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Palace Casuals (a hypothetical team loosely based on Crystal Palace)
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Season 22, Level 21 - established 30/09/2013 16:47.
Have fully upgraded facilities so getting 260,000 crowds for each home game and am able to apply all spare cash to getting players in...
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When I followed the instructions here: http://forum.topeleven.com/top-eleve...erver-you.html, it looks like I'm on Server 215...
What have you learned from last season?
Rest players every now and again - have more backups for each position so can rotate squad more...
Where did you place last season?
Second in the League - very disappointing end to the season as was in lead until a defeat against second placed team reduced lead to goals scored then got trolled last game of season by vastly inferior team...
Went out in Semi-Finals of Champions League in a very good couple of matches with an equally-matched opponent, just him and me in attendance.
Preliminary Round exit (again!) in the Cup, higher level opponent, ave quality -5 mine, poor home defeat in 1st leg, couldn't attend 2nd Leg and the team managed a draw!!
What's your current level?
21
What's your budget for this season?
One purchase of 176 tokens and about $250M, plus whatever is realised in sales.
Who do you want to replace?
Some of the peripheral players from last season as they will be 3* and low rating 4*, getting old and will not train up quickly.
What are your goals for this season?
To get past the early rounds in the Cup - nearly always get trolled or come up against higher level opponents early on and lose out...
At least QF in Champions League, and top 3 in League.
Good luck fellow managers!
...from me too...
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A little bit of transfer activity released 4 players and acquired a new Goalkeeper, left-sided defender (DL/DC) and left and right utility players (DML/ML/AML, DMR/MR/AMR).
1st leg of Cup Preliminary Round saw the Casuals at home to Ibrahim FC from Germany. Match was only 10 minutes old when the first in-game decision had to be made when Attacking Midfielder Anders Graf was tackled and ended up needing attention for an ankle injury - formation changed from 4-3(w)-1-2 to 4-4-2 and Central Midfielder Nataniel Silva Lima brought into the fray. Tackles were obviously flying in from all quarters as three yellow cards were issued in quick succession by the ref, one to Ibrahim FC and two to the Casuals, left Midfielder Anders Tikhiy and central Midfielder Jackson Babou Noubi being the recipients. The second resulted in the first goal, a free kick scored directly by Ibrahim's McFadden. The rest of the first half was a struggle as the midfield tried to cope with the reshuffle and the weight of two yellow cards.
A decision to replace the wide players early in the second half - Omar Hansen and Johan Shaqiri making their Casuals debuts - steadied the ship and more meaningful attacks were happening. However, the ref was to deal the Casuals one potentially fatal blow, as Babou Noubi was punished for a seemingly innocuous shirt-pulling incident and his match ended early. However, not all was lost as four minutes after being reduced to 10 men last-term's top scorer Catalin Neagu equalised with a spectacular shot. Ibrahim FC resumed the lead soon after when Baker beat Palace custodian Mihaita Dragut with a header from a Bulla corner. Last action of the match was a first goal from debutant Hansen, hitting a piledriver in from the left wing to level the scores at the final whistle.
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Shock news! Palace Casuals have broken their Preliminary Round hoodoo...
Second leg game saw the new nucleus of the league team blooded, 'keeper Zoltan Bieder, left-sided defender Freddie Jones and utility midfielders and subs from the 1st leg Hansen and Shaqiri introduced instead of Dragut, Tikihy, Haubner and the injured attacking midfielder Graf; Silva Lima gets his chance in place of the suspended Babou Noubi, Domanski moving from defence to the defensive midfielder slot.
A largely forgettable first half saw two defence-heavy teams slug it out without end result, apart from a couple of bookings for two home players.
A half-time switch replacing Domanski with second midfielder Tzanakakis, moving the two wide midfielders to advanced positions and adding an attacking slant saw two quick goals for the Casuals soon after the restart, last year's Player-of-the-Season Anurak Arma bending a free-kick past the static home custodian and debutant defender Jones arriving in the box in time to head in a cross from right-winger Shaqiri. Arma then put in a Man-of-the-Match performance in helping the defence thwart any retaliation by the home side, and Palace ran out 2-0 winners, taking the tie 4-2 on aggregate. The only blot on the copy book was a booking for striker Andres Ramos for a clumsy tackle.
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Off the field, a bit of rummaging around in the transfer markets has failed to unearth a suitable central midfielder so it looks like the existing trio will need to bear the responsibility. A watch will need to be put on the performance of Babou Noubi, who faded badly at the end of last season and has, at the same time, lost a little self-discipline...
Current squad:
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So the League fixture computer has compiled the leagues and spat out the fixture list...
Palace Casuals, on paper, are the third strongest in this league, which include a new friend made last season and whom I have caught up with (*), and three of last year's opposition (**). The League Champions last season are there, so the Casuals look forward to a degree of revenge against a team which inflicted their first double defeat for several seasons.
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The league's potential whipping boys and Troll team have been identified...
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We also have at least one far-eastern based team in the league, so a few of the fixture times may be a bit early...
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An early morning for the first day of the League season saw a little rummaging amongst the new Scout lists and unearthed this player:
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Which means that one of the weaker defenders was offered to the market, and despite his advanced years and middling quality was snapped up for a tidy sum ($84.1M):
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...and a later look-see resulted in another midfield purchase:
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Muscroft and McCaul will form the backbone of the Midfield in League Games, and will have assisting roles in the two knockout competitions.
As a reward for his stellar performance last season and his performances in the two cup ties this term, Anurak Arma has been handed the Captain's armband for this season, however he was powerless to prevent the laissez-faire from the team overall in the two Day 3 matches.
The first League game saw the visiting manager arrive with a couple of friends, and the home manager having to cope with dodgy mobile reception in the area he was working... From what was observed, Palace Casuals appeared to be stricken with some zombie curse, sleepwalking to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a goal by Andres Ramos from a cross from Omar Hansen. Federico Gorosito, a former Casuals player now plying his trade for the opposition, returned to haunt his former colleagues with the equaliser, with an assist from Luis Suarez. Despite a rash of late substitutions, neither side could break the deadlock.
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A home defeat in the first Champions League game has the Casuals management team having a rethink on the policy of putting a 'Second XI' team in the Group stage and early knockout rounds, something which has been relatively successful in recent seasons. A 52nd minute goal by Guiseppe Bertozzi was enough to give Aviron Bayonnais a 1-0 win over the struggling Casuals, who despite more possession, shots on target and successful passes, just weren't good enough on the night.
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On logging in this morning, was informed that the Scout has found new players, so another DC with 'Aerial Defender' SA was found and bought before anyone else could get their hands on him...
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A player with 'Aerial Defender' SA to work alongside Freddie Jones and/or Anurak Arma in central defence - with the visit to last year's League Champions this evening a little experimentation in formation will be attempted, and hopefully a favourable result will ensue...
In the Cup Qualifying Round 1st Leg match this morning, Casuals earned a hard-fought draw with Level 22 outfit Hoyerswerda eV, and got an away goal as well. All the action took place in the later minutes of each half. The last five minutes of the first half saw the home side take the lead through Man-of-the-Match Roland Gabriel, knocking in a corner from Mikael Kader, but with half-time looming, Nataniel Silva Lima equalised with a fantastic solo strike for the Casuals.
Despite a couple of second half substitutions, the visitors couldn't eke out another goal and the score at full time remained 1-1. Ten minutes from the end of the game, Palace defender Freddy Jones was penalised for a shirt-pulling incident which resulted in home goal scorer Gabriel claiming injury.
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The poor performances of Babou Noubi and Onur Haubner continue to worry the Management and it looks like both of them will need an extended rest or transfer out.
Round 2 of the League, and Palace Casuals had a visit to the Champions of their Level 20 League, and came away with a resounding 5-2 victory. Starting with a 3N-2W-3N-1-2 formation, an open first half saw 5 goals between the sides and a 3-2 lead for the Casuals at the break. Striker Catalin Neagu opened the scoring with a solo strike before Tsatsos equalised for Sajete Boys. Ramos (header from a double corner by Hansen) and McCaul gave the visitors a 3-1 lead, but Gram-Jensen reduced the arrears for the home side. Some substitutions after the break saw Palace reshuffle to a classic 4-4-2 formation and increase their lead through a Hansen penalty and another header, this time by Neagu from a Shaqiri cross. McCaul spoilt the Fair Play award after picking up a late tackle booking late in the game.
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Day 5 dawned with a mid-morning League match and a mid-afternoon Champions League match looming.
In the League match, bottom-placed team Dennie FC were the visitors and were sent back home with a resounding clip round the ear in the shape of a 5-0 demolition by the rampant Casuals. Omar Hansen led the scoring charge with a well-taken hat-trick, including one Penalty, and Freddie Jones and Catalin Neagu weighed in with one apiece. Downside was the injuries suffered by two of the Palace strike force, first Andres Ramos and then Claude Pinto suffering from the over-zealous attentions of Dennie's Djalma de Souza, who was yellow-carded for each incident and thus made the visitors task a lot more difficult, being sent for an early bath in the 23rd minute.
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I think we might be in danger of peaking too soon...
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The magic sponge worked overtime in the period between today's matches and Pinto was judged fit to play just in time to lead the line in the away Champions League tie against ROMA.
Playing 4-4-1-1 with Andreas Graf in the shadow striker's spot, Palace Casuals got off to a flyer and were two up in the first 8 minutes, Andrey Tikhiy stepping up to the plate with a Penalty strike and an assist as Pinto put his injury woes behind him with a bullet header past the desperately poor home keeper. Freddy Jones added a third goal six minutes before half-time, and the Casuals eased off in the second half to cruise to an unexpectedly easy win.
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The Palace Casuals goal machine rolls on through another two matches, winning another Cup round match and extending their lead at the top of the League.
The Cup Qualifying Round 2nd Leg match saw the Casuals host Hoyerswerda eV and qualifying for the next round after a stunning 5-1 win over their Level 22 opponents from Germany. The first chance of the match came in the first minute after the visitors' Zejdler pick up the quickest booking of the season for a foul on Claude Pinto and the Palace striker picked himself up to head in the resulting Anders Graf free kick. The goal provider turned scorer later on in the half, turning in a Andrey Tikhiy cross. Half-time was reached with the home side 2-1 up after Hoyerswerda pulled one back through Melona. In the second half, Pinto helped winger Johan Shaqiri extend Palace's lead before some substitutions stiffened up the defence and replaced some tired legs in midfield, Anurak Arma and Stergios Tzanakakis replacing Sebastian Domanski and Nataniel Silva Lima. Tzanakakis turned in a Man-of-the-Match performance in the remainder of the match, running rampage through the visitors defence, scoring one goal and winning the penalty that Tikhiy converted for the fifth goal. Palace Casuals now progress to the Play-off Round, a rare event...
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In the League Round 4, Palace Casuals visited Stahladler FC and after a difficult first half, came away with an impressive 5-0 victory. In an evenly-matched first half, Palace had three clear chances and scored with two of them, Claude Pinto breaking through the defence to set up Catalin Neagu with the easiest of tap-ins and Neagu then crossing for Jack McCaul to head in past the home 'keeper. The second half turned into a war of attrition with neither side giving way until the 74th minute when Pinto scored a dramatic solo goal. The Casuals manager then made a triple substitution and formation change that seemed to change little until the last five minutes, when Pinto added a second solo goal and Omar Hansen copied him to complete the scoring. McCaul picked up a booking which, along with one received in a previous match, means that he will miss the next League game through suspension.
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Another busy day for the Casuals, with a Champions League group match and a league game, both at home. To honour Top Eleven's 5th Birthday the club chose to use the black free premium jersey for both of these games.
Owing to his league suspension, midfielder Jack McCaul was one of the first team players chosen to be one of the better quality players rostered to assist the Second XI in the Champions League Round 3 match against FC CRVENA ZVEZDA. The first half was complete deadlock as the teams, lying 1st and 2nd in the group, cancelled each other out. A stiff talking to at half time saw the home side come out with more purpose and McCaul showed potential leadership qualities with a cracking opening goal in the 53rd minute. Thus encouraged, Claude Pinto continued his fine form since recovery from recent injury by doubling the lead soon after, and made it a brace late on as Casuals recorded a 3-0 victory. Recent star player Stergios Tzanakakis suffered an injury in the final minutes and will miss three days.
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League Round 5: For the evening league game, the Suppellettile FC manager was a no show, but no less than 8 'friends' showed up, threatening to overwhelm the home support. In spite of this, Palace managed to eke out a win, assisted by some poor performances by the visiting forward players. Claude Pinto continued his rich vein of goal-scoring form with the opening goal, assisted by senior strike partner Catalin Neagu. Neagu was to add his own name to the score sheet with the second goal, and the Casuals went in at half-time 2-0 to the good. Shadow striker Andreas Graf added a third goal just past the hour mark, and the home side eased to a 3-0 win to maintain their clear lead at the top of the table.
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With all the euphoria about the previous few days spectacular successes, a mediocre day had to come - and this time it's mostly the management's fault!!
The morning Round 6 League game involved a trip to xhxcx FC in Malaysia, and only a half-time reshuffle broke a very defence heavy game and the Casuals escaped with a 1-0 win. Having tried 4-4-1-1 against 4-4-2 in the cup recently, the management tried it again today, but the first half was dominated by the respective defences and half time was reached with the match scoreless. Two half-time substitutions changed the visitors to a 3N-4-1-2 formation and this bore fruit within 5 minutes, Omar Hansen opening the scoring with one of his trademark solo goals. And there the scoring ended. Later in the half, Andreas Graf picked up his second injury of the season when he pulled up clutching his hamstring, later to be diagnosed as a groin strain (don't you love the Injury mechanics in this game?), and is sidelined for 3 days.
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Jackson Babou Noubi was pulled out of a few days rest and given a free run in midfield for the second half, but again turned in a poor performance so was transfer-listed on the team's return to base, and eventually departed for pastures new, the club receiving $87M.
Onward in the Cup! Erm... no. The Playoff Round 1st Leg was at home against Fikikrki FC and here the management have to hold their hands up and say they got the team completely wrong, sending out the boys to do a man's work. Against a team only slightly below in quality, the Second XI (plus a couple of first teamers) were hopelessly outclassed and only making the maximum substitutions just after the hour mark stopped the game being a rout. The visitors scored twice in the first period to make the half-time score 0-2, but were prevented from adding to the total by some dogged defending by the home side. That being said, the forward line, including Andres Ramos returned from injury, came up against a goalkeeper and defence that were on top form. Lessons have been learnt and the 2nd Leg is a chance to put things right.
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Early morning rain promised a soft-topped home pitch for the later League match, but first up was a quick trip to Belgrade, Serbia for the Round 4 Champions League match against FC CRVENA ZVEZDA, and the game can be summed up in two words 'job done'.
The management team expected a hard game following the stiff examination given the Casuals side in the Round 3 game at home, and their expectations came to pass as two teams battled it out, the home defence on top form and the Man-of-the-Match performance being given by Mihaita Dragut in the Casuals goal. Neither side troubled the scoreboard, the match finishing 0-0.
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The League Round 7 match against 2nd in the table karayer FC was again a tough examination of the home side's Championship credentials, and a brace from main striker Catalin Neagu settled the game. The Palace leading scorer opened the scoring with a solo goal four minutes after the break and headed in from an Omar Hansen free-kick with the last touch of the game in the 90th minute to make the scoreline 2-0 to the Casuals, who extend their lead at the top of the table to 5 points. Ben De Wree picked up a yellow card to add to one earlier in the season and will sit out the next League game.
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It appears the Palace Casuals squad is getting used to two matches a day for this long into the season - two more games today and more progress in the Cup, into pastures rarely traversed before...
First up was a visit to Sofia, Bulgaria for the League Round 8 game against levski. With an eye to preserving the fitness of the first XI players for the quickly following Cup match, a few of the Second XI were drafted in for a match against a team of lower quality. At first the tactic seemed to be working as right-back Sergio Gomes arrived on the blind side of the levski defence and headed in a Catalin Neagu free-kick to open the scoring after just 8 minutes. Levski gradually came back into the game and went into the break 2-1 ahead after two goals either side of the half-hour mark. A couple of substitutions early in the second half revitalised the visitors and Jack McCaul scored a fine equaliser with a 25 yard screamer 16 minutes from time. Bearing in mind the reduced strength of the side, Casuals can be fairly happy with a 2-2 draw on the road.
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Having given Onur Haubner some more match time, including the full match against levski, he has still to produce a satisfactory performance - so it is with regret that he was offered to the market and eventually departed to Cedric FC in exchange for $84.9M.
2-0 down from the first leg, the Palace Casuals management decided to play a nearly full-strength team for the Cup Playoff Round 2ng Leg game at Fikikrki FC in the Czech Republic. It took just 15 minutes for the Casuals forward line to cancel out the first leg advantage, midfielder Michael Muscroft finishing off a Claude Pinto forward surge and the same player provided Catalin Neagu with an easy tap-in after splitting the home defence. Neagu scored a solo goal in the second half to put the visitors ahead on aggregate before the home side's cause was made more difficult by Balasko picking up a second yellow card. Casuals made the extra man count, Pinto was provider again as his cross was headed home by defender Anurak Arma and Omar Hansen bent a free-kick around the home defensive wall to end the scoring at 5-0 to the visitors.
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Palace Casuals travelled to Aviron Bayonnais in France for a Champions League Group stage Round 5 match, hoping for revenge for a Round 1 home defeat, and came away with a 3-0 victory. Getting an early goal seems to be the regular occurrence for the Casuals and this match was no exception. On 8 minutes, strikers Andres Ramos and Claude Pinto combined to put the visitors ahead, Pinto claiming the goal from a Ramos cross. The two wingers combined in similar fashion 12 minutes later, Johan Shaqiri providing the cross and Andrey Tikhiy heading home. Just before the hour Shaqiri slotted home past the home keeper after a mazy solo run and the Casuals cruised home from there. Palace Casuals sit top of their CL Group by three points, and with the 2nd and 3rd to play each other in the next round and with a favourable record against both of them, even a loss in their final group match will not prevent them staying there.
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The management could say that the team was tired, but only 5 of the team that played in the Champions League game started this match - so it'll go down as a poor performance against the League's form team, this home defeat in the League Round 9. The only players to turn in a particularly good game were Defenders Freddy Jones and Anurak Arma, Attacking Midfielder Andreas Graf, recovered from his recent injury, and top scorer Striker Catalin Neagu. Graf scored the home side's only goal, an unexpected long range strike which evaded the visiting custodian's despairing dive in the 36th minute. That the home side couldn't take advantage of a 10-man opposition after Olympiacos Midfielder Hjerne Sundstrom received his marching orders 3 minutes after the break for a second yellow card offence just emphasises the ineptitude of the Casuals performance.
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Day 12 dawned with Palace Casuals wanting to put the nightmare of the last League game behind them and looking with caution to the later Cup match.
First, some team notes - two players came off the Youth production line this morning, Jordan Bridges, a 4* (115) central midfielder and Sam Harrold, a 2* (106) central defender. The club has taken them on for the time being, and hope they will start developing further.
A lunchtime kickoff in San Salvador, El Salvador in League Round 10 saw a mixed 1st and 2nd XI squad take on mid-table Alianza FC. Striker Andres Ramos ensured the visitors were quickest out of the blocks with a 4th minute strike that kept the home side on the back foot for most of the rest of the half. In the second half, Defender Sebastian Domanski walked a tightrope after conceding a penalty and receiving a yellow card for same, but breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the home spot kick taker Abdel Meguid slide his shot past the right post. Thus reprieved, Casuals set about the Alianza defence again, Midfielder Michael Muscroft heading home an Anurak Arma corner for the second goal, and top scorer Catalin Neagu keeping his personal tally ticking over with a fine solo goal, making the final score 3-0 to the visitors.
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Back home again, the Cup 'Top 16' 1st Leg match was against Glory FC, 1 Level and 2.3 quality higher than the home side. Facing a strange and unfamiliar formation, the Casuals Management decided on the 3n-2w-2n-1-2 formation which proved so effective against Sajete Boys in Round 2 of the League.
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The end result was everything the Management hoped for - the mass of opposition forward players nullified due to some amazing blocking, tackling and Goalkeeper saves. The home side's counter-attacks were getting the same treatment from the away defence, so it was no surprise the first half ended goalless. The second half started with more of the same, until...
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...and, after one of the Glory attacking midfielders had been given a straight red card for a trip, things got even better...
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After that, the home side cruised home for a 2-0 advantage for the second leg in Cirebon, Indonesia.
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That such a big day so far this season was full of easy matches belittles the effort that the whole squad has put into the season so far...
The Final Group Match in the Champions League was against bottom of the table ROMA - Casuals were already assured of top placing no matter what the result here or elsewhere so only pride was at stake. The Management fielded a team that just matched the visitors in quality, so it was no surprise that the match was scoreless until the 72nd minute, when Andres Ramos weaved his way through the ROMA defence and toe-poked the ball past the keeper. Five minutes later, Youth Team products Sam Harrold and Jordan Bridges were given their debuts, coming on in place of Ben De Wree and Stergios Tzanakakis, respectively. Johan Shaqiri finished off the scoring two minutes from time with another 25 yard screamer, beating the visitors custodian all ends up.
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In the Knockout rounds Palace Casuals will first be pitted against the Runners Up from Group B, HOKAGE FC.
Back to the League, the Round 11 match was at home against third-from-bottom ITALIA Dalat. A full first team was fielded; not a game to relax as one objective of this type of game is to get a Goal Difference boost. In this the team were successful, running out 5-1 winners. Omar Hansen opened the scoring with a quick brace of goals, scoring direct from a free-kick before converting an Anders Graf free-kick. ITALIA Dalat countered within two minutes, Thornberg beating the home defence and the diving keeper Zoltan Bieder with a run and shot. Catalin Neagu kept up his rich vein of goals with a header from a Johan Shaqiri cross on the half-hour and the home side went in at the break 3-1 up. Neagu made a defence-splitting run before unselfishly providing Claude Pinto with an easy tap in for the fourth goal in the second half, and Shaqiri added to his recent spate of long-range solo goals with another ten minutes from the end. Unfortunately Jack McCaul picked up another yellow card and will be unavailable for the next league game, which is against second in table Dimitris FC.
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Halfway through the season and all is looking rosy for Palace Casuals...
Cup 'Top 16' Round 2ng Leg - Casuals visited Cirebon, Indonesia looking for glory and a Quarter-Final place in the Cup against Glory FC and not only won the tie on aggregate, won the match as well against their higher level and quality opponent. Glory FC came attacking out of the blocks and put the visitors under pressure, which they soaked up just as in the first leg. Just after the half hour, Claude Pinto headed in a Johan Shaqiri corner to open the scoring, and things got easier for the Casuals when Saracevic was penalised for a foul tackle in the box and Hansen picked himself up to convert from 18 yards. The visitors picked up another 4 yellow cards as they tried to get back into the tie but more resolute defending by the visitors ensured their goal remained unbreached and they won the match 2-0 for a 4-0 aggregate win.
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Back to the League, and a Round 12 match which would sort out the League pecking order at the season half-way mark. Dimitris FC of Athens, Greece were the home side and Palace Casuals visited with only a goal-difference advantage over their hosts. As can be expected with such evenly matched games, it would take an act of brilliance or a slip-up to settle the game, and in this match it was ever thus. On the hour, Price took a speculative shot and Casuals keeper Zoltan Bieder's efforts at a save were in vain. 1-0 to Dimitris FC and they take over 1st place in the table.
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Two matches a day continues for the intrepid Palace Casuals team...
In the League, the final match of the first half of the League season saw the visit to Selhurst Park-ish of PMT FC from Da Nang, Vietnam, and the home side got back to winning ways with a 4-0 demolition of the visitors. After a 2nd minute Johan Shaqiri long shot had been deflected into the corner, Claude Pinto took the kick and neatly deposited the ball on the head of the incoming Freddy Jones, and the home defender neatly nodded it into the net. Shaqiri and fellow winger Omar Hansen are working magic together and they combined just after the half-hour mark to push Casuals further ahead, Hansen providing the cross, Shaqiri the sidefoot home. Shaqiri scored again just after the break, receiving an unselfish pass from Catalin Neagu after he had done all the work getting through the PMT defence. The Casuals Management then made a triple substitution to try and preserve some players for the Champions League match later on and it wasn't until three minutes from the end that substitute Andres Ramos completed the scoring with a cracking solo goal.
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Barely three hours after the League match, Palace Casuals were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Champions League Top 16 1st Leg match against HOKAGE FC. The match started well for the visitors, and they went into the half-time break 1-0 ahead, thanks to a rare solo goal from attacking midfielder Andreas Graf in the 26th minute. Five minutes later midfielder Michael Muscroft was fortunate to meet a lenient referee when pulled up for a foul tackle which injured home player Basile.
Midfielder Jack McCaul put Casuals further ahead in the 57th minute with a 25 yard strike, before the Management were forced to make some changes due to fatigued players. This enabled the home side to come back into the game, and they scored twice in the final 15 minutes to make the score 2-2 at full time. Two away goals and the backing of the fanatical home crowd should see Palace Casuals through to the next round - or so it is hoped...
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With ever more important games ahead needing the first team squad more and more in the cup competitions some of the fringe players will be sold over the next few days - more later.
CL game, 7-9 minutes after each substitution the opposition scored. Call in the X -Files.
Yep. Had a choice on let tired legs carry on and risk injury or put fitter, lesser quality players on - caught between a rock and a hard place...
Early kick-off today was in Thessaloniki, Greece for the Cup Quarter-Final 1st Leg match against Polis FC. Yielding home advantage, 1 level and 1.6 in quality, the Casuals task was always going to be difficult. Some excellent defending and inventive attacking was all in vain as the home side picked up a goal three minutes before the break through Taider. In the second half Palace players Andreas Graf and Ben De Wree picked up yellow cards but it was all for the cause. Final score 1-0 to Polis FC and Casuals have a chance in the second leg.
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If the goalkeeper made a string of fantastic saves, and the defence and midfield tackled, headed and blocked everything in sight (according to the commentary), why the crap scores?
Some activity in the transfer market today saw the departure of some long-term players. Defender Lee Owens, Defender/Defensive Midfielder Sebastian Domanski and Midfielder Nataniel Pedro Silva Lima have all found new clubs. In the other direction, the club has recruited Nigerian Defensive Midfielder Charles Salami from QLTT6 FC.
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Early evening start for the League Round 14 game at Flamongo FC of Bochum, Germany. Palace Casuals were hoping to make up for the dismal performance that saw them sleepwalk to a 1-1 draw in the home match, and this they did with a vengeance. With the two strikers Catalin Neagu and Claude Pinto having a quiet game, the Midfield stepped up to the plate and Michael Muscroft, Jack McCaul (2) and Johan Shaqiri scored the goals which gave the visitors a 4-0 lead in the first 52 minutes. Shaqiri included another of his trademark solo goals and assisted McCaul for his first goal, but also featured in the defensive display which held the home strike force at bay for 87 minutes, earning him the Man-of-the-Match award. New defensive midfielder Charles Salami made a most effective debut, the only blot on his copybook being the misplaced pass which led to Sweeney's consolation goal for Flamongo FC. Another League win, and increased goal difference which keeps Palace Casuals on the heels of top-of-the-table Dimitris FC.
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Palace Casuals continue to make progress against the laid out objectives at the beginning of the season...
The lunchtime match was League Round 15, the return game against last season's League Champions - although they have a superior quality rating they appear to be having a bad season, being mid-table and certainly not producing performances on a par with last season. At home this time, the match started with both sides attacking and defending well, and it took the Casuals set-piece machine, absent in the past few matches, to click back into gear to get things moving for the hosts. After 28 minutes, a free-kick on the left was taken by left-winger Omar Hansen and he planted the ball in the net to open the scoring. Two minutes later, top scorer Catalin Neagu got back into scoring mode with a mazy run through the defence and beat the keeper to increase the lead. Sajete Boys then suffered three minutes of madness as Xaysensourinthone picked up two yellow cards in that time and departed for an early bath. Claude Pinto made them suffer further with a defence-splitting run of his own and then had to retrieve the ball for a corner after his shot was tipped over the bar by the visitor's keeper; the set piece kick was headed in by Neagu to make the half-time score 3-0. The second half started slowly, but the visitors continued to tackle clumsily and two further yellow cards followed; from the second of those, the free kick taken by Johan Shaqiri was met in the area by defender Freddy Jones and he easily beat the keeper with a header. Casuals then took it easy for the last quarter of the match and run out winners 4-0. Michael Muscroft picked up a late yellow card and will miss the next League game.
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Another speculative visit to the transfer market saw a candidate for backup Right Winger and after a short tussle Dario Otazu was added to the roster, from Krodchu FC.
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Previous owner(s) have distorted his skills a bit so looks like any skill points from now on will be devoted to boosting his defensive attributes.
Evening kick-off in the Champions League 'Top 16' 2nd Leg match against HOKAGE FC with Palace Casuals in the box seat, only needing a win, or goalless or 1-1 draw to proceed to the next round. As with the 1st leg match, clear chances were in the minority and it took until a minute from the break before the first clear-cut chance was taken, Catalin Neagu providing Claude Pinto with a tap-in after dividing the defence with a strong run. With the second half providing more of the same, it was only after substitutions by both sides did the game become more free-flowing, and six minutes from full time, HOKAGE equalised through substitute Filipovic. Final score was 1-1, aggregate score 3-3, and Palace Casuals go through on the Away Goals rule...
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A couple more wins to continue the successes of this campaign...
The introductory match today was the League Round 16 match in Milan, Italy against bottom-of-the table and winless Dennie FC. Casuals got off to a flyer and were 3-0 up in the first 11 minutes. Striker Andres Ramos spent his day as provider, and his first effort was to supply defensive midfielder Charles Salami with the opportunity to open his account, which he did with ease. Omar Hansen continued his success with the set-piece by curling a free kick into the net for the second goal and the two central midfielders combined, with Jack McCaul weaving through the home defence and giving a tap-in to Stergios Tzanakakis. In the 26th minute, Hansen repeated his free-kick routine for 4-0, but the lack of activity and the dreams of a half-time orange must have clouded the thoughts of keeper Mihaita Dragut as he allowed a speculative shot from Dennie's left winger Osuna to end up in the net. In the second half the strike force woke up and Ramos provided partner Claude Pinto a brace of opportunities in the 54th and 80th minutes. Final score 6-1 and Palace Casuals have now chalked up 51 League goals this term.
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With an 0-1 deficit from the first leg, Palace Casuals entertained Polis FC in the Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg. Much like the first leg, chances were rare early on, but when the Casuals wingers combine, anything can happen, and in the 26th minute, it did. Omar Hansen ran down the left and crossed from the bye line, for Johan Shaqiri to head the home side in front and level the aggregate score. Early in the second half, Palace suffered a setback when Jack McCaul was injured and the Management took the risky opportunity of putting in attacking midfielder Andres Graf instead of replacing midfielder like-for-like. On the hour, Michael Muscroft showed what a match off can do when he showed great energy in a quick weave through the visitors defence to fire Casuals into the lead on aggregate, before the substitution paid off when Graf was on hand to nudge a cross from Shaqiri over the line to make the home side's lead unassailable. A 3-0 win gave Palace Casuals a 3-1 aggregate win and their third Level 22 scalp of the season. Semi-Finals up next and Casuals will definitely play a Level 22 club as they are the only Level 21 left in the competition.
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Two late games on today so a bit of extra training for the whole squad before getting down to the competitive nitty-gritty.
Teatime kick-off for the Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match with Hakan FC of Ordu, Turkey. Despite their superiority in quality, the home side made heavy weather of this tie. Starting with a Butterfly formation vs 3-5-2F, the first half was a war of attrition with defences holding firm against all comers. The visitors managed the only on-target shot of the half, and that was a header from a corner which was dramatically saved by Mihaita Dragut in the home goal. Half-time came with the match goalless, and the Casuals Management waited until 10 minutes into the second half to make changes to try and kick-start the home goal machine. Out went wingers Dario Otazu and Andrey Tikhiy, in came attacking midfielder Andreas Graf and striker Catalin Neagu in a change to 3-4-1-2, which unfortunately changed nothing. It took a set-piece opportunity to break the deadlock; with 11 minutes to go, Hakan FC's Pettarin was penalised for a foul tackle and Omar Hansen took the opportunity to register the home side's only on-target shot of the game, which this time ended up in the back of the net. 1-0 to the Palace Casuals and a slim advantage to take into the 2nd Leg in two days time.
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100% shot efficiency! Not that hard, though... :rolleyes:
A quick look-see in the transfer market saw a 1T purchase, with quality very close to changing to 6*. Youth products Sam Harrold and Jordan Bridges have left the club, bringing in much-needed finances.
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In the other game, Palace Casuals entertained Stahladler FC of Casilda, Argentina in League Round 17. The home side made another uncharacteristic slow start, and were shocked into action by going behind in a league game for the first time in many matches. In the 18th minute, Messi combined with Braga for the latter to put the ball past home custodian Zoltan Bieder to put Stahladler ahead. It took 6 minutes for Casuals come up with an equaliser, and it was Catalin Neagu who obliged, picking the ball up from a defensive clearance and running through the Stahladler defence to plant the ball past Gordon. In the 36th minute Claude Pinto emulated his strike partner's actions, but at the last moment provided a square ball for top-scorer Neagu to side-foot home and put the home side into the lead for the first time. In the second half, it seemed that counter-attacking was to be the most effective way of breaching a resolute visiting defence, and in one of these, Neagu provided the run and pass which enabled Stergios Tzanakakis to increase the Casuals lead, which they held onto until the final whistle.
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This win strengthens Palace Casuals grip on second spot in the League, hot on the heels of Dimitris FC and with a superior goal difference. If it stays this way, then the penultimate game of the season will be very interesting indeed.
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Only one match late on today, so a full set of training chosen instead of a couple of friendlies.
Early evening start for League Round 18 match at Suppellettile FC in Galatea, Italy, and the visitors obviously did not travel well. Utilising this season's favourite formation, 3N-5-2V against Narrow Diamond, neither side found it easy to break down resolute defences. Very little of note and nothing controversial in this match of equally matched teams and the final score was the same as at the start of the game, 0-0. Home Manager failed to show, but no less than 9 supporters turned up - if Casuals hadn't had a couple of supporters with the Manager then the result might have been a little more disastrous for the Palace Casuals Championship aspirations.
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Nice report and Team.
My only Question is where is Speroni? Chamakh? Zaha? Bolasie?
I don't like to rename the players in my squad, seems unlucky to do so - this is a 'Casuals' side, one doesn't find the real first teamers in here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Dahlin
I've seen Jedinak in one of my opponents squad last year, he was getting on a bit...
Quote:
Originally Posted by talisman
Not unlucky to rename Players, just a Waste of Tokens if you then have to sell that Player later.
Have not seen a Jedinak, but will keep an Eye out.
Happy that Palace has stayed up in EPL :D
...was the order of the day as Palace Casuals turned on the goal machine again.
Man of the day was utility left winger Omar Hansen, two 9/10 performances with Man-of-the-Match awards to go with them...
First objective of the day was to get an away goal in the Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match in Ordu, Turkey against Hakan FC. One goal to the good from the 1st Leg, an away goal would need the hosts needing 3 goals to win the tie on aggregate. The intention was to set the side on attacking to get an early away goal then switch to defensive for the rest of the game and rest players for the League match which would follow soon after the cup game. The Casuals Manager was having to attend the match over a dodgy mobile connection, so having seen the home side go ahead in the 4th minute and level the tie on aggregate, a certain amount of head-scratching went on. All this was to be pointless as the visitors wingers got into their stride again and dominated procedures from the 21st minute onwards. Hansen netted a free kick from the left and then turned provider as the Palace flying wingers got their act together again, Johan Shaqiri gleefully ramming home a cross. Ten minutes into the second half, a recognised striker got into the act, Catalin Neagu waltzing through the home defence to put the visitors 3-1 up on the day and into an unassailable lead on aggregate. The home side briefly threatened on the hour when Trabelsi scored a second goal to add to Amenta's opener, but Hansen added a second goal soon after with a dose of individuality and recent midfield recruit Ayman Gomaa opened his club account by slotting home a 25 yarder four minutes from time.
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A tired team bolstered by a liberal application of green packs greeted today's visitors in League Round 19, xhxcx FC of Jeli, Malaysia. After a disappointing goalless draw on the road and seeing the League leaders thereby extend their lead yesterday, the chances of a Championship depend on Palace Casuals winning all their games and maintaining a healthy goal difference advantage over Dimitris, so a good win here against a low-placed team would do those chances no harm. A couple of early fouls by the visitors gave the set-piece team some early target practice, and after a great save denied Omar Hansen, a minute later captain Anurak Arma seized the opportunity to lead from the front and scored direct from his centrally-placed free-kick. Just after the half-hour, the wingers combined as Hansen crossed and Johan Shaqiri headed home. Early in the second half the flying wingers combined yet again and this time the roles were reversed, Hansen side-footing home from Shaqiri's defence-splitting pass. A couple of substitutions followed as tired legs were replaced, and soon after, Hansen was involved in goal scoring again, his free-kick from the left being headed home by midfielder Michael Muscroft, and then weaving though the defence to beat the visiting keeper one-on-one. For the last half-hour, the pressure was eased and the home side cruised home for a 5-0 win.
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Another critical day for the fortunes of Palace Casuals, two games which will make or break the season in two competitions.
First up was the early kick-off in the Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg out in Belgrade, Serbia against Nemanja FC. Yielding a level and only just inferior in quality, Palace pitched up with the intention of firstly getting an away goal, and then possibly getting a win to take back to fortress Selhurst Park-ish. The match started evenly and neither side gained any sort of advantage until just after the half-hour, when the first objective was achieved; Johan Shaqiri running down the right wing and providing a high pass for Catalin Neagu to head home past the home keeper. Nine minutes later, Shaqiri ran through a static Nemanja defence and slotted home to double the lead. In the second half, Shaqiri again got into the action, a cross from the right being met by the head of advancing midfielder Michael Muscroft and the away support was ecstatic. The home side got a goal back 11 minutes from full time through Gauna but the match belonged to Palace Casuals, and the Man-of-the Match award to Shaqiri - no, he wuz robbed, the committee awarded it to Neagu!!
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A quick hop over to Konya, Turkey for the early evening start for the League Round 20 match at Karayer FC. Palace Casuals started by resting the flying wingers and concentrating on a narrow midfield formation. First action point was a booking picked up by Catalin Neagu for a tug on the shirt, but 5 minutes later he made amends by firing a direct free-kick through the wall and past the home custodian to open the scoring. Either side of half time, Karayer gained the lead with goals by Mikolajczak and Donmezdemir, and threatened a couple more, which brought out the best saves from Casuals keeper Zoltan Bieder. While the Management were organising changes, Michael Muscroft weaved his way through the home defence and supplied Freddy Jones with a short pass for him to put the visitors level again. Introducing the flying wingers into the fray livened up the Casuals attack and it was only through the home keeper Rios' efforts that it was only in the 85th minute that Omar Hansen found the net after a run and shot for the winning goal.
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In the League table, very little has changed. Palace Casuals still second, 5 points adrift of 1st place, but with a slightly superior goal difference and a widening gap between second and third places.
Casuals have guaranteed themselves promotion, but still need a win to guarantee Champions League football next season.
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Another two vital games today.
Early evening kick-off in League Round 21 at home to old adversaries Levski of Sofia, Bulgaria and a game of two halves. Two goalkeeping howlers by Levski keeper Abderazzak gifted the home side with a two goal lead by the half hour mark, letting goal bound shots by eventual Man-of-the-Match Charles Salami, and Omar Hansen reach the back of the net. Something like that can knock the confidence out of a team, and it was no surprise that Casuals took advantage by doubling the lead by the break, Johan Shaquiri's corner being headed home by Hansen and Catalin Neagu firing home a 25 yarder past the diving keeper. It was obvious the visitors had had a stiff half-time lecture and in the second half provided sterner opposition, such that the half was goalless and the final score was 4-0. Casuals have now guaranteed promotion and Champions League football next season.
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Fellow League members Suppellettile FC from Galatina, Italy provided the opposition in the home 1st Leg of the Champions League Semi-Final. The recent League game in Italy had been goalless, and it took until the 53rd minute for the deadlock to be broken by Casuals in this match, Catalin Neagu hurrying through the defence and prodding the ball past the visiting keeper. 16 minutes later, he repeated the feat to make the score 2-0, which it stayed until the end. The long injury-free period that Palace Casuals had enjoyed was broken late on when team captain Anurak Arma pulled up with a heavy ankle strain. The medical team will be working overtime to get him ready for the important games ahead.
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Ecstatic scenes at Selhurst Park-ish as Palace Casuals qualify for only their second Cup Final tie, and a dramatic end to the League game of the day...
First, the League Round 22 match at Olympiacos of Thessaloniki Greece, and Casuals were attempting to make amends for their performance in their only home League reverse of the season. In what turned out to be a titanic struggle, the home side were two goals to the good inside the first quarter of the match, through their striker Kraus, but gradually the visitors got back into the match and five minutes before half-time Andres Ramos scored a fine solo goal to reduce the arrears. Eleven minutes into the second half and the match was all square again, as Ramos made a direct run through the home defence before passing to Freddy Jones, and he rammed the ball past the home custodian. After a long period without an injury, Palace have picked up two in two matches, Charles Salami pulling up with a Hamstring strain just on the hour. Midfielder Ayman Gomaa was asked to put in a stint at DMC and acquitted himself well, as the visitors repelled many home side attacks as they tried to regain the lead. Just as the match was petering out to an unhelpful (to Palace Casuals) draw, Ramos popped up with a speculative 25 yard shot which beat the home keeper all ends up for an 89th minute winner. Yet again the Man-of-the-Match committee avoided giving the award to the most deserving player on the pitch, but at least Johan Shaqiri at last got the award he deserved for his performance in the Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg a couple of days ago.
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Full house at Palace Casuals for the Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg match against Nemanja FC from Belgrade, Serbia. The home side were 3-1 up in the tie after their superb away performance, and would have to be on their top form to beat their Level 22 opponent, who had a full 2.0 quality superiority. Palace Casuals had a full-strength side to select from as captain Anurak Arma and defensive midfielder Charles Salami had both passed late fitness tests. The visitors started the match with a full-press attack, having several narrow chances before Pinto put them into the lead in the 8th minute. Casuals refused to panic and although Jack McCaul took one for the cause when he was cautioned for a clumsy tackle soon after the opening goal, the defensive line repulsed the ensuing free-kick. Half-time was reached with no further score, and the opportunity was taken early in the second half to replace the yellow card holder to avoid any further damage on that front. Replacement Ayman Gomaa picked up where he left off in the earlier League game and put in a couple of good runs, and from the second of those, eventually came the equaliser. The ball having been put behind by a defender, Johan Shaqiri had the chance to put the ball in a dangerous part of the Nemanja defence. This he did, Catalin Neagu bursting through and heading in the equaliser to a great roar from the crowd. A full 20 minutes was to pass before the visitors got another chance, and Stranzl obliged with a header to put them ahead again. This then resulted in a frantic final 10 minutes in which the visitors tried to get the goal which would take the tie into Extra Time, but the home defence held firm and Palace Casuals ended the game beaten but happy to qualify for the Final.
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Another Final beckons, but no hopes of the treble as Palace Casuals slip up in the league...
Suppellettile FC were the hosts of the Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg in Galatina, Italy and Palace Casuals arrived with a 2-0 advantage from the home first leg. Again the team was set up for a 'smash-and-grab' tilt at a quick away goal, and the players duly obliged in the first minute. After a foul tackle ended the first visitors attack prematurely, Omar Hansen was given the opportunity to slot home a free-kick. The home keeper had a lucky fingertip save and the ball went to the corner. Johan Shaqiri put the set piece ball into the centre of the home defence and Andres Ramos glanced the ball into the corner of the net. 1-0 Casuals, 3-0 on aggregate. It was then that the opposition manager turned up, along with 9 supporters! Immediately the home side got stuck in and it was virtually one-way traffic for the rest of the half but the visitors defence held firm until just before half time, when Cifuentes popped up for the equaliser. Just after half-time Suppellettile took the lead through Korkmaz, and the home side really had their tails up. The home manager made a raft of substitutions and this temporarily unsettled the side and Casuals took advantage with a couple of counter-attacks. A foul on the edge of the area gave Hansen a chance to score, and this he did, bending the ball round the defensive wall and past the watching keeper. Mirosavljevic immediately replied for the hosts but with two goals needed for the win and time running out, all Palace Casuals had to do was hold their nerve, and despite a 2-3 defeat they qualified for the final 4-3 on aggregate.
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After their exertions in the Champions League match, one can forgive the side for an 'after the Lord Mayor's show' performance in League Round 23. Alianza FC of San Salvador, El Salvador were the visitors, and at the start of the day they languished in 13th place in the League table. Having given some more senior players a rest, it took a while for the home side to get started and after a few missed shots and misplaced passes, it was only to be expected that the visitors got their noses in front first. Djordjevic took a 25 yard punt and home keeper Mihaita Dragut was helpless to stop it. Thus stung, it took the Casuals only a minute to respond, Catalin Neagu weaving his way through the defence before providing a smart pass to Charles Salami for the equaliser. A couple of bookings either side of half time gave the Alianza players food for thought, but eventually they got back into it and Lizarizo put them in front again. The home Management made a few positional and personnel changes, and his charges started to react better, but is wasn't until the 85th minute that Neagu repeated his first half actions, but this time he finished off by himself to make the scores level again. After a frenetic last 5 minutes, neither side could score a winner and the referee blew the final whistle on a 2-2 draw.
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Palace Casuals are now 7 points behind the leaders with 3 games to play, so it looks like they will be beaten to the League Championship for the second season running.
Palace Casuals were up before dawn to make the trip to a neutral venue for the Cup Final match against My Inter FC of Jakarta, Indonesia. With a full squad fully prepared and charged up for action, all the Management could now do was let them get at it. The teams were equally matched for most of the first half-hour, My Inter being slightly more aggressive and were paying with yellow cards, the second of which was for a nasty tackle which left Michael Muscroft hobbling off with an ankle injury. His replacement took a while to get ready and come on, but the Casuals could bask for a while in the resulting opening goal, Johan Shaqiri taking a free-kick which was met by the head of Freddy Jones as he advanced through the area. The rest of the game was more of the same. Two teams battling against each other, one with slightly better quality, the other with more guile and deceptive play. Eight minutes from the end of the match, Casuals got a bit of breathing space as a rare corner concession by the opposition was punished, Shaqiri putting the ball in the area and Andres Ramos finishing it off for a 2-0 lead, which was held to the end. Palace Casuals are at last in possession of a Cup Trophy and winners medals...
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Back to the normality of the League, and Round 24. Palace Casuals had a trip to Italia Dalat and again the team produced a sub-par performance, most of which we will draw a discrete veil over. Again resting senior players tired from their efforts in the earlier Cup Final game, the visitors performance was littered with errors and wasted chances against their low-placed opponents and they were again guilty of having their thoughts on the half-time orange than the game, as Thornberg slotted home a cross to give the home side the lead a minute before the break. The second half was just as bad, the Management eventually had to put some of the rested players back on the pitch and eventually Catalin Neagu kept up his top-scorer rating by forcing an equaliser home eight minutes from the end.
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Thus the Championship aspirations, slim at the start, are now non-existent, and the only thing now is to patch up the side for the Champions League Final tomorrow, and the last two League games are inconsequential.
The day dawned with heavy rain and it certainly rained on Palace Casuals' parade...
In the Champions League Final match against Pupusyikalo of Le Neubourg, France, Palace Casuals were the favourites in quality terms but the match proved that false thinking. Various T11 experts have called the effectiveness of the Casuals defensive formation into question, but the Managements take on that is they put out the strongest side possible, motivated them to get a win and could only look on in horror at the car crash that happened. Pupusyikalo were fastest out of the blocks and scored an opening goal in the 5th minute through Halatiu, and there the scoring finished. Whatever the Palace Casuals Manager saw of the match on his dodgy mobile connection was a side that was doing everything asked of them but the end result was lacking. Hansen spurned four good free-kick attempts, Neagu and Ramos had left their shooting boots at home, and the midfield were acting as if they didn't want to be there. The only thing that held up was the back three of Jones, Arma and De Wree, who did all they could to stop the against score getting any higher. In short, Pupusyikalo were the better team on the day, and Casuals have to pick themselves up for the League 'big match' later.
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Although it was a 'dead rubber' in terms of affecting the final positions in the League Table, the League Round 25 match between Palace Casuals and League leaders Dimitris FC was a chance for the home side to restore some pride dented in previous games and gain some revenge for the narrow defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. Palace were on the score sheet within three minutes, Valentin Ndjengue swinging in a corner that Claude Pinto forced past the keeper. That spurred the visitors into attacking action, and the Casuals defence was on top form, and the odd occasion that the attack found its way past them Zoltan Bieder was up to the task, making two great saves from close in shots. The home side's lead was doubled with four minutes to the break, a foul on Pinto at the edge of the box resulted in a free-kick which Omar Hansen despatched past the wall and Gaudin in the visiting goal. Ten minutes after half-time Aguilar reduced the lead when he headed home a cross from Wallace. In the last quarter-hour, the home side made a couple of substitutions, the first brought on Andres Ramos for Pinto, and seven minutes after his introduction, he added to his recent good form by making the game safe with a 25 yard screamer that the keeper could only look on and admire. Final score 3-1 to Palace Casuals, who took the opportunity to parade the recently won Cup Winners' Trophy in front of the packed home crowd.
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As is usual, Palace Casuals held their annual dinner and awards evening after the last home game of the season.
Candidates for Player of the Season were
Catalin Neagu ST (42 matches, 9 MoM, 27 goals, 10 assists and 7.57 ave. rating) for goal scoring,
Omar Hansen DML/ML/AML (44, 6, 24, 8, 7.34) for goal scoring and set-piece play,
Club Captain Anurak Arma DC (46, 4, 3, 1, 7.47) for marshalling the defence, and
Johan Shaqiri DMR/MR/AMR (45, 2, 11, 18, 7.30) for set-piece play.
The voting was close between the two 'flying wingers', but Hansen pipped Shaqiri at the post.
With all the excitement of the Cup Finals over and dusted, just one more match left in the League season.
League Round 26 involved a trip to PMT FC of Da Nang, Vietnam, in 3rd place in the League and 9 points in arrears of Palace Casuals. In fitting with the 'end of term' feeling, all the remaining peripheral players got a final game in and several 'first teamers' were on the bench. PMT took advantage of the reduced quality of the team facing them and put three goals on the board in the first 15 minutes through Golan, Endler and Poznanski, but Casuals were not ones to be brushed aside lightly, as on 20 minutes, Ayman Gomaa fed a through ball to Captain-of-the-Day Johan Shaqiri and he coolly slotted it past the keeper to reduce the arrears. Just after the hour mark, Endler scored his second to increase the lead, and again the visitors came back ten minutes from time with a solo run and score from defensive midfielder Charles Salami. Final score was 4-2 to the hosts.
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League: 2nd - In contention for top spot until last few games where a couple of draws against lower-order teams made overhauling the leader impossible - but did prove what might have been by beating them 3-1 at home in penultimate game.
Champions League: Runner-up - Final possibly a game too far, but some observers have questioned the defensive formation put on the field.
Cup: Winners - for the first time - second time lucky in a Cup Final as Casuals have some silverware to boast at the end of a long and difficult season.
Final League Table:
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Player Stats - only the second time that Palace Casuals have completed a 52-game season, and some players have played nearly all of them:
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Tie at the top of the League Top Scorers chart but it's all Casuals:
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When the 'Flying Wingers' really got going the opportunities for Neagu to assist dried up but he still ended up in the Top 5 Passers table - Shaqiri with 7 and Hansen with 6 are just off the table:
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Neagu remained in the Top Performance table despite an erratic last part of the season:
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PS: A nice touch if Nordeus were minded: A 'Fair Play' table - winners this year:
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A Player Retention list is being scrutinised for next season's squad - 5 players are out of contract so will be discussing terms very soon. As mentioned elsewhere, next season is going to be very much a holding season for consolidation, so no great things are expected from the club.
Palace Casuals' 23rd Season is at Level 22.
Already the first matches in the Cup are set and the Champions league has been drawn and fixtures allocated.
Cup: Preliminary Round tie is against FSV Andi Beck, a Level 22 club from Heringen, Germany. 1st Leg is at the German's stadium. Casuals will be yielding a 1.3 Average Quality (AQ) advantage to their opponents.
Champions League: Palace Casuals' opponents in Group H in the Group Stage are:
ko FC of Berlin, Germany. Level 22, AQ 120.3, finished 2nd in their League last season.
Rider FC of New Saipus, Cyprus. Level 22, AQ 119.0, 3rd.
Sherif FC of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. level 22, AQ 122.2, 4th.
Palace Casuals' Details and Stats at start of Season 23:
Attachment 46379
Playing Staff:
All five players with expired contracts were re-signed, but one, DC/DR Sergio Gomes has been sold on as a suitable replacement was found (the last thing for the Scout before he was sent on extended leave)...
MC Stergios Tzanakakis is currently at the mercy of the Market as he is surplus to requirements and is available for transfer.
Last season's Club Captain DC Anurak Arma has been chosen to continue in the post this season.
The Season 23 Starting Roster:
Attachment 46377
..and the new kid on the block (the only DC/DR found anywhere on the Transfer Market at any time so far today!):
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First step in the defence of their Cup Trophy.
Cup Preliminary Round 1st Leg, away vs FSV Andi Beck, of Heringen Germany; Level 22 AQ +0.8
In a tight match, early exchanges were equal until the 28th minute when Omar Hansen was given the opportunity to open his account with a free-kick on the left. The set-piece ball was a well-disguised high cross into the centre of the box, where Catalin Neagu was waiting to nod the ball into the net. Things were equally close in the second half, and the visitors ran out winners by a goal to nil. Midfielder Michael Muscroft earned the wrath of the referee for a shirt-pulling incident which somehow caused an injury to FSV's Van de Velde, and new recruit Juan Sebastian Garcia fitted in very well at the back, earning the Man-of-the Match award.
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Cup Preliminary Round 2nd Leg - home vs FSV Andi Beck, of Heringen Germany; Level 22 AQ +0.8
Palace Casuals completed another qualification from the Preliminary Round, making it two years running that they have failed to go out at the first hurdle in this competition. As he was making his 50th appearance for the Casuals, Freddy Jones was given the Captain's armband for the duration, in the absence of Club Captain Anurak Arma from this match. Zoltan Bieder was in sparkling form early on making three fine saves, as FSV tried to overcome the home side's 1-0 advantage from the 1st Leg. Casuals made a few forward forays themselves, and the half was fairly even until near to half-time, when Casuals were caught thinking of the break again, Eriksson converting a cross from a free-kick conceded by Valentin Ndjengue. After the break, Palace Casuals rose a bit in intensity and after a Omar Hansen free-kick was deflected for a corner, Johan Shaqiri provided an ideal ball for Catalin Neagu to head into the net for the equaliser. Andi Beck were not finished, however as Van de Velde headed them in front again and Casuals were in danger of falling victims to the away goals rule. But all was to be settled in the hosts favour as substitute Andres Ramos latched onto another Shaqiri corner to bring the scores level again. Casuals endured a final ten minutes of visitor's pressure before settling for the draw at the final whistle, and a win 3-2 on aggregate.
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Playing staff news: Wilson Rossi (63 appearances, 9 goals) has been released by the club, joining Croydon FC for the fee of $95.6M. Andrey Tikhiy (38 appearances, 8 goals) has also been released, joining Real Madrid CF for $89.3M.
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Up and at 'em early to see the results of the League Level 22 draw for Palace Casuals.
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Very strange draw, only three teams with any achievements for last Season - Graziano, League Champions; Levski, League position 4; and Palace Casuals, League Runner-up, Champions League Finalist, Cup Winner. All the other sides are ones which have not levelled up, and will therefore be playing one League game a day plus another for the Cup every other day until they get knocked out. The majority of them are also running small squads with high numbers of 6* players.
Palace Casuals are running a slimmed-down squad this Season:
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Todays games started with the Champions League Group Stage, Round 1 visit of Sherif FC to a packed Selhurst Park-ish, and the combination of a 4-4-2 Classic formation of the visitors to Palace's 3N-4-1-2 produced a deadlock in which neither side gained any material advantage. Casuals switched to a more attacking 4-5-1V formation early in the second half, and although this got them more chances on goal, both defences were in miserly form and a goalless draw ensued.
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The League Round 1 match at Sturm Juniors of Knittelfeld, Austria was to be more of the same, at least until the second half. Using a 3N-5-2 formation to counter a modified Narrow Diamond with a wide right midfielder, Palace Casuals defence was more than a match for the home side's attack and three of Zoltan Bieder's four saves during this match were to be found in the first 45 minutes. The home side finally found the net just after the hour through Horvath, and eventually the Palace Management decided to replace forward Andres Ramos with defender Ben De Wree to stem any further goal attempts. This seemed to free up striker Catalin Neagu, who within three minutes turned the game on its head, taking on the Sturm defence single-handed and scoring two individual goals. He nearly had a third in the 86th minute, but it took a last ditch tackle to dispossess him of the match ball. Palace Casuals escaped from a tricky match with a narrow 2-1 win. Johan Shaqiri celebrated his 50th game for the club.
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