Football Manager Diary – S2 – September – Can Crouchy score?
So August has started ok with a little blip in our first game. But our new signings are settling well and Carroll has started the season on fire.
Crouchys looking on with jealousy, with only 1 goal in his first 3.
For September we have a decent run of fixtures
League Tables looking like this
13th September 2014 – Watford (20th) vs West Ham (5th)
Odds – Watford 6-4 (fav) – Draw 2-1 – West Ham 13-8
Previous meetings – Never played.
Watford have lost all their first 3 games, scoring 1 and conceding 8. Tomkins is back for his 1st game
It takes Andy 6 minutes to get his goal, with Hangeland getting on the end of a corner and Carroll scoring a rebound. Watford equalise through Tom Deeney from a good chipped ball over the defence, then take the lead after Deeney skips past Tomkins to score. We then score with Zaha slotting past the keeper after a neat move where we retain possession till theres a gap. We then take the lead, Chadli scores a rebound after the keeper saves a Crouch header from a Rat free kick. With a minute to half time Watford get a penalty after Schneiderlin brings someone down during a corner, and Le Fondre scores past Sommer.
At half time I tell the lads to keep going, and with 10 minutes of the half gone its 4-3 with another Rat free kick finding Schneiderlin, his header towads goal is flicked on by Chadli past the keeper to score! From another Rat free kick Deeney brings down one of out players and its a penalty! In a lovely touch its given to Chadli, and he scores the penalty to get his hat trick! Watford hit back, and Ings hits a powerful shot past the keeper. With 15 to go Watford put the ball in the net again, but its disallowed for offside! I bring Juanmi and Morrison on for Zaha and Crouch.
Watford 4-5 West Ham
Deeney (12, 18) Le Fondre (pen 45) Ings (70) – Carroll (6) Zaha (22) Chadli (38, 57, pen 68)
League Position – 4th
Match Thoughts – Really poor defensive display. I may have to look at dropping the line deeper as we seemed to get exposed on the break. Sommer is also conceeding a few.
I look at bringing in Valdes on a free, but the issues I went over on deadline day with the transfer budget and funds means I cant unless I persuade him to have no agents or signing bonus.
Next up is weirdly 2 games in three days with a league match and the cup match
21st September 2014 – West Ham (4th) vs Villa (10th)
Odds – West Ham 5-4 (fav) – Draw 11-5 – Villa 7-4
Previous results – We lost 4-2 at home and drew 0-0 away last season
Vydra in for Crouch. Im hoping that playing Crouch against Sheff Utd will give him a chance to score more
Good work from Zaha on the right sees Coleman get on the overlap, and his cross is slid back to the keeper by Lowton, Guzan slides it into his own net! Rat has a shot saved as we start to dominate. Villa are dealing with our corners well too, and at half time they havent had a shot.
The second half starts slow, till Zaha gets injured 20 minutes in. I switch Vydra to the wing and bring on Crouch. Villa have their first shot with 17 minutes to go, with Sommer saving well. With their second shot they do score FFS, with Cabral finding space and firing home, and thats how it ends
West Ham 1-1 Villa
Guzan own goal (20) – Cabral (80)
League Postion – 4th
Match thoughts – Fucking furious. Dominate from pillar to post but just didnt score. Really should do better. Andys run comes to an end.
23rd September 2014 – Sheff Utd vs West Ham – Capital One cup
Odds – Sheff Utd 4-1 – Draw 5-2 – West Ham 4-7 (fav)
Past meetings – Never played.
Pretty happy with that line up. I quite like my reserve teams. Hopefully a decent cup run will lead to them playing a fair bit
3 mins in Crouchy gets fouled and Noble scores the penalty. Padoin hits the bar with a cross as we push on. Its pretty even tho at the half.
In the 2nd Sheff United start to pressure, and Wagstaff equalises when he cuts in from a wing and smashes home.
Hangeland and Bradley come on for Derik and Noble, who both have injuries.
With 15 left I bring on Juanmi for Seman, but two minutes after that we get caught out by Baxter who scores, then as Im making changes Wagstaff scores a third. FFS Deserved tho, from an even 1st half the second half has been all Sheffield. We dont get another look in
Sheff Utd 3-1 West Ham
Wagstaff (61, 84) Baxter (79) – Noble (pen 3)
Match thoughts – fucking injuries ruined that. I had to make the changes to bring on like for like, when really what I would have been doing is making attacking changes. Crouchy was disappointing again.
Next up is a big local derby. Gus Hiddink hasnt had the best of times in the job, and with Spurs curretly 18th in the league he’s under pressure. I get asked about it and be honest – if he cant take the pressure he should get out of the kitchen. That makes Hiddink mad, and he says I should stick up for him, then says Chadli was let go because he wasnt good enough for Spurs.
Right lads come on.
29th September 2014 – Spurs (18th) vs West Ham (7th)
Odds – Spurs 6-4 (fav) – Draw 2-1 – West Ham 13-8
Past results – We’ve won both out matches against Spurs, with 1-0 being our only win in August last year, and a 1-0 win on the 1st of Jan.
Crouchy gets his head on a Vydrea cross but its saved. Spurs take the lead from their 1st highlight in the 36th minute with Adebayour scoring.
In the second Spurs start to control the match and we dont get a sniff. Townsend has two good chances to seal the win, but hits the post and Sommer saves.
Spurs 1-0 West Ham
Adebayour (36)
League Position – 7th
Match thoughts – Fuming. Next up in the league is Everton and United, but if the lads play like that we’ll get battered. Looking at it as well I think my bench choices were probably wrong – I need to have some more attacking options rather than relying on youngsters to get experience.
Crouchys now gone 7 hours without scoring. He gets picked on after the match as his chance was apparently a sitter – didnt look it to me tho.
ARGHHH SHIT MONTH
League Table
Not terrible, but we should be a bit further up.
Next month
Fuck.
