Hello folks and welcome to the year 2016! My Vauxhall Motors Football Manager 2011 story enters a new year with the team ending 2015 in 9th place in the Premier League with some exciting times ahead as the board gave me 12.25 million pounds to spend on transfers during January. We also had the Carling Cup semi final to look forward to although our chances were rather slim considering that we were meeting Manchester City. Let’s see how January 2016 went for the Motormen, there will be plenty of action and transfer news for you to enjoy!
Leyton Orient vs Vauxhall (FA Cup 3rd rnd)
Venue: Brisbane Road
Attendance: 8,956
Starting line up: Tim Howard — Kaka, Bryan Purdrue, Osman Chavez, Grant Baddeley — Nathan Dyer, Shyamdew Weibolt, Inigo Perez, Lionel Riehl — Parana, Ibrahima MBow
Team Talk: I expect a win!
The first game of the new year was a good opportunity to send in some backup players as we were meeting League One side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. I also decided to send in new signing Parana, I was just too curious to see him in action :) We dominated the first half entirely, the lads produced a good display but the score was still goalless at half time. We were entitled to blame bad luck though as my lads hit the woodwork twice before the interval.
Half time score: 0-0
Half time team talk: Pleased.
Half time substitutions: Cameron Lindsay for Perez, Mark Brown for Weibolt, Thorsten Schon for Riehl
The deadlock was finally broken 11 minutes after the re-start when a flowing team move brought the ball in the middle of the area to Ibrahima MBow and the striker slotted home to end his painful 13-hour goal drought. Things were going quite smoothly and we managed to double the advantage 12 minutes from time when Parana found Nathan Dyer with a good cross and the winger volleyed home. Ibrahima MBow added another one during injury time to cap a good afternoon, he pushed the ball home after hitting the post on a first attempt. Things went according to plan and they got even better after the draw as we were going to meet Blue Square North side Mansfield in the next round.
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Ibrahima MBow
Flop of the match: Inigo Perez
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
After the game I managed to complete the first two signings of the January transfer window, a right winger and a central midfielder! The right winger comes from Italy and his name is Stephan El Shaarawy (click name to see profile). I paid 2.2 million pounds for him to Dutch club Roda and I guess it’s a good deal considering that he’s 23 years old and has good technique and creativity. The central midfielder is an old acquaintance: Graham Howson! He was our best player in League One, then he spent another three months on loan with us last season and now I finally managed to get him on a permanent basis. I tried to buy him during the summer transfer window as well but back then I lacked the funding and Scottish club Hearts snapped him up from Manchester United. Now I paid 2 million pounds for him and I hope that he will help us a lot this season and in the future as well since he’s only 20 years old. With these two new signings coming in I terminated Lionel Riehl‘s loan deal and I sold Keith Higgs for a mere 50K. Striker Pavol Vesely was also loaned out for a hefty 100K fee.
Tottenham vs Vauxhall (Premier League)
Venue: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 42,753
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Osman Chavez, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Thorsten Schon, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Roni Porokara — Parana, Andrés
Team Talk: You can win today!
Our first league game of the year was a very tough one, away at 4th placed Tottenham. They had beaten us 2-0 at home in August and I was expecting another very difficult evening against them. The opening 20 minutes were not too bad, we were holding out well and I was quite pleased. Unfortunately things changed on 25 minutes when Osman Chavez was robbed by Iker Muniain in midfield and Basque striker outran everybody and scored a beautiful goal. We were unable to produce a reply before the break and it seemed like we were heading towards a predictable defeat.
Half time score: 1-0
Half time team talk: Sympathise.
Half time substitutions: Grant Baddeley for Van Damme, Stephan El Shaarawy for Schon, Ibrahima MBow for Porokara
The second half was even more disappointing, Tottenham were just too good for us and they converted their superiority into two more goals. The last one came as a result of a dubious penalty kick decision though…
Full time team talk: Sympathise.
Man of the match: Dean Bouzanis
Flop of the match: Ibrahima MBow
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
After the painful defeat at White Hart Lane I had another reason of joy from the transfer market, we had a new left winger! Most of you know him, his name is Andrew Driver and he’s a 28-year old Scottish left midfielder. The fee that I paid for him might be a bit too much, Hearts wanted no less than 5 million pounds to let him go, but since there were no better options available I decided that I could live with paying such a fee. He should be our first choice left winger from now on and I hope that he will do a good job on that flank considering his experience and determination.
Vauxhall vs Fulham (Premier League)
Venue: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 13,218
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Kaka, Cameron Lindsay, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Nathan Dyer, Mark Brown, Shyamdew Weibolt, Andrew Driver — Parana, Connor Wickham
Team Talk: You can win today!
Fulham were in 14th place before the game and since we beat them 2-1 in September at Craven Cottage I was hoping to record another success against them. The first half was a total disappointment, the game was as boring as a John McCain speech…
Half time score: 0-0
Half time team talk: You can win today!
Half time substitutions: Grant Baddeley for Van Damme, Andrés for Parana
Things were more entertaining after the break, the two teams looked like waking up from a long sleep, and fortunately it was us who took the lead. We were quite lucky to break the deadlock though as the ball went in from a Grant Baddeley cross that deflected off a Fulham defender before finding its way to the back of the net. The lads were playing pretty well and I was hoping to score a second goal so I sent in new signing Stephan El Shaarawy for Dyer on 63 minutes. That move backfired 16 minutes from time when right back Kaka had to leave the field due to an injury and left us with only 10 men on the pitch. We managed to hold out with fair ease but we could have been punished on a late corner kick, Dean Bouzanis pulled off a magical save to clear a close range header.
Full time team talk: Disappointing!
Man of the match: Dean Bouzanis
Flop of the match: Andrés
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
I still had some money to spend on transfers but I wasn’t very keen on bringing in other new players. However, I identified a good piece of business and I went for it. Here’s what happened: I knew that centre back Louis Laing from Wolves was available for 1 million pounds and when I received a 1.5 million offer for Osman Chavez I decided to go for it immediately. I made a nice profit for the club and Laing seems to be better than Chavez so it was all worth it.
Vauxhall vs Manchester City (Carling Cup semi final leg 1)
Venue: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 13,500
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Grant Baddeley, Bryan Purdrue, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Thorsten Schon, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Andrew Driver — Parana, Andrés
Team Talk: You can win today!
However, I did make a mistake since Laing was cup-tied due to playing in the domestic cups with Wolves. So he was unavailable for the tough Carling Cup semi final against Manchester City, Cameron Lindsay was away with the New Zealand national team and both right backs were injured… That wasn’t a good situation especially since we were going to play against the odds anyway… Our defense had «improvisation» written all over it but despite that we enjoyed a decent start to the game. Unfortunately we got hit on one of the most painful types of counter attacks as a corner kick in our favor converted into a goal for our opponents :( That goal took the wind out of our sails and Manchester City showed no mercy as they bagged another two goals before the break. The last one was quite unlucky for us as Grant Baddeley put through his own net but that didn’t really matter, we were 3-0 down at half time and it was getting embarrassing.
Half time score: 0-3
Half time team talk: Disappointing.
Half time substitutions: Nathan Dyer for Schon, Mark Brown for Vecera, Roni Porokara for Driver
We started to play much better after the break, we had nothing to lose anymore, but we squandered a couple of good opportunities before we finally managed to pull one back. Two new signings were in charge of our first goal as Graham Howson found Parana with a good pass and the Brazilian striker fired into the top corner from inside the penalty area. Manchester City were under pressure and one of their centre backs got sent off six minutes from time for a professional foul on Andrés who was clean through on goal. The Spanish striker did manage to score a couple of minutes later after receiving a superb long pass from Howson but it was too late, Manchester City won the game 3-2 and our chances of reaching the final were purely theoretical at that point.
Full time team talk: Good effort!
Man of the match: Graham Howson
Flop of the match: Thorsten Schon
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
Our situation in defense got even more complicated after the game, Spanish club Getafe made a surprising 7.5 million bid for Cameron Lindsay and the chairman decided to accept it against my will! I didn’t see that coming to be honest as there were no transfer rumors regarding Lindsay… He accepted the contract offer from Getafe and left the club after just six months… I had no other choice than to promote youngster Thiago to the first team and I started looking for a new centre back as I had around 3 million pounds left in the transfer budget.
But before finding a new centre back I managed to get in another right/left winger, a very talented one that I snatched on loan until the end of the season. His name is David Gonzalez, a very talented 19-year old from Argentina, and I gladly agreed to pay 500K for his loan to Romanian club CFR Cluj. There is also a clause to buy him at any time until the end of the season for 14.5 million but I doubt we’ll be having that kind of money.
Birmingham vs Vauxhall (Premier League)
Venue: St. Andrews
Attendance: 20,429
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Grant Baddeley, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Radek Vecera, Shyamdew Weibolt, Graham Howson, Andrew Driver — Parana, Connor Wickham
Team Talk: You can win today!
Birmingham were in 16th place before the match but I was expecting a tough fight since they had beaten us 1-0 in September. My expectations proved to be optimistic though, my lads started the game badly and Birmingham deservedly took the lead after 25 minutes. I was hoping to see a reaction from my players but there was none, we were looking like a strange team out there.
Half time score: 1-0
Half time team talk: I want to see more from you!
Half time substitutions: Bryan Purdrue for Van Damme, Stephan El Shaarawy for Vecera, Mark Brown for Howson
We started to play a bit better after the break but just when I was hoping to see an equalizer Birmingham bagged the second goal and the game was as good as over. My lads fought on but we were unable to create more than a few decent chances before the final whistle.
Full time team talk: Sympathise.
Man of the match: Parana
Flop of the match: Mark Brown
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
Vauxhall vs Ipswich (Premier League)
Venue: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 10,138
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Louis Laing, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Thorsten Schon, Radek Vecera, Graham Howson, Andrew Driver — Parana, Andrés
Team Talk: You can win today!
We had a good chance to make a return to winning ways against 16th placed Ipswich, a team that we had beaten 2-1 away from home in September. In fact, we enjoyed a good start to the game but it was Ipswich who took the lead on 18 minutes after a simple move left my defense standing. I was fearing the worse at that point but Mervin Simon put some color back into my cheeks just a couple of minutes later when he nodded home from a Graham Howson free kick. My lads were pouring forward and we finally took the lead on 34 minutes when Andrew Driver scored his first goal for the club from yet another perfect Howson free kick. After two assists the English midfielders managed to get a goal to his name as well, he rounded off a nice team move and we were two goals up at the interval.
Half time score: 3-1
Half time team talk: Pleased.
Half time substitutions: none
Ipswich pulled one back just three minutes after the break, it was their second goal from their second shot on target! However, the result still seemed to be safely in our hands as we were definitely looking like the better team. The rest of the game was quiet enough, we were keeping possession very well but we were no longer creating chances like we did in the first half. I was quite confident and relaxed to be honest but that was until the 77th minute when Ipswich made it all square with an unbelievable shot from distance… That’s what I call dropping two points, we really should have won this one…
Full time team talk: Sympathise.
Man of the match: Graham Howson
Flop of the match: Andrés
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
That was our last league match of the month and the result saw us sliding back into 10th place after a rather disappointing month. The Europa League dream seems to be far away now but we are still in a very good position to grab a top half finish as 11th placed Everton are 5 points behind us.
We had two more games to play before the end of the month though, the second leg against Manchester City and the FA Cup match with Mansfield. Plus we were still looking for a new centre back to replace Lindsay, go to the next page to see what happened.
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Darren Smith
16 апреля, 2011 at 20:42
Wow, that was an action packed post Johnny. Such a shame to lose Lindsay, but in my opinion £7.5 million is a good deal for him. Just crappy your left without a real quality CB…oh well hopefully you’ll see some of that cash next season. I think the top ten is secure and hopefully you can improve on that with a late run of form. Goodluck
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:19
Thanks Darren. I would have wanted more for Lindsay, I paid 5 mil for him after all and 2.5 mill is not a good profit in my view for such a good player. Anyway, I hope that Laing will do well.
Sayam Khan
16 апреля, 2011 at 20:46
Don’t worry Johnny, these type of months happen for new teams. Considering all the transfer activity going around your club, it wasn’t that bad! 10th place is a very respectable position for your first season in the premier league, so you should be satisfied so far.
David Gonzalez looks a really good player!
Good Luck!
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:20
Thanks for the confidence Sayam. I agree about Gonzalez, I will try to get him on a permanent basis someday.
Kevin
16 апреля, 2011 at 21:29
Hi Johnny
That’s too bad about losing Lindsay but hopefully some of those funds will be available during the summer. I’m happy to see that Parana got off to a good start and I’ve decided he’s the player I’ll be following for the rest of this story. With a lighter schedule next month perhaps you can pick up soem valuable points to consolidate your league position. Godd luck in the FA Cup too!
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:20
Thanks Kevin, just don’t put too much pressure on Parana, he’s still very young :)
Mariano
16 апреля, 2011 at 23:05
Hi Johnny,
Nice you got back Howson!
Did you try setting the asking price of players you don´t want to receive offer for very high?
I always do this so I don´t receive offers for players that might unsettle them, or offers that the chairman would accept.
Cheers
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:21
Hey Mariano! I did set higher prices for a couple of players but not for Lindsay, there were no previous offers or rumors regarding his transfer and the 7.5 mil offer caught me by surprise…
Erick Wolf
17 апреля, 2011 at 00:14
I feel like you could have come back on the second leg of the Carling Cup, but you didn’t believe in your players :(
Good run though.
I hope Laing the Wolves-man is good enough to replace Lindsay!
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:23
You might be right about the Carling Cup but I still believe that we had no chance of pulling that off. Laing surely has some good attributes but he might need some time to learn how my defensive system works, especially the offside trap.
Alex
17 апреля, 2011 at 02:42
Hey Johnny,
If you went to the transfer centre when Lindsay was being sold, you could’ve rejected it. It’s a neat trick and you could still have him. 7.5m is a great price for him though and the financial benefits are worthy of losing him. 10th is a respectable position to be in for your 1st season, the best I have managed when promoted to the Premier League is 8th, so you are doing well compared to me! Good luck, hopefully you can pick up some valuable points next month.
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:24
Really? I didn’t know about that transfer centre trick… Well, I’ll remember it for next time, thanks.
hils
17 апреля, 2011 at 07:47
Hi Johnny,good month there!!!!!!!!!! Shame to lose Lindsay because of that stupid chairman!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:24
Thanks for the good luck wish Hils.
Bain
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:31
Well, can’t say the chairman is stupid…
It may be a good deal after all, who knows? It’s up to you to make it a loss or an opportunity to build a better team. There’re many players around and you could always find better ones.
It’s still a small club and you can’t really blame the boss for making money. It’s part of the game and it’s why it’s fun to play this game.
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:42
I guess it was a good deal for the club but I still believe that we could have gotten more for Lindsay, at least 10 mil in my view.
Bain
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:19
Try your luck on Free Transfer then… you got a chance to pick up some promising young centre backs or at least get a veteran to play until the end of the season.
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 09:41
I already have a promising youngster, Thiago, so I decided to give him a chance. I did have a look on the free transfer market but I didn’t find any players that would be good enough to add quality to the team.
Nigel
17 апреля, 2011 at 12:03
Great run so far. I’m new on the site but I’ve read your stories dating back from the BSN days and it’s awesome. Inspired by your success, I’ve started my campaign with Harrogate Town of BSN as well and so far I’m in the championship, However unlike your story, I’m facing relegation in my first season. I’ve compared my players to yours and they seem decent enough, but they just can’t seem to string any results together and after 15 games I’ve only won 2. Do you have any advice or tips that can help me?
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 16:01
Thanks Nigel, I’m happy that you liked the story. About your team, maybe you are not using the right tactic for the players that you have, I don’t know. It’s difficult to give suggestions because I don’t know your squad.
Nigel
18 апреля, 2011 at 06:30
Hi Johnny, thanks for the reply. I have uploaded my current squad and their stats in my first post on the forum, and I would appreciate it if you could give it a look and see what’s wrong. Thanks
Nigel
18 апреля, 2011 at 07:33
Sorry for another reply, my name in the forum is TribalFlames.
Johnny Karp
18 апреля, 2011 at 08:01
Got it, reply posted in the forum.
vaibhavc
17 апреля, 2011 at 13:26
Hey Johnny
It was an ok month, I guess. To make the Carling Cup semi-final was outstanding for you, I really hoped you could win it. Parana seems to be doing well for you, I am glad he is performing. Can you post the Premier League table?
P.S. I am so annoyed about how Manchester United lost yesterday. Comedy of errors.
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 16:01
Thanks Vaibhav. The table is posted though, just scroll up :)
Sears
17 апреля, 2011 at 15:19
Good set of results Johnny, although it’s a tragedy that your outstanding center back left for Getafe. Your team did extremely well against Man City but at least your still in the FA Cup. Parana is incredible and good luck next month :-)
Johnny Karp
17 апреля, 2011 at 16:03
Thanks Sears, I always hate it when I lose a player like that. Anyway, I hope we’ll get by without him.
Lye
18 апреля, 2011 at 01:54
Hi Johnny,
It’s always frustrating to know your chairman has taken things in his own hands. The money is great but it has put you in a difficult situation in the defensive area.
I believe there is time and chance left to finish with a Europa league spot. You have some fantastic attacking players, just have to tighten up the defence a bit and you will be fine. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
18 апреля, 2011 at 08:01
Thanks Lye. I don’t know how I could tighten up the defense now since it’s weaker after Lindsay’s departure.
CsAtlantis
18 апреля, 2011 at 02:06
Hi Johnny, i agree with your decision to replace chavez with laing as chavez will only get worse from 31 years old onward while laing can still improve at 22 years old, shame that your chairman had to accept the offer for Lindsay without your input in the matter, hopefully you can hang on and keep a top half finish
Do you think Laing will get a start soon? The month of February seems pretty light fixture wise so maybe you can get in a friendly or two and see how Laing fits into your team
Keep up the good work, Driver, Gonzalez and El Shaarawy(could use a bit more speed though) are good players
Johnny Karp
18 апреля, 2011 at 08:04
Thanks for the comment CS. Laing will be a starter, I think that he’s the best replacement I have for Lindsay. He would have been a backup but now he has a chance to play courtesy of the chairman :) I don’t like playing friendlies in the middle of the season, I don’t think that such games can be useful and I could end up with a few injured players as well.
CsAtlantis
18 апреля, 2011 at 12:28
Yea you’re right Johnny, I don’t get too many injuries from friendlies but it is annoying when it happens
Matt
18 апреля, 2011 at 12:35
Hey Johnny, your doing wonders with vauxhall this season, keep it up! Also pleasing to see you’ve signed Louis Laing, hes a good friend of mine and a very good footballer for his age, he should serve you well! Anyways, good look with the rest of the season!
Johnny Karp
18 апреля, 2011 at 20:45
Hey Matt, thanks a lot for your comment. Do you really know Laing personally? Does he play FM 2011? :)
Ana Garcia
18 апреля, 2011 at 21:34
I also bought Cameron Lindsay I now regret selling him for the price I did after reading this! :(
It seems he was a big player for you so hopefully you can replace him, but you did get a very good price.
As always the best of luck Johnny your still doing really well as this is a big step up for your team.
P.S. Pretty decent result in El Clasico so Barca are one step closer to retaining la liga!! :D