Newcastle United - Lifting the Fog on the Tyne

First of all - apologies for the lack of screenshots. I've already played on a fair bit so I can't provide any screenies of the league table other than the final table for the year... but that would spoil things, so you will just have to take my word for things at the moment

January Update

2/1/2012 A vs Stoke 2-0
Markus Henriksen
Yohan Cabaye (pen)

14/1/2012 H vs QPR 2-0
Rafael Toloi
Olivier Giroud


21/1/2012 A vs Man City 0-1
Edin Dzeko

31/1/2012 H vs Wigan 1-0
Ali Al Habsi


FA Cup 3rd Round
7/1/2012 A vs Ipswich 4-0
David Stockdale
Fode Koita
Erick Torres (2)

FA Cup 4th Round
28/1/2012 A vs Blackburn 1-0
Christian Eriksen

Fantastic month for us! The best part of it was that we conceded just one goal from 6 games, an amazing turnaround compared to previous months, and that one goal was to 2nd placed Manchester City. Some good performances against Stoke, QPR and Ipswich in the FA Cup, who must be absolutely sick of the sight of us! Giroud scored an absolute blinder of a goal against QPR, but it didn't even make the top 3 for the month... madness! The game against Wigan was absolutely bizarre. We ended up winning 1-0, but it was really laboured. We had 4 match ending injuries in the game, including two to subs, meaning we ended the game with 10 men. Wigan also ended with 10 men, after Ronnie Stam was dismissed after an hour, but it took until the 87th minute for us to score... even then, it was a moment of sheer madness, as Al-Habsi turned, and smashed the ball in off his own crossbar for an own goal. Absolutely the strangest own-goal I have ever seen in my time playing FM, but who cares, 3 points for the Toon, and up to 4th place, unbelievable Jeff!

Player of the Month

RAFAEL TOLOI
We've kept 5 clean sheets this month, and this lad is a major reason why. Achieving a rating of at least 7.1 in every game he played, he has really been excellent at the back for us, even when others haven't played well. Managed to get up the other end to score one as well, and is starting to look very assured at the back.

Unbelivable tekkers from Al-Habsi!

lol, tell me about it!

I couldn't stop laughing when that happened. I was in a pretty bad mood from all the injuries and not being able to score (Al Habsi was having a really good game prior to the OG) so it cheered me right up!

The "Bad News" Update

So Demba Ba has handed in a transfer request. Its a bit of a shame, I like Ba, but to be honest, he hasn't impressed this year, and has lost his place to Olivier Giroud.

Ba came to me asking for first team football. I told him he needed to stop his moaning, as last time he was in the first team, he was awful (which is true). However, he took exception to this, I refused to back down, and as a result, he will be spending the rest of his season in the reserves until he decides to sort his attitude out.

February/March Update

So I've decided as I've played on a fair bit in real life, I will try to speed up the updates in order to catch us up a bit. The format of the updates will be slightly different, as I'm going to copy text directly out of the FM fixtures screenshot window, hope everyone is cool with that!

FEBRUARY

Sat, 4.2.2012 15:00 West Brom A 1 - 1
Rafael Tolói
Nicky Shorey

Mon, 13.2.2012 20:00 Tottenham A 1 - 3
Yohan Cabaye
Leighton Baines
Miguel Veloso
Jermain Defoe

Sat, 25.2.2012 17:30 Liverpool H 1 - 1
Olivier Giroud
Steven Gerrard

FA Cup 5th Round
Sat, 18.2.2012 15:00 Brighton H 2 - 1
James Tomkins
Xherdan Shaqiri
Craig Mackail-Smith

Results dropped off somewhat in February, and our position fell from a high of 4th down to 6th, although a solid draw at home to Liverpool meant that they didn't get too
far ahead of us. The Spurs game was most disappointing, I wanted to get a point at least, but it wasn't to be. We managed to progress in the FA Cup, but even that was harder than it needed to be, with Brighton taking the lead at St James' Park, and Shaqiri waiting until the 70th minute to score the winner for us.



RAFAEL TOLOI
Again... In a tough month where nobody really stood out and results weren't brilliant, Toloi managed to distinguish himself again, continuing his good form. We were soundly beaten by Spurs, but Toloi still managed a 7.0, while he scored against West Brom and managed to shut Suarez and Carroll out (with the help of Steven Taylor and co. of course!) against Liverpool.

MARCH

Sat, 3.3.2012 15:00 Fulham H 1 - 0
Rafael Tolói

Sat, 10.3.2012 15:00 Swansea A 2 - 0
Olivier Giroud
Gabriel Obertan

Wed, 14.3.2012 19:45 Sunderland H 1 - 0
Miguel Veloso

Sat, 24.3.2012 15:00 Chelsea A 4 - 4
Olivier Giroud
Dan Gosling
Christian Eriksen
Rafael Tolói
Florent Malouda
Salomon Kalou (2)
Didier Drogba

Sat, 31.3.2012 12:45 Man Utd H 2 - 4
Nemanja Vidic o.g
Hatem Ben Arfa
Dimitar Berbatov
Wayne Rooney (3)

FA Cup Quarter Final
Sat, 17.3.2012 12:30 Liverpool H 0 - 0

FA Cup Quarter Final Replay
Wed, 28.3.2012 19:45 Liverpool A 2 - 1 aet
Christian Eriksen
Olivier Giroud

What a month! 10 points out of 15, and defeated only by league leaders Manchester United. 3 clean sheets in a row, including a win over Sunderland, our arch enemies, with Veloso endearing himself to the fans with the goal. However, the highlight has got to be an unbelievable game against Chelsea. They took the lead early through Malouda, but we struck back, Giroud scoring a fortunate goal, which was deflected in past Cech, before Gosling scored a brilliant finish from outside of the area to give us the lead before half-time. Shortly after the break, Eriksen made it 3-1, turning David Luiz and crashing it in off the crossbar. Chelsea fought back though, and both Kalou and Drogba scored to equalise. I went mad on 84 minutes after Kalou scored his second, and resigned myself to a defeat. However, the lads rallied and Toloi got himself on the scoresheet yet again, heading home from an Eriksen corner.
We also progressed through the FA Cup, holding Liverpool at home, before grabbing an unexpected away victory at Anfield to see us through. However, the game took its toll, going to extra time, and we ended a tiring month by losing out to Manchester United, although I still felt we played OK. Rooney took the match ball home, and they simply outclassed us on the day, with tiredness playing a factor in the game.



CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
Christian has proved he can be the creative heartbeat of this team, and has stepped up his game in front of goal too, scoring important goals against both Chelsea and Liverpool. While he has a penchant for having the occasional quiet game, when he plays well, its usually a sign that we will win - and you can see from the results that he has played well! As an added bonus, he has also reached the status of 'Wonderkid'.

Like the story mate and good signings.

thanks mate. still feel i may have overspent, and will have to cut back next season, but I don't think I would have done as well as I've done without them.

April/May Update

So, the end of the season approaches - we're currently sitting in 5th place, with a chance of the holy grail - the champions league! While I think the CL might be beyond our capabilities, I would certainly welcome it. For now though I think retaining our position of 5th would be the main priority. In addition, we're still in the FA Cup, although we drew Arsenal in the semi-final, which will be tough.

APRIL

Sat, 7.4.2012 19:30 Aston Villa H 2 - 0
Olivier Giroud
James Collins o.g.

Mon, 9.4.2012 15:00 Bolton A 0 - 0

Wed, 18.4.2012 19:45 Everton A 2 - 1
Xherdan Shaqiri
Christian Eriksen
Gary Taylor-Fletcher

Mon, 23.4.2012 20:00 Arsenal H 1 - 2
Rafael Tolói
Mikel Arteta
Marouane Chamakh

Sat, 28.4.2012 15:00 Wolves A 0 - 0


FA Cup Semi-Final
Sat, 14.4.2012 12:45 Arsenal N 1 - 2 aet
Haris Vuckic
Alex Song
Marouane Chamakh

MAY

Sat, 5.5.2012 12:45 Norwich H 0 - 0

Sun, 13.5.2012 15:00 Blackburn A 0 - 3
Christopher Samba
Simon Vukcevic (2)

Well, overall, a disappointing end to the season. May went OK, with wins over Villa and Everton, but we failed to pick up wins against so-called 'easier' teams in Bolton, Wolves, Norwich and were soundly beaten by Blackburn to finish the season. The FA Cup run also ended, but I was pleased with the team's efforts. Young Haris Vuckic managed to score his first goal for the club in the semi-final, but ultimately, Arsenal proved to be too much for us.
By the end of the season, we ended up in 7th place, though somehow we qualified for the Europa league!

Player of the Month

No player of the month for April or May... I just don't think we played well enough for anyone to deserve it.


CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN 25 apps, 3 goals, 11 assists
Excellent season overall for Eriksen. The stats say it all really, 11 assists in 25 appearances is a fantastic return for an outlay of £7m, and his potential for the future is excellent.

Olivier Giroud
http://img.chronofoot.com/montpellier/olivier-giroud_40819_w250.jpg
30 apps, 16 goals, 2 assists, 5 MoM
Our leading scorer this season, has taken to the target man role really well to lead the line all season, displacing Demba Ba in the process and holding off competition from youngsters like Yaya Sanogo and Fode Koita.

Sime Vrsaljko

29 apps, 2 MoM
A very impressive debut season for the young fullback. Successfully ousting Danny Simpson from the right-back role, and has proven to be a very consistent performer.

Rafael Toloi
http://www.forzaroma.info/images/stories/tolo.jpg
37 apps, 7 goals, 1 assist, 3 MoM
Again, another young defender who has proven to be a really reliable and consistent performer. Thrust into a starting role with the departure of Fabricio Coloccini, but has made the position his own this season, and has been able to contribute with several important goals too.

Christian Eriksen

25 apps, 3 goals, 11 assists, 2 MoM
The attacking heartbeat of the team. Is our creative force in midfield.

Xherdan Shaqiri

33 apps, 4 goals, 6 assists, 1 MoM
Has been hot and cold this season, but has been able to chip in with a few important goals as well as a few assists. I'm confident he will grow further next season and become a quality winger.

2011/12 Final League Table

Offseason Plans

So as toonman8589 pointed out, we probably need a new centre back to help shore up our rather leaky defence. Rafael Toloi and Steven Taylor have both been solid this season, but behind them, James Tomkins has failed to impress following his move from West Ham, while I have also promised to let Mike Williamson leave the club, due to a lack of playing time. So with Williamson leaving, that definitely confirms that we will need to reinforce the position.
We could also do with a new left-fullback as cover for Davide Santon. Massadio Haidara has been OK, but I don't think he is the answer in the long term. Santon himself is also more suited to the right back role, but Vrsaljko has made that his role. Danny Simpson has also agreed a move to Everton, so our only cover at right back is the young Romanian Cornel Rapa, who has played well during his limited chances thus far.
We are also experiencing trouble up front, with Demba Ba agitating for a move away. To be honest, I'm more than happy to let him go, but only for the right fee. He will need replacing, but there are a few names on the shortlist that I'm looking at.
Again, we need to address the left wing. Sylvain Marveaux has been injured for most of the season, and young Julian Luque has thus far been unimpressive, which is a massive shame considering the fee involved.

The board has given me around £26m, far more than I expected. I'm hoping to spend as little as possible, but if the right players come up at good prices, I will splash the cash, as they say.

is this a long term thing m8?

good story so far mate. its inspired me to take charge of the toon army myself as i follow them aswell .

it must be tough with Demba Ba wanting to leave as he is a top quality player.. have u got a back-up goalkeeper. will u be keeping Fraser Forster when he returns from celtic.

cant wait to see how next season pans out for ya

Hi guys - so to answer your questions now...

Newcastleforlife - i'm not planning on quitting this game or anything, so yes, consider it long term.

toonman8589- glad you've been inspired! its inevitable for me to end up playing a game with newcastle. i always have grand plans to do that 'career' game where you start off at the bottom, but i always start with a newcastle save! As for Ba... he is a good player, but he never really showed it. He was always complaining and I got fed up of that, so told him to behave like a professional, which he didn't take kindly to. Hence his transfer request. Bad man management or strict management? My backup was Steve Harper, so I'm expecting to keep Forster for the longer term.

Summer 2012 - The 'Outs'

As we've all seen, Demba Ba was not happy going into the offseason, because apparently asking him to play well to earn his place in the side was just too much for him.

I subsequently accepted his transfer request, and tried to flog him off. Nobody, however, wanted him on a permanent deal, it seemed, apart from Bolton Wanderers, whose overtures he was quick to reject. Ultimately, it seemed a loan-to-buy deal was the way forward, and he ended up moving to Everton for a fee of £3.1m up front and a future fee agreement of £4.7m. Tidy business I think.

Another transfer requestee was Mike Williamson, who found his opportunities limited by the solid play of Steven Taylor and Rafael Toloi. He was also slightly grumpy that I refused to simply give him a place in the first team, but was much calmer after I told him I would allow him to leave. He left for Norwich City in a £2.1m deal.

Danny Simpson was also shipped out to Everton for a fee of £3.4m, while Ryan Taylor, who had only really been a bit-part player, failing to push his way into the team after starting off last season on the treatment table, also departed for Leicester City for £1m, while West Brom paid us £2.4m for Danny Guthrie.

There was also the regular release of youth players not good enough to make it into the first team, and a few loan moves, with Dan Gosling joining Wolves for the season, Nile Ranger going to Swansea and Rob Elliot going to Brighton.

Hi Demba, great story so far!! How have you managed to add in pictures into your story so well, because in my recent post of my story which, which you may have read **wink**, i can only get the codes of my pictures, but cant actually upload the pictures. How do you upload your pictures??

the pictures i have added are from google images, you can right click an image and then 'Copy Image URL' then use that to paste into the prompt you get when you try to add an image on this forum. If its not working then the image has probably been restricted somehow (don't know how it works).
i just checked your thread and i think the problem is that each image seems to have some sort of strange google coding in the URL, i bet that is the problem. You should search each image again and click on the picture to take you to the website which hosts it, then copy the URL from that site, rather than from google. the best thing would probably be to save the pic to ur hard drive and host it yourself on a hosting site (or this site), if you can be bothered.