The Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge FM20

I am not going to use the 4-3-3 formation for this one, instead I will stick with the 4-2-2-2(4-2-4) formation as when things are not going right with it I often struggle to change it to get us back in the game whereas with the normal formation I have a few known options to change things up.

34th minute and Burnley are ahead from Ashley Barns , starting to eat my own words here. To make matters worse in the 40th minute Lascells is forced off through injury replaced by Schar.

ASM to the rescue on the 90th minute Batshuayi chased after the loose ball out wide, whipped the ball into the box for ASM to slot home the equaliser 1 - 1. 92nd minute and ASM with the corner hits the back post Jolinton heads it to the other side of goal where Despodov is there to place it into the empty net. 2 - 1.

We have drawn Liverpool in the 5th Round.



Rodon, Lazaro and Macias return for this one Pepe is in need of a rest also however I need him on the pitch for this one.

We have done well to restrict Liverpool to long shots and so far have only had 1 on target. On the break Almiron punts the ball up the field towards ASM who somehow finds himself 1 v 1 with Alisson. ASM shot hits the inside of the post and it's in 1 - 0. 25 minutes played. At half time we have still restricted Liverpool to only 1 shot on target out of 9. Poor from Gomez who loses the ball from a defensive throw to give Newcastle a 2 nil lead thanks to Batshuayi to score his 100th career league goal. 50 minutes played.

It was just a matter of time before they scored from long range. 68th minute and the long shot has gone in this time thanks to James Milner it's 2 - 1.

92nd minute and it has been a very nervy 15 minutes where Liverpool have had chance after chance but caught on the break its Macias who has given Newcastle a 2 goal lead. 3 - 1.



I really wanted to stick with the same team from the Liverpool game however ASM is injured so Despodov comes in. The 2nd change is also forced as Rodon is injured and will be replaced by Kilman.

The first half comes to a close with the same tactics used as Liverpool which is preventing Man City from shooting from inside the area. They did have a goal chalked off for offside. We also had a good chance around 20 minutes in where Almiron found Despodov in the box but just could not get it in the back of the net. 0 - 0.

64th minute and the deadlock has been broken, Zinchenko with the mistake which allowed Despodov to pick the ball up in a dangerous area. The ball is played to Macias who hits it low into the far corner. 1 - 0.

84th minute and Batshuayi with the chance from wide is cleared but Pepe picks the loose ball up just on the edge of the area scores to make it 2 - 0.

93rd minute and De Bruyne has a freekick out wide and it is whipped into Bennacer who pulls one back 2 - 1.



After playing so well I'm a bit apprehensive about changing the squad/tactics too much. We have played tremendous in the last 2 games. 3 more players injured for this game Dubravka, Schar and Richie. Schar is not much of an issue as he was being replaced with Rodon anyway. Dubravak’s injury means we have no cover on the bench if there is an injury to Farinez. ASM returns on the bench instead of Richie.

16th minute and Tavares whipps the ball into the box, Despodov heads it down to make it 0 - 1. This time it’s Despodov with the assist and the goal by Macias in the 40th minute. That's his 3rd goal in 3 games. On the stroke of half time it was Despodov again with the assist for Macias 0 - 3.

57th minute and the long shot paid off in the end for Angelino 1 - 3. 65th minutes and Gray finally connects with Ayew to pull another back however VAR ruled the goal offsite.

ASM came on in the 65th minute 1 minute later and scored thanks to a low cross from Almiron. 1 - 4. 71st minute and a long ball from Pepe finds Almiron to volley the ball into the back of the net 1 - 5.




A fantastic February puts us in the top 4 however i'm not sure we will still be there by the end of the season. Im increasingly hopeful of a europa league place and with only 10 games remaining it's looking more likely every game.

Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday look certain to go down with only 10 games remaining and are over 12 points behind West Ham. The last Relegation place looks like a 2 horse race between Crystal Palace and West Ham but judging by the game we just played against them I'd say it's more likely going to be Palace that goes down.




Another big month for us Everton and Arsenal are going to be huge games if we are to get into the Champions league. Like I said however Europa league is more realistic. I'm only expecting to win the West Ham game this month despite the excellent February form.

Predicted points 3 / 9

Unchanged squad from the win at Crystal Palace. Hayden, Dummet, Lascelles and Dubravka are now in training but all require match sharpness. Dubravka will be on the bench however as I need a backup just in case.

This game could be a catalyst for the remainder of the season. A win and we could really press on here. If we lose however I can really see us having a bad month.

Terrible start only 16 seconds in and Mo Salah has already given Liverpool the lead. This could only get worse from here on out. 31st minute and Mane has doubled Liverpool's lead to 2 - 0. Alexander-Arnold makes it 3 - 0. 2 minutes later. 4 - 0 already here in the 40th minute and Liverpool are passing excellent. I really have no answer for this. 55th minute and Mane gets his second of the game 5 - 0. Firmino now with the goal to make it 6. 69 minutes played.




Ok we need to move on quickly from the game against Liverpool, i'm going to show faith and make only 1 change. Not that I have many options with lots of 1st team players either injured or getting back to match fitness. Almiron is going to struggle with fitness in this game but Despodov can come on later on in the game. ASM is the only change in this game who will start ahead of Despodov.

The opening 20 minutes Everton have not had a shot attempt however we have had 7 so i'm hoping we do not rue these missed chances.

Tavarnes cuts inside but then drags it back to Sean Longstaff who strikes it from outside of the area. 1 - 0. 23rd minute. The ball is cleared by the Everton defence but it goes no further than Almiron who heads it down towards Longstaff. He gears up for another long range effort which goes in. 2 - 0. 30 minutes played.

The end of the 1st half and we have restricted Everton to 4 shot attempts total none of which have been on target.

50th minute, ASM places the ball ahead of Batshuayi into the box he strikes it first time into the back of the net 3 - 0.

Everton's first shot on target in the match and it is Richarlison’s effort that ends up in the back of the net. 3 - 1. Richarlison again on the break who is nudged by Kilamn, VAR decision is a penalty. Sigurosson converts the spot kick into a goal. 3 - 2 Everton are back in this. 35 minutes left of the match.

60th minute ASM with a freekick out wide. It swung into the back post for Macias and
headed into the goal. 4 - 2.

66th minute James Justin comes on to replace Nuno Tavares, Sean Longstaff is replaced by Matty Longstaff in the 70th minute. Final substitution on the 79th minute and Pepe is replaced by Hayden.

86th minute and James Justin on the overlap cuts inside finds some space to shoot and puts the game beyond doubt 5 - 2.



Unchanged squad from the Everton game, Same formation as Everton also.

First half was a real dull affair, we were even on shots on target but in reality none looked like going into the back of the net. At the half the team instructions were to take more shots from range. Hopefully that will be enough to break the deadlock.

From what looked like an intense few moments Newcastle were under pressure in their Defensive duties however ASM was given the ball out wide who lifted the ball into the opposing half, Macias was quick to react to the ball and found himself with no one to beat besides the keeper. The ball was played low into the corner of the net. 0 - 1.

Well I kinda saw that one coming. Ghoulam dragged the defence wide and whipped the ball into the box where Herrera was there to get the equaliser. 1 - 1.

ASM beats his man and then cuts inside, instead of a cross he pulls the ball back to Longstaff on the edge of the box. Longstaff then plays the ball across the ground to Tavares who is cutting inside. The initial shot is saved by Fabianski but it deflects off the post and goes in. 1 - 2.



This year's prospects look considerably better than last year's. 3 players that have the potential to be in the 1st team in the future. Seheed Adamu, Graham Talbot and Lloyd Hare. John Bell also has an outside change as well but will need to improve at a considerable pace.



Last game of the month however this will be the toughest league game this month. So I’m not expecting too much but would be happy with a draw. Another unchanged Squad apart from James who is on international duty and will be replaced by Lascelles on the bench.

Pepe has the ball in the middle of the park. It's a long ball that finds Macias. The pall is played horizontally to Batshuayi and is slotted into the back of the net. 0 - 1.

Newcastle on the break no Tavares with the long ball up the pitch from the left side now to Macias this time he takes the shot himself and scores to make it 0 - 2.

There was a lot of patience in the build up to this but finally the ball drops to Weigl with enough room to take the shot, it's straight into the top corner. 1 - 2. 63 minutes played.

Aubameyang is in a wide area here but cuts inside from a poor angle to shoot instead he finds Klivert on the back post who slots it home. 2 - 2. 72 minutes on the clock.

Newcastle struggling to get the ball clear it's always ending up at the feet of an Arsenal Player. ASM intercepts the ball this time and clears it way up the pitch. Macias shows determination in chasing the ball down. He gets to it, cuts inside the box and shoots. 2 - 3. 83rd minute.

On the break it's Macias again for his hat trick, he is chasing every loose ball that comes his way and is rewarded again with a goal. 2 - 4.




7 games to go and we are in 3rd admittedly Chealsea have a game in hand and will most likely win to go 3rd. But we are 6 points clear of Everton (They also have a game in hand) so that's 5 wins maximum from the last 7 to qualify for the Champions League.

I predicted that I would only get 3 points from a possible 9 this month and miraculously we have managed to get all 9. We have really hit form since the win against Liverpool in February and since then have won all 6 of our league matches.



Is this the home stretch for Champions league qualification? I still need to be realistic and despite the poor form of Tottenham I'm still going for a loss as well as the Man utd game.

Norwich, Sheffield United and Watford are the games I'm targeting for wins so that's 9 points for a possible 15 this month. Will that be enough to stay ahead of Everton.

Everton have both Man Utd and Liverpool to play this month so it may be possible they must win their other 3 games also so it's going to be interesting how things progress.

You took quite the battering from Liverpool but that aside you look likely to finish within the top four this season which is beyond fantastic if you do happen to manage it. Good luck!

Only 1 change from the Arsenal game and that Lascelles is replaced on the bench with James.

The first half came to a close with both teams having little chance in front of goal. First real chance of the game for Newcastle. It's a corner which ASM puts it into the near post where Longstaff is there to head it into the goal 1 - 0. 59 minutes.

76 minutes and Pepe places the ball low into the box, Macias hit it first time and it's a goal. 2 - 0.

We are only 1 point ahead of Chealsea and they have played their 2 games in hand over us. Everton have also played their game in hand and are 5 points adrift. Arsenal are ahead of us by 8 points so it's very unlikely with 6 games remaining that we would be able to catch them.

Both Man Utd and Man City are 3 points behind Everton and with 6 games go could cause some late pressure.



Unchanged squad from the win at Tottenham.

Norwich piling some early pressure here. Their persistence is finally rewarded as they get their noses in front thanks to Emi Buendia in the 3rd minute of the game. 1 - 0. The lead lasted all of 3 minutes as Batsuhayi got the equaliser 1 - 1. the 39th minute and the next goal is going to be important. It's Norwich with the corner it comes into the near post where Zimmermann gets a head to it, 2 - 1. 43rd minute and Norwich counter through Lucas Moura. Ruidiaz hits it low into the corner just inside of the area. 3 - 1. Newcastle are fading fast here.

Half time and just one change which is Tavares off for James Justin. 55th minute and Pepe is replaced with Matty Longstaff. Final change on the 68th minute and ASM is replaced with Despodov.

Well that game brought us back down to earth. We hold onto 3rd place as Chelsea also lose. Man City overtake Everton however they do have a game in hand.



1 change to the loss at Norwich which Lazaro is replaced by Jusin at RB.

Man Utd have are really applying pressure but the final ball has not really come yet. Against the run of play Almiron runs wide with the ball and tries an ambitious ball to Batshuayi. Batshuayi scores a difficult goal at an awkward angle but is on the right side of the post. 1 - 0. 27 minutes gone. More pressure throughout the 1st half Man Utd got the ball into the back of the net thanks to a cross from Bruno Fernandez Rashford got on the end of it and put it into the back of the net. The goal however is ruled offside.

55th minute and this time the goal stands. Pogba scores from the resulting corner from Bruno Fernandes. 1 - 1.

62nd minute and ASM is replaced by Despodov.

65th minute an attacking throw finds Macias out wide, the ball is whipped into the box. Batshuayi connected the ball with his head and put it into the back of the net. 2 - 1.

70th minute and Sean Longstaff is replaced by Matty Longstaff.

72nd minute and Man Utd equalise the game again thanks to substitute Cavani from the Dalot cross. 2 - 2.

79th minute last change of the game and Jolinton is on from Macias.

79th minute and a defensive freekick to Newcastle is hit long by Tavares. Batshuayi is through on goal. 3 - 2. That's his 3rd goal of the game.

95th minute and the game is put beyond doubt, Despodov gets the ball from a Man Utd corner and drives with the ball upfield. The ball is then given to Jolinton who only has De Gea to beat. 4 - 2.

We are still in 3rd place with a point over Chelsea.
Everton at back in 5th after winning their game in hand. We are 5 points clear of Everton with 4 games remaining.



No changes to the first team for this game.

35th minute and Sheffield United have shown that they are dangerous on the break. This is proven when Wilson breaks and finds Nmecha to score the opening goal 0 - 1. No real chances from the remaining half for us to get the equalizer.

The 65th minute ASM is replaced by Despodov. 70th minute and Macias is replaced with Jolinton.

93rd minute and Jolintion gets the equalizer he has to slide to reach the ball played by Batshuayi.

As expected this draw has moved us into 4th place 1 point behind Chelsea. Everon is also close behind us with only 3 points separating us from 6th.




ASM is injured with pulled knee ligaments and will be out for the next 2 weeks so most likely he will miss the remainder of the season. Despodov will replace him in the only change to the starting lineup.

Not the start that I had in mind. Watford had other ideas. 20 minutes in and Quina has given them the lead. 1 - 0.

50th minute and Sean Longstaff is struggling today, he is replaced by Matty Longstaff. Almiron is replaced by Richie in the 60th minute.

66th minute and a cross comes into the box near the back post. Despodov gets his head on it and directs the ball downward. It's a goal 1 - 1. 75th minute Pepe is replaced by Hayden. Disaster to the hopes of Champions league football next season Watford's Danny Welbeck puts Watford into the lead with 93 minutes on the clock. 95th minute and the game is beyond doubt now its a 3rd goal for Watford. Joao Pedro this time with the goal. 3 - 1.




Still in 4th place currently with 3 points ahead of Everton who still have a game in hand. The last 2 games are going to be massive for us. 2 wins is needed when realistically we could have been confirmed as qualified before this point.

I predicted 9 points from 15 we only managed to get 7 however the 2 games I expected to lose, we won. The games we expected to win we lost and only just drew with Sheffield United.



These 2 games on paper should be comfortable wins however our form against teams in the lower half of the table we have really struggled. Bournemouth have also done really well this season and look on course to get a top 10 finish. I am predicting 6 / 6 points here but i'm not confident. I would be more confident if I was playing 2 top 5 teams as we seem to be doing really well against those teams around us.

Macias Is injured for this one so will be replaced with Sorensen, Jolintion still on the bench if needed.

On the stroke of half time and surprise surprise were losing, Moise Kean with the goal that gave Brighton the lead. 0 - 1.

68th minute and 3 changes. Sorensen, Kilman and Despodov Off for Jolinton, Lascelles and Richie.

Champions League hopes are over.



Ok I have made a tactical change in this one, instead of having 2 upfront am playing with only 1 up top now and the other will be played as a DM. Both Longstaffs will play in this one with Pepe in the DM role. ASM will also start, however he is not full fit. We need the 3 points so we need to win at any cost.

Very disappointing game we trailed at half time 2 - 0. So the tactical changes made no difference whatsoever. Macias Managed to salvage a draw for us in the end. But I'm still extremely disappointed in the last 2 months of games.




So we did it however the circumstances that we did it was very disappointing we could have potentially got Champions league football next season especially with the last 5 games we had.



Batshuayi has the goalscoring record of 18 goals compared to the previous 11 that Jolinton got.
ASM broke his own records with assists this time getting 14. His previous was 5.
ASM also broke the record for most Player of the Match awards with a total of 4. The record was previously held by Shelvey who got 2.

Brian Clugg			1st Assistant Manager	          15.25k	2025
Darren Wassall		        Head of Youth			  3k		2024
Jesus Perez			1st Fitness Coach		  3k		2025
Hugo Oliveira			1st GK Coach		 	  6k		2025
Mark Howard			1st Coach			  3k		2025
Joao Tralhao			1st Coach			  7k		2025
Warren Joyce			1st Coach		       	  2k		2024
Victor Orta			Director of Football		  15k		2025
Alexander Puckett		Technical Director		  15.25k	2025
Aurelio Periera		        Cheif Scout			  12k		2026
Lack Cooke-Stafford		Loan Manager			  11k		2025
Victor Manas			Cheif Data Analyst		  10k		2025
Tim Broadhurst		        Data Analyst			  3k		2025
Like Stopforth			Data Analyst			  2k		2025	

Bruno Fuchs 			Internacional			16.5M			40k
Carlos				Santos				21M			30k
Agustin Almendra		Boca Juniors			15M			51k
Yari Verschaeren		Anderlect			19.5M			50k

Matt Richie			Released
Jonjo Shelvey			Released
Ronaldo Aarons		        Released
Daniel Barlaser		        Released
Liam Gibson			Released
Stan Flaherty			Released
Ludwig Francillette		Released
Dwight Gayle			Released
Kyle Scott			Released
Jake Turner			Released
Paul Dummett			Sheffield Wednesday		1M
Jacob Murphy			Preston			        Loan Deal
Florain Lejeune		        Salzburg			3M
Issac Hayden			FC Basel			5.75M
Fabian Schar			Sheffield United		5.5M 
Rosaire Longelo		        MK Dons			        97k

Lloyd Hare and Gaeme Talbot are promoted to the 1st team as they are showing considerable potential and deserve at least preseason with the 1st team so I can see their performance on the pitch more.



Very good preseason where we won all games, we still conceded 5 goals in 6 games but i'm hopeful once the defence starts to gel then this will reduce.



I'm not 100% sure what to expect from the Man City & Chelsea games so i'm going with losses for both. Hopefully with the break and also the recruitment in defence and midfield we should be a much better team and harder to beat. So I'm predicting 6 points from the opening month. 6 / 12 points predicted.

Bournemouth have strengthened with 3 1st team signings. Rico Henry from Brighton, Casper De Norre from Watford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea for a combined total of 41.5 Million. Only Joshua King from the 1st team left for Spartak Moscow for 9.5 Million.

Man City spent 131M on 4 players. Nelson Semedo from Inter Milan, Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes, Oliver Boscagli & Cody Gakpo from PSV. They also sold 4 players for a combined total of 82M Rodri went to Arsenal, Mahrez whent to Lyon, Kyle Walker went to Ajax and Jack Harrison went to Fulham.

Chelsea spent 236M 4 players; Nicole Zanilo from Roma, Alex Grimaldo from Benfinca, Bruno Fernandes from Man Utd and Federico Bernardeschi From Juventus. They sold 7 for a total of 155M; Kante went to PSG, Azpilicueta went to Atletico Madrid, Barkley went to Arsenal, Chalobah went to Brentford, Loftus-Cheek went to Bournemouth, Alonso went to Shakhtar and Emerson went to Watford.

West Ham bought 2 first team players in Zinchenko and Toulson from Man City and Everton. They also signed Jonas Omlin from FC Basil who I would expect would be in and around the first team also. They spent in total 41M on 5 Players. They sold Ajeti to Fulham and Mustafi to Bayern Leverkusen for 27M.

Europa League football is welcome but I sense your obvious disappointment at missing out on the Champions League. Losses against Norwich, Watford and Brighton will be ones you look back on with regret.

You kick on now, though. Ensure you improve with those signings - especially Verschaeren - and claim it this time. A tough start but this could really be a measuring stick.

2020-06-21 17:34#274586 ScottT : Europa League football is welcome but I sense your obvious disappointment at missing out on the Champions League. Losses against Norwich, Watford and Brighton will be ones you look back on with regret.

You kick on now, though. Ensure you improve with those signings - especially Verschaeren - and claim it this time. A tough start but this could really be a measuring stick.

Was more of a disappointment that we failed to beat teams at the foot of the table however we did seem to do well against teams at the top so I guess the season evened out in the end

3 of the 4 new signings will make their debut today, Vescharen will have to start from the bench.


At half time it was 0 - 1 to Newcastle thanks to Batshuayi goal in the 8th minute, It was a real nervy affair. We really struggled when we had the ball and also looked vulnerable when we didn't.

Finally in the 49th minute a little bit of breathing space thanks to a Macias break that fed Batshuayi for his 2nd of the game. 0 - 2. Another break in play and the ball is hit forward from Pepe to Batshuayi for his hat trick in the 65th minute. 86th minute and corner for Newcastle is put onto the edge of the area for Fuch who heads it into the 6 yard box. Despodov is able to get to the ball first and head it backwards into the back of the net. 0 - 3.

Solanke got a consolation goal in the 92nd minute from a Fraser corner.


I'm not fooled by the win here. We still look very precarious both on the break and overall defensive, however I do not understand how we generally do well against teams in the top 6 and really struggle most other games.



3 changes from the win against Bournemouth Jolinton, Varshaeren and Despodov start ahead of Macias, Almiron and ASM.

13th minute Verschaeren manages to stumble over the defender and picks out a pass to Batshuayi who puts it in the back of the net 1 - 0.

Raheem Sterling managed to pull Man City back on level terms 1 - 1. 19th minute. It was poor keeping by Farinez..

Despodov from the Corner finds Batashuyi again to get them back ahead 2 - 1. 40 minutes played.

56th minute and a long ball is played from Almendra. Batashuyi runs after it and his initial shot is parried wide but the 2nd attempt is in the back of the net 3 - 1.

68th minute and Lazaro is replaced byJustin. 72nd minute and Sean Longstaff is on for Pepe. 80th minute and final change for Newcastle ASM is on for Despodov.

86th minute the ball is played on the break to Batshuayi’s feet he hits it out wide towards ASM, ASM drives the ball forward and beats the keeper to make it 4 - 1.

88th minute and Man City have pulled a goal back thanks to Bernardo and Brandt. It's Brandt that put the ball in the back of the net 4 - 2.



2 changes to the win at Man City, Tavares and Justin start in place of Carlos and Lazaro.

Luataro opened the scoring with an easy finish after Grimaldo’s initial shot was parried. 1 - 0. 8 minutes played. Grimaldo is causing problems here, this time with an assist for Zaniolo with a close range header to make it 2 - 0. 37 minutes.
Newcastle pull one back before half time, Jolinton’s initial shot is blocked but Despodov is there to put the ball into the back of the net 2 - 1. 42 minutes gone.

49 minutes in and Despodov has a dangerous freekick here, he gets it over the wall beats the keeper to equalise the game 2 - 2.
66th minute and Kovacic scores a well placed finish from outside of the area. Cheasea regained their lead here 3 - 2. That pretty much puts the game to bed here, Lemar is the goalscorer 4 - 2. 79th minute.
Terrible defending there Justin tries to play the ball back to Farinez but Lautaro chases after it and wins it there's no one left to beat at the back. 5 - 2.



Wow I was expecting the worst group of them all however we have come away with a very favourable draw against Genk (1st seed), PAOK (2nd seed) and Hearts (4th seed). This draw has given me confidence of getting into the knockout stages.



5 changes here from the defeat against Chelsea:

Macias in for Jolinton.
Almiron starts ahead of Verschaeren.
ASM starts instead of Despodov.
Lazaro instead of Justin
Carlos back into the team for Tavares
Lloyd Hare will also start from the bench today in place of Jolinton as he has a slight knock.



Batshuayi continues his brilliant start to the season and gets Newcastle ahead thanks to Almirons through ball into the box. 1 - 0. Macias doubles the lead from an ASM freekick that was put towards the back post. 2 - 0.

68th minute and Batshuayi has doubled his tally to give Newcastle a 3 goal lead.

Batshuayi is currently top goalscorer with 8 goals from 4 Premier League games.



So Inter Milan offered me an initial 35M for Batshuayi I renegotiated for 70M thinking it would be rejected outright and it was accepted. So I think I have sold my best player this season so far. Remember we signed him for 13.25M in January 2020.

And Batshiayi has rejected the contract.



Still early days so not paying much attention to the league table so far. Having only predicted we would get 6 points from a possible 12. I think this is the first time we have exceeded my predictions to date after getting a total of 9.



We only have 3 Premier League games this month and I really expect to win against Wigan however the Leicester and Everton games are difficult to predict so I will go with a draw in both. So that's 5 points from a possible 9.

Unchanged squad from win at West Ham

Corner to Leicester, the Newcastle defence deal with it easily enough, it goes out wide to Almiron he runs with it the entire pitch. It looks like he takes a shot low into the near corner from out wide Macias seems to get a touch. 0 - 1. 10 minutes played.
The remainder of the first half was end to end but neither team could really make anything happen in the final 3rd.

ASM with a freekick wide of the area, he whips it into the 6 yard box and Rodon is able to get a head to it. 0 - 2. 52 minutes of the game played.

Lloyd Hare is coming on to make his debut replacing Batshuayi in the 54th minute.

ASM with a freekick this time on the opposite side, it’s played towards the back post for Rodon for his 2nd. 0 - 3. 68th minute. Almiron was replaced after the goal with Verschaeren.

Asensio strikes the ball low into the corner from range to pull one back for Leicester 1 - 3. 81st minute. Final change of the match Macias replaced by Sean Longstaff who will move into the central midfield position.

5 games played so far this season and we have managed to get 12 points from a possible 15 so far.



I'm going to be rotating the entire squad for this one. I still think that we can will despite the number of changes.


Only Rodon and Batshuayi remains in the starting lineup from the win against Leicester

What a start for us Lloyd hare in the first 7 minutes gets his first Newcastle goal. Batshayi put it into a dangerous area and he had to slide to get to the ball. 1 - 0. Tavares whips the ball in from wide, Batshuayi gets his head to it and directs it into the back of the net. 2 - 0. 11 minutes played.
25th minutes and Matty Longstaff hits it from outside the area to make it 3 - 0.

60th minute Despodov has the ball 30 yards out for a freekick, the shot beats the ball and the keeper it’s in 4 - 0. Less than 10 minutes later a nice team play sees the ball land at Ikpeazu’s feet he shoots and scores. 4 - 1.
80th minute and Tavares whips the ball into the back post, Despodov gets to it and its 5 - 1 now.



Back to the squad that won against Leicester for this one.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 38th minute thanks to a solo effort from Richarlison. He managed to win the ball back in his own half and ran the entire length of the pitch. 0 - 1.

It took until the 62nd minute to get an equalizer where Macias received the ball from out wide and scored with a half volley at the near post. 1 - 1.

Super sub Jolinton got Newcastle ahead thanks to a header from a corner. 2 - 1. In the 92st minute he thought he got his second of the match with a stunning volley but it was ruled offside via VAR.


Jolinton performed well coming off the bench, as a result he will start ahead of Batshuayi. This is the only change from the game vs Everton.

Callum Wilson causing problems here, the ball is whipped into the 6 yard box from out wide. He hits it first time on the volly. 0 - 1. 22nd minute.
Jolinton scores again from a cross out wide he heads it down into the back of the net for the equalizer. 1 - 1. 31st minute.
Just before half time and Newcastle have the lead. Almendra drives into the box and is unopposed when he takes the shot 2 - 1.

Jolinton again scores his second of the game. Macias plays the ball low across the face of goal and all Jolinton has to do is tap it in. 3 - 1. 48th minute.
51st minute andMacias this time scores the goal himself, the ball is played in from ASM. 4 - 1.
The very next attack Loftus-Cheek pulls a goal back for Bournemoth. He strikes it as he enters the semi circle on the end of the box. 4 - 2. 84th minute and Solanke has brought Bournemouth back within 1 goal of an equalizer. 4 - 3.



Similar squad to the game vs Hearts


Only Fuchs and Rodon remain from the team that beat Bournemouth.

Despodov breaks the deadlock by scoring a freekick around 30 yards out. 17th minute.
39th minute and Lloyd Hare had the ball in the back of the net but VAR ruled him offside.

Batshuayi was the one that made it 2 - 0 by heading the ball goalboard. 65th minute.
It's his second of the game Batshuayi scores from a brillant through ball from Despodov. 90th minute. 3 - 0
Lloyd Hare managed to score his first goal in the league thanks to Batshuayi pulling the ball back towards him. 92nd minute. 4 - 0.
Despodov also got his second of the game in the 93rd minute with a thunderous efford inside of the box. 5 - 0.



I have reverted back to the squad that won against Bournemouth with just 1 alteration:
Batshuayi will retain his place instead of Macias.

Not the start that i had in mind, the ball is crossed in from deep it lands at the feet of Warda who hits it into the top far corner. 1 - 0.

Jolinton and Batshuiayi are not working well as a partnership up to. Batshuayi will be replaced with Macias. 49th minute.

ASM plays the ball short into Macias; he gets into space but passes to Jolinton instead of shooting. Jolinton places the ball into the bottom corner. 1 - 1. 52 minutes played.

Almiron whips the ball into the box from out wide, ASM gets on the end of it. 1 - 2.

80th minute and Newcastle are cruising now, Almiron plays the ball through to Almendra he shoots and scores 1 - 3.




Looking really good early on in the season, another 12 games and I will have a better indication if we have really improved this season.

I previously predicted 7 points from 9 however we managed to get maximum points here and this is the 2nd month that we have exceeded my predictions.



Our next 2 games are against 2nd place Genk and I believe if we win both we will qualify for the 1st knockout round.



4 more Premier league games this month and all are winnable but i'm going with a draw vs Arsenal and wins for the other 3 that gives me a prediction of 10 / 12 points.

A very good start to both campaigns. Very promising stuff.

Jolintion will sit out this game after picking up a pulled group which will see him out for 1 week. Macias will replace him and Hare will be on the bench also. ASM will also be swapped with Despodov which will be the only other change in this game.

Sheffield United starts with a bang. Baldock gets them ahead within 6 minutes 1 - 0. Harry Wilson with a penalty here but he misses.

We are really looking vulnerable against them today. Think we are going to be in for a difficult remainder of the game. End of the first half.

86th minute and Sheffield United have gone 2 up. Stevens grabbed the goal from a low cross into the area 2 - 0.

ASM has pulled one back in injury time. Is there going to be time for an equalizer here, we are going ultra attacking in search of it.

That brought us back down to earth where we were really pushing Liverpool at the top of the league in the early fixtures.



Just 1 change from the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, Sean Longstaff comes in for Pepe.

The first half fizzled out, which may be an indication that this will be a boring game. 0 - 0.

On the 50th minute, we managed to get the ball in the back of the net thanks to Macias which was more of a tap in than anything else. 1 - 0.

Anguissa managed to get Fulham back in the game with a rocket from outside of the arena in the 57th minute. Farinez didn't even move as the ball went into the back of the net. 1 - 1.

It took until the 90th minute for the winning goal to come but it has come to Newcastle's Fuchs to most likely win the game. 2 - 1.



Just one change to the team for this one. Almiron will be replaced by Vershaeren.



Almiron, ASM and Pepe all return into the first team for this one.


Not good enough at all here. We have a big game against Arsenal next and we have only 1 win all month. Admittedly that's only 3 games but we must improve for the next game.

Looking at the head to head with Watford we have never won a game against them in 5. They have won 3 and we have drawn 2. Must be our bougie team however, I'm sure we have more than just 1.



I have little choice but to go with my 2nd team for this one, we are struggling for fitness currently and resting in this game is not going to be enough for the game in 4 days time. That means we are pretty much throwing away the Carabao cup this year.



It was a better performance than what I was expecting considering it was my 2nd team that was playing. I'm beginning to regret not playing the 1st team in this one as I think the result would have been very different..


Back to a more familiar lineup here and I am expecting a far better result than the game 4 days ago against Arsenal.


Much better performance this time Batshuayi had a really good chance to get a hattrick in this game but failed to get his third from a spot-kick. He has 12 goals in 11 Premier League starts this season. I have a feeling that his services will be touted in the January transfer window.



The gap to Liverpool is increasing now especially having only won 2 of the last 4 Premier League games. Having predicted that I would get 10 out of 12 points I only managed to get 6 this time. We need to improve next month as we are only 5 points ahead of Everton in 7th.



Only 3 games left in this one meaning we still need 2 wins to qualify. 1 depending on results going our way.



Only 3 league games this month but they are difficult ones. If we can get 4 points this month I will be happy. Liverpool is just too far away at the moment. Wolves I will be expecting a Win and Tottenham considering their league form I would expect a win also however I know they have some really good players.

Just 1 change from the game @ Arsenal as Almendra has a twisted knee and will be out for 1 week. Matty Longstaff will start in his place.

If we win this game and PAOK don’t win then we qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.


Well, Hearts beat PAOK so that means we have qualified and the 2nd team can play the remaining 2 games.


No changes to the starting lineup for this one. I need to play Matty Longstaff in a few more games so I can make the decision to renew his contract as it is up at the end of next season.



2-week break so again I am going with an unchanged squad.


Great result, shame about the last 20 minutes when we conceded the 2 goals but it will help with the goal difference and also 3 more points.


Whole 1st 11 change for this one, we have a big game 3 days after, which could knock us down a few places if we lose.



The disastrous result, however, the silver lining is if we can get something from the Liverpool game it may have been worthwhile.


This is the big one if we can even get a point from this game I will be happy. Liverpool is so far ahead of everyone else right now I'm expecting a defeat in this one.




After the defeat to Liverpool, we have dropped down to 3rd place and are 4 points ahead of Man City in 6th. I predicted that we would only get 4 points this month and with a sigh of relief we have managed to get 6 however it was not good enough to keep us in 2nd place.



Despite the loss to Hearts we are still top of the table in this one and are likely to finish top even if we lose to PAOK and Hearts win due to goal difference so that means that we will move into the 2nd knockout round instead of the 1st.



Packed schedule for December with 6 Premier League games. Watford and Man Utd will be the hardest so I'm predicting 13 points from a possible 18.

Congratulations on progression to the knockout phases!

Progression in Europe is great to have with a game to spare and despite that hammering from Liverpool you are still in the top four which is nothing to be disappointed in. Nice job!