Season 25 week 21 processing...

Welcome to Cup Final week, I can't believe we're on the penultimate week of the season already, this year seems to have absolutely flown by, but here we are. Good luck to everybody involved in the cup finals this week. As well as the cup finals we have important games in a few of the leagues as well as we come down to the wire, not least of all Real Madrid away at Barcelona where Real must win to go above the current leaders and a win for Barca will see them crowned Champions, so good luck to both of you as well.

The reset is finished and I'm now entering and processing the orders.

A couple of big deals in the offing at the FA Cup finalists Arsenal this week as the fate of Aaron Ramsey seems to have been decided. Arsenal have asked me to confirm that he will be moving to Plymouth in a direct swap for Mesut Ozil, meaning Man City have missed out on their number one target for the new season as they charge towards the finish line this season. Daley Blind will also be moving to Aston Villa in a swap deal for Morgan Schneiderlin. Both deals can be confirmed here by Ben and Rob and could go through this week.

With the impending arrival of Mesut Ozil it looks like Carlos Tevez may be on his way out, destination not confirmed though but we understand Nantes, Juventus and AC Milan are very interested.

Breaking News. Plymouth manager Ben Wilson has confirmed that Mesut Ozil will leave the club after internal talks about a change in tactics at the club. Mesut, who has been a stalwart for the club over the last two seasons, is to be replaced at Aaron Ramsay. Rumours coming out of the club are that Angel Di Maria will be the next player to depart and the club is currently in discussions surrounding a deal for him to leave the club... 

The Lyon board have also given Wilson the go ahead to open a rumoured multi-million pound warchest over the next few weeks. Wilson who has been quiet this season is said to be reacting to performances this season which can only be described as disappointing...

And the Villa board are said to be delighted at the imminent arrival of Daley Blind and he was greeted by his countryman and fellow Dutch international Darryl Janmaat.

The Villa manager has expressed his gratitude to Morgan Schneiderlin for all his effort and hard work in getting Villa promoted.

Lots of interest this week in Schalke's Bastian Schweinsteiger since his move to Man United in real life, he's at Schalke so I'm converting all your NEWs, TRIALs and BIDs to swapbids and permbids for his reality manager to consider, so something should happen this week.

Paul Hemmings wrote:

With the impending arrival of Mesut Ozil it looks like Carlos Tevez may be on his way out, destination not confirmed though but we understand Nantes, Juventus and AC Milan are very interested.

Nantes remain very interested in Carlitos. Am hoping the good relationship the player and manager have from their successful time together at Charlton might be a deciding factor.  The fans at The Valley often still sing Tevez's name, due to their love for the little Argentine.  It is widely regarded he was a major factor in Charlton rising through the divisions and helping them develop into a Premier League side.

Just started running the reserves and youth games, so if all goes well then the league games will kickoff at the normal time of 1000 hours on Wednesday.

Two extremes for me this week.  Charlton have literally nothing to play for and face the impossible task of being away at Watford, so I'm not expecting much from that.

Nantes on the other hand have everything to play for.  First up a tough cup final between the two form teams in the country.  Lyon have a very strong team and it should be a good final for the neutral.  Team news is interesting as Roberto Firmino, who has been banging in the goals for Lyon all season, today makes his debut for Nantes against his old team mates!

In the league game, top plays second, with a nice cushion of four points the difference.  A draw would be enough for Nantes to claim the title, so all the fans hoping home advantage would be enough to see them over the line. 

All eyes on France for me......

Man City v Man Utd
And so City's procession towards the treble goes on. A home derby ....could this be a potential banana skin? The answer is a resounding no. Physically the City squad just has too much in all areas of the pitch for LVG's powder puff United. Even playing a weakened team given the demands of the FA Cup final this should be a straightforward match. For those rose tinted United fans they might see this as a potential way to end the season on a high and get one over on thee Noisy Neighbours. For the rest of us it'll be a 5 or 6 goal home banker.

Birmingham v Blackburn
Blackburn are down and already dreading life in the second tier, Brum are re-building for next season's assault on the title. With the likes of RVP, Parker, Hernandez and Rafael on the way out it could be a new look Birmngham next season. Will Rich build around his midfield talisman Fellaini or will a new star grace the Blue half of Birmingham? It promises to be an interesting close season.

Liverpool v Chelsea
The visitors are safe and the hosts are down but also playing their best football of the season. Inspired by Negredo and Arouna Kone Liverpool are on a very decent run. This is a game with no pressure and a couple of reality managers win differing styles. Could go either way.

Plymouth v Spurs
Another home banker for the team sitting in second place. Ben is working hard on building an even more competitive team for next season. The corridors at Home Park are buzzing with the latest transfer rumours. A forward and a midfielder seem to be a priority and a host of top names have been thrown around. However the man from Opta stats has pointed out that Plymouth also conceded 7 more goals than leaders City so possibly some tightening up at the back required too. Spurs are, on current form, the division's worst performers. They are still flirting with the drop but early season results may just see them safe.

Fulham v Everton
If ever there was a 6 pointer this is it. Winner takes all beside the Thames. A Fulham win and Everton are down, however a win for the away side and both Fulham and Spurs are pulled into the mix. A challenger for game of the week simply because there's so much riding on it. Phil has taken his squad into lock down to focus on this do or die encounter. It will also be a welcome break from the rumours surrounding star man Suarez. Will he stay or will he go. He has many admirers at the top of the Premier League and some could put huge deals on the table.

Watford v Charlton
London bragging rights and a gauge on next season's capability are on the table at Vicarage Road. Jamie's winged superstars take on Tom's Charlton. Jamie's team can rip visitors apart with the skills and pace of Bale and Sanchez out wide and the power of Pogba and Diego Costa through the middle. This week could be difficult though as Charlton have a decent away record and more attacking midfielders than Arsene Wenger on steroids. Who will he play and will the newly formed partnership of Walcott and Sturridge trouble Kompany and co? A great insight into a couple of teams who will be fighting it out for top spot next season.

Just started playing the Cup final games, watching them go thru now...

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Just started playing the Cup final games, watching them go thru now...

oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..............

Flamengo 2 Santos 0

Another well deserved victory for Matt's fine feeder side.

Man City 4 Arsenal 0

Lyon 1 Nantes 0

Berlin 3 Dortmund 1

Feyenoord 1 Ajax 3

Inter 0 Napoli 1

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Lyon 1 Nantes 0

Gutted, too many changes and new faces I guess.

Congrats to Ben

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Man City 4 Arsenal 0

Unstoppable.

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Inter 0 Napoli 1

Shock! What happened Rob?

Celtic 0 St Johnstone 1

I'll do the other results in the morning prior to the league games, going for a break now. Be back tomorrow at 1000 hours.

Tom@Charlton wrote:

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Inter 0 Napoli 1

Shock! What happened Rob?

Not sure. It'll be interesting to read the match report. Was playing FAS while have been playing ISF in League games recently. It's a shame but I actually have a really poor cup record so wasn't overly confident.

Paul Hemmings wrote:

Man City 4 Arsenal 0

Domination. A new bar set for everyone next season. Really well done.