Hey guys and welcome back to a newly reformed Newcastle United. I have introduced my new tactic, ‘The Manchelona’ and also shown off the results we’ve achieved since installing the more potent system. By the end of December, Newcastle were six points clear at the top of the Premier League, through to the League Cup semi’s and also the Champions League knock out stages. Not to mention the FA Cup was yet to be drawn and the toon had secured a new striker on the cheap from Manchester Utd. That is where we left off and today will take us until the last EPL game. A lot to catch up with, so let’s get cracking and see if the toon army can maintain some beautiful Football. I think its best to start the post with our League Cup form.
League Cup results
After bouncing through the early rounds and avoiding one or two scares, I found myself against Nottm Forest of all teams. My main issue was fixture congestion and this led to a weak starting XI for the first leg. The Championship side held us to a draw despite my 71% possession. However, the second leg proved too much as a stronger side dispatched Forest 2-0. Our opponents went away after just having 32% possession and not one single shot all match…other than their own goal of course lol :)
Through to the final and my opponents were a decent Wolves side, but one I’d expect to beat. Seen as this is my first final since switching tactics, I recorded the entire match with my commentary. This explains my thought process and feeling through out. Click the link below and see if Newcastle could win in style.
League Cup final vs Wolves (click here to watch full match with commentary.)
Talk about winning in style, we dominated possession, shots and the scoreline. Not to mention my left back scoring a top class half volley with his weaker foot. I couldn’t have asked for much more and hope this is a sign of things to come. Below are the match stats, after which we’ll continue with my Premier League form.
League Cup final match stats
Do you remember me saying ‘I want to break records with Newcastle and win more trophies than anyone else’. Well we have achieved that within the League Cup beating Liverpool’s previous record of 7 trophies.
Premier League results — January to February
After my recent success in the league, we had to step it up for bigger opponents and boy did we. The first was a visit to Old Trafford as United couldn’t cope with my new tactic, Santos scored to help the toon win 2-0. Then an extravagant match at home to Manchester City finished 5-1 to Newcastle, before Burnley were thrashed in possession and on the scoreboard 4-0. Santos was on form again as we travelled to White Heart Lane and thrashed Spurs 3-0, then Blackburn were powerless at Saint James Park and watched on as Gilson led the toon to another 4-0 victory. Arsenal took the full brunt of our attacking prowess while visiting the North East, Marcelo Santos scored six goals to see us win 8-1. The lads hit some complacency next though as Everton almost held us bar another great winner from Santos. Our final match in February was at home to Liverpool and another shocking 5-0 win rounded off a perfect two month period.
Premier League results — March to May
After firing on all cylinders during Winter, I was desperate to continue the form through Spring. We started well thrashing Aston Villa 3-1, Bolton 3-0 and Birmingham 4-1. Then the scoring dulled as I rested my star players with victories over Bristol City and Wigan. I forgot to mention Sanogo’s injury, the striker was out for five weeks in case you missed that. Well he returned to form in April against Middlesbrough, we won 5-0 and Sanogo announced his return with a hat trick. We finished the season with four more convincing victories and all with rested stars.
Final Premier League table
Yet again no drum roll is required, Newcastle won 36 games and drew just two this season meaning an unbeaten campaign. Manchester City were my closest rivals and they still lagged 25 points off the pace, this is testament to Newcastle’s domestic domination. We broke the goals scored record with an impressive 122 and only conceded 14.
FA Cup results
The Premier League title is under wraps alongside the League Cup, so how did my third domestic competition pan out? Well we breezed through the early rounds beating Shrewsbury, Millwall and Sheffield United. Then the sixth round draw pitted me away to Chelsea, a very tough draw indeed. Not that my players showed it, Santos and Goetz grabbed a brace as we won 6-2. Then the semi-final offered up an even tougher draw in Manchester City. The big match lived up to expectations and my attacking tactic showed a little weakness next to a lot of strength. City came back from 3-1 down to level the score before super sub Garcia sent me into ecstasy with a last minute winner. That was one for the scrap book and left me feeling invincible. Then the FA Cup final draw came out….we were against Manchester United :) I smell revenge, but you’ll have to wait until my next post for that match. :)
Champions League results
With a double in the bag and the FA Cup final to plan for, I just need to progress through the tournament that caused me so much heartache last season, the Champions League. Just like last year, I started the knock out rounds against Marseille. We may have thrashed them last season, but settled for a more reserved scoreline this time around. The first leg finished 3-0, before a weakened starting XI drew 1-1 at home.
The quarter-final draw was as easy as they come, poor Galatasaray must have cursed their luck. Santos grabbed a brace as we won the home leg 3-0, then Sanogo hit a hat trick as we won the away leg 4-0. An easy passage to the semi-final and we also missed out on Inter Milan and Barcelona to draw Palermo. Not the easy draw it would appear though as Palermo hold a key weapon in Abel Hernandez who has ripped Europe apart this season, not to mention one Pastore! My pre-match jitters proved unfounded during the first leg though as we went home 2-1 victors, then the home leg was even better as we dominated and completed a 5-2 aggregate win. Through to the final, but who are my opponents? Well it was close but Barcelona beat Inter Milan on penalties, so you get the final we all wanted…Barcelona vs Newcastle.
Squad stats and finances
After an incredible season (that isn’t over yet,) you’d expect one or two outstanding performers. Well I have a squad full of em’ and couldn’t be happier. My centre back, Varriale, has scored 16 and assisted 8 from set pieces, he’s also managed an incredible average rating of 7.83…Danny Wilson? More like Danny who? :) Marcelo Santos has enjoyed his best year yet and become THE best striker around with 31 goals and 16 assist from 25 starts, not to mention an average rating of 7.72. My worries about Sanogo proved daft and Laxeyman was right to back the Frenchman :) He scored 24 goals from 22 starts and looks set to start upfront in my FA Cup final tie against United. I could go on all day but want to make some special praise for a kid I signed when he was 17 and looked like nothing special…His name is Goetz and my faith in his ability has paid off this season, the Frenchman has scored 18 goals and assisted 18 from the left wing.
I finished December with £240 million in the bank, we are now in May and have just received some cash for winning the Premier League title. After all the losses and profits my bank balance reads £224 million, not great but we’ll see how the money from Europe changes that figure.
Well that is all for today guys, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to comment below, I look forward to hearing from you. My next post is very exciting, I will bring you two match videos from start to finish. The first will be against Manchester United in the FA Cup final and the second against Barcelona in the Champions League final. I based my new tactic around both these sides, so its fitting to face them as my first major test!
vaibhavc
17 июля, 2011 at 12:43
Hey Darren
The new tactic seems to be working amazingly, every team you play is blown away in possession and goals. Most games are high scoring, due to your tactic. Do you ever change your strategy at the beginning of the game?
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 13:34
Thanks Vaibhav, I think the tactic has made a difference, but those two finals will really put it to the test. I didn’t change my starting strategy for any match no matter who the opponents and I’ll continue that tradition into the cup finals also.
Nickd98
17 июля, 2011 at 13:18
Wow! 36 wins! That’s incredible! Hope you can win the quadruple, good luck!
See if next year you can win every league game ;)
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 13:38
Thanks Nick, I’m certainly hoping for a quadruple but the final opponents don’t come any tougher.
MRDNRA
17 июля, 2011 at 14:06
Well, I’m not sure what to say, other than incredible, but even that is a bit of an understatement I think. Can you possibly do any better? If you can then I would be amazed. Best of luck for the finals.
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 14:31
Thanks MRDNRA, I can’t see us even repeating this kind of form let alone bettering it. Everything just came together at the same time and my new tactic seems to have worked also. The biggest challenge is yet to come though :)
Jay
17 июля, 2011 at 15:46
nice one darren if you keep this up your gona beat my trophy count on my save game… looks like ill have to start playing some lol, anyway good luck with europe
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 18:06
Thanks Jay, you must have one hell of a trophy hall in your game but I’m hoping to keep this one ticking over. :) Sometimes you just hit everything right in a season and the players seem to do all the work for you. :) I just hope that is the case next year also.
Jay
17 июля, 2011 at 21:32
yeah man your players are on fire this year , that new guy Santos was a dream buy, in ur next post this might sound random but could u screenshot your biography, be nice to have a little read :)
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 21:43
Yeh no problem mate, I’ll post it up next time at the end. I think Santos was signed for £2.3 million and he’s now valued at more than £30 mill. Probably my best FM buy ever.
Jay
17 июля, 2011 at 22:32
amazing buy mate and his value will most likely go up by +7/8mil with another season like that
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 11:56
Thanks Jay, I’m hoping Adams can keep improving and take over from Sanogo in a few years as Santos’ backup. Then he could be sold for as much as £20 mill maybe.
Jay
18 июля, 2011 at 15:40
if it was me id sell Sanago now, cash in on him, and let Adams have the first team experience early on, but its your game and its been fantastic since the off so watever you chose to do im sure itll turn out good :D
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 17:53
We’ll see Jay, I have just grown attached to Sanogo like a few players and feel he can be worth as much in two years time as he is now but we’ll see.
Jay
18 июля, 2011 at 21:17
i no what its like to have a player who’s done so much for a club over the recent seasons, its hard to get rid of them :(
Nicholas Phipps
17 июля, 2011 at 16:24
36 wins in the Premier League in 1 season… thats ridiculous! You should win in the FA Cup and probably in the Champions League too :-D keep it up
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 18:07
Thanks Nick, I can’t see us repeating it but I would like to pass the 100 games unbeaten mark that we fell short of by one game last time. :)
Johnny Karp
17 июля, 2011 at 16:45
I think that this is the best run I’ve ever seen in FM 2011, well done!
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 18:08
Thanks Johnny, its certainly my best run ever and I’ll remember it because it surely can’t be repeated.
Jamie duncan
17 июля, 2011 at 17:56
You’ve inspired me to start with Newcastle , not expecting to do near as good as you have. Only finished 12th first season, but club made a 28m profit as I read your finance guide.
Currently in December in second season , got any advice to make it better?
Congratulations on an amazing season :)
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 18:15
Thanks Jamie, to be honest its all about attention to detail. A lot of gamers look for easy answers then press continue when they don’t find them. Thats a mistake and the best tip is to take your time and look things through. Also think like a real manager. I actually made a loss during my first three seasons and a hefty one at that. Then when I’d assembled a title winning squad I started move players around the transfer market and brought in younger stars every year. You will make the most profit by selling players, thats what I’ve found anyway.
Iain
17 июля, 2011 at 21:58
Hi Darren, many congrats on the run. Just wondered, as I am actually still playing FM2010 at the moment, do you think that the ‘Manchelona’ would work as well on that game?
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 22:04
Without testing it I couldn’t say mate, certainly worth a try though.
Sears
17 июля, 2011 at 22:02
Well done mate, superb run and you’ll have no trouble beating United and Barce in the cup finals, good luck :-D
Darren Smith
17 июля, 2011 at 22:05
Thanks for the confidence Sears, both matches will be a one off and really tough…but must admit I feel confident.
Aaron
18 июля, 2011 at 00:05
I liked the video Darren, very entertaining game. I noticed you didn’t have a sub goalkeeper…do you never choose one? Also why has the PL only got three CL spots? And could you tell me who the Chelsea and City managers are please :)
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 12:05
Thanks Aaron, it was a great match and no I never use a sub goalkeeper. I prefer to have options in the midfield area and have only once needed to bring a keeper on. Ignore the initials within that table, it changes a few days after the last game to show correct with four teams in the CL. The City boss is Quique Flores and Chelsea boss is Gianluca Vialli :)
Aaron
19 июля, 2011 at 16:37
Ah I see. They are unusual choices for those jobs I have to say! Do you manage to break even month on month?
Darren Smith
19 июля, 2011 at 18:03
I don’t break even every month Aaron, I usually make a steady profit in pre-season and a gigantic one at the end of the season. Most months I lose one to two million though. That is why its so vital to sell players. If I was even more strict with my squad I might break even every month. But with the massive earnings at the end and start of every season they throw me into profit and the transfers make it even better.
CsAtlantis
18 июля, 2011 at 03:52
normally 100 points is already a gigantic amount, but 110 points in the league? I suppose you could go for 116 next season Darren
You will be fine against Barca and Man Utd (too bad their using different squads now, but I am sure the line-ups you face will still be packed with talent)
Santos is brilliant, he’s more highly valued than Sanogo now :D
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 12:06
Thanks mate, I can’t see us ever matching that season to be honest. The big matches are up next and while I’m confident both sides are brill. I just hope complacency isn’t a problem. Santos has developed beyond my wildest dreams, he is certainly the best striker in the world.
Aaron
18 июля, 2011 at 13:36
Isn’t the maximum for a season 114? Lol
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 17:52
lol, you’re right there.
Sibo
18 июля, 2011 at 11:30
Well done Darren, epic achievement this season and 110 points is utterly incredible! This squad is fantastic and I wish you luck for the finals, I hope you add another two trophies to your haul this season! :D
Well done and good luck!
Darren Smith
18 июля, 2011 at 12:16
Thanks Sibo, it was a really great season and by far my best ever. Hopefully we can get the quadruple but footballs a funny game so you never know.
vikingmarius
19 июля, 2011 at 17:35
Fantastic job Darren, your team is amazing and prove it on the pitch cant wait to see some more talented youngsters join the ranks, also 4 points from the max is amazing
Darren Smith
19 июля, 2011 at 18:00
Thanks Viking, the squad is great to work with and I still have some youth out on loan as well as transfer targets for the summer. :)
Sayam Khan
19 июля, 2011 at 19:58
Hi Darren, I’m back!
Excellent progress! Brilliant season. Loving how your managing all the youth. I read your previous post, and i have to say, you found an absolute bargain in Adam. Reminds me of Fiorentino in my game. Anyway Good Luck in your finals!
Darren Smith
19 июля, 2011 at 21:19
Hey Sayam, good to see your back mate.
I have enjoyed some real progress since you were last on the site, we’ve strengthened well and I’m really happy with the new tactic. Hopefully Adams can go the distance. :)