Hello folks and welcome back to the Vauxhall Motors Football Manager 2011 story! October 2015 saw my Motormen going unbeaten throughout the month, we were unbeaten in 5 league games and managed to move up into 8th place in the Premier League. However, we had a tough schedule ahead of us as we were going to meet Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea in the first three games of November. Our chances of remaining unbeaten were rather slim but we had nothing to lose. Let’s see how it went.
Vauxhall vs Manchester City (Premier League)
Venue: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 13,500
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Cameron Lindsay, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Radek Vecera, Shyamdew Weibolt, Mark Brown, Roni Porokara — Connor Wickham, Ibrahima MBow
Team Talk: You can win today!
We started this one pretty well despite the superior quality of the opponents. Unfortunately things went well for just 16 minutes, Manchester City took the lead with a free kick header and then made it 2-0 just eight minutes later when Carlos Tevez proved to be way too quick for my defenders and punished us on a counter attack. My lads played pretty well but the scoreline was disappointing, we could have avoided at least one of those two goals.
Half time score: 0-2
Half time team talk: Disappointing!
Half time substitutions: Grant Baddeley for Marino, Wayne Routledge for Porokara
We continued to play well after the break, we were trying to get back into the game but an unfortunate goal just after the hour mark put an end to our comeback hopes. My lads did their best though, we dominated the game but somehow managed to get beaten 3-0… It’s true that we didn’t have any clear cut chances but still, we looked like a solid team out there.
Full time team talk: Sympathise.
Man of the match: Mark Brown
Flop of the match: Jelle Van Damme
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
Arsenal vs Vauxhall (Premier League)
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 57,774
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Osman Chavez, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Wayne Routledge, Inigo Perez, Mark Brown, Roni Porokara — Andrés, Ibrahima MBow
Team Talk: You can win today!
Arsenal were in 4th place before the game and they were surely looking to get revenge for the Carling Cup defeat that we inflicted them back in September. We enjoyed a decent start again but it only lasted 17 minutes, some rather clumsy defending allowed Arsenal to break the deadlock. Things took a turn for the worse on 28 minutes courtesy of a terrible blunder from centre back Osman Chavez, he was just standing there admiring the view while his teammates stepped up to play the offside trap and we got punished for his mistake. I wasn’t expecting such a gaffe from someone of his experience…
Half time score: 2-0
Half time team talk: Disappointing!
Half time substitutions: Grant Baddeley for Marino, Lionel Riehl for Brown, Nathan Dyer for Porokara
We started to play a bit better after half time, created a couple of decent chances but squandered them much too easily. We could still have snatched a point or at least a consolation goal but luck was against us as well as substitute left winger Nathan Dyer hit the post twice (in the 75th and 82nd minute). That was that, we were handed our second consecutive defeat and I guess we deserved it more this time.
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.
Vauxhall vs Chelsea (Premier League)
Venue: Halton Stadium
Attendance: 13,500
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Cameron Lindsay, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Radek Vecera, Shyamdew Weibolt, Mark Brown, Nathan Dyer — Connor Wickham, Andrés
Team Talk: Pressure is off.
Third placed Chelsea were coming up next and I was quite afraid that we would get a third consecutive defeat. We came pretty close to breaking the deadlock this time though, centre back Mervin Simon displayed a good corner kick header six minutes into the game but it rattled the crossbar and bounced out of danger. Then Chelsea took over and were presented with a perfect chance to score as the referee awarded them a penalty kick on 11 minutes. Luckily the spot kick got saved by goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis and that did wonders for his confidence as he pulled off another couple of stunning saves to keep the score level until half time.
Half time score: 0-0
Half time team talk: Pleased.
Half time substitutions: Wayne Routledge for Vecera, Inigo Perez for Weibolt, Ibrahima MBow for Wickham
The pressure got even more intense after the break and we couldn’t survive more than five minutes, Chelsea finally broke the deadlock and I have to admit that they thoroughly deserved it. My lads tried to react after the goal but there was no way past the Blues‘ defense, their players seemed to be much stronger and quicker than ours. However, luck smiled upon us this time: Mervin Simon nodded home from a free kick cross and we were level six minutes before time! Chelsea went all out to attack during the final minutes and they came close to rescuing the three points but we were saved by the crossbar two minutes before the final whistle. We snatched a point that we would have deserved to get against Manchester City…
Full time team talk: Good result!
Man of the match: Mervin Simon
Flop of the match: Connor Wickham
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
West Ham vs Vauxhall (Premier League)
Venue: Upton Park
Attendance: 25,825
Starting line up: Dean Bouzanis — Julian Marino, Cameron Lindsay, Mervin Simon, Jelle Van Damme — Radek Vecera, Shyamdew Weibolt, Mark Brown, Roni Porokara — Connor Wickham, Andrés
Team Talk: You can win today!
The last game of the month was against someone in our own «league», 18th placed West Ham. We had to play better and get a good result this time but the opening 45 minutes of the game were not too spectacular, the match was rough and the crowd got to see more violent tackles in midfield than shots on goal. We were looking like the better team though and we managed to capitalize on that a minute before the interval when Connor Wickham found Roni Porokara with a through ball and the Finnish winger hit a low drive past the goalkeeper to give us the lead.
Half time score: 0-1
Half time team talk: Pleased.
Half time substitutions: Wayne Routledge for Vecera, Nathan Dyer for Porokara
West Ham started showing more impetus in attack after the re-start but my lads were holding up well in defense, there was no way past them. We even managed to create some danger on counter attacks but Connor Wickham was not having a good day and he missed two glorious opportunities to put the game to bed. We could have paid the price for his poor finishing two minutes from time but Dean Bouzanis was our guardian angel again and saved the three points that we had worked so hard for. It was a rather scrappy game but I was very pleased to end the month with an away victory.
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Andrés
Flop of the match: Thorsten Schon
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Click here to watch the highlights.
So, we played well against Man City and lost 3-0, then played a decent game against Arsenal and lost 2-0, then survived the onslaught and snatched a point against Chelsea and finally returned to winning ways after a hard-fought match at Upton Park. I guess the month went fairly well considering the opponents, it surely could have gone much worse.
We moved one place down into 9th after this month but I’m pleased to report that we’re 12 points above the relegation zone now. It’s a good cushion to have at this point and I hope to make that even wider at the end of December.
Centre back Mervin Simon was elected Premier League Young Player of the Month yet again, he probably is my only reliable asset in defense alongside goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis. It’s quite strange that there are no big clubs chasing him just yet but I think it’s only a matter of time.
December will really test the limits of my squad as we will have no less than eight games to play. It will all start with a tough trip to Stamford Bridge for the Carling Cup quarter final but then we could get some points against Middlesbrough or Wolves. The year will end with a home game against Manchester United, I hope that my lads won’t be too tired by then…
That was it my friends, thanks a lot for reading this quick update. I’m looking forward to reading your comments and please don’t forget to vote for this month’s best goal, we have quite a few worthy candidates!
Sears
10 апреля, 2011 at 12:47
Promising month Johnny. You played four tough fixtures and came away with four good points. Relegation shouldn’t be a problem now, hopefully you finish mid table or even in the top half. Good luck!
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:53
Thanks Sears, I hope that relegation won’t be a worry anymore at the end of December.
Vaibhav Chandrasekhar
10 апреля, 2011 at 13:20
Hey Johnny
I wouldn’t get too unhappy with that month, look at your opponents! You had a deserved victory against West Ham, if you had lost that then you would have had a bad month. December has loads of matches, hopefully you can win most of them.
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:54
Thanks Vaibhav, I’m not unhappy with that month. I wasn’t expecting more than three points so to get four was a nice bonus.
Sibo
10 апреля, 2011 at 15:34
Hey Johnny, this is my first comment on your blog, I am the author of Total Football on fmcrowd.com, anyway…as I am managing Blackpool I know what months like the one you had are like, next month isn’t too bad though as you have 5 winnable games but Chelsea Liverpool and Man U. will be tough. Good luck!
Sears
10 апреля, 2011 at 15:56
I’ve been reading your Blackpool story and it’s very interesting. Keep up the good work!
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:54
Thanks Sibo, managing a small team in the Premier League is always tough. Good luck with Blackpool!
Darren Smith
10 апреля, 2011 at 15:58
You survived that month Johnny. The first two were always going to be a loss and to draw against Chelsea was a bonus in my opinion. Besides beating relegation rivals West Ham could make a big difference. To be honest I see you grabbing a mid-table finish this year. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:55
Thanks Darren, things went according to plan this month :)
Kevin
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:32
Hi Johnny
Good recovery after those initial losses. That’s a heck of a schedule coming up but I feel you can pick up some wins against three or four of those teams. Good luck in The Calring Cup too!
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:56
Thanks Kevin, three wins would be more than satisfying. We’ve got nothing to lose in the Carling Cup so I guess we’ll be enjoying a trip to Stamford Bridge :)
Mariano
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:36
Hi Johhny,
Though I haven´t been commenting I read all your posts, well done with the motormen!
I predict a Europa league position for sure and maybe a Champions league position for the end of the season.
I´ve been managing Havant and Waterlouville, I won the first 4 seasons, it took me 3 years to win championship and I already played 3 years in premiership finishing 4th, 3rd and 2nd. Last season I won the Champions league and finished 2nd with 89 points in the Premier League, so not bad in 10 years to manage a Blue Square team to win the Champions league.
As I told you I use your tactic, training and similar tecniques as you but usually my players have way much better attributes than yours because I buy by 48 months and play many friendlies so it´s really impressive to see how good you do with the players you have!
Thre site is getting better and better, congratulation!
Johnny Karp
10 апреля, 2011 at 19:58
Hey Mariano, glad to «see» you again! You have done great with H&W, congratulations! I don’t think that we can finish in the top four this season, the players are just not ready for such an achievement and I guess an Europa League spot would be too much as well. I just want to stay safe and continue building for the future.
Stromson
10 апреля, 2011 at 20:37
You’ve got a gift Johnny; that’s a pretty impressive run considering the opposition! It’s looking like you’ll be able to make a reasonable run at a Europa spot, and you’re nearly certain to avoid relegation.
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 06:37
Thanks mate, we’ll need to keep the points coming next month and then see where we stand.
Craig D
10 апреля, 2011 at 21:40
Hi Johnny
i started reading your blogs a short while ago and tried to do the same sort of thing with worcester city. we started off terrible picking up just 12 points from our first 8 games but weve recently picked up and went on a seven game winning streak but then i lost two consecutive games and we currently find ourselves in 9th position 7 points behind the playoffs. any tips on players to sign.
thanks
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 06:39
Hi Craig, you can find some useful signings if you o through the early posts in my Vauxhall story. I can’t remember all of them but I can suggest three: Oliver Nicholas, Shane Williams and Omar Koroma.
Craig D
11 апреля, 2011 at 10:35
thanks mate :)
Erick Wolf
10 апреля, 2011 at 22:59
Ever thought about playing Howard against the big sides Jonny?
I think that given his quality, he could do well…
Anyway, good month for your team, and I hope you do well in December, but maybe NLT against Wolves…
Just kidding!
Love your blog!
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 06:41
Thanks for the comment Erick. Howard is a good keeper but Dean Bouzanis has been doing very well and he deserved to be my first choice between the sticks. Tim Howard will get some playing time in the FA Cup.
hils
11 апреля, 2011 at 07:50
Hi Johnny,good month there!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess you had to face 3 big teams in 1 month!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!!
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 09:37
Thanks Hils! ;)
M
11 апреля, 2011 at 08:11
Have you ever been offered jobs with bigger clubs?
I managed to get Vauxhall to the Premier League and got offered the job at Athletico Madrid.
Knew it was going to be extremely hard with the big boys so i took te job immediately :)
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 09:38
I do get one or two offers every month but there were no «big ones» yet. I am going to refuse them anyway, I want to stick to the Motormen through thick and thin :)
Excessive
11 апреля, 2011 at 12:50
Well you were right on target with your prediction in the last post about gaining a point from those trio of games. Done exactly what was expected of you in those couple of months so well done :).
Tough run of fixtures coming up though, there are a few ‘big’ games but concentrating on firstly advancing in the cup and gaining 3 points at the lesser teams is your main priority. Doesn’t matter where they come from as long as it’s 3 points ;).
Simon Mervin is looking killer though, with another award to his name! Hopefully you won’t get him stolen off you by one of the bug guns.
Thick and thin Johnny, let’s see it through the rest of the season! Good luck :)
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 17:47
Thanks for your support Jake, it’s a tough season for the team but we’ve done OK so far but I hope that there will be better times ahead.
Alex
11 апреля, 2011 at 13:52
HI Johnny,
You are doing well with your team, Europe is not out of the equation and there is no way you are getting relegated! Good luck for the future, looking forward to the next post :)
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 17:48
Thanks Alex, Europe would be awesome but I guess I’d be satisfied with a top half finish for now.
Ana Garcia
11 апреля, 2011 at 15:16
I guess a point from those three really hard games was a bonus.
But you are well placed so far so hopefully you can win a few more games in order to keep your team in this division.
Good luck! :)
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 17:49
Thanks Ana, next month will be very important as we’ll meet some mid-table and bottom clubs. I hope to grab quite a few points but the packed schedule will make it quite difficult.
Sears
11 апреля, 2011 at 19:38
Any chance of a screenshot of your finances in your next post, bank balance and stuff?
Johnny Karp
11 апреля, 2011 at 20:31
I will keep that in mind Sears, thanks. I can tell you right now that the club is doing quite well financially due to the superior gate receipts in the Premier League, we have around 2 or 3 million pounds in the bank.
Lye
12 апреля, 2011 at 02:01
Hi Johnny,
Tough month there, but you still did pretty well with the draw against Chelsea and winning against West Ham. It will be a test to the players fitness next month. You will grind out some good results. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
12 апреля, 2011 at 08:13
Thanks Lye, we’ll surely be needing a bit of luck next month.
CsAtlantis
12 апреля, 2011 at 02:19
Johnny a top half finish looks like quite a reasonable target to achieve, your team did well against Arsenal and Man City but just did not have enough shots on target, they were great at holding off Chelsea for a point, and also scored against West Ham with their only shot on target while West Ham failed to score with their 5 shots on target
What’s with the insane fixture congestion in December, 3 games in the space of 5 days from 26th to 30th………………………………..though you do have some easier opposition in the league for the first half of the month
Johnny Karp
12 апреля, 2011 at 08:14
I don’t know why they’ve piled up all those games between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we don’t have any previously postponed matches. Anyway, that’s the schedule and we’ll have to deal with it…