Hot Prospects - Page 4 - FMFormation.net - Football Manager

**VeggiSmurf** · 23-04-08, 02:17 PM

Omg this is superb. almost p!ssed my pants kutgw
to bad about the lost agains psv

Toukai · 23-04-08, 02:45 PM

nice story KUTGW mate

Dheano · 23-04-08, 04:08 PM

That kid sounds class!

KUTGW Harty boy :D

Dargo17 · 23-04-08, 05:12 PM

looking great as usual mate
kutgw and hope you can do great things :D

**WozzaWolves** · 23-04-08, 07:21 PM

:O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O

Have i made my point? ;D

Breathtaking story, one of the favourites for one of next months stories of the month!

woodsy · 24-04-08, 03:15 PM

Loving this story one of the best i've read so far :D

KUTGW

**Hartynips** · 28-04-08, 08:08 AM

Hot Prospects

After the cup defeat against PSV the air around the Ajax camp was little better than despondent. The following two training sessions weren't exactly sparkly, and I knew we would need a good performance against Spartak Moscow at the Amsterdam ArenA to get things going.

Lauri Dalla Valle got through his first game in the reserves, playing 70 minutes against Vitesse reserves. According to the game report from Aron Winter, the youngster showed some nice touches, and provided an easy tap-in for Alex Fernandez to score the only goal of the game. I was getting some promising feedback from the new reserves signings we had made, with Gabriel Torje and Bogdan Stancu's names coming up often in reports. Promising stuff.

Wednesday the 15th August soon came around, and before we knew it, we had to play Spartak in the qualifying stage for the Champions League. I knew this was a big money spinner, we could not afford to mess this opportunity up. I selected and re-selected my squad more times than I could remember, and by the time I named my match squad, I was still unhappy. Still, time would tell, and I had to go for it.

The stadium atmosphere was electric. The fans were sensing this was a game we could get a result from. The Champions League music was deafening over the speakers, as I watched the famous emblem being walked off the pitch by twenty or so teenagers. My stomach was turning over and over as I watched the Moscow players warm up, they looked physical, fit and up for it. Of course they are I thought to myself, they're halfway through their season at home. I went back to the dressing room, to be faced by eleven players not looking overly confident. I took a deep breath.
"Ok fellas, here we are again" I started "I just want a good performance guys ok? We know little about them, apart from they are probably better in the air than on the ground, so I want you to get the ball on the deck as quick as possible and move it around"
There was some nodding, and murmers of agreement. Encouraged, I pressed on.
"I want to see at least two of you ready to receive a pass when we have the ball. Hedwiges, you in particular have to run the centre circle area. They have a gifted MC in Mozart, I want him seeing as little of that ball as possible." More nodding. They were coming around. There was a buzz happening now.
"Klaus you need to look to drop in a little deeper, lay the ball off and make a nusiance of yourself to Kovac and Jiranek" The big striker grinned at me.
I looked around the room. "Just play to your strengths lads, I got faith in you all. Now go and prove to the fans we can do this!"

Ten minutes into the game we were 1-0 down. We just couldn't get the ball, and after a cross was whipped to the near post by Torbinsky, Stam and Stekelenburg messed it up completely and the ball hit the net after the man-mountain flicked it past his own keeper. I couldn't believe it, this was going from bad to worse. It stayed that way into the break and to be absolutely honest we were awful. Stray passes, people mixing up, lack of communication, we just looked third rate all the first half. I didn't even go into the dressing room, I was so livid. For 15 minutes I walked the tunnel, kicking lucozade bottles, the wall, and even the occasional steward.

As they passed me in the tunnel after the buzzer sounded, not one Ajax player looked me in the eye. They had 15 minutes to dwell on it, I had no doubt they would be very angry inside at themselves. Maybe this would produce a better performance this half?

It took just 45 seconds. A long ball upfield by Stam was nodded down into the path of Kennedy Bakircilogu, who stepped on the ball to kill it dead, and it was set up for Hedwiges Maduro to run and smash it from the edge of the box. Pletikosa in the Spartak goal stood no chance as the ball whistled past him into the bottom left. 1-1!

I showed no emotion on the bench. Maduro looked over at me as he ran back, and I allowed myself a nod in his direction. At least that looked a decent set up, could we continue? The answer was an emphatic yes, as over the next 20 minutes Pletikosa was peppered with shots left, right and centre. Trouble was, we couldn't make that breakthrough. However,on 87 minutes we won a corner. Mika Aaritalo, making his Ajax debut after coming on as a 67th minute sub, swung in a great in-swinger from the left, and Stam rose above all others and powered a header at goal. Pletikosa pulled off the save of the game, blocking at near point blank, and the ball disappeared into a melee of Ajax and Moscow players.

A second later the crowd behind the goal exploded in a huge celebratory roar. The ball was in the net!!! But who had scored was anyone's guess at that second, because although we were all celebrating on the bench, three of my players were huddled around a crumpled form lying in the goalmouth. Almost immediately the rest of the teams were crowding around and Erwin Goedhardt our physio was sprinting the 50 yards or so from our bench to the fallen player. Because of the distance I couldn't make out who it was, until the the forest of legs parted briefly, and I caught a glimpse.

The player lying prone on the pitch on his back was wearing an Ajax shirt.

metro · 28-04-08, 01:30 PM

OMG this is amazing story

**Fedorico Roma Fan** · 28-04-08, 02:41 PM

great update mate, really enjoying this story. i want to know who that player is! KUTGW!

Skelcher_The_Devil · 28-04-08, 02:48 PM

gd story m8

**James M** · 04-05-08, 04:46 PM

nice, kutgw! maybe use graphics to break it down though mate.

woodsy · 04-05-08, 04:49 PM

WOW!! Amazing stroy one of the best I've read cant wait until you reveal who the player was :D KUTGW

**VeggiSmurf** · 05-05-08, 08:08 AM

Nice update m8
hurry up with the next one i wanna read more.

**Bozza** · 05-05-08, 01:09 PM

This is a fantastic read mate. Love you the way you tell it. I hope you can keep it up, get some nice results and post more quality updates.

**Hartynips** · 05-05-08, 01:57 PM

Hot Prospects

Champions League Highlights
ITV Wed 15th August, 10.45pm

Matt Smith "...and with Torres claiming the matchball for a marvellous hatrick, concludes the 3-0 drubbing by Liverpool over Red Star. Ok moving on to our final game highlights of the evening, and some worthy advice, if you are squeamish at home you'd perhaps better look away at the end of this game."

I couldn't help but cringe when the presenter said that. Watching beamed in highlights from Hedwigs Maduro's bed-side in the private wing of the OLVG Hospital, I took a quick look at the player swathed in bandages around his head. This crazy young man had won us the game 2-1 with his bravery, but at what cost? Three and a half minutes of nerve wracking injury time had passed at the end of the 90, but with just 10 men we held on, although all the players were in shock. I tried to recount but couldn't, the last ten minutes of the blur that had been our Champions League qualifying game. I didn't need to, the highlights caught up soon enough.

I cussed Stam and Stekelenburg for their lack of communication that led to the opener for Moscow. I swelled with pride at the move that led to the equalizer, with the 1st Maduro goal looking even more superb on telly than it did from pitchside. Then the worst bit.

The ball swung in from Aaritalo was superb, it seemed to lock on to Jaap Stam like a Tomahawk Cruise Missile. His header goalward was like a bullet, and somehow, instinctively, Pletikosa blocked. It spun awkwardly at around neck height, and in the confusion, lightningly quick out of nowhere, Maduro appeared and nodded it toward the empty left hand corner, only to receive an earth-shattering left footed attempted clearance in the face from Spartak leftback Fed Kudryashov. It hit Hedwigs so hard, his head in slow-motion seemed to snap back at an horrific angle. Unfortunately for him, Kudryashov followed him all the way to the ground, landing nastily on Maduro's left ankle, twisting it to near breaking point. Mercifully Hedwiges was unconscious before he hit the pitch.

"Ajax manager, Steve Hart released a very brief statement after the match before we came on air tonight" Matt Smith the ITV presenter continued before the analysis began.

"We understand from the surgeon that has already operated on Hedwiges Maduro, that his condition is stable. He had sustained a shocking injury in a collision with a Spartak defender, that led to our winning goal. Maduro has needed 12 stitches in a wound to the inside of his mouth. He lost three teeth, and to make matters worse has a suspected broken ankle.
At this point I would like to publicly thank, not just on behalf of the club, But the Maduro family, the incredibly quick actions of our physio, Erwin Goedhart, which probably saved Maduro's life. We understand at the point of impact Hedwiges had swallowed his tongue, and if Goedhart had not reached him so quickly, we may have seen another addition to the sad list of footballer deaths over the last few years. Erwin will never admit it, but he is now a hero to everyone connected to this club."

I switched the TV off as three members of Hedwiges' family entered the room. Mrs Maduro was crying, at the sight of her son wrapped in white linnet. I nodded at them and left, feeling absolutely shattered. This kid unwittingly had put his head where most footballers would think twice about putting their feet. It had won us an advantage over Spartak for the second leg, but all I was concerned about was his wellbeing.

Getting home I crashed into bed, Tam saying nothing.

I didn't sleep a wink.

woodsy · 05-05-08, 02:02 PM

Wow, this is becoming like a drama update with him nearly dying :p at least you won the game 2-1 KUTGW cant wait for the update

Wednesdayboy · 05-05-08, 02:08 PM

What A Story!!!!!!!!!!
News of the World

Will make you laugh, cry and jump out of your seat.
The Sun

KUTGW

**VeggiSmurf** · 05-05-08, 02:13 PM

Nice win butt to bad about maduro hope everything will turn out for him.
This is quality kutgw

**liveru** · 05-05-08, 05:54 PM

That's a cringeworthy description of Maduro's injury.

Made my ankle feel funny.

Keep up the good work mate. Loving this.

busheyladd · 05-05-08, 11:38 PM

This is superb nips , took me a good 20 minutes too catch up , but i am glad i did

good luck with everything, the start was superb btw m8ty