Season 3(05-06) 

I've won the first five games of the Bundesliga, amazingly, match-day 2 was the big one, Dortmund Vs Munich. After going behind, I pulled it out and 3-1... almost a carbon-copy of the Der Pokal final. I've beaten a couple of alright teams, but nothing too interesting after just 5 league games.

In the UEFA Super Cup, I had to field a shit team because I played Kaiserslautern just two days before, however I went on to beat Inter 2-0. In the Champions League, the first game was a potential final, Juventus Vs Bayern at the Delle Alpi. The game went back and forth, but Ronaldo overpowered them, scoring a hat-trick, and we won 5-2.

For Croatia, Olic took a rest from scoring as some unknown Benfica striker scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win away to Andorra. Four days later Olic scored the winner in the 3-2 win away to Lithuania. As the group stands, Croatia are top with 19 points, but Czech and Iceland are joint second with 17. However, thanks to previous results and such... a draw at home to Iceland in about three weeks time will be enough to take Croatia to the World Cup at the end of the season.

I've finished the first half of the season now, only four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Nobody looks like leaving during January - but I've signed the following players for the end of the season on frees:

Wayne Rooney - SC worth 20m - I don't think I need to say anymore.
Lovenkrands - FLC worth 10m - A good player, means I'll be able to sell one or two older players, plus he's still got years to become better.
Lauren - D/DMR worth 3m - Not the world's greatest player, but he's only signing for defensive cover, mainly for Sagnol, but can also play midfield.
Mario Melchiot - D/DMR/C worth 4m - Has great stats, if you play him often enough his value can shoot up, he's still got a couple of years left too. With Kovac now 31, he might be in the starting line-up, but probably just cover for all DCs and DRs.

I fielded a shit team in the Pokal quarter final due to an impending intercontinental cup tie, the team lost in extra time. Amazingly, FC Bayern (A) - the amateur side has reached the semi-final! But they now face Werder Bremen who should really tank them.

As I said before, Croatia needed a point against Iceland to qualify for the World Cup. Czech did all they could beating Andorra 9-1 at the same time, but an Ivica Olic goal in the 89' minute secured all three points for Croatia to top the group. At the world cup, they're the seeded team in a weak group that includes Costa Rica, Japan and Paraguay - although Paraguay's top player is 26m rated Bayern striker Roque Santa Cruz.

After Manager Holiday-ing the last two months or so of the season, I went on to retain the Bundesliga comfortably over chasing Schalke. Thanks to Claudio Ranieri, (assistant manager) we were put out of the Champions League quarter final by Porto - a shitty team that I've beaten every year so far! Oh well... World Cup next. That reminds me, the Euro 2008 qualifying groups have been drawn, and Croatia have been drawn against Germany amongst a host of shit teams.

Mario Melchiot has been injured, so I've decided not to sign him. I've got my eye on Yobo, Woodgate and Ujfalusi - who all look world class. The stadium has been increased by 1,650 seats, hardly worth the bother, and the transfer budget has been announced at 66m. The signings of Rooney, Lovenkrands and Pienaar all caused rises in shirt sales - so Pienaar must be pretty good, Brack!

World Cup 2006, Germany:

In the first game in my group Paraguay defeated Costa Rica 1-0, stunningly the 30m rated Santa Cruz wasn't even on the bench.

Early results in other groups had interesting results as Czech smashed Spain 4-0 and Ukraine beat Holland 2-1.

The first game was a frustrating 2-2 draw with Japan, with several players missing though, it wasn't a disaster. Also, Ivan Cacic scored on his international debut.

The second group game was Paraguay, Olic was back but went off injured early on. Cacic scored twice and one from Leko gave Croatia a 3-0 win, with Santa Cruz not getting a sniff of goal throughout the whole game. Croatia left needing just a point against Costa Rica to reach the knock out stages.

The third game came around. Cacic scored a hat-trick this time as Croatia won 3-0 for a second game in a row to finish the group on 7 points. Grip Dickens is allegedly tempted to sign Cacic on reflection of his World Cup performances... he has 6 goals after just 3 games, currently the competition's top scorer. (lol, on second thoughts his stats are pretty crap.) Croatia have drawn Uruguay in the last 16 - with a quarter final against Argentina in prospect.



The second round game started horrendously, with Uruguay scoring in the 2' minute. After heavy attacking, Olic scored the equaliser on 61' minutes to force the silver goal. Olic scored again on 94' minutes, followed by Cacic's seventh of the competition on 102' minutes, for Croatia to win 3-1 on the silver goal rule.

The quarter final was nervy. Olic put Croatia in front just before the half hour, only for the legendary Ortega to draw level within 9 minutes. After the break the game was dominated in midfield with neither side looking too likely to score. Then, Jurica Vucko of Alaves - with only previous international goal - scored twice in the closing minutes to claim one of the most famous victories in Croatian history. The 3-1 win was made a big deal of in the press, and set up a semi-final against either the hosts Germany, or their eastern rivals Russia.

Germany tanked Russia setting up an interesting semi final - the winner would face Brazil in the final, the loser would face England in the 3rd/4th place playoff - between Germany and the man who had won the German domestic title for three years in a row. Not to mention the fact that Ballack, Jeremies, Rau, Lahm and Deisler all played at club level for the oppositions' manager.

The semi-final was tense as all hell. The first half came and went without a goal, but with both sides looking like scoring. With about 20 minutes to go, it was Vucko who made the breakthrough again. Germany threw men forward, and just a few minutes later, Simac scored a rare goal. German fans began to leave the stadium, Olic was brought off so that he wouldn't get booked and suspended from the final. In the closing minutes, the game was stretched beyond belief as Germany tried to get back in it, but Cacic latched on to a ball to score his 8th of the competition in the 90' minute. Final score, a historic 3-0 to Croatia - eliminating the hosts, and setting up a final against the almighty Brazil.



Brazil came out playing super-attacking and were 2-0 up after just 15 minutes. Jurica Vucko - having not scored in the first four games - scored his forth goal in just three games with a great run followed by a calm finish. Late on, any chance Croatia had was thrown away by the sending off of Igor Tudor. Grip Dickens is now considering stepping down in the hope of obtaining the national job of a better country.



Croatia's Ivan Cacic won the golden boot with 8 goals.

Season Four (06/07)

The starting line up for the season



I decided to pick the game back up at the start of the fourth season. I added Djibril Ciss to the squad after about four games for just 7.5m from Liverpool.

Additionally, I've decided to switch from 5-3-2 Sweeper to Operation Barbarossa for this season, I'll post a screenshot of my first choice team when I can be bothered. Almost half way through the season, and I have to say standards in the league have picked up over the last three and half a years. I've only dropped seven points from about 15 games and I'm two points behind Dortmund at the top. Furthermore, there are a couple of teams chasing right behind me, a far cry from the ridiculous situation of the first season or two.

Most of my signings have proven to be good ones, Ciss has started scoring regularly and Rooney is the Bundesliga's top goalscorer. Reyes isn't a first teamer but plays well when he comes on, and Robben and Ronaldinho do as well as you would expect them to. Lauren and Scott Parker on the other hand didn't take long to start complaining about not being in the first team, I finally gave Lauren a chance and he got sent off... so fuck him to be honest. Scott Parker now has two months to prove himself as the long-term replacement to the magnanimous Ballack who is out injured for the next two months.

Tobias Rau at left back has fulfilled his potential to be a more than viable replacement for the legendary Bixente Lizarazu, Lucio seems to prefer playing in a flat back four, Ujfalusi is brilliant and Sagnol continues to just get better and better.

I'm through to the Pokal quarter finals in about two weeks time, I won, not just qualified from, but actually won my champions league group after just four games, and as I said second in the league but still yet to face Dortmund.

In January there's no point in signing anyone as they would just be baggage to an already slightly top-heavy squad. I'll probably be looking to sell two or three of my attacking midfielders/forwards because their are simply too many good ones there to keep them all happy, and/or in a position where I can sell them for a lot of money.

Just before the winter break I smashed Dortmund 5-0 at home to leave the table at the halfway stage looking like this



During January Lauren returned to Arsenal for 2.1m, nobody else left or joined Bayern Munchen. Michael Ballack's average rating of 7.96 from 40 games has also proven to Grip Dickens that he still has years as a first teamer at the Allianz-Arena.

The fourth season is over, after winning 21 consecutive games in the Bundesliga, Bayern's opposition slowly died off leaving them with a final marhin of 10 points between them and everyone else. The side went on to win the Pokal final 2-1, and then beat Manchester Utd 1-0 to clinch the Champions League again.

Grip Dickens quit months ago from Portugal because all their injuries pissed him off.

Ciss won Bundesliga golden boot with 24 goals, although Rooney was Bayern's top goalscorer in all competitions with a final tally of 33.


This is Grip Dickens' record for Portugal, Bayern and Croatia all put together after four years.