Awards

The results are now in for the prestigious Managers' Manager of the Season award. Below are the top three managers nominated for this award.

1st Matt 'Chat Helper' Bunn
2nd "UFFA Org" Matz Andren
3rd Tommy "Treble Winners" Reeves

All nominations for the Community Manager of the Season award have been submitted and the top three managers are as follows.

1st Matt 'Chat Helper' Bunn
2nd Steve "Morse is back" Horner
3rd AL Moon

Thanks for your votes, everyone. :)

The season so far…

The competitions

The Gold Cup

For the first time I had a relatively kind draw, being pitted against The Big Pink, Melbu FC and TheStoneColds. A record of 4W, 1D, 1L saw me top the group with some impressive performances from my attacking players. This is where the story ended yet again, however, with my side coming cruelly close but ultimately falling short.

I managed to take the advantage going into the second leg through a magic al performance by Pato, who found the back of the net 4 times. My unusually leaky defence shipped 3 goals from 5 shots on target, meaning I left the Anchor with a far more slender lead than I should have. With just 2 minutes left in the second leg, I was set to progress with the score at 1-1. Up stepped Adebayour to toe-poke the equaliser and out I went on away goals.


The All Evening Cup

After putting down Bohemians in the first leg, I was feeling confident against low ranked, inactive, United Eagles. I should have known otherwise, by now. 3 shots on target resulted in 2 long range goals conceded. 30 shots on target and 6 clear cut chances yielded just one goal, and yet again I was dumped out of the cup.


The Premiership Cup

A record of 7W, 1D saw me progress as the strongest qualifier from any group. My ‘reward’ for this accomplishment was a difficult QF against Toto Trans’ Rice ‘n’ Furry FC. Things were looking rosy at 3-0 until the 95th minute of the first leg at The Anchor, when Caceres needlessly conceded a penalty and got himself sent off in the process and handing Toto a way back into the match.

I signed in Raul Bravo as emergency cover into the centre of defence to replace Caceres, but the world class Uruguayan was sorely missed as my side went 3-0 down and looked to be heading out of the cup. This is the moment the match turned in my favour. 84 minutes on the clock and Pato slammed home the ball from close range to equalise on aggregate and take the game into extra time. In the most extraordinary match, I proceeded to score another 5 goals in extra time, Pato completing his hatrick and Baptista with a brace, to win the match 6-3 and the tie 9-4. The Semi-final draw should take place shortly.


The GameWorld Cup

I’ve progressed nicely in this competition, although, for once, I haven’t had to face too many top ranking teams so far. The latest match saw me beat Luis Borges’ side to progress into the last 16 of the competition, the furthest I’ve ever reached. Given that Los Benditos (#2 ranked team), COYS (formerly the best team in the world but has since left) and a number of the other top sides have been dumped out, this cup is there for the taking.


The All Evening Premiership

This my best chance of a trophy this season. I’ve played a lot more matches than most other teams, but my side has been in dominant form. I currently have a record of W23, D2, L2. The next best challenger is Neil Baldwins’ semi-inactive Workshop Wednesday who have 12W, 3D, 1L, although Alex Leeman’s Eagle Warriors can currently match my points total if they win their next 17 matches. I still have a tough set of fixtures: Bohemians (H & A), Workshop Wednesday (H & A), Eagle Warriors (H & A), Huntstown Villa (H), Toon Town (H), Loftus Road FC (A), Monobrow (H & A). I’m looking to get at least another 19 points from those matches in order to take me over the 90 points barrier, but I’ve given myself a great chance. I’ve still got to play the other challengers, so any points taken from them increase my chances of regaining the title. I’ve also got a massive goal difference, which will act as an extra point going into the final stages of the season.


Talking Points

- I’m surprised that the challenge so far has come from Neil Baldwin’s side. His team is good, but considering he’s been predominantly inactive since becoming a moderator in Laudrup and the strength of some of the other teams, I wouldn’t have picked his side to be second placed at this stage of the season. My own personal tip for the dark horse for the league, Derek Tobin’s Bohemians FC, have yet again failed to live up to expectations. With a lot of draws and losses, major changes were needed and Derek has started that process (see transfer news)

- 1.1.3 is (hopefully) around the corner and is set to speed up player progression. Over the last month, player progression has been excruciatingly slow, bar a few players who have seen massive improvement. One such player is 19 yo Matthieu Marc who has seen his stats sky-rocket since I signed him. Most impressively, he’s risen from 6 pace & 6 acceleration to 13 pace and 14 acceleration – that’s some speed training!


Transfer News

There has been very little movement on the transfer front at Beaulieu FC, but there have been signs of the economy picking up in the gameworld as a whole. The biggest move of the last day or two saw Derek Tobin try to jump start his team with the signing of genuine wonderkid Souto for £1.5m and £40,000 a day (with Mutu exiting for £1). Other big moves in the AEFA saw Yaya Toure join AFC Carpathia, while Frederico Laurito departed Toon Town in exchange for 5 prospects, Arno strengthening his youth side in exchange for his main striker. Finally, Monobrow have brought in world class midfielders Lucas Biglia and Fernando Gago in a bid to boost their title chances – which will make the two matches against Alun’s side even trickier than they have been.

At The Anchor, one player has come in. Former wonderkid Jake Thompson has joined for a respectable £500,000. I see him at 5 star potential, but at 23 he’s not progressed over the last season or two and has a fairly low current ability. He’s mostly been a substitute in that time, so I’m hoping a run in the first team combined with the possible player progression boost in update 1.1.3 will see him climb further towards his potential. It’s a gamble, but he’s played well in the first dozen or so matches in my first team and he’ll hopefully add depth and quality to an already strong right wing.

Time flies...

Just a quick update to say I won't be on the blog much between now and April due to a hectic work and social schedule, but i'll aim to get right up to date early in April. :)

The season so far…

Last season I was very slow out of the blocks due to the huge amount of injuries I’d suffered during the preseason, most notably to Dani Alves and Roberto Guana. This season I have been free of such troubles, so I’ve been playing as many games as I can manage to reduce the number of matches I’ll have to play towards the end of the season.

The premier league has gone very well. I’ve played 14 matches and I have a record of 12W, 1D, 1L, setting down a marker for other title challengers. I’m mindful that I had a pretty similar record last season, only to see a late season collapse lose me the title.

The Gold Cup has been a mixed bag, with 1 win and 1 loss against the next best team in my group, TheStoneColds. The Stones had always been a team ranked in and around the top 50, but this season they managed a transfer coup in the signing of one Sergio Aguero, which has propelled them into the top 10. I’m hopeful of qualifying for the knockout stages for the third year in a row.

However, this season has been about just one player at The Anchor. Yoann Gourcuff has been s immense in the playmaker role and Jeremy Menez is storming up and down the left wing creating real havoc, but Pato’s performances have been at another level. I’d had many offers for Guilherme over the course of the previous 4 seasons, but ultimately I had chosen not to accept any of them for the simple reason that there are only a handful of other strikers I’d have wanted in preference, and at the time none of them were for sale: Bojan, Balotelli and, of course, Pato. Others I would have considered, like Cani, Blazek, Paloschi and Jovetic, but ultimately all of their owners wanted the earth and then some. When it became clear that a deal for Pato would be possible, I’ll admit that I had second thoughts – Guilherme was a club legend with a brilliant record. I’m more than glad I went through with the deal. Pato has 42 goals and assists in just 32 matches, without taking freekicks or being involved in corners. In a word, he’s just phenomenal and is making the difference in a lot of matches.

In other news…

Derek Tobin has just restarted his blog, where you can find details of my stunning, cunning (and very lucky) victory in our recent cup match. You’ll find the link at the top right hand side of my blog.

I've also been made Saunders first official 'Chat Helper'. Don't ask me, Marco duped me into it. ;)

A sad state of affairs..

So, Peter Jerrari has upped and left. After winning all 4 main titles last season (Premiership, Cup, Gameworld Cup, Gold Cup), he had nothing left to play for and went out on a high. The amount of people giving him stick was awful and in his position, I would have upped sticks, too.

So here's to Peter, the best manager in Saunders for the first 4 seasons.

Big changes at The Anchor

The first of two huge deals last night saw Ismael Aissati depart The Anchor in a straight swap for French midfield maestro Yoann Gourcuff. Gourcuff is slightly older and has a lower AF, but has fantastic playmaker attributes and has higher finishing and long shots than Aissati. Most importantly, he's on over 10k lower wages a day.






This made room for the biggest deal of the day. The one and only Pato has joined The Blues. The young Brazillian is a true wonderkid and only enhanced his reputation with a debut hatrick for Beaulieu FC.





A heavy price was paid to secure such a prized asset. Brazillian striker and Beaulieu FC legend Guilherme has left the club, with an additional 250,000 required in order to secure the services of the Duck. Guilherme will be fondly remembered by all Beaulieu FC fans, not so fondly remembered by the rest of the AEFA - Neil Baldwin in particular. Regardless, his record speaks for itself.





Guilherme - 606 goals, 229 assists in 866 matches. 35 hatricks, 143 MOTM.

Bits and bobs…

After the signings of Menez and Balzaretti, I’ve been quite quiet in the transfer market. I have picked up a few hot prospects as well as a young backup striker. Alongside a young right back of immense potential, I’ve picked up Spanish wonderkid midfielder Ibon Angulo. I’ve been playing Angluo in the ‘holding’ CM role that Johnson usually occupies and he’s done really quite well when in the first team. In the youth teams he’s been outstanding and at just 18, he’s got a long time to progress. I’m going to try and play him as much as possible in the first team as, while he’s playing well, I really think this will aid his development. His AF has already risen to 210k (from 180k) and his stats have already started to improve. My final purchase was that of Russian striker Nikiti Andrejev. No longer a youngster at 23, he’s still got the potential to be very good. He scored a hatrick on his debut and has followed that up with 10 goals and 3 assists in his first 12 games to outline his potential and ability for Beaulieu FC. On very low wages of just 3k, he’s a solid acquisition to add depth to my squad while I wait for my youngster, high potential strikers to progress. I'll post some screenshots up a bit later.


Talking point

The transfer market has been dead for 6 weeks now, but last night it sparked into life with a series of transfers, mostly surrounding Peter Jerrari’s COYS1, and generating no little amount of controversy.

Kaka was sold for half market value at 5.5m – not a surprise given Camel FCs perilous financial state – while Yakovenko was sold for 1.1m at around market value. This seems to be a sign that there is starting to be a little cash in the gameworld, which is encouraging.

However, the ‘controversial’ deals were reserved for Peter Jerari. On the back of winning all the major trophies he entered, Peter has brought in a lot of players recently, including Hamsik, Prudinov, Carlos Eduardo and Cerci, with the vast amount of money he’d saved up. Last night he chose to loan out Cerci and Pato for 21 days, while swapping Cristiano Ronaldo for Arjen Robben and Thiago Silva for Kolo Toure with Los Bentidos, the #2 ranked side in the world.

Because the deals were perceived to be unfair, especially the loaning out of two world class players, he’s been placed under a transfer embargo while the moderators investigate. Without wishing to judge Peter, his motivations and his actions, in my personal view his aim wasn’t to destabilise the gameworld. What I didn’t predict was the severe backlash against Peter by certain people who I won’t name.

I usually try not to get involved, but I was disgusted by certain people berating him publicly and telling him he’d ruined the gameworld and that he should leave. I’m not amazingly friendly with Peter, we chat occasionally and we’ve done one or two deals in the past, but no-one should deserve to be hounded like that, even if they’ve intentionally destabilised the gameworld. People who have cheated in the past have not been treated as harshly and unfairly as Peter was last night. It makes me wonder about their motives – would certain peoples’ reactions have been less severe had the team at the centre of the transfers not been the best team in the world with one of the most high profile managers?


In other news…

I played Alex Leemans’ Eagle Warriors for the third time this preseason in the final of the AEFA Invitational, a preseason tournament for members of the AEFA. I managed a tight 2-1 victory to grab the trophy, with both sides looking very strong. The semi-final between Alex’s side and Bohemians FC was probably the match of the tournament, the former squeezing through on penalties.

The competition…

Like last season, I’ll give a run down of some of the competition for the next season. If I’ve missed you out, don’t be offended, but I wasn’t about to do a team profile (from memory) of everyone’s teams in the league! In no particular order:

Eagle Warriors

Last years deserved champions set a terrifying pace. I was encouraged that my side kept up with them, and that, ultimately, my side had the chance to win the title in their own hands and let it slip. Alex Leeman has brought in a few new players, including the impressive Ashley Young for the left wing. We’ve played each other twice in the AEFA preseason tournament and I’ve come away with two wins, but it being preseason, that doesn’t count for much.

Key players: Jo, Leandro Lima, Ashley Young


Beaulieu FC

In the three seasons of the Premiership, my side has finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, so we’ve proven that we’ve got the staying power and consistency to remain title challengers for the coming season. With a new and improved left wing in place, things are looking good for the coming season.

Key players: Martin Caceres, Julio Baptista, Guilherme


Bohemians FC

Derek Tobin’s side has progressed nicely through the rankings and finished very strongly to claim 3rd and a gold cup place for this season. He still holds the #1 ranking for youth and has started to bring through world class players into his first team. The signing of Antonio Valencia fills a hole in his right wing that could see him push for the title. Once again, Bohemians are my pick as the dark horse for the league title (which will probably be much to his amusement).

Key players: Adrian Mutu, Fausto Rossi, Luca Cigarini


Huntstown Villa FC

Derek pipped his brothers’ side to the gold cup place, but Mark still has a strong side. My personal bogey team has reinforced defensively, signing Marcel Jansenn for left back and Erick Delgado for between the sticks. I expect another strong season, although I’m hoping to avoid him in the cup this season!

Key players: Christian Chivu, Jeremy Matthieu, Oleg Husyev


AFC Carpathia

Barry has always been a top 10 side in the premiership and has bought well over the last few weeks. Scott Davidson (wonderkid regen) has come in on the right wing while Adriano has arrived in the place of Defoe upfront. His team has seen some impressive results of late, so there’s no reason he can’t go one better this season and push for trophies.

Key players: Adriano, Matthieu Valbuena, Leighton Baines


Worksop Wednesday

Neil’s side are perennially unlucky and he was hit fairly hard by stadiums, but he’s once again brought together a strong side of the coming season. Everton and Jonas remain on the wings, with Insua pulling the strings from midfield. Strong at the back, no-one will enjoy playing Neil away from home.

Key players: Jonas, Frederico Insua, Everton


Monobrow City

Alun’s side has been partially gutted by the huge problems he’s suffered as a result of the introduction of stadiums. His team will be weakened for the first few weeks of the season with Ramsey and Dzeko still out on loan, but he’s bought sensibly. Lucas Biglia comes in to act as the holding midfielder and he’s still got many bright young prospects such as right wing sensation Barry Campbell. Come the end of the season, I expect his side to be there or there abouts.

Key players: Lucas Biglia, Rene Adler, Gareth Bale


Toon Town

Arno’s side fell away a little at the end of the last season to let Barry Welch overtake him into 5th. He’s still got quality players, but most of the players he’s bought in over the off-season have been focused on youth, while he’s let Metzelder go on a free. Ruben Garcia remains a quality addition, however, and with his young players gaining maturity, I wouldn’t discount a very good season from Laurito & co.

Key Players: Frederico Laurito, Andersen Azvedo, Osvaldo Torres

The Team (Season 5)

Although the start of the 5th season isn’t until the end of the week, the limited funds available mean that this will almost certainly be the starting lineup for Beaulieu FC in their bid to reclaim the All Evening Premiership crown.

GK – Helton

The experienced Brazilian shot-stopper is a new signing for The Blues and so far he’s excelled in preseason. An average rating of above 7 for a goalkeeper is outstanding and, although he’s not kept many clean sheets, Beaulieu FC haven’t lost many matches with him commanding the back line.

DR – Nelson

Nelson is going into his second season at Beaulieu FC and this is one of the few positions where there may be changes as, based on his previous season, he doesn’t deserve a lock. Although spectacularly solid in defence, he’d promised to form the best attacking right wing in the gameworld, but had failed to deliver going forward. A big season will be expected from the Portuguese right back.

DL – Balzaretti

The veteran, versatile Italian fullback will be given the starting birth at left back for the coming season. He’s got bags of ability and so far in preseason he’s performed well both in defence and going forward. A valuable addition to Beaulieu’s backline, as a lot of the goals conceded last season came from Pernia’s mistakes.

DC – Radoi

Another member of the Beaulieu FC defensive line also on the wrong side of 30, never-the-less Radoi is an impressive central defender who is able to play with the ball at his feet as well. Great technical skills are matched with good strength and ability in the air and outstanding mental attributes. Beaulieu FC’s captain really marshals the backline.

DC – Caceres

Martin Caceres is one of the real veterans of Beaulieu FC. He’s progressed into one of the best defenders in the world and is a rock at the back. He’s brilliant in the air, blessed with pace, he has great mental skills and fantastic technical ability. Best of all, at the start of the 5th season he turns 25, meaning he’s got many more years of service for Beaulieu FC.

MR – Dani Alves

Put simply, my best player. With over £50,000 wages, he’d have to be pretty special and he hasn’t failed to deliver over all 4 seasons of his career at Beaulieu FC. Could the money be better spent elsewhere? Possibly, but Dani Alves encapsulates everything that Beaulieu FC stands for – attacking, attractive, flair football.

ML – Menez

Menez was an impressive capture for Beaulieu FC who fits in nicely with the team. He hasn’t got the best crossing ability compared to some other wingers, but with Guilherme upfront, that’s not the most important consideration. Importantly, he can play a multitude of positions and likes playing inside his fullback, allowing a fluid attacking formation to also be interchangeable. At 24, he’s also got the best years of his career ahead of him.

MC – Johnson

Last years player of the season returns to link midfield and attack and he’s going from strength to strength. A complete box-to-box midfielder with good defensive and attacking skills, another big season is expected of the young Englishman.

AMC – Aissiti

With the arrival of Menez, Aissiti has moved into a more central role. With stats more suited to be a midfield playmaker than a winger, Aissiti has enjoyed his change in role, with goals and assists arriving more frequently for the Dutch maestro. He’s linked up well with Menez and hopefully he’ll be able to build upon his impressive first season.

AMC – Baptista

The beast is staying at Beaulieu! He’d been up for grabs at wage auction, but with so many other quality players available no-one chose to pay £30,000 a day for an aging midfielder. That’s their mistake. The Beast is one of the best players in the world and he’s often the difference to turn 1 point into 3. He’s not just a brilliant passer, he’s got stunning finishing and long shots and he’s immense in the air. So far in the fourth season he’s got over 0.5 goals per game from midfield. Immense.

FC – Guilherme

Alongside Caceres, Guilherme is the longest serving player at Beaulieu FC. The first two seasons he was impressive, but he’d gone completely off the boil in the third to the extent that he averaged under 7 and had less than a goal per two games – awful for a leading teams’ main striker. This season he’s been prolific with 34 goals in 36 games in the league and an overall return of 0.8 goals per game. For someone who doesn’t take freekicks and doesn’t go up for corners, it’s an amazing return. Still only 23, he’s going to be Beaulieu FC’s leading striker for the next decade (so until next Christmas!!).

Two big names join Beaulieu FC

I've bid on many, come close on some and failed miserably on others, but I've secured two huge names for the coming season. Menez needs no introduction and adds world class quality on the left wing, with the ability to play centrally and upfront. Balzarreti replaces Pernia at left back with no small amount of ability. Both have started their careers with great distinction.