Hello my friends, welcome back to my Football Manager 2010 story. Our first month in the Championship was very good, we were still unbeaten after 5 games and it seemed like we were on course for a top spot at the end of the season. I knew that it was just the beginning of a long winding road so we had to work hard and earn the points on the pitch.
I decided to bring in a new player at the end of August, I felt we needed another right/left winger to provide enough depth in that area of the team. As there was no transfer money left and we were already over the wage budget I had to find a good player on loan. I was happy when Ajax Amsterdam accepted to loan Rodney Sneijder for free and without any wage contribution from our part.
The first game of the month was away at 17th placed Crystal Palace, they didn’t have a good start this season. Our first half was extremely poor though, we couldn’t get past their aggressive midfield. We looked better after the break and Tomas Pekhart gave us the lead with a fine right footed drive from 25 yards out. We defended well after scoring that goal and Sburlea doubled our lead just before the final whistle after a blitz counter attack.
We had a tough game coming up, at home with 4th placed Middlesbrough, a very strong team with fast talented players upfront. The first half was fairly even but Boro had luck on their side, they scored a total fluke — a wild cross from the left flank got past the keeper, hit the post and then went in… We were much more offensive in the second half, our midfielders showed much more creativity. As a result of that we scored two identical goals, Alibec and Szalai scored after receiving superb through balls inside the box, right through the middle of their defense. We defended well after the second goal and I was relieved to see Digard sent off after a murderous tackle, he deserved the red card much earlier. We controlled the last minutes of the game easily and the final whistle gave us a very important win, a hard fought one too.
The next game was another difficult one, away at 6th placed Bristol City, a very strong team that just got relegated from the Premier League. We had a poor first half again, goalkeeper Ben Amos kept us alive with some magnificent saves. Bristol City did score eventually, they deserved to take the lead after missing quite a few good chances. I was hoping to keep the narrow gap at the end of the first half but somehow we managed to score, Sneijder hit the post, the ball bounced clear and Pekhart finished it off with a quick volley. We kept possession very well in the second half and even created a few chances upfront. We had a great chance to win it in the last minute of the game, Sburlea was clean through but Orr fouled him just outside the penalty area… He got sent off for the professional foul but he saved the goal, good choice.
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Eddie Eddie
23 декабря, 2009 at 14:28
Well done there, with luck you will get promoted.
Calum
23 декабря, 2009 at 14:41
Well done. Another very good month for you and I believe that the loan signing of Rodney Sneidjer is a very good one. As always good luck and I hope you can win promotion. It won’t be easy though!
Martin
23 декабря, 2009 at 14:43
Great Results
Unlucky With The Cup Draw :P
Johnny Karp
23 декабря, 2009 at 16:14
@Martin
Thanks mate, I admit I wanted a better draw. But hey, last season we knocked out Liverpool in the 4th round, maybe we’ll have another miracle, who knows…
@Calum
Thanks, I’m quite sure it won’t be easy. Initially I wanted to buy Sneijder but the price was way too high for my budget so I bought Pedro Botelho from Arsenal instead.
@Eddie
Thanks Eddie, we’ll definitely need some luck from time to time.
Martin
23 декабря, 2009 at 20:35
Yeah You’ll Have Some Sort Of A Chance A Chance Against Man United :)
I Wish You Luck In That Game :)
Sonny
23 декабря, 2009 at 20:54
well done johnny i also just got promoted to the championship
Kevin
23 декабря, 2009 at 21:48
Great month for you again and nice to see you at the top of the table.I see the «All Nottingham derby» is coming up next month. That hasn’t happened for a while I’m sure. Oh and Man U in the Carling Cup.Can’t wait to see how that turns out!
BTW. I’ve managed to get access to the copier finally so I can print and read some of your Blyth story on the subway tonight.
Johnny Karp
23 декабря, 2009 at 22:11
@Kevin
Thanks mate, have fun in the subway! And don’t forget to get off at the right stop :)
@Sonny
Well done Sonny, you’ll have a lot of fun in Championship but it’s going to be a pretty difficult challenge.
@Martin
We do have a small chance and I plan to fight for it until the end.
@Radu
Thanks my friend. The problem is that teams like Manchester United don’t really have a «weaker side», I guess we’ll need a lot of luck to survive that game. I won’t try to defend, park the bus as they say, we’ll play with courage, that’s the way I like football to be played.
Kevin
23 декабря, 2009 at 22:12
I fell asleep this morning and missed my stop. I was playing FM from 4.00am EST. befor going to work:)
Johnny Karp
23 декабря, 2009 at 22:21
Kevin, slow down mate :) You’re getting too addicted, I told you :) I do play the game a lot but with the blog I found a nice balance, I never play more than one game month in a single day, never. Before I started the blog I played even for 24 hours continuously a few times.
Kevin
23 декабря, 2009 at 22:51
My cat gets me up at 3.45am EST EVERY MORNING so it works nicely. I leave for work at 6.00am
Johnny Karp
23 декабря, 2009 at 23:21
@Kevin
That’s a good cat :)
@Radu
Mine is «Real football managers don’t need food» :)
Lye
24 декабря, 2009 at 06:49
Great job there mate, I think you will continue your success journey as like Blyth Spartans,promotion every year. I think you will be challenging for the premier league title in the next 2 or 3 seasons. Like to see how your Uruguay career goes.
Johnny Karp
24 декабря, 2009 at 10:44
Thanks Lye, I’ll do my best :)
Martin
24 декабря, 2009 at 11:18
I Havent Actually Got This Game Yet But I Might Get It Tomorrow (Christmas) :P
Im Currently Just Playing As Cardiff On 09 And It Took Me 3 Seasons To Get Promoted :O
Johnny Karp
24 декабря, 2009 at 11:36
Martin, it would be the perfect Christmas gift! Good luck!
Sonny
24 декабря, 2009 at 22:30
how do i get to read the blyth spartans story ?
Johnny Karp
26 декабря, 2009 at 16:05
Sonny, go to the stories page and you can find it there, I was playing FM 2009 back then.