The term ‘World XI’ and Watford FC might appear to be as dubious a partnership as Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier, but the newly promoted Premier League outfit are notorious for their global range of players.

Loading up their squad list at the start of Soccer Manager 16 reveals an astonishing TWENTY THREE different nationalities.

There are more tongues going on than a youth disco.

Which prompts the obvious challenge – give the Watford squad a homegrown overhaul, while avoiding relegation.

Without wanting to sound like a questionable UKIP campaign, my mission is to transform the Hornets’ line-up to contain players solely from English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh or Northern Irish backgrounds.

It’s something approaching mission impossible – I’m no Tom Cruise, but I am similarly diminutive, which should qualify me for a starring role.

November

To read October’s diary, click here.

We start the month slap bang middle of the table in tenth, with four wins and 15 points from our opening 13 matches.

A third of the campaign down, and we’re comfortably out-performing expectations.

Next, though, is a trip to leaders Manchester City, who have won 12 games and are already five points clear.

Scary, but it means there’s absolutely no pressure on us, either.

Still, Shane Long being given a straight red card within the first 300 seconds is still not ideal.

The only surprise with what follows is that it takes City 26 minutes to open the scoring, through Samir Nasri (91).

It looks as though we’ll make it to half time at 1-0, but a Sergio Aguero penalty ends the match as a contest. He scores again from the spot in the second half and we’re almost happy to take a 3-0 defeat.

We return to home turf, and more comfortable opposition in Sunderland – after a week in which Joe Allen increases in rating – and the sole change I make is replacing the suspended Long with Troy Deeney (85), literally my only striker alternative.

He returns the, ahem, faith rapidly, opening the scoring after five minutes, heading in from a Wayne Routledge cross.

Tactical genius, me.

Our opponents, though, are bossing the ball, and are rewarded when Fabio Borini rams home yet another penalty.

They’re level for just three minutes, when substitute Ikechi Anya (85) tucks away a winner – having been thrown on in hope rather than expectation.

That earns him a starting berth in the next game, a cup clash with Championship side Leeds.

Allen gives us an early lead, and things look good, until Deeney limps off. It means I’m reliant on youth team forward Bernard Mensah (73) up top.

He looks sharp, winning a penalty for Scott Sinclair to convert and, at 2-0, and with my paper-thin squad a worry, I withdraw key cogs Jagielka and Allen.

We hold on to earn a draw against Tottenham in the next round.

*

Our final match of the month is hosting Aston Villa on a Monday night in front of the Sky cameras. The glamour.

Ahead of the clash, Anya increases a rating in training and Deeney returns to fitness, so I start with both – keeping flying winger Routledge on the bench, giving me the luxury of an impact sub.

There isn’t much for Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to analyse in the studio at half time, after a dour, goalless first 45 minutes – Deeney’s shot straight at Brad Guzan the only ‘highlight’ of the half.

I make a trio of changes on the hour mark, but it is Villa who get the illusive goal, Jordan Veretout (88) on hand to break Hornets’ hearts late on.

We remain tenth in the standings, though, averaging over a point a game.

I’ll take that quite nicely.

Further, we receive a cash offer from Argentine side Boca Unidos for unwanted midfielder Almen Abdi (85).

We need to be ready for a month of death, though – our five opponents during December are: Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea, Tottenham again in the Cup, and Manchester United.

That’ll be our end of year fireworks, then.

*

About the author – Lee Price

Lee Price is a journalist and author with a passion for football, and crucially, virtual football management.

twitter: @Lee_Price

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

The term ‘World XI’ and Watford FC might appear to be as dubious a partnership as Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier, but the newly promoted Premier League outfit are notorious for their global range of players.

Loading up their squad list at the start of Soccer Manager 16 reveals an astonishing TWENTY THREE different nationalities.

There are more tongues going on than a youth disco.

Which prompts the obvious challenge – give the Watford squad a homegrown overhaul, while avoiding relegation.

Without wanting to sound like a questionable UKIP campaign, my mission is to transform the Hornets’ line-up to contain players solely from English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh or Northern Irish backgrounds.

It’s something approaching mission impossible – I’m no Tom Cruise, but I am similarly diminutive, which should qualify me for a starring role.

October

To read September’s diary, click here.

I’ve always said I’m more of a training ground manager.

You can keep your wheeler dealers – oi, who’s sniggering at the back? – I’m all about developing my squad, taking them on a journey, you know?

This is evidenced by news from my coaching staff that new signing Wayne Routledge has improved to an 88 rating, despite being 30 years of age.

Proof you can teach an old dog new tricks.

It’s appropriately timed, as former team Swansea are in town for our next fixture.

After back-to-back defeats, we could do with him demonstrating his improvement.

We come out playing like Arsenal; dominating possession, carving the opposition defence like a succulently cooked chicken…and spurning chances.

The first half ends goal-less, but we’ve looked good.

Within 15 minutes of the restart, and our domination is rewarded, Scott Sinclair stroking home two penalties after fouls on Shane Long.

With the bigger picture in mind, I promptly rest my stars – Sinclair, Routledge and Phil Jagielka – and hope to see out the final third of the game without incident.

Yeah, right.

Suddenly, Swansea remember how to attack, and pepper our goal from all angles – Robinson less ‘Paul’ and more ‘Crusoe’ as he somehow survives the avalanche.

Annoyingly, his goal is breached in injury time when Jefferson Montero heads home from a corner – yes, another aerial goal conceded – but three points are most welcome.

*

The fans are singing my name as they leave the stadium, although it’s not clear what tune they’ve chosen – my monosyllabic moniker doesn’t lend itself to many catchy chants.

There’s more news from the training ground, but this time that Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos has dropped a rating point. Little surprise given he’s rotting in the reserves playing with a tennis ball.

But I haven’t got time to feel sympathy for my outcasts, we’ve got a trip to Stoke to look forward to – and this definitely falls into the category of ‘winnable’ games.

We boss the opening exchanges – at one point the possession bar is entirely yellow – and Joe Allen is winning back the ball regularly.

At half time, it’s goalless, but we’ve had a dizzying 63% of the ball. If you squint your eyes, it’s like watching Brazil – if only because of the kits.

Stoke, inevitably, are better in the second half, and take the lead when Xherdan Shaqiri rolls home a penalty following Davis’s foul.

Curiously profligate from distance, despite his name, Long is the king of penalty area poaching, and is on hand again to tap home a late equaliser after good work from Sinclair.

*

After the game, I’m told that Long and Steven Davis have improved in training – yay! – but reserves Lloyd Dyer (now 82) and Rene Gilmartin (76) have gone backwards.

I don’t intend either to get any nearer to the pitch than the substitutes’ bench, anyway.

West Brom arrive at the Vic fielding a surprisingly attacking line up.

We take full advantage, with Sinclair getting to the byline, and finding the towering figure of, erm, Allen to open the scoring.

Stephane Sessegnon levels two minutes into the second half, before Jonny Evans bundles home from another poxy corner on the brink of the full time whistle.

We’re beat. Again, it’s a game of two halves.

*

Our first half display, again, is promising as we rock up to Southampton – taking a 2-0 lead into the changing rooms at the break, Long and Routledge on the score sheet.

At half time, I plead with the boys not to let the intensity drop, to get a third goal that’ll finish them off.

Instead, the Saints go marching in.

Gaston Ramirez rolls past Robinson on the hour mark, and Sadio Mane levels twenty minutes later.

Dusan Tadic completes the reversal with an 87^th minute penalty.

And I propel my laptop onto the floor.

That makes it three defeats out of five, and two in a row.

*

The final fixture of the month, against Bournemouth, at home, at least offers an opportunity to end October on a high.

They’ve lost four out of five, but do sit tenth in the table, three places above us.

Victory for the mighty Hornets would see us leapfrog them – helped in no small part to their horrendous goal difference of minus 14.

Perhaps sensing this – no doubt from my extensive pre-match briefing – Davis launches something speculative from the flank, and Artur Boruc ends up flapping it into his own net.

Twenty minutes later, and Bournemouth are Pole axed as Boruc is beaten by an Allen header – his second in a row. Bizarre.

And the Cherries are picked off at ease. If anything, we should be smacking four or five past them, but Long’s off-target, and Deeney comes on to do a stunning impression.

So we finish the month in the top half of the table, with 15 points from 13 games, and a goal difference of zero.

We’ve outscored Tottenham and conceded fewer than Southampton or Palace.

Most importantly, we’re five points off the relegation zone.

But, with a busy November to come, beginning with a match away to table topping Manchester City, there’s no time to celebrate.

 

About the author – Lee Price

Lee Price is a journalist and author with a passion for football, and crucially, virtual football management.

twitter: @Lee_Price

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

The term ‘World XI’ and Watford FC might appear to be as dubious a partnership as Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier, but the newly promoted Premier League outfit are notorious for their global range of players.

Loading up their squad list at the start of Soccer Manager 16 reveals an astonishing TWENTY THREE different nationalities.

There are more tongues going on than a youth disco.

Which prompts the obvious challenge – give the Watford squad a homegrown overhaul, while avoiding relegation.

Without wanting to sound like a questionable UKIP campaign, my mission is to transform the Hornets’ line-up to contain players solely from English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh or Northern Irish backgrounds.

It’s something approaching mission impossible – I’m no Tom Cruise, but I am similarly diminutive, which should qualify me for a starring role.

This is my diary as I play through the challenge.

To read August’s diary, click here.

 

September

Phew, what a flurry of a first month proper at the helm.

Though my rebuilding of the squad isn’t complete, I’m relieved that the window has shut for a few months – after signing 13 players for more than £40million, and shipping out 19 to make space for them.

And, actually, the squad has at least retained its strength, with arrivals such as Phil Jagielka (90), Phil Jones (89), Joe Allen (88), and Steven Davis (88) all upgrades.

The one shortfall is in goal, with Paul Robinson (82) a three-point drop on the departed Heurelho Gomes and Giedrius Arlauskis.

With working with what I’ve got in mind, I plough £250,000 into improving the training ground, investing the 200 Coins I’ve earned from results so far to effect the upgrade immediately.

My youth coaches inform me of a new prospect in my squad, Welsh midfielder Lloyd Dummett, who has a potential rating of 90.

Currently rated 70, though, he has a long way to improve – and is already 19. I’m not pinning my hopes on him becoming the next Kenny Jackett just yet.

 

Next up is another of the league’s ‘day out’ fixtures – a trip to Liverpool and Anfield, where new boys Scott Sinclair and Wayne Routledge will make their debut.

Talk about in at the deep end.

From the off, Sinclair is a livewire – pulling makeshift left back Emre Can (88) out of position and dragging an early shot wide.

Liverpool don’t heed the warning, though, as he repeats the trick, finding Davis in the area to give us an unlikely lead.

A minute later, and it’s the other debutant taking centre stage, Routledge heading home from a corner and, before that’s even sunk in, the referee has awarded us a penalty, which Troy Deeney dispatches – three goals in five incredible minutes.

Another five minutes later, and it’s four – Davis again finding space in the area to cap a, frankly, ridiculous first half.

The second half is one of the most boring 45 minutes of football you’re likely to see, but there were no complaints on the Watford bench.

It’s quite a contrast from our previous return home from the North West, after the brutal spanking by Manchester United.

I receive a text saying the board is ‘very pleased’ with the result, and that they hope the team performs ‘just as well’ in future fixtures.

Yeah, right-o, 4-0 away wins are the norm at Watford.

 

Next up, we host West Ham, and I’m obviously not making any changes – this lot were dynamite last time out.

And the match starts as though nothing’s changed, with Routledge streaking down the left, before squaring for Sinclair to break the deadlock, their instant impact continuing.

All is well, and Robinson even makes a save. This management lark is easy.

And then everything changes.

West Ham hit back twice after half time, first Cheikhou Kouyate heads home a left flank cross, and then Manuel Lanzini – a veritable midget, which I can say as a short-stuff myself – nods in a corner. It’s a sickener.

They’re all over us, and only wasteful finishing from Andy Carroll stops the result from being a formality.

He’ll rue those misses, as we snatch back a share of the spoils when Shane Long pokes home after some penalty box pinball.

 

Boy, that was tough, and my squad is shattered. Four days later, we have another visitor from the capital, as Millwall show up for the League Cup second round.

With a paper-thin group to select from, and Premier League survival a priority, I have to make changes.

Yeah, I’m gonna do a Wenger and stick out the reserves – making ten changes, with Robinson remaining in goal as the only constant.

And, long story short, we get knocked out. Two down at half time, we rally slightly after the break to half the deficit, but there’ll be no more League Cup exploits for Watford this season.

With just three days until the next match, though, the sacrifice at least means a fully fit team for the trip to Crystal Palace – the sort of match where the points are on offer.

Those wingers might be the greatest signings I could’ve made – and all on an impulse.

Panic buying? No, never. Brilliant recruitment, more like.

Anyway, Sinclair and Routledge combine to give us another away lead, with the former’s deep cross headed into the area by the latter, where Long has learned to lurk – the Irish international poking home his fourth goal of the season.

Another good bit of business.

Signing Robinson, less so – as he flaps at a Yohan Cabaye (91) free kick, and presents an open goal to the obliging Dwight Gayle.

A flurry of yellow cards are handed out – this match is more testy than my underpants – which overshadows the spectacle of the second half.

Just as I accept that it’s petering out for a draw, up pops Gayle (84) again to snatch all three points for the Eagles.

Worse, midfielder Davis is ruled out for 11 weeks by injury, and I get an arsey message from the board.

I have little choice but to spend the 500 SM Coins on sending him to a top notch surgeon and getting him fit back for the next match.

 

Next up are Arsenal, in a Super Sunday clash – with the Gunners knowing that a victory over little old Watford would send them top of the league.

For little reason other than trying to avoid laziness, I make some tactical changes: swapping Ben Watson into the line up at the expense of James McArthur, emphasising the importance of wing play, and crossing my fingers behind my back for the duration of the clash.

Jagielka hauls down Olivier Giroud (91) early on, and that’s just about that, I conclude – but Robinson, always my favourite signing, claws the resulting penalty away beautifully.

Alexis Sanchez (94) gets another chance from the spot in the second half, when Joe Allen trips Mesut Ozil, and this time Robinson is helpless – the useless git.

They waste so many chances to double their lead, it’s ridiculous, and I start to expect an equaliser.

I throw on the inspirational Deeney to tie up the Roy of the Rovers storyline nicely, and he promptly makes a hash of three decent openings.

Arsenal hold on, and I’m relieved only to have to play them twice a season.

 

A very brief news story from the Watford Observer drops into my inbox – “Lee Price will be upset with their team as they lost 0-1 against Arsenal.”

Concise, but to the point.

But, overall, I’m rather satisfied with how things have gone – we end September in the heady heights of 13^th, above the likes of Newcastle and Everton.

Although, at this early stage, we’re just two points off the drop zone.

Still, I’ve lasted eight league matches at the helm, which must be some kind of record for this club.

 

About the author – Lee Price

Lee Price is a journalist and author with a passion for football, and crucially, virtual football management.

twitter: @Lee_Price

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW