[retired_footballyears]

Easy come. Easy go, Will you let me go??? Well yes actually....

As Arsenal's glittering array of stars failled to gel and perform consistently pressure was beginning to mount on manager Wilkins. His dressing room seemed in disarray with rumours of a divide in the camp. Whatever it was, it was affecting on the pitch performances. From the sublime to the ridiculous from week to week and suffering far too many defeats, something had to give.

Losses in the league to Liverpool, Bolton, to name two of several, plus an embarressing defeat in the league cup at home to Birmingham City meant the writing was on the wall for the Arsenal boss. It all came to a head in Early December after the trip to league leaders, Newcastle. The players walked off the field dejected once more, having suffered a mauling in the shape of a 3-0 defeat. Leaving them 14 points off the top in 8th position. Wilkins came out to meet the gathering journalists for the post match press conference, stating "I have a statement to read out then I will take your questions."

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Statement by Arsenal Manager, Dez Wilkins:

Having spoken with the Chairman I have taken the difficult decision to step down as manager of Arsenal football club. This will take affect immediately. I thank the board and the players for my at the club, I am only sorry I couldn't take the team where it needed and indeed deserved to go. I believe the club is in a better state than when I joined and hopefully my successor will be able to take them back to the top reaches of the Premiership. Thank you <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[retired_footballyears]

Batteries recharged, all systems go

It has been a quiet month for Dez Wilkins, Stepping down as manager of Arsenal at the beginning of December gave him a much needed break from all things football, but now he is back

Liverpool unveil Sorensen's successor

Jan 16th 2010.

Following the departure of the enigmatic Dane from merseyside, Liverpool took their time in deciding on a successor to his position at the club. when they finally announced Dez Wilkins as the man to take over it came a bit of a suprise. Afterall Wilkins hadn't won anything meaningful as a football manager since 2004 when he lead Nottingham Forest to the Division One title in his first season in the job. But it is definitely his time at Forest that will have impressed the Liverpool board more than his more recent role as Arsenal boss. Afterall it took only 4 years to transform Forest into title contenders for the Premiership crown. He left them at the top of the EPL to take charge of Arsenal. Indeed Nottingham Forest's recent decline from title contenders to Premiership make-weights and their two changes of manager since Wilkins' departure speaks volumes about Wilkins credentials.

The current European Champions already have a world class team, but Wilkins will definitely want to do things his own way. Its too early to say whether his own style of management will be what is required to maintain Liverpool as a premiership front runner and European Giant, or whether the change in approach will have a damaging effect on the club.

"I know Liverpool have had terrific fortunes of late, I intend to ensure the club continues to be successful, but the only way I can do this is by being allowed to do things my way." Speaking at a press conference at the end of January, Wilkins was quick to ask not to be compared to his predecessor. "I don't think it would be fair for any team I manage to be compared to any of Sorensen's sides. He has his style and I have had mine. Sure he's won more than I have, but who's to say my approach won't work for Liverpool. How I managed Nottingham Forest in my time there saw us grow into, in my opinion at least, the best side in the land at the time. Why shouldn't my methods work for Liverpool? There's some great players at this club and while we are all getting to know each other we will be learning about each other too. While we learn, we might not be the most entertaining, but as long as the results keep coming we will get there."

[quote]

"Liverpool will be playing four four f**King two"

[/B]

In a great parody of Mike Bassett (England Manager) Wilkins explained how he wanted his team to perform. "We have some great wide players at this club, it would be foolish not to use them. I've learnt from my time at Arsenal. I think there I was trying to mould a team into what I wanted them to play like, but thats not all with the best approach, sometimes you've got to accept that players have obvious strengths and weaknesses and its up to me to ensure that the team needs to have balance. We are lucky enough to have some left footed midfielders at the club, this makes the option of playing wide players on both flanks. Hopefully this will give us a good balanced platform across the park"

The Team

"One thing I really like is the strong contingent of English players at the club, one thing that I'm keen to utilise."

Wilkins admits it may take time for him to discover his best XI, in the first couple of matches he has put out a fairly similar team each time - some of this is determined by injuries of course, but he definitely seems to be building the team around the English contingent.

GK Chris Kirkland, DC Mathew Upson, Midfielders John Welsh, Scott Parker and Jermain Jenas [b]Attackers[B] Supat Rungratsamee and Nathan Ellington have all featured heavily in the 3 games played so far under Wilkins. Add to these player the international talents ofDiego, Absalonsen, Delgado, De Rossi and Clichy, you definitely get to see the blend of players Wilkins has at his disposal.

The Wilkins mark is quickly stamped on Liverpool

Quick to demonstrate he wants to do things his way, Wilkins has been quick to delve into the transfer market. here are the acquisitions he has made up to the closure of the January Transfer Window.

Arjen Robben (£27m - PSV) - This left sided Dutch Attacker has been the centre of much transfer speculation all season. Jan Sorensen tried to bring him to Liverpool in the summer but failed at that time. He renewed his interest in January as manager of Chelsea, also showing an interest was Wolves manager, Ali Omar. It was Anfield Robben chose and fans were immediately excited by the prospect of this talented player playing in their beloved red colours.

Jermain Jenas (£12.5m - Newcastle) Actually signed by Sorensen for Liverpool, but didn't make his full debut till Wilkins had taken charge. The Former Forest youngster had left the City Ground before Wilkins took the helm there, but is said to be delighted to get the chance to finally work under him. He has so far certainly showed this, scoring on his full debut and indeed bagging 3 goals in his opening 3 games under Wilkins.

Supat "Rugrat" Rungratsamee (£14m - Nottingham Forest) - Given the nickname by Wilkins when he was signed as a 15 year old from Portsmouth, the now 22 year old will bring a more out and out attacking option to the Liverpool side. Wilkins felt while there were plenty of Forward options for him, there wasn't really any real true Goal Scoring Strikers in the team, Rugrat has certainly brought that to the team, scoring on his debut and again in his next two games. Certainly capable of becoming an Anfield Legend.

Marco Borriello (£5m - Nottingham Forest) - Another Striker signed from his former club. Liverpool had the option to bring him in at the end of the season for free, but Wilkins thought bringing him in now for a knock down fee was the best option.

The ones that got away

Not all of wilkins wish list were signed. Attempts to bring in Isaac Osbourne from Arseanl were thwarted when the £3m target chose to go to Stamford Bridge instead of moving up North to Join Wilkins for the 3rd time. Also attempted to be lured from Arsenal was English U21 star, Phil Barber. A long time admirer of Barber and having had the chance to work closely with the rising star for two years, Wilkins was keen for him to link up with him again on Merseyside. Arsenal it seems, despite being managerless right now, were less than keen to let him go. Expect this transfer proposal to raise its head again in the not too distant future.

Tentative enquiries about 30 year old Argentine, Pablo Aimar were quickly rebuffed by Valencia boss Rafa Benitez. It appears Liverpool weren't that keen on the player however and no further action was taken. Another Argentine that Wilkins looked at was FC Bayern forward, Carlos Tevez. It is believed that the German side's demands were enough to convince Wilkins that Dutchman, Robben was the best option.

Games so far

Three games played, the games won. Victory against Birmingham City in the League Cup was a good start for Wilkins. Birmingham previously knocked Arsenal out of the competition whilst under Wilkins' control so a debut goal for Jenas plus a strke from Uraguayan, Delgado and two for Italian Rossi made it a sweet return to management for Wilkins.

In the league the first opponents were Bradford City and despite an injury time goal from Bradford, a debut stike from Rugrat and a second in two games from Jenas were enough for 3 points from the league at first attempt.

Next up was the visit from Arsenal, many eyes were on this game. Wilkins, many thought, might have been out to prove a point. If he was he was helped immensely by Rugrat who opened the scoring after only 16 seconds. It could have been quicker too, had he not needed a second attempt to beat Dennis in goal. Jenas made it 2-0 in the second half and from then on Forest were cruising. No debut goal for Borriello but the Italian looked threatening upfront alongside Rugrat

January drew to an end and a new era at Anfield has been ushered in. Maybe not with the same flamboyance as previously experienced under the stewardship of Jan Sorensen, but certainly it is looking promising. 1 point off the top in 2nd place with 24 games played, a game in hand over leaders Newcastle. The clubs chasing the top two have not performed as well lately and a gap is opening. So far so good it seems.

[samsimmons]

Crewes good form continues

Crewe goes 2-2-1 over the next 5 games. they also get knocked out of the League cup by Chelsea 2-1. more good news ML Murry signes a new deal with Crewe, his good season was the reason he got a new contract, even if it is only extended by 1 year. Crewe also signed veteran midfeilder Edu for a mere 1 million. The teams playing well and is sitting in 9th place in the EPL. Plus the stadium have been expanded. The next couple of games are crucial for the season, with 2 straigh home games vs mightyLiverpool, 1 epl, the 2nd FA cup.

[samsimmons]

Sweet Revenge

Jans clubs have always gotten the better of me, humiliating me almost every year. But this time around would be different. in front of a record sold out crowd, Crewe bitch-slapped Liverpool around with a large trout 3-0. the game wasnt even as close as the score indicated. the next game Crewe beat Liverpool again in the FA cup 2-1, soon after Jan resigned from liverpool humiliated :p.

Crewe then got red hot winning thier next 4 epl games and a 5-1 smackdown at Arsenal in the FA cup. Crewe then tied Wolves 2-2 and lost at Man U 3-1. but a streak of 7-1-1 shot Crewe up the standings into an incredible 3rd place! with most of the team playing well Bulletsponge is eying the EPL championship. they are still about 8 pts out of it, but aiming low never won anything. if Crewe can continue thier form, i see no reason why the Champions League wont get a shock next year from Crewe

* starts practicing the CL dance*

[retired_dogs2son1]

Wolves march from strength to strength.

Well what I can say about my boys following on from winning the FA Cup a while back. We did qualify for the European Champions League in fourth place beating the then Arsenal boos Dez Wilkins to it.

This season so far been quite interesting. Lots of goals conceded and alot of goals scored. We currently stand top of the scoring charts, which is a testament to my players and their free-flowing football.
The Laegue sees us in fifth place at the moment, right in the mix for a CL place. I would have thought spending £14m on Stipe Pletikosa would have shored up the defence, alas he has done brilliantly, just the DCs have not done as well. I have so many of them its hard to find the right pairing.

Having qualified for the Champions League, the draw pitted us against none other than Rangers and Real Madrid. We were undefeated in the group going into the last group game at Madrid which we undeservedly lost 1-0.
The 2nd round saw us draw Dortmund, a challenge I look forward to next month.

The best thing though was the signing of Anatoli Todorov for £7m, who finally obtained a work permit. He has been in a rich vein of form scoring 21 goals in 23 league games. Paul Quinn the young starlet who has come through the ranks also has an excellent scoring record and is breaking into the team aged only 18.

The two shocking developments in the Jan transfer window (pun intended) have been from Jan the new Chelsea boss who purchased Bothroyd from me for £7.5m and my other super kid Skelton who I had purchased from Villa only last season. However with him falling down the pecking order thanks to Quinn, I could not refuse a £10m bid from Chelsea having turned down £7.5m earlier in the window.

I can also announce the signings of David Prutton from Arsenal for £3.4m and Glen Johnson from Chelsea for £5m and Heratio Peralta from Blacburn for £11.25m
Jermaine Pennant has also left Wolves and joined Man Utd for a record £14m after refusing to sign a new contract.

Im so glad I have taken the club to a level where I can attract some of the top names to Molineux.

[retired_staples]

Winning run disrupted by the reds from anfield

Just when it seemed like miracles were about to happen Liverpool ended our title challenge at anfield with a 1-0 win. Before that match we went on a amazing winning streak that lifted us from 8 to 3rd in the league, and just a few points behind the anfield outfit.
The winning streak also included a good league cup win over liverpool, so the season is a success already and Qualyfying for the Cl will be the only target for the reminder of the season.
It is possible but there are 5-6 teams battling for 3rd and 4th spot. Our advantage could be a rather easy run in to the season, we play non of the other top teams, so the chance is there.

Jan the man has once again showed that he doesnt belive in overpaid or/and over the hill star players, so he has made a massive squad clear out, that have reduced the wage budget by about 750k a week. Even though i have the money i see no point in paying players that sort of money. So out went (among others) Joe Cole, Fabian Barthez, Mutu, Glen Johnson and transfers are arranged for Crespo and Bridges this summer.
So hopefully i can bring in some fresh blood this summer, but it is hard to buy players these days, when you get 26m£ offers for defenders turned down..
Cause even with a huge transfer kitty i will try and spent the money wisely.

[samsimmons]

End of the 3rd Quarter

Crewe continued winning beating Bradford and Shuans Bolton. But then 2 mediocre performances saw us draw 0-0 agaimst Newcastle and loose 0-2 vs Chelsea. more bad news as starting striker Hidalgo got injured and will be in rehab for the rest of the season.

Crewe won its 2 FA games in the stretch 14-0 combined against Chesterfield and Middleboro. Crewe plays Newcastle in the Semis.

Crewe sat in 6th place , but then 3 big wins in a row saw them shoot up to 3rd place. included was a 4-1 thrashing at Arsenal.

With only about 6-8 games remaining in the season, Crewe are only 2 pts out of 2nd place and 8 out of 1st place. but the race is tight and only hold a 2pt lead over 5th place. a string of victories could see Crewe clinch a CL berth next year. but a mediocre finish could see Crewe finish out of Europe all together. Crewe still has a road game at Wolves, and that might be the hardest game left on fixture, with Alis Wolves only 2 pts behind Crewe.

Ali also tried to buy my playmaker Kakalov for 10 million + 2 players. the players he was offering looked good, but thier salaries were high and the fact that he wanted to get rid of them didnt make me giddy with delight. i didnt need the money (still have over 7 mill in my own Trasfer kitty and cant spend it) and i didnt want to mess with my team chemistry while we are winning.

stay tuned so you can read my final report on the season finish. Will Crewe pull out a glorious finish and get into the CL? will Crewe choke and fall out of europe? will i keep the scavangers away from my prizzed team assets?

[retired_staples]

chelsea season ends in misery

First our title hopes were ended then the dreams of CL football next season went down the drain aswell, after a very poor finish to the season with only 1 win from 5 matches. Hopefully we can do 1 better next season and get a place in the CL.
But for Jan_the_man the place in the uefa cup gives him the chance to win the throphy that is still missing in his impressive collection of silwerware.
Liverpool retained the title and i feel i played a big part in that as well, since i built most of the team and gathered many points in the first half of the season. And congrets to Dez for his good work, its not easy to take over a new team and make it work instantly but Dez did just that.
My squad will look very different next season as i finally managed to seal some transfers.

HoggStriker from crewe for a bargain price of 10.75m, he played very impressive against me when i was at liverpool, and i am sure he will produce a consistent number of goals.
DobsonForward from Leicester for the impressive amount of 24 mill £, certainly he is not worth that kind of money ATM, but at only 20 he has the years ahead of him and could become a world class striker and a regular england international. But he is good enough to play in my team already, and he might turn out to be a bargain.
Lee Riley Defender from villa real(7.25m), another young english player with a huge potential, i think he will be a regular in my team and he will make his full international debut in a few years time.
Loban Bogdant experienced keeper from Ajax coming on a free tranfser. He will be a good addition to the squad as i only have 2 keeepers atm.
Henk Hoestra from liverpool for 10 mill £, a player i brought to england recently when i was i charge there, but he never really got the chance due to the stiff competition in the the liverpool squad, but he will be a regular player at right back for years to come at Chelsea.
KerrA solid Midfielder who can win balls and fight for the full 90 minutes, all teams need players like that.
Doigo Defensive midfielder from Not Forest, this is a bit of a risky purchase cause he hasnt produced good ratings at Forest but he looks like a good player and 6.75 wasnt a bad price.
I have sold the remainder of the overpaid players from the squad i took over; Bøgelund and Germini, in fact only 3 players from the former managers starting 11 is still around; Sean Davis, Mceveley and Kallon and they are worth their high salary. When we reach next season no chelsea players are earning more than 50k a week at that is an important message to sent out. Chelsea is not a place for overpaid primadonnas to be, and hopefully this will tone down the ridicilous wage demands i have seen from some players that i have been trying to purchase.
I still need to bring in at least 1 more quality dc cause the defence looked more than dodgy in the last few matches, and with bridges gone Mcevely will move to the LB position in a team that might look like this 4-3-1-2:
Lobant
Hoekstra Riley Corrales Mcevely
Davis Kerr Osbourne
Kallon
Dobson Hogg
And with back up strikers like skelton and harvey, midfielders like Barber, Doigo and Mcfadden we have a good squad. Not a title challening 1, but a good squad with a good blend of young british players and experinced stars.
It is only the defence that lacks depth but I will work on that and there is still money to use even though i pass the 100m£ mark in paid transfer fees when the summer transfers go through.

[retired_footballyears]

Reds do Double under new manager

Having taken over with Liverpool lying in 2nd spot in the League in january, the taask of catching and overtaking Newcastle was going to be a tough one, but with the chance to bring in a few new faces before the close of the Winter transfer window manager wilkins was able to make Liverpool into partially "his" team. The start to his reign was superb winning six games in a row and getting through to the League Cup Final showed instant results for the new manager.

Althought the honeymoon period came to an end in the seventh league game in charge, away to Southampton. It still took 4 goals from the home side to take 3 points in this end to end 7 goal thriller.

Next up was the League cup final against Chelsea. This was a close tight game which saw the Anfield outfit loose out 2-1 to Jan's Chelsea side. Wilkins had previously enjoyed an impressive record against the Dane having only lost twice in the past numerous encounters, but it was Chelsea's day on this occasion. Both managers were new in their respective posts and maybe Sorensen's knowledge of his previous employers was the telling factor.

The league campaign was subsequently interupted by the return of Champions League football for Liverpool. Unchartered territory for Wilkins as, in his previous two outings as a manager in the CL - first with Forest then later with Arsenal, Both sides participation ended at the finish of the group stage. The Quarter final saw Liverpool lined up against Bayern Munich in another tense Anglo-German match up.

There was nothing between the two sides and this showed in the matches, both legs ending goal less and after a draining Extra Time at Anfield the tie went to penalties. For once the English side faired the better, with strikes from Agahowa and Diego being enough to see Liverpool into the semi's with a 2-0 win.

Next out of the hat was Manchester United. As things stood in the space of three days Utd stood the chance of putting a right kibosh on Liverpool's Trophy hunt. Loosing the away leg 3-1 meant liverpool need to win by a comfortable margin in the 2nd leg to stand a chance of reaching the final. Couple that with the knowledge that a trip to Old Trafford the following Saturday could possibly see Liverpool toppled from the top spot in the league, being as they were - 3 points ahead of the chasing Uniteds (Manchester AND Newcastle). On the other hand Victory in the two games would be incredibly sweet for the Anfield faithful over their arch rivals whom they had lived under the shadow of under the years of decline in the 90's and early 2000's.

The omens were bad for the CL clash - John Welsh and Daniele De Rossi were both suspended - with the likes of Robben and Rugrat ineligible for the competition the manager had to turn to some of the less than regular players in seek of a 2-0 or better result. They didn't disappoint, Goals from Absalonsen (x2), Ellington and Agahowa sent Anfield into delerium with a fantastic 4-0 result. Liverpool still had the chance to retain the CL trophy. They would face fellow English outfit, Newcastle - in a repeat of last season's final that was only won on penalties, for now though the attention was returned to the remaining fixtures in the league and the quest to retain the Premiership crown.

Having had a rest imposed on them in midweek, there was a return to the first team for De Rosi, Welsh, Robben and Rugrat for the trip to Old Trafford. The Manchester Giants would be hurting from their midweek collapse against Liverpool and were certainly out to upset as many apple carts as they could.

It was a close, tense affair with no side able to assert their authority on proceedings. Chances were squandered by both sides, but mainly the match was played out in midfield, that was until the 83rd minute corner for Liverpool down the right hand side. Absolansen hit an inswinging cross which was met by the head of Diego on the edge of the six yard box. Somehow the headed beat the goalkeeper and defender on the near post and it was 1-0 to Liverpool. The Reds shut up shop then, prepared to hang on to the goal lead. The next 10 minutes were about frustrating the home side. It was accomplished with aplom and Liverpool were Champions with a game to spare.

The final league game of the season was against Bullet's Crewe outfit - a side challenging for a place in next season's Champions League. It was a chance for some of the youngsters in the side to get a run out. They were outplayed by a dominant Crewe side, but thanks to a little fortune, only lost 1-0.

This match of course mattered more to the opposition as it secured their place in the CL next season.

Speaking of the CL - there was a final to be played. De Rossi and Welsh were both back in the team having served their suspensions - something Wilkins was delighted about "No player should be forced to miss an occasion like this when they've played such a big part in getting the team there." he commented.

Another player who had contributed so much to getting Liverpool to the final was Absalonsen, his two superb strikes against Man Utd alone made him stand out as a key man in the European campaign. He didn't disappoint in the final either. Being the driving force for Liverpool through out the match. Setting the first Goal up for Agahowa, and then after Newcastle had equalised, taking the ball on the wing, late in the second half, he jinked past the fullback and into the area. As the Keeper came to meet him he smashed home, what would become, the Final goal of this season Champions League. 2-1 the final score and a tremendous end to the season under a new manager.

Liverpool have retained both league and European title's despite loosing their manager along the way this season. Many people will still see Wilkins's achievements as nothing but floating on a wave started by his predecessor, but the more success that arrives, the more people will have to start judging the achievements of the Liverpool as being guided by Wilkins, and guided by Wilkins alone.

[retired_footballyears]

End of An era brings a new dawn to the GQ Clan

Well after 7 seasons of blood, sweat and tears (not to mention the odd tantrum thrown in for good measure) the GQ boys have called time on their wonderful CM Online experience.

For many in this clan its been their first outing in the Online world of CM and for all it has prooved to be a great challenge and I'm sure all who took part (and indeed those who have kept up with the game's progress) will all agree that overall the game was a huge success. Afterall who could forget some of the things that have happened along the line -
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Joe's defiant attempts to keep Burnley alive in the First Division and following that his demise as a manager following His reign at free falling Luton.

<LI>Mike's (Chilliconcarnie) shocking transfer decisions at Cardiff which saw him get the boot so early - only to return with a Grimsby Town side that he transformed from Second Division Also-rans to Premiership hopefuls.

<LI>Shaun Kelly and his magnificent dispute with the Sunderland Board that saw him axed as manager after securing promotion to the EPL at the first attempt and then scandelously asked to clear his desk just for handing the board an ultimatum!! He paid the price - the penalty in this case a +1 indignation and a seat at the rebok stadium. Where he once again showed he can manage anywhere (as long as he gets his own way ) by achieving promotion and settling into life in the Premiership midtable.

<LI>The Crazy Texan Joel (Bulletsponge) who came into the game thinking his team were like his more familiar American counter parts. "The Crewe, are they like The Metrostars or The Dolphins??? Where in England do The Crewe play????" But yet still got to grips with the tight purse strings and bred a team for success just like Dario Gradi, relying heavily on cheap buys and home grown talent. Taking Crewe Alexander to the Champions League is not to be mocked in anyone's book.

<LI>Jan Sorensen made a name for himself by being the first member to win the EPL with Liverpool, but before that he took WBA to the Champions League. Certainly the most tactically zany of the bunch with his wild and often weird formations, some people were left dreading playing Jan's sides - me I loved it as I got a chance to test my own skills against something a bit different.

<LI>My favourite going on in this game has undoubtedly got to have been RedRob's involvement at Wimbledon. Despite being the perenial bankrupt Milton Keynes manager from day one and seeing them have their star assets routinely stripped from them by the rest of the Clan, he still had Wimbledon running away with the league in the 1st season - that was until Xmas when the turn of the year saw him loose the midus touch and Wimbledon went into free fall, this free fall went on for about a year. But still he plugged on and tried to get somewhere - anywhere with this side. It was great to witness. Its a shame Rob never made it to the EPL, if one member deserved to it was him.

<LI>And to all the others that I haven't mentioned. You all played your part and all deserve a big thanks to what has been a big success in my eyes
</UL>

Well I started that only meaning to list a couple of short comments about the past 10 months of CM03/04 gaming together, but it just hit me how many great tales from this game there have been. It may be over for that game, but with FM's release just round the corner preparations are already underway to bring you GQFM Online Game.

Work on the Website is underway www.gqcmonline-clan.net. and More news will follow. For now though the GQCMOnline game is finished.