[FM14] Doing It Down Under! v2.0

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Another average month in November, with 2 wins a draw and a loss. We were great on our day, but also had some low notes. Let's have a look at the results.

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The home game against the Central Coast Mariners was a game we really should be winning, but our decimated central defence just couldn't deal with prodigious striker Matt Simon. The Mariners number 9 scored early and they managed to hold out to win 1-0.

We crossed the country to face Perth Glory, and picked up a deserved win. Ander Bergara score in the 26th minute before picking up a late brace an hour later. Daniel Batty put the icing on the cake in the 87th minute and we ended up winning 3-0.

The Big Blue is usually a great match but this was an exception. Neither team was dangerous in front of goals, and the game finished in a boring 0-0 draw.

Our perennial rivals Newcastle Jets was the final game of the month, and after a tense first half Ander Bergara gave us the lead in the 50th minute. 15 minutes later Daniel Batty doubled that lead and although Jets youngster Tom Waller pulled one back we won 2-1. Batty 1, Eto'o 0.

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Definitely an improvement from the team, although it's gonna be hard chasing down a very in-form Adelaide United. Some good results in December should bridge the gap.


Another great month from Ander Bergara, scoring 3 goals which is a league high. The Spaniard is hitting his straps now.

It wasn't a great month but not a bad one either to be fair. What does this regen Bergara look like buddy?

walkinshaw I'm quite far ahead in-game (4 seasons haha) so I can't SS him for you, but essentially he's a slow-ish kinda playmaker, a natural AMC, who I use as a trequartista. His real strength is his dead ball skills though. Penalty taking stat is 17, corners is 17 and free kicks is 16 so pretty beastly.

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Spanish striker Ander Bergara has been lighting the league up in the opening weeks, and after an injury-disrupted 2016/17 season we are finally seeing the true extent of the Sydney FC marquee's wizardry.

After 7 games, Bergara has 5 goals, 3 assists and 3 best on ground performances and is arguably the best player in the league at the moment. When many expected Daniel 'Battman' Batty to excel, it's been Bergara instead but the partnership with Batty is also a huge positive. Batty has 3 goals in 6 games so far and the pair are among the most menacing in the league.

At 30, Bergara has 4 good years of football left in him, and Sydney will hope they can get this level of performance from their marquee man for the foreseeable future.

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We just can't seem to string good form together, as we conclude another very average month. Hopefully 2018 will be a fresh start. Here's December's results.

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First up was the perennial underachievers Brisbane Roar, and they got off to a horrid start when Jaiden Walker conceded a 2nd minute penalty. Bergara never misses from the spot and when Matt Smith gave away another penalty just 14 minutes later Bergara celebrated a lucky, early brace. We ended the match 2-0 winners in quite controversial circumstances.

Next was the rampaging Adelaide United, and we managed to post a clean sheet against the league leaders. Unfortunately, we didn't score either and the game ended 0-0.

Melbourne Heart have always been a tricky opponent, and despite a first half brace from Ander Bergara they refused to back down. Francesco Stella got their first in the 68th minute, and then they pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the 92nd minute to equalise, courtesy of David Vrankovic. Credit to Heart for the comeback, final score 2-2.

The game against Wanderers FC was our chance to make up for our earlier defeat to them and we got everything done around half time. Ander Bergara scored in first half injury time and Daniel Batty scored straight after the break, giving us a 2-0 win.

Finally we travelled to play the Central Coast Mariners, and we got off to a positive start when Nick Montgomery put it in his own net. However Mariners winger Kim Seung-Yong struck a beautiful free kick just 8 minutes later, and Nick Fitzgerald got the lead for the Mariners just after half time. Joel Chianese got sent off in the 60th minute, and then Nikola Petkovic just 20 minutes to make it near impossible to equalise. Final score, a 1-2 loss.

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We slip down the table once more as we still can't find a good spell of form. Luckily the league is extremely even at the moment (except for Perth Glory) and one good run of form might see us go on top.


3 POTM awards from 3 for Ander Bergara, and 5 from 5 goals to top it off. Still leading the league goalscoring, the trequartista has a brilliant tally so far and doesn't look like stopping.

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Finally! We have finally together some good form and are reaping the rewards. We have also survived a lot of omissions and we can now push on with our best XI. Here's a look at the first month of 2018.

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We hosted the Wellington Phoenix in the first game of the month, and the depleted squad took a while to get the job done. Eventually Daniel Batty gave us the first goal in the 59th minute, and with the game in the balance young false 9 Ben Thompson came on and scored to give us a 2-0 win.

Perth Glory was a match we really should have been winning, and we almost didn't. Chris Harold score for Perth Glory just after half time, and it was almost an embarrassing loss until young poacher Nazario Petrocco snuck one in the 85th minute, ending the match 1-1.

The Big Blue against Melbourne Victory was next, and it was another high octane game. Rhyan Grant scored a beautiful lob in the 42nd minute, and then Battman put the icing on the cake in the 92nd minute. A resounding 2-0 victory.

Our final 'test' was the easybeats Brisbane Roar, and although it took a while we eventually beat them in front of their home fans. Dani De Silva scored the one and only goal in the 54th minute for a 1-0 win.

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So after that great run of form, we sit top in a very competitive title race. A few teams have the potential to usurp us so we need to carry on and keep winning.


Matthew Jurman had a solid month in defence, a regular in a changing XI (due to injuries and suspensions). Team up well with a multitude of centre backs and was a driving force in this month's success.

top of the table!!

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Sydney FC did extraordinarily well in January despite missing several key players. They managed to climb to first and hold a 2 point lead at the top, without a large portion of their first XI.

Daniel De Silva, Josh MacDonald and Aaron Calver all missed football due to Australia U21 duty, whilst Nikola Petkovic and Matthew Jurman received bans. Then there was the injury toll, with Jackson Irvine and Ander Bergara missing action. All these names add to up a daunting list for the Sky Blues but they did remarkably well without them.

The depth at Sydney has really showed, with multiple fringe and youth players stepping up and filling gaps. Nazario Petrocco and Ben Thompson did a fine job in the absence of Bergara, whilst Ali Abbas replaced Petkovic seamlessly. In defence, Pedj Bojic played in an unfamiliar role and thrived whilst Hagi Gligor and Terry Antonis saw some much needed game time.

Sydney FC, with a full strength squad, will now be pushing to keep their lead in the league.

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After a stunning pre-season and a goal on debut, Daniel 'Battman' Batty has been struggling for form recently. The 19 year old has scored just 4 goals in 11 games, and the target man will need to improve this tally to help the Sky Blues rise up the table.

Batty booted 14 goals in 8 games in the pre-season, but has struggled to recapture that form in the league. The main problem seems to be that he is being caught out on pace. The solution would be to use him as a more stationary target but Sydney FC will hope he can go back to that legendary pre-season form.

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The Group Stages of the Asian Champions League has been drawn, with teams from 10 nations competing in Asia's premier club competition. Here's the full draw.

Group A

Al-Hilal
Al-Jazira
Lekhwiya
Sepahan

Group B

Al-Sadd
Al-Shabab (KSA)
Al-Shabab (UAE)
Lokomotiv Toshkent

Group C

Al-Ittihad
Al-Rayyan
Bunyodor Toshkent
Esteghlal

Group D

Al-Ahli
Al-Ain
Al-Gharrafa
Teraktor-Sazi

Group E

Guangzhou
Muangthong United
Saitama United
Suwon

Group F

A'erbin
Al-Ahli
Ballena Shizuoka
Jeonbuk

Group G

Giurare Yokohama
Newcastle United Jets
Pohang

Shenhua

Group H

Jiangsu
Okayama FC
Seoul
Sydney FC

I haven't the slightest clue if that group is tough or not

Neal It is pretty tough, we've got the Korean and Japanese champions plus the Chinese runners up so it will be tough

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February was a phenomenal month, as we dominated at both domestic and continental level. 5 wins from 5 is no mean feat, let's have a look at how I did it.

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Our first task was the Newcastle Jets, with their secret weapon Samuel Eto'o. We got off to an electrifying start, with goals to Daniel Batty and Milos Dimitrijevic in the first 8 minutes. Eto'o drew one back after 30 minutes but Bergara scored almost immediately to give us an unassailable lead. Dani De Silva scored again to make it 4-1 in the first 38 minutes, and although Eto'o managed to score again after half time the game ended 4-2.

Daniel Batty was the difference in the game against Adelaide United, with the 19 year old scoring a very early goal that we managed to defend the whole game through. His 7th minute strike gave us a 1-0 win.

We faced Melbourne Heart next, and it was a very boring contest for the most part. Julius Davies eventually broke the deadlock in the 77th minute, and from there the Heart defence broke down as Bergara managed to add goal to the tally, giving us a 2-0 win.

The trip across the ditch to face Wellington Phoenix is also a tough one, and we got off to a bad start when Matthew Ridenton scored in the 22nd minute. It didn't take long to take the lead however, thanks to a 3 minutes double whammy by Dani De Silva and Jackson Irvine that saw us lead at half time. Jack Hobson-McVeigh equalised for the Kiwis but the instant reply was there once more with Milos Dimitrijevic. The captain pulled off a great long shot to give us a 3-2 win.

The biggest, and last, game of the month was our Asian Champions League debut against Okayama FC. The Japanese champions looked formidable, and many predicted us to lose heavily. We proved them all wrong, as Daniel Batty scored in the 5th minute to send the home crowd into raptures. The game looked beyond doubt when Rhyan Grant doubled the tally just 16 minutes later, and although the Japanese team kicked another first half goal to make it 2-1, we clamped down and shut the hatches. Pedj Bojic scored a 94th minute beauty to really rub salt in the wounds as we won 3-1.

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We furthered our lead at the top, and now enjoy a 7 point lead with just 7 games to go. We should comfortably win our second title in a row!

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Still very early days in Asia's premier club competition, but the signs look to be good as we dispatched Okayama FC. Seoul should be the big test however.


Young gun Daniel De Silva was our best player this month, as the central midfield had a very productive 5 games. His pairing with Dimitrijevic is proving to be lethal, and I need him firing more as we head into the business end of the season.

Lots of green dots me like

Sorry to say degs, but only one side from Sydney can win the ACL and that has already happened. But keep going in the A-leauge, you have my permission to win that