career mode Career Mode Discussion 27

Transfer review



Transfers in

Andrey Arshavin - 81 - £8,000,000 - I think we needed some experience in midfield and a tricky winger with an eye for goal. Who better than Arshavin? If he can recapture his form from when he first moved to Arsenal this could be a real coup for us.

Hong Jeong Ho - 72 - £6,900,000 - Our defense needed a major revamp and i decided to bring in players who are young and have good potential. The Korean center back has good pace and stamina and has very accurate tackling.

Mortiz Leitner - 74 - season long loan - Another young midfielder with bags of potential. He will mostly be used as back up/rotation as i don't think he is ready for the first team yet but hopefully after a season long loan with us, if he impresses, we can try and sign him permanently.

Nicola Leali - 69 - £9,500,000 - A good goalkeeper and he is only 18. He will be back up for Given in the first season and my aim is to ease him into the starting XI by playing him in cup games etc and then once Given leaves he should be able to make the step up as number 1.

Georgi Schennikov - 73 - £8,800,000 - A fast full back who will be competition for Warnock. He is a young defender with bags of potential and is here on a 5 year deal wort £25,000 per week. He said he is delighted to play in England after been at CSKA Moscow.

Sergio Araujo - 68 - £3,900,000 - A very young striker who is in the mould of a player such as Aguero. The Argentinian has pin point accuracy when clean through on goal and is one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League.

Tomas Kalas - 70 - £6,500,000 - Another defender who will be a direct replacement for Richard Dunne. He is a very fast center back with good strength and tackling ability. He has been touted as the next captain of Czech Republic's national team and he is only 18 years old.

Stephan El Shaarawy - 75 - season long loan - The perfect player to play just off of Darren Bent up front. The young striker has lots of pace and is very very skillful. AC Milan see him as a future star but loaned him out as he couldn't force his way into the managers plans this season.

Transfers Out

Lots of players have left Villa park this summer...

Carruthers - season long loan
Heskey - £700,000
Dunne - £4,100,000
Petrov - £2,700,000
Marshall - £0
Burke - season long loan
Cuellar - £2,900,000
Devine - £675,000
Collins - £2,200,000
Makoun - £3,500,000
Lichaj - £2,400,000
Serrano - £900,000
Siergst - £500,000
Williams - £400,000

...............................................................................................................................


Pre season tour



New manager Rafael Benitez decided instead of evaluating the players he wanted to keep and sell at training he arranged a pre season tour of America. Aston Villa lined up against three American teams and would be sight seeing for the majority of their time in America.

New York Red Bulls 1-3 Aston Villa (Bent x2, Agbonlahor) - A good performance against quite a strong Red Bulls squad. I was pleased with the way we defended and only conceded because of a magical Theirry Henry goal.

Portland Timbers 0-1 Aston Villa (Warnock) - I decided to mix the team up against a 'weaker' opponent so i decided to play most youth players and they did a decent job. We looked a little shaky at times but saw out the win.

LA Galaxy 0-3 Aston Villa (Bent, Agbonlahor, Albrighton) - I didn't expect to win this comfortably at all. Their players like Beckham, Keane, Donovan were no existent and our players were amazing. We passed great, our movement off the ball was second to none. A great victory.



Astbury

September update



Given has been ruled out for 4 months through injury

Everton 2-1 Aston Villa (El Shaarawy) - A poor game in which our players were all over the place. Everton came straight at us and their early goal damaged us a lot. I feel we missed the presence of Arshavin on the wing and Bent up front.

Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle (El Shaarawy) - Another quite poor performance from two teams predicted a mid-table finish. Newcastle were a threat because of the pace of Cisse and Ba up front but our defence were solid and El Shaarawy scored a wonderful free kick to put us 1-0 up but Cisse scored a great header to draw level.

Aston Villa 1-1 Millwall (League cup) (3-0 on pens) (Araujo) - It was time for the youth to show me wha they have got. They played pretty well against a top half Championship team but we should have won by a mile. Millwall's keeper was amazing, we had 20 shots, 15 of which were on target and we could only score 1.

QPR 0-3 Aston Villa (Arshavin x2, Bent) - A great performance and one of the best performances that i have seen from an individual player in a long time. Arshavin ripped them to shreds. His skill, pace and accuracy was miles in front of anyone else on the field and he chipped in with two goals and an assist for Darren Bent.





I am not so pleased with this month. We only win 1 game in the 90 minutes and we continue to slum down the Premier League. I admit we have over achieved so far and i only expect a mid table finish but to lose in the way we have is not acceptable. The next month or two will be very hard as we face top teams such as Tottenham, Chelsea, United, City and i expect us to drop points and that's why we need to pick points up against other teams. I do have total faith in my players to turn it around and start winning games again but for us to be a top team in the league the fans may have to settle for mid-table finishes for a few seasons and then we will make our way into the top four once the younger players develop. - Rafael Benitez (Aston Villa manager)

Astbury

Overview



De Kuip is the home of Feyenoord

Feyenoord is a professional football club from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The club is historically one of the three clubs that dominate the Dutch national football league, the others being Ajax and PSV. These three clubs and FC Utrecht are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division. In domestic competition, Feyenoord has won 14 Dutch Championships, 11 Dutch Cups and two Dutch Supercups, in addition to the European Cup, two UEFA Cups and the Intercontinental Cup, making it one of the most successful Dutch clubs.

Key Player - John Guidetti



Guidetti is a very young striker with bags of potential and he is easily one of the best strikers in the league. The former Manchester City striker is looking forward to a new challenge and hopefully he can be the top scorer for Feyenoord this coming season.

Feyenoord haven't been as successful in recent years as the fans from past generations have known them to be so chairman Dick Van Well decided to sack Ronald Koeman and hire a young upcoming manager. The Englishman has signed a one year deal with the club and is one of the most promising coaches in football at the moment.

I am delighted to be at this club. They have a massive history and a great fan base and i am looking forward to being part of that. I understand the chairman expects me to gain a high finish because we don't have money available, i think the budget is £1m if i remember correctly, so it's not going to be easy and players are going to have to leave and we will have to rebuild the squad. The good thing is this club has some great youngsters with lots of potential and i hope they develop well under my management and become legends here at Feyenoord. - New Feyenoord manager

September/October update



Guidetti is Feyenoord's top scorer this season

September

Heerenveen 1-2 Feyenoord (Bakkal, El Ahmadi) - A decent game and a well fought victory for us. I thought our midfield were excellent but our attackers let us down. I played a few youngsters due to fatigue etc and they did themsleves proud putting in good shifts for the team.

Feyenoord 1-1 Roda JC (Fernandez) - Really poor performance from everyone. Roda hammered us and we couldn't seem to string two passes together. We only scored because of a deflection too!

ADO 2-0 Feyenoord - I don't even know what happened here. We were on top all game playing some nice stuff having plenty of shots but we couldn't score, ADO had two shots and scored. Fuming.

October

Feyenoord 2-1 VVV-Venlo (Guidetti, Fernandez) - We bounced back from the shock defeat with a pretty standard win. The players put in a decent performance and it was good to see Guidetti get on the score sheet again.

Feyenoord 2-0 RKC Waalwijk (Fernandez, Clasie) - Another very good victory. We dominated possesion and had more shots on target. I was a little disappointed in top scorer Guidetti as his performance was rubbish.

PSV 2-1 Feyenoord (Schaken) - I didn't expect much from this to be honest. PSV were 2nd and we weren't at our best. I am happy that we managed to keep the score line as low as possible but we need to improve.

Feyenoord 2-1 FC Twente (Bakkal x2) - Huge shock. FC Twente were top of the league and flying, scoring for fun and playing great. We bettered them and one of the best performances of the season from Bakkal and he was rewarded with two goals.

Ajax 3-3 Feyenoord (Guidetti x2, Cabral) - The derby game. The game that all form goes out of the window, whoever wins wants it most, and the players have to be hungry for success. We were terrible in the first half, 3-0 down at half time but we came out fighting and two quick fire goals from Guidetti and a Cabral screamer earned us a point.

Player of the two months - Bakkal (three goals, four assists)



I am quite happy with how the two months have gone, we have played well but badly at the same time. The worrying thing is our team seems to be tired and we cannot stop conceding. I believe if our form doesn't pick up we may drop out of the European places and then my job will be in danger - Feyenoord Manager

Rest of season review



January

FC Twente 3-0 Feyenoord
Feyenoord 2-1 PSV (Guidetti x2)

February

Feyenoord 0-2 Utrecht
Hercales 0-2 Feyenoord
VVV-Venlo 1-1 Feyenoord (Bakkal)
Feyenoord 3-1 ADO (Bakkal, Schaken, Fernandez)

March

Feyenoord 1-1 N.E.C (Martins Indi)
NAC 1-1 Feyenoord (Guidetti)
Feyenoord 4-0 Exilsior (Guidetti x3, Fernandez)

April

Graafschap 0-2 Feyenoord (Bakkal, Guidetti)
Feyenoord 1-0 Groningen (Guidetti)
AZ Alkamaar 2-1 Feyenoord (Fernandez)
Vitesse 0-2 Feyenoord (Guidetti, Ramsteijn)

May

Waalwijk 1-1 Feyenoord (Renken)
Feyenoord 2-2 Ajax (Mokojito, Guidetti)



Feyenoord's player of the season - John Guidetti (21 goals, 4 assists)





Feyenoord manager jumps ship



Feyenoord fans are annoyed that manager Sanchez has moved club.

Today, former Feyenoord manager Rami Sanchez has been announced as Utrecht's manager, a team who finished 4 places under his Feyenoord team last season. Sanchez said he didn't feel 'right' at Feyenoord and needed to move club but not the country. He said Utrecht were perfect for his long term plan and he hopes to make them into a European super power within the next 6 years.

I feel as though i had to make this move, it was the best for me. I was finding the expectation to succeed at Feyenoord stressful and Utrecht are a good club on the up and i want to be part of this. The new chairman has said he will back me for the players i want and only expects a mid table finish. I am really excited about this new chapter in my career and i hope it goes well and i do a good job here and the fans like me. I have many players in mind that i want to sign, moslty young, hungry players that will develop into world class players in years to come - Rami Sanchez (Utrecht's new manager)

Been took over, i was flicking through the job offers saw it and thought, i'm having that!

I guess it's just look really, keep checking job offers at the end of the year and if a team has lots of money when they normally don't, chances are they have been took over.

Yeah, i will do a match report after England match

Sigge

Sigge

I played a short career with Fiorentina and he was a very good player. He had a magnificent long shot and is fairly pacey.

Also i feel i have spoilt the game by moving to Utrecht as i just win most games so i was thinking of starting a league 1/2 team. Would you be interested?

Reporter: Hello Milan, hello Dave, first of all Milan what was your reaction to gaining promotion?

Milan Mandaric: I was delighted. We had a great last two months since Dave joined and we didn't lose which was great. Now we are here in the Championship i hope we can compete and do well this coming season.

Reporter: Speaking of Dave Jones' arrival, how hard was it to make the decision to sack Gary Megson even when you were third in League One?

Milan Mandaric: It was very difficult. We were third and had just won against our rivals. However, i felt results before this were not good enough so i decided we needed a change and i am happy Dave has repaid my faith in him by gaining promotion.

Reporter: Thanks for that insight Milan. Dave, you won two manager of the months in your first two month as long as gaining promotion. How do you feel?

Dave Jones: It was great. I couldn't say no to the job offer as Sheffield Wednesday are a massive club and are a team on the up. At first i thought we would be looking at the play offs but to get automatic just was amazing.

Reporter: You've already signed Joe Mattock, Chris Kirkland, Kieran Lee and almost Anthony Gardner. Will there be any more deals?

Dave Jones: Yes, Anthony has passed his medical today and should sign soon and we have 4 or 5 other players who we are looking to bring in to the club and we are also trying to move players out to raise funds for others.

Reporter: Moving on, Gary Madine's off field problems have caught up with him again and he will be in court soon. How do you want to cope with his behaviour?

Dave Jones: That was almost a year ago and his behaviour has come on greatly since i have been here. He is really getting his head down and working hard. He is going to be a key player this year and we need him to be good.

Reporter: Okay, thank you for your time Milan and Dave, good luck in the Championship.

Astbury

Ahh good. I probably wont sign any it's just that it makes it more realistic for me as i have done recent transfers etc.

Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed they believe they have signed the players they believe will lead them to Championship survival this season but have reiterated the point that they still may have to but in January so have not spent big. * = real players but i created them

Keith Andrews - Free - The Irish midfielder has penned a two year deal with a view to an extra years extension if he performs well. He is a very good midfielder with an eye for goal and after been released by relegated Blackburn he said he was "desperate" to get a new club and Sheffield Wednesday were "perfect" for him.

Tom Heaton - Free -The young goalkeeper had been attracting interest from Cardiff, Ipswich and Peterborough but chose Sheffield Wednesday as he said they are a "massive" club with great potential. Heaton will mostly be back up to number on Chris Kirkland.

Tope Odabeyi - Free - The young striker was on the verge of joining Rio Ave but he moved to Sheffield as he wanted to stay in England. The striker has a lot of potential and is a fast striker in a good mold to partner Gary Madine.

Michael Owen - Free - A marquee signing for Dave Jones and his team. Owen joined The Owls after snubbing interest from Leeds and Bolton as he thought they were clubs on the down. He also said he was delighted to be joining a club with great support and he hopes he can fire them to safety.

Sebastian Boenisch* - Free - The former Werder Bremen and Polish international has joined Sheffield Wednesday on a two year deal after other clubs were put off from his terrible injury record. The lightning quick left back was brought in to combat the faster wingers in the squad and will be used mostly in rotation with Joe Mattock.

Tom Soetaers* - The former Belgian international has joined Sheffield Wednesday on a one year deal to prove his fitness with the club. The 31 year old is a pin point crosser of the ball and Dave Jones needed someone who can put the ball on a plate for his strikers.

Adrian Mariappa - £1,300,000 - The defender had been attracting interest from Premier League clubs but no one had offered him a deal or asked about a possible deal. Mariappa is a young strong defender who Jones sees as a perfect partner for Anthony Gardner or Reda Johnson at center back.



Sheffield Wednesday now had their squad assembled for the 2012-2013 season and headed off to Portugal to face three teams in their countries top division. We would like to thank these teams for participating in our tour and we would also like to thank the magnificent fans for travelling to Portugal to see the new squad in action and we hope to see you all next season.

Rio Ave 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Madine)
Sporting 4-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Reading 0-3 Sheffield Wednesday (Owen, J.Johnson, R.Johnson)

d3structor

welcome mate, hard to explain really haha, if you ever need any more you're more than welcome to ask.

oh no! my save has froze !?!?!

Any ideas on a new team? mid-table finish and good to build a decent squad but not in england?

Sigge
I signed Oxlade-Chamberlain for like £12m in my second season

Sigge

nice one mate, only lost twice in 4 months and won the double! Who were the top scorers?

I decided to start as Reading so will update later on.