Hey guys and welcome back to another update from my Newcastle story. During my last post you read on as Newcastle fell just short of a perfect start in the league. The draw against Liverpool still left us top with a handsome lead. Newcastle also progressed well in the League Cup and Champions League. Today’s post might be a little long, but is full of action. I have some huge transfers to report, as well as my financial report and all results from December to February. So sit back and relax as I reel off the news from Saint James Park.
Premier League results — December
December was packed full of fixtures, but only five were from the Premier League. We started the festive season more like scrooge than father Christmas, showing no mercy against Portsmouth, QPR or Stoke. Sanogo scored a hat trick as we thrashed Pompey 5-0, then the French forward scored a further three as we beat QPR by the same scoreline. It was then Walcott’s turn against Stoke as the toon army marched to the beat of a 4-0 thrashing. Man Utd then brought me back down to earth as we lost away from home 1-0, but this did nothing to stop us thrashing Birmingham 3-1.
Massive moves in the transfer market
The title says it all but before you get the wrong idea, no one entered Saint James Park in January. Part of my Youth to gold system is knowing when to sell a player in order to receive the biggest profit. So lets start with the players that left me during January. In 2012 I signed a Croatian 17 year old called Kanik. This kid signed for £250K from Slavia Prague after I spotted his talent. While the striker has improved after 3 consecutive seasons on loan, I can’t ever see him making the first team. Therefore I recalled him from Stuttgart and offered Kanik to clubs for £7 million. Wolves offered £6.5 million, half to be paid upfront and the other half in monthly instalments. I accepted the offer and enjoyed my £6.25 million profit. Next to leave was Araujo on loan, his wages will be paid for and this is with the hope of a permanent move. Last but not least, my central midfielder Khedira. The German is great but I knew rejecting £11.25 million could be costly. The CM is almost 28 and running out of years, now was the best time to sell. Besides, I signed Khedira for £2.4 million a few years ago, making a profit of £8.75 million seemed very attractive.
If you think that’s all, you’re wrong. I also received some offers after the transfer deadline day, meaning these players will leave in the summer. Caceres has become surplus to requirements after joining us for free back in 2012. After offering the CB to clubs, Sporting tabled a £4.5 million offer. Nice profit considering Caceres is no longer required. Tottenham seemed desperate for a backup keeper and I decided to help them by accepting £2.1 million for Krul, the Dutch keeper is not needed anyway. As always I’m saving the best till last! Ibrahim Afellay will turn 29 before the seasons end, and I needed to consider his departure. The playmaker is my captain and well liked around Saint James Park, so a potential transfer was daunting. I decided to bite the bullet and offer him to clubs for £30 million. AC Milan noticed Afellay’s £23 million release clause and offered this in an upfront fee. I literally couldn’t reject their bid, but had to accept paying £20K of the CM’s wages for the next few years. This didn’t bother me as I wanted rid of his £110K wages anyway. Plus I signed Afellay on a free transfer in 2011, meaning a gigantic £23 million profit. I never thought someone would offer so much. :)
As you can see, I have also secured the signature of two new players. Adrien was bought to strengthen midfield and as a potential profit, while Tinga is one for the future. The Brazilian is 17 years old and already holds some ability. Note his great determination and work rate, I hope this is an indication of the midfielders potential. £1.6 million is a bargain if I can develop this gem.
Premier League results — January to February
After waving goodbye to Khedira, a lot more weight fell on Kevin’s favourite player, Coezy. The French midfielder would be responsible for my supporting midfield role. The first match in January was a dull one, but successful as Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0. We then suffered an embarrassing defeat at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea won 4-1. The players reacted well 7 days later, beating Blackburn 5-1 with all credit landing on Kakuta. The next four games went well, we beat Spurs 1-0, West Brom 4-2, West Ham 1-0 and Everton 4-1. Sanogo bagged a further 5 goals from these matches. February ended with a reasonable 2-2 draw away from home to Manchester City. I was delighted to see Hernandez prove worthy of replacing Afellay with two brilliant goals.
Premier League table
Some fine form had seen Newcastle retain top spot. We have lost just two and drawn the same, I put this down to our great defence. They have been excellent all season and only conceded 17 goals. If I win my game in hand, the gap to Man City will rise again to 9 points. This should be enough to see out the title bar a shocking run of form.
Champions League results
We left this competition in second place and guaranteed a place in the First Knockout round. I could even climb above Real with victory at Saint James Park. The last encounter saw Real thrash my boys and I was looking for revenge. The usual 4-5-1 with a counter strategy was deployed as I looked for victory. Did we get it and top spot to go with?
Not only did my boys win, but we dominated the match in terms of attacking intent. Our 23 shots to Real Madrid’s 9 summed the whole match up. Paloschi showed his determination to play instead of the goal machine Sanogo, but I was concerned to see Anconetani injured. The Argentine would miss three weeks and this came at a bad time as Gaitan was out for a similar period.
My Champions League group certainly made for happy reading. We finished top and drew Sevilla in the First Knockout round. One of the better draws, but still a tough opponent. We struggled to break the Spanish side down during the away leg. That match finished 0-0 but I am encouraged by the lads performance and optimistic going into the home leg.
FA Cup results
This competition has been a struggle for me through the years and this year was no exception. The third round provided Premier League opposition in West Brom. My youngsters relished this match though and won 3-1. However, the fourth round drew me to Chelsea in a match held at Stamford Bridge. I used a stronger squad and just missed out on victory after Chelsea’s injury time equalizer. The replay was very similar, but Chelsea had no reply to Gaitan’s second half goal. Through to the fifth round where yet another EPL opponent awaited. I used a mix of youth and experience against Aston Villa, where Anconetani showed two flashes of genius to win the match 2-0. It wasn’t until the sixth round that I’ve drawn someone below the top flight. I’m hoping to make the semi-final with victory over Championship side Swansea.
League Cup results
My favourite competition, not because of reputation but because we seem to do well every year. :) After advancing through the early rounds, we managed a memorable 3-0 victory over arch rivals Sunderland. Then the semi-final saw us face Manchester Utd, my bogey team!! The first leg was at home and started with a United goal. At half-time I had nothing to lose and told the players ‘I expect no less than a win’. My side reacted and performed out of their skins turning loss into a 3-1 victory. After the match Enyeama told the media my team talk turned the match around. :) We held on in the away leg and won 4-3 on aggregate. Liverpool had also made the final and I was confident of a fourth consecutive League Cup win.
League Cup final — Newcastle vs Liverpool
My first cup final of season number five. I really wanted to win this one and show some intent for the rest of 2015. Using the usual 4-5-1 with a cautious counter strategy I was forced to field a young starting XI due to injuries and fatigue. Below I have listed the squad and each players age in brackets, I can tell you the average age is around 22!
Newcastle starting lineup: GK: Enyeama (32) — DR: Richards (26), DL: Pereya (19), DC: Wilson (23), DC: Kalu (17) — MC: Rodwell (23), MC: Coezy (19), MC: Hernandez (18) — RW: Anconetani (19), LW: Gaitan (26) — ST: Paloschi (25)
A very tense match indeed. The two goals you saw didn’t come until extra time, in fact it was super subs Kakuta and Sanogo who created our opening. Then Wilson headed home from the ever improving Anconetani’s cross. A great 2-0 victory in a match we dominated. The Liverpool keeper, Reina, won man of the match which wasn’t a surprise after our 26 attempts on goal.
Squad stats
With Newcastle well past the halfway mark, the squad stats should tell a story. My defence has done well, namely Wilson with 9 goals and an average rating of 7.39. New boy Anconetani seems to be settling on the right wing with 10 assists and 17 year old Kalu has done well as Wilson’s partner in defence considering his age. My most pleasing sign is Hernandez continuing to shine and prove his worth as Afellay’s replacement. His 5 goals and 8 assists came during big matches. Sanogo also continues to impress with 25 goals from 22 starts.
Finances — keep your fingers crossed
If you read my last post, I mentioned losing around £2 million a month. Well this wasn’t helped by the six contracts that needed renewing, all due to expire sometime next season. We took a big hit there, but remember I managed to reel in £18 million due to departures in January. Without these sales and my contract renewals I’d be in the red by around £11 million. But we are actually just £5.2 million in the red. Not too bad seen as I have rid of those annoying contract renewals. Below is my finance graph and this periods finances are boxed in red. You’ll see the graph make a big spike up and then back down to the same level. This is my transfer income and then all the contract renewal signing on fees etc. I predict we’ll be in the red by around £10 million come the seasons end. But that is before the prize money comes in and my player transfers go through. By the start of pre-season I should have more than £30 million in the bank.
Well that is it for today’s post, the next one will take us all the way to season number fives conclusion. Will we win the Premier League, FA Cup or even the Champions League? And how will my finances look come the seasons end? There’s only one way to find out, so join me next time and thanks for reading. Please feel free to ask any questions and I look forward to your comments as always.
P.S. Verratti’s before and after profiles were requested last post, so here they are. Not much improvement and a little disappointing, but I’m happy considering his lowly cost. :)
Marco Verratti in 2012
Marco Verratti in 2015
Desmo Wenning
13 мая, 2011 at 12:07
Hi Darren,
Very good work on the transfermarket there, getting a lot of profit on players you got on a free/almost no money! Also good results and you’re confortable in 1st, looks like you’re gonna be champions! Good luck in the coming month!
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 18:25
Cheers Desmo, I had to get bargain buys early on and now we’re reaping the benefits. These guys can go or a huge profit which is great for the club. Hopefully my silverware cabinet and bank balance will increase greatly by the end of this season. :)
Alex
13 мая, 2011 at 12:23
Hey Darren,
Brilliant stuff, I knew you would sell Afellay, simply because I suggested it in your first Newcastle post :P. You have won the league, won the League Cup already, great chance in the FA Cup and have a great chance to get through to the next round of the Champions League. Your balance isn’t great, but at least it’s improving :). Good luck for the rest of the season.
Btw, Tinga looks like a potential wonderkid, great signing there :D.
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 18:23
Thanks Alex, everything is going to plan so far. The finances don’t look great yet, but I think we’ll see a huge improvement come the seasons end and during next years pre-season. I am happy with Tinga’s signature, he could be a huge player for the toon.
Laxeyman
13 мая, 2011 at 16:23
You’ve done well to get so much money in Darren, and Tinga looks like a fantastic prospect, he could become world class. You’re doing fantatsically well in the league too, and should wrap that up easily. You should reach the FA Cup Semi Final too, and I reckon you will beat Sevilla in the Champions League. Good luck!
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 18:21
Thanks Laxeyman, since concentrating on the finances I’ve realised how easy it can be to make a club stable. Selling players is a huge part of this and by getting organised I should be able to rake in cash like this more often. Tinga is a great addition to my Y2G system, but I just hope Afellay won’t cause any unrest with his planned departure.
vaibhavc
13 мая, 2011 at 17:02
Hey Darren
Great campaign so far, winning the Carling Cup and first after 27 games. Sanogo seems to be a great player, with 19 finishing. Afellay for 23 million is great. He has amazingly high wages. And I could tell you won the Carling Cup from your screenshot of the Prem table. :P
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 17:50
Thanks Vaibhavc, Sanogo is immense! A little inconsistent but amazing on his day, he’s the main reason for our success so far. Afellay’s sale is great, if not for the £23m getting rid of those wages is a relief. Hopefully we can continue to succeed.
Sayam Khan
13 мая, 2011 at 17:19
Hello Darren,
Excellent season so far! You should win the league tbh. Carling Cup is already in the bag! Well done. Good transfer business, 23m for a 29 year old Affelay is brilliant! Tinga seems to be a great prospect. Anway good luck!
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 17:48
Thanks Sayam, I think the title is all but wrapped up and its brilliant to have our first trophy in the League Cup. Getting £23m for Afellay is a right bargain, that money will come to good use. :)
vikingmarius
13 мая, 2011 at 18:20
Hi Darren
Your doing fantastically and the league and hove done brilliantly to pass Real in the champions league. Tinga looks like a great adition and a good back-up and future star in the midfield, Verratti looks decent but nothing amazing thanks for the upload :)
Darren Smith
13 мая, 2011 at 18:27
Thanks mate, all is well in the North East ;) Tinga could be a superstar and I’m delighted with the current squads performances. You’re right about Verratti, he’s average and that shows on the pitch. I’ll probably try and offload him come the summer.
Sibo
13 мая, 2011 at 19:08
Well done Darren!
You continue to do brilliant things with the Toon! Congratulations on winning the Carling Cup, and I am sure the league will be yours come season end.
Also, those are marvelous transfers! £23M for Afellay, and getting rid of Khedira (I believe you mentioned him eating up the wages>)
Well done and keep up the good work, I see many more trophies on the horizon! :D
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:31
Thanks Sibo, hopefully my trophy haul win finish with the League Cup. Newcastle are more than capable of doing the treble this year, just need a little luck too.
Afellay is on £110K a week while Khedira was on £50K a week so both great to offload seen as they only have two years left at the top.
Ana Garcia
13 мая, 2011 at 19:30
Your still going along really well,
Top of the league with a game in hand and in a great position to win the title.
Also well done in beating Real Madrid!
Finances are not looking too good but with prize money and TV rights along with your transfers out and the loss of some high wage earners it should be looking better very soon.
Good luck Darren! :)
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:28
Thanks Ana, we just need to maintain the form and morale. Newcastle are like a steam train at the moment. Beating Real was much more than three points too, it was a morale victory that revives my hope for Europe this year. :)
I just realised I also get over £20 million in sponsorship money at the end of this season, so we could rake it in! Then after offloading a few more high earners in pre-season, the finances could be sound. :) Fingers crossed.
Johnny Karp
13 мая, 2011 at 20:35
Well done Darren, you have transformed Newcastle into a successful corporation both on and off the pitch. Mike Ashley should really get in touch with you as soon as possible! :)
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:25
Thanks Johnny, I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with the end of season finances. :) I certainly was! Just a shame I’ll never see the real Newcastle succeed to this extreme, ow well there’s always my virtual world.
Lye
14 мая, 2011 at 01:40
Hi Darren,
Your team is well in pace for quadruple. Great job on the win against Real Madrid to take the top spot. Your squad is big, there are so many players leaving this season. That will surely see a substantial reduction on your wages. I am sure your finances will turn up for the better next season. Good luck.
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:24
Thanks Lye, we have had a great season so far and I’m feeling confident. The quadruple would be amazing but I’d be happy with a double or treble tbh. Finances are my main goal at the moment.
CsAtlantis
14 мая, 2011 at 02:03
Hello Darren, looking good for winning some more trophies, and the League Cup is already in the cabinet, some nice profit on transfers out, your bank balance will be much better with some big wages being taken off your payroll
Good luck in the……..um everything! :P
Oh yeah how much wage budget are you using out of your max budget now?
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:22
Cheers mate, I am hoping to turn silverware into cash by the seasons end. But I honestly believe the best way to get rich is by knowing when to sell your players. Hopefully I am doing the right thing in this area. I currently have a max budget of £1.5 million per week but only spend around £1.2m. Hoping to drop this below £1.1m next season then we’ll see what happens.
Kevin
14 мая, 2011 at 09:04
Hi Darren
First off congratulations in winning the League Cup again and you are progresing nicely in all competitions. Incredible tranfer activity and I sense a rugged determination to ensure Newcastle become financially sound as well as a succesful implememtation of Y2G. Good luck with the run in to the end of the season :)
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 12:20
Thanks Kevin, hopefully we’ll keep progressing till the seasons end. I’m mostly impressed with the way my teams performing, love watching the slick passing. :) I am really motivated on the financial side and have a big picture in my head. If all goes to plan, you’ll be amazed by the end of next pre-season. :)
Aaron
14 мая, 2011 at 16:19
Another great few months there :) I’m trying to do a similar thing in my game with Norwich. Just about breaking even with my transfers so far :) just wanted to ask how much notice do you give to your scouts when scouting for young players? I’ve found good players with great attributes but my scouts seem to think they are 2 star players. The scouts player judging is around 19/20 so thats why I’m not sure.
Darren Smith
14 мая, 2011 at 21:01
Thanks Aaron, been more financially aware has spiced my game up big time so glad you’re trying it too. Breaking even is half the battle mate and should see your finances improve a lot. I think scouts are usually quite accurate with their reports, if they rate someone at 3 star PA I will take my own opinion into consideration first. But anything below that and the player is bad news. In my opinion anyway. Only thing to note is the scout rates these players alongside the current squad. So if you have one amazing player in the same position those new players maybe a 2 star in comparison to that player. Do you see what I mean?
Aaron
15 мая, 2011 at 02:54
Yeah its made a huge improvment after just one season. See I’ve looking at potiential players but because I haven’t loaded their leagues I’m just working off report cards which could affect it. Yeah I know but my two attacking mids are 30 atm so I’m looking at a quick replacement cos I have a club offering 30 million for one now :)
Darren Smith
15 мая, 2011 at 09:29
Ahh I see, you really must accept that offer then, £30m for such an old player is great. If you want a second opinion on those potential signings you could always email me the screenshots of them or put them in the sites forum. I’d be happy to offer a second pair of eyes.
Aaron
15 мая, 2011 at 12:47
Thanks Darren :) Yeah took that now looking for a replacement :) I have got £71 million in transfer fees so far this season :)