Vauxhall Motors Story: End Of Season Number 7

Hello folks and a warm welcome to the last episode of my seventh season in charge of The Motormen in Football Manager 2011! The team was playing better and better, some of the injured players returned to full fitness and they pushed us into 4th place in the Premier League at the end of March 2017 and also into the quarter finals of the Europa League! So there was very much to look forward to in the last couple of months of the season as we had a chance to grab a Champions League spot and also make a great impact in our first ever Europa League participation.

The month of April started with a fairly easy game at mid-table Blackburn, my Brazilian duo did some damage again and we won the game quite comfortably although Blackburn did score a consolation goal.

That was just a warm-up for a much more important game, the first leg of the Europa League quarter final against Spanish side Zaragoza, let’s see how that went.

Zaragoza vs Vauxhall (Europa League Qtr Final Leg 1)

Venue: La Romareda

Attendance: 28,731

Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Javier Godoy — Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Ibrahima MBow — Parana, Wellington Paulista

Team Talk: You can win today!

Zaragoza were not an easy team to play against, they had knocked out AS Roma earlier in the competition and they had a leader in midfield: Colombian international Freddy Guarin. As you know Zé Carlos and Julian Bazzi were ineligible for the Europa League, it wasn’t a big problem to replace Bazzi but Ze Carlos surely appeared to be a big loss. Anyway, we got off to a bright start and we could have taken the lead after just four minutes when Ibrahima MBow rattled the crossbar. Ten minutes later it was Zaragoza who took the lead, they beat the offside trap through clever play and their lone striker didn’t miss. The game was quite entertaining, both sides were attacking and the two goalkeepers did well to preserve the score in the following minutes. I was quite pleased with my team though, the lads were pushing forward and the reward did come on 38 minutes when a deflected cross from Wellington Paulista fell to Mark Brown in the middle of the penalty area and our midfielder made no mistake from there. The goal gave us some momentum and fortunately we managed to capitalize on that on the stroke of half time when a free kick cross from Brown was headed home by Leandro Velasco!

Half time score: 1-2

Half time team talk: Pleased

Half time substitutions: Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco

I had to replace Velasco at half time since he was quite tired but El Shaarawy didn’t live up to my expectations, he lost possession a few times right away as Zaragoza were looking quite determined and the home side managed to level the game on 57 minutes following a fine attacking move. I made two substitutions right after the goal, Grant Baddeley for Godoy and Shyamdew Weibolt for Vecera, and things started to improve immediately. We regained control in midfield and we didn’t have to wait too much for a result: on 67 minutes parried a shot from Wellington Paulista, Mark Brown pounced on the rebound and scored his second goal of the evening! That goal boosted our confidence, we continued to push forward and added further insurance five minutes from time when Parana slid home a good low cross from MBow. We won 4-2 away from home and that pretty much secured our place into the final, I was sure that Zaragoza were not going to be able to beat us 3-0 at Rivacre Park!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Mark Brown

Flop of the match: Stephan El Shaarawy

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

I chose to field a weakened squad against Zaragoza in the second leg and that proved to be a wise choice, the game was all over after just 17 minutes as we scored no less than five goals during that interval! Wellington Paulista netted his first hat-trick for the club while left back Nikao managed to score his first ever goal for The Motormen, it was a great evening for our fans. Then we took on relegation candidates Blackpool in the Premier League, it wasn’t an easy game but left winger Andrew Surman led us to victory with a fine brace. Our winning streak continued against already relegated Millwall, we only managed a narrow win but it was easier than it looks since we led 3-1 until injury time. And there were quite a few minutes of injury time since two of my players had to leave the pitch because of knocks: Shyamdew Weibolt was going to be out for 6 weeks and Andrew Driver for 3 months, the season was over for both of them. A confident display against Ipswich extended our winning streak in the Premier League to seven games but that was the last of the «easy» matches we had. I guess you are wondering where we were in the league table at that point, aren’t you? :) Be patient, that information will be coming to you later on…

First we have to find out about the Europa League semi final, a major event for the club. As I expected Juventus demolished Olympiakos so we were going to meet the Italian giants in the last four while the other semi final saw German favorites Dortmund taking on Ukrainian side Dnipro.

Our schedule fr the last few weeks of the season became a very difficult one, we had the two legs against Juventus and the Premier League battles against Champions League rivals Aston Villa and Arsenal…

First things first, let’s see what happened during our trip to the Italian peninsula…

Juventus vs Vauxhall (Europa League Semi Final Leg 1)

Venue: Delle Alpi

Attendance: 43,243

Starting line up: Jack Butland — Julian Marino, Javier Godoy, Louis Laing, Nikao — Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Ibrahima MBow — Wellington Paulista, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

Juventus seemed to be a much tougher opponent than any of the teams that we had met up to that point in the competition, their squad was filled with world class players from the likes of Darijo Srna in defense to Sebastian Giovinco or Yaya Sanogo upfront. Before moving on to the actual game, I have a mention to make about our goalkeeper. You all know that Dean Bouzanis was my first choice between the sticks throughout the season but now you notice that I chose to send in Butland in such an important game! Why? As I told you I sent in some backups in the second leg against Zaragoza, including Butland, and the goalie pulled off an amazing display to keep a clean sheet. Then I decided to give him another chance against Blackpool and he did very well again so he played in the next two league games as well and did a very good job.

On to the game now… We started very well, Juventus were surely not expecting that, and Louis Laing hit the crossbar on a corner kick after just two minutes! Eight minutes later it was Juventus‘ turn to come close but they were denied by a good save from Jack Butland. We were dominating the game though and the reward came on 23 minutes when Wellington Paulista made a lovely move and finished it off with a perfect shot into the bottom corner of the net! I was expecting a fierce reply from Juventus but that didn’t happen, we kept things fairly quiet until half time.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Elias Kost for Brown

That reaction from Juventus did come after the break, we found ourselves under pressure right away and Butland pulled off another great save on 52 minutes before being saved by the post a minute later. We managed to break the siege on 55 minutes though, right back Julian Marino made a good interception in midfield and quickly passed the ball forward, Wellington Paulista picked it up, skipped past a defender and powered it into the roof of the net from the edge of the area! I made the remaining two substitutions after the goal, Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco and Andrew Surman for Parana with MBow moved up as a striker. Juventus were in control, they were dominating but there were no clear chances until 15 minutes from time when they pulled one back on a corner kick with the help of some particularly poor defending from our part. The goal gave Juventus some confidence and they started pouring forward, we were under loads of pressure. We managed to hang in there though, Jack Butland made another great save 10 minutes from time and we won the game 2-1. Unfortunately Ibrahima MBow picked up a second yellow card five minutes from time for a needless foul in midfield. The result was good but we were not sure of the qualification yet, Juventus proved that they are a great team and I felt that they were more than capable of beating us 2-0 anytime, anywhere.

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Wellington Paulista

Flop of the match: Mark Brown

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

Now let’s get back to the Premier League, as promised. You already know that we were on a nice seven-game winning streak, now let’s find out where we were in the table. Well, I can tell you that we were in third place with three games to play, not a big surprise there, but the shocking fact is that we were in with a chance for… the title! Chelsea and Manchester City had dropped a few points so we were just two points off the top with three games remaining!

However, our advantage over fifth placed Manchester United was still at three points, we still were not sure of qualifying for the Champions League. Aston Villa were out of the top four race, I was hoping to capitalize on their poor form of late and grab another three points.

Vauxhall vs Aston Villa (Premier League)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,266 (sold out)

Starting line up: Jack Butland — Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Mervin Simon, Grant Baddeley — Leandro Velasco, Mark Brown, Kwabena Quartey, Andrew Surman — Parana, Zé Carlos

Team Talk: You can win today!

Unfortunately we got off to a nightmare start, Aston Villa took the lead after just three minutes with a surprising shot. Then my team did what it was supposed to do, we dominated the game until half time but we were not very productive as we only managed two shots on target despite having 70% ball possession.

Half time score: 0-1

Half time team talk: Sympathise.

Half time substitutions: Stephan El Shaarawy for Velasco, Elias Kost for Brown, Kai Kramer for Surman

Our Champions League qualification dream was in danger so the lads came out with even more determination from the dressing room, we were pushing forward but the equalizer was still eluding us. Somebody had to do something and that man was Zé Carlos, he pulled us level with a fantastic strike from the edge of the area and we had 23 more minutes to find the winning goal. Parana missed a glorious chance 10 minutes from time as he fired wide from seven yards and Aston Villa seemed to be able to hold out for a draw as the game entered injury time. We had one last chance two minutes into stoppage time, Grant Baddeley sent in a cross, it was deflected but it went to Zé Carlos who cushioned it with a nice touch and then fired home! The game was not over yet though, Aston Villa managed to create a last-gasp chance but they were denied by a stunning save from Jack Butland!

Full time team talk: Well done!

Man of the match: Zé Carlos

Flop of the match: Andrew Surman

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

No changes in the league table, we were still two points off the top and three points clear of Manchester United…

We had to forget all about the league at least for a few days though, mighty Juventus were coming at Rivacre Park and their intentions were clear: punish us for the first leg!

Vauxhall vs Juventus (Europa League Semi Final Leg 2)

Venue: Rivacre Park

Attendance: 10,266 (sold out)

Starting line up: Jack Butland — Kwabena Quartey, Javier Godoy, Louis Laing, Nikao — Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Mark Brown, Andrew Surman — Wellington Paulista, Pavol Vesely

Team Talk: Encourage.

I fielded the best and fittest 11 players that I had available except one: striker Parana. He was in danger of being suspended if he would have picked up another yellow card and since he had the bad habit of diving quite often (and getting caught quite often too) I chose to leave him on the bench and send in Vesely instead. Juventus wasted no time in showing that they meant business, they put us under pressure from the very first second of the game and they only needed six minutes to take the lead. The visitors needed just one more goal to qualify at that point but my lads woke up just in time, took control of the game but didn’t create any chances in the following minutes. Juventus came close to bagging that second goal on 20 minutes when a cracking shot from distance hit the crossbar and then they had another good chance on a counter attack but Jack Butland did a great job to save us there. We needed to score a goal and ease some of the pressure but the strikers were unable to link up like they usually do. But when the strikers can’t do it the centre backs can: Louis Laing headed on a a corner kick cross into the six yard box and Javier Godoy beat the keeper with a diving header! The goal gave the lads more confidence and we could have scored a second just before the break but Juventus goalkeeper Steve Mandanda made an awesome double save on Pavol Vesely.

Half time score: 1-1

Half time team talk: Pleased.

Half time substitutions: Mervin Simon for Godoy, Elias Kost for Vecera

I had to make two substitutions at half time because of fatigue but Juventus‘ players didn’t look much fresher either, the game was pretty much under our control until the last 20 minutes. Juventus didn’t seem capable of doing the damage but we still had to be careful. Our fears were long gone 17 minutes from time though, midfielder Mark Brown curled in a superb free kick shot from 25 yards out and we were comfortably leading 2-1! I changed the strategy to counter immediately after the goal and the last minutes of the game were pleasantly quiet, Juventus didn’t even see much of the ball before the final whistle. Jack Butland was the man of the match, he had a tremendous first half and things could have gone a lot differently without his saves before the break.

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Jack Butland

Flop of the match: Pavol Vesely

Match Stats

Video Highlights

Click here to watch the highlights.

We were through to the final and we were going to meet Dortmund, as expected. The Germans brushed aside Dnipro and they were the favorites to lift the trophy.

We had a very important league game before the big final though, we had to get three points at Arsenal if we wanted to keep the title hopes alive!

Arsenal vs Vauxhall (Premier League)

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Attendance: 57,802

Starting line up: Jack Butland — Julian Marino, Julian Bazzi, Louis Laing, Javier Godoy — Leandro Velasco, Mark Brown, Kwabena Quartey, Andrew Surman — Zé Carlos, Parana

Team Talk: You can win today!

Unfortunately midfielder Radek Vecera had picked up a slight injury in training before the game so I had to send in Quartey as a midfielder but the good news was that Graham Howson was back in training and I was able to give him a seat on the bench. The first half was fairly even but rather boring to be honest, the two teams canceled each other out and the crowd had little to cheer about. Things could have gone our way a minute before the break though, Parana unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the area but it rattled the crossbar before being cleared out of danger.

Half time score: 0-0

Half time team talk: You can win today!

Half time substitutions: Nikao for Godoy, Graham Howson for Velasco, Ibrahima MBow for Surman

We looked a bit better after the break but there still weren’t any clear chances, the game was heading toward a goalless ending. We received some help 22 minutes from time when Menez picked up a second yellow card and left Arsenal with only 10 men but we were worse off after that, the Gunners parked the bus and secured the draw.

Full time team talk: Sympathise.

Man of the match: Julian Bazzi

Flop of the match: Parana

Match Stats

Our title dream was over, Chelsea were four points ahead of us before the last game of the season. That last game was totally unimportant at that point as both Manchester United and Tottenham were three points behind us but with a considerably worse goal difference, we were 99% sure of finishing the season in third place.

So we had nothing else to worry about than the big Europa League final against Dortmund! I will try to re-create what I felt during the game, I took some notes of the important events in the game and my reactions to them, I hope you will enjoy the next page! ;)

Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.

Dortmund vs Vauxhall (Europa League Final)

Venue: Stade de Gerland, Lyon

Attendance: 41,044

Starting line up: Jack Butland — Julian Marino, Javier Godoy, Mervin Simon, Nikao — Leandro Velasco, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Andrew Surman — Wellington Paulista, Parana

Team Talk: For the fans!

It was Dortmund‘s 4th Europa League final and they had lost the previous three ones! As you can see there weren’t any big stars in their team but it was a solid squad nonetheless. Here’s what happened during the game, I wrote these down in real-time in my notebook, pen to paper…

1st minute — Graham Howson shoots from the edge of the area, tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper. Corner kick cross from Velasco, Mervin Simon header, just over! So close…

3rd minute — Dortmund‘s first shot, from way out and well wide.

9th minute — Dortmund try their luck again from distance, this time it’s on target but Jack Butland holds the ball easily.

12th minute — Parana makes a determined tackle on one of their centre backs inside the midfield circle, Wellington Paulista gathers the loose ball and sprints forward… He’s at he edge of the area… Shoots… It’s in, straight into the bottom corner! It’s in! (click here to open the video)

18th minute — throw-in for Dortmund, cross into the box, Butland comes out to catch it but he misses the ball! 1-1… My God Jack, what have you done… (click here to open the video)

30th minute — free kick for Dortmund from out wide, cross into the box at the far post, header… it’s in… Jack Butland could have saved it, it went in between him and the post… Oh Jack, what have you done… I should have picked Dean Bouzanis for this game… (click here to open the video)

44th minute — corner kick in our favor, Mervin Simon header at the far post, well over the bar…

Half time stats

Half time score: 2-1

Half time team talk: Sympathise.

Half time substitutions: Kwabena Quartey for Marino, Louis Laing for Nikão, Mark Brown for Vecera

I had no choice, I had to make three substitutions at half time as all the three players that were replaced had picked up slight knocks during the opening 35 minutes.

46th minute — good through ball from Andrew Surman but the goalkeeper rushed out and blocked at Wellington Paulista‘s feet.

48th minute — the ball arrives to Mark Brown inside the area but he shoots well wide, poor shot…

54th minute — Surman crosses the ball from out wide, it goes into the six yard box, Leandro Velasco beats the keeper to it and pushes home! Get in, it’s all square! (click here to open the video)

59th minute — Louis Laing corner kick header, on target but easily held by the goalkeeper.

70th minute — Parana brought down inside the penalty area but the referee waves play on! Come on ref…

74th minute — Laing pushed inside the box, the ref waves play on again! Come on you man in black, give us a slight nudge here…

75th minute — Laing corner kick header, better this time but well saved by the goalkeeper.

81st minute — Dortmund free kick cross headed on target, well held by Butland.

84th minute — Dortmund great shot from distance, inches wide…

85th minute — good move from Dortmund, shot from inside the penalty area but straight at the keeper, Butland held on to the ball.

87th minute — corner kick cross from Leandro Velasco, Louis Laing rises above the opponents and heads on target… The keeper gets a hand to it but it’s too powerful, it’s in! Get in! Way to go Louis!!!(click here to open the video)

88th minute — Dortmund switch to 4-2-4, we change the strategy to counter

90th minute — the fourth referee indicates four minutes of injury time! Dortmund switch to 2-4-4!

90th minute +1 — Graham Howson free kick cross, Laing heads it on target again but it’s cleared off the line!

90th minute +2 — Parana plays a good through ball for Wellington, he is clean through but the shot goes inches wide…

94 minutes and 31 seconds — It’s over, it’s the final whistle! It’s over!

Full time team talk: Congratulations!

Man of the match: Leandro Velasco

Flop of the match: Jack Butland

Match Stats

We won the Europa League, I don’t think I can say more than that! And we deserved it too, we were better than Dortmund overall.

I am now listed as an icon for the club, I guess I deserve some credit :)

The last league game of the season was an opportunity to send in some backup players that might not be here next season, it was their chance to say good bye but they were unable to get more than a goalless draw.

The result was not important however, our 3rd place was already secured. Chelsea won the title, Manchester United grabbed the fourth spot at the very last moment while Wolves, Southampton and Millwall head down to the Championship.

I won the Manager of the Season award though, that was a nice surprise!

Immediately after that I received the biggest job offer yet, from Arsenal! I refused it, don’t worry, but I did waste a few seconds looking at their wage budget which is six times bigger than what I currently have at Vauxhall!

And now, the player stats for the season. I really don’t know where to start as at least 20 of my 25 players deserve special praise. Obviously the Brazilian duo in attack catches the spotlight, Zé Carlos and Parana scored 44 goals between them and provided 20 assists and all that while missing three months of the season through injury! Considering that we were only six points behind champions Chelsea at the end of the season I guess it’s safe to say that we could have mounted a serious title challenge without those two injuries.

Then the centre backs, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon and Julian Bazzi did a great job at the back and they also managed to score quite a few goals. Wellington Paulista was my secret weapon in the second part of the season, I congratulate myself for selling Connor Wickham and buying this lad in January! Then there’s Ibrahima MBow, a faithful servant to the club, he sat on the bench throughout the first part of the season and never complained and when he got his chance he banged those goals in! Veteran Andrew Surman, the oldest player in the team, scored no less than 14 goals from the left wing and provided 12 assists, probably the best season of his career. Last but not least, Leandro Velasco, the right winger was the most reliable player in the whole squad as he played in no less than 52 games, scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists. I will stop here, you can read on in the screen shot below :)

Zé Carlos nearly won the Premier League Golden Boot, he was just three goals behind Chicharito but he could easily have won this award if it wasn’t for that infamous injury.

He did win an award though, the Football Writers Footballer of the Year! Not bad for his debut Premier League season!

With a squad average age of only 21 we were bound to dominate the Young Player of the Year awards. Leandro Velasco won it with Mervin Simon and Julian Bazzi coming in second and third.

I was pleased to find out that three of my players were included in the team of the season, plus veteran Andrew Surman on the bench. I hope to have at least five next season :)

And now let’s look at the future! The planning on our youth academy was finally completed and now it was time to move on to the actual construction works, we will have a youth academy in three months!

Our training and youth facilities have also been improved but only slightly, there is still a lot of work to do in order to make these facilities at least as good as the team.

In fact, I have further improved the coaching staff but the training facilities rating is way behind the quality of the employees.

The board must be quite happy now and the shareholders as well, the club made a huge profit this season and we have around 32 million pounds in the bank! I hope that the chairman and his mates won’t get greedy now, I will constantly remind them that they still need to invest in the future of the club.

That’s how the season was folks, a fairytale year for me and my Motormen as we grabbed our first piece of important European silverware. I don’t know how much money I will have for transfers but I guess I don’t need too much as I want to bring in only three players for the first team: a left back, a left midfielder and a central midfielder. There should be a lot more players that would be interested to play for us now so I will have to be careful and not bring in too many :) Thanks a lot for reading my friends and for your constant support, if you have any requests for screen shots or anything like that feel free to ask in the comments.