Here we go again my friends, welcome to a new episode of my Notts County Football Manager 2010 story! After a busy month of January we were able to hold on to the 6th place and advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup. February was expected to be a lot more difficult though, we had to face Arsenal and Manchester City (twice)!
Before telling you all about the matches I thought about sharing something with you. I was curious to see which are the managers that I’m competing with in the Premier League and I have to say that there are a few surprising names on the list. Mark Hughes is still in charge of The Citizens, Rafa Benitez is still the boss at Anfield Road while former Bulgarian international Krasimir Balakov is managing Tottenham! Oh, and Roberto Mancini at Arsenal, how about that…
Alright, let’s get on with the games. The first match of the month was at home with 8th placed Sunderland, a team that we managed to beat convincingly away from home, 3-1 in October. Sergio Romero was suspended after being sent off in the last league game, so Ben Amos was back between the posts. We got off to a great start thanks to Guilherme, he sent in a torpedo from 20 yards out right away. Things got a bit complicated after left back Alberto Morgado elbowed an opponent in the face, he was sent off and eventually got banned for 4 games! I had to take out Zigoni and send in a defender but the team reacted well and solved the game before half time. Right winger Nicola Bonetti had a great day, he cut inside from the right flank quite often to compensate the missing striker and he managed to score twice. We played well in the second half too and Ben Amos put the cherry on the cake by saving a penalty kick.
Next up, a very tough away game, Arsenal were expected to beat us. They were just above us in 5th place and I still remember that they beat us 1-0 at Meadow Lane in September. We started the game well, the situation looked pretty even. Arsenal managed to make the difference though, first with a corner kick header and then by taking advantage of an error in our defense. They were 2-0 up after an even first half, that was frustrating. My players failed to react in the second half, Arsenal dominated the game by winning the ball in midfield almost every time. Diaby was deservedly sent off, he deserved to go to the dressing room even earlier, but my boys looked demoralized and couldn’t take advantage of the situation.
The next game was the FA Cup clash with Manchester City, we were the underdogs again. Adebayor was injured but they still had Tevez and Robinho upfront. We started the game well, a triangle of passes between Zigoni, Biglia and Guilherme left the Brazilian one on one with the keeper and he didn’t miss. Manchester City put us under pressure after the goal and Kalou managed to capitalize on that twice, my right back was unable to keep him under control. Tinga scored to make things level again but Robinho shattered our illusions just before half time. We tried to react in the second half but missed our chances. Luisao scored from a corner kick and then Tevez finished off one of the many counter attack chances that they had in the second half. It was a painful defeat but I guess nobody expected us to cause the upset. We put up a brave fight but the opponents proved to be much better than us.
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Kevin Mayo
27 января, 2010 at 14:37
Hi Johnny
I think that’s one of your most toughest months since I started following your «career», especially playing Man City back to back. At least you ended the it with a win and still hold onto a European place and next months schedule looks a bit easier.I see the dreaded long shot reared it’s ugly head. Sad to see Shearer getting the sack.I met him in Toronto 2 years ago but for all of 20 seconds:)
paine
27 января, 2010 at 15:44
Of course your team is not ready to defeat the big guns yet, but an Europa league spot could be a very good achievement for now.
At least who said you cheated should be happy enough after these last fixtures.
Good luck!
TheZiggy
27 января, 2010 at 16:01
Arsenal and Man City are always tough teams to face if you defence has some weaknesses. City do at least usually give chances to score against them. I think you’re right to continue with the attacking strategy with your team, because although you will leak goals, you have a better chance of scoring too. Trying to sit back you’re likely to concede still and not score as many, and not be anywhere near as entertaining. Hopefully you get things back on track properly to secure that EURO Cup spot. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
27 января, 2010 at 16:24
Thanks for the comments my friends!
@TheZiggy
I decided to continue with the attacking strategy, at least we’ll have some fun. The 7th place could also qualify for the Europa League but it depends on the cup winners.
@Paine
I feel that the team hasn’t the mental strength to beat this type of opponents, most times we make mistakes and crumble after that. About the cheating, it’s a closed argument for me. I know that I’ll never do that and I also know that I can’t change some people’s opinions, so I’ll continue to enjoy the game and the blog as much as I can.
@Kevin
It was a beautiful long shot actually, I liked it but I would have loved it if it wasn’t into our net. I feel bad about Shearer too, I liked him a lot as a player.
Lye
27 января, 2010 at 16:46
Hi mate, too bad about the 2 losses to Arsenal and Man City. I think there are still some improvements to be made before you can really challenge the big guns. But i believe you should be able to achieve the play-off place.
Next month you will be facing 3 teams that you have a big chance of winning. If you won all of them, the teams behind you will have a hard time chasing you. Good luck.
Oh i noticed that Kieron Dyer is the manager of Fulham, a trouble maker becoming a manager. Seems like he is doing quite well with Fulham.
Johnny Karp
27 января, 2010 at 17:04
Thanks for the comment Lye. It will be difficult to win all three of them but I’d be happy with two. I’m curious to see what will Liverpool do in those two extra games that they have to play. One of them is against Arsenal, maybe they won’t be able to win it…
Martin
27 января, 2010 at 19:20
Like Someone Said Before On One Of Your Previous Posts, These Little Blips Always Come Up Sometimes In The Game, And It Was Against Very Good Opponents
Johnny Karp
27 января, 2010 at 19:23
You are right Martin, I hope we’ll recover in time to hold on to that 6th place.
Laxeyman
27 января, 2010 at 19:47
Unlucky about those results Johnny, but they were good teams that you lost to. Man City always seem to create so many chances, but their defence is a bit dodgy. It will be interesting to see how Liverpool do. There are torn loyalties for me as I am a Liverpool fan but I want you to do well! Good luck anyway.
Johnny Karp
27 января, 2010 at 21:12
Thanks Laxeyman. I guess bad luck had nothing to do with it, we made some errors in those games and paid the price. I don’t have anything against Liverpool though, I like them in real life although I support Arsenal and the Blyth Spartans :)