all know Dejan Stankovic, he played at the highest level for many years. He was released by Internazionale Milano and I decided to sign him although he is 34 now. He still has enough quality to play at a decent level for another season or two and he will also be a great example for the youngsters that will play and train with him.

And now, my brand new strikers. First, the goal scorer, Roman Pavlyuchenko. You all know him, he’s a famous Russian international. He was released by Tottenham and although I preferred a younger striker I had to get Roman, he can still play at the highest level for a few years more.

Last but not least, my new number 10… He’s Brazilian and his name is Maycon Vinicius Ferreira da Cruz, or Nicao if you prefer the short version. I had fierce negotiations with Fluminense for him, we argued for almost a month. They wanted 6 million euro and after long discussions I finally got him for 3.2 million. He is 21 years old and I think that he will be a sensation in the Premier League with his dribbling and creativity.

You’ll get too know the other players too during the season, there are a few promising youngsters in there that could become first team players sooner than I expected. We played 7 friendly games, more than I usually play. I wanted to give the new lads time to adjust to their new mates and to the system. We had mixed results, a lame draw at Dundee and a shameful defeat at Rotherham, but overall the team played well, creating a lot of chances and some nice football in the last three or four games.

As I expected, everybody thinks that we will finish 20th. Well, I don’t think that we’re going to win the title but I would be quite satisfied with a 15th place and very happy if we could finish in 10th place. It will be very difficult to obtain but I have a lot of confidence in my team and I believe that we have a chance of avoiding relegation. The most important thing is to survive in the Premier League this season, that would consolidate our finances and give the youngsters a chance to shine next season. I would also like to have good runs in the cup competitions, that would get some money in and also a great deal of experience for my young prospects. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that we’re in for another exciting season…

What do you think? Will my Blyth Spartans avoid the drop?