I’ll Say Anything to Be Popular

By: Daryl | November 19th, 2008

Managing: Newcastle United
Date: July 24th, 2008
Overview: Pre-season, scrambling around for players

I got a grilling from the press after being unveiled as Newcastle manager, which took me by surprise. That didn’t happen on FM2007. And rather than being smart and offering a series of “no comments” I made a rash promise to sign promising young players and play attractive attacking football. Basically I pandered to the Toon Army. Seemed to work as they reacted positively, but will try and keep my big blabbermouth shut in future.

So, good as my word, 2.5m of my paltry 4.3m transfer budget has gone on young French attacking mid Sofiane Feghouli from Grenoble. He looks nice and promising, but in hindsight that money might have been better spent elsewhere. Like on a new left back.

Right back Habib Beye is making noises about wanting to go back to France, and it seems a bid from PSG is imminent. Have signed Belletti on loan form Chelsea as cover.

Alexandre Song has also come in on loan to bolster my midfield. Average signings, but the price – free- suited the Newcastle budget.

Trying to snap up the out of work Stephen Appiah, mostly because I have a leadership crisis here. There just aren’t any player with a high influence attribute. Michael Owen is currently captain, and his is 12. Haven’t been brave enough to strip it from him yet though. Bad news is that Appiah’s work permit application keeps getting rejected.

My promise of attacking football has been fulfilled in the three pre-season friendlies I’ve played so far, at least in theory. I’ve gone with a 4-4-2, attacking mentality, above normal creative freedom, full-backs bombing on, wingers and one central midfielder getting forward.

Friendly results so far:

Lincoln (A) 2-0 to me. Habib Beye (pen) and Alan Smith with the goals. Not very convincing though.
Benfica (H) 1-1. Tried to go 4-4-1-1 and it didn’t look pretty. Bought Shola Ameobi on at h/t and went back to 4-4-2. He got the equalizer and I fell in love with the gangly striker.
MK Dons (A) 5-0 win. Now that was more like it. Ameobi got a hat-trick, Belletti and Ignacio Gonzalez got the others. Shola is my new best friend.

So far Feghouli has had one good game (a 7.5) and one not so good (a 6). Oba Martins is struggling for form (avg rating of 6.37 from three games, and zero goals).

Alexandre Song is looking good, as is Beye. Definitely want to keep him.

Injury worries: Owen is still out for two months and Viduka for 8 months. I’m not going to rely on either of them. Especially as they’ll both be free agents next summer. I’ve sent Viduka to the reserves so I don’t have to look at his fat face.

Alan Smith is out for 3 months with fractured ribs, which at least means I can delay deciding whether he’s a midfielder or a striker (sadly, I suspect he’ll be no use as either) and Charles N’Zogbia stubbed his toe in the first game. That doesn’t even sound like a proper injury to me, but apparently he’s out for a month.

Prison worries: Joey Barton is still “unavailable” until the 28th July. Which also happened to be his prison release date. I’d love to get rid of him as he’s a menace to society, but looking at his attributes he’ll be my most gifted midfielder. I’m expecting a big press conference when he gets released.