Season 24 week 19 processing ...

Welcome to week 19 of a fast disappearing season...

With just four games left it is another vital week for teams at the top and bottom of the divisions, so good luck to you all.

Orders received from Man City, Newcastle, Leicester, Plymouth, Watford, Charlton, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Schalke and Inverness.

Our roving reporter caught up with the Newcastle boss, Mark Sanderson, this morning, and Mark had this to say. "I do intend to do a "comeback" with Newcastle and hope to bounce back in style".

Have mine not arrived yet Paul? Sent on Thursday so should be there!!

Plymouth v Fulham

Following on from last weeks vital three points, Ben's Plymouth are at home this week to the soon to be de-throned Champions.  Missing their manager, Fulham may be a different proposition nowadays, although they are managing to keep hold of the majority of their players so far.  There is still enough quality there to cause the league leaders a few problems though.  Ben's Plymouth side are just four wins away from winning the title, and if last weeks impressive win at Birmingham is anything to go by, then it is surely a forgone conclusion? In those four games, three are at home (where they are unbeaten all season) and the fourth is away to Leicester, making the south coast side overwhelming favourites for the title.


Chelsea v Birmingham

Despite last weeks defeat, Birmingham have had a recent upturn in form and although they haven't much to play for this season, the manager will want to get some kind of consistency back in his side in order to start next season much better thasn they did this one.  They certainly have the players to be in and around the leaders, its just whether the manager can get them to fit together.  Recent signs suggest that is not too far away, watch out next season for this team mounting a serious title challenge.
Gaz, whilst being absent for most of the season, remains in danger near the bottom, although still four points clear of Arsenal. Time is fast running out for the teams in the bottom three, thankfully for Gaz, but it still isn't improssible for them to get caught.  Too good to go down?  You would certainly think so, but having taken his eye off the ball, you never know.


Newcastle v Leicester

Massive game at the bottom.  No other way to describe it.  So many permutations with this one.  If Leicester win, Newcastle are effectively relegated due to their goal difference, whereas if Newcastle win, it puts Leicester in dire straits, relying on other results, which no one ever wants to do.  If Chelsea manage to win their game against Birmingham, a draw in this one will relegate Newcastle and leave Leicester nine points from safety with a goal difference which is unreversable with three games left, effectively relegating them both. If you are only as good as your last game, then Newcastle are red hot, beating the Champions at their place was a sensational result and one which has given the fans a glimpse of the unthinkable...Leicester meanwhile picked up an equally impressive win at home to Chelsea, one in which they gave themselves hope of a great escape.  Certainly looks like both teams are fighting for their lives and you never know what could happen, however it is unlikely that both will survive and this game certainly will be the death knell for one of them, maybe even both....


Man City v Watford

Jamie's tough run-in continues with a trip to Maine Road, to play a Man City side whose eye maybe is being rained toward more important fixtures coming up. Certainly, last weeks result suggested that, with the Citizens failing to gain ground on the top three with a disappointing draw with Spurs.  This season won't be remembered for their league form though, in what has been a season of transition desperately searching for a solid backline. Having picked up Dejan Lovren from under the noses of Charlton, the signs are certainly good for next season.  Saying all that though, this season could still end with silverware in the cupboard, and not just any silverware either....just the small matter of Barcelona in the way. Jamie will be hoping that Geoff may rest players in the league games to give them more of a chance in the two cup competitions they are left in, as Watford are definitely still in the title race, albeit with a much harder run-in than the other two teams.  After this game, they face another three games away from home against teams either fighting for the title or scrapping for their lives at the bottom.  Not the kind of teams you'd want to play this time of the season.  Watford have more than enough to pick up four wins in those four games, but it is gonna be tough as they'd also need Plymouth to drop 6 points too.  Stranger things have happened....


Liverpool v Spurs

A mid-table clash, with hardly anything riding on it with four games left of the season.  Exactly how both managers would have wanted it at the start of week 1.   Neither side has enough for a title challenge, but they have both done marvellously well to survive in a very tough league.  

Other fixture : Charlton v Arsenal

Rich@Birmingham wrote:

Have mine not arrived yet Paul? Sent on Thursday so should be there!!

not arrived yet ( monday 1200 hours postman been already today ) hopefully it will arrive tomorrow tuesday.

Just a word of warning. Feyenoord are in the process this week of being strip mined, mostly with trials and news, which is fine as they do have too many players, but be aware that once the number of players in each position reaches the minimum levels then that area will go into swapbid only mode and this happens dynamically as bids are processed. So a few bids may go thru and some may be blocked for this reason. Min numbers are 3 GKs 6 DEFs 6 MIDs and 4 ATTs atm.

I have also added a level of financial protection to every club so that clubs will no longer sell players for less than what they bought them for if they are still less than 30 years of age, this is because each club has had to stand on its own legs since I took over at Banstead, even unmanaged clubs.

Guess that's the danger of a top side becoming unmanaged, testament to the players Will had collected there. 

I know players can't be newed or trialled from Fulham, but this is exactly what we don't want to happen to them too?

Okay all the data is entered I'm starting the reserve, youth and schoolboy games now.

League games will kickoff tomorrow ( wednesday ) at 1000 hours.

I'm afraid your orders still haven't arrived Richard so an assistant manager took over.

Tom@Charlton wrote:

Guess that's the danger of a top side becoming unmanaged, testament to the players Will had collected there. 

I know players can't be newed or trialled from Fulham, but this is exactly what we don't want to happen to them too?

Totally agree here. Fulham should be protected till the end of the season and then become reality managed, Arsenal style, in my opinion.

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Okay all the data is entered I'm starting the reserve, youth and schoolboy games now.

League games will kickoff tomorrow ( wednesday ) at 1000 hours.

I'm afraid your orders still haven't arrived Richard so an assistant manager took over.

Cheers Paul, will put a stop on the cheque i sent just in case then.

Kickoff is almost upon us and the players are out on the pitch for the handshakes...

and we're off...

Ref's watch must be a bit fast...

Etienne 0 Lyon 1 Ibrahimovic freekick on 2 minutes.

Boca 1 Velez 0 Fernandez on 3 minutes.

And we have our first big goal of the day in Italy, so over to Tim Gudgin in Milan...

It's that man De Rossi who has struck first here with a delightful freekick on 4 minutes to make it

Inter 1 Lazio 0

Boca 2 Velez 0 Romulo on 5 minutes.

great start for both Rob's teams.

Nice 0 Nantes 1 Ribery on 5 minutes.
Ajax 1 Rotterdam 0 Carvalho freekick.

Anzhi 0 CSKA 1 Tranquillo freekick on 6 minutes.
Cosmos 1 Houston 0 Gonzalez.

Ajax 2 Rotterdam 0 Huntelaar penalty on 7 minutes.
Cagliari 1 Napoli 0 Gourcuff freekick.
Hibs - St Johnstone 1 Ronaldinho on his debut.

and a big goal in Spain where Real Madrid are hosting Real Betis, so over to Martin Fisher for the details...

De Rossi looking like an astute signing already....

Jakub Blasczykowski has given the visitors an early lead here and after 7 minutes it is now

Madrid 0 Betis 1

Cherry 0 Bray 1 Figueredo freekick on 9 minutes.

and we have another goal in Spain, this one has come at Barcelona, so over to Adrian Durham for an update...

it's all going very well early doors for the away sides as Tino Costa has put Valencia in front here with a superb freekick on 9 minutes to make it

Barcelona 0 Valencia 1