(IMG:http://lh5.ggpht.com/raydenvm/SPstV9Ku2qI/AAAAAAAACEY/ZlKwI7Vv5i8/image_thumb.png)

My last season in Football Manager 2008 has started very brightly for the team I manage. My Southampton began to win scoring 3-4 goals per every match (the 4 first matches in the schedule above). Then there was very difficult face-off with our arch rival - Portsmouth. It was even game which result was decided by higher reliability of defence of the opponent. They missed only once, we - twice.

After the first loss my guys managed not to miss goals with Newcastle having very confident 3:0 on a scoreboard. This was the only match of all the reported without missed goals... This is the real problem if I compete for the main trophies, I think. (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif)

Meantime there was Champions League debut of Southampton against Spanish vice-champion Valencia. The game was really stunning.  I don't remember when my team was so weak and helpless... Look at the shots during this match:

(IMG:http://lh5.ggpht.com/raydenvm/SPstXLntE2I/AAAAAAAACEg/-AfZUIxYAEY/image_thumb[4].png)  

The main reason of this pity statistics is that Valencia consists of the brilliant players like Silva, Villa, Montolivo, Mascherano, Chiellini. (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/46.gif) I don't have any player in Southampton that costs more that $20M. They have even 10 players with price greater than $20M.  As a conclusion I can say that even English grand-clubs are not so cool by their squad as Valencia.

The second Champions League game against Napoli was very successful. We enclosed Italian champion (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/16.gif) on their half of pitch. 4 goals were created by my winger forwards Nicolae Mitea and Ismael Bangoura. They are actually the best players of the all aforementioned matches.

League table of my group in CL:

(IMG:http://lh6.ggpht.com/raydenvm/SPstYMYKFKI/AAAAAAAACEo/pCutpQcNbFs/image_thumb[2].png)

You see I have real "Group of Death"! Lyon is the French champion! Napoli - Italian champion! Valencia - Spanish vice-champion! (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/7.gif) Though now Southampton is the first (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif) . The battle between our four club in Group G will be very tough! I can get any position from 1th to 4th.

Ok, lets get back to my last Premier League matches. There had been 3 not easy victories over clubs from the bottom - Middlesbrough, Bolton and Birmingham after which The Saints were on the top of table standing (3 points ahead of Chelsea). But then I encountered quite complicated problems in the away face-offs with Liverpool and Man City. 8 goals were missed due to poor performance of my goalie Rune Jarstein and numerous mistakes by all players of my defence...  I have even started thinking that I should buy new more reliable goalkeeper... (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif)

The resulting Premier League table here for you:

(IMG:http://lh5.ggpht.com/raydenvm/SPstaVZQ2NI/AAAAAAAACEw/MVbFJ4D5iVo/image_thumb[1].png)

The last two failures were in October but in August and September my guys gained 8 victories and only 1 loss. That is the reason why I was awarded English Premier Division Manager of the Month twice in row (IMG:http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/1.gif) .

(IMG:http://lh4.ggpht.com/raydenvm/SPstbYeby4I/AAAAAAAACE4/cFuTvDMB6BE/image_thumb[3].png)

The True Football Manager
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