One More Game…

By: Tom | June 15th, 2009

The addictive properties of Football Manager are well documented. We all know the “just one more game” syndrome. When you get on a good run it’s incredibly difficult to stop playing. If you then have to blog about it all, you’re forced to play some serious catch up. Hence the large number of games covered here. Apologies. I’ll try to keep it brief.

But I HAVE been on a good run lately.

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Arsenal vs. Chelsea – Premier League
26th September 2009
English starters: 5 – Foster, Taylor, Jagielka, Walcott, Wilshere

Goals – Gabby (65)

Much like the Liverpool game, this was a tight game and one we probably didn’t deserve to win. Win we did though, care of a Gabby header at a corner. He was on replacing a woeful Adebayor, and it’s nice to have a genuinely great replacement ready to come off the bench.

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Panathinaikos vs. Arsenal – Champions League, Group Stage
16th September 2009
English starters: 5 – Foster, Lescott, Jagielka, Walcott, Wilshere

Goals – Adebayor (16), Wilshere (25), Lescott (78)

European progress continued apace with a very decent away performance. Adebayor scored a contender for goal of the season, as he picked up the ball just inside the opposition half, legged it down the right wing to the byline, before cutting back inside, beating two defenders, and rifling it home.

Wilshere pounced on a fumble from the keeper to make it two soon after, before Lescott grabbed his first goal for the club with a strong header.

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Arsenal vs. Man City – Premier League
4th October 2009
English starters: 6 – Foster, Lescott, Jagielka, Walcott, Wilshere, Young

Goals – Sagna (22), Lescott (29), Robinho (89)

While Man City haven’t been afraid to splash the cash in this game (spending about £70 millions this summer and over £100 million the year before), they haven’t so far gone down the Galacticos route. Their biggest outlay thus far has been about £16 million on Anotoliy Tymoschuk from Zenit. Hardly a marquee name to pull in the punters. However, they finished a creditable 6th last year and are currently threatening the Champions League places again, so they’re doing something right.

This was a much tighter affair than I would have liked. Although we took a commanding lead in the first half through two of our defenders (two in two for Lescott!), Man City came out all guns blazing in the second half, and it was remarkable that we managed to hold on until the dying minutes before conceding. Another three points I was very happy to take.

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Wigan vs. Arsenal – Premier League
7th October 2009
English starters: 7 – Foster, Taylor, Jagielka, Walcott, Young, Randall, Gabby

Goals – Young (47)

We dominated the game, but didn’t create very many clear cut chances. Luckily, we took one of the only ones we did make, and Wigan couldn’t do likewise. ‘Nuff said.

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Bolton vs. Arsenal – Premier League
17th October 2009
English starters: 7 – Foster, Taylor, Jagielka, Walcott, Young, Young, Gabby

Goals – Adebayor (pen 83)

It looked like we were about to drop our first points in the league this season as a drab game drew to an end. Walcott found himself alone in the box though, and before he could get his shot away was scythed down and Adebayor converted the resulting penalty.

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Arsenal vs. Krylja Sovetov – Champions League, Group Stage
20th October 2009
English starters: 9 – Foster, Lescott, Gibbs, Jagielka, Cattermole, Walcott, Wilshere, Young, Gabby

Goals – Gabby (25), Wilshere (31)

Who are ya? Rotated in a few fringe players and still had enough to see these Russian upstarts off comfortably. One win away from the knock-out stages.

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There, hope that wasn’t too painful. Things are still going very well as you can see, although recent league results have been quite tight – too many one goal margins.

Next up we travel to the north east for a couple of games against Middlesbrough and Sunderland.