McMonkey's Eintracht Frankfurt game

[McMonkey]

After returning from injury it is clear that Christoph Preuß will have few opportunities to break into the first team. He is offered to other clubs and Hoffenheim agree a £800,000 deal. It comes to my attention that Galatasary's Harry Kewell may be available for transfer. My midfield is lacking a bit of flair and creativity, at least until Jadson arrives, but the opportunity to reinforce with an experienced international is too good to pass up. I agree a £1.6m deal for him. To find the money I offer Petkovic to teams. Lazio offer me £2.5m which I accept. However the beal for Kewell falls through as he agrees terms with Sunderland. With the need for cash not so pressing I get cold feet over the Petkovic deal. He is a decent young fullback with international experience and the fee seems too low. I cancel the deal and put him back up for £4m. Lazio come back in with an improved offer of £3.3m. As I have Monzon and Van Damme at left back it is going to be hard for Petkovic to get a game and I decide to sell whilst his stock is still high. It will be good to have a bit of cash to play with in January (I'm guessing Germany has a transfer window then).

[McMonkey]

A tough game ahead at the current Bundesliga champions. One plus for me is that Edin Dzeko is absent through injury. I have Sabri Sarioglu back after his leave of absence and he seems a lot more positive about his future in Germany.

Team: Begovic, Ochs, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Santos, Appiah, Sarioglu, Carmona, Cisse, Zaki 4-1-3-2 Counter

6 minutes. Fabio Santos is hurt and Gunnarsson is brought on as his replacement. I change to 4-4-2.

9 minutes. Grafite turns amazingly well for a big man and beats Russ then fires a blistering shot across Begovic into the corner of the net. 0-1

18 minutes. Terrible backbass by Maik Franz, straight into the past of Obafemi Martins who doesn't waste the chance and cooly slots past Begovic. 0-2

Half time. Fonseca on for Sarioglu. 4-3-3 Counter.

52 minutes. Zaki cuts inside and tees it up for Fonseca who thumps it home from near the penalty spot. 1-2

56 minutes. Begovic makes a vital save from Martins to keep Frankfurt in the game.

62 minutes. Another great save by Begovic to deny Kahlenberg scoring with a free kick.

65 minutes. Bataglio forced to make a fine save from a Fonseca volley. Monzon (left midfield) on for the injured Appiah.

Frankfurt are battling much harder in the second half. Winning every header and tackle and passing the ball well.

70 minutes. Three superb saves from Begovic in quick succession during one Wolfsburg attack.

87 minutes. Kahlenberg hits a thunderbolt into the top right corner. Begovic had no chance with that. Grafite is hurt in the buildup, but it was his header that set up the chance. 1-3

So Frankfurt fall to their first defeat in five games. So far I'm reasonably happy with how things are going. With so many new players, many of them not able to speak German, it was always going to take time to blend as a team. Under the circumstances I think things are going well.

Man of the match: Grafite
League position: 10th

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Ochs, Russ, Franz, Monzon, Gunnarsson, Appiah, Carmona, Fonseca, Cisse, Zaki 4-3-3 Attack

54 seconds. Cisse goes very close with a shot into the side netting. Could have been a great start.

13 minutes. Enke makes a great save from Zaki's close range shot.

42 minutes. Cisse manages to head into an open goal from a very tight angle after the keeper and centre-back colided trying to get the same ball. 1-0

Half time. No subs. Counter attack.

46 minutes. Great save by Enke to deny Cisse.

56 minutes. ...and again!

65 minutes. Sarioglu on for Appiah.

75 minutes. Meier on for Zaki.

82 minutes. Franz fouls in the Frankfurt area. Penalty. Stajner steps up and buries it. 1-1

A disappointing result. We wasted too many opportunities in a game we dominated.

Man of the match: Cisse
League position: 9th



Rest in peace big man.

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Ochs, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Gunnarsson, Bajramovic, Carmona, Fonseca, Cisse, Zaki 4-3-3 Attack

5 minutes. Maik Franz is booked meaning he will miss the next game versus Bayern Munich.

29 minutes. Bruggink crosses in and an unmarked Forssell manages to poke the ball in at the far post. 0-1

Half time. No subs. Go to a more direct passing style.

45 minutes. Straight from the kick off Stajner latches onto a Bruggink through ball and slots the ball under Begovic. 0-2

49 minutes. Sarioglu on for the injured Gunnarsson.

60 minutes. From a corner kick there is a scramble to get the ball cleared after Forssell's header is blocked on the line. Somehow Rosenthal manages to poke it home. 0-3

66 minutes. Lell on for the injured Ochs.

69 minutes. Bruggink hits the cross bar.

76 minutes. Bruggink squares to an unmarked Forssell who finishes with ease. Soft goal to concede 0-4

91 minutes. Forssell makes a goal out of nothing. The Frankfurt defence seem to have given up! 0-5

Man of the match Forssell

It turns out that Ochs has torn his hamstring and will be out for up to three months. To add insult to injury FSV Frankfurt beat Hoffenheim in their tie and go through. This is by far my worst day so far as manager of Launische Diva!

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Lell, Russ, Van Damme, Monzon, Sarioglu, Gunnarsson, Appiah, Carmona, Cisse, Fonseca 4-4-2 Counter (I expect a much better performance!)

A close first half with both sides having pleanty of half chances. No subs.

45 minutes. Scramble on the Frankfurst goal line, but the danger is cleared.

63 minutes. Tymoschuk scores with a powerful low free kick. 0-1

81 minutes. Tripple substitution: Teber, Marveaux and Meier for Gunnarsson, Appiah and Cisse.

85 minutes. Monzon equalizes with a well struck free kick thich creeps in low to the Beyern keepers left. 1-1

90 minutes. The free kick hero Monzon is given his marching orders as he picks up his second yellow card of the game.

Man of the match: Tymoschuk
League position: 9th

[McMonkey]

Grafite's goal versus Frankfurt voted goal of the month. The Frankfurt board announce a profit of £898,000 for the month which is promising.



Team: Begovic, Lell, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Sarioglu, Gunnarsson, Appiah, Cqrmona, Cisse, Fonseca 4-4-2 Counter

29 minutes. Ibesevic hits the cross bar with a header.

All square at half time.

47 minutes. Demba Ba goes close with a shot into the side netting.

54 minutes. Teber on for the injured Appiah.

57 minutes. Silmunic heads in a Salihovic corner kick. 0-1

64 minutes. Zaki on for Sarioglu.

70 minutes. Marveaux on for Fonseca. Change to 4-3-1-2.

79 minutes. Zaki misses a great opportunity.

80 minutes. ...and again!

85 minutes. Simunic scores again from a Salihovic corner. 0-2

Man of the match: Josip Simunic
League position: 12th



Die Diva von Main now without a win in four matches.

During the international break Kikin Fonseca scores a hat trick for Mexico versus Ecuador. Fabian Monzon tears a groin muscle in treaning and will be out for several weeks.

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Lell, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Gunnarsson, Teber, Carmona, Meier, Cisse, Fonseca 4-3-1-2 Counter

Though Frankfurt dominate the first half, most of our shots are long range efforts until...

46th minute. Fonseca taps in after keeper manages to save from Cisse but not keep hold of the ball.

Half time. Poor first half. No subs.

52 minutes. Meier spurns a golden opportunity after a mix up in the Freiburg defence but blazes over!

58 minutes. Great reaction save by Begovic.

62 minutes. Appiah and Marveaux on for Teber and Meier.

72 minutes. Marveaux is fouled in the Freiburg area. Cisse steps up for the penalty but it is saved!

74 minutes. Gunnarsson hits side netting.

77 minutes. Sarioglu on for Gunnarsson.

82 minutes. Superb save from Begovic. Stands tall and makes the block.

Final score: 1-0
Man of the match: Jelle Van Damme
League position: 8th

[Ingvar]

Is this a realistic game? I know nothing about football and ask in sincerity.

[Dario]

what's the most famous team in Iceland?

[Ingvar]

I don't know.

[McMonkey]

Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur?

Football Manager is a great game in my opinion. The series has been running for many years and each year new innovations are added. It is very in depth. The creators, Sports Interactive, have hundreds of scouts across the world assessing every player and compiling a profile of their attributes. This also includes personal information like their temperament, spoken languages etc...

The game is challenging to play, but there are of course some instances where it strays from reality. Some of the signings teams make are a bit strange and it is sometimes a bit to easy to get generous transfer fees for very average players (see my squad clear out). I do like the way there is a human element to the game. Talented players will have tantrums if things are not going their way and other managers will try and unsettle your best players and try and poach them. Building a good team is about more than statistics, you also need to build a team that will work together. The matches are played out in 3-D. The graphics are fairly basic (like Civ2), but my imagination fills in the rest. The games are the most impressive part of the game for me and they play in a very realistic looking way. You can tell where your tactics are failing and make changes.

The major downside to this game is the amount of time it takes up and its addictiveness. It is very easy to spend a morning glued to the screen whilst everyone else is outside enjoying the weather! When you load up the game it even tells you how addicted you are (IE don't forget to eat). I tend to limit myself to two games in a row and then it gets switched off and I do something more useful with my life

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Lell, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Gunnarsson, Appiah, Carmona, Cisse, Fonseca, Zaki 4-3-3 Counter

32 minutes. Valdez and Rangelov go close.

42 minutes. Hajnal goal. Totally unmarked standing on the penalty spot. 0-1

63 minutes. Marveaux, Sarioglu and Meier on for Appiah, Cisse and Zaki.

64 minutes. Lell takes out Subotic from free kick. Penalty! Hajnal takes it but Begovic makes a great save.

Man of the match: Dede
League position: 12th

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Sarioglu, Russ, Franz, Van Damme, Appiah, Gunnarsson, Carmona, Cisse, Fonseca, Zaki 4-3-3 Counter

6 minutes. Franz heads in Carmona corner at the far post. 1-0

14 minutes. Novakovic evades Franz's tackle to place a shot into the far corner. 1-1

33 minutes. Fonseca's goal disallowed for offside.

43 minutes. Gunnarsson drills in a free kick low and hard to Mondragon's right. 2-1

Half time. No subs.

52 minutes. Zaki misses a great chance.

65 minutes. Zaki misses a golden opportunity.

68 minutes. Meier on for Zaki.

74 minutes. Bajramovic on for Cisse. 4-1-3-1-1.

75 minutes. Superb save by Begovic from corner.

82 minutes. Linderoth for Fonseca. 4-2-3-1.

92 minutes. Ehret goal dissalowed for offside. Phew!

Full time score: 2-1 Vintage display
Man of the match: Captain Franz
League position: 11th

[McMonkey]

Team: Begovic, Sarioglu, Petkovic, Russ, Franz, Gunnarsson, Appiah, Carmona, Cisse, Zaki, Fonseca 4-3-3 Counter

4 minutes. On the break Zaki feeds Cisse who beats the offside traps and finishes cooly. 1-0

10 minutes. Terrific reaction save by Begovic.

29 minutes. Zaki powers in a shot after Bailly fails to hold onto an effort by Fonseca. 2-0

31 minutes. Rob Friend's goal disallowed for offside.

36 minutes. Gunnarsson threads a great diagonal ball through to Fonseca who beats the offside trap and slots past the keeper. 3-0

Half time. No subs.

70 minutes. Marveaux and Linderoth on for Cisse and Petkovic.

79 minutes. Fonseca picks up the ball on the halfway line, dribbles to the edge of the area and hits a scramer into the top corner. This will later be voted goal of the month! 4-0

Man of the match: Kikin Fonseca
League position: 9th

[McMonkey]

Team: Proll, Sarioglu, Russ, Franz, Petkovic, Appiah, Gunnarsson, Carmona, Cisse, Fonseca, Zaki 4-3-3 Counter

2 minutes. Great cross by Carmona and Zaki scores with a powerful header. 1-0

37 minutes. Dedic manages to stay onside and beats Proll with a curling shot from just inside the area. 1-1

Half time. No subs.

85 minutes. Fernandes makes a great save to deny Appiah.

Good game. Pleanty of chances for both sides but it ends 1-1

Man of the match: Carlos Carmona
League position: 10th