In the majority of cases you just have to ignore the notes from the assistant manager. It's a shame, but they don't seem to be linked to anything, and while they don't appear to be totally random, they're not far off!

In terms of the game you lost, 10% difference between teams is nothing, especially when you're playing away. Did you have a look through their team? Were your formations well matched. Could just have been a bad day for your players.

There is definitely an element of randomness in the TE game engine, which I assume is there to simulate 'real life'. You just have to get used to it and move on to the next game.